Chapter 518: Chapter 415: The Secrets of Chen’s Danzai Noodles_2

Chen Mo nodded, his guess was correct.

This granny wasn’t just an ordinary vendor; she was more of a food enthusiast. If she didn’t truly love food, it would be hard for her to actively contemplate this stuff.

You know, dashi is considered high-end even in Japanese cuisine; Chen Mo was completely unaware of this before owning his food cart.

He only learned about it after acquiring many culinary skills and knowledge.

In Japanese cuisine, dashi is a foundational flavor. It’s neither a typical broth nor a seasoning.

This thing can’t be drunk directly—it’s kind of a semi-finished product, aiming for clarity, freshness, and richness. It’s not greasy, and tasting it purely evokes a blend of ocean and forest scents.

The kombu used for extracting dashi is also known as kelp locally. Though, it’s quite different from kelp and is considered a high-end ingredient.

So, 30 Yuan a bowl isn’t too expensive.

From today’s experience, Chen Mo felt he gained a lot, and his inspiration was subtly stirring.

If we’re just speaking about this bowl of noodles, it does taste good, but the shortcomings are quite obvious.

As a Northerner, it’s a bit hard to accept the "oil noodles" style.

After all, Northerners, especially Jingzhou people, can only accept one kind of noodles: knead the dough and cook the noodles.

Noodles that are pre-made and stored for direct cooking are collectively called: dried noodles!

"It would be great to use this broth with Jingzhou-style noodles." Chen Mo felt he’d discovered a second fusion dish.

Even his taste buds were itching, so he quickly paid for the noodles and was about to leave.

"By the way, what’s this tea pancake you mentioned?"

Seeing Chen Mo about to leave, Granny couldn’t resist her curiosity.

Before Chen Mo ate the noodles, Granny thought the young man’s so-called creativity was just nonsense, especially since the pearl pancake her granddaughter let her try last night nearly made her vomit.

But watching Chen Mo eat noodles and discern the subtleties, he was obviously someone with profound culinary research, so how could he make such nonsensical things?

"Oh, you mean that." Chen Mo stopped and returned to the store, "It’s about combining ingredients from Tianjin-style pancakes with black sugar pearl milk tea. Well... it actually tastes quite nice. I’ll definitely bring you one after I close up today."

Granny nodded and asked, "Which night market are you setting up at?"

"Ah?" Talking about this made Chen Mo a bit embarrassed, "Uh... I roam around with my stall; it’s not fixed."

"No license?" Quickly figuring out the reason due to Chen Mo being from inland, Granny suggested, "You might consider doing other jobs too."

"Not really, I’m just staying here for a while. My car is a food truck, so I set up my stall conveniently. After some time, I’ll move on."

"I see."

They chatted for a few more sentences, and Granny said, "Where’s your truck? I’ll be setting up stall tonight; maybe I’ll come back late. If it’s convenient, I’ll head out with you and try out your tea pancake."

She was genuinely curious.

Pancakes and milk tea are completely unrelated; how could they taste good together?

But foodies are like this—once they discover something novel, they can’t resist trying it, even if they are in their eighties.

Chen Mo thought for a moment.

If he wanted to create a second fusion snack, he would need to consult Granny for certain things, mainly since she had handy ingredients. Chen Mo was unfamiliar with the area, and sourcing ingredients directly from Granny would be more convenient.

"How about this, Granny," Chen Mo said, "I’ll go back now and drive the truck over here. I’ll make you a tea pancake on the spot!"

"Ah? Is that convenient?"

"Very convenient! My truck is quick." Chen Mo said as he turned to leave, raising his hand to wave behind him to Granny, "I’ll be back soon, wait for me!"

Watching the departing young man, Granny Chen smiled for some unknown reason.

This shop was opened by her husband when he was young. After they improved the Danzai noodles, business was good, but with the area constantly redeveloping, no matter how delicious the noodles were, this locality didn’t attract many people anymore.

Though many old customers would come from afar specially to eat, it was hard to maintain the family’s livelihood solely on this income.

Eventually, Granny Chen had to transition to setting up a stall. Fortunately, the noodles were genuinely tasty, so she quickly secured a spot in the night market.

Though the preparation process was overly complicated, these years she felt somewhat powerless at times, thinking about the noodles she and her husband created and how there was no one to pass them onto. Granny Chen sometimes felt rather disappointed.

But it didn’t matter.

Granny turned her gaze toward the stairs to the second floor.

Luckily, Chen Kexin had a fairly decent job, which was much easier than making money with a stall.

Shaking off some idle fantasies, Granny resumed preparations in the kitchen for her stall’s ingredients.

...

Chen Mo ran all the way back to the parking lot, and the first thing he did after getting into the car was change from a white shirt to a black one.

It’s very hot!

Then, getting onto the food truck, he immediately grabbed a large jar of previously-prepared "Clear Soup" and started driving towards Chen’s.

This round trip, along with eating noodles, had brightened the sky; shops along the road were now open for business.

Passing by a beverage shop, Chen Mo stopped the truck.

"I’ll have a cup of black sugar pearl milk tea, without the milk tea."

Clerk: ???

Buddy, have you watched too many movies? Beef noodles without noodles, wife biscuit without biscuit?

Where will I find you a wife?

"Here’s the thing." Chen Mo also felt he didn’t express himself well, "I need a cup of pearl milk tea, just the black sugar pearls, no milk tea. And please pack some cheese as well."

The clerk was even more puzzled.

"If you’re making drinks yourself, our store isn’t responsible if it tastes bad."

"Of course!"

Then the clerk duly packed all the items Chen Mo needed, puzzled as he watched Chen Mo climb into a large RV combined with a food truck and slowly drive away.

"This guy... is a bit strange."

The morning’s first business, starting with selling ingredients, was indeed unsettling.

Chen Mo got the ingredients and headed towards Chen’s.

Fortunately, at this hour, commuters were just getting up, the roads were clear, and after about ten minutes, he returned to Chen’s.

The small lane to drive in was all thanks to smart driving.

After parking the truck, Chen Mo returned to the little shop, finding Granny in the living room... or rather the dining area of the old shop, fiddling with a vintage TV on the cabinet against the wall, "Why won’t it turn on?"

Chen Mo thought to check it out, but knowing he couldn’t fix TVs, he didn’t say much, "Granny, shall I make the pancake for you now?"

"Sure." Granny Chen put a bag of some puffed snacks back on the TV, "Can I help with anything?"

"Uh, I might need to grab some things from you. Since I’m handling the tea pancake, there’s also Uncle Tianjin and Milk Tea Brother—they’re in charge of providing ingredients."

Granny was stunned again.

What in the world?

A snack with three stalls? Each responsible for a part?

Never heard of this business model.

"The kitchen has a refrigerator and a cold storage cabinet; you can go find what you need."

"Great!"

Chen Mo searched the kitchen for ingredients, noticing Granny had returned to tinkering with the TV.

Just then, he heard the sound of footsteps on the wooden stairs, accompanied by a lazy female voice, "Granny, how come you’re not watching the news?"

"The TV’s broken—snow noise when it’s turned on."

Chen Mo turned to look, seeing a pair of bunny slippers at the staircase, as feet stepped down revealing the entire bunny pajamas, and then...

"It’s you?"

"It’s you?"

Chen Kexin and Chen Mo, looking at each other, both exclaimed in surprise.

What kind of coincidence is this!