The reason it’s called a high-priced private restaurant is not only because of its serene environnt, but also because the dim sum here, like shrimp dumplings and various desserts, are highly sought after. In recent years, so ingredients have been scarce, otherwise, there would be more variety.
Generally, people have to obtain a number in advance so they can dine here the next day. And even if they manage to dine here, it’s not certain that Master Fan will personally cook for them.
At this mont, Yi Zhe ca and directly ntioned Master Fan’s and his own na, and shortly after, a small, lean old man ca running out.
Master Fan has close ties with the Yi family and was a childhood friend of Mr. Yi. Back in the day, a family with an inherited chef had a good foundation. If this old man didn’t have this skill, he might have followed Mr. Yi to fight against the invaders back then.
"Little Hu Niu is here?"
Zhou Jiao quickly lowered her head upon hearing this tone, fearing she would lose control and laugh out loud. This nickna has such an impact!
"Grandpa Fan..." Yi Zhe shook his head helplessly, "When do you plan to retire? My grandfather wants you to go to Beijing, why haven’t you left yet?"
Master Fan imdiately turned around to lead the way, "I’ll find you a seat, follow ." While walking, he changed the subject, "Guests are here? What would you like to eat? Today I’ll show you a skill or two."
Yi Zhe glanced at Zhou Jiao and laughed, "You decide, keep the flavors mild, and serve more desserts and snacks."
"Alright, have a seat first, I’ll have soone serve you desserts."
After seating the three of them, Yi Zhe went out again for a bit.
"Auntie, aren’t you going to tell us the story of the Red Tassel Musket?" Zhou Jiao curiously asked after he left, eager for gossip.
Cheng Ruzhu gave a sidelong glance at the two little gossips and smiled, "I spent my childhood at the rear with Little Hu Niu’s mom. Later, after Hu Niu’s maternal grandfather passed, we parted ways. When we returned to Beijing and reunited, Hu Niu was already born. On my wedding day, her mother gave my childhood favorite, the Red Tassel Musket, as a wedding gift."
Hearing this, a trace of doubt flashed in Zhou Jiao’s eyes. If the relationship was so good, why didn’t her aunt visit her old friend during two trips to the Northeast?
Cheng Ruzhu glanced outside, seeing Yi Zhe hadn’t returned yet, and said in a low voice, "Her mom was quite intriguing, um, how should I put it? She loved wielding weapons, do you know Hua Mulan?"
Yi Jiefang nodded continuously, "That’s indeed the case. If she hadn’t married my uncle, she might still be in the military now. When I was a child and visited my uncle’s ho, what impressed most were the many weapons my cousin’s family had, all kinds of swords and knives."
Zhou Jiao covered her mouth to suppress her laughter, recalling the smiling fox and her dad. Their tastes in partners were worlds apart. She was curious to see if such an interesting woman was as she imagined.
Yi Zhe returned just as the dishes were being served.
"Brother, hurry up, we’re just waiting for you."
Hearing Yi Jiefang say this, he laughed, "Why didn’t you start first? Little Aunt, there’s no need to be formal with us."
"Just had so desserts." Cheng Ruzhu pointed to several hot dishes on the table, shaking her head with a smile, "These dishes are so exquisite, I can’t bring myself to eat them."
Zhou Jiao nodded in agreent. After being in the Northeast for so long, she was used to large bowls and plates, and found these small dishes really familiar, especially with the carved patterns...
"Last ti in Hai City, they also claid it was Cantonese cuisine. Let’s not even discuss the taste, just the pineapple carving was vastly different. This is how it should be!"
Seeing Zhou Jiao give a thumbs-up, Yi Zhe couldn’t help but laugh, and placed sweet and sour pork on a small plate in front of her.
Zhou Jiao noticed he used public chopsticks, a detail that made her happy, so she smiled at him and thanked him.
When dining with others, she was always worried soone would use personal chopsticks to help themselves to food, leaving her in a dilemma whether to eat it or not. Refusing would embarrass the person.
Yi Zhe was montarily taken aback by her smile and quickly averted his gaze, continuing to serve dishes to Cheng Ruzhu.
Whether he hid it well or everyone was focused on the food, no one noticed this scene, allowing Yi Zhe to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
The dinner passed amidst a harmonious atmosphere filled with soft laughter. By the ti they left, it was already dark, and under the streetlights, people were strolling around, and the nearby Victory Mall gathered quite a few custors.
Under the sa sky, it might be snowing up north, but here a gentle breeze blew without a hint of chill. Such weather made Zhou Jiao think of Hong Kong... and Mr. Zhang...
"Little Aunt, where are you headed next? I’ll drive you there before leaving."
Cheng Ruzhu shook her head, "You’re stationed far from here, head back early. We’ll stroll to the guesthouse slowly. Be ho early for the New Year’s festival."
Yi Zhe nodded with a smile. It was indeed late; he still needed to check on his wife who bore him children.
"Brother, if we get a chance to your camp’s vicinity, we’ll definitely visit you."
"Alright, recently I’ve mostly been on duty in the office. Call imdiately if anything cos up," Yi Zhe said, then retrieved a yellow-green military bag from the car and handed it to Zhou Jiao.
Zhou Jiao tilted her head, blinking, looking at him with curiosity.
Yi Zhe resisted the urge to reach out and touch her head, smiled and said, "This is for Xiao Wu, giving it to you is just the sa."
Hearing it was for Zhang Guoqing, Zhou Jiao didn’t hesitate. She knew these two occasionally exchanged letters and local specialties from various places.
The two mocked each other in their letters, like true friends who love to tease. She had seen Zhang Guoqing curse at people while smiling and sending things in return countless tis.
n’s friendships, forgive this little woman for failing to grasp the nuances!
Yi Zhe gave her a deep look before getting into the car, waving them off, and driving away.
"Little Aunt, it’s still early now, where would you like to go? I can take you."
Cheng Ruzhu casually pointed forward and then glanced at Zhou Jiao. Why did she feel sothing was off? She shook her head, maybe she was overthinking.
"Auntie, let’s walk along the riverbank. We ate too much at dinner, so I need a good stroll."
Yi Jiefang disdainfully gave her a sidelong glance, "Do you know how far it is to the riverbank? Fool! Aren’t you afraid of exhausting yourself? Beg , my brother gave a lot of coupons."
"Look at you! Are you really my brother?"
Cheng Ruzhu watched the two bicker and laughed heartily.
"Hmph, let you have your way this ti."
Zhou Jiao wouldn’t take him seriously, waved her hand, and laughed, "Let’s just stroll around here to my aunt’s guesthouse, and head back early."
"Silly! You finally get out and want to head back, don’t get too close with those three girls in your room."
Zhou Jiao listened to his words and nodded earnestly.
Yi Jiefang felt uncomfortable discussing others behind their backs, thought a bit, and explained, "This afternoon, those girls were asking about Little Aunt. Intentional or not, they have too many little sches."
Surrounded by smart people, Yi Jiefang could see through it easily. Zhou Jiao understood it must be sothing soone said, which annoyed him.
"Understood." Zhou Jiao didn’t express thanks, she knew who in the Big Courtyard was genuinely kind to her family. Thanking Yi Jiefang would insult this friendship.
User Comments
0 comments from readers