Over the past few years, Su Xiaotian could be considered well-read. If one were to judge solely by the sheer volume of books she had read, Su Xiaotian had consumed more than many seasoned scholars.
Su Xiaotian's current weakness was that her reading was too scattered. She had touched upon almost every subject, but had not mastered any.
Fortunately, Su Xiaotian was quite content with her current state.
After all, she was only thirteen years old. Even if calculated from the normal university graduation age of twenty-two, she still had nine years to dedicate herself to serious study. By then, she was sure to find a path she could focus on and pursue.
This was also a matter of helplessness, as her system library was beyond her control.
"The Sichuan cuisine in this restaurant is quite authentic!" Su Xiaotian remarked as she ate.
Chi Yiyuan felt that something about Su Xiaotian's statement was slightly off, but he couldn't pinpoint what it was, so he didn't dwell on it.
Su Xiaotian, however, realized the issue herself at that moment.
She had traveled from the northwest to the capital, and had visited Rongcheng, but she had never been to the Sichuan-Chongqing region.
How could she possibly know if the specialty dishes of a place she had never visited were authentic?
The reason Su Xiaotian knew this dish was authentic was because during her previous life, when she was drifting and working odd jobs, she had spent three years in the Sichuan-Chongqing area.
Back then, she ate a lot of Sichuan cuisine, and naturally knew that the Sichuan dishes here tasted very authentic.
Generally speaking, cuisine and food tend to follow local customs. When one moves to a different place, their palate changes. For this restaurant to replicate ninety percent of the flavor of the Sichuan-Chongqing region was indeed quite authentic.
To cover up her slip-up, Su Xiaotian busied herself by urging Chi Yiyuan to continue eating.
They had only taken a couple of bites when a waitress brought over a large basin of Mao Xue Wang and two bowls of rice.
The Mao Xue Wang, covered in red oil, looked even more appetizing against the backdrop of the white rice.
The waitress was a young girl of seventeen or eighteen. Su Xiaotian smiled and asked, "Little girl, where is your boss from?"
The young girl hesitated, unsure if she should answer.
"I just think the dishes are made very authentically, so I casually asked. If it's inconvenient, then never mind."
The waitress looked at Su Xiaotian and felt that such a young girl probably had no ill intentions.
"My boss is from Sichuan-Chongqing. I heard his ancestors were chefs."
Su Xiaotian smiled and nodded. Her guess was correct.
"Xiaotian, tell me, why is this dish called Mao Xue Wang?"
Chi Yiyuan was actually very curious about this. Although he had eaten Mao Xue Wang at this establishment a few times before, he had never understood the name of the dish.
Su Xiaotian, with her vast knowledge, naturally knew.
She lifted her small face and said proudly, "Listen to me as I slowly explain!"
Seeing Su Xiaotian's dramatic demeanor, Chi Yiyuan couldn't help but tap her on the head.
"Speak properly."
Su Xiaotian rolled her eyes, feeling bored.
"Miss, please take your time explaining! This humble student will listen attentively." Chi Yiyuan smiled and played along.
"Mao Xue Wang is a famous specialty dish in Sichuan cuisine, and it is also one of the originators of Chongqing's 'jianghu cai' (rivers and lakes cuisine). 'Mao' is a dialect word from Sichuan-Chongqing, meaning rough or careless. Simply put, this dish is not one that requires meticulous refinement."
Hearing Su Xiaotian's explanation, Chi Yiyuan couldn't help but look at the dish again. Although it was covered in red oil, the dish was indeed not very refined.
Chi Yiyuan did not speak, but continued to listen attentively.
This greatly satisfied Su Xiaotian.
"Brother Yiyuan, let me introduce this dish to you. 'Xue Wang' means blood curd, usually made from duck blood, though occasionally pork blood is used. The main ingredients include slices of eel, tripe, duck intestine, squid, and pork intestines, among others. As for the base vegetables, they are not strictly specified, but conventionally, cabbage and bean sprouts are used. If they are unavailable, other vegetables can be substituted."
