Professional Food Taster

"When boiling zongzi, it's best to use a charcoal stove. It brings out a much better flavor."

Actually, the biggest difference between a charcoal stove and an electric stove is whether the heating surface is even.

An electric stove concentrates its heat, whereas the flames of a charcoal stove can fully embrace the bottom of the pot.

Moreover, the temperature of a charcoal stove is mild and long-lasting, capable of maintaining a low-temperature slow-boil for a long time, preventing the glutinous rice from over-expanding or burning.

It was just like how grandma used to boil zongzi over a firewood stove.

Zheng Yuan leaned against the balcony doorframe, watching the two pots of zongzi simmering in front of her, almost ready.

Standing behind her was Lin Mo, who had just returned from outside. However, in Zheng Yuan's eyes, Lin Mo had merely gone downstairs and come back up.

Boiling zongzi takes a very long time, especially if you want them to taste good.

To shorten the cooking time, some people soak the glutinous rice and mung beans in water beforehand.

Soaked glutinous rice and mung beans are easier to cook through and become soft and mushy.

But this also presents a problem: the fillings inside might not cook to that same level of tenderness.

After all, while the glutinous rice and mung beans might become soft and mushy, the pork belly inside wouldn't be completely tender yet.

Therefore, Zheng Yuan didn't like to use pre-soaked glutinous rice and mung beans to wrap her zongzi.

Lin Mo wasn't just waiting idly. His divine sense had already quietly probed into the boiling water, penetrating layers of bamboo leaves to observe the changes in the glutinous rice inside.

Every single grain of rice was absorbing the water and meat juices, transforming from hard and raw to soft and sticky. The fat of the pork belly was slowly melting, seeping into the crevices between the rice grains.

The heat control was absolutely perfect.

He withdrew his divine sense and said to Zheng Yuan beside him, "Auntie, they're about ready."

"Then let's fish one out and give it a try."

She briskly lifted the pot lid, and a thick cloud of white steam mixed with the aroma of meat rushed into their faces. Using long chopsticks, Zheng Yuan plucked a five-cornered zongzi from the boiling water.

With that said, Zheng Yuan took off the lid and scooped a zongzi out from inside.

"Here, this is a zongzi without shiitake mushrooms and salted egg yolk."

Lin Mo turned around to fetch a bowl and chopsticks from the kitchen, placing the dripping zongzi on a plate to cool down.

His nimble fingers untied the tightly bound straw string in a leisurely, unhurried manner.

As the hot, damp leaves were peeled back layer by layer, the crystal-clear, soft, and sticky rice grains inside were revealed. Amidst the swirling steam, the fragrance of rice and meat, mixed with the umami of seafood, wafted straight into their noses.

"Careful, it's hot," Zheng Yuan cautioned.

Lin Mo used his chopsticks to split the zongzi in two. It was cooked perfectly; the glutinous rice was sticky but not mushy, and the juice-soaked pork belly fell apart at the lightest touch. The fatty part had almost completely melted into oil, leaving only the texture of the lean meat.

Mixed within were shredded dried scallops and minced dried shrimp.

"Mhm, it smells really good."

Just as his voice faded.

"Ahhh! Even this young lady can smell it!"

Xie Yuling's bedroom door was yanked open. Sporting a slightly messy bedhead, she dashed out like a little kitten that had caught the scent of fish, following the aroma.

When she saw the plate in Lin Mo's hands, her eyes lit up.

Pouncing like a starving tiger, her hands reached it before her body even arrived, snatching the plate and chopsticks right out of Lin Mo's grasp.

"Make way, make way! The professional taste-tester is in position!"

Without any hesitation, she picked up a large chunk and, ignoring the heat, stuffed it straight into her mouth.

"Mmm~~ Mmm~~ So good! Why is today's zongzi so flavorful!" Xie Yuling praised indistinctly, her eyes narrowing in pure bliss.

"I added dried scallops and dried shrimp, how could it not be flavorful?"

