Chapter 37: Increasing Living Expenses
Translator: Xiong Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
It was at this time when Wu Zhou brought his girlfriend into the restaurant. He even bumped into some customers who had left that morning.
“Boss Yuan, you are finally open.”
“Why weren’t you opening this in the morning?”
“You didn’t open the restaurant this morning. Can I order the Soup Dumplings now?”
Before Yuan Zhou could say anything, several people entered the restaurant together, hurling questions all at once towards him.
“Sweetie, let’s sit here.” Wu Zhou swiftly grabbed two seats at the end of the table while guiding his girlfriend.
“It’s indeed a small restaurant. There are only 8 chairs.” Zhuang Xinmu had been looking around the restaurant ever since she entered.
There were only 3 words to describe it, small, simple and ordinary.
Zhuang Xinmu didn’t realize the extraordinary price until she noticed the price list on the wall.
Did the boss assume his small restaurant was a Star Hotel? Egg Fried Rice for 188RMB and an Egg Fried Rice Set for 288RMB. Zhuang Xinmu only wanted to spit on the face of the boss whom she believed to be greedy and devious.
She ground her teeth and asked Wu Zhou while violently pinching his arm, “Do you often have meals in this restaurant?”
Her manner indicated that as long as Wu Zhou dared to say yes, she would tear him apart.
“Honey, let’s eat first. You’ll understand when you taste it. Do trust me.” Wu Zhou knew that no matter how he explained to her, she would never accept the unreasonable price.
He could only persuade her first. As long as she took a bite, she would definitely understand.
“Humph, it had better be like what you described.” She sniffed and let go of Wu Zhou temporarily. Zhuang Xinmu still treated her boyfriend with respect as they were outside, but had already prepare to cruelly “torture” him when they returned home. She had a terrible impression towards this restaurant.
Even after being questioned by all those hungry people, Yuan Zhou merely stood there calmly, as if lost in meditations.
Not until all those questions were unified into one, “Boss Yuan, why didn’t you open the restaurant in the morning?” did he answer calmly, “Because I overslept.”
It was lucky that Wu Hai had already left after his meal, lucky that these few people only waited a short while, and lucky that those who had waited for ages haven’t come yet. Otherwise, with his lackadaisical answer, Yuan Zhou would have been torn apart by those customers.
“Boss Yuan, do you know you’ll lose customers if you act like this?”
“Do you know that this is not right?”
“Could you please at least act like you are running a business? You should get up early to open the restaurant!”
These few customers fell silent for a while and then suddenly started talking angrily, all complaining at once.
“Well, what would you like to eat today?” Yuan Zhou pretended that he didn’t hear the complaints, and stiffly changed the topic.
“Boss Yuan, you are too much. I request double servings for my Egg Fried Rice to make up for my wounded heart.” Several people started making requests upon realizing that Yuan Zhou did not care.
Yes, that was right. All their previous seriousness was merely an act with the aim of obtaining an extra serving of Egg Fried Rice.
As for their declarations of never coming again, let’s talk about it when they lost all of their 5 senses.
Having watched the entire scene, Zhuang Xinmu had an even worse impression of Yuan Zhou, which dropped by several points. On the other hand, she had also gotten curious. To her surprise, all these people’s complaints and questions were merely for another serving of Egg Fried Rice. She felt that this was quite unbelievable.
“No,” Yuan Zhou mercilessly refused the reasonable request again and furthermore added cruelly, “Other customers have begun to wait for the seats outside.”
Those few people complaining looked at Yuan Zhou. Their eyes were saying “You are so merciless, shameless and unreasonable”.
Yuan Zhou’s expression didn’t have the slightest change, still remaining calm like usual.
“Egg Fried Rice Set...”
These people were defeated by Yuan Zhou’s usual expression, therefore they compromised and just ordered their meal.
“Boss Yuan, please give us two servings of Egg Fried Rice Set too,” When Yuan Zhou glanced towards Wu Zhou, the latter immediately said.
Yuan Zhou nodded his head and began to prepare the dishes.
“An Egg Fried Rice is fine. The set is a 100 RMB more expensive,” Zhuang Xinmu said discontentedly.
