Epiphanies of Rebirth

Wang Quan opened his mouth wide, and the remaining quarter of the bowl of rice that had been evenly mixed with bean paste was stuffed into his mouth, and he swallowed it in a few mouthfuls.

His proposal seemed to be just an unintentional remark, but Lin Jingzhe paid attention to it. He suddenly realized that his thinking was really too limited, and he had ignored many things all the time.

He wanted to improve the life of Zhou's family, but he could only think of lobbying Zhou's mother, who is good at cooking, to open a shop and become a self-employed person.Wang Quan was different. The other party was indeed a smart man who created the next manufacturing empire with his own strength in this era. He explained the secret with one word——

There is a market for mass-produced products in this one-by-one meal.

Nowadays, social commerce has only begun to develop, and all walks of life, especially food, are still like babies just born in the swaddling womb.Ordinary people are mostly frugal, and they don’t have the extra financial resources to add extravagant condiments to their daily necessities, but in future generations, who doesn’t have a few bowls of pickles and sauces in their refrigerator?

Lin Jingzhe especially has a personal experience of the scene when he was sent abroad by the company for the first time in his previous life. In the Chinese supermarket, I just want to buy a bottle of domestic pickles or instant noodles.

Mankind's demand for food will eventually become more and more intense with the gradual affluence of the economic situation, and the land under his feet is full of a population of more than one billion, which will contain a considerable market share!

Thinking of this, Lin Jingzhe couldn't help but secretly startled.He put a piece of beef slices that Wang Quan raved about with his chopsticks into his mouth. When he chewed, in addition to the just right spiciness when the sauce and minced garlic and coriander were combined, he could also chew that the bean paste pickled by Zhou Mu was different from the ordinary soybean paste of later generations. You can feel the texture of soft and flexible grains of soybean petals.The salty soybeans have been fully fermented and tasted thoroughly, and each grain contains a rich and mellow aroma that makes your index finger tantalize.

He wasn't hungry at first, but he couldn't help eating a big mouthful of rice with this mouthful of beef, which was not very salty.

Opposite him, Wang Quan had already finished two bowls, and he almost hollowed out the half bowl of Douban. He had no choice but to switch to pickles.Unexpectedly, he became addicted to eating this again. He chewed the dried and chopped radish diced by Zhou's mother in his mouth. He quickly finished another bowl of noodle soup, and then took a lamb bone in an enamel basin. Sucking the bone marrow again and again.

His eyes were straightened, but he still sincerely praised the bowl of noodle soup: "This noodle is really delicious."

Paste noodle soup is also a unique recipe of Zhou’s mother. This ordinary woman who can’t see a little glory in her life always has her ingenious combination of elements in the collision of taste buds—fat and thin minced meat, stir-fried onion and minced garlic, adding Use hair-thin radish shreds, diced or thinly shredded fresh shiitake mushrooms, and bamboo shoot powder (change to wild rice stems when the season changes), and then season it into a soup, thicken it with water starch.

Sprinkle a handful of diced mustard greens, a handful of scallions, a handful of coriander powder, and a handful of fresh lard residue that has been ground into fine powder before leaving the pot. On top of the noodles in the bottom of the bowl.

Before eating, you must add a spoonful of sesame oil chili poured by Zhou's mother herself. The soup is thick and fragrant, thick and palatable, wrapped on each noodle. The slag has also become the finishing touch.Such a bowl of ordinary but extraordinary noodles is hard to resist even Lin Jingzhe, not to mention Wang Quan who has tasted this taste for the first time.

Wang Quan touched his belly which was propped up high, and felt that the food had already flooded his throat, but he couldn't help himself to recollect it in every possible way.

The other side has been silent since he started eating, only moving his chopsticks from time to time, Lin Jingzhe, who looks very elegant, suddenly speaks at this moment——

"Mr. Wang, are you serious?"

Wang Quan was taken aback: "What?"

"It's what you mentioned just now, the mass production of sauces." Lin Jingzhe asked him, "Mr. Wang has a background in the food industry in Changqing, right? It shouldn't be difficult to produce sauces?"

"Ah?" Wang Quan just mentioned it casually just now, but Lin Jingzhe actually listened to it. For a while, he even put aside the feeling of being overwhelmed, and returned to the rigor of discussing business.

