Demon in the world

Congee Love Kongsi is derived from Zhou Qing Kongsi. It is a century-old porridge shop located in Hongzhu Lane, Yudu Old Street. It only deals in porridge with five grains and nothing else.

There is an old saying that the most nourishing thing in the world is porridge, which fills food and clothing, benefits the spleen and stomach, and is easy to digest for people of all ages.

When you come to this antique porridge shop in the early morning or evening, you can hear the elegant silk and bamboo music in your ears, and then a bowl of vegetarian porridge will be served by the little girl wearing a light blue tie-dye improved half-arm suit, so that the sticky and dense food will go away. Soothe your hungry stomach, the taste is really wonderful.

The porridge shop is closed at noon in May, and the security guard at the door patrolled the shop for a week as usual. Through the glass door, they saw a young man with a backpack pushing a bicycle coming from a distance.

He was wearing an off-white sports sweater, and his tennis cap covered half of his face, revealing only a white and round chin.Holding an open map in his hand, he looked around while looking at it.

Soon, the boy discovered the ultimate goal, ran over pushing his bicycle, and waved to him through the transparent door.

The security guard opened the door and went out, "Is there anything you need?"

The young man took off his hat, and under it was a bright and cheerful face. He said shyly, "Hello...can you eat here now?"

The security guard said politely: "I'm sorry, from March to September, our store is only open from [-] am to [-] pm."

"That's it," the young man was faintly disappointed. After thinking for a while, he took out a card from his pocket and handed it over, "Well, I want to use this to stay with you for a few days, is that okay?"

The security guard took the card suspiciously, looked at it carefully for a while and said to the boy: "Please wait a moment, I will ask the person in charge for you."

The boy immediately said: "Thank you, I will trouble you."

The security guard returned the card to him with a smile, re-entered the front desk of the store, and dialed a phone to confirm with the supervisor.

"Manager Lin, I'm sorry to interrupt your leisure time. I'm the pony on duty. A boy came to the store now, holding a strange card in his hand. I've never seen it before. He said he wanted to use this to live with us. For a few days, I want to ask if you understand this matter?"

"What kind of card?" The other side said in a daze, "I haven't heard of it."

"Then I will reject him now."

"Wait, what does that card look like?"

"It's red, it looks very ordinary, and it only has an ancient Chinese character."

"The red...ancient style food, how old does that person look?"

The security guard looked outside, and said, "The face looks like he is sixteen or seventeen years old, and he is very handsome, with a height of about 1.7 meters five."

The person on the phone pondered for a moment, then replied: "You invite him into the reception room first, and ask the waiter to bring some tea and snacks to entertain him, and I will come down later."

"Okay, thank you and goodbye."

After the security guard hung up the phone, he said to the girl who was cleaning at the side, "Little Bear, take the guests at the door to the reception room, and bring a pot of good tea and snacks."

The girl was overjoyed, "Wow, he's a handsome guy, I'll go right away!"

"Don't be crazy, maybe it's an important customer in the store."

Little Xiong walked out quickly, and said to the boy at the door: "Hello, please follow me first."

The boy scratched his head apologetically, "Excuse me, where should I put my car...? I didn't intend to bring it. I just bought a bottle of drink in a nearby supermarket. The person inside said it was a prize, so I had to push them together..."

Little Xiong surrounded the bicycle and said enviously: "Wow, you are so lucky! It doesn't matter if you put it here, Brother Security will help you find a place to store it."

Ah Jiu followed Xiao Xiong in, passed through the hall, and walked into a winding Chinese-style corridor.

The promenade is painted vermilion, with green weeping willows planted on both sides. Through the carved railings, you can see the flowing water below. There are cute round water lilies planted inside. The flowing water is crystal clear and there are fish playing from time to time.

There are stone tables and round chairs at every other corner of the corridor, and the front and back are separated by a one-meter-high wall made of bamboo. Sitting quietly in the middle feels like being in a bamboo forest. It is quiet, hidden and classically interesting.

