Chapter 379: Oil-Splashed Noodles and Lamb Pao Mo
Slurp—
Slurp—
Smack smack—
Tang Zi's face darkened as he glared at Zhou Long, who was sitting across from him with his whole face practically buried inside the oversized porcelain bowl. "Can you at least mind your table manners? Sitting with you is seriously embarrassing!"
Zhou Long raised his head in annoyance, wiping the oil stains at the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "You don't understand—these oil-splashed noodles are just too delicious."
As he spoke, he picked up another wide, flat ribbon of hand-pulled noodle with his chopsticks. Clamping one end between his teeth, he slurped it up noisily.
For a while, the table was filled with endless slurping and chewing sounds.
I have a poor choice of friends…
Feeling the strange looks from people nearby, Tang Zi could only shake his head in regret.
So embarrassing!
Tang Zi had only arrived in Shrek City last night. Originally, he'd planned to come in the morning to catch Boss Qi reopening his restaurant, but some minor matters at a branch along the way delayed him. As a result, he ended up half a day late, missing not just lunch but also the evening service.
Missing out on two whole meals of Han Shi's delicacies was already enough to sour his mood. What made it worse was that the moment he arrived, Zhou Long started bragging about having broken through to level sixty-three.
Damn it!
Still, there was at least one silver lining. From Zhou Long, he learned that starting today, Han Shi would also serve breakfast and late-night meals—and even better, hotpot, which Tang Zi hadn't eaten in ages, would finally be available at the Shrek City branch.
That was incredible news.
So, early this morning, after completing their Purple Demon Eye practice, Tang Zi dragged Zhou Long to line up at Han Shi, becoming part of the very first group of diners.
But what he hadn't calculated for—what no amount of planning could have prepared him for—was Zhou Long's utterly barbaric way of eating, making Tang Zi feel like he was dying of secondhand embarrassment sitting across from him.
"Haah…"
With a heavy sigh, Tang Zi picked up a palm-sized flatbread in his broad hands and started breaking it apart. "And this lamb pao mo… why do we have to tear up the bread ourselves? My stomach's already growling. Can't I just eat it as is?"
Though he grumbled under his breath, his hands never slowed. After all, his power hall specialized in crafting fine concealed weapons—compared to that, tearing up a flatbread was child's play.
Following the instructions on the menu, he split the bread into halves, then quarters, and from there, methodically tore it into pieces the size of soybeans.
Bit by bit, the empty bowl beside him filled up until it was heaped with tiny bread chunks.
"Um… Junior Sister Ji," Tang Zi called out, waving the bowl toward Ji Yunruo as she passed by. "I've finished tearing the bread for the lamb pao mo. What's next?"
"Please wait just a moment, Senior Brother Tang." Ji Yunruo gave him a slightly amused smile as she accepted the bowl. "I'll bring it to the boss—won't be long."
"That's good." Tang Zi let out a small sigh of relief, finally smiling again.
But when he rubbed his still-empty stomach, his expression quickly soured. Slowly, his gaze drifted toward Zhou Long, who was still noisily slurping away, eating with a look of bliss.
Could those oil-splashed noodles really be that good?
He'd known Zhou Long for years, and never once had he seen him eat anything with such abandon. Even when enjoying Han Shi's other dishes, he still tried to maintain at least a semblance of decency.
But with these noodles… it was like all restraint went out the window.
Unable to resist any longer, Tang Zi began to feel tempted. He wanted to know what those noodles actually tasted like.
"Hey, Old Zhou…"
"What?" Zhou Long lifted his head again, once more wiping the shiny grease from the corner of his mouth. "I'm eating here, don't bother me."
"It's just… let me try a couple strands of those oil-splashed noodles?"
"What?!" Zhou Long immediately clutched the massive porcelain bowl—nearly as wide as his own broad face—tight against his chest. "I'm telling you right now, these noodles are mine. Don't even think about touching them!"
"My lamb pao mo will be ready soon. When it's done, I'll let you have some, okay?"
"Ah, uh…" Zhou Long's face twisted with a bit of hesitation. To be honest, he was also quite curious about this lamb pao mo that required you to tear the bread by hand. If it weren't for the trouble, he might have ordered it himself earlier.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Long reluctantly said, "Alright, I'll give you two noodles, but you'll have to share some with me later!"
"Deal!" Tang Zi's eyes lit up with expectation as he glanced at the big porcelain bowl of oil-splashed noodles. Picking up his tray where he had just placed the torn bread, he urged, "Put it here. Give me more."
Zhou Long was already eating heartily—he was still hungry after all!
"More, huh… dream on." Zhou Long muttered under his breath, reluctantly fishing out two strands from the bowl and dropping them onto Tang Zi's tray. "There, that's all you get."
Staring at the glossy, chewy-looking oil-splashed noodles, Tang Zi couldn't help but swallow hard. He picked up a strand with his chopsticks and slipped it into his mouth.
Slurp…
"Tch, and you were making fun of me," Zhou Long grumbled, then buried his head again into his own bowl, happily devouring the noodles.
Decision made: from now on, these oil-splashed noodles were his secret treasure!
They were just too delicious!
And the portion was huge, incredibly satisfying to eat!
As the noodles entered his mouth, a rich fragrance instantly filled Tang Zi's nose. It was the aroma of hot oil—pure, simple, yet tinged with spiciness and constantly teasing his primal appetite.
After a few bites, Tang Zi's eyes shone brighter. The springy, chewy texture of the noodles was astonishingly good, and the flavor burst out all at once from the seasonings seared into the noodles by the smoking hot oil.
The taste, the texture—everything was perfect, with a rugged edge to it, unlike the more refined cold dishes they'd had earlier.
For rough-and-tumble guys like Tang Zi and Zhou Long, this kind of hearty flavor was absolutely spot on.
In that instant, Tang Zi understood why Zhou Long was eating so wildly.
If it were him, he'd be the same.
Marvelous!
Too bad he only got two strands.
He shot Zhou Long a resentful glare, then reluctantly lifted the last strand to his mouth. After savoring it for a moment, he looked with regret at his now-empty tray.
Gone…
"Senior Tang, your lamb pao mo is ready."
Ji Yunruo's voice sounded like heavenly music to Tang Zi at that very moment. Excited, he looked up and carefully received the large porcelain bowl she handed over—big enough to cover his whole face.
One look, and satisfaction spread across Tang Zi's face.
The surface of the bowl was filled with thinly sliced lamb, beneath which were the chunks of bread he had torn earlier. Nestled among them were translucent vermicelli, blending together in a generous, enticing heap.
A fragrant steam rose up, rich with the scent of lamb—just a faint hint of gaminess, but mostly the deep, savory aroma of fresh meat.
Tang Zi inhaled deeply, intoxicated. His stomach growled even louder.
Time to feast!
"Ahem!" Zhou Long cleared his throat and quietly set down his now-empty bowl. "I'll try some too."
"You…" Tang Zi frowned, unwilling, but finally gave in. "Fine."
He scooped out two ladles and dropped them into Zhou Long's bowl.
"There, you gave me two noodles, I gave you two scoops. Perfectly fair!"
Zhou Long chuckled and didn't argue.
After handing some over, Tang Zi dug his spoon into the edge of the pao mo, scooping up a mix of vermicelli and bread, and brought it to his mouth.
The moment he tasted it, he cursed inwardly.
What a mistake!
Those two scoops he gave Zhou Long earlier were way too much!
If only he'd shaken the spoon a little to lighten it!
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