The prepared tofu cubes were soaking in a pot of warm soy sauce water. Because business wasn't great, Chen Mo added relatively less soy sauce this time to prevent the tofu cubes from becoming too flavorful due to an extended soaking.

The beef cubes were also pre-cooked.

In the black pot, the hot oil fried the base ingredients for aroma. After filtering, they were cooked again, adding in the tofu cubes and beef cubes to simmer on low heat for flavor. Then, thickened with starch, garnished with green garlic shoots and ground Sichuan pepper.

For Chen Mo, the advanced version of Mapo Tofu was already a piece of cake. With prior preparation and the added effect of the black pot, making a Mapo Tofu was only a matter of five minutes.

After finishing, Chen Mo served himself a bowl of rice, then scooped tofu with some broth into Liu Chengming's rice box, "Here, have a taste."

Liu Chengming glanced at Du Qiming beside him, thinking that if Du Qiming admitted his boasting now, he might reluctantly say that this Mapo Tofu was indeed average and give him a way out.

Unexpectedly, even when the tofu was in his bowl, Du Qiming didn't soften his stance, and he looked at his bowl of tofu with an extremely complex expression.

That look was a bit longing, mixed with some disgust, and also a touch of panic.

"Old Liu, take my advice. Don't eat it; you're about to be discharged. It's really not worth it."

Liu Chengming smiled lightly, "Oh."

Soon after, he scooped some tofu along with half a spoonful of sauce-soaked rice grains and put it in his mouth.

Du Qiming covered his forehead, not knowing what to do.

As soon as it reached his mouth, Liu Chengming was momentarily stunned, then chewed up the tofu. The rich, spicy, fresh, and flavorful tofu combined with the rice grains slid down into his stomach with a warm sensation.

The frustration from a week of being tormented by hospital cafeteria food was gone without a trace!

What a sense of relief!

"Give me another bite." Liu Chengming looked at Chen Mo's hand, "Let me have another bite of your tofu."

"This is my late-night snack."

Liu Chengming frowned, "I just spent a hundred yuan on a braised chicken. What's wrong with letting me have another bite of tofu?"

Chen Mo chose to generously understand the unreasonable demands of a customer, "Here."

Liu Chengming mixed some more rice and had another bite.

It was different now, completely different from before. Maybe it was because he was too hungry recently. The first bite of tofu, he just tasted the spicy, fresh texture as it went down his stomach.

With the second bite, he ate more slowly. As the tofu melted and slid into his stomach, some rice and beef bits remained in his mouth. Each chew brought forth a wonderful surge of flavor, making it irresistible.

"Another bite."

Chen Mo hadn't even picked up his chopsticks yet. He had just picked them up, and here this guy was asking for more food, showing no shame.

"Come on, buddy, this is my late-night snack. I haven't eaten yet."

"What kind of late-night snack do you need when you're running a business?" Liu Chengming said, "I just had surgery and can't eat too spicy. How about this, how much do you sell this Mapo Tofu for? I'll pay, but I definitely won't finish it all, so don't say I'm wasting food, okay?"

"He sells it for 58 yuan!" Du Qiming chimed in, trying to scare Liu Chengming with the price.

"That's reasonable, much more honest than the hospital cafeteria." Liu Chengming scanned the QR code and paid 58 yuan, "Hand it over!"

Chen Mo was a bit speechless, watching helplessly as the Mapo Tofu flew from his hand to Liu Chengming's, making him even hungrier.

Oh well, since both the braised chicken and tofu were bought, I'll just have some buns with Mu Mu later.

Liu Chengming grabbed the Mapo Tofu and had another bite, "Buddy, this tofu is really good."

"Do you believe me now?"

Liu Chengming chuckled, but he wasn't entirely convinced.

The Mapo Tofu was indeed tasty, but eating three servings in a row isn't that just a scam?

It's simple; he could stop anytime. In fact, to prove that he wouldn't be tempted by food, Liu Chengming generously said, "You're right. I just had surgery, so it's not suitable for me to eat too much spicy food. How about this?"

Liu Chengming, holding his rice box with both hands, couldn't spare a hand, "Buy another serving of rice, and the two of us can split this tofu."

"I'm not..." Du Qiming barely had time to refuse when Liu Chengming shook his head, signaling him not to speak.

"Listen to me first. You're having surgery tomorrow, shouldn't you have a hearty meal today? You need to know, after this surgery, we have to watch our diet, and try to eat less to reduce bathroom trips. You get what I mean, right? Besides, since you're going under the knife, having half a serving of tofu won't hurt."

Hiss...

Du Qiming thought that Old Liu made a lot of sense.

Since I'm going under the knife anyway, what's the harm in having a bite?

Seeing Du Qiming tempted, Liu Chengming continued to plead, "It's getting late; we should head back to the ward to eat. We don't want to get caught by the night-shift nurses and have an empty bed discovered."

During a hospital stay, patients aren't allowed to leave. If anything happens, the hospital is partially responsible.

So, Huimin Hospital is very strict with night check-ups.

Du Qiming nodded, "Alright, I'll hold onto your stuff first."

He was holding two portions of dishes, and after buying some rice from Boss Xiao Chen, he couldn't free a hand to assist. Liu Chengming had to support himself against the wall, "By the way, Boss, until what time do you stay here?"

Liu Chengming assumed that Chen Mo was sneaking in to set up his stall at night. Otherwise, why would he appear only at night? If he sneaked in, he would most likely leave before dawn.

"I operate until three."

As expected, Liu Chengming nodded, "Alright."

He was just asking, nothing more. They thought the two of them with such large portions of food would be enough to eat.

Two kindred spirits. Slowly they returned to the ward, closed the door, and both let out a sigh of relief.

"Let's dig in!"

"Let's do this!"

"That hospital cafeteria is such a rip-off; Boss Xiao Chen sells a whole chicken for 98 yuan, while the cafeteria's 38 yuan stir-fried chicken barely has five pieces of meat."

"It's really outrageous! But since it's the hospital, there's nothing we can do."

The two started badmouthing the hospital cafeteria as they began eating.

Liu Chengming had another bite of Mapo Tofu. Wow, this stuff really makes the rice go down!

Then he took a bite of chicken.

"Wow!" Liu Chengming smacked his lips in disbelief, "This chicken is made really well! Comparable to a big restaurant."

"Really?"

Du Qiming grabbed a piece of meat and threw it in his mouth.

He only took one bite, and the tender chicken instantly melted on his tongue. The salty, savory flavor was a perfect match for the Jingzhou people's culinary desires.

And the sauce sticking to the braised chicken was rich in aroma. Liu Chengming scooped some sauce, mixed it with rice, and every grain of rice was coated with rich sauce. As it went into his mouth, the more he chewed, the more fragrant the rice became.

As he ate, Liu Chengming couldn't help but take several deep breaths, "So satisfying!"

"Yes, yes, truly satisfying!"

When Liu Chengming looked up, he saw Du Qiming scooping Mapo Tofu sauce to mix with his own rice, wanting to remind him with a frown.

Then they heard the door of the next ward click open!

Oh no, it's the night check!

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