I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 519 - 259: The Dish that Comforts Homesickness! Unexpected Gains from the Grand Opening Ceremony? [10K Large - Vote Request]_4

Chapter 519: Chapter 259: The Dish that Comforts Homesickness! Unexpected Gains from the Grand Opening Ceremony? [10K Large Chapter Vote Request]_4

Dundun, who had originally been looking dissatisfied, immediately stretched out his chubby paw and gave Dou Wenjing’s hand a pat.

A consensus reached!

After saying goodbye to Dou Wenjing, Lin Xu carried Dundun into the gate of the residential complex.

Now that Dundun was in a good mood, and with the surroundings quiet, he silently chanted in his mind:

Draw a prize!

Soon, the system’s prize wheel appeared on the mental screen.

After Lin Xu finished the process, the system prompt sounded in his mind again:

"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the Perfect Level dish—Sweet and Sour Pork!"

Wow, he actually received this divine Northeastern dish?

Northeasterners have many dishes to soothe homesickness, such as chicken stewed with mushrooms, pork stewed with vermicelli, and cold noodles. But no matter how you list them, Sweet and Sour Pork is indispensable. This dish, stamped into the genes of Northeasterners, is loved by almost everyone. In the Three Eastern Provinces, there are even several schools of thought regarding its preparation.

Now that I’ve obtained this dish, I should cook it for my family to try. Shen Baobao, with her sweet tooth, will definitely love it.

「At six in the morning.」

Lin Xu got up. Shen Baobao, sleepy-eyed, wrapped her arms around his waist and asked in a daze, "Can I sleep a little longer? I’m so sleepy."

Who let you stay up late watching dramas while munching on Dundun’s beef jerky... Lin Xu kissed her on the cheek, "Keep sleeping, Baobao. I’ll call you when it’s time for breakfast."

Today, they wouldn’t go to the restaurant for breakfast because his mom had come, and they would eat at home.

To not disturb her son and daughter-in-law’s rest, Chen Meijuan had deliberately closed the kitchen door while cooking in the morning and hadn’t dared to turn on the exhaust hood to its maximum.

When Lin Xu walked out of his room, Lin Hongqi was just taking Dundun to the rooftop for a walk, and Chen Meijuan was in the kitchen, stir-frying the watermelon bean paste she had brought yesterday.

"What’s for breakfast today?"

"Your mom said the Pumpkin Soup from the restaurant is too fattening, so she made some millet pumpkin porridge and some steamed pancakes you like."

Upon hearing that his mom had made steamed pancakes, Lin Xu involuntarily swallowed.

If Sweet and Sour Pork is the dish Northeasterners eat to comfort homesickness, then steamed pancakes were the taste of home embedded deep in Lin Xu’s heart.

The so-called steamed pancakes are made much like Roasted Pancakes. First, you prepare the dough, roll it out thinly, spread it with lard and Sichuan peppercorns, and sprinkle it with green onions. Then, you roll it up and form it into a pancake shape again, just like with Roasted Pancakes. The difference, however, is that Roasted Pancakes are cooked with oil in a flat pan. Steamed pancakes, on the other hand, are placed directly into a steamer for a few minutes until fully cooked, then removed.

The steamed pancakes have distinct layers and a chewy texture. Eaten with freshly stir-fried watermelon bean paste, they are so addictive you can’t stop.

As a child, Lin Xu would pester for Roasted Pancakes. But once, the family’s flat pan was broken. As a last resort, his mother, Chen Meijuan, came up with this method. It was a move born out of necessity, but to their surprise, the steamed pancakes turned out to be delicious.

Ever since then, whenever they made Roasted Pancakes at home, they would also steam a few. This way, those who wanted roasted ones could have them, and those who preferred steamed ones could have those too.

After freshening up, Lin Xu sat on the sofa with his parents and chatted for a while.

"Your second uncle and his family were planning to come," Lin Hongqi said as he pulled out a stack of red envelopes from his bag and handed them over. "They said we had too few people here and were worried it wouldn’t look imposing enough. Your mom thought it was too much trouble. Besides, we’re all family, so what’s all this about being imposing? She told them not to come. These are red envelopes from relatives congratulating you on your grand opening. Your paternal grandmother and your maternal grandmother specifically climbed to the mountaintop temple to burn incense for you. I mentioned that little temple wasn’t very effective and got an earful for it."

Hearing his father’s words, Lin Xu felt deeply moved.

Chen Meijuan said, "Don’t worry about things at home. Your father and I are still young and healthy. As long as you two are doing well here, you don’t need to worry about us."

Lin Xu nodded. "You two also need to take care of your health and not overwork yourselves."

"We won’t. The scenic area is improving day by day. Some of your fans even took pictures with us when they visited. Business is booming, and your mother and I are planning another expansion this winter."

Indeed, his parents are a pair that can’t stand not staying busy. Lin Xu thought to himself, then said, "President Liu from the Travel Association is coming over this afternoon. Dad, you should have a few drinks with him. If there’s any tourism support or initiative, we might be able to benefit from it."

"Sure! This afternoon, Dad will take care of the drinking for you. I won’t worry about anything else."

Just as Lin Hongqi finished speaking, Chen Meijuan cast a sideways glance at him. "Drink, drink, drink! That’s all you ever think about. Is your liver rented? If you ruin your liver from drinking, you’ll be the one crying into your wine bottle then..."

Listening to his mom’s nagging, Lin Xu suddenly had an idea. "Don’t be in a rush to go back this time. Yueyue’s maternal grandmother is at Xiehe Hospital. How about I take you both for a full physical checkup at Xiehe on Monday?"

Nowadays, major hospitals offer comprehensive cancer screenings. Although they’re expensive, the examinations are very thorough and can help with early prevention. Lin Xu thought that since his parents were in Beijing, it would be a good opportunity for them to get a checkup.

Chen Meijuan was fine with it.

Lin Hongqi, however, upon hearing about a checkup, instinctively asked, "If they find something, does that mean I have to quit drinking?"

"Whether you quit or not, you shouldn’t drink excessively. Try to drink less from now on. Drinking too much really isn’t good for you."

At seven in the morning, the millet pumpkin porridge was thoroughly cooked. Lin Xu went back inside to wake up Shen Baobao, who had dozed off again.

After freshening up, the family sat down at the dining table for breakfast.