Nothing in this world is difficult if you're willing to give up.
Ares wasn't one to give up easily.
But, rolling out noodles…
He really couldn't do it!
He silently gave up.
Turning his head back, he followed Sheng Jiu to wrap shumai.
But!!!
This isn't the same as wrapping dumplings!
So, is that hem absolutely necessary?
Ares looked at his large, calloused hands, then at the tiny shumai in his palm, and silently thought: his big hands really couldn't create such adorable edges!
But he couldn't just leave them unfinished.
Sheng Jiu had said this batch was for them!
Them!!!
Ares silently swallowed, deciding to try again.
By the time Ares could finally skillfully create those cute little skirts on the shumai, Sheng Jiu had already filled two large plates with them.
Sheng Jiu steamed a batch while wrapping.
After using up all the prepared fillings, Sheng Jiu turned around to prepare the crab roe sauce.
The crab roe shumai weren't very big, so Sheng Jiu set the steaming time at 12 minutes over high heat.
Before the time was up, the familiar, fresh aroma wafted from the kitchen.
The freshness of crab roe is slightly different from that of crab meat.
Ares sniffed carefully amidst the rising mist. He felt that compared to the fresh aroma of crab meat, the fresh aroma of crab roe seemed to have an added touch of sweetness, very subtle, yet it emerged from a strange corner, highlighting its uniqueness.
As the temperature rose, the aroma of wheat could no longer contain the savory fragrance of crab roe.
The familiar scent of the ocean wafted directly at his face!
Ares swallowed hard, then glanced at the timer.
Good, two minutes left!
He could wait!
The savory, meaty, and subtly wheaty aromas intertwined in the high temperature, creating an enticingly rich fragrance that rose and dispersed with the rising steam.
Ares felt that no matter where he looked up, it was you; no matter where he looked down, it was you; no matter where he turned around, it was still you!
This ocean scent is inescapable, impossible to leave, and something he doesn't want to get rid of!
It's so fresh!
Ares used to dislike this ocean aroma.
What a joke!
Who would like the smell of their Zerg homeland?
But now, at this moment…
He wished he could spend his entire life embracing the aroma of the ocean, never to be separated again!
He loved this fresh, savory flavor!
So, how many more minutes?
These two minutes, why do they feel so long?
In the afternoon, Li Cheng Xiang's shop was nearly empty.
He scrolled through videos, checked his WeChat Moments, and casually snapped a picture of the freshly cooked braised vegetables before posting it on his Moments.
After finishing all that, he prepared to make some more braised dishes.
But just as he turned around, he smelled the ocean dancing in front of his nose.
That familiar, enticing aroma!
Li Cheng Xiang turned his head resentfully, peering through the door at the restaurant next door.
Great!
It's not open!
So, Little Boss, what kind of dishes are you testing this time?
Remembering that he had joined Restaurant Sheng Ji's food group at noon, Li Cheng Xiang quickly opened it and glanced at it.
It wasn't mealtime yet, and everyone was quiet.
Li Cheng Xiang thought about sending a message, but then worried that if too many people came, they'd compete with him for food.
But…
If he didn't send one, would they stop coming?
Ha!
So, he'd make them drool first!
Having figured it out, Li Cheng Xiang went outside and took a picture of the roller shutter door of -Restaurant Sheng Ji.
Too bad, the picture couldn't capture the aroma.
Otherwise, they'd definitely be drooling.
[AAA Hot Braised Duck Products: Little Boss is testing the dishes again, and they're incredibly fresh!]
[Buddha Doesn't Save The Poor: Is this a new dish? Waaaaah, describe it! I'm working overtime tonight, ahhhhh!]
[Life Is Like Tea: What does it taste like? Can you smell it?]
[Forever Young: I wonder if there'll be millet porridge tonight?]
...
As soon as Li Cheng Xiang sent a message, the group chat buzzed with excitement.
There weren't many people in the group yet, but there were still a few dozen.
Just as Li Cheng Xiang was about to type a description, the aroma from next door became even stronger!
The scent of the ocean!
It was definitely seafood.
But Li Cheng Xiang couldn't quite smell what it was.
He shamelessly sent a message to Sheng Jiu.
[AAA Hot Braised Duck Products: Little Boss, are you researching new dishes?]
Sheng Jiu hasn't replied yet.
Li Cheng Xiang assumed the other person was busy.
Sometimes when he's busy, he doesn't even have time to check his phone.
He still needed to prepare the hot braised dishes for the evening sale, so he had to put down his phone for the time being and go about his business.
When Grandpa Hong and the others saw the message in the group chat, they asked a few questions, but after not receiving a specific reply, they stopped playing chess and strolled over.
It wasn't mealtime yet, but they weren't in a hurry, so they strolled around.
After their stroll, they could eat even more!
By this time, the first batch of shumai was all ready!
The moment it came out of the wok, it's no exaggeration to say that Ares was almost overwhelmed by the aroma!
He thought: If I had known the Zerg were this delicious, I wouldn't have needed to physically destroy them before!
What a waste!
This wok of shumai yielded quite a bit. Sheng Jiu first picked out a basinful for Ares.
Yes, a basinful.
One plate was Sheng Jiu's portion, not Ares's.
After picking out Ares's portion, Sheng Jiu picked out two for herself.
She wanted to try the Crab Roe Noodles later, so she tried two first.
There wasn't much left in this wok, but another wok was already being steamed.
These were all food for Ares's teammates.
Ares remembered Sheng Jiu saying that eating scalding hot food was bad.
So, after placing them on the table, he kept turning them over, trying to cool them down quickly.
Once they weren't so hot anymore, Ares couldn't wait to take a bite.
The shumai wrappers were very thin, so thin that he could see the filling inside.
Although the wrappers were thin, but they were very chewy, a light touch gave them a slightly springy feel, yet they broke apart quickly with a bite.
The crab roe and the broth locked inside burst out the moment Ares bit into them.
The inside was still very hot, and Ares couldn't help but hiss involuntarily from the heat, but he didn't spit it out, savoring the explosive sensation of the scalding, savory flavor in his mouth.
It was piping hot, but incredibly fresh!
Ares hissed as he savored the first bite, turning it over in his mouth until it cooled down a bit before gently tapping his teeth together.
The wrapper was thin and soft, the filling fragrant, sweet, fresh, and tender.
The burst of broth with each bite was like a wave rolling across his lips and teeth, then playfully fading away, leaving a lingering, delicious aroma that would stay with him for a long time.
After swallowing the broth, Ares savored it slowly.
The savory flavor was subtly sweet, the soft and chewy texture is wrapped in delicious flavor.
The crab roe had a slightly grainy texture, but its overall flavor was soft, smooth, and gentle.
With each bite, a lingering sweetness danced between his lips and teeth, making him unable to resist savoring the savory aroma that had once lingered here.
Ares couldn't help but exclaim, "Good!"
Sheng Jiu had just picked up a shumai and was carefully blowing on it to cool it when Ares's exclamation startled her, causing the shumai to fall onto the plate.
The shumai landed rather awkwardly, head down.
Then, the broth inside, along with the bright golden crab roe, slowly seeped out.
Not much, but enough to make one's heartache.
Sheng Jiu: ?!!