While the sticky noodles were boiling in the iron pot, Yuan Zhou was cooking other dishes ceaselessly. Shu Xin just sat in the corner and waited quietly. She didn't look at her phone, but looked into the kitchen from time to time.
However, Shu Xin wasn't tall. Even if she sat on the high chair, she couldn't see the pot inside. Besides, she didn't smell the fragrance of the sticky noodles even though she smelled it hard.
Actually, she didn't smell anything at all.
"I wonder if it's the same as what I ate when I was little." Shu Xin was a little worried.
Actually, Shu Xin wasn't worried that the dishes cooked by Yuan Zhou weren't delicious or authentic. She was just worried that the dishes were different from what she ate when she was little.
Although it was the first time for Shu Xin to come to Yuanzhou shop, Yuan Zhou's name was naturally well-known in Chengdu.
Even if Shu Xin watched Yuan Zhou cook from time to time, her behavior wasn't abrupt at all. That was because basically all the customers present would do that.
Twenty minutes passed quickly. Yuan Zhou carried out a white porcelain bowl of about 100g and put it on the tray. At the same time, he put chopsticks and a white porcelain spoon on the tray.
Standing at the side, Su Ruoyan carried the tray to Shu Xin quickly.
"Your sticky noodles. Please enjoy." While saying that, Su Ruoyan took out the bowl and tableware and placed them in front of Shu Xin.
"Thank you." Shu Xin said in a low voice.
"You're welcome." After saying that, Su Ruoyan left with the tray.
Only then did Shu Xin look at the bowl of sticky noodles in front of her earnestly.
The white porcelain bowl could be held with both hands. The outside was painted with beautiful and elegant flowers and appeared to be of high class.
Inside the bowl was a bowl of sticky noodles. The surface of the noodles was glistening with a faint oily light and the green, finely chopped vegetable leaves were dotted inside.
With a slight stirring, one could even see the diced meat and brown shiitake mushrooms. Along with the stirring, faint white steam emitted along with the unique fragrance of the sticky noodles.
"It smells so good." While smelling the fragrance, Shu Xin couldn't help smiling while looking at the inside of the bowl. However, a tear rolled down from her eye.
"Hua La", Shu Xin suddenly stood up and said to Yuan Zhou in the kitchen with courage, "Thank you, Boss Yuan. It smells good."
Shu Xin's voice was a little muffled, but Yuan Zhou didn't understand what she was saying.
"Um, eat it. It won't taste good if it's cold. If it's hot, here's a new towel." Yuan Zhou didn't say much and just handed over a clean, white towel.
"Thank you." At this time, Shu Xin became timid again. She lowered her head, took the towel and sat down quickly.
After sitting down for a while, Shu Xin slowly came back to her senses. She carefully and stealthily glanced at the surrounding customers. When she realized that no one was paying attention to her, she slightly straightened her back and sat further away from the table.
After all, Shu Xin almost fell on the table just now.
Holding the towel, Shu Xin felt warm in her heart. She lowered her head and wiped her face quickly. Then, she thought, "The internet is right. Boss Yuan is really a warm and straightforward man. Luckily, I didn't put on makeup."
Although she thought so, Shu Xin was still very grateful to Yuan Zhou. After she calmed down, she looked at the sticky noodles in front of her and felt much better.
"Grandma, I'm going to eat it." Shu Xin said that inwardly and then picked up the spoon.
The spoon was also made of exquisite white porcelain. It was small in Shu Xin's hand and there was even a bright red peony flower painted in the middle of the spoon.
It made the spoon look very magnificent.
However, Shu Xin couldn't help bursting into laughter, "This spoon seems to be the kind used in my childhood."
That's right. The white porcelain spoon in her childhood had a peony or Chinese rose flower in the middle of the spoon. It was extraordinarily big and gaudy. Although the spoon in front of her was very exquisite and rich, it didn't prevent Shu Xin from thinking of the spoon in her childhood.
She scooped up a spoonful of the sticky noodles. The thin and short noodles were mixed with some green vegetable leaves and a few pieces of egg skin. When it reached her mouth, the fragrance became more obvious.
There was the fragrance of the noodles, the fresh vegetable fragrance, and the egg taste. It was rich and full of smoke.
Shu Xin squinted slightly and stuffed it into her mouth. The sticky noodles were slightly warm and not hot at all.
Instantly, Shu Xin thought of her grandma's words, "The temperature is just right. It's not hot anymore. Eat it and go to school."
"Grandma, why are the noodles so short?" Shu Xin asked.
"If it's short, you can chew it less. Eat it and go to school early." Her grandma answered naturally.
The memory flashed by, but the taste in her mouth was more real.
The short noodles were very soft. They absorbed the taste of all the ingredients and the broth, making the noodles very delicious.
In addition to the crisp and refreshing chopped vegetables, the slightly pliable egg skin, and the fragrant cured meat, the whole taste was very salty and fragrant.
