"While drinking liquor alone in the bamboo forest, I don't have any intimate friends. I give a toast to invite the moon, the shadow then joins our gathering to form three," while drinking the liquor and eating the dishes, Yuan Zhou suddenly came up with the impulse to recite a poem.
It was definitely true that liquor made people brave. During normal times, how could Yuan Zhou drink and recite poems?
Early next morning, Yuan Zhou took a small box and came downstairs. There came a sound of "Ping Ping Pang Pang" from the inside. Who knew what exactly was in it?
It was still early, thus Yuan Zhou decided to make Soup Dumplings. There were too many customers who waited to eat Soup Dumplings in the morning every day. Every time he said there wasn’t any, he carried a bold expression. Nevertheless, the sight of those people was rather frightening; it made him tremble slightly with fear.
He kneaded the dough and rolled the dough skins. When Mu Xiaoyun came and saw Yuan Zhou making the Soup Dumplings, she couldn’t help grinning.
"Boss, you are preparing the Soup Dumplings today,"
"Humm," wearing a mask, Yuan Zhou nodded.
Mu Xiaoyun likewise knew that Yuan Zhou basically didn’t talk while cooking to maintain his utmost concentration. She then picked up the rag and started the wipe the tables and chairs, that were free from any dust and dirt, happily.
While she was wiping, she noticed the new decoration in the restaurant. Inside of the sergestes wall landscape that almost took up the entire wall at her right hand were shrimps that swam slowly, appearing to be more like beautiful pink flower petals rather than only shrimps.
"They are so beautiful. Are they flower petals?" Mu Xiaoyun went up and couldn’t help touching the glass, sighing with emotion.
Standing in front of the wall, Mu Xiaoyun watched the sergestes swimming slowly inside with a dull look. It took her quite a while before she realized. "Are they really the shrimps? So cute."
The sergestes in the wall were pink. They were originally small in size, however, there were still tinier ones. The color of the tinier ones was a light pink; therefore, the interior of the glass wall was like an attractive ocean of sakura, with the pink and light pink flower petals dancing freely.
Meanwhile, although he wasn’t proficient in the skill of rolling the dough skin with one hand and making the Soup Dumplings with the other, Yuan Zhou nevertheless still used both hands and did the work quickly. It was not long before the Soup Dumplings with 32 fold were obediently sitting in the steamer.
Only when all the Soup Dumplings were moved into the steaming pot and started to be steamed did Yuan Zhou take off the mask and say, "I have a small box here. If anybody orders the Bamboo Liquor today, he can draw a lottery. A red reward means that he can come over here at night to drink the liquor while a white reward means nothing."
"Boss, you came up with something new again. That’s great," Mu Xiaoyun only reacted now and said happily.
"Humm, remember that," Yuan Zhou carefully instructed.
"No problem. What’s that, boss? Is it the shrimp?" Mu Xiaoyun pointed at the sergestes glass wall and asked curiously.
"Yes, shrimp," Yuan Zhou nodded affirmatively but didn’t intend to explain to her.
Just when Mu Xiaoyun prepared to ask something more, Wu Hai walked into the restaurant with heavy steps.
"Is it open for business today?" With a haggard look, Wu Hai asked fiercely as if he would go up to bite Yuan Zhou if he dared to say no.
"Yes, it’s open for business today. Furthermore, you can eat Soup Dumplings," Mu Xiaoyun hurriedly went up and greeted him.
Yuan Zhou nodded at the side.
"That’s really awesome. I want both Soup Dumplings and Egg Fried Rice Set," immediately Wu Hai revealed a ferocious smiling face and said.
"The usual rule applies, no Egg Fried Rice, only Soup Dumplings," Yuan Zhou totally disregarded the frightening expression of Wu Hai and said calmly.
"I can’t eat my fill with only one Soup Dumpling. You know, I haven’t eaten anything for two full days," Wu Hai slumped in the chair and said with a firm look.
"Well, you can order the Clear Broth Noodle Soup," after thinking for a while, Yuan Zhou remembered there were still some noodles left in the preservation tank, and hence said affirmatively.
"Fantastic. Clear Broth Noodle Soup, Clear Broth Noodle Soup Set and a Soup Dumpling," Wu Hai straightened his back up and ordered three dishes in one go.
"Wait a moment," Yuan Zhou first carried the Soup Dumpling to him.
Wu Hai didn’t actually like eating Soup Dumplings with vinegar. Yuan Zhou also knew that, so he didn’t ask Wu Hai anymore.
