Chapter 50: Living in the Present

"Welcome to Yu's Restaurant!"

The staff shouted their usual greetings to customers, their voices clear and loud.

The two distinguished guests and the first-time diners were taken aback by the spectacle, and then curiously looked at the restaurant and them.

The staff's uniforms retained the traditional style while incorporating some innovations, creating a unified yet distinctive look. Each garment was embroidered with the words "Yu Family Restaurant." Both male and female staff members were clean-cut and wore their hair in a bun.

"Quite interesting," Tang Yuhui said, appreciating the sight with great interest.

"Brother Tang, come and look at this painting!" Tao Wenque's voice was filled with excitement.

Tang Yuhui looked in the direction of the sound and saw that his friend was practically pressed his face against the wall to observe the details. Then, his gaze fell on the painting, and his eyes lit up as well.

"Who is the master behind this? What school of thought does it belong to? I have never seen anything like this before..." He couldn't find the right words to express it for a moment.

Without waiting for an answer, the workers laughed in unison, "This was drawn by my boss's wife herself."

Tao Wenque was extremely pleased with the painting and shouted, "Quick! Get me paper and pen, I want to write down what I saw today!"

Yu Wan knew that her recipe wall was unique, but it had no real value. The reason it had aroused such great interest from her two distinguished guests was simply because it was novel.

"Distinguished guests, why don't you have dinner first?"

"No rush!" Tang Yuhui said humbly. "Madam Yu, could you tell us about this painting? How did you come up with this style, and how did you think of incorporating a recipe into a fairyland?"

Tao Wenque pressed further, "Has Madam Yu ever studied painting before?"

Yu Wan smiled and said, "I've studied for a while now, but this menu wall of mine isn't anything worth studying. It's just to add a little something to the restaurant. Why don't you two go upstairs and get something to eat?"

The two men surrounded her, wanting to ask her more questions, but were stopped by Lord Zhu.

"That's enough for you two. You can study the murals after you've filled your stomachs." He was really hungry; his stomach had been growling for ages.

Jin Yifei chimed in, "Yes, Uncle Tang, Uncle Tao, this painting won't fly away, so you can admire it anytime. But you can't miss your meal. You've been playing all morning; your health is important. How about this, let's ask Awan if she can come over to discuss it after the shop closes tonight. It'll be quieter then when all the customers have left."

Yu Wan smiled and replied, "Of course, no problem at all."

The two of them finally followed each other upstairs with reluctance.

As soon as they entered the private room, everyone was captivated by the more than one hundred delicious dishes on the table.

Lord Zhu urged, "Please come in and sit down. We're all acquaintances, so don't be shy. Enjoying the food is the most important thing."

"Please enjoy your meal, everyone. I'll head out now." Just as Yu Wan was about to leave, she heard Tang and Tao call out to her.

"Don't go, don't go, sit down and eat together."

"Yes, yes, by the way, about your painting."

Yu Wan smiled bitterly to herself. She ran a restaurant, not an art gallery, and she couldn't answer questions that were too technical.

Lord Zhu smiled and said, "Sit down. These two are just like that. Don't mind them. Just chat for a bit."

Yu Wan maintained a respectful attitude and gave appropriate answers to both of their questions.

"Can we eat now?" she asked with a smile.

The two sat down and an incense stick had been burning for a while, but they hadn't even picked up their chopsticks yet.

At first, Master Zhu offered a few words of advice, but later he ignored them and started eating by himself.

"Truly exquisite, every dish is to my liking."

Jin Yifei and Zhu Zhifeng, the two younger members of the family, dared not touch their chopsticks. The guests had not yet started eating, so they could only watch, their eyes fixed on the table full of dishes, unable to take it all in.

Seeing how much Lord Zhu was enjoying his meal, the two of them were genuinely anxious.

Tang Yuhui's thoughts were still on the painting. "Today's discussion with Madam Yu opened up new avenues of thought for me. My teacher once said that all things change but the essence remains the same, and I thought I had grasped that, but now it seems I've only reached the intermediate level. Alas, my thinking is still too limited. I, Tang, have benefited greatly! If you have time tonight, could you demonstrate a small painting for us?"

"Sure, no problem," Yu Wan replied with a smile.

"Okay! Let's eat!" Tang Yuhui picked up his chopsticks after receiving the promise.

Seeing this, Zhu Zhifeng and her brother quickly grabbed their chopsticks and ate with happy expressions.

Tao Wenque glanced at the dishes on the table, then picked up a piece of stir-fried goose liver from the nearest plate.

He didn't rush to put it in his mouth, but first observed its appearance. "It's light pink in color, and the cooking time is just right. There's a trick to stir-frying foie gras; if you overcook it, it will become tough."

He then held the foie gras to his nose and sniffed it carefully. "I was right. It still retains its rich and mellow aroma."

Only then did he slowly put it in his mouth and chew gently. "Smooth and delicate, not bad, very good!"

Yu Wan reminded him, "Mr. Tao, you can use the condiments on the side to make the flavor even richer."

"Oh? I'll try." Tao Wenque picked up another slice of foie gras, dipped it in the seasoning, and this time put it directly into his mouth.

He closed his eyes, chewing and savoring the layers of foie gras.

Then he suddenly opened his eyes and exclaimed, "I've eaten foie gras so many times, but today is the best I've ever had!"

