Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe

Chapter 585: Chapter 497: Fickle and a Walking Trash Can

"Then it’s settled. What’s your name? Your English name will do. I’ll register it later."

"Uh... I’m not sure if that’s a good idea, President Wang."

"Yeah, we might not have time to go out, so maybe we should make our own plans. Otherwise, it could be misunderstood."

Since both of them said so, and they weren’t that familiar with each other, Wang Ziqin didn’t insist, fearing they’d misunderstand his intentions.

"Alright, I won’t hold you up. I hope I can see both of you here next time. Keep up the good work."

Thinking himself smooth, he waved casually and turned to leave.

As he turned around, he was met with a pair of smiling eyes.

He froze, his smile stiff on his face, his mind racing.

"Oh, our President Wang is truly considerate, helping out fellow compatriots while away from home. Impressive!"

Chu Yueyue smiled pleasantly, like a spring breeze, nodding at the two ladies behind him as a greeting, signaling with her eyes for them to leave.

The two women nervously swallowed, nodded in response, lowered their heads, and quickly scurried off, fearing staying longer might get them involved.

"Oh my, that’s President Wang’s wife, right?"

"I didn’t think romance novel plots were real. The male lead is fine on his own, but as soon as he’s around other women, the female lead shows up. Literally inspired by real life!"

The two hid in the crowd, hunched over, secretly observing the pair from afar through tiny gaps.

"Uh, honey, how did you come down so quickly? I thought makeup would take over half an hour."

Wang Ziqin, experienced with big scenes, quickly collected himself, outwardly maintaining an unperturbed demeanor, smiling as he moved forward to hold her hand.

Chu Yueyue didn’t seem to resist, instead extending her hand, not into his palm but hooking onto his elbow.

From an outsider’s perspective, this action seemed normal, just a typical couple’s gesture.

Yet the slight twitching at the corner of Wang Ziqin’s mouth betrayed him as he forced a smile, leading her towards Lin Chen and whispering.

"No, no, honey, spare me, it hurts, hurts..."

"I didn’t do anything, just showing concern for fellow compatriots..."

"Ah!!"

Chu Yueyue maintained her action with a not-so-genuine smile, speaking through gritted teeth.

"You didn’t seem so concerned when Old Chen and Xiao Zhao arrived, did you?"

"A man strengthens himself, a woman needs extra care, you’re such a considerate and gentle leader~"

"No, no, really not!" Wang Ziqin felt his mouth twitching stiffly, electricity running up to his forehead, "Back when they arrived with nowhere to stay, I helped them rent an apartment!!"

"Seems like that’s true."

Chu Yueyue tilted her head in thought for a moment, finally releasing her grip, feeling his tensed body relax instantly.

"But you’re the general manager, and I’m the director of HR and finance. Next time, it’s better for me to handle these things."

"It’s easy for gossip to spread when the general manager personally consoles female staff, you know?"

"Got it, got it! I didn’t see you around, and I was just bored... Next time, I promise!"

Chu Yueyue let out a soft hum, which sounded heavenly to Wang Ziqin’s ears.

It was only now that he felt fully at ease, knowing his personal safety was temporarily assured. However, whether he could survive the night depended on if his wife planned a surprise comeback later.

It’s really not easy wanting to have breakfast!

Seeing the protagonists had arrived, Lin Chen turned up the heat early. While they chatted, he flipped the sauced pancake, the surface now a crispy golden brown, filling the air with a rich wheat aroma.

He picked up a small bowl of thick sauce, stirred it swiftly with a brush, and evenly spread it over the pancake surface, not leaving out even the creases.

Under the heat, the moisture in the sauce gradually evaporated, spreading an irresistible aroma.

The familiar scent disrupted the chatting Wang couple, drawing their attention involuntarily. Lin Chen casually placed the bowl of sauce back on the counter, grabbing a handful of sesame seeds and generously sprinkling them over the sauce-covered pancake.

The brownish-red sauce with the white sesame seeds and the golden-brown pancake base, topped with a bunch of scallions—such a complex flavor defies simple description. Even the well-traveled Wang Ziqin and Chu Yueyue couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

"That’s the flavor!"

Chu Yueyue took a few deep breaths, her face full of delight: "I haven’t smelled this aroma in who knows how long. Honestly, it’s almost indistinguishable from the sauced pancakes in my memory, both in flavor and appearance."

If asked to describe exactly what the pancake tasted like, she couldn’t quite put it into words. After all, she couldn’t recall how many years it had been, only remembering it was delicious.

But now, upon smelling this aroma, dormant memories were awakened, and she was very sure this was how sauced pancakes should taste!

