Chapter 384: The Sweet–Savory Dispute Emerges
Soon enough, Yun Qing happily finished his sweet tofu pudding.
Sitting across from him, Darn also popped the last steamed dragon dumpling into his mouth.
These curious dragon dumplings looked somewhat similar to soup dumplings, served in dainty little steamers, yet they were entirely different.
Unlike soup dumplings, their tight dumpling skins didn't conceal a gush of savory broth, but the flavor of the filling was in no way inferior.
The unique freshness of dragon meat combined with the crisp tenderness of water chestnuts created a lively and distinctive taste. Chewing the juicy filling together with the springy dumpling skin gave a brand-new experience—similar to soup dumplings, yet distinctly its own.
What's more, the aroma of dragon meat blended with the delicate sweetness of water chestnuts, perfectly satisfying Darn, who placed great importance on fragrance in food.
From any angle, this was a new dish Darn had quickly come to love.
After savoring the final dumpling, Darn's gaze drifted to Yun Qing's side of the table. Seeing Yun Qing looking content while his bowl of sweet tofu pudding was already empty, Darn couldn't help but mutter inwardly.
What's going on?
Too bad he had been so absorbed in the dumplings that he hadn't noticed how Yun Qing ate the tofu pudding.
Not dwelling on it further, Darn waved to Ji Yunruo.
"Excuse me, I'm done eating. Please bring me a recommendation ticket."
These days, every meal at Han Shi ended with Darn casting his recommendation vote. Even at breakfast, he never forgot.
A proper diner should take the initiative to vote!
"Sorry, sir," Ji Yunruo quickly came over with an apologetic look. "The boss said the recommendation system only opens once breakfast has more than twenty dishes. For now, there are no tickets."
I see.
Darn felt a little disappointed—he had wanted to vote for the dragon dumplings.
Why not for savory tofu pudding?
Because savory and sweet tofu pudding were counted as one dish. Voting for the savory one would also mean supporting the sweet one.
And Darn would never give sweet tofu pudding any support!
"Then let me ask—are breakfast recommendation votes tallied together with lunch?"
"No. Breakfast and late-night meals have their own separate rankings." Ji Yunruo had already asked Qi Han about such details, so her answer came readily.
"I see." Darn nodded in understanding.
Since there were no tickets, he might as well leave.
After paying the bill, he stood up.
"Brother Yun Qing, shall we go together?"
Yun Qing had also finished and paid around the same time. Hearing this, he nodded. "Alright."
The two walked out side by side. Before Darn could say anything, Yun Qing couldn't resist asking:
"Mr. Darn, is the savory tofu pudding that bad?"
Click
Darn stopped in his tracks, turning to Yun Qing with an expression full of disbelief.
"What did you just say?"
"Uh…" Yun Qing blinked. "Isn't it? The silky texture of tofu pudding paired with sweetness—it's simply the most wonderful taste in the world. I—"
"Stop!" Darn cut him off with a wave, realizing the problem.
"So you actually think sweet tofu pudding is delicious?"
"Of course—it's heavenly." Yun Qing nodded firmly.
Darn finally understood.
This was something he had encountered before.
Take, for example, the oozing stuffed intestines he utterly loathed. At Han Shi, many people loved them, even passionately so.
Like that backstabbing old friend of his—Paide.
But that didn't change the fact that just smelling those intestines made him want to gag.
What was happening now was almost exactly the same.
As a longtime patron of Han Shi, Darn firmly believed that any dish Qi Han put out would never be outright bad.
But then he imagined that wonderfully savory tofu pudding—enhanced with the fragrance of scallions and the crisp bite of pickled radish—having a handful of sugar dumped into it…
A shiver suddenly ran down Darn's spine.
Just the thought was unbearable!
Indeed—sweet tofu pudding was heresy!
No, he couldn't let this young man before him stray down the wrong path!
With that in mind, Darn looked seriously at Yun Qing.
"Mr. Yun, I sincerely suggest you try the savory version. That marvelous taste will surely make you forget—"
"No!" Yun Qing's expression collapsed. "Mr. Darn, I never expected you to be this kind of person!"
He spoke with bitter disappointment:
"Sweet tofu pudding is the true delicacy. How could tofu pudding possibly be savory?!"
No!
Impossible!
Just imagining that silky, sweet tofu pudding, touched with the faint fragrance of osmanthus blossoms—only to have someone toss in a spoonful of salt, then all sorts of strange condiments, and finally sprinkle scallions over it, turning its elegance into nothing more than onion flavor—Yun Qing felt as though the whole world had gone dark.
How could they!
This was heresy!
From the depths of his heart, Yun Qing rejected it. He even felt that if he were ever forced to eat such a savory tofu pudding, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back from throwing up.
Smack!
Darn helplessly slapped his own forehead. Yun Qing's fierce rejection mirrored exactly how he himself had once resisted stuffed intestines. He now understood—persuading Yun Qing to try savory tofu pudding was nothing but wishful thinking.
"Forget it…" Darn sighed softly, giving up the idea.
"No, we can't just forget it!" Yun Qing suddenly shook his head. "Mr. Darn, you should try sweet tofu pudding instead. I believe it will surely—"
"No way!" Darn shuddered all over and shook his head firmly. "In this lifetime, I will never eat sweet tofu pudding!"
Heresy!
Sweet tofu pudding was absolute heresy!
He cast Yun Qing one deep look, then turned away and strode off in the opposite direction.
No—he had to keep his distance from this fellow.
It was terrifying. How could there be people in this world who actually liked sweet tofu pudding?!
The thought of sprinkling sugar into tender tofu pudding, letting that lovely bean fragrance be tainted by bizarre sweetness—Darn trembled at the idea.
Oh heavens! Too dreadful!
"Da—" Yun Qing opened his mouth, but watching Darn leave without the slightest hesitation, he could only let out a soft sigh.
Poor Mr. Darn—how could he be so stubbornly devoted to something as awful as savory tofu pudding?
To put salt in tofu pudding?
Just imagining it made Yun Qing recoil. Could normal people truly enjoy something like that?
Clearly, Mr. Darn wasn't normal!
After standing there for a moment, Yun Qing turned to walk in the other direction.
This Mr. Darn was a polite and amiable gentleman, and Yun Qing's first impression of him had been a good one.
But now!
That impression had collapsed in an instant.
How could anyone like savory tofu pudding?
Mr. Darn must surely be abnormal.
At that thought, Yun Qing suddenly remembered something his mother had once told him as a child…
…
"Qing'er, there are all sorts of people in this world. If you encounter some strange fellows while traveling, you must never fall in with them."
"Mom, I think the phrase is all sorts of colors (xíngxíngsèsè)…"
"No colors allowed!" (sèsè also means 'lewd.')
"Oh… alright then. Don't worry, Mom, I'll never fall in with strange people!"
…
Yes, surely Mr. Darn was exactly the kind of strange person Mother had warned him about.
Hmm… in that case, he couldn't happily play with Mr. Darn anymore!
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