“It’s alright. Each dish in the set meal is terrific. Besides, soup is included. Didn’t you like drinking soup?” While holding his girlfriend’s hand, Wu Zhou thought for a while and said decisively, “I’ll give my soup to you.”
“Look at you. It’s only a bowl of soup, you are saying like you’re offering a piece of flesh from your body.” Zhuang Xinmu pulled her hands away unhappily.
“Well…..You’ll understand it in a while.”
“Humph”
Quarrels between lovers were usually this unreasonable, but it was only then did they seem like they were truly in love.
“Everybody, please enjoy yourself,” Yuan Zhou carried out 8 servings of Egg Fried Rice Set and said to the customers.
“Thank you, Boss Yuan. Oh right, this is my girlfriend.” While moving the set meal to his girlfriend first, he introduced her girlfriend to Yuan Zhou proudly.
Yuan Zhou’s reaction was a mere nod in his usual calm manner.
As for what he was thinking it his heart, what reaction do you expect a single man to have? However, Yuan Zhou felt that the FFF League was fairly a wonderful association①.
Zhuang Xinmu looked at the Egg Fried Rice with a frown on her face, realizing that the dish didn’t seem to have eggs in it. The rice grains were a golden color though. Nevertheless there wasn’t even a chopped green onion or diced pieces of ham. Besides that, the bowl of seaweed soup was so small that it would be gone in two or three gulps. The pickled radish was even less that the exact pieces could be counted.
This was the very first time that she saw such a so-called Egg Fried Rice, a dish in which there was only rice but no eggs.
“Honey, this is for you.” Wu Zhou passed the seaweed soup to his girlfriend the moment he received the set meal.
She didn’t refuse her boyfriend. It was natural to accept her boyfriend’s kindness, furthermore it was merely a bowl of seaweed soup.
When Wu Zhou saw his girlfriend still hesitate to take a drink, he said, “Honey, hurry up and taste it. It’s really fantastic.”
“Ok”, Zhuang Xinmu agreed and scooped up a spoonful of the soup into her mouth.
“Hua La La”
In an instant, the flavor rushed through her. Zhuang Xinmu actually wasn’t good at cooking. Her specialty was in stewing soup. She learnt it just to provide additional nutrition for her boyfriend who often worked overtime. That was why she thought that there were no eggs in the golden Egg Fried Rice.
Delicious, it was really delicious.
Zhuang Xinmu now felt that all the Egg Fried Rice she had ever eaten in her past 20 years were definitely fake products.
If they were not fake, how could this serving of Egg Fried Rice be so wonderful? This was absolutely a god tier existence.
In a sense, Zhuang Xinmu was right. This Egg Fried Rice was indeed called the God Tier Egg Fried Rice.
Then there was the seaweed soup.
“Hoo”
After a sip of seaweed soup, she finally completely understood why her boyfriend had that reluctant expression when he promised to give his soup to her. Right now, she couldn’t afford to waste a single drop. Thinking that she could drink another bowl of this soup, she felt her happiness overflowing.
While drinking the seaweed soup and eating the Egg Fried Rice, she also understood why there were only several pieces of the pickled radish. It was expected since it was so delicious.
After gobbling down the set meal and another serving of her boyfriend’s seaweed soup and pickled radish, Zhuang Xinmu felt her boyfriend was the one who cared about her most. He was even willing to offer her such delicious things.
Happiness comes when you least expect it. This saying occurred to Zhuang Xinmu all of a sudden.
“From next month on, you can have 4000RMB as your living expense. Eat well here.” Zhuang Xinmu was now overflowing with energy.
“But we still have to buy an apartment for our wedding,” Wu Zhou first felt delighted, but then he thought about another issue, and hesitatingly asked.
“Never mind. We are still young and have plenty of time,” holding Wu Zhou’s hands, she said passionately.
“Okay. Thank you so much for waiting for me.” Wu Zhou was so moved that he hugged his girlfriend’s shoulders.
“That’s all right. But you must give me your soup again next time.” Zhuang Xinmu smiled happily like a little fox that succeeded in stealing chickens.
Once again, another girl was conquered by Yuan Zhou’s superb culinary skill.
FFF League was a gathering of single males which have enmity towards other males with girlfriends.