Chapter 170: Three Prawn Noodles

“Oh, oh.” Li Shengsheng suddenly reacted to it. He had accidentally mentioned Lu Yumin’s sore spot. For a moment, he was at a loss and could only hand the tissue to her. “It’s been a long time. My condolences…”

“I’m fine.” Lu Yuxi wiped her tears and said, “I just couldn’t control my emotions.”

After washing his hands and returning, Xu Le looked at the two of them and asked blankly, “What’s wrong?”

“Did you order these fried peanuts?”

Li Shengsheng deliberately changed the topic. Xu Le did not probe further and nodded. “Yes.”

He predicted what Li Shengsheng was going to say next and said, “Fried peanuts must be salty. It’s a savory appetizer. It’s fragrant and oily.”

This was a topic they had argued about countless times before.

Li Shengsheng choked when his lines were stolen. In the end, he still argued with him childishly and stubbornly, “The sweet ones taste better.”

The two of them looked at each other for a few seconds and laughed because of this lame behavior. At this moment, Uncle Bai served the wonton.

“Eat the wonton. Be careful, it’s hot. You can add the coriander yourself.”

The steaming hot chicken soup was mixed with the bone soup. It was bright and clear, and a white layer floated on it. The meat filling was firm and sweet, and it was embellished with seaweed and shrimp.

In the past, before Xu Le learned how to cook, he only thought that the soup was seasoned with MSG, which was why it was fresh and sweet. Now, he realized that Uncle Bai had filtering the soup and “sweeped” the soup.

The soup base alone took a lot of effort, not to mention the handmade wonton. No wonder it tasted so good.

The familiar taste reached his tongue, stimulating his memories. Xu Le was even a little dazed, as if time had returned to a few years ago.

Li Shengsheng howled, “It’s so hot… I forgot the essence of wonton.”

As he spoke, he used a spoon to scoop up the coriander on the plate. However, it was difficult to scoop with a wet spoon. Xu Le had just washed his hands, so he sprinkled a handful evenly into Li Shengsheng’s bowl.

Then he helped himself to some.

“Why don’t you give Lu Yuxi some?” Li Shengsheng took every chance to cause a rift. While half-showing off and half-joking, he said, “Do you not like tigresses either?”

“She doesn’t like to add pickled vegetables in her soup, but she likes to put coriander in her fried mala pot.”

Xu Le knew Lu Yuxi’s preferences like the back of his hand.

Li Shengsheng paused and sipped his soup. His gaze wandered between the two of them thoughtfully.

“By the way, your name is Xu, Xu Le?”

“Mmm.”

After eating a bowl of hot wonton, Lu Yuxi’s cheeks turned red. She said, “This wonton is simply perfect. I won’t get tired of eating it every day.”

When Uncle Bai heard this, he chuckled and said, “When you come back next time, I’ll be launching something new. Do you know about flat food?”

Lu Yuxi’s eyes were filled with confusion, while Li Shengsheng shook his head. Xu Le said, “It’s meat buns?”

“Yes!”

Uncle Bai smiled brightly as if he had found a kindred spirit. He said happily, “I went to the south and found a local professional master. I only picked up on the essence after half a year.”

“Yes, the process of making authentic flat food is quite troublesome.”

“That’s right. You must come and support me when the time comes.”

Uncle Bai was just being polite. Just based on the number of people here, there was no such thing as having to “support” him. He had practically watched batch after batch of students graduate. Even if he could not name them, he could still get familiar with them.

The xiaolongbao was fluffy and soft. The meat filling inside was fresh but not fishy. It was fat but not greasy. When it was dipped in a mouthful of home-made chili oil, it left a lingering aftertaste.

After the few of them finished their wontons, they bade farewell to Uncle Bai. On the way, they bought fried chicken skewers and held it all the way. At first, they were calculative and wanted to split it equally. Later on, they were all too full and stuffed it into Xu Le’s hands.

“Quickly try the broccoli with the fried chicken skewers. It’s crispy and delicious.”

“I’ve already eaten many.”

“The fish tofu is not bad either.”

“They’re all unauthentic starch balls.”

“… There’s tripe!”

“It’s vegetarian.”

“Anyway, I don’t care. If I stuff another mouthful of tripe, my stomach will explode!”

As Li Shengsheng spoke, he stuffed the fried chicken skewers into Xu Le’s hands and quickly slipped away.

Seeing that they were about to reach the end of the night market, Lu Yuxi said gently, “Li Shengsheng has quite a difficult personality and always have a fall out with others. However, it’s quite amazing that the two of you can hang out well together.”

Xu Le thought to himself, ‘Of course we have a good relationship after being four years of friends in university’.

He joked, “He’s quite annoying.’ But he’s always like this. I’m used to it.

Xu Le did not say the second half of the sentence. It was almost time after eating and drinking. Just as Lu Yuxi was about to suggest that they go back, Li Shengsheng suddenly said excitedly, “Look at that! It’s the Three Prawn Noodles! Previously, there would always be a long queue every time we came. There’s no one here today!”

As he spoke, he was so excited that he scurried into the shop.

“Boss, I want a bowl of Three Prawn Noodles!”

Lu Yuxi shook her head speechlessly and followed Xu Le in.

After ordering, Li Shengsheng turned around and asked, “What flavor do you two want?”

Xu Le held the fried chicken skewers in his hand. “Didn’t you say that your stomach would explode if you take another bite?”

“I can still force myself to eat a little more.” He said with a gluttony expression, “This is the Three Prawn Noodles we are talking about. It’s extremely smooth. Moreover, there are prawns, shrimp meat, and shrimp head inside. It’s super delicious. It’s a pity not to eat it!”

“Alright, alright.” Xu Le was also tempted by his words. He raised his hand and said, “I want the same bowl as yours.”

Lu Yuxi said, “I can’t finish it. Let’s split it between us.”

Three Prawn Noodles was a unique delicacy in Suzhou. Due to the complicated process of making it, very few shops sold it.

After Lu Yuxi sat down, she saw that the price for a bowl was 268 yuan and couldn’t help but whisper, “Is there gold in it… It’s so expensive.”

Li Shengsheng came over and explained, “There’s a lot of ingredients inside. Moreover, the river prawns have to be peeled out bit by bit by hand. It’s especially time-consuming.”

With high labor costs, the price naturally was high.

After about half an hour, Xu Le supported his chin with one hand and looked a little sleepy. The Three Prawn Noodles were finally served and a fragrance wafted over from afar.

Li Shengsheng could not wait to pick up a piece of Suzhou noodles wrapped in red oil shrimp seeds and put it into his mouth. His expression was filled with enjoyment and satisfaction. “Hurry up and try it. It’s really delicious!”

Xu Le’s impression of Suzhou noodles was average. He felt that it was hard and alkaline, but that day’s noodles simply changed his impression of it. It was refreshing and chewy. The shrimp and fish roe enhanced the freshness of the entire bowl to a higher level.

After tasting two mouthfuls, he handed the chopsticks to Lu Yuxi and said, “Yes, it’s very good.”

“Oh, aren’t you eating anymore?”

“I can’t eat anymore.”

Lu Yuxi took two bites and said, “After eating, I feel that everything is just so-so. My tongue feels a little numb and I can’t taste anything good.”

Li Shengsheng lowered his head and ate the bowl of noodles until there was not even any soup left. He leaned back and let out a long sigh. “Three Prawn Noodles is the most awesome dish in Suzhou noodles. The taste is too amazing!”