Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 497: In the summer, the refreshing and pleasant Fengnian Restaurant

The old man did not respond, but looked at him silently for a while.

He turned to the driver waiting on the side and said, "Park the car under the shade of a tree and go to the noodle shop next door for lunch."

"Come back to the car after you finish eating. We will come to look for you when we get out."

The driver agreed and drove away.

The old man and the old woman walked up the steps of the restaurant, one after the other, lifted the thin bamboo curtain hanging at the door of the restaurant, and walked in.

Since it was not yet lunchtime, there were not many customers.

The sun was scorching outside and the chirping of cicadas made people feel hot, but once we entered the restaurant, there was a cool breeze, which was cool and pleasant.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that there was an open space in the corner of the restaurant where a large wind turbine driven by water was placed.

In front of the wind wheel is a large white porcelain basin in the shape of a petal. There are half-melted ice cubes in it, and some green mint leaves are floating in the ice water, which looks extremely cool.

The old woman said happily, "I didn't expect that this restaurant looks inconspicuous from the outside, but it is so clean and pleasant inside, no worse than those big restaurants. It shows that the owner has put a lot of thought into it."

The old man also felt that he had only been here for a moment, but he felt much cooler and more comfortable. His originally stern face now showed a hint of a smile.

When Zheng Sanniang saw the guests coming in, she came over with a smile and invited them to sit down, handed them the menu and asked what they would like to eat.

While the two were still looking at the menu, a waiter brought them two bowls of refreshing sour plum soup.

Zheng Sanniang also asked considerately: "This sour plum soup is chilled, I wonder if you two can drink it chilled."

"If you can't, there is some warm mung bean drink in the kitchen."

The old woman smiled and waved her hand, saying, "I'm so hot from traveling so fast, I just want to drink a bowl of cool water to cool off. Thank you, madam, you don't need to change."

The old man asked the old woman, "Look at what you want to eat, pick out the clean ones and order a little bit, just taste them, and don't eat too much to get an upset stomach."

The old woman glanced at the old man in a reproachful manner, looked at the menu carefully, and ordered a plate of chilled hot and sour cold noodles, a plate of garlic pork, a plate of crystal steamed buns, and a plate of cold shredded chicken.

After ordering, he smiled and said, "My dear, please don't think I'm nagging. I'm old and can't eat much."

"When the food is served, please bring another small bowl and divide the cold noodles into two small portions. One portion is enough for me and my old man."

Zheng Sanniang smiled and agreed. Just as she was about to leave, the old woman said, "Madam, don't be in a hurry to leave. I want to ask if the owner of Fengnian Restaurant is in the store?"

Zheng Sanniang didn't know why the old woman asked this, so she looked at her with some confusion and replied, "Mother-in-law, I don't know which shop owner you want to find, but is there anything I can help you with?"

The old woman said, "As soon as I entered Anping County, I heard passers-by say that Miss Shen from Fengnian Restaurant was a great cook. She opened both the restaurant and the inn."

"I heard that Miss Shen is only sixteen or seventeen years old. I am very curious. I have never seen such a capable girl before."

Zheng Sanniang listened to the old woman's praise, and a proud look appeared on her face. She smiled and said, "Speaking of the good points of our daughter, even one pair of hands cannot count them all."

"But today is unfortunate. The girl went out to buy food and hasn't come back yet."

The old man was fine with it, but the old woman couldn't help showing a look of disappointment.

Zheng Sanniang smiled and said, "Don't be disappointed, mother-in-law. Our daughter said that as long as you like the restaurant's dishes, it doesn't matter what the cook looks like."

"Please wait a moment, your order will be served soon."

As he said this, he bowed slightly, took the menu and went to the big kitchen in the backyard.

The old man was left thinking about Zheng Sanniang's unintentional words just now, as if thinking about something.

After the summer came, in order to keep the store cool, Shen Yu temporarily stopped the fire in the store's small kitchen that was used for cooking and frying meat skewers. All the dishes were prepared in the large kitchen in the backyard.

The advantage of this is that there is no fire in the shop, and with the spinning wind wheel and ice cubes, the room is very cool, and guests are very comfortable when they come in to eat.

The price of the wind turbine was not low, but Shen Yu didn't even blink and bought three of them at once.

Not only was it placed in the private room in the courtyard, but also in the scattered seats of the restaurant. In addition, they were willing to buy ice, so Fengnian Restaurant had the best dining environment among all the restaurants on this street.

Even the owner of the noodle restaurant on the street would bring his four or five-year-old daughters to Fengnian Restaurant to eat from time to time.

They ordered a bowl of iced spicy and sour cold noodles and a bowl of fresh fruit ice cream with honey syrup. The father and daughter each held a cool bowl and would sit there for half a day enjoying the cool breeze before reluctantly going back.

The old man and the old woman sat there waiting for their food to be served, taking a close look at the exhibits in the shop.

The old man glanced at the calligraphy written by the county magistrate hanging on the wall and shook his head imperceptibly, as if he disliked the ugly handwriting.

The two sipped the slightly cool sour plum soup. The old man took a sip and praised: "This sour plum soup is well made. It tastes better than the one you made in your small kitchen."

The old woman also thought it tasted good.

Just then, Zheng Sanniang led the waiter to serve the dishes, and the old woman asked, "Madam, this sour plum soup tastes good. It has a light refreshing bitter taste at first, and then turns sweet and sour. But the herbs are added."

Zheng Sanniang nodded and smiled, "The old lady has a sharp tongue. This sour plum soup does contain some herbs that stimulate the appetite and strengthen the spleen."

"Our girl's uncle is a doctor. The two of them revised the recipe for this sour plum soup more than ten times before they finalized it."

"Everyone says it tastes good. We sell a lot of this sour plum soup every day."

"Some people even brought pots to buy it, but it's not as cold when you get it back. It tastes best when you drink it directly here."

The old woman smiled and said, "Oh, if it's for sale, why do you give customers another bowl when they come over? Aren't you losing money?"

Zheng Sanniang smiled and said, "This is also what our young lady ordered. In summer, all guests who come to dine will be served a bowl of ice cold drink, or sour plum soup, or mung bean drink, and in winter, a bowl of hot soy milk."

"Although it means less money, having a small bowl of this before a meal can whet the appetite and nourish the body, and the guests will feel more comfortable while eating."

The old woman nodded, and Zheng Sanniang said, "Please enjoy your meal, the dishes are all here. If you need anything, please call us."

She bowed and went back to entertaining other guests.

The old man and the old woman ate slowly, listening to the gossip of the diners next to them from time to time.

It was almost lunchtime, and before long, quite a few people were already sitting in the shop.

But because the wind wheel was turning and the tables and chairs were arranged sparsely, even though there were many people, they did not feel hot.