Food: Starting with Wonton Noodles

After finishing his noodles, Chen Mingyuan didn't leave immediately, as if he was hesitating about something.

After Zhou Yu finished packing up and Jiang Yan came over to wash the dishes, he looked at Zhou Yu with a strange expression.

However, seeing that Zhou Yu remained calm, he didn't say anything more.

After all, he and Zhou Yu had only known each other for a short time, and they weren't at a point where they could joke around freely.

He cleared his throat slightly before saying, "Actually, there's something else I'd like to ask you."

Zhou Yu gestured for him to continue. He was also curious as to why Chen Mingyuan had been waiting for him.

If it weren't for the inconvenience of constantly making noodles at his stall, he would have checked the system panel to see if Chen Mingyuan's wish task was available.

After Chen Mingyuan finished eating mango pomelo sago at noon, Zhou Yu checked and found that there were no new wish tasks.

Chen Mingyuan: "Didn't I say at noon that I'm an oncologist? Actually, oncologists are quite busy, because most cancer patients are in the chronic treatment stage, so we spend a lot of time communicating with patients or their families every day."

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Mingyuan continued, "Recently, I received a new patient transferred back from the provincial capital. I won't go into the specific symptoms, but he's quite old and doesn't have much time left."

"For patients like this, or rather, most of the patients in our department, there's not much we doctors can actually do in the end. When I took over this patient, I talked to him a lot. His greatest hobby in life is eating. You might not believe it, but he recommended many of the delicious foods to me."

"However, he often laments that the current products no longer have the traditional taste, like the ones you mentioned to me before. He was quite surprised after we talked about it. Because he believes that very few people are pursuing these traditional flavors anymore."

"I had the wonton noodles and double-skin milk pudding you made tonight, and I felt that yours were much better and more authentic than the restaurant that patient recommended. So I wanted to ask what other traditional, nostalgic dishes you can make so that he can be happy and have no regrets in the few remaining days he has left."

Chen Mingyuan is in his thirties this year, but he is considered young in the medical profession and does not yet have the composure of an older doctor who has seen life and death.

He always tries his best to treat each patient without leaving any regrets, both for himself and for the patients.

After listening to Chen Mingyuan's words, Zhou Yu felt a sense of heaviness and remained silent for a while before saying, "I don't know what your patient can eat, or what he wants to eat. If it's convenient for you to ask, I can try."

"Okay, I only thought of that after I finished eating your wonton noodles. Oh! By the way, would it be convenient to pack another bowl of wonton noodles? I'll give it to him tonight to try."

Zhou Yu said helplessly, "I've already closed up shop and you're only telling me now. I've already used up all the broth I used to cook the noodles. Besides, are you sure it's really okay to bother your patient so late? Let's do it tomorrow."

Chen Mingyuan scratched his head somewhat awkwardly; he had indeed forgotten that it was quite late.

"Okay, I'll talk to him tomorrow and he'll come over to pack it up tomorrow night."

......

Having already learned what Chen Mingyuan had said, Zhou Yu was no longer in a hurry to open the system panel.

Once he got home, he began to examine the items:

Chef System

Today's satisfied customers: 171 (Click to view detailed customer wish list)

[Wishlist tasks claimed/Completed: 1/0]

[Recipe already mastered: (Click to view details)]

Today's settlement rewards:

[Today's Customer Satisfaction Rewards: National Protection Cuisine Recipe (to be claimed); Boat Congee Recipe (to be claimed)]

[Basic Settlement Bonus: If the number of paid customer orders reaches 100 today, the sales revenue will be quadrupled.]

Zhou Yu never expected that the system would reward him with two dishes with interesting stories tonight.

The origin of the "Protecting the Nation Cuisine" can be traced back to the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, specifically the famous Battle of Yamen.

The young emperor led his army and civilians in a retreat to Lingnan. After truly running out of ammunition and food, they could only dig up wild vegetables to use as rations.

Then, this soup made with various wild vegetables, in a bittersweet way, was named "Protecting the Nation Dish".

However, the ending was tragic, as Wen Tianxiang wrote in his poem, "On the beach of Huang Kong, I speak of fear; in the Lingdingyang, I sigh in loneliness."

Then Lu Xiufu jumped into the sea with the young emperor in his arms, preserving the last vestige of dignity for the Han emperor.

The accompanying civil and military officials, along with more than 100,000 civilians who were relocated, jumped into the sea and died for their country, burying the last backbone and spirit of the Han people at Yaishan.

Upon receiving the news, Zhang Shijie, the last military general of the Southern Song Dynasty, led the last navy ships directly towards the typhoon, and his body floated in the South China Sea.

Interestingly, the cuisine of Lingnan is related to the Protectorate Cuisine and the Battle of Yamen.

Another famous dish in Lingnan is also related to the Battle of Yamen: Gujing Roast Goose.

Legend has it that the roast goose from the ancient well was a royal dish during the Song Dynasty. When the young emperor arrived, this royal dish also spread to the common people.

However, compared to the "Protecting the Nation" dish, Zhou Yu felt that the origin of the "Ancient Well Roasted Goose" was more likely a story fabricated by later generations.

The origin of the boat congee story is much milder.

But it also carries the memory of the Tanka people in the last century, who could not go ashore, lived on boats, and could only drift on the water.

Interestingly, regarding the origin of the Tanka people, legend has it that some soldiers and civilians of the Southern Song Dynasty did not die with the young emperor, nor did they serve the Yuan Dynasty.

They eventually escaped to the water and merged into the Tanka people.

Zhou Yu clicked "claim" for the two dishes with a slightly heavy heart.

Only after the two dishes had settled in his mind did Zhou Yu begin to collect his sales bonus.

Tonight, 135 bowls of wonton noodles were sold, and the turnover doubled to 7200 yuan.

Seeing the amount credited to his WeChat account, Zhou Yu finally felt relieved.

Upon re-checking the wish list tasks, sure enough, the tasks that Chen Mingyuan hadn't shown up at noon were now displayed:

[Chen Mingyuan: Recently, a special elderly man was transferred back to the provincial hospital. Although he is nearly ninety years old, he himself has become quite indifferent to his remaining years. But after talking with him, I feel that he is a very respectable old man, and I really want to help him rediscover some of the old flavors of his past, so that he can recall the beautiful memories of yesteryear in his final days. (Task Reward: Dongjiang Salt-Baked Chicken Recipe)]

***

The next day was Thursday.

This was Zhou Yu's second time running within a week.

But after the run, when they went to have breakfast together at Sun Zhigang's breakfast stall, Chen Mingyuan did not mention his patient again.

I had just arranged with Zhou Yu to come over that evening to get wonton noodles.

Just as Zhou Yu opened his stall that evening, Chen Mingyuan came over, packed a bowl of wonton noodles and a bowl of double-skin milk pudding, and then hurriedly left.

It wasn't until Zhou Yu returned home that evening that he received a call from Chen Mingyuan.

On the phone, Chen Mingyuan asked somewhat apologetically, "Zhou Yu, would it be convenient for you to find a place to cook for us in the next few days?"