In response to Gabriel's gratitude, Yuan Zhou merely nodded without saying anything.
That night, Yuan Zhou didn't match his usual image of a man of few words. Even when he was cooking, he would chat with his friends at the table.
Although he didn't speak much, he would say a few words from time to time. The atmosphere of the restaurant was exceptionally warm.
"Can we eat in the restaurant today?" Just then, an old voice came from the door.
Yuan Zhou looked up and saw two old people standing outside the door. One was a man and the other was a woman. The man was dressed in a black down jacket. His face was glowing and he looked very spirited.
As for the woman, she was dressed in a bright red cotton-padded jacket. She had a slender figure and it was obvious that she had makeup on. Not only was she neat and tidy, she was also very beautiful. She looked at Yuan Zhou expectantly along with her old man.
"Of course. But you can't order dishes today," said Yuan Zhou.
"That's fine. We're not picky. But what do you want to eat today?" asked the old woman.
"Crispy Pork Vermicelli Soup," said Yuan Zhou.
"That's good. It's hot and soft. I can eat it," said the old woman with a smile.
"Yes, yes, yes. Sorry for disturbing you," the old man said to Yuan Zhou with a smile.
"Not at all," said Yuan Zhou and continued to cook the soup.
The well-dressed old man turned his head sideways and carefully led the old woman over the door sill. Only then did he bring the others to sit at a table for four.
"How much is a bowl of this Crispy Pork Vermicelli Soup?" asked the old woman after they sat down.
"It's free today. It's Chinese New Year's Eve. Boss Yuan is treating us," said Jiang Changxi with a smile while looking at the two old women.
"Um, it's my treat," Yuan Zhou agreed with a nod. It was rare for him to show respect to Jiang Changxi.
"That's so embarrassing," said the old woman.
"Yeah. We're already disturbing you on Chinese New Year's Eve. It's so embarrassing if we don't charge you," said the old man.
"We don't charge you on Chinese New Year's Eve every year," said Yuan Zhou.
"Oh, is that so? That's because you're kind, Little Boss, "the old lady said.
"Um." Yuan Zhou didn't refute this time and nodded lightly. I, Yuan Zhou, am a good man!
"By the way, Little Boss, just give us a bowl. We're old and can't eat too much," the old granny said immediately when she saw Yuan Zhou scooping the soup.
"Two pairs of spoons and chopsticks," the old man said with a smile.
"Okay." Yuan Zhou nodded.
After agreeing, Yuan Zhou began to serve the soup. He said it was crispy meat and vermicelli soup, so it was crispy meat and vermicelli soup, and each person had a bowl.
The crispy meat and vermicelli soup was served in a big bowl. The golden yellow crispy meat was cooked into a soft crispy meat, and the vermicelli sank to the bottom of the bowl. It was crystal clear. At first glance, one could tell that it was good sweet potato vermicelli. If one looked closely, one could even see the star-like light spots in the vermicelli.
Those were the small air bubbles in the vermicelli. After it was cooked, it became like this, and this kind of vermicelli would be especially delicious.
The golden crispy meat and the emerald green onions floated on the pale white soup. Once it was served to the customers, white steam rose from the soup and the fragrance followed.
"I think one bowl is too little," Wuhai couldn't help saying when he carried the soup to the customers.
"It's according to everyone's appetite," Yuan Zhou said.
"I think what this gentleman said is reasonable. The portion is indeed not much," Gabriel smelled the fragrance and said in broken Chinese.
Yuan Zhou looked at this foreigner who had been secretly called Garuru Beast recently. He glanced at his figure without anyone noticing and said, "Don't eat too much for dinner."
"Yes, eat less at dinner. That's healthy," the grandpa who came to serve the soup also nodded and said.
"Don't worry. I can digest it. I still have to draw at night," Wuhai said seriously.
"We don't have such a saying in France," Gabriel said.
"We have it here," Yuan Zhou said while continuing to put the soup bowls on the table.
"It's true that young people have good digestion, but this big bowl is enough," the grandpa said.
Obviously, this was the grandpa and grandma's first time here. They knew nothing about Wuhai and Gabriel's appetite.
"If you are done, then move away." Jiang Changxi grabbed Wuhai's collar and pulled him to the side. Then, she went to serve the soup herself.
Gabriel didn't want to be pulled, so he stood to the side. However, he didn't sit down immediately. Instead, he held the bowl and stood to the side.
"Gulp …" Gabriel drank a mouthful of the hot soup.
A fresh and slightly salty aroma of the fried meat and chopped onions rushed into his throat, making him unable to stop.
However, this wasn't the first time Gabriel had eaten Yuan Zhou's dishes. He had some resistance to it. He only drank three mouthfuls before he stopped and said, "I heard that China is celebrating an important festival these few days. Everyone will be resting. Why aren't you resting, Head Chef Yuan?"
Gabriel's speech was bumpy, but he managed to finish it smoothly.
"You should know that in France, we should rest during festivals," Gabriel continued.
Indeed, this was the truth. In Westerners' view, people should rest when it was a day off. However, Yuan Zhou clearly didn't think so.
With his culinary skills, he was able to open such a busy restaurant and cook for three meals a day. He did not even have an assistant chef. Whether it was preparing, washing, cutting, or cooking, he had to do it all by himself. It could be said that he had to work 365 days a year without rest. Naturally, Gabriel was surprised by this.
"The more you sharpen a knife, the faster it will become," Yuan Zhou said.
Gabriel didn't understand what Yuan Zhou was saying. Only after Zheng Jiawei took the initiative to translate did Gabriel understand.
After he understood, Gabriel gave a thumbs up to Yuan Zhou and said, "Awesome."
Just when Gabriel was curious about Yuan Zhou's work and rest schedule, the old couple, who were here for the first time, had already started eating.
Not only did Yuan Zhou give them two sets of cutlery, but he also gave them a small bowl so that they could scoop the food out.
Therefore, the grandpa first scooped a bowl for the granny and carried it to her. Then, he said, "Come and have some. It smells very fragrant to me."
"Um, it indeed smells good," the granny received the chopsticks and spoon and said straightforwardly.
"Exactly. It looks very soft and tender, so it should be chewable. Have a taste." The grandpa pointed at the golden crispy meat with soft skin and said.
"Okay. You eat it, too. It won't taste good if it gets cold." Upon hearing that, the granny didn't say anything more. She straightforwardly scooped up a mouthful of the crispy meat and stuffed it into her mouth.
The two old people were indeed very old. Although they looked like they had a mouthful of teeth when they talked and laughed, they were actually fake teeth. Therefore, their sense of taste had naturally deteriorated.
Therefore, as soon as the crispy meat entered her mouth, the granny first felt soft and tender. Then, a long-lost flavor of meat and extremely faint saltiness spread in her mouth.
"Ba Ji Ba Ji", the granny began to chew.
By right, since the meat had been fried, it definitely wouldn't be so soft and tender even if it had been boiled. But in fact, it tasted soft and tender. Although it couldn't compare to tofu, it was indeed easy to chew. Moreover, one could clearly taste the flavor of the meat.
"This meat is delicious. It has the flavor of meat," the granny said.
…
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