Chapter 114: Anyone Interested Is Welcome to Give It a Try!

To meet the needs of newly hired staff members, Master Zhao decided to serve Sour Soup Noodles for lunch.

Of course, besides Sour Soup Noodles, there were also other options available for everyone else—Zha Jiang Noodles, Minced Pork Noodles, and Dry Tossed Noodles.

Well, noodles are the main staple, but side dishes couldn’t be missing either.

Recently, Master Zhao had become obsessed with experimenting with fruit-based dishes.

However, he discovered that most people weren’t particularly fond of his innovative fruit-inspired creations.

Take, for example, Braised Spare Ribs with Oranges.

The oranges were good—tart and sweet, refreshing to the palate.

The spare ribs were top quality—tender and succulent.

Yet when he stewed the oranges together with the spare ribs, he found that people’s enthusiasm for this dish paled in comparison to their love for classic Braised Spare Ribs.

He had personally tasted the Orange-Braised Spare Ribs himself and thought the flavor was actually quite excellent.

The fresh citrus aroma cut through the greasiness of the ribs, adding a uniquely sweet and refreshing note.

Moreover, the orange flavor didn’t overpower the natural meaty fragrance of the ribs—in fact, it enhanced it even further.

Then there was Stir-Fried Pork with Apples.

Thinly sliced premium pork tenderloin was stir-fried together with sliced apples.

An almost magical chemical reaction occurred instantly.

The apple’s sweet-tart crunch perfectly balanced the richness of the pork—iron-rich meat paired with a grease-cutting fruit.

Upon tasting, the fruity fragrance burst forth, the pork slices were silky smooth, the overall flavor light yet delicious, sweet and tangy—absolutely mouthwatering.

And let’s not forget Pickled Pepper Mango.

Diced mango was stir-fried with pickled peppers, then served alongside halved cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices—the sweet and spicy flavors layered together beautifully, creating an exceptional depth of taste.

Absolutely amazing!

He genuinely believed every single fruit-based dish he created was quite good.

Yet, aside from Su Tao and a very small handful of others, nobody else seemed interested.

This left Master Zhao with an inexplicable sense of frustration.

However, the dish he made with preserved plum and cherry tomatoes ended up being loved by nearly everyone.

This dish was especially refreshing and grease-cutting, made by combining preserved plums, cherry tomatoes, Sprite, and rock sugar.

First, the cherry tomatoes were blanched in hot water, peeled, and set aside in a bowl.

Then, in a flat pan, he heated some rock sugar and preserved plums, poured in a can of Sprite, and brought it to a simmer.

After two minutes of cooking, he let the sauce cool down, then poured it over the prepared cherry tomatoes—preserved plums included.

Covered and chilled in the fridge, the final result was absolutely sublime when served cold.

Yesterday, he’d made a huge basin of it, and it vanished in no time.

So today, he simply made another batch.

As for the Orange-Braised Spare Ribs, he’d also tweaked the recipe slightly and prepared it again.

Of course, when eating noodles, one must never forget garlic.

The canteen offered not only raw garlic cloves but also Master Zhao’s homemade sweet pickled garlic.

The moment Wang Qiang stepped into the canteen, he was instantly drawn in by the enticing aromas wafting through the air.

Noodles!

Today, they actually had the Sour Soup Noodles he’d been craving for so long!

Overjoyed, Wang Qiang immediately grabbed a large bowl provided by the canteen and joined the queue.

Among the several noodle options available, he chose Sour Soup Noodles.

Spotting the sweet pickled garlic nearby, he used tongs to pick up a few cloves and placed them in a small side dish.

He also helped himself to a bowl of noodle broth.

Besides noodles, the canteen even offered several side dishes to choose from:

Orange-Braised Spare Ribs, Preserved Plum Cherry Tomatoes, Braised Pork with Green Beans, and Stir-Fried Lettuce.

That plate of Orange-Braised Spare Ribs looked suspiciously similar to the unconventional dishes served in their university cafeteria.

Wang Qiang hesitated for a moment, but eventually scooped up a small portion with his spoon, deciding to give it a try.

