Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 443 - 381: Mom’s Table Unlocks Hidden Delicacies!

Chapter 443: Chapter 381: Mom’s Table Unlocks Hidden Delicacies!

At that moment, a rich and savory fragrance lingered in every corner of the mouth!

The sauce covering the surface of the sea cucumber had a subtly salty, umami aftertaste. It also had a hint of scallion flavor mixed with a rich sweet aroma.

A slight chew.

The outer skin was resilient, with a slight quiver, while the gelatinous interior was as soft as jelly. A gentle bite caused it to melt into a dense, smooth texture, yet the central membrane retained a hint of crispness.

The thick sauce blended harmoniously with the plain original flavor of the sea cucumber, with umami that rose like waves.

Sssss...

Chewing the sea cucumber in large bites, a thought suddenly popped into Zihan’s mother’s mind.

It would be perfect if there were a bowl of rice right now.

Just as the thought surfaced, she tilted her head unexpectedly.

"Is it really too much to ask for a bowl of rice?"

Although it’s rarely seen at a large banquet in Jingzhou, almost never...

After all, Jingzhou’s big banquets typically end with at least three or four main courses, and being a province that favors flour-based foods, who eats rice?

Yet, as Zihan’s mother thought it over, she figured it couldn’t hurt to ask, right?

It’s like the saying goes, "Better to risk a head bump than to miss out once."

Seeing the thick sauce remaining at the bottom of the plate, Zihan’s mother got up.

"Zihan’s mother, where are you going?"

Jingyi’s mother asked cautiously, because of their seating arrangement, for Zihan’s mother to leave, she would have to pass behind her, where there was another table of guests.

So Jingyi’s mother didn’t even move forward. Just a moment ago, Zihan’s mother had even volunteered to help pass dishes to taste them first. One couldn’t help but be wary of her!

Who knows what shenanigans she might be up to again.

Zihan’s mother chuckled awkwardly, "Oh, I have a stomach issue. If I keep eating only dishes, it’s easy for me to get a stomachache. I’m going to see if there’s any rice; even a steamed bun would be fine."

Jingyi’s mother, half-believing, scooted her chair forward a bit, watching Zihan’s mother’s backside, muttering, "That doesn’t seem right, she was grabbing so much earlier, suddenly she wants rice? Did she have a change of heart?"

The other mothers also found it a bit unbelievable.

In a situation like this, no one knows which dish might fill them up unexpectedly. The limited space in the stomach should be reserved to be filled with the most delicious dishes.

At a time like this, eating rice?

It’s like going to a top-notch luxury buffet and starting with a bowl of egg fried rice and then grabbing three pieces of cake, what’s the difference?

Zihan’s mother’s action defies logic. All the stylish mothers were watching her.

"Xiaochen~"

"Huh?"

Chen Mo looked up. It was a mother in purple.

"Um... do you have any rice?" Zihan’s mother rubbed her tummy, "My stomach feels a bit off. They ate so fast earlier I didn’t get a bite and now I feel a bit anxious with hunger. Could I get some rice to pad my stomach?"

Tsk!

Chen Mo glanced at the mothers’ table, thinking to himself that this group of women was fierce, fiercer than most men.

Who says women have small appetites?

"We do, but it’s not freshly made today. Would you mind?"

"No, no, of course, I don’t mind!" Zihan’s mother waved her hands, "It’s nice to have anything to eat."

Her facial expression was full of grievance, to the point it made Chen Mo feel a bit sympathetic.

The rice was cooked in the morning. Besides the lamb offal, Liu Xiuzhen also made rice and steamed buns, since everyone has their own preferences, and it wouldn’t do to be stingy with the staples.

As it turned out, the lamb offal was so delicious that those who came to help hadn’t eaten any rice or buns and left them all uneaten.

The large rice cooker was still plugged in and keeping warm.

Chen Mo signaled to the kitchen helper nearby, "Give her a bowl of rice, please."

"Sure thing!"

Chen Mo took the bowl of rice and was about to hand it over when he thought for a moment and then added a marinated egg from the stewing pot under the counter, "This is an egg I marinated, it goes well with rice."

