Back in the renting place Gu Yingxue, first wash rice and put in the small rice cooker that she depended over these years to cook some porridge.
While the rice is cooking, she skillfully chopped and minced the meat, and then marinated it with the soy sauce , seasem oil, cornstarch and white pepper.
Then she put some cooking oil into the pan. When it heated she stir-fried some onion and ginger, and then added already marinated minced meat into the pot. After it cooked she then added chopped tomatoes to enhanced the flavour and cooked it until they soften into a sauce. Then she add it to the prepared porridge, mixed it and garnished it with some chopped green onions.
Looking at the fragrant and tender tomato and minced meat porridge, Gu Yingxue could not help but take a bite from it. When she put the porridge into her mouth, she wondered if it was really made by her. After the system rewarded her with cooking skills, now she can cook any dish deliciously.
After she packed necessary item went directly to the hospital. When she went to the hospital ward, grandma was already awake. Then she put the bag aside and open the food container that she prepared for her grandmother.
Even though grandma was awake, she stayed eyes closed. But after smelling the fragrance, she slightly opened the eyes and her lip moved.
"Aying..."
Gu Yingxue helped grandma to sit in the bed and scooped up a spoonful porridge, gently blew on it to cool it down, and held it to her grandma's lips.
"Grandma, try this, I just made some tomato and minced meat porridge for you."
Grandma hesitated for a moment, but still opened her mouth and ate it. Because of porridge's extraordinary taste grandma couldn't help and finished all of it.
"Aying, is this really you cooked it. It was so delicious."
"Grandma, this is really what I made. If it delicious I will cook more in the future"
After grandma ate Gu Yingxue helped her to lie down the bed and started to think about what to in the future. Now system gave har clear path, she still has some concerns. What she mostly worried now is how can she keep an accompany grandma if she has to open the food stall.
"System, are you there?"
[Host, I am here!]
"Systems, When do I need to open the stall?, Do I need to open it by tomorrow?"
[No host, considering host's current situation, system granted you 5 days to prepare to open the food stall.]
"Thank you system!"
Since system given her 5 days to prepare, she can stay with grandma with these 5 days and practice making buns before opening the stall.
In the evening, when Gu Yingxue went out to buy some fruits, Qin Yao called her again.
"Hello, Gu Yingxue! You finally answered the phone!?"
Qin Yao's shrill voice pierced through the eardrums.
"Do you have any idea about how much the company has lost because of you? Director Lin said..."
Before Qin Yao finished her words, Gu Yingxue interrupted her.
"Qin Yao, I already told you, that my contract was expired, so now only thing that you can do is signing my terminate contract."
Other side end of the phone suddenly went silent. After moment later, Qin Yao's voice suddenly rose again.
"If you want to terminate contract, then you have to say for money that company lost because of you. If you can't pay it, then wait until industry banned you completely!"
Next day in the morning, Gu Yingxue went to the her entertainment company. While stood alone in the elevator of the company, the mirrored wall reflected her with slightly pale face and the faint dark circles under the eyes.
In the conference room, Qin Yao was already getting impatient.
"Five million, not a penny less."
Qin Yao pushed the contract towards Gu Yingxue.
"Otherwise, you can forget about working in this industry again."
Gu Yingxue, directly looked at Qin Yao with her calm eyes. Looking at the gaze, Qin Yao's coffee cup stopped in mid air. She put the coffee cup on the table and sneered.
"Do you think terminating the contract is the end?"
"The company nurtured you for three years, and all the roles you played, the resources, connections, now it's all gone! You are now a blacklisted artist!"
Gu Yingxue looked at Qin Yao, her eyes as calm as a deep pool.
"Qin Yao, I never wanted to become a superstar."
"I only wanted to earn some money and spend a better life with my grandma."
She paused, her voice so soft it was almost inaudible, yet each words were clear.
"As I said, my contract was already expired and you have no right to forced me to pay for the what company was lost."
"Also, I still have all the voice messages that you send me last time asking me to accompany director Lin for drinks. And evidence of also unfavorable contract I signed, what you exploited from me over the years."