Compared to their cafeteria’s infamous Mooncake Stir-Fried with Pork or Grape-and-Orange Mixed with Cabbage, this Orange-Braised Spare Ribs didn’t seem so bad after all.

Just as Wang Qiang sat down at his seat with his meal box and large noodle bowl, he heard a soft voice from beside him.

“Big Brother, Grandpa Zhao’s other dishes are super delicious. That fruit stir-fry? That’s totally not his real skill level.”

“I’ll try it,” Wang Qiang said, immediately picking up a piece of spare rib and popping it into his mouth.

The tender, fall-off-the-bone meat carried a pleasant sweet-and-sour flavor, infused with a subtle fragrance while still retaining the distinct savory aroma of spare ribs.

Combined together, he actually found it quite tasty.

At the very least, it was far better than those so-called “original creations” from their university cafeteria chef.

“I think it’s pretty good,” Wang Qiang said, meeting the boy’s intense gaze. “I’ll try the other dishes too.”

He couldn’t resist picking up a piece of braised pork and stuffing it into his mouth.

One bite, and the rich aroma made his eyes instinctively squint shut in delight.

This braised pork was seriously incredible!

Soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture, rich yet not greasy, bursting with fragrance—truly a perfect harmony of color, aroma, and taste.

“So good!”

“Right? I told you! Grandpa Zhao’s other dishes are super delicious!”

“It really is amazing. Now I’ll try the Sour Soup Noodles.”

With that, Wang Qiang picked up a generous helping of noodles and began slurping them up.

The noodles were smooth, chewy, and deeply flavorful. Topped with chopped scallions, dried shrimp, and shreds of egg pancake, the sour broth carried a uniquely rich depth. Visually appetizing and tangy-spicy on the palate, the aroma shot straight to his brain like lightning.

Ohhh… coming to this orphanage was absolutely worth it.

These Sour Soup Noodles were seriously, unbelievably, insanely delicious.

Out of all the noodles he’d eaten over the years, these were undoubtedly the best.

No wonder the orphanage canteen had gone viral online.

No wonder someone had reportedly eaten twelve bowls in one sitting.

With this flavor and texture, twelve bowls were completely justified!

And this sweet pickled garlic—plump cloves, glossy surface, crisp texture, carrying a faint garlicky fragrance—fresh, fragrant, and crunchy. Truly the soulful sidekick to the meal.

Before he even realized it, Wang Qiang had eaten until he was completely full.

Only after patting his satisfied belly did he belatedly realize—he’d been so focused on eating that he’d forgotten to take any photos.

But that was fine. Not a big deal.

He could take pictures of the empty bowls he’d just finished eating from.

After snapping photos of the empty bowls and empty plates, he posted them in the small group chat where he was usually active.

Everyone in that group had met him while he was working part-time jobs outside.

They were all like-minded individuals.

The group was full of all kinds of impressive experts—hidden dragons and crouching tigers¹ everywhere.

He’d once landed a well-paid part-time voice acting job, and that opportunity had been introduced to him by one of the group’s veterans.

Not long after he sent his message, someone replied.

“Xiao Qiang, are you in a bad mood? You ate this much?”

“All three bowls were eaten by you, kid? What’s so delicious that you could eat this much?”

“Don’t tell us the plate next to it was yours too?”

“Yes, yes! You guys have no idea—my new part-time job’s canteen is an absolute treasure trove.”

“The food there is seriously, unbelievably, incredibly delicious—better than a five-star hotel!”

“No, wait—it’s even tastier than meals at a five-star hotel!!!”

Wang Qiang used three exclamation marks to express his overwhelming excitement at that moment.

“Where is it? What kind of part-time job?”

“Xiao Qiang, are you guys still hiring? I’ve got nothing going on lately—maybe I’ll drop by and join the fun~”

“Our director mentioned they’re short on music teachers, dance teachers, swordsmanship instructors, and so on.”

“If anyone’s interested, feel free to come give it a try,” Wang Qiang couldn’t help but chime in, helping Lu Qingqiang recruit talent.

Translator’s Notes