Following that, all they could hear was Wu Hai inhaling in various ways. After sucking the soup with sound of "Si", he continued to eat without stopping. In just a moment, he had already eaten up the Soup Dumpling.
"Finally I survived," Wu Hai patted his chest and heaved a sigh.
"What’s the matter with you, Brother Wu?" Mu Xiaoyun asked with curiosity at the side.
"Boss Yuan, if you close the restaurant again in future, I will sit at the entrance and stay there until you open it," Wu Hai looked at Yuan Zhou who was cooking the noodles and then said with a firm tone.
"What’s wrong with you?" Mu Xiaoyun asked again.
"Ah, you are here, Xiaoyun. Nothing much. It’s just I have been hungry for two days," Wu Hai then turned his head and looked at Mu Xiaoyun before saying in a pathetic tone.
"Why didn’t you eat?" Mu Xiaoyun felt Wu Hai was really rich. He didn’t even blink every time he paid the bill. How was it possible that he couldn’t afford any meal?
"Where could I go since your boss didn’t open the restaurant?" Wu Hai asked back and immediately said again, "However, luckily your boss opened the restaurant on time as promised. Worshipping him for the last two days finally resulted in a good end."
"What?" Mu Xiaoyun became slightly s astonished.
"It’s nothing," Wu Hai waved his hand.
Then Mu Xiaoyun didn’t know how to respond to him any longer. Suddenly, inspiration flashed through her mind, she pointed at the price list and said, "We have a new product now. It’s liquor."
"Really? How surprising it is to have liquor now," Wu Hai turned his head curiously and saw it.
The price list on the wall clearly marked that, Bamboo Liquor, 5888 RMB per bottle (200ml)
"Well, you really have it. What kind of liquor it is?" Wu Hai was also fond of liquor. However, he didn’t seem to ever hear about it.
"You’ll know after you drink," Yuan Zhou happened to carry out the Clear Broth Noodle Soup and the set meal to him around this time.
"Let’s talk about the liquor later. I’m almost starving to death." Before he even finished talking, Wu Hai had already picked up his chopsticks and began to eat the noodles, emitting sound of "Xi Li Hua La" and occasionally devouring a clove of garlic. His mouth never took a break from eating the various dishes.
"Boss Yuan truly keeps his word. So this is the new decoration?" At that time, a person entered the restaurant from outside. He was a refreshing and clean boy with a short hair, dressed in a blue and white plaid shirt along with jeans.
"Yes, it’s quite splendid, right?" Mu Xiaoyun said proudly.
"It’s indeed good-looking. But is that a flower petal inside the glass wall?" The person asked curiously.
"Of course it’s not. I’m afraid it’s some kind of animal," before Mu Xiaoyun could say something, Yin Ya’s voice came from behind them.
"Yes, it’s living," seeing Yin Ya enquiring about the matter with her gaze, Yuan Zhou answered with a nod.
"Is this the prawn that person bought last time?" As a meticulous girl, Yin Ya easily found the prawn bought by Chef Yu’s son was swimming happily in the glass wall.
"I put it inside and rear them together as a display," Yuan Zhou said affirmatively.
The man who had triggered the mission of the sergestes wall landscape two days ago likewise walked into the restaurant from outside.
"Boss Yuan, you really hide your light under a bushel. These small creatures are difficult to rear in this district. It’s me who try to show off in the presence of an expert," the man said so once he opened his mouth, revealing a more mild tone.
"You know what they are? Then tell us what kind of spectacle Boss Yuan is showing us." The refreshing and clean young boy was fairly curious.
"Sure. This small creature is called sergeste as it resembles the color of the sakura. With its distinctive color and size, it should be sergia lucens, which was originally produced only in Tungkang of Ping Dong County in the Taiwan Province and Junhe Harbor of Jing Gang County in mainland Japan. As for those from other places of origin, they are either unable to be reared or are modified from the Taiwan Province ones. The colors of those will not be so transparent and attractive as the sergia lucens."
The man spoke an unceasing flow of words and appeared to be knowledgeable on that.
"Are you in the business of sea products?" the boy looked at the sergestes and again at the man.
"No, not really. I liked those ornamental animals before," the man said with a rare smile.
"But I’m curious that Boss Yuan will also rear such delicate tiny creatures?" while saying that, he turned his sight to Yuan Zhou.
The sergia lucens were quite difficult to rear and the method was very complicated. If reared in an inappropriate way, they would easily die. However, people who admired beauty would find it hard to refuse its attraction.
Yuan Zhou said, "…"
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