He pondered for a moment, and was a little uncertain: "Mr. Lin, to tell you the truth, my hometown is in Zhongshui Province, where it is popular to eat sauce with rice, and every household will pickle a little bit. More than ten years ago, there were people who carried burdens on the streets. Chuanxiang sells their own pickled bean paste."

"However, I have eaten soy sauce for so many years, and there is no one that can compare with the one I ate this time." He tapped the sauce bottle cap on the table with his chopsticks, and said very seriously, "You know I There is a big sauce province in my hometown. The largest soy sauce factory in China is opened in our county. Even so, no one can marinate this taste. Are you sure this sauce can really be mass-produced successfully?"

******

"Ah?" Zhou's mother heard Lin Jingzhe asking him about the sauce recipe, and turned to look at him in doubt, "I just pickled it casually? How can there be any recipe? At most, the beans should be picked better and cleaner. If the customers in the store ask me, they will tell me directly.”

Zhou's mother never hides her secrets. She used to be like this. Whenever a friend or colleague asks about the method of researching something delicious, she knows everything.The snack bar even has the kitchen outside, and she is never afraid of being taught her skills.The business in the store is booming, and there are many fellow shop owners who want to steal teachers and learn from them. Among the so many people queuing up outside the store every day, many eyes are fixed on her every move.But for such a long time, Zhou's mother has been open and frank, but she has never heard of any restaurant that has learned her recipe.

After questioning, in fact, Zhou's mother was also at a loss, she really didn't play any tricks inside.

However, food is like this. Maybe it’s just a little difference in the heat, a little difference in the ratio of raw materials, an extra spoonful of salt or a glass of wine, and the final result will be completely different.

Lin Jingzhe talked to her about selling sauces, and she still thought it was a joke: "I put this bean paste and pickles in the store for customers to taste, who is so stupid, would be willing to spend money to buy this?"

As she spoke, she scooped up the small wontons that had been thrown into the boiling water just now, and put them into the clear soup with fried dough sticks and pickled vegetables.The customers waiting outside the counter stretched their heads and stared at the bowl, and asked, "More lard!"

Mother Zhou laughed, and dug a spoonful into the small lard basin with a spoon, and put it in the bowl.

The snow-white lard melts when heated, and clear oil flowers float on the surface of the clear soup. The unique mouth-watering aroma of the lard immediately makes the guests sitting at a few tables not far away turn their heads.Zhou's mother cooked it by herself. She chose local pig suet oil that is familiar with the quality and guaranteed.The children of the nearby merchants sometimes hold the bowl to beg for a spoonful at the meal time. After returning home, stir it with hot rice and a few drops of soy sauce, sprinkle some green onions, flexible rice and melted lard Dyeed by soy sauce, it becomes a delicacy that is not willing to exchange for delicacies from mountains and seas.

The waiting customer eagerly took the small bowl from her hand, put it on the table, and took a small plate to scoop up the seasoning Zhou Mu put on the dining table——

"Boss." She opened the lid of the jar and saw that there were only a few drops of thin-bottomed bean paste left in it, feeling very disappointed. "The bean paste is gone again."

Mother Zhou immediately wiped her hands and apologized to her with a smile: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, these are all pickled by hand. I didn't make much of them. I didn't expect them to be so popular. They were eaten up in the morning as soon as they were put out."

The customer sighed, and had no choice but to scoop away a spoonful of black and red crispy chili rings marinated in wine vinegar in an enamel cup, and reluctantly looked at the small jar: "You said that your sauces are marinated. It would be great if the dishes could be sold in the store, alas, I have to go abroad to go back to school on Monday, and I won’t be back for at least a few months, without the taste of your home, I can’t even eat.”

When Zhou's mother heard it, she immediately tore a plastic bag distressedly, turned around and filled a bag full of pickled bamboo shoots for her in the pickle jar behind the counter, and wanted to send her back to eat.The guest was flattered, presumably he was not short of money, he refused several times, and abruptly stuffed 20 yuan into Zhou's mother's apron pocket for the pickles.

