Chapter Thirty-One: Teacher Li and Little Sui

After purchasing the steamed buns, food blogger Teacher Li and his assistant, Xiao Sui, officially began filming.

He started with his opening lines for the day:
"A long-time friend recommended this place, claiming it’s a century-old steamed bun stall I absolutely had to try. Sixteen yuan for two people."

Once the script was finished, Teacher Li turned to his camera assistant, Xiao Sui, and grumbled, "But I just chatted with the owner, and it turns out they’ve only been open for a short while."

"That means the intel was wrong," Xiao Sui asked with a smile. "Isn't it a century-old stall?"

Teacher Li waved his hand. "A few years here or there doesn’t make much difference. Still, business is quite good; they sell hundreds of buns a night. If we had come any later, we would have missed out."

"Teacher Li is taking a jab at me," Xiao Sui joked. "I was the one driving today."

"Not at all. My brother here drives, edits the videos, and handles the filming—doing all that work by himself."

The two shared a smile before sitting down on their folding stools. Xiao Sui adjusted the camera angle and signaled for Teacher Li to begin the tasting.

Just as Li lowered his head, he looked back up and thrust a bun toward the lens. "The appearance is worth mentioning—in two words: standard."

"I truly didn't expect to see such meticulous buns at a roadside stall." Teacher Li picked up another one to compare. "The size is almost identical; the owner’s craftsmanship is definitely professional grade."

Assistant Xiao Sui played the role of a prompter, adding on the spot, "The pleats are even and fine—twenty-four of them, not one more, not one less."

Teacher Li took a bite and savored it carefully. "The dough is fluffy and soft. It’s been proofed perfectly."

"The filling is pork and scallion. The seasoning is excellent—perfectly salty and savory. You can taste the inherent flavor of the pork; it’s neither gamey nor greasy, and the meat is very fresh."

"Both the seasoning and the ingredient selection are spot on."

Having filmed so many episodes, the assistant rarely saw Teacher Li in such a natural state. What was it like? It was like a professional chef finishing a home-cooked meal and feeling compelled to offer a few words of critique.

Xiao Sui couldn't help but ask, "Is this bun particularly special today, Teacher Li?"

"Special? I wouldn't go that far," Old Li shook his head, continuing, "But the feeling of eating it is like cooking at home—using ordinary flour and fresh pork to make a simple but delicious meal."

Xiao Sui chimed in, "In the North, we eat a lot of flour-based foods. Whenever we eat steamed buns, we can more or less taste the flavor of home."

Teacher Li changed his tone. "But I didn't say these buns were average."

Xiao Sui asked, "What did you pick up on, Teacher Li?"

Old Li gave a mysterious smile. "He put garlic in these buns."

Xiao Sui was puzzled. "You’re supposed to eat garlic *with* steamed buns, but putting garlic *inside* the meat filling?"

Teacher Li explained, "He used garlic-infused water. There’s a bit of technique to that."

Assistant Xiao Sui had some culinary experience, but he still didn't quite grasp what Teacher Li meant. "Normally, when seasoning the filling and adding water, don't people just use scallion and ginger water?"

Teacher Li gave an example. "Look, for a pork and scallion filling, the scallions must be folded into the meat at the very last second. Do you know why?"

Xiao Sui thought for a moment and replied, "If the scallions sit too long, they get pungent."

Teacher Li held up a finger. "Same principle."

Xiao Sui couldn't help but tease, "You’re giving away his secret recipe to everyone."

Teacher Li looked into the camera with a smile. "No need to learn it if you aren't opening a stall." He then instructed Xiao Sui, "Mute this part when you edit, let's protect his trade secret."

Teacher Li had finished a whole pork bun, but Xiao Sui had not. He had to offer a timely reminder: "Let's summarize, Teacher Li."

Old Li pondered for a moment and said, "For five hundred yuan, you could buy two hundred of these signature pork buns. You simply can't find a fault; it’s all pros. If I *had* to name a con," Teacher Li paused, switching to a joking tone, "the only con is that we only have two folding stools to sit on."

Xiao Sui said, "Since it’s a neighborhood roadside stall, most customers buy them to take home."

Teacher Li nodded. "These two stools were only provided because they know us; other customers don't get this treatment." He glanced at the owner and quickly realized this was likely where the man's family of three rested. "Let’s finish filming and return these quickly. They’ve had a long night."

...

Not far away, Chen Zhou watched them filming and found it quite interesting. They chatted and laughed their way through the shoot—the work atmosphere was truly enviable. It was a good thing he had received a tip; he had prepared the two stools and added disposable chopsticks, otherwise, they would have had to stand while eating.

When the two came over after filming, Chen Zhou handed them two cups of sour plum drink. "Teacher Li, Xiao Sui, have some sour plum drink on the house."

Xiao Sui joked, "Teacher Li, I have fans now too."

After taking a look at the drink, Teacher Li said to Xiao Sui, "Look, even the sour plum drink is homemade."

He then insisted on scanning the payment code. Chen Zhou knew that besides being a food blogger, Teacher Li was a highly respected veteran chef who had once served as an executive chef at a major hotel. Yet, in person, he was incredibly kind.

Chen Zhou asked with a smile, "How was it, Teacher Li? Any advice?"

Teacher Li said earnestly, "Young man, open a shop quickly. I’ll come back again then for a proper meal."

"Haha, I definitely will! I’ll invite you over when I do!"

However, Chen Zhou still had one lingering doubt. His stall had only been open for a short time, serving mainly local residents; he truly didn't know why it had attracted a professional food blogger. He took the opportunity to ask, "Teacher Li, what made you decide to come to my little stall for buns?"

Teacher Li must have been truly thirsty, as he loudly slurped the sour plum drink through his straw. He replied, "This isn't a 'little stall.' My friends in the capital told me it was a century-old establishment and that I had to come try it."

*When did I become a century-old establishment!*

Chen Zhou: "That must be Uncle Yu!"

Teacher Li nodded. "That's the one."

As Teacher Li and Xiao Sui prepared to leave, they said to Chen Zhou, "Just take it slow; business will only get better!" It was a heartwarming sentiment.

...

Time to pack up.

Chen Zhou did have Uncle Yu's contact information, though at the time, the old man had thought Chen Zhou was into antiques. Since he had managed to send Teacher Li his way, Chen Zhou took the initiative to reach out: "Thank you for the promotion, Uncle Yu. Teacher Li and his team came by today."

Yu Shaochun’s voice message came through: "Why thank me? No need for that. Whatever I say I’ll do, I’ll get done."

Uncle Yu was as reliable and honorable as ever.

Chen Zhou: "Then, if I send you some pickled cucumbers, would you accept them?"

Yu Shaochun: "The address is xxxx. Just send it via SF Express, cash on delivery."