The lady boss didn't even ask how many dishes they wanted, and turned around to tell the boss. Fang Lang didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment. Good fellow, you don't treat yourself as an outsider at all!
It was not known whether it was because the proprietress had such an impetuous and straightforward personality, but the other party's tone and actions did not make Fang Lang feel disgusted. Instead, he felt quite pleased with it, as if they were friends who had known each other for a long time.
Seeing the proprietress leave, Fang Lang stopped thinking about it and looked at Reinhardt who was looking around curiously.
"Hey! Rinehart, how are you feeling?"
Hearing this, Reinhardt turned around and glanced at the leaving proprietress, and whispered:
"Brother, isn't this place unsanitary? I saw them cooking right on the street."
In response, Fang Lang just smiled and said directly:
"Don't worry! There's an old Chinese saying that goes 'If it's not clean, you won't get sick from eating it.' There are so many guests eating here, so there's no need to worry about hygiene.
Moreover, I just observed that the boss's stove is very tidy, the food is also cleaned very cleanly, and after cooking each dish, the boss will clean up the place, which shows that the boss has very good hygiene habits. We don't have to worry about hygiene at all. Now we mainly want to see how it tastes."
...
...
For someone like Fang Lang who has experienced many years of running food stalls in the later life, the hygiene conditions of a food stall can be seen at a glance. At least in his observation just now, he did not find any obvious problems with the hygiene conditions of this couple's stall.
It was obviously the first time for Reinhardt to dine in such a place, so he felt a little uncomfortable.
"Okay! You have the final say. I hope the taste here won't disappoint you."
After hearing Fang Lang's answer, he shrugged indifferently.
Fang Lang patted the other person's shoulder nonchalantly, signaling him to be at ease, then turned around and called to the proprietress:
"Madam, please bring me three bottles of beer to rinse my mouth."
For some reason, after Fang Lang sat down at the food stall, he felt completely relaxed, as if he was back to the time when he sat with his friends and could smoke, drink, brag and chat without any scruples.
It was normal to make loud noises in this kind of food stall, but Fang Lang's shouting about rinsing his mouth with beer still attracted the attention of the diners around him, which was quite interesting.
The proprietress smiled happily upon hearing this and quickly responded:
"Okay, bosses, please wait a moment. Three bottles of beer will be delivered soon."
Beer was not a rare thing in this era, but the proprietress was still very happy when the customer ordered three bottles of beer, because the profit from alcohol was obviously higher than that from food.
Soon a bottle of wine was brought to the table. Fang Lang and the other two did not hesitate and each took a bottle and started drinking.
As soon as the three of them finished a glass of beer, the proprietress brought up the first dish.
"Boss, this is stir-fried clams with black bean and pepper. Please enjoy it slowly."
Fang Lang smiled and nodded to the proprietress, then began to taste the first dish. Stir-fried clams with black bean and pepper is a very traditional Hong Kong-style stir-fry. It is very simple to make. You only need to stir-fry the fresh clams over high heat until cooked.
Although this dish is simple to prepare, it is very challenging for the chef to make it delicious and tasty.
Fang Lang casually picked up a clam covered with soup and put it into his mouth. With a gentle suck, he sucked the clam meat into his mouth, and a refreshing and spicy taste immediately filled his taste buds.
The clam meat was fresh and tender, the soup was tasty, and more importantly, there was no taste of sand at all in the clam meat. Even Fang Lang couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, what a great cooking skill indeed.
Seeing this, Qi Qingshan quickly picked up his chopsticks, picked up a clam and put it into his mouth, and an expression of enjoyment immediately appeared on his face.
Poor Reinhardt was not used to using chopsticks, and he failed several times to get a single clam into his mouth. He was so anxious that he was in a panic. Fang Lang laughed and helped him pick up two clams and put them in the bowl.
"Try it now. This stir-fried clams with black bean and pepper tastes really good. You will never forget it after you have tasted it."
Reinhardt tried several more times with chopsticks, but still couldn't pick up the clams. Finally, he had no choice but to give up, threw down the chopsticks, picked up one and put it in his mouth. As soon as he tasted the flavor, his eyes lit up.
