Chapter 62: Arid Land and Lean Years (8)

The attractiveness of four dishes of pastries and a pot of tea was undoubtedly huge. As soon as the waiter's shouting ended, many onlookers outside Taifeng Building were moved.

Those who bet right and won money gritted their teeth and stomped their feet, pulled up the gambling acquaintances who also won money, and a few people gathered at a table and walked in with their heads held high.

Needless to say, the small tails following Chen Huihong all filed in. The waiters in the restaurant went out to welcome guests one after another, bowing, kowtowing, and reporting the names of dishes—all kinds of actions.

Those who liked to watch the fun sat on the first floor and specified the table next to Chen Huihong. Those who liked quiet went to the private room on the second floor. When going upstairs, they didn't forget to instruct the waiter to serve a portion of whatever Chen Huihong ate later, don't miss any.

Top-tier traffic was nothing more than this.

As for Chen Huihong's position, Shopkeeper Lu had long reserved it. First floor by the window, facing the storyteller, the best position.

As soon as Chen Huihong sat down, the waiter nimbly served four dishes of pastries and a pot of tea. Qin Huai took a look; the pastries were made okay—Sachima, Eight Treasure Cake, White Jade Square Cake, and Red Bean Paste Cake. Each dish only had two or three pieces, small and exquisite.

After serving the tea and pastries, the waiter served a dish of melon seeds, a dish of peanuts, and a dish of dried fruit. Chen Huihong sat upright, her waist very straight but her posture very relaxed, and she was cracking melon seeds and listening to the storyteller tell the Three Kingdoms very relaxedly. The story plot had just begun, telling about the Peach Garden Oath.

The diners on the side saw Chen Huihong listening with relish and laughed with the people around them: "The crazy young lady also loves to listen to the Three Kingdoms."

"The crazy young lady also loves to crack melon seeds." Others laughed, raised their hands, and a waiter bent over and ran over.

"Serve us a dish of melon seeds."

"Okay, do you need peanuts, candied fruit, or dried fruit?" the waiter asked.

The man looked at Chen Huihong and saw that Chen Huihong was already eating dried fruit, so he nodded: "Your dried apricots look good, bring more."

While speaking, another waiter handed Chen Huihong a small and exquisite hand warmer. Chen Huihong didn't like this thing, disliked that holding it affected her cracking melon seeds, and put it directly on the table.

The waiter silently took the hand warmer away and, under the shopkeeper's signal, quietly placed a fire basin in a corner not far from Chen Huihong.

Qin Huai looked out the window; it was snowing again.

Large snowflakes fell fluttering. Beggars wearing thin, tattered, straw-filled clothes curled up in dark corners, shivering and occupying territory, waiting for the leftover food to be distributed.

Inside the restaurant, the windows were basically closed tightly, leaving only a few small windows in the corners where the wind couldn't blow to the guests open for ventilation. The not-so-bright sunlight shone into the restaurant through expensive glass. Even so, candles were lit in the restaurant to make it bright, and fire basins for heating were everywhere.

Waiters wandered around to satisfy the guests' needs, Shopkeeper Lu went in and out of the lobby and kitchen, seemingly urging dishes, and the small servants carrying food boxes preparing to take takeout all quietly pricked up their ears to listen carefully.

Qin Huai couldn't help but sigh in his heart; the inner city and the outer city were really two worlds.

The outer city was an icy world of death covered by heavy snow, while the heavy snow in the inner city was more of a beautiful embellishment.

Qin Huai was sighing when the dishes were served.

Three dishes: Phoenix Egg, Emerald Cabbage, and Fragrant Crispy Duck.

While serving the dishes, the waiter explained.

"Crazy young lady, this Phoenix Egg is our Master Jiang's signature dish. This meatball is made of fish, using live fish caught from the river this morning, deboned, finely beaten into fish paste, and made into fish balls. Outside, it is wrapped in a layer of egg skin, and inside, besides cuttlefish cubes and radish cubes, there is a whole complete shrimp."

"The shrimp is a live shrimp newly delivered this morning. After peeling the shell, it was iced with ice water, tender and fresh."

"This dish is all about freshness. Our Shopkeeper Lu knows you love fresh and freshly made food. Among the dishes in our restaurant, the freshest is this Phoenix Egg."

The waiter explained a lot, but Chen Huihong didn't listen much. She picked up the chopsticks somewhat clumsily and wanted to pick up the Phoenix Egg very unskillfully. As a result, the egg skin was too slippery, and the Phoenix Egg rolled around on the plate, making Chen Huihong so angry that she could only stab one and wrap it in one bite.

Chen Huihong nodded with satisfaction and indicated to the waiter that this dish was indeed delicious.

The onlookers who were watching the eating broadcast at close range couldn't help but swallow their saliva. After realizing their loss of composure, they scolded the waiter with a smile: "You talk too much. When we come to eat, why haven't we seen you introduce the dishes to us in such detail?"

The waiter hurriedly accompanied with a smile and gave a thumbs up: "A few masters, you are all famous gourmets in Beijing. When it comes to eating, you are the best. How dare I show off in front of you."

