Zhao Xian quickly ordered several dishes and returned the menu to the waiter. The waiter looked at the menu and then cautiously asked:
"With so many of you, isn't this a bit too little food?"
"That's already quite a lot. There are so many dishes on the menu, plus crab delicacies. I'll have one of each."
The waiter was taken aback for a moment, then said, "There are more than ten varieties of delicacies made with crabs. Please decide if you want one of each variety."
"Yes, one of each kind, please. With so many dishes, how could it be too little?"
"Add more than ten crab dishes, and that's quite a lot; I doubt the table will have enough room for them all," the waiter said.
"You don't need to worry about that. Just bring out the food. We also have one more request."
"Please feel free to tell me your needs, sir."
"I don't ask for much, just that your manager Huang personally serve the last dish."
The waiter was taken aback. He didn't know why Manager Huang was serving the last dish, but he was too embarrassed to ask.
"Okay, that shouldn't be a problem. Manager Huang can serve the last dish."
After the waiter finished speaking, he left the private room and gently closed the door behind him.
It was still early, and there weren't many customers in the restaurant, so the dishes were served quickly. Before long, steaming hot and delicious food began to be brought to the table.
Without any hesitation, everyone picked up their chopsticks and began to taste the food.
As expected of the flagship store of Qinghe Restaurant, every dish is made with great care, from ingredient selection to processing. The dishes are not only delicious and visually appealing, but even the plates used to serve them are exquisite.
Finally, a large plate of spicy crabs was served. The unique aroma immediately filled the private room, and everyone stared wide-eyed at the legendary crab delicacy.
Li Xue finally saw clearly that the crab was a very small crab. She had eaten large crabs before, but this was the first time she had ever seen such a small crab.
When cooking crabs, the chef cuts them in half, marinates them to remove most of the muddy taste, and then cooks them with special seasonings. A delicious dish of crabs is then ready.
The most distinctive feature of mud crabs is their abundance of crab roe. This crab roe is incredibly delicious, and although there isn't much crab meat, diners come specifically for the crab roe.
Delicacies made with crabs were continuously served to the table, which was soon filled with bowls and plates. However, there was no need to worry about not having enough space on the table, as everyone devoured the food very quickly, and empty plates were constantly being cleared away.
As Li Xue ate, she couldn't help but sigh.
"It's so good to be alive. If I had died from typhoid fever before, I wouldn't be able to enjoy these delicious foods. That would be such a pity."
Li Xue's words caused everyone to burst into laughter.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room, which was then slowly pushed open. A man dressed as a chef walked in carrying a plate with seven or eight small bowls filled with steaming crab soup.
This should be the last dish. Needless to say, this person is Manager Huang of Qinghe Restaurant.
Huang Bo was also a little puzzled. These guests were really strange. They asked him to serve the last dish himself. What was going on? It seemed that the requests of guests to eat these days were really bizarre.
The moment Huang Bo walked into the private room carrying the plate, he finally understood what was going on; it turned out that Zhao Xian had arrived.
Huang Bo quickly put down the plate in his hand, came to Zhao Xian, and bowed.
"Greetings, Lord Shaoqing. When did you arrive?" Huang Bo asked, his face beaming with delight.
"I've been here for a while. I heard you were helping in the kitchen, so I didn't want to bother you. So I had the waiter tell you that the last dish is for you."
"That's right. I was wondering why the guests asked me to serve the last dish. Now I understand. It turns out that Lord Shaoqing has arrived."
"Indeed, under Manager Huang's management, Qinghe Restaurant is doing better and better."
"You flatter me, Lord Shaoqing," Huang Bo said with an embarrassed smile.
"Manager Huang, let me introduce you. This is Princess Li Xue of the current dynasty. She heard about this delicacy, crab, while she was in the capital and came all the way here to try it."
Huang Bo immediately tensed up and quickly went to Li Xue, bowing respectfully.
"This humble subject greets the Princess."
Seeing Huang Bo's embarrassed expression, Li Xue couldn't help but laugh and said:
"Manager Huang, there's no need for such formalities. We all really enjoyed the crab dishes you prepared. Look at the crabs on the table; they've all been devoured, which shows how popular your restaurant's crabs are."
Huang Bo looked down and saw that, sure enough, all the various crab delicacies that had been served had been eaten clean.
"I'm so sorry, I'll go downstairs and make a few more dishes. We must eat to our hearts' content." Huang Bo said, and then he was about to leave.
"No need, Manager Huang, we're already full. Eating any more will upset our stomachs," Li Xue said.
At this moment, Huang Bo remembered the crab soup that had just been served and quickly said:
"There is another dish, also made with crabs, called crab soup. It is extremely delicious and tastes best when drunk hot."
After Huang Bo finished speaking, he brought over the crab soup, one bowl for each person.
Everyone immediately picked up their spoons and began to taste it. The crab soup was a paste-like consistency, mainly made from the meat and roe of the crab. The flavor was not very strong, but it was extremely delicious.
Everyone had eaten quite a few crabs, and their stomachs were already a little bloated, but after drinking a bowl of crab soup, they felt much more at ease.
Seeing that everyone had indeed eaten their fill, Huang Bo spoke up:
"Lord Shaoqing, would you like some tea?"
Zhao Xian glanced out the window and, seeing that it was still early, said:
"Alright, then bring some tea."
Huang Bo had the dishes and bowls on the table cleared away, and then tea was served.
The group then started chatting, mostly about things that happened in the restaurant.
After chatting for a while, Huang Bo seemed preoccupied, and his speech became somewhat incoherent. Seeing this, Zhao Xian spoke up:
"Manager Huang, is there something you need? You might as well tell us."
Huang Bo nodded, a little embarrassed. He took a deep breath and finally spoke.
"I have a cousin who is in his early twenties. He is a handsome and learned young man who works in Qing'an Prefecture."
Some time ago, he came to the restaurant to see me, met Miss Da Ni, and fell in love with her at first sight.
He then asked me to mention this to Da Ni, but how could I dare to say it? Da Ni is the cousin of the Junior Minister, and although she is the head chef in the restaurant, she has a noble status.
But my cousin is just a servant in the government office; how could he be worthy of Miss Da Ni?
Later, when Da Ni met my cousin, she was quite polite to him and didn't seem to dislike him; in fact, she seemed to like him a little.
It's a rare opportunity to see you today, Lord Shaoqing, so I've taken the liberty of bringing this up. I wonder what your thoughts are on this matter?
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