The food was served quickly, and before Xiao Yunying even picked up her chopsticks, she scooped half of the noodles from her bowl into her father's bowl.
"That's enough, honey. Eat more. You've gotten so thin lately."
"It's better to be thinner, Dad. You forgot what the doctor said: being too fat is bad for your health."
After Xiao Yunying finished shredding the noodles, she handed the bowl to her father and sat down to eat a bite of noodles herself.
Hmm, this tastes pretty good.
The noodles weren't as bland as she'd imagined. The soup wasn't just hot water; it was chicken broth, topped with a layer of minced pork belly that had been stir-fried. It was just the right amount of salty and bland.
The other dishes were also quite good. Xiao Yunying touched the fish soup with her chopsticks, as did the Four Happiness Meatballs. The soup was thick, probably because it had been thickened with cornstarch.
The meatball soup was very delicious; it must have contained some kind of flavor enhancer, but she couldn't taste what it was.
This restaurant is something else.
She wasn't foolish enough to ask the staff; it was the restaurant's secret recipe, and she wouldn't be able to get it from them anyway.
Xiao Yunying ate half a bowl of noodles, drank a bowl of soup, and ate a few bites of vegetables before feeling full. She put down her chopsticks and waited for her father and brother.
While waiting, he called the waiter over to pay the bill, and the price he quoted almost made Xiao Shan Hai vomit up.
"Four ounces and six mace? Just these few dishes and a few bowls of noodles?"
"Sir, you should be able to tell that the dishes at Huiweilou are different from those in ordinary restaurants. I dare not say that you can find a better restaurant in Donglin City than ours."
Xiao Yunying remained calm; the prices were written below the menu on the wall, but she deliberately didn't mention them.
The waiter was very attentive; I imagine that if she were illiterate, he would have reminded her that the food was not cheap.
After all, they don't want to encounter people who can't afford to pay and try to dine and dash.
"Dad, you guys take your time eating. I'll go pay the bill first."
Xiao Yunying followed the shop assistant to the counter to pay the bill. When she went upstairs, she counted out twenty copper coins from the change and gave them to him: "Your service was very good, I am very satisfied. This is for you."
In this world, giving money to others is perfectly normal, just like modern tips, but she couldn't bring herself to use the word "reward".
The waiter smiled even wider: "Thank you, young lady. Please be careful on the steps."
When Xiao Yunying returned upstairs, her father and brothers quickly used steamed bun wrappers to wipe the plates clean.
The waiter pretended not to see anything and went downstairs. Xiao Yunying said, "Dad, are you full? Would you like to order a few more dishes?"
Xiao Shanhai deliberately puffed out his stomach: "I'm full, I'm full."
Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "Don't drum so hard, aren't you tired?"
Although her father was over forty, his body was completely free of excess fat due to his long-term work in the fields and mountains, let alone having a big belly.
Xiao Shanhai left the restaurant, led his oxcart away, and only after he had gone some distance did he say, "A restaurant is really not a place for us country folk. One meal here has cost half an acre of fertile land."
Xiao Yunying knew he was reluctant to part with it: "We don't come here often, so this is just an occasional opportunity to broaden our horizons."
Xiao Yunbo said, "What's so great about it? It's not even as good as the food you cook."
Xiao Yunying smiled without saying a word. She said that her delicious cooking was all thanks to the seasonings from the supermarket, but that Huiweilou restaurant was really amazing.
Xiao Yunying walked side by side with her father: "Dad, when we get back, shouldn't we treat the people who helped carry the tiger to a good meal to thank them?"
Xiao Shanhai said with satisfaction, "My daughter has grown up and understands the ways of the world."
Xiao Yunying rubbed her nose, both amused and exasperated. She bought two reams of oil paper from a general store, then went to the nearby pastry shop and bought two pastry gift boxes and several packets of pastries wrapped in oil paper.
The gift box looks nice as a present, while the oil paper-wrapped pastries are for personal consumption. Apart from the different packaging, the pastries are the same.
I went to a shop that specializes in selling wine and bought two large jars of wine, each jar containing ten jin (5 kg).
"Dad, did you drink the wine I gave you last time? What did you think of it?"
"I haven't drunk it yet, I'll drink it when it's opened tonight."
The oxcart went to the market, but she arrived late. There wasn't much good meat left at the butcher's stall. Xiao Yunying picked out a large piece of spare ribs, a piece of pork belly, eight pig trotters, two pig hearts, and finally gritted her teeth and bought a set of pig intestines.
She was too lazy to clean up, but her brother was there.
The stall owner gave her two pig tails and chopped up some spare ribs into small pieces, wrapped them up, and handed them to her.
Xiao Yunying paid with copper coins, thanked them, and had her father lead the oxcart to Jinxiu Pavilion. They waited outside while she went in alone.
Cheng Yue was talking to two embroiderers when she saw her arrive. She told the embroiderers to go inside and said, "Yun Ying, why are you so late? If you hadn't come soon, I would have gone to your village to look for you."
Xiao Yunying didn't mention her illness: "I had some family matters to attend to recently and couldn't leave. I forgot about you. I'm so sorry."
"What's wrong?"
"It's a good thing, don't overthink it. I'm tearing down the thatched hut and building a brick house."
"That's really good news. Don't forget to invite me to your housewarming party later!"
Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "Don't worry, I can forget you, no matter who else I forget."
"Are you here to pick up your clothes and blankets? Did you call a car?"
"Can I leave my things here for now? I want to come back and pick them up after the new house is built."
"Sure, why not?"
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