Chapter 83: Plain Soup Noodles
Baiwei Restaurant was located in a remote lane. When they arrived, they found the doors were open and no one was at the doorsteps.
Coming forward, Hong Yu took a look and then turned to Zhao Xiaotao, smiling, “Is it broke?”
“No way! Baiwei Restaurant is the largest restaurant in this area!” Zhao Xiaotao said. But looking at the restaurant in front of her, Xiaotao felt somewhat diffident.
“Miss An, we might as well go somewhere else, this is too...” Hong Yu said while shaking her head.
Raising her eyebrows, An Rushuang smiled, “That’s all right. Let’s go have a look.”
An Rushuang also wanted to know how Baiwei Restaurant, which would be the most famous restaurant in the capital, was in such a poor condition.
Saying so, they got off the coach. Zhao Xiaotao ran to the doorstep and began knocking at the door.
“Hello! Waiter! Is someone inside...”
Seeing Xiaotao’s reaction, both An Rushuang and Hong Yu couldn’t help smiling.
After a while, when Xiaotao felt tired, a dull voice was heard, “Who’s there? Could you please keep quiet...”
A man said in such an annoying and upset tone as if he had not had a good sleep for three days.
Then a slim man came out from the shadow. Once in the sunlight, he couldn’t help frowning and stepping backwards, revealing tiredness and agitation. With a dark face in the shadow, he squinted and glanced at them.
Seeing the man, An Rushuang felt a bit surprised. If Xiaotao didn’t say this was a restaurant, she would even mistake the man in front of her as a beggar in the street.
The man’s face was bony and his jaw was so sharp that could even be used as a weapon. With severe dark circles and glassy eyes, the man looked indeed dispirited. With his hair in a mess, the man looked around thirty.
His clothes were also disgusting. His blue cloak was stained with grease and dirt. Only its collar could tell it was a blue cloak; all other part was grey. The smell of him made everyone retrieving.
Looking at the man, Zhao Xiaotao was shocked. After a while, she rubbed her eyes and said in an incredible manner, “Are you the owner... Mr. Cheng?”
Hearing this, the man raised his eyebrows and looked at her, “...who are you?”
Apparently the man could not recognize Xiaotao.
“I am... I was once starved and you gave me things to eat...” said Zhao Xiaotao hurriedly and happily pointed at An Rushuang, “Mr. Cheng, I invite Miss An here for meals. How...”
She really did not know how to say.
Hong Yu came closer to An Rushuang and whispered to her, “Miss An, look at him. Are we really going to eat here?”
Looking at Hong Yu, An Rushuang didn’t say a word. Hong Yu then lowered her head.
Hearing Xiaotao’s words, the man smiled and then began laughing until tears came to his eyes. He couldn’t even stand still as if he had heard something extremely funny.
Seeing this, Xiaotao couldn’t help reflecting on what she had said. She had just said that Miss An was going to eat here. Why did he laugh? Why was he so happy? That was too strange...
After a while, Zhao Xiaotao interrupted, “Mr. Cheng, are you ok?”
Hearing this, the man smiled, waving his hands, “I’m ok. Come in please...” Saying so, he made an exaggerated gesture to invite them into the restaurant before he staggered inside.
Turing to An Rushuang, Zhao Xiaotao was confused whether they should come in or not.
An Rushuang slightly nodded and then walked in, followed by Xiaotao and Hong Yu.
On entering the restaurant, they were so surprised that this restaurant could be the poorest one they had ever seen.
In the spacious Baiwei Restaurant, no one was inside apart from them. Most desks and chairs were broken; walls were mottled with clay and under the bottom there was a huge mouse hole. The whole restaurant seemed to have been robbed. But who would take the trouble of robbing such a shabby restaurant?
Seeing this, Zhao Xiaotao was indeed astonished. When she came here last time, it was quite busy. Mr. Cheng had said that he would rebuild the restaurant the next year. What happened exactly?
Waving his hand, Mr. Cheng seemed to be neglecting their surprise, “I’m going to prepare your meals and feel free to find a place to be seated. Sorry about that...”
Saying so, he staggered to the kitchen.
Looking at him leaving, An Rushuang couldn’t help feeling surprised and curious about what had happened. Was this the would-be well-known Baiwei Restaurant?
“Miss An, let go. How could you eat here? We couldn’t even sit down...”
After entering the restaurant, Hong Yu kept nagging about this place and tried to persuade Miss An to leave.
Hearing the noises coming from the kitchen, An Rushuang bent over to get the bench.
Seeing this, Xiaotao hurried to help and said, “Miss An, let me do this.”
It was her that invited them to Baiwei Restaurant. But she didn’t expect the restaurant would be as such.
Seeing An Rushuang taking a seat, Hong Yu also helped with her, but she still asked, “Miss An, are we... are we really going to eat here...”
Zhao Xiaotao was also nervous as she also did not want to stay here to eat when she saw all these shabby decorations.
Seeing their reactions, An Rushuang couldn’t help chuckling, “Take things as they come. Help yourselves and take a seat.”
Hearing this, Hong Yu finally stopped nagging and began tiding up desks and chairs with Xiaotao.
Soon after they were seated, Mr. Cheng brought their food. But this time he wore a comparatively clean apron.
An Rushuang suddenly noticed that the man’s hands were extremely clean, which were in obvious contrast with his overall appearance.
“Help yourselves.”
When the dishes were set up, the strong smell of food spread out.
They came forward and found it was a full ceramic bowl of plain soup noodles with chopped green onions as its toppings. Suddenly the whole Baiwei Restaurant was full of the delicious smell of the noodles.
Soon they ate up the noodles and then An Rushuang asked Xiaotao to pay the bill. However, Mr. Cheng declined their money and smiled with self-deprecation.
“I really appreciate that you can come here at this time. It’s on me and do not come in the future.”
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