"The crazy young lady is eating Phoenix Egg for the first time, so introducing it is specifically instructed by our Shopkeeper Lu. How dare I disobey."

Before long, dozens more portions of Phoenix Egg were ordered in the lobby on the first floor and the private room on the second floor.

Happy dining time is short.

Chen Huihong's eating focused on the "light plate action." Although she didn't use chopsticks very skillfully, she ate very cleanly. Three plates of dishes plus a small bowl of white rice were just finished, and only the pastries were left on the table, which were not moved much. The melon seeds, peanuts, and dried fruit had long been stuffed into her pockets.

After eating and drinking, Chen Huihong wiped her mouth calmly, didn't take the pastries, and was about to leave.

The waiter hurriedly followed and whispered: "Crazy young lady, you love dried fruit. Our Shopkeeper Lu specially prepared many kinds of dried fruit yesterday, just waiting for you to come and pick them today. Look, you've almost finished your meal, would you like to do us the honor of picking a few?"

Chen Huihong sized up the waiter, nodded, and followed the waiter into the small warehouse to pick dried fruit.

The diners who had finished eating and were sitting drinking tea and chatting saw this and laughed and teased: "This Shopkeeper Lu simply serves the crazy young lady as his own young lady. She has been eating and taking for the past few days, and today he directly let the crazy young lady pick it herself. I see that the crazy young lady will have to come to this Taifeng Building to eat tomorrow."

"That must be to serve the crazy young lady well. Do you know how it is rumored outside now? It is rumored that Taifeng Building is the best restaurant in Beiping, just because the crazy young lady has eaten here for 7 consecutive days. Counting today, it is a total of 8 days. I'm afraid Yonghe Residence will be compared by Taifeng Building."

"Forget it, what does the crazy young lady know? Last month, when she was driven out of the house and took a maid to the outer city to rent a house, didn't Prince Guo see her pitiful and reward her with a snuff bottle?"

"That was ivory, but the crazy young lady didn't even look at it and walked straight away."

"She is already a crazy young lady, what can she know about snuff bottles? I think the crazy young lady just knows which restaurant's food is delicious, and she has a good mouth."

"However, which family's young lady is she? I heard rumors last time that she is a princess of the Prince's Mansion."

"Who knows? Big families, especially princes and nobles, all want face. Their own young lady is crazy, the servants are negligent and didn't watch her, and she runs on the street every day, which is known to the whole city. They would rather drive her out than admit it."

"Also, I think although the crazy young lady is crazy, she is still polite, and her temperament is extraordinary. Maybe she is really a princess."

The diners were talking enthusiastically outside, but the scene in the warehouse was another matter.

Chen Huihong was eating candied fruit. The waiter who led her in had already gone out, and only Shopkeeper Lu was in the warehouse. The two were not picking dried fruit, but calculating accounts.

"Miss Chen, this is the wage we discussed earlier, please count it," Shopkeeper Lu smiled and handed over a money bag. "According to the previous agreement, you have to eat at Taifeng Building for 10 days. But looking at today's situation, 8 days is enough, 10 days is a bit too much. Tomorrow, according to your taste, go wherever you want to eat—Yonghe Residence, Eight Treasure House, Yongfu Building, Qingping Pavilion, pick any one."

"The money is still the money for 10 days, I will settle it with you today."

Chen Huihong didn't take the money bag, but said: "Then you lost two days." Shopkeeper Lu smiled and said: "Not lost, the moon is full and then wanes, the water is full and then overflows. Taifeng Building is a new restaurant from outside the pass. It hasn't worshipped the dock well, and it hasn't laid a good foundation. The tree is big and attracts the wind. If the limelight is too strong, it is not a good thing."

Chen Huihong didn't take Shopkeeper Lu's words, but asked on her own: "How much does a birthday banquet usually cost per table here?"

"Birthday, is it Miss Chen's birthday soon? About what day? I will give you a banquet. You don't have to come and get it yourself; I will ask the waiter in the shop to send it to the outer city for you."

"No need." Chen Huihong shook her head and pointed to the money bag. "Is this enough?"

Shopkeeper Lu smiled without saying a word.

"Then make enough dishes," Chen Huihong said. "It doesn't matter what the dishes are, but steamed buns must be there. Black flour steamed buns... and white flour steamed buns."

Shopkeeper Lu laughed: "Eating steamed buns for a birthday, isn't it a bit too shabby? Even ordinary families have to get some fine grains and eat a bowl of longevity noodles for their birthday."

"Longevity noodles?" Chen Huihong asked. "What are longevity noodles?"

"It's a bowl of noodles with only one noodle, eaten in one breath, meaning longevity," Shopkeeper Lu explained.

Chen Huihong liked the meaning of longevity noodles very much, was very satisfied, and nodded: "Then change it to longevity noodles, but black flour steamed buns must be there. I... my maid likes to eat them."

Shopkeeper Lu was stunned: "Isn't it your birthday?"

