"The thirty-sixth piece." Wang Fan counted in his mind, placing the tofu, fried to a golden crust on both sides, into a clean, hot plate. Just as he placed a new piece of tofu back into the pan to complete its position, Wang Fan suddenly picked up long chopsticks and quickly lifted a piece of tofu with a small balloon-like bulge back into the plate.
"That was close, almost burst."
Beside Wang Fan, another large pot was simmering with chopped tomatoes mixed with rock sugar, the tangy smell blending with the aroma of fried tofu wafting through the morning breeze into the nostrils of every passerby. Even the uncles who were already stopping for their morning exercise and the passing food delivery guys on electric bikes couldn't resist stopping, sniffing the air and glancing in this direction.