Zhou's mother hurriedly called her husband to catch a stewed pig's foot from the stew pot and give it to others. Lin Jingzhe leaned on the table and watched her arrange, and chewed with a piece of pickled pepper rings.Li Yun people love spicy food, and they like to throw a few peppers in their daily cooking, but Lin Jingzhe doesn't like spicy taste, only Zhou's mother can taste this flavor.The fresh and tender chili rings are sliced ​​into thin slices, and the long green peppers with large, pointed, and not-too-spicy flavors are selected. Although they have only been marinated for a few hours, the cross-section of the chili meat has been soaked with sweet and sour sauce. the taste of.Lin Jingzhe's sense of taste is not sensitive, and he can only taste something like cooking wine, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and white sugar, but this does not prevent him from stuffing another slice into his mouth when he is gasped by the heat.

After Zhou's mother finished tossing around, she returned to the kitchen counter and heard Lin Jingzhe ask her: "How is it? There are still people who are willing to spend money on pickles, right?"

She was taking out the 20 yuan from her apron pocket, trying to put it into the change bucket of the daily cashier, when she heard this, she was taken aback.

She glanced at the 20 yuan note in her hand.The two pickled bamboo shoots she picked up for the guests just now were spring bamboo shoots that were in season in the past few months. Although Yan City does not produce these, the price of a truckload from a nearby city is not expensive.The cost of two bamboo shoots plus marinade is only a few cents, but some people are willing to pay a high price of 20 yuan for it.

Lin Jingzhe analyzed for her from the side: "Aunt Zhou, you see that although your current store is not big, you can't stop busy from morning to night. Although you earn a lot, you are also very tired, right? Self-employed business is especially important. The catering industry is exchanging your energy for money. But have you ever thought that once these pickles can be put into mass production, then you only need to check at home, and you can receive more continuous customers than this.”

He picked up a soy sauce bottle on the table, turned it over and showed Zhou's mother the words "Chinese water soy sauce" written on the label, and asked, "Aunt Zhou, you use this brand of soy sauce every day. Have you ever visited this factory?" Annual shipments?"

Mother Zhou took the soy sauce bottle from her hand, and shook her head blankly.

"This is the largest soy sauce factory in China now." Lin Jingzhe said, "You can estimate its market share just by looking at the families around you. In the past year, only the soy sauce item, China Water Group's The sales volume has exceeded 1 million! A catty of soy sauce can be sold for 5 yuan, how much does it cost? You can imagine how high the profit is.”

Zhou's mother was in a daze when she heard that, the amount of [-] million has already surpassed the imaginable range for her.A laborer born in a small town like her has always regarded herself as a proletariat. To her, it is already a remarkable feat to have the courage to come to Yanshi from Liyun thousands of miles to open the current restaurant. .She is not greedy, and she is easy to be content with the status quo. Although the life of opening a shop is hard, she still feels very satisfied.Opening a factory is undoubtedly too far away for her, and she doesn't even know how to operate it and the key points.

Holding the 20 yuan, she forgot to place the next guest who had been waiting for a long time.Lin Jingzhe saw that her heart was moving, and immediately struck while the iron was hot, beating sideways and agitating: "Actually, opening a factory is not as troublesome as you imagined. Did you see the fat customer aunt who ate with me in the store just now? This person is called Wang Quan opened a factory in Changqing. He is very familiar with the process of opening a factory and has a good relationship with me. For things like pickles, you just need to master the recipe. If it can be put into production, many things can be fully authorized Handing it over to someone else to manage it doesn’t require you to bother yourself.”

Mother Zhou's eyes drifted away. What she was most worried about was actually the problem Lin Jingzhe mentioned. Otherwise, businessmen who have seen the world, how can they have a career without a little ambition?

Lin Jingzhe stared at her expression, caught the struggle in the depths of her eyes, and added at the right time: "Haitang will be a sophomore in the second half of the year, and he will not be graduating for a few years, and he doesn't like to go to the kitchen to touch the oily smoke, you It is absolutely impossible for her to manage this store for you. But if the factory can be opened, he can just let him manage it. When it grows bigger in the future, it will be Haitang's own business. It will not help him to get married and start a family in the future Good thing."

Mentioning her son, Zhou's mother's originally gentle expression immediately turned sharp.

******

"Go slowly, it's dark here, watch the road under your feet carefully, don't fall!" Zhou's mother led the way in front, groping for a rope by the wall and pulling it down, the dim light bulb above her head followed Her movements are lit, giving off the unique glow of incandescent lamps.This is a small underground warehouse with low rent, not far from the store on Sun Street, she rented it specially for storing ingredients.The ground in the dark warehouse is full of large and small sauce jars, and the seals are tightly covered, as if they have been placed here for a long time, and the surface of the seals has been covered with a thin layer of dust.Zhou's mother made a distinction for a moment, chose one of the small vats, blew away the ash floating on the surface, and untied the ropes tied to it layer by layer.