Each place might have slight differences in the sauce formula for savory pancakes, but eighty to ninety percent of the base flavor is definitely similar. Those who’ve had it before can smell it right away.

"How much longer?"

Chu Yueyue completely forgot about other things, all she could see and think of was the enticing pancake sizzling in front of her.

"About five minutes."

Lin Chen replied without lifting his head, casually uncovering the lid of the steamer next to him, "The buns are ready; want a couple to tide you over?"

"What fillings do they have?"

"Pork and green onion, marinated beef, chicken and corn, vegetable and mushroom, cabbage."

"Marinated beef?" Chu Yueyue was instantly interested, "Is it the Northeast-style marinated beef bun?"

"I’m not sure if it’s Northeast-style, but it’s made with fried minced meat, tastes pretty good."

"Alright, let me try one of those, and also a vegetable and mushroom one."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wang Ziqin also licked his lips, clearly unable to resist hunger and wanting a couple of buns to fill his stomach. He was about to raise his hand when Chu Yueyue slapped it away.

"These buns are so big, with two I’m stuffed, I just want to taste them. Can’t you see that?"

Rolling her eyes dramatically, she was obviously dissatisfied with a certain man’s behavior today.

"Hehe, I’m just hungry. Wife, even if you eat half of each, I can only get one bun, and that definitely won’t be enough."

"A box of savory pancakes is about enough; any more gets greasy. I think I could still eat two more buns!"

They had set out early from Paris to return home, having attended a cocktail party yesterday that lasted until two in the morning. Even though they barely drank, their stomachs were empty, having been hungry all night.

He even felt like he could eat an entire cow now!

"Let’s taste then decide, anyway, the flavors of the other three can be guessed. If it’s good, I’ll ask for more."

While speaking, Chu Yueyue reached for the paper box Lin Chen handed over, containing two plump, white, steaming buns; thin-skinned with lots of filling, their surfaces completely soaked with sauce, making anyone who sees them salivate uncontrollably.

It wasn’t their first time experiencing Lin Chen’s bun-making skills, knowing they’re definitely delicious. Chu Yueyue hesitated not a moment; she opened her mouth to bite.

Although her mouth opened wide, she only took a small bite of the bun skin, just enough to reveal the filling inside.

Experienced Great Xia people eat buns without rushing like foreigners. No need to ask if there’s anything hidden inside, a little exploration instantly reveals the answer.

The soft bun skin performed excellently as usual, its texture fluffy, the fine pores filled with the aroma of wheat. The inner wall soaked in rich beef sauce, weaving salty and sweet layers, conquering Chu Yueyue in just one bite.

Her big eyes lit up, instinctively patting the man beside her on the arm.

"It’s delicious, Old Lin, quick, give him one too!"

"Huh? Honey, didn’t you say you just wanted to taste it? What, not afraid of being full now?"

"You talk too much!"

Chu Yueyue tilted the opened marinated beef bun slightly. Seeing no excessive broth spilling out, she felt reassured, then grabbed the other light green bun and bit into it, pushing it into the man’s mouth.

Vegetable and mushroom bun was her all-time favorite, but no matter how good something is, it can’t compete with childhood memories.

With tasty new options in front of her, how could she still think about old flavors anymore? She took a couple of bites for formality, then tossed the rest into the trash.

After dealing with the nuisances, Chu Yueyue chewed quickly and swallowed the food in her mouth; the unique aroma of vegetable and mushroom further awakened her taste buds, setting the stage for the main event.

Unable to wait, she grabbed the steaming bun, blew a few times to release the heat, then took a fierce bite.

The unique and rich flavor of meat sauce erupted immediately; juicy beef bits stood out clearly, tough beef fat particles mixed with soft minced lean meat glided over her tongue, offering two distinctly different textures.

This meat sauce flavor has some resemblance to the sauce in fried noodles but reduces the taste of broad bean paste and adds a hint of sweetness.

To be precise, it resembles Korean fried sauce somewhat, but isn’t as sweet, nor does it contain that much spring onion, positioning itself as a mid-point between the two.

"This taste... it’s familiar, but I can’t recall where I had it."

Chu Yueyue tilted her head, trying to think but couldn’t remember, so she decided to stop pondering, stuffed bun after bun into her mouth, finishing the fist-sized bun in four or five bites, then she licked the sauce left on her lips.

"Ah!"

"I remember now!"

"This taste is just like fried minced meat with added sugar, then scooped up with steamed bread!"

"Yes, yes, that’s exactly it!"

Wang Ziqin, having just finished half a vegetable and mushroom bun, immediately grasped the taste she described.

Minced meat sauce isn’t just for noodles—it’s excellent with rice too, and as a bun filling... surely too delicious!