"No," Chen Huihong said honestly. "I forgot my birthday long ago. My maid is having a birthday, Little New Year."

Shopkeeper Lu looked at Chen Huihong deeply for a few times and sighed: "Sometimes I really can't guess whether you are really crazy or fake crazy, really stupid or fake stupid."

"Not important."

"What's important is that Little New Year is Hui Niang's 15th birthday, the coming-of-age ceremony. You must remember that there must be black flour steamed buns and longevity noodles in the dishes."

Shopkeeper Lu took back the money bag: "Don't worry, I will definitely remember, after all, our cooperation is long-term."

Chen Huihong felt that the matter was discussed, turned around and was about to leave, but was stopped by Shopkeeper Lu, who stuffed her two oil-paper-wrapped dried fruits and signaled her not to reveal the stuffing. Chen Huihong held the dried fruit in her hand, thought for a while, asked Shopkeeper Lu for a copper coin, and left.

Seeing Chen Huihong come out, the guests who hadn't dispersed outside hurriedly called the waiter and indicated that they wanted a few bags of Chen Huihong's same-style dried fruit.

After Chen Huihong went out, she still wandered on the street.

At this time when the meal was finished, Chen Huihong was not as noticeable as before. No one followed behind her, and people on the road just looked at her more. Chen Huihong walked and ate dried fruit, very happy.

After shopping for a circle, seeing that the time was almost up, Chen Huihong walked back.

On the way back, she ran into the vendor selling candied haws.

The vendor's business was not good. He only sold 1/3 of the candied haws in the morning and noon. Now he was estimated to be tired, hugging the straw stack and resting on the side of the street.

Chen Huihong walked up and handed the copper coin to the vendor.

The vendor subconsciously took it, not reacting to what Chen Huihong wanted to do.

Chen Huihong took a string of candied haws and walked away, leaving the vendor stunned in place, and it took several seconds to react and mutter: "This candied haw of mine is three copper coins."

Then he was overjoyed and pulled his throat to shout: "Candied haws, delicious and not expensive candied haws, candied haws bought by the crazy young lady!"

Chen Huihong returned with a full load, with dried fruit in her left hand and candied haws in her right.

By the time she walked back to the outer city, the sky was already dark.

It wasn't that there were no beggars or passersby who saw her holding so many things in her hand and wanted to grab them and run, but they were all kicked over to the ground by Chen Huihong as soon as they moved, lying on the ground howling. Then they were sighed and shaken by the onlookers, discussing that they must be newcomers, not even knowing that the crazy young lady's strength was greater than ordinary strong men.

When Chen Huihong returned home, Hui Niang was boiling sweet potatoes.

Seeing Chen Huihong back, Hui Niang welcomed her happily. Chen Huihong stuffed the candied haws to her: "Eat black flour steamed buns in a few days, eat this today."

Hui Niang took the candied haws and couldn't wait to take a bite, saying satisfied: "Sweet!"

"By the way, sister, I heard today that the grain shop in the west will have a batch of new corn flour tomorrow, and the price should be relatively cheap. The day after tomorrow is Little New Year. Tomorrow I will buy corn flour and buy some vegetables and fish and shrimp. I will steam cornmeal buns for you in the evening and stir-fry a small dish."

"Is your money enough?" Chen Huihong asked the soul.

"Enough, I received a new job of washing clothes this afternoon, and I still have some spare money. Buy some fish and shrimp for Little New Year, and I can buy some meat at the two-meat shop on New Year's Day," Hui Niang said happily. "In my mother's words, this is definitely a bumper year."

Chen Huihong frowned: "Washing clothes in such cold weather?"

Hui Niang retracted her hands full of chilblains: "It has always been like this. Before escaping the famine, when I was at home, I also took jobs washing clothes when it was cold, but at that time, I was washing clothes for the landlord's house, and there was no wage."

Since Hui Niang said so, Chen Huihong didn't say much: "As you wish, make breakfast on Little New Year's day. I remember you don't eat lunch. Shopkeeper Lu of Taifeng Building will send a banquet in the evening, and then... there will be dishes you love to eat."

"Wow." Hui Niang was full of admiration. "Sister, you are so amazing."

"Nothing, equivalent exchange, each takes what he needs." Chen Huihong pushed the door and wanted to enter the room to take off the clothes outside and go into battle lightly to crack melon seeds.

Just pushed the door open, Chen Huihong seemed to remember something and asked with some confusion: "Do you really only like to eat... black flour steamed buns?"

That tone was completely, is your taste really so strange?

Hui Niang smiled embarrassedly: "Black flour steamed buns are already very delicious. Such good things were only available during the New Year at home."

"The money for renting the house is paid by you, sister, and the cotton-padded clothes and quilts are bought with your money. You don't eat at home usually, and I eat and drink for free every day. It's already very good to be able to eat black flour steamed buns."

"Fine." Chen Huihong didn't say anything more. "As long as you are happy."

Still a two-in-one.

Severe cold, splitting headache, and no manuscript.

It's going to be on the shelves on the 1st, and I actually don't have a manuscript.

(-)

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 63 =====