At the end of the corridor, there are several houses built with white thatch roofs. Little Xiong led Ah Jiu to one of them.

There is a living spring in the house, which can be directly used to heat and make tea. While looking at the layout of the room, Ah Jiu lamented that the owner of the shop is so elegant.

"Please have some tea first, and I'll prepare some snacks."

Ah Jiu said a little uneasy: "Don't be so troublesome..."

"I want it," Little Bear's eyes curled up like crescent moons. "You're welcome, these are the manager's orders."

Ah Jiu sat quietly for about 10 minutes, and a man in his 30s came. He had two neatly trimmed mustaches on his mouth.

"Excuse me, my surname is Lin, and I'm the manager of the porridge shop here."

Ah Jiu stood up quickly, "Hello, Manager Lin, my name is Ah Jiu."

"You don't need to be too polite, please sit down, I heard from the service staff that you just got a red card, can you borrow it for me to see?"

Ah Jiu handed over the card anxiously, "This is from my master."

Seeing Ah Jiu being so young, Manager Lin was not surprised that the card holder was someone else, "Excuse me for taking the liberty, may I ask who the commander is?"

"Du Shiwei, the head chef of Gentleman Hotel, Du Shiwei."

Manager Lin showed a look of enlightenment, and immediately handed the card back to him, and said with a smile: "I have long admired your master, please take a rest, and I will send someone to clean up the guest room."

"Please, thank you." Ah Jiu took the card, and she couldn't believe it. What is the origin of this card?Didn't I come here for free room and board?Why is Manager Lin so happy to see it?

In front of the windy window, drinking the best Songzhou green tea, the water in the white porcelain cup is light green and clear, with a soft and elegant fragrance.With a plate of salty white pumpkin seeds and two crispy and slightly sweet taro rolls, there seems to be nothing more satisfying than this in the world.

The pumpkin seeds are hand-selected and homemade. The grains are plump and smooth, and the shell touches the tip of the tongue with a hint of honey.

Ah Jiu sent Wen Renchu ​​a text message with pumpkin seeds in his mouth, and opened the porridge list that Xiaoxiong just brought, barley and red bean porridge, millet pumpkin porridge, oatmeal honey bean porridge, green wheat kernel glutinous rice porridge...

Although they all seem to be ordinary ingredients, they are arranged together, but there seems to be a magic power that makes the paper permeate with the fragrance of porridge. Ah Jiu is in a happy mood and is looking forward to the evening.

At six o'clock in the afternoon, Bear came over on time and asked him what he needed to eat.

Ah Jiu hesitated and asked, "How many can I order?"

Xiao Xiong poked his chin with a pen and smiled, "You are a guest, so you can eat as much as you like. There are two kinds of bowls and casserole, and there are large, medium and small."

"Well," Ah Jiu compared on the list, "I want this, this, this, and... this, this, all in the smallest bowl. The portion doesn't need to be too much. If you can't finish it, it will be a waste."

Xiao Neng immediately wrote it down with a pen, and when the seven servings of porridge were served, Ah Jiu's eyes lit up.

Hawthorn and cinnamon porridge is the most suitable for appetizers, red dates, lotus seeds and millet porridge are sweet and delicious, Sydney lily porridge is pure white like jade, and mulberry purple rice porridge is full of childishness in yellow sun fruits.

The poached eggs of oatmeal honey bean porridge are cooked just right, and the yolk will flow out when you lightly press the spoon with a spoon.

Green bean polenta, the color of emerald, the golden corn kernels are evenly distributed in the cooked rice soup, the salty fragrance is tangy.

The most simple and amazing is the purple potato porridge. Although the taste is specific, it is not thin at all, and there are still well-preserved round potato meat at the bottom of the bowl!

Ah Jiu ate very slowly, putting each bite in his mouth and savoring it carefully with the tip of his tongue before swallowing it slowly.