The unique fresh smell mixed with pickled peppers and perilla immediately spread around with her movements. Wang Quan was standing behind Lin Jingzhe, but when he smelled the smell, he immediately squatted down beside Zhou's mother.The clean chopsticks that Zhou's mother carried with her went back and forth inside, picked out a shriveled eggplant segment buried inside, and handed it to Wang Quan.

Wang Quan stuffed it into his mouth, and the moment he chewed it, his taste buds were filled with salty and fresh taste. The soft and chewy eggplant was quite different from when it was fresh, but it seemed to be better, which made him immediately raise his eyebrows.

He gave Zhou's mother a thumbs up sincerely from the heart: "It's delicious! Aunt Zhou, how did you do it?"

Zhou's mother is shy. Although she is usually praised a lot in the store, she is still a little embarrassed at the moment. She said modestly: "It's nothing unusual, just pick fresh long eggplants, the thinner the better, under the sun After ten days of drying, the moisture in the eggplant is almost dry, and don’t dry it completely. When it’s good, take it back, wash it and cut it into sections. Use fresh perilla, pepper, tender ginger, garlic, and There is a little pepper and fragrant leaves, mixed with other messy things, marinated for ten days and half a month. The main thing is that the eggplant must be selected well, it must not be old, and the pepper can not be used casually. I put millet And red lanterns, the millet is spicy enough, and the red lanterns are more fragrant, the combination of these two tastes the best."

What she said was simple, but Wang Quan was dumbfounded.People who are familiar with the steps of cooking can never imagine how complicated and incomprehensible the concept that they take for granted is for ordinary people.It's like adding salt to cooking. Some people probably have a concept of taste in their hearts when they pinch their fingers, but more people are hesitant to add and subtract.Zhou's mother is probably the former. She has a special kind of grasp in her mind, which is far beyond ordinary people's grasp of the rules of order after the fusion of different flavors.Take her jar of pickled eggplants as an example. She only needs to press her fingers to find out how the eggplants are properly dried. Only the analysis dares to open the mouth to assert.

The reason can only be explained by talent.

This is a good thing, at least after repeated research on the rules of Mama Zhou's dishes, she can always formulate the closest rules. Even if the tastes cannot be exactly the same, the greatest similarity can still be achieved.But such a gifted dish, without the precise ratio leaked, it is difficult for colleagues to imitate the exact same taste.Wang Quan nodded, and pointed to the several jars in the warehouse that were a little farther away from him, which were obviously different from most of the pickles: "Those jars are bean paste?"

"Yes." Zhou's mother nodded and said, "But it's not ripe yet, and the beans have to be stuffed for a few more days. If the fermentation is not complete, the fragrance will not be enough, so I can't open it for you to see today. But it's quite easy to make. Soybean with some chili, onion, ginger, garlic or something. After the soybean is cooked, dry it. Get some flour and spread it out to dry. After drying thoroughly, put it into a jar together with other things, put it in the shade for a few days in the basement, and then move it to the sun. Dry it vigorously, and after it is cooked, it will taste like what you ate in the store."

As she said, she opened another bottle of marinated fermented bean curd, took out a piece and said, "You try this? This is the tofu made by my family Zhou Neng (Father Zhou). It's made with sour water and fermented When the hair is very long, the taste is very good, and the taste of tofu in the north is completely different from yours, so it is the most suitable for making fermented bean curd."

Different from the hardened fermented bean curd that Wang Quan usually eats in Zhongshui Province, which is soaked in Wang Wang's oil, the one made by Zhou's mother, who loves spicy food, is vegetarian.The surface of the fermented bean curd is sprinkled with chili powder, and the fermented tofu has been completely integrated with these powders. The small pieces are small and cute, but they exude a strong aroma that is completely different from its small size.

Wang Quan slid a small piece, and by the light, he could still see the white jade-like texture of the bean curd that had lost the chili powder.He squeezed it into his mouth and smashed it twice, the scent of eggplant that was still in his mouth was completely covered by this more domineering scent.The fermented bean curd is a bit salty, but it's not too salty to eat. After being melted by the temperature in the mouth, it ravages the taste buds obediently and savagely.