"It is said that the red oil in the Mao Xue Wang basin should not be less than half, and it should be smooth and clear, not cloudy. Its characteristics are bright red broth, spicy and numbing, fresh and fragrant, with a rich and thick flavor. Some say that Mao Xue Wang is the best choice to whet the appetite and stimulate hunger."
After finishing, Su Xiaotian triumphantly raised her eyebrows at Chi Yiyuan.
Chi Yiyuan looked at Su Xiaotian gently, finding her smugness quite amusing.
This girl always managed to bring a smile to his face.
"Shall we try the taste?" Chi Yiyuan said, picking out a tender piece of cabbage from the basin.
"Brother Yiyuan, when eating Mao Xue Wang, eat the meat first, then the vegetables."
Chi Yiyuan was taken aback. Wasn't eating supposed to be done however one pleased? Were there such rules?
Sensing Chi Yiyuan's confusion, Su Xiaotian had to explain again.
"You eat the meat first, then the cabbage, bean sprouts, and noodles, because the cabbage leaves absorb the oil easily and become spicier to eat. Eating something so spicy as the first bite can be overwhelming, so it's best to start with something less spicy and gradually progress."
Chi Yiyuan understood. If it was too spicy to handle, starting with something milder would lead to a numbing sensation from the spice later on.
Alright, it seemed to make sense.
The two ate and chatted, their atmosphere harmonious and pleasant.
Just then, a few people entered from the doorway. One of them, with sharp eyes, spotted Chi Yiyuan and called out happily.
"Yiyuan, you're here too!"
As he spoke, the person strode towards Chi Yiyuan. Upon getting closer, he noticed Su Xiaotian.
He was stunned at first, then blinked his eyes repeatedly.
Had he misread?
Chi Yiyuan was actually eating with a young girl?
Recalling that his classmates outside had mentioned Chi Yiyuan always bringing a young girl around these days, could this be her?
"Hello, little girl, are you Yiyuan's sister?"
Su Xiaotian looked at this overly familiar young man, initially finding it hard to accept. However, seeing the young man's demeanor, she felt he must be very close to Chi Yiyuan, so she smiled as a form of greeting.
"Yiyuan, introduce this little girl to us. I say, you rascal, why aren't you hanging out with us? Turns out you had a date with a beauty." The person said with a chuckle.
Chi Yiyuan instinctively glanced at Su Xiaotian, afraid that she might be startled.
"Goushengzi, you've scared my Xiaotian!"
Hearing Chi Yiyuan seriously utter the name Goushengzi, Su Xiaotian couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Although it was common for children to have names like Goushengzi during this era, this person was an adult, and a university student in Beijing.
Coupled with Chi Yiyuan's personality, such a sudden utterance was indeed inexplicably humorous.
The stunned classmate, Goushengzi, turned ashen at Su Xiaotian's laughter.
Didn't this Chi Yiyuan know to save him some face in front of the pretty girl?
He shot Chi Yiyuan a resentful glance, expressing his displeasure.
"I'm sorry, classmate, I really couldn't help it!"
Seeing Su Xiaotian's bright smile, classmate Goushengzi suddenly felt that his name being able to make the young lady laugh was worth it!
"Classmate Chi Yiyuan, from now on, please call me Classmate Zhao Jianjun!"
Su Xiaotian secretly thought that the name Classmate Zhao Jianjun was truly down-to-earth and characteristic of the era!
It was only slightly better than Goushengzi.
However, not mocking classmates was a basic courtesy, and Su Xiaotian felt she should stop laughing.
"Yiyuan, what a coincidence." The other people had also walked over by this time. One of them greeted Chi Yiyuan, but his gaze was drawn to Su Xiaotian.
Why did this little girl feel a strange sense of familiarity?
Where exactly had he seen her before?