While he was eating, Little Bear was watching with interest at the door.

Although there are seven kinds of porridge, the chef has mastered the portions very well. Ah Jiu just ate them all without wasting any of them.

After Xiao Xiong finished clearing the table, Ah Jiu couldn't help asking curiously: "Excuse me, how many people make the porridge in the store?"

"Guess." Little Bear beat him back.

Ah Jiu thought for a while, and said, "I don't know how many masters there are in your store, but the seven kinds of porridge I eat should be made by four masters."

Little Bear opened his eyes round, "Why do you say that?"

"Oatmeal honey bean porridge and green bean corn porridge are the closest in saltiness and sweetness. If I guess correctly, it should be made by one person. The ingredients in hawthorn cinnamon porridge and Sydney lily porridge are cut out with a spherical flower knife. There is no difference between the angle of the knife and the flatness, so it should be the same person. The purple potato porridge looks the easiest, but the actual operation is the most difficult. It needs to be boiled in the fire at the same time to make the sweetness of the millet and keep the potato balls intact. This requires great knife skills and fire control. This master should be the most experienced among them. The mulberry purple rice porridge and red dates and lotus seed porridge are both delicious. The sweetness is a bit too sweet for porridge, covering up the rice fragrance. , but two of my favorite food..."

Seeing Xiao Xiong staring at him dumbfounded, Ah Jiu smiled embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, it's the first time I've eaten such delicious porridge, and I get carried away when I'm happy..."

"No, no," Xiaoxiong said excitedly, waving his hands, "You are right. The master who made mulberry and red date porridge was transferred from Baian. Because he likes sweets, he is often taught by the master. The master is The one who makes purple potato porridge, many people including me understand why the simplest porridge recipe is entrusted to him, but it turns out to be the most difficult one? It’s amazing, I’m going to report to Master Liu!”

Before Ah Jiu had time to call him, the girl had already jumped out.

Congee Love Kongsi's service rules are not as templated and standardized as Gentleman Hotel, and because of this, it will bring customers an unrestrained sense of randomness.

A few minutes later, Little Bear came to the back kitchen of the congee shop and shouted loudly: "Master Liu, that handsome guy in the guest room, he said all at once that the seven dishes of porridge were made by four masters! Moreover, he also said Master Liu is the most experienced, and Master Li puts too much sugar!"

An older man smiled and said to the young chef behind him: "How is it? Let me tell you, that girl from the Du family will never accept mediocre people, and the four of us joined forces and let others pick out the thorns." .”

The young man said unconvinced: "Didn't he stay here with us? I'll show him my hands tomorrow morning. I don't believe it. I can't feed a yellow-haired boy's mouth by myself!"

Little Xiong said disapprovingly: "What a yellow-haired boy, his parents look good-looking, with watery eyes, he looks better than a girl like me!"

Master Li laughed at him, "Yo, just said a few words, your elbow turned outward!"

Little Bear stuck out his tongue, "The manager said that I will be his one-man customer service for the next few days, and until he leaves, I don't care about anything else! I won't tell you, I'll chat with the handsome guy!"

Porridge is easy to digest, and it is easy for people of all ages, but it also has its disadvantages... It takes a long time to fill you up, but it makes you hungry quickly.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Ah Jiu turned on the computer and finished sending the report to Du Wei, and her stomach started to growl again.

Yesterday, she was robbed first and then met a killer, so Ah Jiu slept very late, packed up her things in the morning and didn't come to eat, only drank a bottle of carbonated drink at noon, and at night... drank seven kinds of porridge for one person, hungry.

There is fruit on the table, but he has no appetite, and suddenly wants to eat meat.Ah Jiu took the money and decided to go for a walk.

After what happened in the evening, everyone in the store already knew him. When he went out, the security pony even greeted Ah Jiu, telling him not to go too far, and to be safe by himself.

