Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

"The soup has meat in it. This is their new braised vegetable dish. Hurry up and eat," Lin Zhiqiang said with an amused huff, dishing the rice from the lunchbox into their bowls.

The two little guys first picked a few pieces of meat out of the soup. Only when nothing but cabbage was left did they glance unenthusiastically at the braised vegetable dish.

But Lin Zhiqiang paid them no mind, eating with great relish. Zhao Dong had been absolutely right—these braised vegetables were incredible. To use a Sichuan expression: they were simply divine.

"Dad, is it really that good?" Lin Jingxing asked doubtfully. He picked up a piece of potato and put it in his bowl. The potato was so tender it broke in two with the slightest pressure from his chopsticks. He popped a piece into his mouth, and his eyes immediately lit up.

'Why does this potato taste so much like meat?!'

'It was so tender, it melted in my mouth. The texture was so smooth, and it was bursting with meaty flavor. It's so good!'

He chewed, swallowed, shoveled in a mouthful of rice, and then ate the other half of the potato. Next, his chopsticks reached for a piece of tofu skin. He didn't know what the wrinkly stick was, but it looked promising.

"Is it good, Big Brother?" Lin Bingwen, who hated vegetables, was still rummaging through his bowl for scraps of meat. He grew curious seeing his older brother devour one piece after another.

"Nah, it's not good. You just look for your meat. I think there are still a couple pieces of beef in the soup," Lin Jingxing said without even looking up as he popped the tofu skin into his mouth and chewed slowly.

'Is this meat?!'

'It's as savory as meat when I chew it! The texture is so similar, too! It's even better than real meat!'

Lin Jingxing was overjoyed inside, but he had to maintain a nonchalant expression. It was exhausting trying to act unimpressed.

Without hesitation, his chopsticks went for another piece of tofu skin.

"Really?" Lin Bingwen immediately stood up, leaned over the soup bowl, and began to search earnestly. He actually managed to find a tiny piece of tendon. Satisfied, he sat back down to eat it slowly.

Lin Zhiqiang gave him an exasperated look and put a piece of tofu skin in his bowl. "You dummy. If you don't eat up, your brother is going to finish all the tofu skin."

"My brother can have it. I'll just eat the meat," Lin Bingwen said, promptly moving the tofu skin into Lin Jingxing's bowl.

"Alright, you're a good little brother. I'll help you eat it." Lin Jingxing reached out and patted his head, then devoured another stick of tofu skin in a single bite.

"Thanks, Big Brother."

Lin Jingxing could barely suppress his grin. 'He's even thanking me.'

'This tofu skin is so damn good!'

Lin Bingwen shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth, which happened to contain a scrap of tofu skin. As he chewed, his expression began to change. 'There's no meat in my bowl, is there? So why does it feel like I just ate a piece of meat? Wait... I think there was a small piece of that tofu skin in there.'

Feeling uncertain, he looked over at his older brother.

His brother was inhaling the food: a piece of tofu skin, a piece of kelp, then a bite of potato and lotus root. He was eating so fast and with such obvious relish.

'Something's not right!'

'My brother definitely doesn't like vegetables either.'

Lin Bingwen was starting to catch on. He, too, reached out with his chopsticks and picked up the last piece of tofu skin from the platter.

Lin Jingxing's chopsticks paused mid-air. He looked at his brother and said with a warm smile, "Little brother, let me help you with that."

Lin Bingwen immediately shoved it into his mouth. After just two chews, his expression changed completely and tears started to fall. "It's meat! You were eating meat and you didn't tell me! Waaaah—"

"This isn't meat. It's a vegetable dish. I thought you didn't like vegetables," Lin Jingxing said, his smile tinged with smugness as he reached for a potato. "You're the one who gave it to me, you know. You even said, 'Thanks, Big Brother.'"

Lin Zhiqiang found this hilarious. He laughed and said, "Still crying? Keep it up and you won't even get any potatoes left."

Lin Bingwen stopped crying instantly. He quickly chewed and swallowed the tofu skin in his mouth, shoveled down a big mouthful of rice, and then copied his brother, reaching for a potato.

'The potato is delicious, too! It tastes like meat!'

"Dad, did Momo's brother turn meat into potatoes?" Lin Bingwen asked, sniffling.

"Maybe so," Lin Zhiqiang said, nodding with a smile.

"Then can you send Big Brother to chef school? I want to eat food this delicious every day!" Lin Bingwen pleaded.

Lin Jingxing pouted. "If you were as cute as Momo, then I would."

...