Chapter 88. Wang Yu brought over two large cardboard boxes. Just thinking about it wasn't enough...
Wang Yu brought over two large cardboard boxes.
Just thinking about it wasn't too tiring, but there were still two iron basins. Those iron basins were specially used for burning paper money. Qiao Yanyu was afraid that ordinary stainless steel basins wouldn't be effective, so she asked Wang Yu to buy the kind of paper money basins that residents used to use to commemorate their ancestors.
When Wang Yu brought the boxes over, He Zhao was almost done preparing food. She was incredibly fast at serving food; after all, practice makes perfect, and her hands moved so quickly that she could prepare a meal for the dead in just a few seconds.
Not to mention, she's incredibly accurate at flipping the wok, ensuring each bowl contains the exact same amount of rice, thus avoiding any potential arguments among the ghosts about who has more or who has more.
The tall guy was having a tough time because today you had to finish one serving before you could get a second. Usually, he gets one spicy and one non-spicy, and he was agonizing over it while waiting in line. Just then, he caught a glimpse of Wang Yu carrying a large box and immediately realized—their drinks had arrived too. This time, he stopped hesitating and ordered a spicy one directly.
After receiving it, it walked to the side and didn't rush to eat it.
He Zhao's regular customers were all like this; after receiving their rice bowls, they didn't rush to eat, but waited for He Zhao to finish preparing everything. He Zhao put down his rice spoon, looked at the group of customers, waved, and then sneakily pulled Wang Yu away.
As He Zhao passed by Qiao Yanyu, he said, "Sister Qiao, could you please keep an eye on things here for me? I'll be right back."
"Okay, go ahead."
Hua Hua, with its sharp eyes, naturally spotted them sneaking away. Even among the ghosts, it was still ostracized; no one wanted to be with it. After thinking for a moment, it quietly followed them. Qiao Yanyu, of course, saw its actions, but said nothing and let it pass.
Wang Yu had watched He Zhao burn the trident before, but this time He Zhao didn't follow. He left Wang Yu there to burn drinks for the regular customers and ran back first. She couldn't be bothered to burn it slowly with Wang Yu; it was more important to stay with Qiao Yanyu.
He Zhaofei ran back quickly, went to Qiao Yanyu's side, pushed her wheelchair to a quieter, windless place, then ran back to the food cart, took out a folding table and his own stool from the cart's storage, and brought them to Qiao Yanyu.
She unfolded the folding table, opened the takeout food that was placed next to Qiao Yanyu's wheelchair, took out small drinks, and placed them in front of Qiao Yanyu. Then she unfolded them one by one to show Qiao Yanyu the food she had bought.
"Sister Qiao, look, I bought quite a lot, including rice noodles. It's cold outside, so it's good to eat something warm. And this too, fried skewers, fried chicken, fries, and this is dry pot bullfrog. I read in the reviews that they're all delicious." Before trying them herself, He Zhao tended to trust the reviews.
Qiao Yanyu smiled and said, "You bought quite a lot."
"You bet it is. I bet Sister Qiao's taste buds must be getting tired of food while she's in the hospital, so I bought a lot. Even though it's all junk food, it's delicious."
The folding dining table was low enough that it fit perfectly in front of Qiao Yanyu's wheelchair. He Zhao opened a drink and placed it beside Qiao Yanyu: "Sister Qiao, let's eat!"
Besides what He Zhao mentioned, she also bought a lot of braised dishes, making it a perfect late-night snack. Qiao Yanyu smiled, picked up her drink can, and clinked glasses with He Zhao: "Let's eat!"
These were all takeout orders from He Zhao. Some were delicious, and some weren't so great. As a seasoned gourmet, He Zhao's food reviews were very sharp. For example, he criticized one braised dish: "This shop must be doing poorly. The braised food isn't even as good as those chain stores or those with central kitchens. These lotus root slices have been braised for who knows how long; they're gritty and not crunchy at all. If they can't make braised food, they might as well just go back to their hometown."
Finding seaweed knots in her food infuriated her: "This place definitely didn't tie their own seaweed knots; they must have bought semi-finished products. There was even sand inside! If they serve customers this kind of quality, I'm definitely giving them a bad review!"
Qiao Yanyu happened to have a seaweed knot in her hand, which He Zhao immediately snatched away: "You can't eat this! It's dirty. Sister Qiao is eating dry pot bullfrog. This bullfrog is well made and delicious. The potatoes in it are also delicious and crispy."
As she spoke, a piece of bullfrog was stuffed into Qiao Yanyu's hand.
Just as He Zhao said, the bullfrog was indeed well-cooked. The only drawback was that it wasn't spicy enough. But there was nothing that could be done; He Zhao really couldn't handle spicy food, so Qiao Yanyu would just have to bear with it. Normally, He Zhao would never let Qiao Yanyu suffer with him.
But at this moment, He Zhao had something to say: Qiao Yanyu is a patient right now. Even if it's a free meal, she can't eat anything too oily or spicy. Mildly spicy is fine. Otherwise, when they're sent back to the hospital, the doctors will scold them.
