allonlinenovel Chapter 210 Hot and Sour Soup
Chapter 210 Hot and Sour Soup
The pain of being drunk is like a rusty, blunt awl, chiseling at my temples.
Allen opened his eyes amidst a dizzying sensation, feeling as if his head was about to split in two.
"Ugh... my head hurts so much..."
He let out a painful groan, pressing his hands tightly against his throbbing temples.
Suddenly, the blanket was thrown back, and a strong smell of alcohol, fermented in the enclosed space, wafted straight into my nostrils.
The fragmented neurons finally began to slowly reconnect, and the vague memory fragments were pieced together in the mind like a slideshow.
By the way, he was invited as a guest.
Fragments of memory include an elegant courtyard filled with greenery, a table laden with delicious Chinese dishes, and peanuts fried to a golden brown and crispy perfection...
And of course, there's the wine that's instantly refilled the glass the moment it's empty, as if it'll never run out...
The kind couple's warm smiles, and the little girl's clear, bell-like laughter...
As for what happened after that, his mind was completely blank.
"You're awake?"
The voice coming from outside the door was gentle and calm.
Su Hao pushed open the door and entered, holding a golden-yellow drink in his hand.
"I've heard this stuff is very effective at relieving hangovers, why don't you try some?"
Allen's face instantly turned bright red. He gave an awkward, dry laugh and took the cup.
Glug, glug.
The warm, sweet honey water flowed down my dry throat and into my stomach, finally suppressing the nausea that threatened to vomit.
"I'm so sorry..."
Allen touched his forehead, utterly ashamed.
"As an invited guest, I got completely drunk, like a drunkard who had no sense of propriety."
At this moment, Allen truly felt ashamed to even lift his head in front of Su Hao!
God is my witness!
This was the first time he had ever lost his composure like this in front of outsiders since that crazy party after graduating from college!
He's a senior scholar at MIT and the deputy commissioner of the Boston Department of Transportation!
"This was a common occurrence in my family before I went abroad. My parents always enjoyed entertaining guests."
Su Hao shook his head dismissively, indicating that he didn't need to take it so seriously.
"Haohao! Invite the guests out for dinner!"
Just then, the lady of the house called out from the kitchen.
Allen straightened his disheveled clothes and walked out of the room. As soon as he entered the living room, he found that a hot meal had already been set on the dining table.
However, when his gaze fell upon the richly colored and flavorful soup before him, his blue eyes widened in surprise.
Lin Wan winked at her son, signaling him to quickly explain things to the foreign friend.
"This is called hot and sour soup." Su Hao smiled as he arranged the chairs.
"Since a thousand years ago, the people of the Xia Kingdom have relied on it to sober up after drinking wine."
Even without drinking alcohol, I still really enjoy its unique flavor.
For a gentleman, refusing a meal specially prepared by his host to help him sober up is considered extremely rude in the social etiquette of any country.
Allen quickly pulled out a chair and sat down upright.
The rich steam rose gently from the celadon bowl, carrying an enticing aroma that blended sourness and spiciness.
In the thick broth, tender white tofu strips, dark black wood ear mushroom strips, and crisp bamboo shoot strips float and simmer in an orderly fashion, while beautiful egg flowers are garnished like golden osmanthus blossoms. A ring of bright red chili oil and a few drops of mellow aged vinegar are drizzled on top.
This not only creates a perfect color balance visually, but also delivers a rich flavor with a strong oriental charm directly into his nasal cavity.
"Please enjoy, be careful, it's hot."
Allen handled the soup with the utmost care, as if it were a delicate chemical reagent, picking up a spoonful and taking a sip.
Suck.
The sour and spicy flavors explode on the tongue simultaneously, followed by layers of rich vinegar and spicy pepper...
The tender tofu melts in your mouth and gently coats the stomach wall that has been exposed to alcohol after swallowing;
The wood ear mushrooms are crisp and chewy, while the bamboo shoots are fresh, tender, and sweet. With each bite, an intoxicating blend of flavors bursts forth between your lips and teeth.
"Hmm! This is really good!"
Allen's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in admiration.
"It's both sour and spicy; after finishing a bowl, I was sweating profusely, feeling completely refreshed, and my stomach felt much better!"
"Really? I quite like this flavor too," Su Hao replied with a smile.
However, after Su Hao translated Allen's high praise verbatim, Lin Wan, wearing an apron, immediately pouted and uttered the typical complaints of an Eastern mother:
"Come on, he drank so much alcohol, his sense of taste is already numb."
Even if you cook him a pot of stone soup now, he'll close his eyes and praise it as a delicacy!
Upon hearing Su Hao's somewhat helpless retelling of the story, Allen not only wasn't angry, but couldn't help shrug his shoulders and burst into laughter.
Lin Wan's words were so vivid that they instantly reminded him of the classic European folk tale about "Stone Soup".
"Hahaha! Su Hao, it's been such a long, long time since I've had such a pleasant and relaxing weekend!"
Before this, he, with his distinctly Western palate, had always stubbornly believed that only "McMuffin" from Western fast food was the ultimate savior for hangovers.
But today, this ancient hangover remedy, imbued with the mysterious power of the East, is rapidly repairing his damaged body through a gentle approach that is completely different from the Western carbohydrate-heavy diet.
As he sipped the hot soup, his limbs gradually warmed up, and he felt as if every cell in his body had been reawakened at that moment!
Goo, goo, goo!
Allen drank his bowl of soup clean, leaving not a single drop, without any regard for appearances.
After wolfing down the meal that was supposed to be a life-saving hangover cure, he tilted his head back and gulped down a large glass of cold water.
The last trace of confusion in his eyes was finally replaced by a sharp glint, and the rationality of a top scholar was finally back online.
Allen said with a serious expression:
"Alright, I should ask you about something important now."
"Okay! Let's go to my room upstairs."
Even they themselves didn't realize that, unknowingly, amidst the clinking of glasses and sharing of food...
The tone of their conversation had shed the insincere formalities of academia, revealing a familiarity and tacit understanding that transcended their age difference.
As Allen stepped onto the stairs to the second floor, he saw Su Hui, who had been secretly observing him from the bottom of the stairs.
The little girl was clutching a plush beaver toy tightly in her arms. As soon as she saw the blond, blue-eyed foreigner come up, she darted back to her room like a little rabbit.
"She's just a little shy," Su Hao explained apologetically.
Alan, a single man who is still unmarried and doesn't even have a girlfriend, found the young girl, who looked like a daughter, to be incredibly adorable for no apparent reason.
"That's normal, kids are all like that at this age," Allen smiled.
Just then, Allen suddenly realized a blind spot: the foreign drinking buddy who had been pulling him to drink like crazy, putting his arm around him, and calling him brother at lunchtime was nowhere to be found!