Chapter 117: Jin’ling Cuisines
Translator: Xiong Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
Shuxiao felt as if he could already smell the appetizing fragrance on the other side of the screen. His belly was growling with a "GuGu" sound and he even felt his stomach started to ache.
Therefore, under the microblog of Meng Meng, appeared another message asking for the address of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant.
[Please tell me the address. I’m preparing to go there to eat tomorrow. Or right now. Is it closed now?] from Sound Sleep without Knowing of Dawn. Yes, the ID of Shuxiao was a sentence from a poem, which was easy to remember and free from the concerns of any duplications of the name.
Fans of Meng Meng’s microblog were fairly helpful. Just during the short period when he went to buy instant noodles, somebody had already replied him.
[You seem to be new. It’s another stupid human being that was conquered by Chef Yuan. No. 14 of Taoxi Road. It’s already 11:00 PM, the restaurant is definitely closed now. You could go there tomorrow,] a person with the ID I’m Lei Hong replied Shuxiao below.
[Thank you. It seems I can only eat the instant noodles for my dinner,] from Sound Sleep without Knowing of Dawn.
[As a person who had been eating the instant noodles to fill my stomach for days, I don’t want to say anything. But you can imagine that you were eating the dishes cooked by Boss Yuan,] came the reply of I’m Lei Hong. He seemed to be rich in experiences.
[OK. I’ll try...] from Sound Sleep without Knowing of Dawn.
He played the video and watched Meng Meng doing the broadcast while eating instant noodles. After that, Shuxiao was more determined to go to Yuan Zhou’s restaurant tomorrow.
Early next morning, Shuxiao went to report to Director Qi that he had found a well-reputed restaurant which was said to serve pretty delicious Jin’ling Cuisines.
"I approve 300 RMB for you to go there and have a look. Take the payment slip and go to Xiaoli for the cash." Director Qi waved his hand and directly said that.
"OK." Shuxiang agreed, took the slip and then went to Xiaoli.
Shuxiao was actually using public funds for the meal. He enjoyed this kind of benefits very much; besides, it was more meaningful as he was doing it for business.
He went out of the office and directly boarded the bus. As a cautious and meticulous person, Shuxiao had already checked the nearest route last night after he got to know the address, so he could go there straightaway today.
When Shuxiao got there, however, he was a little dumbfounded.
In front of him were towering office buildings. After passing through them, he found several old residential buildings behind. The only advantage of this place might be the peace. While looking for the route, he comforted himself, "The surroundings of the restaurant are probably excellent."
Located in the middle part of the narrow street, Yuan Zhou’s restaurant was not difficult to be found; therefore, Shuxiao found it soon. However, only after checking the street number several times did he dare to confirm this was the right place. After all, this so-called Yuan Zhou’s restaurant that was highly rated on the internet was actually a tiny restaurant without even a name in reality. It was truly a tiny restaurant with double glass doors that were wiped quite clean.
Shuxiao really wanted to turn around and leave immediately. But when he saw the crowd waiting in line outside the entrance, he became slightly hesitant.
"The businessman is from Jin’ling City. He isn’t used to eating the hot and spicy food here. Go find a restaurant serving genuine Jin’ling dishes. It needn’t be too luxurious. Only one thing, the dishes must be genuine and delicious," the words of Director Qi still echoed beside Shuxiao’s ears.
Grinding his teeth, Shuxiao nevertheless joined the line and prepared to savor the dishes first before making his decision. The interior surroundings of the restaurant shown in the video appeared nice and the dishes likewise appeared fairly delicious.
Of course, Yuan Zhou didn’t know there was a person who was entangled with these issues in front of the entrance of his restaurant, hence still earnestly continued cooking his dishes.
When it was Shuxiao’s turn, he became totally speechless. Could this restaurant that seemed to be less than 30 square meters really cook the genuine and delicious Jin’ling cuisine? Shuxiao was greatly suspicious of that. However, he didn’t leave immediately. Anyhow, he had waited for almost half an hour for his turn.
