Chapter 98: Phoenix-Tail Prawns and Clear Broth Noodle Soup, Continuation
Translator: Xiong Guoqi Editor: Meh / DesTheSloth
Wisps of steam curled upwards above the plate. Zhao Yingjun stirred the noodles a bit with his chopsticks. Bursts of delicate fragrances flowed to his nose, stimulating his appet.i.te immensely. Of course, he was still just as conflicted as before, as he didn’t really like noodles.
Looking around him, he found that everybody else was enjoying their meals happily.
Zhao Yingjun looked at the empty plate with only the flower garnishes left and heaved a sigh: “Ai.”
“Boss Yuan, the serving of prawns is much too little, only 8. At the very least, it shouldn’t be less than 20.” looking at Yuan Zhou at the side, he complained.
“The flowers are edible.” Yuan Zhou directly ignored his complaint and pointed at the decorative radish flowers.
“How are they supposed to be eaten? Aren’t they uncooked?” Zhao Yingjun said questioningly.
“There’s sauce on the plate. Just dip them in the sauce and eat.” Yuan Zhou reminded.
“Really?” dubious, Zhao Yingjun picked up a lavender phoenix tree flower with the chopsticks.
The flowers looked extremely authentic and moreover even emitted fragrance. In addition, the flower petals looked as exquisite and transparent as silk fabric, with the stamen inside clearly visible.
Pinched with the chopsticks, there even appeared clamp marks on the flowers. Upon seeing that, Zhao Yingjun dared not eat it anymore.
“It is really edible?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“If you don’t eat it, why not give it to me?” beside him, Wu Hai had already eaten his prawns up until only the bare trunk was left standing upright in the center of the plate.
“No, no need. Master Yuan’s superb culinary skill is incontrovertible.” seeing the empty plate of Wu Hai gave him great confidence.
He dipped a flower petal in the bright silver white sauce in the plate and stuffed it into his mouth.
He had a feeling that he was truly eating an authentic flower with its crisp mouthfeel. The overwhelming fragrance rushed directly from his mouth into his throat. Eating flowers had always been an elegant high cla.s.s experience, and this was no different.
On the trunk of the phoenix tree, there were just a few flowers remaining, which soon entered the mouth of Zhao Yingjun, leaving none for Wu Zhou.
“The inside of the trunk is also edible.” Yuan Zhou plainly spoke out even before the two guys asked.
“Now I feel it’s more of a fair price. So how do I eat this?” with the chopsticks, Wu Hai poked the radish that looked like an authentic tree trunk.
“Peel it with the chopsticks.” Yuan Zhou made it clear as to the eating method and waited for the two guys to start.
Yuan Zhou hadn’t savored this dish either before this moment. Therefore, it was quite important to pay close attention and learn from his first time, despite his confidence in his culinary skills.
“Peel?” looking at the trunk and thinking of Yuan Zhou’s instruction, Zhao Yingjun clamped it into two segments with the chopsticks. Then, as they watched, fine golden-yellow particles began to fill in the trunk, and then a blast of chestnut fragrance burst out.
“Tsk-tsk, you are so violent.” Wu Hai heaved a sigh with emotion and said. He then followed suit to pinch his trunk into two segments.
“Didn’t you do the same?” Zhao Yingjun ridiculed him snappily.
“Don’t you feel that you have forgotten something?” suddenly there pa.s.sed a sad voice from beside Zhao Yingjun, who was startled by the voice, resulting in a trembling of his hands and a segment of the trunk dropping into the bowl.
“Speak normally, you’re giving me gooseb.u.mps.” when he turned his head and found Wu Zhou staring at his plate, Zhao Yingjun was speechless.
“Ok. So that segment is for me?” Wu Zhou asked while pointing at the trunk of similar length in the plate.
“Yes, I left it for you.” Zhao Yingjun appeared quite amicable even though he was telling a lie, and nodded affirmatively.
“You brat, finally have a little bit of conscience.” Wu Zhou picked up the segment and put it in his s.h.i.+ning empty bowl.
“It’s unexpectedly chestnut. So fragrant! And it’s still hot.” Wu Zhou stuffed it into his mouth after taking it out of the trunk.
