Becoming the Villainess: I Dominate the Cultivation Realm with My Wok!

Chapter 263: Braised Pork in the Cafeteria

Delicious red braised pork? How tasty can it really be?

Changgui’s eyes lit up, and he quickly joined the queue.

He felt like he had been waiting for an eternity before it was finally his turn.

"I’d like a portion of red braised pork!" Changgui impatiently blurted out.

The serving lady swiftly scooped up a large spoonful of red braised pork. Under Changgui’s expectant gaze, her hand suddenly seemed afflicted, shaking uncontrollably, until only a few pieces of meat and a heap of potatoes remained on the spoon, finally placing it onto the plate prepared for Changgui.

This maneuver left Changgui dumbfounded. He ordered a serving of vegetables, which, thankfully, didn’t suffer the same fate. However, the vegetables were cooked overly "generously," as if they were soaked in oil, and appeared anything but fresh.

He then observed the rice, squished beneath another dish, and couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

"Once your food is served, move along. The soup is self-serve over there. There are still so many people waiting," the lady, dressed as a servant of the Huo family, spoke with no trace of politeness.

Nonetheless, she wasn’t wrong. The faces of those behind him were distinctly showing impatience, so Changgui, with his slightly greasy plate, shuffled away to find a seat.

In just the blink of an eye, the previously empty cafeteria had suddenly filled with people.

Changgui hesitated for a moment, searching endlessly for a spot, and just when he spotted one, it was promptly taken by someone else.

Holding his plate, he looked around helplessly, targeted a student almost finished eating, and decided to silently stand nearby, staring at the student.

At the table sat four people. With Changgui standing there, they started to feel uncomfortable, especially the student in front of him, who subconsciously sped up his eating, gobbling down his meal, and quickly left with his plate in embarrassment.

Heh heh. Changgui chuckled inwardly, finally able to secure a seat. Enthusiastically, he sat down, eager to taste the "extraordinarily delicious," "outside-you-can’t-find" red braised pork.

This red braised pork differed from the method Chen Muxue usually employed. Being from the Southwest hinterland of Hua Country, Chen Muxue preferred using bean paste in braising pork ribs, creating a savory and slightly spicy flavor, rather than using pork belly.

The red braised pork from the Huo family cafeteria, however, followed the typical Southeast River Region method, using pork belly and skewing towards a sweeter taste.

It looked deliciously braised to a soy-sauce red hue.

Changgui eagerly placed the not-so-many pieces of meat into his mouth. With a slight chew, a hint of the pork’s gamey taste emerged from the pork belly, making Changgui frown.

Whether it was due to too much sugar or oil, Changgui found the flavor overwhelmingly greasy, although the cooking time was just right, softening the fatty meat entirely. Yet, it remained so fatty that, over time, it evoked a sensation of nausea.

Keeping in mind the principle of waste not, want not—after all, it was meat—he washed down a large bite with rice and barely managed to swallow the meat, tears nearly welling up.

He glanced surreptitiously at others who also got the red braised pork, seeing them devour it with looks of pure satisfaction, as if it were a rare delicacy, eating ravenously like wolves.

Changgui quietly reached for his chopsticks and took the oily vegetables, yet they did nothing to alleviate the grease, if anything, they only intensified the oiliness in his mouth.

Whether it was due to Changgui’s disgusted expression being too apparent, the person next to him noticed: "You don’t think this is good?"