However, He Zhao asked the shopkeeper to add a little more spice to the rice noodles, which suited Qiao Yanyu's taste better.
Halfway through her meal, another ghost came to find He Zhao. This ghost was one of the faster eaters and had already finished its rice. He Zhao was still eating skewers at this time. Hearing the ghost urging her, she said, "Don't rush me, are you trying to summon my soul? I'm coming." She then took a big bite of all the meat on the skewer and drank a large gulp of soda before getting up.
The food stall wasn't far from the small food cart, and He Zhao quickly reached it, serving the food to the ghost. He then snatched the chopsticks from its hand and placed them upside down on top of the rice. Only then did he shove them into the ghost's arms.
"Eat! All you ever do is eat! Go eat already!"
He Zhao returned, strutted down on the stool, picked up his drink and clinked it against Qiao Yanyu's: "Sister Qiao, don't worry about them, let's eat ours!" Qiao Yanyu smiled: "Okay."
Qiao Yanyu really liked the rice noodles He Zhao ordered. It was medium spicy, which was exactly her preferred level of spiciness. It also had Sichuan peppercorns, and each bite was numbingly spicy, making Qiao Yanyu, who had been eating bland food for several days, feel particularly satisfied. At least compared to the other mildly spicy dishes, it suited her taste much better.
However, He Zhao watched over her and didn't let her eat too much. She had to rest after eating a few bites, drink some beverages, and eat something else, otherwise He Zhao was worried that eating like that would upset her stomach.
Not long after the two sat down, a group of ghosts and a person walked in from the park entrance. It was Wang Yu and her group who had just gone out to the crossroads to make small drinks. These ghosts were all satisfied, each carrying several small bottles of drinks in their arms. They sneaked back into the park without the other ghosts noticing, and then found a corner to squat down, afraid that the other ghosts would see them.
Wang Yu then rushed over to them, exclaiming, "Ah! You didn't wait for me and started eating first!"
Caught red-handed, the upright Qiao Yanyu felt a little embarrassed, but He Zhao was particularly shameless: "What are you yelling for? We can't wait for you, can we? It's so cold today, and we don't know when you'll be back. Do you expect Sister Qiao, who is sick, to wait for you and then eat cold food?"
He Zhao's words made Wang Yu a little embarrassed: "Ah... that's not what I meant."
Wang Yu stood awkwardly to the side. He Zhao glanced at her and said, "Go get a stool and come sit down." Wang Yu was overjoyed and went to the dining car to find a stool. As she brought it over, He Zhao shoved a can of drink into her arms and said, "Eat!"
Wang Yu was even happier. She popped open the drink with a "click" and held it up: "Eat!"
The lively atmosphere wasn't limited to their group; the ghosts over there also huddled together, their meal gradually becoming more boisterous. Initially, because they didn't know each other, the ghosts were a little reserved. But food is definitely one of the best ways to build rapport.
Ghosts are no exception.
In particular, the food they each eat tastes different. Naturally, conversations will inevitably begin with questions like, "What are you eating?"
Once this question is asked, all sorts of answers will be received, such as: pickled fish, roasted tofu, fermented rice wine, barbecue, hot pot... the list goes on and on. Originally, they were eating their favorite things, which the ghosts should have been able to satisfy. But human desires are insatiable, and the same is true even when one becomes a ghost.
Having eaten their favorite food, and hearing others talk about it, they'd think: "Oh, hot pot, barbecue, and boiled chicken are all good too, as are roast chicken, roast duck, and braised pork." Inevitably, they'd want to taste what others were eating. Soon, even He Zhao heard that standard phrase: "Let me try it!"
Unfortunately, even if the ghost manages to reach into someone else's bowl with its chopsticks and painstakingly scoop out a mouthful of rice, it will only find its own favorite food. At first, the ghost felt a little disappointed, but then it thought, "Even as a ghost, being able to eat what I loved most in life is lucky enough."
After all, ghosts can't experience any of the joys and sorrows of life. Otherwise, He Zhao's rice wouldn't be so popular.
The atmosphere was even more lively at He Zhao's regular customers' place, because they still had the small drinks that Wang Yu had brought over. The sounds of drinking beverages are different from the sounds of eating, especially carbonated drinks. Taking a sip without making a "ha" sound is considered quite an achievement.
This sinful little drink, combined with my favorite food, how could it not be considered a perfect ghost life?
Speaking of beverages, Wang Yu whispered a little tidbit: "We actually did an experiment just now to see if you could still taste the beverage if you didn't eat it with rice. The conclusion is—no. If you don't eat it with rice, you won't feel anything when you drink it; there's no taste, no carbonation. It feels weird, like you haven't drunk anything at all."
"But if you take out rice, or even just put the rice aside, and the ghost has the thought that 'I am eating this with the rice,' then the little drink will have a flavor and feel like a carbonated drink."
He Zhao hadn't expected this to happen. She turned to look at the group of guests, who seemed to have forgotten their initial plan to "drink quietly and secretly." They were all getting excited, as if they were drinking fake alcohol instead of beverages.
The sound of clinking glasses, in particular, is very noticeable, just like it is here.
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