"Mm! Not bad, not bad, fresh, fragrant and tender. You really didn't lie to me."
Hearing this, Fang Lang laughed out loud.
Soon, the proprietress brought out baked fish intestines, sizzling chicken, stir-fried clams with black pepper and butter, and a serving of stir-fried beef noodles, filling the small square table.
Fang Lang couldn't help but admire the proprietress's business methods. The four dishes were almost all meat. It was obvious that she saw that the people were not short of money and were ready to make a good fortune.
Fang Lang didn't mind this kind of cunning tricks in the market. Besides, the taste of these dishes was really authentic, allowing Fang Lang to experience the flavor of Hong Kong-style food stalls.
With delicious dishes and beer, the three of them naturally enjoyed their meal very comfortably. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Reinhardt looked around and confirmed that no one else was eavesdropping around, then casually said to Fang Lang:
"Brother, today in front of so many reporters, you predicted that they would resolve the Hong Kong City issue through negotiation. Are you really sure?"
Fang Lang looked Reinhardt up and down for a while, and after seeing that he was a little embarrassed, he smiled and said:
"Rienhart, we are brothers, we can speak directly to each other without hiding anything.
You and I both know that when I said I was invited to visit Hong Kong, in fact, I invited the Brazilian Navy through your family's connections in order to avoid the controversy surrounding the Brazilian election.
I am Chinese and have always been very concerned about the situation in the Far East. If you are going to go to war with each other, I will not lead the Brazilian Navy into a war that does not belong to us.
Therefore, under such circumstances, I am still willing to lead the team to the port city. Of course, I am absolutely sure that there will be no fighting here, unless you British people are tired of living and do something stupid like the Amethyst again. "
Hearing Fang Lang's assessment of the Amethyst incident as a stupid thing, Reinhardt felt a little embarrassed. He couldn't help but take a bite of food to cover up his embarrassment, and then he slowly said:
"What is the basis for your certainty?"
“First of all, the leader on the other side is a man of his word. He said he would resolve the Hong Kong City issue through negotiation, and he will definitely keep his promise.
Secondly, the geographical location of Hong Kong is important, and it is a special existence for both you and them. They need a window to connect with the outside world and understand the Western world, and you also need a window to understand them, as well as a base to continue to exert influence in the Far East.
In my opinion, with such unique conditions, the development potential of Hong Kong City is unparalleled. The huge market with a population of over 100 million is what all businessmen dream of.
Secondly, you in the UK are not determined to make enemies with the other side, otherwise, when the other side occupied Nanjing, your embassy would not have remained there. "
When discussing this issue with Reinhardt, Fang Lang was actually much more direct and did not have any reservations like he did when talking to Governor Grantham.
But Fang Lang's words still surprised Reinhardt. As a lieutenant colonel in the British navy, he was not clear about the thoughts of the British upper class. In addition, in a country like Britain, the will of the upper class is often not unified, so middle-level officers like them did not particularly understand the will of the upper class.
He was still somewhat surprised to hear Fang Lang say that Britain was not determined to become enemies with China's new regime.
"How is that possible? They are the same regime as the Soviet Union!"
In response to Reinhardt's question, Fang Lang smiled and shook his head. He took a bite of food and put it in his mouth before speaking slowly:
“Why not? During World War II, you British people fought against fascism together with the Soviet Union! Didn’t you British people once say that there are no eternal enemies or eternal friends in the world, only eternal interests?
Is the so-called faith really the real reason for the confrontation between the Western world and the Soviet Union? I don’t think so! ”
Fang Lang's words caught Reinhardt off guard, but as a man born into a British aristocratic family, he was not completely ignorant of politics. He only thought about it for a moment and understood what Fang Lang meant, and then fell into deep thought.
"I understand what you mean. If that's the case, then they might give up the sovereignty of Hong Kong City in exchange for reconciliation with the British government, right?"
Fang Lang frowned upon hearing this. These British people always seemed to think they were superior and always thought about their own interests. Reinhardt obviously still felt that Britain was the stronger party. The other side did not attack the port city because they needed Britain's help.