The several people were all eating blissfully. While the chestnut was ground into fine particles, the naturally brown hard sh.e.l.l that wrapped the chestnut was connected carefully to make it appear like a trunk. Then, after filling the fine particles of the chestnut into the trunk, a phoenix tree trunk came into being. Decorated with beautiful flowers, it was almost the same as the genuine one.
“Boss Yuan, you are such a brilliant genius.” turning over the hard sh.e.l.l of the chestnut, Wu Hai heaved a sigh and the said.
“Thank you for your compliments,” Yuan Zhou accepted obediently without any hesitation.
“When are you going to develop new dishes? Especially a meat dish.” as a devoted carnivore, Wu Hai would naturally choose to eat meat if conditions allowed.
“Let’s talk about it later.” Yuan Zhou said with an earnest expression on his face.
“Boss Yuan, is it really good for you to tell me so earnestly that there’s none?” Wu Hai felt it awfully tiring to talk with Yuan Zhou every time.
“Yes, very good.” in response to doubts from others, Yuan Zhou usually gave affirmative answers.
“Ho Ho. Boss Yuan, this is the cause that for you being single.” Wu Hai said viciously.
“I don’t think so. I feel like it’s because I’m much too busy.” considering for a while, Yuan Zhou said solemnly in earnest.
“No, it’s not. Boss Yuan, the restaurant is open for business for only six hours a day.” Wu Hai immediately continued.
“Really?” Yuan Zhou just kept a straight face and asked seriously.
“Definitely. Those girls are shy. Boss Yuan, you can be more proactive.” Having wiped the perspiration from his forehead, Wu Hai finally managed to remedy this altercation.
As one of the customers who came earliest, Wu Hai knew quite well of the weird mindset of Yuan Zhou. If he said yes today agreeing that Yuan Zhou was too busy, this guy would probably rest again tomorrow.
“Are you going to eat your noodle soup?” before Yuan Zhou could figure out what was happening, Wu Hai asked Zhao Yingjun while pointing at his untouched Clear Broth Noodle Soup.
“I can help you eat it if you don’t like it. I’m not full yet.” having a bigger stomach, Wu Zhou itched for a try.
“No need. I’m just keeping it to savor slowly.” Zhao Yingjun refused squarely.
“Eat quickly. We’ll have to continue working after the meal.” with an expression of regret, Wu Zhou could only urge him to hurry up.
“Ok.” after that, Zhao Yingjun started eating the noodles.
Luckily, he merely disliked eating noodles rather than outright hating them. Thus, Zhao Yingjun picked up some noodles with the chopsticks and began to stuff them into his mouth.
If the noodle soup was covered with hot red chilli oil and blended with chopped onions and also several pieces of beef, Zhao Yingjun would have already eaten it up. After all, such a tasteless dish Clear Broth Noodle Soup could hardly stir up his appet.i.te.
However, all these thoughts were overturned when the noodles first barely touched his mouth. Such refres.h.i.+ng and chewy noodles as well as the delicate broth would truly be wasted if those imagined things were ever added.
“Slurp Slurp”
Zhao Yingjun began to eat the noodles little by little. Each bite was a delight. The noodles leaped ceaselessly in his mouth and the mouthfeel was extraordinarily great.
Originally, Wu Zhou stared at Zhao Yingjun, in hope of urging him to eat quickly. But Zhao Yingjun’s inhaling of the noodles nevertheless reminded Wu Zhou of the chewy and refres.h.i.+ng taste of the noodles along with delicate texture of the broth in his mouth just now. He then turned his head and said.
“Boss, it’s all right.”
Wu Zhou grabbed one hand with the other and choked back the words of ordering more dishes in time. If he continued to order dishes, he would finally end up eating nothing but soil.
“Hurry up and eat.” having swallowed the drool, Wu Zhou said with a normal voice.
“Humm, humm.” right now, Zhao Yingjun didn’t get any time to answer, but just responded with some casual answers.
“You gluttonous brat, I’ll wait for you outside.” Wu Zhou deeply felt he needed some fresh air outside, rather than the fragrance in the restaurant rus.h.i.+ng about around him.
“Humm, humm.” Zhao Yingjun answered vaguely, indicating that he had heard Wu Zhou.
“Boss Yuan, a serving of Phoenix-Tail Prawns.”
It was Man Man from the bakery shop who was sitting on Wu Hai’s seat. When she was waiting in line, she had been tempted by the beautiful Phoenix-Tail Prawns, which were especially to her appet.i.te.