"Hiss". Shu Xin scooped and drank the noodles. She was no longer as reserved and careful as when she just entered the restaurant. Instead, she appeared quite casual.
"It's so delicious. Grandma, Boss Yuan cooks better than you." While thinking that, Shu Xin slowed down her mouth.
Shu Xin ate slowly, but the bowl of sticky noodles was really not much. In just a little while, she finished it.
However, Shu Xin still used the spoon to scrape the bottom of the bowl carefully. Only after she ate up the broth at the bottom of the bowl did she put down the spoon.
"Delicious." Shu Xin raised her head abruptly and then saw Boss Yuan who was busy in the kitchen. Only then did she realize she was still in the restaurant. She immediately lowered her head.
After she got off the high chair, Shu Xin raised her voice and said, "Thank you, Boss Yuan. It's very delicious. I'll wash the towel and return it to you next time."
After that, she walked out of the restaurant with quick steps and disappeared out of the door.
"Didn't you tell her that the towel is the only free thing in the restaurant?" Yuan Zhou asked with a rare smile.
"Boss, I haven't had time to tell her yet." Su Ruoyan also said helplessly.
"Then you tell her next time." After saying that, Yuan Zhou continued cooking.
"Ok, boss." Su Ruoyan answered with a nod.
"This young sister runs too fast." Su Ruoyan looked at the door helplessly and thought inwardly.
It was just a small interlude in the dinner. It passed very soon. The rest of the dinner time was quite peaceful. Two hours passed very quickly. At least, the customers didn't want to have enough of it.
When the business time came, however, everybody left with Yuan Zhou's "Come again tomorrow."
While Su Ruoyan and Mao Ye were changing shifts, Yuan Zhou straightforwardly went upstairs to wash his face and rinse his mouth.
When Yuan Zhou went downstairs again, the customers of the pub started to enter the restaurant.
The first to enter the restaurant were two people who didn't get along well with each other. They were naturally Wang Hong and Fang Heng.
"Good evening." Yuan Zhou greeted them.
"Good evening, Boss Yuan." Fang Heng greeted him courteously.
"Good evening, Boss Yuan." The vigorous voice belonged to Wang Hong.
"It's rare to see you two drinking together," Yuan Zhou said.
"Hey Hey. That's because I'm in good spirits." Wang Hong immediately said complacently.
"Yeah. This guy said he has something to tell me or to show off. So he specially invited me to drink. I naturally won't go to other places. But since it's Boss Yuan's restaurant, I can only let him show off," Fang Heng shrugged and said.
"I'm not showing off. I'm just telling the truth." Wang Hong said.
"Then tell me what's the matter," Fang Heng said, "Boss Yuan, he said he would call me if there's something, but he kept me guessing and didn't tell me."
"I'm not sure if I can listen." Yuan Zhou asked seriously.
Of course, Yuan Zhou was not curious about what could make Wang Hong invite Fang Heng to drink, but he was trying to be fair to these two little kids in front of him.
Originally, he had wanted to keep Fang Heng in suspense, but with Yuan Zhou's question, Wang Hong said straightforwardly: "Of course you can. Anyway, there's still twenty minutes before the pub closes. I'll listen to Boss Yuan, and have a good chat with this pitiful Heavenly Demon Sect Demon Girl."
"Thank you Boss Yuan." Fang Heng was also a sly fellow, directly thanking Yuan Zhou, ignoring Wang Hong.
However, Wang Hong did not mind, saying with a smug look on his face: "You know I'm now a best-selling author right?"
"En en en." Fang Heng gave a humph and did not say anything else.
As for Yuan Zhou, he gave Wang Hong face and nodded his head before he continued.
"As a best-selling author, I already have many fans. Two months ago, when my new book was released, a very talented female fan added me, and she gave me many inspirations for my next book." As Wang Hong said that, he paid special attention to Fang Heng's expression.
After all, both he and Fang Heng were single dogs, but Fang Heng had been in love before, while he had never been in love before. As such, he was often teased by Fang Heng, saying that he was a straight man who did not understand a girl's heart.
As such, Wang Hong had specially said that she was a female fan, and said that they had a good relationship, and were already friends. He wanted to see Fang Heng's reaction.
Alas, Fang Heng's reaction was no reaction, and even Yuan Zhou's face was calm.
"We are already friends now, and our relationship is pretty good. I'm planning to invite her over for the next book release." Wang Hong emphasized.
"So?" Fang Heng said passively: "You called me over to prove that you have a female reader?"
"Reading doesn't discriminate between men and women," Fang Heng said.
"Yes. Readers don't discriminate between men and women, either." Yuan Zhou said timely.
"Of course not." Wang Hong smiled and said again with a complacent expression, "My friend is the female reader called Shao Yu. She sent something to me yesterday."
"See? I've received a gift from a reader, and it's a girl. So, I'm not a straight man," Wang Hong said immediately.
"Congratulations. That's a good thing." Fang Heng said to the point.
Even Yuan Zhou at the side nodded to show his approval.
