Chapter 349: Varieties of Mantou①
Translator: Xiong_Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
"Ta Ta Ta", Yuan Zhou walked quickly to the cybercafe.
"One computer for me." Yuan Zhou took out his own ID and said directly.
"Alright. It's done. A charge 10 RMB and you will get the membership of our cybercafe automatically. Do you need it?" The receptionist girl said enthusiastically.
"No need, but thanks." Yuan Zhou took a look at the sheet in his hand and refused the invitation.
Compared with the benefits, time mattered more.
He turned on his computer quickly and logged in his own account. Of course, it was the account of The Mantissa of Pi.
However, he didn't know that a group of great white sharks were waiting for him at the other end of the network.
"Damn it. That person appeared again. Get up. Let's move." At the other end of the network, Jack immediately dragged up his friend excitedly and started to look for Yuan Zhou once he realized that he was online.
Without the protection of the system this time, the security of the computers in the cybercafe was like a layer of window paper. As long as you poked it, it broke easily.
Just in a few minutes, the exact IP address was easily found by Jack.
"Why do I feel like it's so easy this time?" Jack found it a little hard to understand.
"Let's first check where this IP address is." Jack's friend was calmer than him.
It was even easier this time as all cybercafes ought to have an official registration currently. After they checked for a while, they founded it was a cybercafe. Therefore, the two of them became relieved.
"Why doesn't he conceal himself anymore?" Jack was a little suspicious.
"It might be because he didn't think we can get him and thus exposed himself intentionally." The friend of Jack thought for quite a while and then made the most reliable speculation till now.
"Damn it! I really want to know what place this guy is talking about exactly." Jack said that discontentedly with a flush on half of his face.
They typed the keyboard with their hands and started to search for any related information.
As usual, Yuan Zhou let out a sigh of relief after he posted some insulting messages on the forum. Then he checked out and went offline.
...
Having busied for a whole night, Yuan Zhou turned on his phone again before he slept. Finally, there appeared a satisfactory result.
On the forum, a person with his ID of Caught You sent him a message, [I have got you and will arrive at your place in no time. Just wait.]
The expression following that was a bloody knife.
"Good. Eventually, someone found me." Yuan Zhou was then rest assured.
Besides, he wasn't worried that these people would know it was him who released the information. After all, he had changed his sim card smartly.
"Sleep." Yuan Zhou set down the phone and went to wash up happily, preparing to rest.
Because of his good mood, Yuan Zhou even intended to make something new for breakfast tomorrow.
It had been a while since he had a new type of food for breakfast last time.
Yuan Zhou got up early on the next morning. Making Mantou was no easier than other foods. It could be said to be even more difficult.
Because it had no stuffing inside, whether or not it was delicious was directly related to his craftsmanship and food ingredients.
The food ingredients were naturally provided by the system. And moreover, the flour was different from that used for the steamed buns.
"System, we can use the same flour to make both the steamed buns and Mantou, can't we?" Looking at the two conspicuous characters of Mantou on the cabinet, Yuan Zhou asked with a helpless manner.
The system displayed, "Every food has some ingredients that are best suitable for it."
"I think you purely want to show that you are generous and capricious." Yuan Zhou looked at the two neighboring cabinets full of flour and couldn't help complaining.
However, the system straightforwardly switched on its face-slapping skill once it was offended.
The system displayed, "The area in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River are considered to be the winter wheat regions, where the fields take up 12.3% and the total yield takes up 45%. During the period between March to May, the light, temperature and water are just right. Other areas where the precipitation is over 450mm at the same period aren't suitable for the winter wheat."
"The area of Northeastern China is the spring wheat area. The temperature in Heilongjiang and Jilin provinces is very low and thus the spring wheat is suitable to be planted there."
"As for the area of Northwestern China, it consists of spring and winter wheat area, irrigated area and loess plateau area. The spring wheat takes up the majority except for the South Xinjiang area, where the winter wheat has good adaptability, high yield, superior quality and a wonderful taste."
"The famous Tibetan Plateau is considered the spring and winter wheat area. The light, temperature and water match well for the growth and head sprouting of wheat. The maturation period is as long as 50-80 days; therefore the taste of the wheat is very good."
"Stop, please. I understand now." Finally, Yuan Zhou found a gap in the long paragraphs of words and thus said decidedly.
The system displayed, "The wheat is planted in autumn, grows in winter, blossoms in spring and pollinates in summer. The plants absorb the essence of the four seasons and can produce wheat with wonderful taste in the pollution-free areas."
"The history of eating Mantous in China could be traced back to Warring States Period about three thousand years ago. The historical event where Emperor Qinzhao made steamed wheaten pancakes and the event where the Qi authority stipulated that the wheaten pancakes should be used while offering sacrifices to gods or ancestors in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, which were described in the Qi Book, were all mentioning the most ancient type of Mantou."
"Mantous in the South and the North aren't exactly the same. In the area of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, the wheaten food with stuffing inside but no broth is called Mantou. Those without stuffing inside are called Wheat Flour Mantous. Contrarily, the wheaten food with broth inside are called Soup Buns, for example, the steamed Soup Dumplings in Suzhou."
"In the northern part of China, the wheaten food that has stuffing inside is called Steamed Bun while that without stuffing is naturally the Mantou. There are no Matous with broth at the North."
"Will you always show off your knowledge upon being offended?" Yuan Zhou was defeated by the system.
After the system made the popularization of science as above, Yuan Zhou became a little speechless.
"Let's make an agreement, ok? Next time, if we don't feel good with each other, can you just show off rewards?" Yuan Zhou proposed earnestly.
Having shown off its great knowledge, the system directly ignored Yuan Zhou and contrarily started to show off the origin of the food ingredients.
While the system was showing off various food ingredients, Jack and his friend were also packing things up and preparing to go to China from a different time zone. What a joke! Yuan Zhou had tortured them for quite a few days. Now that they got him, they naturally wanted to go there for confirmation.
Just for a tour.
"I'm really insane. Why am I not going to pick up girls but instead accompany you abroad to have a meal?" With a speechless manner, Jack's friend knitted his brows like an aged man.
"You don't get it. It's related to my dignity. If it's not delicious as expected, just wait and see how I screw him up." Jack pinched the belt of the backpack and said bitterly.
"It's just a matter on the internet. Do we really need to be so serious?" His friend shrugged helplessly.
"No. I don't think so. Aren't you Chinese? You can be my interpreter." Jack hugged his friend's neck and said friendly.
"Hey. Easier said than done. I've never been to Chengdu before." His friend took Jack's hand off his neck and rolled his eyes discontentedly.
That's right. Jack's friend was a Chinese, but he wasn't from Sichuan Province. He still felt Jack's insanity a little unacceptable.
Of course, the reason he would accompany Jack to China was that Jack was a good friend of his from his college time till now. When he came to the US at the beginning, this guy helped him a lot. Since Jack wanted to go to China now, he had the obligation to offer help.
The only Chinese that this guy learned and mastered were the two words of "Thank you". If he went there alone, he probably would go to the embassy for help. He had even gotten lost in the US, let alone in China.
"It doesn't matter. Your language is too complex for me. However, I don't fear at all since you are with me. I will let him know by all means that medicine can be eaten indiscriminately while the words can't be said randomly." Jack smiled confidently.
"I'm convinced by you. Let's go. They have announced for boarding." His friend rolled his eyes and walked away ahead of him.
The two persons that had been ridiculed most by Yuan Zhou were coming for him now...
① Mantou is a plain steamed bun with no fillings, a kind of cooked wheaten food.