Zihan’s mother’s eyes instantly brightened. Her earlier words were just a matter of her nature; she always ended up speaking pitifully when talking to men.

She didn’t expect to actually end up with something to eat?

"Thank you~ Xiaochen, come visit my house when you’re free! I’ll cook for you, and you can also check out my cooking skills~"

Chen Mo felt a sweat on his forehead. What the heck? Why does the normal conversation sound a bit off? Who’s going to visit your house!

"Thanks, but I need to get back to work."

Zihan’s mother, satisfied, holding a bowl of white rice with a brown marinated egg on top, returned to her seat.

"You get eggs with rice? Seriously?" Jingyi’s mother stared wide-eyed, finding it hard to comprehend, "Why though?"

"Yeah, could it be that these big banquet dishes have hidden items you need to discover yourself?"

"Oh, Zihan’s mother, your face is so red, you didn’t possibly... with Xiaochen..."

"No wonder you’re wearing purple today, such a charming touch that even Xiaochen is captivated!"

The seemingly calm and simple chat was actually full of innuendos, with the mothers talking about getting rice themselves, yet no one made a move.

Once again, the principle stands: in such moments, plain rice doesn’t deserve to be eaten, not even with a marinated egg added.

Zihan’s mother smiled without saying anything.

In her mind, the others didn’t understand. Rice on its own is indeed ordinary; it’s just rice.

But if...

Watch as Zihan’s mother elegantly stood up, smoothing the back of her pencil skirt, then reaching to take that empty, meticulously cleaned sea cucumber plate. She scraped every last bit of sauce from the plate into her rice bowl with a spoon.

The spoon then mixed the sauce with the rice until evenly combined. The white rice instantly transformed into a sea cucumber sauce-flavored rice!

The rice, which had been kept warm and somewhat dry, absorbed all the sauce as it was mixed, and each grain was distinct.

This sauce’s broth was made from a clear soup brewed for eight to nine hours, with sea cucumbers stewed inside for over an hour, and wrapped up with a final touch of cooking. Now mixed with rice, the sauce’s flavor burst out upon stirring, infused with the sweet aroma of rice.

Zihan’s mother held the bowl and took a sniff: Damn... this smell was so inviting!

Spoon in hand, she eagerly scooped the rice into her mouth. The sticky sauce gave the rice a silky smooth texture, while the thick gel created a subtly sticky mouthfeel.

As the teeth gently came together, the rice fragrance and ocean flavor erupted into a new umami essence.

"Wow, turns out the sauce is the essence of this dish. This mixed rice is even better than the sea cucumber!"

Zihan’s mother felt extremely satisfied and thoroughly delighted.

Little did she know, besides her taste buds being immensely satisfied, her unintended actions also fulfilled her body’s craving for carbs.

With dual satisfaction, her scalp tingled slightly; with just one bite, she almost felt compelled to moan!

Watching Zihan’s mother in such a blissful state, the other mothers almost simultaneously swallowed hard, gulping down saliva.

Where was the demeanor of an adult mother?

They resembled their children in school, watching classmates devour spicy strips!

After a moment, Jingyi’s mother finally couldn’t resist.

She abruptly stood and dashed to the prep table, "Xiaochen, I want rice too."

"What?"

Chen Mo, Hou Yao, and all the kitchen helpers were bewildered.

Wait a second, leaving this delicious feast untouched, you want rice?

Have you lost your minds?

Yet the guest request wasn’t unreasonable, and as hosts, they needed to accommodate it as best as they could.

Chen Mo served a bowl of rice and handed it over.

"Why no egg? I want an egg too."

No way...

Chen Mo felt his brain was about to short-circuit. Is this a competition now?

Reluctantly, he ladled an egg on, "Enjoy your meal." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Jingyi’s mother finally content, returned to her seat, then...

"Though there’s no pork belly or preserved vegetables, this sauce mixed with rice is fine, right?"

Jingyi’s mother prodded it twice, finding the preserved vegetable pork belly sauce quite thick and hard to handle.

So...

She poured the white rice onto the plate, pushing it hard to envelop all the sauce on the plate with the rice, then shoved it back into her bowl.

Leaning in to take a whiff.

Hey! It’s preserved vegetable pork belly mixed rice, so fragrant!