Chapter 513: The Bustling Town
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Of course, Blue Eagle also received some food. He sat beside Lan Ruozhu and the door to keep his guard up while eating. However, he felt like crying as he ate for some reason.
‘It’s too delicious—no wonder I’m so excited. I’ve never eaten such delicious food. The princess’s culinary skills have improved exponentially since her appearance changed.’
No matter the reason, he knew it was because of the princess. Blue Eagle usually quickly ate since he was the Shadow Guards’ leader, but not this time. He ate slowly, savoring the food and tasting it.
Su Binglan also ate alongside her brother. “Brother, I put a century egg and lean meat in your porridge. You should like it. I also added medicinal herbs that are beneficial for your nutrition.”
She scooped a bowl for Lan Ruozhu as she spoke. The latter held the bowl. Just looking at it warmed his heart, but he was reluctant to eat as it was the porridge his sister had made.
He felt touched and became teary-eyed. Indeed, having his sister by his side felt different. He knew he should not cry because he did not want to worry his sister.
He still thought he was dreaming. His sister had finally returned to him and even cooked delicious food for him.
“Quick, have some, Brother.”
After hearing his sister’s voice, he finally scooped and tasted the porridge. Su
Binglan looked at him and softly asked, “How is it? Is it good, Brother?”
Lan Ruozhu looked at her expectant eyes and nodded vigorously. “Of course it is. It’s very delicious. I’ve never had porridge like this.”
He was being honest. Perhaps the porridge was genuinely delicious, or maybe it was a psychological effect. Still, he felt it was the best porridge he had ever eaten.
His stomach warmed up after eating a few mouthfuls. A warm sensation flowed through his heart and then to his entire body. He said, “You should have some too, Sister.’
Su Binglan explained, “This is a medicinal porridge that I made special for you, Brother. I added herbs, so I can’t have it. I’ll eat the other food I prepared. ”
The siblings sat at the dining table, talking while eating. They chatted and laughed happily and seemed to have returned to their youth. Even so, Lan
Ruozhu did not speak much, as his sister was the one talking most of the time.
Although she did not talk much at home, she wanted to tell her brother many things. Lan Ruozhu obliged and listened with great interest. He thought her stories were the best.
Nioreover, he was interested in the many delicacies his sister mentioned. “What’s a hotpot?”
Su Binglan was patient when talking to her brother, “Oh, that’s when we put a pot in the middle of the table and add soup. When the soup starts to boil, we put whatever ingredients we want. After cooking the ingredients long enough, we can remove them from the soup, dip them in a sauce, and eat them.”
She told her brother about hotpots in detail and even told him of the two hotpot restaurants she had opened in Tenghe Town. She spoke of how well the two restaurants did and that everyone loved eating there, especially during winter or a cold day.
Lan Ruozhu became increasingly interested in the restaurants as he revealed a smile. He looked like he was eager to go to the hotpot restaurants. “The food there must be delicious.’
Su Binglan said, “l can make hotpot for you at home, Brother.”
However, Lan Ruozhu shook his head. “That’s okay. I want to eat at your hotpot restaurant.”
It had been long since he felt such a lively atmosphere, so he wanted to experience it with his sister. Hence, he insisted on going to the restaurant to eat.
Su Binglan said firmly, “Okay, I’ll take you wherever you want to go once your health has improved. You can have hotpot, barbecue skewers, desserts, roast duck, braised chicken, stinky tofu, and many more delicacies in town.”
Tenghe town developed excellently and had become much livelier. Many businessmen from abroad visited to eat delicious food. Since that was the case, many people dubbed the streets of Tenghe Town “Food Street.”
Although some did not know how to cook roasted haggis, they learned to sell mutton soup. Some even opened small noodle and dumpling stalls and sold home-cooked food on Food Street.
The place Su Binglan had rented in the west of town had also become part of Food Street. Everyone would go there to eat whenever they had nothing else to do. Moreover, hawkers were at the town’s entrance, with people selling daily necessities—some even sold soles for shoes, chickens, and ducks.
The place resembled a small market in the afternoon, as people could always find cheap and affordable things there. Also, if the villagers had trouble selling their things elsewhere, they could open a stall at the town’s entrance to sell them there.
Meng Ce did an excellent job as the county magistrate, allowing everyone to set up stalls at will. He felt he could improve many ordinary people’s lives if this continued.
He saw people constantly smiling wherever he visited Tenghe Town, which made him happy. He felt he had made his position as county magistrate a meaningful one.
When Su Binglan talked about the delicacies in Tenghe Town, she realized there were many more available foods there. Many people developed their own food.
They made egg wraps with vegetables, dipping them in a sauce before serving them to the customers. Their food was delicious and sold well. No one would have thought of making such unique foods in the past.
However, most families in the surrounding villages and Tenghe Town became better off and had extra money. Hence, they were more willing to spend it to experiment with food. Afterward, they would set up stalls in town to sell their new delicacies.
People could also order small dining carts from Su Wenxing, which were affordable. Pushing a small dining cart to town to set up a stall was also much more convenient.
They could earn plenty of money by setting up stalls for lunch as a source of extra income for their families. These things encouraged everyone to study food even more.
Some even started selling their versions of barbecued skewers. They had seen the popularity Su Fengzhi’s skewer shop had gathered but could not learn from him.
Most could not get charcoal as easily as others and dared not learn to make skewers. However, some were smart enough and put in more effort.
Although they did not have the Su family’s special seasonings, their barbecued skewers tasted unique. Everyone was willing to buy some to try. Therefore, those who set up stalls had good business as long as their food was delicious.
The town only became deserted three days before the earthquake, but it regained its lively atmosphere immediately after.
It had been three days since the earthquake when Su Binglan rode past Tenghe Town. She noticed how much livelier it had become as more people were around.
When Lan Ruozhu heard about all this, he could not wait to visit and take a look at the changes. “It must feel very lively there.” ‘The prefecture is more remote and not as lively..’
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