"Oh, these noodles really have some chew to them!"

Despite having eaten Noodles With Black Bean Sauce for the better part of his life, Geng Lishan still couldn't get enough of it. After mixing the noodles, toppings, and the richly fragrant black bean sauce, he couldn't wait to pick up a pair of chopsticks and take a bite.

Then, he was stunned by how delicious the noodles were. He had always thought that with Noodles With Black Bean Sauce, it was all about the sauce. The noodles weren't the main focus, because a good sauce could completely cover up any flaws in them. However, today, after tasting the noodles rolled out by Lin Xu, he realized that perfect Noodles With Black Bean Sauce should feature noodles and sauce that complement each other, rather than one dominating the other. The smoothness and chewiness of the noodles contrasted sharply with the rich, salty fragrance of the black bean sauce. Too perfect!

Geng Lishan felt as though he was rediscovering noodles. He had eaten hand-rolled noodles for decades and never thought they could taste this good.

"Wow, I told you, Brother Xu's hand-rolled noodles and old man's black bean sauce are a perfect match! It's true, the noodles need to be chewy to be delicious," Geng Lele said after trying a bite of the noodles, her words full of endless praise.

She was a long-time regular customer at Lin Ji's Food. Shortly after Qiang Ge and others entered the restaurant back then, this girl had wandered in with Zhao Xiaozhi and others, and they had practically made it their cafeteria. Lin Ji's Food had recently closed for renovation. Although she had eaten the crayfish Lin Xu cooked during that time, one meal was not enough to satisfy her. She had been longing for these noodles for a long time. Today, her wish was finally granted.

"Mr. Lishan, the sauce you made is truly excellent!" Lin Xu exclaimed. Eating the delicious noodles, he gained a new appreciation for Noodles With Black Bean Sauce. The deep red dried yellow bean sauce mixed with the noodles made them wonderfully fragrant and delicious. When tossed with the toppings, the flavor of the toppings was elevated to a whole new level. This sauce made anything it was mixed with delicious; it was practically a flavor amplifier.

Geng Lishan laughed and began to talk about the development of Noodles With Black Bean Sauce. "In the past, those destitute bannermen were particular about their food. When they couldn't afford to treat people to a meal, they'd serve a bunch of vegetarian dishes with sauce. After finishing those, they'd cook a bowl of noodles, mix in the leftover vegetables and sauce, and that became the early form of Noodles With Black Bean Sauce."

Since Lin Xu knew about the history of Fried Sausage, he understood this quite well. If you're poor but still want to be particular about your food, you have to lower your standards. He believed that the ancient Seven Dishes and Eight Bowls was definitely a grand affair. Otherwise, those bannermen wouldn't have been so nostalgic about it even after falling on hard times. But when it comes to Noodles With Black Bean Sauce, Seven Dishes and Eight Bowls boiled down to just a bowl of noodles with seven different toppings; there was really nothing much to fuss about. As for the so-called rules of eating Noodles With Black Bean Sauce, they could be listened to for entertainment. If you actually believed them, then you'd be the foolish one.

"Nowadays, when people talk about Beijing cuisine online, there's always a group of particular people and authenticity purists spreading all sorts of 'knowledge.' They claim that certain dishes must be eaten this way and others that way, to the point that many non-locals are getting annoyed with Beijing." Zeng Xiaoqi, who had been the topic host of "Yanjing Cuisine Share" for two years, had seen far too many of these types, so she couldn't help but sigh when Geng Lishan mentioned the destitute bannermen.

Geng Lishan shoveled another bite of noodles into his mouth. "Any home-cooked dish that's said to have a must-follow way of being eaten is not to be trusted. As long as it tastes good, that's all that matters. Why all the fuss? I've even seen Noodles With Black Bean Sauce made with Pixian bean paste, and people eat it with great relish. Can you say they're eating it wrong?"

These words immediately set Zeng Xiaoqi's mind at ease. She had been afraid Geng Lishan was one of those who insisted on the authenticity of everything, which would have made it difficult for the program team when dealing with Beijing cuisine in the future. But now, it seemed she had worried needlessly.

Feeling relieved, the beautiful Zeng Xiaoqi picked up a big mouthful of noodles and said sentimentally, "Since I was accepted to the Communication University of China, I've been in Beijing for at least seven or eight years. I've eaten countless bowls of Noodles With Black Bean Sauce, but none of them are as delicious as those made by Mr. Lishan."

This wasn't flattery; it was genuinely from the heart.

"It's because young friend Lin's noodles are so good," Geng Lishan said. "Without his noodles, my sauce wouldn't taste nearly as delicious."

After a lively meal, the housekeeper brought tea.

After finishing their tea and chatting for a while, Lin Xu and Zeng Xiaoqi stood up to say goodbye.

"Lele, what kind of computer setup do you think wouldn't hinder your talent?" Lin Xu asked with a smile as they reached the courtyard gate.

This question struck a chord with Little Mushroom Head, who cheerfully replied, "Well, at least it should be the highest configuration on the market: an i9 processor, a 3090 graphics card, 128GB of RAM, and a 16TB solid-state drive... wait, Brother Xu, why are you asking this?"

"Just asking casually. Don't forget to go to class later. We're heading back now."

Once back in the car, Zeng Xiaoqi asked curiously, "Are you planning to buy a computer for Lele?"

"Mr. Lishan's calligraphy has given Lin Ji's Food a three-month title sponsorship," Lin Xu replied. "If I tried to give him money, he'd definitely get angry, so I decided to just get a high-spec computer for Lele instead." That genius could work wonders even with the computers in the school lab. Having a high-spec computer would be like giving wings to a tiger.

After saying this, he started the car and headed toward the television station.

As they reached the entrance of Yanjing City Television Station, Zeng Xiaoqi opened the door to get out. Lin Xu said, "Hold on for a second, Xiaoqi. There's a gift for you in the trunk."

He got out of the car, opened the trunk, and took out two gift boxes: one containing Shakima and the other Seven-colored Water Chestnut Cake. He had made a large batch of snacks the previous night, so he had loaded a few into the car. When the new store opened, he'd introduce these snacks, so handing out a few more beforehand could also help generate some buzz.

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