Chapter 477

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Protagonist:

Lu Feng

"Can you cut out the creepy act? You scared the hell out of me! Can't you just speak normally? I've got goosebumps all over!"

Liao Tong rolled his eyes at Zhang Xianyang, and seeing the other's gaze stuck on the two tree trunk segments in the plate, he instantly understood: "What, you want to eat it?"

"Nonsense! You didn't leave me a single bite of those Wutong Flowers just now, so you're not planning to hog this Wutong Tree all to yourself too, are you?"

Zhang Xianyang pursed his lips, pointing at the two trunk segments of roughly equal length in the plate, and said with a face full of grievance.

A flash of guilt flickered in Liao Tong's eyes, but he quickly spoke with righteous confidence: "Who said I'm hogging it? Am I that kind of person? Didn't you see I specially split the trunk in half, and one half is reserved for you? That's loyal enough, right?"

He lied without batting an eye; truth be told, if Zhang Xianyang hadn't spoken up in time, he would've forgotten a college classmate of five years was sitting right beside him.

"Counts as you having a conscience; the Yangchun Noodles and Stir-fried Lu Hao weren't wasted on you."

Zhang Xianyang nodded in satisfaction, then directly reached over with his chopsticks, picked up a trunk segment, and placed it in his own empty noodle bowl — not even soup remained.

He held the trunk segment with his chopsticks, pinched the bark with his fingers, and carefully peeled it open, revealing the golden chestnut paste inside.

"Holy crap, the inside is actually chestnut!"

Zhang Xianyang's eyes lit up; he picked it up with his chopsticks and stuffed it straight into his mouth in one bite.

Seeing this, Liao Tong and the surrounding diners who had ordered Fengwei Shrimp also picked up their chopsticks to try; the fragrant, sweet, melt-in-the-mouth chestnut paste had everyone eating with great relish.

The chestnuts inside had been ground into fine paste; the original shells used to wrap the chestnuts were carefully joined together; the shells were naturally brown, and once shaped into a tree trunk, it became a Wutong Tree.

Adorned further with those lifelike Wutong Flowers Lu Feng carved from radish, this Wutong Tree in the middle of the Fengwei Shrimp plate could practically pass for the real thing.

"Boss Lu really has ingenious ideas; every time I eat your cooking, I'm amazed anew."

Zhang Xianyang finished the trunk segment and looked toward Lu Feng in the Kitchen with a face full of emotion.

"Thanks for the praise; as long as you think it's delicious."

Faced with Zhang Xianyang's such direct praise, Lu Feng didn't bother being humble, just accepted it straight up.

He hears who knows how many such compliments every day; by now he's long since gotten used to it.

"By the way, are you still gonna eat your noodles?"

Zhang Xianyang's gaze fell on the Yangchun Noodles in front of Liao Tong, and he asked.

That bowl of Yangchun Noodles was still steaming, but Liao Tong hadn't eaten a single chopstick of the noodles inside.

He immediately perked up, reaching for that bowl of Yangchun Noodles: "Old classmate, I know you don't like eating noodles; if you really don't want to eat, don't force yourself, I'll help you finish it — happens I'm not full yet."

Liao Tong directly reached out, pulled the noodle bowl to himself, and slapped his chopsticks onto the bowl with a "pa": "Thanks, but no need to trouble you; I never said I wasn't planning to eat the noodles, I'm just saving them for last to eat slowly."

Although he doesn't like eating noodles, it hasn't reached the point where he feels disgust at the mere sight of them.

Simple Yangchun Noodles — he'd eaten plenty at home before; his mom's noodles were always mushy, and the clear thin broth had nothing but salt flavor.

But today was different; he'd already tasted the Fengwei Shrimp and Stir-fried Lu Hao Lu Feng made just now, and every dish's flavor had blown him away.

No exaggeration: this meal today was the most delicious meal Liao Tong had ever eaten in his life, bar none.

Liao Tong figured, since the Boss could make even the decorative items this delicious, this bowl of Yangchun Noodles that looked somewhat ordinary absolutely wouldn't taste bad either.

"Alright then, hurry up and eat; we still have to go back to the Hospital after."

Zhang Xianyang's face showed regret, but his eyes still couldn't help staring at the Yangchun Noodles in front of Liao Tong.

"Got it, got it, I'm eating now."

Liao Tong nodded, picked up his chopsticks and started preparing to eat the Yangchun Noodles; he lifted a chopstick of noodles, brought his mouth close, and blew on them.

The noodles looked very tight; when lifted with chopsticks they still had elasticity, each strand distinct and not sticking.

The heat rising from the noodles carried a faint wheat fragrance and lard aroma into Liao Tong's nose; this smell was completely different from the Yangchun Noodles he'd eaten at home before.

If this bowl were the Braised Beef Noodles or Pig Trotter Noodles on the Price List, Liao Tong might've started eating long ago.

After all, this bowl of Yangchun Noodles looked clear and thin, bland and uninteresting — making Liao Tong, who already didn't like eating noodles, really unable to muster immediate interest to try.

But Liao Tong's thoughts were completely overturned the instant the noodles entered his mouth.

He couldn't help widening his eyes: this clear thin Yangchun Noodles could actually be this delicious!

Liao Tong swore, the refreshing springy noodles before him — all the noodles he'd eaten from childhood to now added together couldn't compare.

Such delicious noodles, plus that savory noodle soup — if he truly missed out because of his prejudice against noodles, that would be a truly enormous regret.

"Slurp slurp—"

Liao Tong's chopsticks began rapidly picking up the noodles in the bowl, eating one mouthful after another.

He felt every chew was an exquisite enjoyment; as the noodles slid down his throat, the wheat fragrance carried the soup's savory aroma — simply an irresistible delicacy!

Liao Tong felt his principle of not liking to eat noodles might have to change.

Although he doesn't like eating noodles, Boss Lu's are the exception.

Zhang Xianyang watched Liao Tong wolf down the Yangchun Noodles; originally he wanted to urge him to eat faster.

But watching him slurp away like that, it couldn't help but make Zhang Xianyang recall just now when he himself ate noodles — that springy smooth texture of the noodles in his mouth, and that sip of soup full of savory fragrance.

"Hurry up and eat; just now the Director asked when we're going back."

Zhang Xianyang swallowed his saliva, struggling to maintain a normal voice as he spoke to Liao Tong.

"Mm hm."

Liao Tong now had his face practically buried in the bowl, simply no time to answer, just randomly hummed twice as a reply, didn't even lift his head once.

Zhang Xianyang watched his appearance of eating himself into oblivion, and shook his head helplessly.

This guy, clearly said he doesn't like eating noodles, but now look — eating noodles to the point he can't even hear his own words.

"You eat, I'll go wait outside."

Zhang Xianyang stood up, his tone carrying a deliberate calm, and said a sentence to Liao Tong, who was eating noodles with his head buried.

In the hall of the Lu Family Restaurant, the fragrance permeating everywhere was truly too tempting.

Seeing Liao Tong eat noodles so fragrantly made the glutton in Zhang Xianyang's belly start acting up again.

If he continued staying, he feared he really wouldn't be able to help himself from queuing up again to order a few more dishes to eat.

But he still stopped this impulse in his heart with tremendous willpower.

Treating Liao Tong to a meal today had already made him spend nearly two hundred yuan.

If he couldn't help ordering other dishes, for the remaining days before this month's salary, he feared he really could only eat at the hospital canteen.

Zhang Xianyang felt he needed to breathe the fresh air outside right now, rather than the food fragrance permeating the Lu Family Restaurant's hall.

As long as he couldn't see or smell it, the glutton in his belly wouldn't keep making a fuss.