Besides, Shuxiao had inquired about the restaurant conveniently when he was waiting in line and chatting with others. He heard it was a much-visited place every day and felt it might indeed have some unique features. Shuxiao believed he had to think that way; otherwise, watching the video last night would be a complete waste of time.
"What do you eat today?" Mu Xiaoyun came over to greet him.
"Ehh… where is the menu?" Shuxiao asked subconsciously.
"The menu is on the wall behind of you. You can take a look," the soft loli voice of Mu Xiaoyun sounded quite comfortable.
Having subconsciously looked back at the menu, Shuxiao was really startled. The 300 RMB that was approved by Director Qi in the morning was barely enough for only a bowl of Clear Broth Noodle Soup, not even sufficient for a set meal.
He noticed the customers sitting at their spots were eating with appetite and, moreover, the little loli was waiting beside him, thus Shuxiao had to start ordering dishes. He felt it lucky that he didn’t need to pay for it himself.
"Jin’ling Grass and 100 Styles of Rice Cuisine, one serving for each," Shuxiao ordered two of the comparatively cheaper dishes quietly.
"Ok. Which style do you want for the 100 Styles of Rice Cuisine?" The little loli asked dutifully.
"The style made like the ones south of Yangtze River if possible." Shuxiao still remembered his task.
"Ok, one moment, please," the little loli agreed directly and then sent his exact words to Yuan Zhou.
In the mere 10 minutes, Shuxiao saw his dish. He felt to be in a permanent state of astonishment today. Wasn’t this a plate of grass? Although it had a verdant color like jade, it was nevertheless similar to grass.
Shuxiao felt he was actually rather dutiful. Before coming here, he had already checked and hence known the Jin’ling Grass was a kind of fresh and tender vegetable enjoyed by Jin’ling people. The raw ingredient was artemisia selengensis, which was not grass in any case. If it wasn’t for the slight fragrance being emitted bit by bit, he would have thought it was carried to him without being cooked.
The other ordered dish was weirder. It was square with a golden yellow color and was laid out on the plate, of which the edge was painted with lotus leaves. Both the two dishes had excellent appearances. After a careful observation, Shuxiao prepared to start savoring them.
As for the taste, Shuxiao was immediately conquered.
...…
Time passed quickly.
Unconsciously, three days passed. It was Friday today and also the day when Director Qi prepared to treat the Jin’ling businessman to a meal. He already gave the task of arranging the decent meal to his subordinate Shuxiao, who had told him that the restaurant had already been selected.
Chinese people liked to talk about business during the meal regardless of where they are. After all, it was more convenient for some words to be spoken over the dining table.
"Shuxiao, you lead the way ahead. Mr. Guan and I will follow after you," accompanying the Jin’ling businessman with the surname Guan, Director Qi said that.
"OK," Shuxiao agreed bluntly before going out to drive.
"Brother Guan, shall we go now?" the Director Qi was fairly friendly and courteous to this Boss Guan who was preparing to invest in a giant project concerning the entertainment and food and beverage industry at this local place.
"Director Qi, you are too courteous. Let’s go." Boss Guan was quite familiar with dealing with these government officials. He acted humbly and carried a faint smile on his face, showing a pleasant manner which would be better for earning wealth.
"Brother Guan, would we take my car or drive yours to get there? The road conditions are awfully good here." Director Qi didn’t forget to publicize the city no matter when it was.
"Then I’ll have to bother Director Qi instead of driving my own car."Boss Guan accepted the invitation. Such a small request, he would definitely agree.
The two people spoke passionately on the way and both revealed their intentions to continue the topic. The final success of the project depended on the forthcoming meal.
As soon as the atmosphere calmed down in the car, Director Qi found something wrong. First, they were heading for the north, where no classy restaurants serving Jin’ling dishes were located. At this, he couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Only after Shuxiao drove the car into a narrow street and stopped to signal to park here did Director Qi feel something terrible was going to happen. Looking around at the surroundings, he didn’t see any two-story hotels. Instead, tiny restaurants were numerous.
This Shuxiao, how could he be so unreliable?