"I you don't want to company to be embroiled in a scandal, you can choose to not sign the terminate contract."
The air in the conference room seemsed to freeze. Qin Yao stared at Gu Yingxue for a long time like seeing a host, so long that Gu Yingxue thought time has stopped. Finally, she snorted coldly, picked up a pen, and signed the termination agreement.
"Gu Yingxue, you win!"
She slammed down the pen.
Gu Yingxue picked up the pen and signed her name in the designated area in the contract. From this moment onward, she was no longer a contracted artist with the entertainment company, and had no relationship with Qin Yao.
Two days later
Gu Yingxue decided to goto the west city food street to look at the food stall that system rewarded her. Now grandma's condition was stable, she can focus on opening the food stall.
Food stall was located near to the entrance of the food street surrounding many stalls. Even though now was evening, but there are so many people were gathering at the stalls.
Gu Yingxue 's food stall was a new single small stall around 6 or 8 feets, stands out as pristine and promising, contrasting sharply with the lively vendors around it. The compact metal counter is bare and wiped clean, and brand new, back of the counter is the kitchen with clean and brand new kitchenwares, empty serving trays are neatly stacked, suggesting that business is yet to begin and and leaving an air of anticipation in the busy street.
These days, Gu Yingxue practice making steamed buns with the recipe guide given by the system. Now she had experience, skills and knowledge about making buns, she can open the stall without hesitation. So she decided to open the stall tomorrow morning Sell buns.
After checking the stall, Gu Yingxue went to the traditional market near to west city food street, making it more convenient to go to the stall after buying groceries.
The air was filled with the fresh scents of soil and vegetables, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air. She took a deep breath and felt the freedom and real sense of the rebirth.
Since tomorrow was her first day of the stall, she plans to stay with small steamed buns that filled with classic pork filling and vegetarian mushroom and bok choy filling.
Since she still has some money in her hand, she purchased various ingredients including fresh ground pork, dried shitake mushrooms, fresh bok choy, ginger, scallions, flour, etc. After purchased all the ingredients, Gu Yingxue put everything in the stall. Gu Yingxue's stall was equipped with a small refrigerator that she can store ingredients, so there ii no need to worry about buying ingredients in advanced. After putting down all the items she bought dedicated area, she went back to the hospital to accompany her grandma.
The next day, at three in the morning, Gu Yingxue went to the rented room, got fresh, and went to the stall to prepare the buns.
First she kneded the dough, let it rise, started to prepare the filling.
For the meat filling, Gu Yingxue, first make ginger-scallion water, then in a large bowl, mixed the ground pork with 7/3 fat ratio with soy sauce, shaoxing wine, salt, sugar, white pepper and cornstarch. While mixing it in one direction gradually added the ginger -scallion water, a few tablespoons at a time, until it mixed well.
Then she added some chopped cabbage and chives. After that she put the meat filling in refrigerator and started to make vegetarian filling.
First she soaked the dried shitake mushrooms in cold water, and boiled some water and dip bok choy in for a moment, drained and placed it under running cold water, then squeezed the water out from the book choy and mushrooms.
Gu Yingxue, chopped mushrooms and bok choy finely, added some sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar and white pepper, and mix it together. Then she put it in the refrigerator.
After dough was raised, she kneded it few times to get rid of any air bubbles and decided it into small balls. The she started to shaping the dough and filling into little buns in her hand skillfully.
West city food street is a well known by food lovers over the country. It was long alley, close to the university town and several communities, and has large flow of people from morning to night. So this street packed tightly with various stalls together.
Even in the morning there were many breakfast stalls. Gu Yingxue's stall was a clean and there were stacked of streamers in the kitchen area. There was also a folding table next to it. It was clean and tidy, and anyone could tell that it was run by a novice.
Next to it was a stall selling pancakes. The stall owner was a plump woman in her forties who was mixing the batter while curiously looking at her.
Gu Yingxue calmly open the stall and took out a prepared sign.
[Xiaoxue's Steamed Buns]