The lights outside are brightly lit, and the colorful reflections in the night sky are very beautiful. The traffic on the road is speeding past in an orderly manner, like fireflies with flashing buttocks.

Hongzhu Lane is an old alley in Yudu. It is said that some ancient buildings along the road have a history of more than 300 years, so it was specially approved to preserve many local snacks.

Under the tall and lush sycamore trees, it looks like a busy city that suddenly emerges from the ground at night. There are all kinds of barbecue and mala tang, fried rice cakes, roasted duck necks...the aroma of meat, eggs, vegetables, and oil. Mixed together, passers-by cannot move their feet.

Ah Jiu bought two duck necks, sat on a small bench and ate them slowly, sweating profusely.

After eating, my stomach is a little relieved, but my heart feels very empty.

There are so many people on the road, they all look lively in groups of three or four, and there is only myself, a lonely one.

It would be interesting if... my brother was there too.

But I also know that I am dreaming, Wen Renchu ​​is so busy, and his identity is not allowed to eat at the roadside stall.

The duck neck is delicious, although it is a bit salty and burnt...but it's a pity that my brother can't eat it.

He watched as he walked, and finally stopped in front of a wonton stand.Not only is it attracted by the aroma coming out of this hot pot, but also the very cheap price.

The stall was opened by a husband and wife, the woman rolled the skin and the man stuffed the stuffing, spread out and squeezed the meat stuffing, and the formed wontons were thrown directly into the boiling water.

Ah Jiu silently estimated that it didn't even take a minute and a half from starting the package to loading it up.

The ten thin-skinned chaos like cicada's wings spread out and floated in the bowl. The soup was as clear as water, with a few green garlic leaves sprinkled in the middle, and bright red chili oil was added on the side at Ah Jiu's request.

Although it is a simple snack, it is not easy to achieve a complete color, flavor and taste.Now I have the color and fragrance, but I don’t know how it tastes?

Ah Jiu scooped one up with a spoon, blew it cool and put it in his mouth, but before he could chew it, it slid down his throat.

He was shocked for a long time before carefully scooping up another one, this time tasting slowly.

The dough is white and smooth, and the wrapped meat is not as fluffy as ordinary people make, but refreshing and springy, full of chewiness.

This stuffing... actually contains three kinds of meat at the same time!Firstly, beef is mixed with fish to increase the toughness, and then the thick fiber of beef is used to wrap the fat and fat pork. The smell comes out.

So one bite, mixed with all kinds of delicious gravy will dance on the taste buds on the tip of the tongue, and finally drink up the clear soup in the bowl. It is really... a wonderful gourmet snack!

Ah Jiu ate three bowls in a row before patting his stomach in satisfaction and leaving.

When he returned to his residence, he couldn't help but smile.What a happy day to have food, drink and a place to live!

With such a good mood, he went to take a bath, humming a song he learned from TV while washing, and he was very proud of changing his voice, singing in a male voice and a female voice for a while.

After taking a shower, I pushed open the door, feeling a bit embarrassed, and then I was startled by the uninvited guest sitting in the living room drinking tea.

This person is very vivid in his memory, because he just saw it yesterday.

Ouyang Fei looked at him and said: "It seems that there is no shadow, and I am in such a good mood."

Ah Jiu stared at the other party with her upper body naked for half a minute before she slowly came to her senses and shrank into the bathroom stiffly, "You, you, didn't you go away with my brother, why are you here to kill me! "

There is a kind of person who is more frightening when he smiles than when he is expressionless. He lazily leaned on the chair and said, "I am not here today to kill you, but to give you a gift."

Ah Jiu couldn't feel the murderous aura on his body, so she slowly came out, "Master said that you don't get paid for nothing, and we don't know each other well, so I can't take your things."

Ouyang Fei deliberately made things difficult for him, "If I want you to accept it?"

Ah Jiu swallowed hard, "Then what are you going to give me?"