radiothebook Chapter 12 The First Person to Eat "Rabbit"
Chapter 12 The First Person to Eat "Rabbit"
Steam, like a thin veil, overflowed from the steamer, quickly filling the kitchen with a misty atmosphere.
"Dad, how much longer do we have to wait?"
Mengmeng lay on the bar counter, her little hands supporting her cheeks, her eyes fixed on the big thing emitting white steam, her little nose twitching incessantly. She wanted to eat the bunny bun.
Chen Feng glanced at the clock on the wall, casually untied a corner of his apron, and scooped out two bowls of clear soup noodles from the pot next to him.
That was a pot of soup he made while kneading the dough.
"Ten more minutes. Come on, let's have breakfast first."
Chen Feng pushed a bowl of clear soup noodles sprinkled with scallions and a little lard in front of Mengmeng, and handed another bowl to Zhang Qiang, who had been waiting impatiently.
Zhang Qiang didn't stand on ceremony and picked up a mouthful of noodles to put in his mouth.
The noodles were smooth and had a sweet, savory flavor from the bone broth. He ate them with slurping sounds, but his eyes couldn't help but dart towards the steamer.
"Fengzi, this scent... it's a bit eerie."
Zhang Qiang swallowed a mouthful of noodles and said in a low voice.
"Logically speaking, the lid hasn't even been opened yet, so why is there a sweet smell coming into my throat even through the lid?"
Chen Feng took a sip of the noodle soup and looked calmly at the stove fire: "That's the natural flavor of the red beans and wheat flour. When the heat is right, they'll come out on their own."
Meanwhile, at the crossroads at the end of the old street.
Lin Xiaoyu hunched her back slightly and walked unsteadily on the stone path.
She is a freelance illustrator. In order to finish the first draft of a brand's logo, she sat from 5 pm yesterday until 7 am this morning.
At that moment, she felt as if not only her brain had been drained, but even the energy in her stomach had been drained by that first draft.
"I don't know what to eat anymore. I'm so tired of eating the same things every day," Lin Xiaoyu muttered softly.
She usually lives in the city, but rented an old courtyard in the old street as her studio for a quieter environment.
Normally, when she stayed up late, she would just buy a dry sesame seed cake from a roadside stall to make do, but today, the greasy smell made her feel nauseous.
However, just as she passed by the newly renovated restaurant, an indescribable aura, like an invisible hand, suddenly "controlled" her steps.
A pure, sweet aroma, mixed with a milky red bean paste scent, and finally, a hint of oily aroma that makes your mouth water.
At that moment, Lin Xiaoyu's stomach made a loud "gurgling" sound, so loud that even she was startled.
"Where's that smell coming from?"
Her bloodshot eyes blazed with an uncontrollable hunger.
Following the scent, as if bewitched, I turned around blankly and pushed open the half-closed wooden gate.
The first thing Lin Xiaoyu did upon entering the store was to freeze in place.
What greets you is a wall that is as white as snow, yet also colorful.
That wall was covered with all sorts of little rabbits—red, blue, long-eared, round… They were encased behind crystal-clear panels, and under the warm yellow light, it was as if you had stepped into a fairytale laboratory.
"Is...is this a children's playground?"
Lin Xiaoyu was somewhat dazed. As an artist herself, she was very sensitive to these childlike lines.
My restless heart calmed down a little under the gaze of the wall full of rabbits.
"Hello, what would you like to eat?"
Chen Feng's gentle voice came from behind the bar.
Lin Xiaoyu then came to her senses and saw the man standing behind the counter.
The clean white shirt, the slender fingers, and the air of indifference made her feel like she had wandered onto the wrong movie set. Was this still a restaurant?
Her gaze fell on the small blackboard by the door, but before she could fully read the contents, the steaming heat emanating from the steamer, carrying the fragrance of red beans, completely shattered her reason.
"I'd like one... bunny-shaped steamed bun."
"Okay, three in a set, 12 yuan." Chen Feng pointed to the payment code next to him.
Lin Xiaoyu's movement of taking out her phone suddenly froze.
"How much?" she raised her voice, her tone a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Three steamed buns... 12 yuan?"
In this area, the most expensive meat-filled buns cost no more than 2 yuan each.
Three steamed buns for 12 yuan, four yuan each, was practically robbery in Lin Xiaoyu's eyes.
Chen Feng didn't explain, but calmly pointed to the table: "You can sit down first."
Zhang Qiang, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it any longer and muttered, "Girl, smell this! This is a state banquet... oh dear!"
Chen Feng kicked Zhang Qiang, signaling him to shut up.
Lin Xiaoyu stood in front of the counter, two little figures in her mind fighting fiercely.
The rational little person shouted: "Hurry up! Although 12 yuan isn't much money, is this right? Is this really reasonable?"
Is this really not a rip-off, scam shop?! Don't be a fool!
But the little man named "Hunger" screamed desperately: "Eat it! Eat it now! If you leave now, I'm going to die on my way home!"
Smell this bean aroma! Is this the kind of smell you can find in ordinary steamed buns? You absolutely have to try it today!
Lin Xiaoyu glanced at the rabbit drawing on the wall.
Those paintings are so pure. The place where such paintings could be made must not be too dark, right?
In addition, the aroma grew stronger and stronger, like a fine net that enveloped her completely, making her feel as if she would never be able to leave without taking a bite.
"Fine, since I'm already here, I'm going to try out these 12-yuan buns today and see what they're like!"
Lin Xiaoyu gritted her teeth and scanned the code with a somewhat tragic air, as if cutting off a piece of her own flesh.
"Ding, Alipay payment received, 12 yuan."
Hearing the crisp sound of the tent being reached, Lin Xiaoyu felt her heart bleeding.
She pulled out a chair and sat down, her hands trembling as she opened her best friend's group chat.
[Big Fish: Family, does anyone know what's going on?! I've been ripped off by a shady shop in the old town! [crying]]
[Big Fish: Three steamed buns for 12 yuan! The boss is handsome, but his heart is black!]
The thing is, I actually paid for it! I think I must have gone crazy from staying up all night...
The group chat instantly erupted in chaos.
[SuSu: 12 yuan for three? Did the boss use gold leaf as flour?]
[Yuanyuan: Little Fish, run! You can't stay there, or he'll charge you for air conditioning again.]
Lin Xiaoyu was typing away at lightning speed, ranting and ranting, when suddenly, a thick wave of heat, carrying a scent reminiscent of milk and roasted beans, swept in from the direction of the bar.
With a "click," Chen Feng lifted the lid of the steamer.
In that instant, Lin Xiaoyu felt as if her phone screen had lost all its color.
She subconsciously looked up and saw Chen Feng steadily holding a delicate little cage on a wooden tray.
"Here's your bunny-shaped steamed bun, please enjoy."
As the white steam dissipated, three snow-white rabbits with red bean-shaped eyes and cute ears lay quietly on the emerald green bamboo leaf mat, as if they might jump off the plate at any moment.
Before Lin Xiaoyu could finish speaking, her phone slid off the table.
The intense fragrance that wafted straight to her head instantly dispelled any harsh criticism she had prepared.
Chen Feng gently placed the tray in front of her and pointed to the iron bucket containing soy milk, saying:
"The soy milk is free; you can refill it yourself over there."
Lin Xiaoyu seemed not to hear, only staring at the crystal-clear little rabbit, and let out a heavy "gulp" from her throat.