Indeed. Wang Hong didn't have many friends, and he wasn't good at socializing. Therefore, he naturally felt it was good to have a friend, especially Yuan Zhou and Fang Heng.
"What did she give you? I'm so happy that you want to buy me a drink today." Fang Heng asked casually.
Fang Heng swore that he just asked casually and didn't mean anything else. However, he didn't expect to hear the answer later.
"A bag of red beans." Wang Hong said straightforwardly.
"What?" Fang Heng looked at Wang Hong with puzzlement.
"It's just a bag of red beans. I suspect Shao Yu must have asked me if I could cook for the postgraduate entrance examination. Because I told her that I often come to Boss Yuan's restaurant for meals. She also said that she was worried that I would starve to death at home if I didn't go out for meals while I was writing." Wang Hong said affirmatively.
"That logic is so invincible." Fang Heng couldn't help covering his face.
However, Wang Hong continued, "So I cooked the red bean porridge and took a picture of it and sent it to her. You know, I'm a person who eats at The Kitchen God. How can I not be good at cooking?"
Fang Heng first gave up asking Wang Hong about the relationship between a bag of red beans and cooking. Now, he was more worried that Wang Hong was going to lose his book friend again because he had a bad premonition.
"Don't you think it's strange that she sent you red beans from so far away?" As a man who had had a girlfriend before, Fang Heng could understand a girl's mind. Therefore, he asked as a reminder.
"No, I also received other food." Wang Hong shook his head.
"…" Fang Heng took a deep breath and said, "What's so strange about the red beans?"
Wang Hong looked at Fang Heng and said, "You are jealous that I have a friend who sent me food."
His tone was so firm that Fang Heng wanted to beat him up. Yuan Zhou thought carefully for a while and felt that what Wang Hong said seemed to be true. He couldn't help looking at Fang Heng.
"Get lost. I have had a girlfriend before. Why would I care about your female friend?" Fang Heng waved his hand and said impatiently.
"I think you are just jealous because I am a best-selling author now." Wang Hong said proudly, "Don't worry. Although you don't have a book friend, I can still treat you to a drink reluctantly."
"Did the girl say anything when you received the red beans?" Fang Heng felt helpless and could only ask directly.
"No. Although there aren't many red beans, there are about half a catty. It's just enough to cook the red bean porridge twice." Wang Hong said.
Fang Heng felt that his premonition was getting worse.
"Then you really don't think the red beans are strange?" Fang Heng said, "Think carefully before you speak."
Wang Hong always had a victorious smile on his face. Because he was serious, Fang Heng must be envious of him. Therefore, he generously recalled the details carefully and prepared to share it with Fang Heng.
"There is nothing else. It's just that the red beans, in modern terms, are not that round." Wang Hong held his chin and said.
Very good. Fang Heng finally confirmed the answer in his heart. But to be sure, he still asked Wang Hong to show him the photo of the red bean porridge last night.
Although Wang Hong had a "don't be jealous because you don't have such a good friend, but I do" expression, Fang Heng still looked at the photo seriously.
And because of Fang Heng's strange expression, Yuan Zhou, who also saw the photo, didn't say that the porridge was not good. He just listened quietly.
"Red beans grow in the Southern Kingdom. How many branches will sprout in spring. May you pick them more, for they are the most yearning. "Fang Heng looked at Wang Hong with a pitiful expression and recited the poem.
Then Fang Heng continued, "Have you heard of this poem?"
"Of course." When he said that, Wang Hong was still a little puzzled. As a writer, his literary attainment was naturally not bad. How could he not know the poem of Wang Wei from the Tang Dynasty?
But then looking at Fang Heng's expression, he suddenly realized something. Thinking of the red beans with incomplete skin, Wang Hong also had a bad premonition.
"I've heard that some girls would carve words on red beans to confess their love. And if I remember correctly, 50 grams of red beans can be counted into about 100 red beans. So 520 red beans should be about half a catty?" Fang Heng said unhurriedly.
After listening to this, Wang Hong's expression froze as if he had been struck by lightning. As if he was petrified, the flaunting expression on his face disappeared completely.
As for Yuan Zhou, he was expressionless and did not say anything. Wang Hong was really too stupid, to not be able to see through such an obvious confession. In any case, he would not be so stupid.
After a while, Wang Hong suddenly rushed upstairs without saying a word. He quickly picked up the wine flask on the table and gulped down a mouthful of wine before rushing downstairs again, saying: "I've already drunk, the rest is for the Heavenly Demon Sect Demon Lady. I'll be leaving first."
Wang Hong had never been so serious before, and he left immediately after saying that.
On the other hand, Fang Heng, who had seen his series of actions, said: "That doesn't count as breaking Boss Yuan's rules right?"
Yuan Zhou nodded and said: "Nope."
Indeed, Yuan Zhou's rules were that whoever drew the lot had to be present, otherwise it would count as breaking the rules. At this time, Wang Hong was still able to think of that, which was already very rational.
But after leaving the shop, no one knew.
… …
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