After shaking his head, picking up a piece of chicken and chewing it for a while, Fang Lang slowly said:
"No, you are wrong! It is impossible for the other side to give up the sovereignty of Hong Kong City. The new regime now is different from the Chiang Kai-shek regime. They will never allow the existence of concessions in the country.
The reason why they are willing to maintain the status quo of the port city is not that they dare not go to war with Britain, but that they feel that the current port city is managed by the British, which can provide them with a window to understand the Western world.
When the time is right, they will definitely take back the sovereignty of Hong Kong City without hesitation."
Reinhardt took a sip of beer, looked at Fang Lang with some surprise, and said to him meaningfully:
"You seem very optimistic about this new regime?"
"Of course! You know I'm Chinese. I have many friends on the other side. I can learn some news about this regime from them. From what I've seen so far, I think this is a regime that is destined to be great."
Fang Lang made no secret of this. As a latecomer, he understood the future of his hometown.
When Reinhardt saw Fang Lang's determined expression, he was a little dazed for a moment. He had a deep understanding of Fang Lang's magic, so he was very receptive to Fang Lang's words.
Now hearing him express his confidence in the opposing regime, he began to feel a little confused for a moment.
"So, do you think Chiang Kai-shek's regime has no hope?"
"When did they ever have hope?"
Fang Lang sneered and couldn't help but ask back.
For a moment, Reinhardt didn't know how to answer this question. In fact, he didn't know the situation on the other side. He said that everything he knew was what he heard from the news after arriving in Hong Kong City, but the newspapers in Hong Kong City obviously would not speak for the new regime.
As a result, he had a big misunderstanding about the other party. Now seeing Fang Lang's attitude towards the other party, it seemed to be completely opposite to what he knew, which made him a little confused for a moment.
If he didn't know Fang Lang wasn't the kind of person who spoke without purpose, he would have been tempted to argue with him. But based on his understanding of Fang Lang, he began to feel that perhaps he had been wrong all along.
This situation is not uncommon. In today's Internet society, Westerners' attitudes towards their hometowns are biased, let alone in this period.
"Okay! If it's really as you said, it seems meaningless for us to deploy such a large army in the port city.
It seems that my wish to achieve merit and get a promotion will never come true!"
Fang Lang looked at this guy deeply. Would the Hong Kong fleet really be idle? Obviously not. In the upcoming Peninsula War, the British also sent a navy to participate in the war, of course, mainly aircraft on aircraft carriers and marines.
But Fang Lang obviously didn't want Reinhardt to participate in the battle with his hometown, which would make it impossible for him to continue to treat him as a friend. However, it was obviously impossible for him to leave the British Navy.
After all, this guy is now their family's last hope to stay in the navy. After a little thought, Fang Lang felt that he should find a way to divert the conflict.
"If I were you, I would not seek military merit in Asia. Think about who the biggest enemy of the Western world is now, and you should know where to focus your attention.
If I were you, I should find a way to transfer to Europe while Uncle Henderson still has the power!
That is the front line, that is where you will get the greatest support from the entire Western world, the best logistical support, the latest equipment, the most elite soldiers, and the most powerful enemy. "
In fact, what Fang Lang said was pure misleading. After World War II, Britain's colonies became independent one after another and the economy declined rapidly. Naturally, there was no need to maintain a large navy. From then on, the British Navy has almost been on a downward trend.
No matter where Reinhardt went, he was just looking for a sense of existence in the increasingly weak British Royal Navy. If Fang Lang thought so, he might as well retire and go home, use his family's connections, do some business with his company, and maybe become a business tycoon.
But now Reinhardt and General Henderson, and even the whole of Britain, have not given up the pride of the former world navy, and still want to maintain the dignity of their empire on which the sun never sets. They will have to dream for another 20 to 30 years.
It was not until the Labour Party came to power and began to cut naval spending bit by bit that the Royal Navy realized to what extent their navy had declined as warships reached the end of their service life and needed to be retired, and there was no money to build new warships.
It was not until the mid-1970s that the British finally faced reality and had to abandon their global strategy of competing for control of the oceans. They withdrew completely from the east of the Suez Canal and gradually transformed themselves into a regional navy.
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