Zheng Yuan looked at her daughter acting like a reincarnated starving ghost, feeling both amused and exasperated. She reached out and lightly tapped her on the head. "Eat slowly, no one is fighting you for it."

Xie Yuling chuckled. Her eyes darted around mischievously before she used the chopsticks to accurately pick up a piece of perfectly marbled, juiciest pork belly, and then offered it right to Lin Mo's lips.

"Here! Open your mouth."

Her actions were natural and intimate, as if she had done this a thousand times before.

Lin Mo's movements paused, and he subconsciously cast a sidelong glance at Zheng Yuan.

He saw that Zheng Yuan wasn't the least bit displeased. Instead, she had her arms crossed over her chest, watching the two of them with a smile. Her eyes were filled with the indulgence and warmth of a parent watching their own children fool around.

The slight apprehension in Lin Mo's heart vanished into thin air, and he obediently opened his mouth.

The tender pork belly melted in his mouth, its rich, meaty aroma instantly exploding on his tongue.

The glutinous rice was soft and sticky, the mung beans were smooth and mushy, and the meaty aroma perfectly blended with the savory umami of the seafood, creating a rich texture and a mellow flavor.

Seeing him eat it, Xie Yuling lifted her chin triumphantly. She leaned in a little closer and asked in a low voice, "How is it? Fed to you personally by this young lady, does it taste even better?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Thank you for your great grace, Miss Xie."

Lin Mo removed the iron pot from the charcoal stove.

On the other side, a meat zongzi with shiitake mushrooms and salted egg yolk had also been picked out for a taste test.

Feeling that it was about done, they could now take all the zongzi out.

"I heard you plan to bring them along to watch the dragon boat race."

The specific use of the word 'them' was quite subtle, but Lin Mo nodded quite normally.

"Yeah, Fang Jun invited me to eat the dragon boat banquet at his ancestral hall, so I'm going. Jiang Yunlu and Chu Miaomiao both want to see the dragon boats, so we finally decided to go together. When the time comes, you can take the two of them to eat at your ancestral hall, and after I'm done eating, I'll come over to crash yours for another meal. Perfect."

Knowing how much Lin Mo could eat, Xie Yuling burst out laughing.

"Hmph! You want to eat at two different houses? Fine, when the time comes, those two can just follow me."

Xie Yuling had originally wanted to invite Lin Mo to eat the dragon boat banquet together, but the plan Lin Mo suggested was actually better. This way...

The advantage is still mine!

--System: I hold both the big and small jokers, the advantage is mine.--

By the riverway.

On both sides were dense clusters of self-built houses typical of urban villages.

As everyone knows, dragon boat races aren't strictly held only on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival.

The dragon boat race is merely one part of the broader dragon boat culture.

"The complete process includes the dragon boat visiting relatives, the racing itself, gathering the boats, the dragon boat banquet, dragon boat pastries, dragon boat opera, and so on. There's a lot of stuff to organize."

As a local villager, Fang Jun explained the cultural customs of the Dragon Boat Festival to the group following behind him.

"What is the dragon boat visiting relatives?" Jiang Yunlu asked curiously.

"The dragon boat visiting relatives is when we row the dragon boat along the waterways to visit other villages. Because our ancestors all relied on this Yue River to make a living, the villages along this river are actually all relatives."

Fang Jun was very knowledgeable about all this.

"As for the racing, it's exactly that—racing the dragon boats. Gathering the boats is when people from other villages row their dragon boats to congregate at another village. The more popular a village is, the more other villages will spontaneously go there."

Speaking of this, Fang Jun mentioned, "Just like Hao Qiang and Jian Lihao's Chepo Village. It's the most popular dragon boat village in this area, and even my family's dragon boat has to go there to join the gathering."

As he spoke, Fang Jun had already led them to the bottom of a building.

"Let's go, head up. I've already arranged the best viewing platform for you guys."

Lin Mo looked up and asked casually, "This is your family's building, right?"

"Yeah, but most of it has been rented out."