Tang Yuhui, who was standing next to him, had already eaten his third salt and pepper shrimp. "Brother Tao, you should eat this shrimp! It's crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, so delicious! Even the shrimp at Furonglou Restaurant in the capital isn't this perfect!"

The two ate several bites in a row, not in a hurry to eat the others, thinking that it was already quite an achievement that only one or two dishes tasted good.

They were also glad they were lucky; otherwise, they would have missed out if their favorite dishes had been served last.

Master Zhu hurriedly said, "Don't just keep eating the same dish. Try the others too. There are so many other dishes, and they're all delicious. I'm not kidding you."

The two thought it was just polite talk, but they still tried it. After tasting it, they were both stunned. They didn't say anything and just kept eating.

After they put down their chopsticks and let out a satisfied burp, everyone exclaimed that the sumptuous meal they had eaten that day was the most satisfying meal they had ever had in their lives.

Zhu Zhifeng was full, but there were still some things she hadn't eaten, so she could only regretfully wait to arrange them for later.

"Uncle Tang, Uncle Tao, this is the first time I've ever had such a satisfying meal. It's so enjoyable! It's just a pity that my appetite is too small, and I can't possibly eat this much."

Tao Wenque laughed heartily: "I heard that your father usually cooks. It seems his cooking skills haven't improved. Back in the day, a few of us classmates rented a house together and took turns cooking every day. Everyone's cooking skills were about the same, but your father's dishes were really not good. I now enjoy eating all kinds of delicious food from around the world, probably because I suffered abuse from him back then, so now I'm satisfying my cravings in revenge."

Tang Yuhui echoed, "That's right, that's right."

This remark elicited bursts of laughter from everyone.

Zhu himself was all smiles, showing no embarrassment at having his past exposed.

"Do you think I'm having an easy time? I even dislike the food I make myself. It's because I have no talent for it."

Tao Wenque said enviously, "But now you have Yu Family Restaurant by your side, so you don't have to travel all over the country to enjoy so many delicious foods. If I could eat here every day, I would have no regrets in this life."

After chatting for a while, Lord Zhu decided to take his men out to explore the county town.

"Let's digest our food together. Tonight I'll take you to Zuixianlou Restaurant. Their dishes are excellent, and most importantly, their pastries are absolutely superb. If you try them, I guarantee you'll never forget them."

Tang Yuhui sighed softly, "Brother Zhu, when we received your letter, we thought you couldn't hold on any longer in this remote county and were feeling frustrated, which is why you invited us to come and help you relieve your depression. We never expected that you would not only manage this small, remote county so well, but also live such a fulfilling life."

Tao Wenque looked worried: "Although Brother Zhu, you are doing well now, given the current situation, who knows when... I'm afraid all your hard work might be in vain."

Yu Wan observed and listened to their conversation. She could sense that they had once harbored great ambitions. Although they were far removed from the court and lived a carefree life, they still cared about national affairs and thought about their friend's current situation.

They all knew that as long as the war continued, everything here could be destroyed.

Lord Zhu laughed and said, "It hasn't happened yet, has it? Who knows when that day will come? Maybe tomorrow, maybe next year. We can't wait anxiously for the unknown. Living in the present and making the most of this life is the most important thing."

"Well said!" Tang Yuhui slammed his hand on the table. "Absolutely right! Live in the moment, and make the most of this life! Brother Zhu, I never imagined your level of understanding was so much higher than mine. I am ashamed, so very ashamed."

"I'm also ashamed," Lord Zhu said with a wry smile, pointing at Yu Wan.

“She told me all of this. I’ve lived for decades and am quite well-read. It was a teenager who enlightened me on such a simple principle.”

Upon hearing this, the way the two looked at Yu Wan changed.

"This Lady Yu has such a magnanimous and generous heart!"

Yu Wan smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare. I'm just an ordinary person."

Finally, after seeing them off, Yu Wan stood at the door, watching their retreating figures and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She has done everything she could; all that's left is to wait for time to tell.

Just as he turned to go back inside, he saw Xue Xiujun come out, and the two almost bumped into each other.

"How could you be so reckless? Luckily, Lord Zhu and the others have already left," Yu Wan scolded.

Xue Xiujun chuckled and said, "Boss lady, how was my performance today?"

Yu Wan knew exactly what he was up to, and took out five taels of silver from her pocket.

"This is a personal reward for you, take it. But you really can't go on like this. Young people need to think about themselves. Think about the kind of life you used to live. Do you want to suffer like that again?"

Xue Xiujun took the money and ran away, saying, "I just don't want to suffer like I did before. Boss lady, you don't need to prepare my meal tonight."

Yu Wan shook her head helplessly, deciding to leave him alone if he wouldn't listen to advice.

She's just the boss's wife, not his mother.

She had just sat down and drunk a cup of tea when Guan Yanling rushed over.

"A-Wan, how did your lunch go? Were those two easy to talk to?"

Yu Wan was arranging the flower baskets. "Not bad, she's quite talkative."

Guan Yanling asked, "What did you talk about? I'm a little nervous. What if we mess things up? Although my father and the Gao family father and son will be there in person, but..."

"But what?" Yu Wan stopped what she was doing and looked at her seriously.

Ever since they became acquainted as fellow villagers, they would visit each other every few days. Even if they couldn't visit in person, they would send each other some food from their own shops.

Guan Yanling frowned. "Young Master Gao said that many of the ideas were mine, and he's worried that if they ask about them, they won't be able to answer, so he wants me to come along. What should we do? Awan, please help your sister!"