If there was porridge on hand at this time, Wang Quan was afraid that he would drink a rice cooker full of this bottle of fermented bean curd.

He nodded, and very consciously took the bottle that Zhou's mother had opened and then recapped from the other party's hand, and stuffed it into the pocket of his coat.

He was determined to go out for a while and order a big pot of porridge at the hotel to eat his fill of this bottle of treasure, but on the surface he was very reliable and awe-inspiring.

"Boss Lin." He said seriously to Lin Jingzhe, "I think our plan to open a factory is feasible based on the taste of these things."

******

Wang Quan intends to cooperate with Lin Jingzhe, not to mention that his electrical appliance factory is now on the right track, and he doesn't need to worry too much about daily preparations and shipments. It's time for him to expand some new businesses.

The food industry is undoubtedly a good choice. Now that the trend of the market economy has just begun, people's demand for taste has already begun to be seen.Life has worked so hard for decades, for what?Isn't it just for the food, clothing, housing and transportation of yourself and your family?Only now, at the door of Mother Zhou's small shop, there are countless people who are willing to wait under the scorching sun for a bite of delicious food.In a few years, people's lives will improve and people will be more affluent. More and more people will be willing to spend money on the word "food". Eating well is probably the most important thing.

Without Lin Jingzhe, Wang Quan might choose to invest in some high-end foreign restaurants in major cities. He is as optimistic about the catering industry as he was when he first entered the manufacturing industry.

But now, Zhou's mother's factory is undoubtedly a better choice for him. After so many years of processing and manufacturing, his understanding of the factory is far better than most people. Undoubtedly, it can save yourself and your partners a lot of detours.

The two sides hit it off in this regard. Lin Jingzhe simply handed over the work of finding the factory site and production line to this expert. Changqing is too far away. For the time being, he still prefers to build the factory in Yan City, even if it is more remote. , but also facilitates early planning and management.

However, it is obviously impossible to get the results of the preliminary production equipment and some project approvals so quickly. Zhou's mother's short-term uneasiness was relieved a lot after she learned that the factory was not opened so soon.She went back to work in the store as usual, received customers with a smile, and kept the news to herself, without any clues on the surface.

But in details, there seems to be something different.

Zhou's mother bottled the pickles that were originally used as gifts, lined them up, and put them in the newly opened cabinets behind the counter in the store.

Different categories, different weight, but clearly marked prices.

Once launched, this new product, which can be bought and taken away without queuing, was immediately well received, and it didn't take long for it to become the biggest sign in the store.Many regular customers are even entrusted by others to help them buy, and they have to buy dozens or twenty bottles at a time. Therefore, the cabinet that should have been placed in glass jars is often searched and empty.

******

After get off work, when Lin Jingzhe returned home, a familiar black car had already been parked in the garage on the lawn, and it was parked in the parking space inside.

Lin Jingzhe took a quick glance when he got off the driver's seat, and found that the damaged headlight on the right side of the front of the black car had been repaired, and there was no sign of it being smashed. The owner has a similar bumbling temperament.

Lin Jingzhe felt weird in his heart, Xiao Chi was too self-conscious and ran towards here after work.

Open the door, you can smell the fresh and clean water vapor after cleaning, the glass door in the living room is opened, and the wind with the fragrance of plants from the backyard blows in.There was no one in the living room, a martial arts drama was playing on the turned-on TV, the sound of the special effects of swords colliding flowed from the stereo, and the dim lights in the room were full of warmth.

He couldn't help but stop in a daze for a few seconds.

Suddenly, I heard the unique sound of footsteps when bare feet touched the wooden floor, Lin Jingzhe turned her head following the sound, and met Xiao Chi's eyes looking at him.Xiao Chi dressed very simply at home, only wearing a white linen top and a pair of beige trousers, but the effect was very good. It seemed that he had broad shoulders, waist, slender legs and slender legs, and the advantages of being tall were clearly visible.

"Are you back?" Xiao Chi asked him naturally, as if his name was also written on the property certificate of this house, he walked barefoot to the restaurant, and put a simple paper bag in his hand on the On the table, "Have you eaten yet?"

