Cheng Shuang followed the waiter into the restaurant.
The restaurant has accommodations, and like modern hotels, there's an internal map posted at the entrance.
Seeing no familiar faces in the lobby, Cheng Shuang simply sat down by the door. As the waiter turned to fetch bowls and plates, she quickly glanced up at the map.
The first floor is a lobby, the second floor has private rooms, the third and fourth floors are guest rooms, and the fifth floor is marked as a VIP suite.
She remembered seeing from the outside that the restaurant only had four floors, with a lush green garden on the roof before she came in…
The young girl wasn't bothered; seeing the waiter approaching with a form, she looked away.
Until the order was placed in front of me.
It's a menu.
Cheng Shuang looked down and almost jumped up in surprise.
What is that?
Red sand and brown sugar.
Brown sugar cake.
Bitter-tasting small silver fish marinated in brown sugar.
Sugar and eggs.
Stir-fried bitter nuts with spicy brown sugar.
It's either sweet or bitter. Do people here have such strong tastes?
Fortunately, each dish had a price tag, so the money was still useful, although the prices were extremely high.
A dish costs one tael of silver, like spicy brown sugar stir-fried bitter nuts, which are blatantly labeled as costing one tael of gold.
These prices are outrageous; it's practically a rip-off.
The little girl weighed the few coins in her bag, scratched her cheek, and pointed to a dish that looked normal and not expensive—red sugar braised eggplant.
Fortunately, although she ordered one dish, the waiter was not surprised at all. He cheerfully brought her a pot of steaming hot water and went to the kitchen, leaving Cheng Shuang alone to look at the thin menu over and over again.
The menu does not include staple foods or drinks.
Were menus in ancient times really this simple?
She remembered that in the TV series, inns and taverns would have several signs behind the counter listing the various dishes.
If this place cannot be viewed according to ordinary ancient customs, how could she possibly uncover clues that defy common sense?
Cheng Shuang sighed slightly, took out her ticket, and used the table as cover. She quickly glanced at it and confirmed that the straight line coincided with the small red dot. She hadn't gone to the wrong place. It seemed that the person she was looking for should be in the room above her.
Doesn't he check the ticket every now and then? Otherwise, why doesn't he make an excuse to go downstairs and reunite with her now?
The little girl was full of questions, but when she saw the dishes the waiter brought out, she immediately calmed down and was even a little speechless.
Is brown sugar-braised eggplant the same as sugar-coated tomatoes?
Looking at the slices of tomatoes covering the entire plate, with a small mound of brown sugar in the middle that could almost be counted, the little girl clutched the few pieces of silver in her bag, and a wicked thought of dine and dashed suddenly arose in her mind.
This dish costs one or two taels of silver? No wonder the restaurant is deserted; it can still operate so big. They're just trying to rip off whoever they can!
After silently grumbling, Cheng Shuang picked up a slice of tomato without changing her expression, smelled it, and recognized the aroma of tomatoes.
The waiter noticed her hesitation and quickly came forward with a smile to explain, "Sir, these purple eggplants are a novelty brought by a distinguished guest who has come to our city. Although they are a bit cold, they have a rich flavor, sweet and sour, and are a rare delicacy. Our boss paid a high price to order these purple eggplants!"
As if afraid the guests wouldn't believe him, the waiter said with a proud look, "For the Star and Moon Festival, purple eggplant is one of the designated dishes. However, I heard that the higher-ups couldn't decide whether it should be steamed, stir-fried, or cold-dressed, so it's not completely finalized yet. Right now, this purple eggplant is unique to our Sifang Restaurant. You definitely won't be able to find it at any other restaurant."
You guys are really awesome!
The little girl gave a thumbs-up in support.
She remained silent, using body language to express everything she wanted. Fortunately, she wasn't encountering many people or situations at the moment, so she could manage.
The more you say, the more mistakes you make.
Under Xiao Er's watchful eye, Cheng Shuang tried a couple of bites. The taste was just tomato, nothing else. Remembering how the three children treated the sugar, she ended up cherishing it, dipping the brown sugar in the tomato slices and eating every last grain.
Sure enough, it was just as the waiter said—too cold.
It felt like it had been soaked in ice water.
Seeing that the guest shivered after finishing his meal, the waiter quickly brought over another pot of hot water. "Please have some hot water, sir."
Cheng Shuang did not refuse. She glanced at the teapot on the table. It would only take a few minutes to eat a dozen thin slices of tomato. Even if she was slow, she couldn't possibly wait until a pot of steaming hot water turned into cold water.
Besides, the temperature here is pleasant; it's not like winter in the north.
The waiter brought a new cup, poured in fresh water, and slowly steamed up.
Cheng Shuang smiled gratefully at him, picked up the cup, took a small sip, and murmured, "Mmm, pure water..."
Soon other customers arrived at the shop, and the waiter turned to attend to them. She hurriedly reached for the glass of water that had been sitting there for a while; it was a little cold to the touch.
A man and a woman with long, flowing hair, dressed in flowing robes and skirts, entered the restaurant. After they sat down, they ordered only one dish and ate it intimately.
Cheng Shuang paid special attention and noticed that they didn't eat much. Most of the time, they just touched their chopsticks. Although they finished every last drop of soup from a dish, it was clear that the two of them had come to the restaurant to socialize.
She placed the loose silver on the table, letting the waiter weigh it himself, and then carefully put away the rest, pointing upstairs.
"Sir, you need a room?" the waiter asked in surprise. Before he could finish speaking, a rough, hoarse voice came from behind, "She's here to see me!"
Cheng Shuang suddenly looked up and saw Du Lushui wearing a blue robe, walking down the stairs. Because the robe was too short, it revealed a pair of clean sneakers.
The waiter, who had been very easygoing, immediately became obsequious and subservient, as if he wanted to flatter the customer to the heavens. He even forgot to collect the money and rushed over to help Du Lushui down.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
