At home, it was just her and her husband, and they usually kept things as simple as possible.
For lunch, they just made some porridge, reheated a few leftover meat buns from breakfast, and fried some minced meat with pickled vegetables.
It's hot, so they didn't really have much of an appetite.
Uncle Jiang was wearing a tank top and shorts, holding a bamboo fan while watching TV in the living room, when he caught the faint aroma of meat.
"Hmm? Who's cooking around here? We know all the residents in our building, and I haven't noticed anyone cooking something that smells this good!"
"It seems like the smell is coming from the top floor?"
Granny Jiang sniffed.
To be honest, it truly smelled amazing.
"The top floor?"
Uncle Jiang looked skeptical: "How could Xiaojun have this kind of culinary skill!"
He had tasted the dishes that Huang Jun prepared, and the cooking was at best average.
"Maybe Xiaojun's cooking skills have improved? He's been learning from cooking videos online for a while now!"
Granny Jiang retorted, sniffing again: "Is this red-braised ribs?"
Even Uncle Jiang thought it smelled like it.
His craving was certainly stirred, and he chuckled: "Wifie, why don't you buy some ribs at the market tomorrow, and we can also make some red-braised ribs?"
Granny Jiang was tempted by the smell too and teased him: "Alright, but if I can't make it taste this good, don't blame me!"
Uncle Jiang: "…"
Meanwhile, Huang Jun had already put the sugar-coated ribs into a clay pot, added the original rib broth, and put in star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves, before bringing it to a boil.
While waiting, he used another pot to boil two eggs, peeling them and setting them aside.
Then he lifted the lid of the clay pot and seasoned the rib broth with salt, chicken essence, pepper, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce, adding the boiled eggs and a green pepper, continuing to simmer on low heat.
He poured some hot water into the pot, pulled out a few handfuls of thin, even noodles, and cooked them for a short while. Once the noodles were cooked and steaming hot, he served them onto a plate.
The ribs were ready too.
He uncovered the clay pot, and a rich meat aroma immediately wafted out. Inside, the ribs took on a caramel-like color, and the boiled eggs were stained a beautiful dark red.
Just looking at it stirs one's appetite.
The tempting aroma drew the two little ones from their beloved toys, both standing at the kitchen door with longing eyes.
Weiwei's little tummy started rumbling, and she couldn't help but bounce around: "So fragrant, so fragrant, Weiwei really wants to eat!"
Huang Jun watched her little greedy look and laughed: "Alright, Daddy knows, just put down your toys and wash your hands, then we can eat."
"Okay!"
As soon as they heard it was mealtime, the two little ones responded cheerfully.
"Slow down."
Watching them dash off, Huang Jun reminded them, and then served a few pieces of rib and boiled egg onto the noodles, pouring a generous helping of rib broth over them, and sprinkling finely chopped scallions on top.
The richly fragrant and flavorful red-braised ribs noodles were completed.
As he brought the noodles out, the two little ones had already washed their hands and thoughtfully helped him set the bowls and chopsticks on the table before sitting neatly in their special dining chairs.
"Daddy's rib noodles smell so good!"
Qingqing praised it with a spoon in her hand, even before starting to eat.
Her sweet words made Huang Jun unable to resist gently pinching her soft, fair cheek.
This feeling was indeed so soft!
"Daddy, me too." Weiwei vied for affection and leaned her little cheek over.
Huang Jun, a bit amused, nonetheless lightly pinched her too, eliciting a satisfied "hee hee" from Weiwei.
"Blow before eating, be careful not to get burned."
He cautioned them, helping lift some noodles from the bottom of the bowl to allow them to cool.
The two little ones were already hungry, and inhaling the aroma of the delicious rib noodles, they blew on it a few times and started eating.
"Daddy's rib noodles are so good!"
They didn't know how else to describe it; they just felt that whether it was the ribs or noodles, everything was especially tasty, even the boiled eggs they typically didn't enjoy were delicious.
"Eat more if it's delicious."
Huang Jun watched as the two little ones ate, initially cautious, blowing on the noodles again and again, but once the noodles weren't too hot, they used their spoons to gobble them down. Their cheeks puffed out as they ate, looking quite adorable.
He hadn't had much of an appetite initially, but seeing how much they enjoyed their meal, his appetite came back too.
He joined them in eating.
The braised ribs were tender, with a crisp exterior. A gentle bite made the meat easily separate from the bone. Savoring the taste, there was a hint of sweetness amidst the savory flavor without any greasiness.
The braised sauce infused the mouth with a delightful aroma.
It was captivating.
After tasting the meat, biting into the bone revealed an exquisite taste from the juices.
Not only were the ribs delicious, but the noodles were also chewy, the broth savory, and the eggs pleasantly soft, creating a wonderful taste sensation with every bite.
Qingqing and Weiwei were holding their bowls, and despite eating two servings, they still hadn't had enough, clamoring for more.
Huang Jun couldn't let them continue eating.
He was afraid they'd overeat and get bloated.
Pointing to their slightly swollen bellies, he playfully warned: "You can't eat anymore. If you overeat, your little balls will explode."
"Daddy, you got it wrong. This is my little tummy, not a ball!" Qingqing tilted her head and said in a childlike voice.
"Yeah, sis is right, this is a tummy, not a ball."
Weiwei furrowed her little brows, nodding in agreement.
Huang Jun challenged them: "Don't your round tummies look like little balls?"
Children have vivid imaginations.
Hearing this, they both glanced down at their bellies, seeing how round they were, and burst into laughter.
Qingqing patted her tummy and said: "Sister, look, my little ball is bigger than yours."
"No, no, my little ball is bigger than yours."
"No way, mine is bigger since I'm the elder sister~"
Weiwei: ヽ(゜Q.)ノ?
She looked at Huang Jun for help: "Daddy, tell us, whose little ball is bigger?"
"Daddy, I'm the big sister, mine's bigger, right?" Qingqing looked at him hopefully.
Huang Jun hadn't expected his words would cause a dispute between the two little ones: … can he take back what he said?
To avoid a "bloodbath," temporary judge Huang Jun had to diplomatically suggest: "Yours are both the same size?"
"Why is that?"
"You see, you two are twins, identical in appearance, dressed the same, similar in height, so naturally your tummies are the same too."
Is that so?
The two little ones looked at each other, finding Daddy's words quite logical.
Alas!
If only they had a kindergarten diploma, they wouldn't be so easily confused by Huang Jun's words.
Seeing their attention diverted, Huang Jun quickly cleared the table.
Once everything was tidied up, Huang Jun originally planned to have the two little ones take a nap before going out.
But they were too anxious to think about the application and had no inclination to sleep, demanding to go to kindergarten.
With no other choice, he prepared their going-out gear, and applied sun protection, handing each a large sun hat: "Come on, put on your hats."
However, the two little ones weren't keen: "Daddy, the hats are too hot, can we not wear them?"
"The sun outside is really strong, if you don't wear them, you can easily get heatstroke and get tanned, which isn't pretty."
Huang Jun would have preferred using a parasol to shield them from the scorching afternoon sun, but with only two hands and needing to hold an umbrella, guide the two kids, he had to persuade them.
Always mindful of their appearance, the two little ones shook their heads: "Qingqing (Weiwei) doesn't want to be tanned, Qingqing (Weiwei) wants to look pretty."
"Then just put your hats on nicely, so you won't get tanned."
Saying this, he handed them the summer essential mini-fans: "Here, take these little fans to cool down."
Weiwei and Qingqing obediently listened, put on their sun hats, and held the cooling gadget mini-fan, following Daddy out the door.