He probably just took a shower, and there were still some water stains on his face that could not disappear. He was unpacking paper bags, and one of them was distractedly pinching beads.After living together for a few days, Lin Jingzhe discovered many quirks in Xiao Chi that he hadn't noticed before.

For example, the other party has a high body temperature, and usually does not like to wear shoes at home, and likes to sit barefoot and cross-legged on the floor.

Another example is the other party’s seemingly devout beliefs—on the second day when he talked about moving in, Xiao Chi invited back a statue of Guanyin with a solemn treasure appearance, which was enshrined in a small room on the first floor near the garage. Three sticks of incense are offered every day, never intermittently.

She is also very superstitious. After Lin Jingzhe simply enshrined the portrait of his grandfather into the Buddhist hall, he even caught him reciting merit scriptures to the portrait!

Lin Jingzhe stared at Xiao Chi's bare soles and strong calf muscles for a while, and then withdrew his gaze. He easily covered up the short-term discomfort when he entered the house. "Not yet." He answered Xiao Chi's question nonchalantly, then watched Xiao Chi's movement of unpacking the paper bag, and asked while entering the room: "What is that?"

"I don't know. Hu Shaofeng gave it to me. She said it was the pickles that are very popular in Yan City recently." Xiao Chi couldn't open the paper bag, so he simply tore a hole, took out a few small glass bottles with a very simple style, and put them in the bag. Take a close look at it.The glass bottle is not big, only five hundred grams in size at most. The light blue bottle body is covered with ordinary patterns, and a palm-sized black note is pasted on the pattern. Xiao Chi read the name on it: "Begonia Sauce bamboo shoots? What is this?"

Oh, as soon as Lin Jingzhe heard the name, she immediately understood that it was the pickles sold in Zhou Mu's shop.

Although the factory is not ready yet, under the suggestion of Lin Jingzhe, Wang Quan has gone out of his way to apply for the patent of the product name.Lin Jingzhe is a waste of names. Wang Quan’s two factories are called Dafafa Manufacturing and Dafacai Manufacturing. They were immediately deprived of their rights. The choice of the brand name finally fell on Zhou’s mother, which made Zhou’s mother hesitate for a long time.

Zhou's mother's real name is Ding, Ding Xiang, which is a good name, but it has been registered in advance. After much deliberation, she can only choose to name it after Zhou Haitang.

After the patent name was officially applied for, Lin Jingzhe agreed to Zhou's mother to put signs on the pickles in the store.This can't be blamed on him being too cautious. It's because he has seen too many disputes like Li Kui and Li Gui in the mall in his previous life. There are endless incidents of deliberate impersonation or confusion. Some smart people just don't want to use their minds on the right way. .

With the patent name, at least they don't have to worry about having no evidence to defend their rights.

However, the scale of pickles has not yet developed to the extent that they need to worry about being copied. At least they have to wait until the construction of the factory area is approved and the assembly line is put into use before they need to worry about this level.

However, due to the taste, although it was only in the initial stage, the reputation of Begonia pickles was quickly spread by word of mouth recommendations.Even Xiao Chi has been covered here.

Lin Jingzhe didn't mention the relationship between this brand and himself, he just stepped forward and replied lightly: "It's just pickles."

Xiao Chi put down the bottle and looked back at him: "Then shall we have porridge tonight?"

Lin Jingzhe was surprised to find that the topic of chatting with Xiao Chi was becoming more and more domestic. This made him feel a strong sense of weirdness, but at the same time, he couldn't help but indulge in this kind of family-like inconspicuous but moist and silent softness. , he nodded, and then heard the other party ask: "What kind of porridge do you want? Rice or millet?"

Lin Jingzhe stared at Xiao Chi's fluffy and natural hair after washing, suddenly stepped forward, stretched out his hands to wrap around Xiao Chi's waist, and then lazily leaned his body and head towards him.

Xiao Chi subconsciously caught his body, patted his back indulgently, touched him up and down, turned his head to smell the smell of his hair, put his face against the hair, and was still waiting for the answer: "Huh?"

Lin Jingzhe rested his chin on his shoulder, as if the tired traveler had finally found a place where he could rely on to rest. This was completely different from the distance and relationship he had originally imagined that the two parties should maintain tacitly.

But strangely, he didn't feel any resistance. He just squinted his eyes comfortably, trying to enjoy the tenderness that he didn't know how long he could keep, and said absently, "...is it rice?"