Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 383, Chapter 382: Grandeur in Every Aspect

Shunzi understands Feng Xiuhu, and Feng Xiuhu understands him.

Master Ma saw right through Master Ye's little scheme: "Are you reluctant to part with the money?"

Shunzi muttered to himself, "What kind of place could you find a gold pillar in a single meal...? What kind of good place could this be?"

"This means it's a shady business."

Feng Xiuhu slammed his hand on the table and said decisively, "Then I want to see exactly how she's rigging things. If I'm not satisfied with her rigging, I'll smash up her shop!"

These words were spoken with great force, attracting the attention of the surrounding tea drinkers.

The shopkeeper quickly explained to the people, "Oh dear! They didn't mean me—my shop isn't a shady business!"

After much persuasion, they finally managed to see Feng Xiuhu and his companion out of the teahouse.

……

Since Fang Youliu was not present, the horse-head boat could not move, so Feng Xiuhu and Shunzi had to walk.

River Island is located to the west of Chayanzhu, but it is separated by several other islands. Feng Xiuhu and his companion asked for directions as they walked, and it took them quite a bit of effort before they finally reached the bridge to River Island.

As expected of the location of the government office, the bridge on the river island, as the political center of Qianyu City, is much more magnificent than those on other islands.

There were police officers on duty at the bridgehead, but unlike in Fancheng, there were no checkpoints. When Feng Xiuhu and his companion came across the bridge, the police did not question them. They just glanced at them for a moment and then looked away.

Shunzi exclaimed softly, "We can just walk through here? I thought they would stop us."

Feng Xiuhu had also noticed that although there were significantly fewer pedestrians on the bridge compared to other parts of Qianyu City, there were still some. Judging from their attire, these people were all ordinary citizens, indicating that the river island was not like the upper city, where outsiders were prohibited from entering.

"This place is better than Sail City."

Shunzi said with a smile.

Feng Xiuhu remained noncommittal – the absence of a visible door does not mean the absence of an invisible door.

It's really hard to say.

Asking for directions along the way took a lot of time, and by the time the two finally found the entrance to Shi Wu Yu, it was already lunchtime.

The teahouse owner referred to the fish-free restaurant as "Shifu" (食府), but when Feng Xiuhu saw it with his own eyes, he realized that the owner had made it sound too easy.

This is an extremely impressive detached building; at first glance, it is probably no less impressive than the Duke's Mansion.

Its main body is still a brick and stone structure with five floors, but the overall shape is a huge ship that looks like a painted boat.

The main entrance to Shi Wu Yu was located in the center below the "ship's side". Going up the wide steps, Feng Xiu Hu saw doormen standing on both sides - they were all burly men, uniformly dressed in tailcoats.

As the doormen bowed to Feng Xiuhu, he caught a glimpse of something bulging under their clothes—gun holsters.

Feng Xiuhu thought to himself, "This is quite a grand affair. It hardly looks like a restaurant anymore."
But he remained outwardly calm, putting on airs as he led Shunzi through the revolving door.

As soon as they came out, a lady in a cheongsam standing by the door came forward and greeted them with a warm smile: "Please come in, both of you."

She led Feng Xiuhu and Shunzi through a magnificent corridor and welcomed them into a resplendent hall.

As soon as Feng Xiuhu sat down, a waiter in a bow tie pushed a cart to his side, without wasting a single moment. The lady in the cheongsam took the menu from the cart, but instead of handing it to Feng Xiuhu, she bent down and held it up in the air to open it herself, her smile undiminished: "Is this your first time here? Let me recommend some of our Shi Wu Yu's signature dishes. Are there any dietary restrictions?"

Feng Xiuhu raised his hand to interrupt: "Wait a minute, how do you know this is our first time here?"

The lady in the cheongsam smiled and said, "Are you testing me, sir? I come and go every day at Shi Wu Yu, and I remember every single guest. I know exactly how many times they've come and what they like to eat. So, from the moment you two walked in, I knew you must be distinguished guests from out of town who have come because of our reputation. Of course, I have to be extra attentive to you and make sure I don't neglect you."

Feng Xiuhu glanced around and realized that there were actually only a few tables of guests in the hall.

He joked, "I don't think your business is doing very well."

The lady in the cheongsam was not annoyed at all: "That's because my family only entertains distinguished guests. Naturally, it has to be people like you two who have both status and poise that deserve our warm welcome."

Feng Xiuhu's eyes changed slightly.

From the moment she entered until she sat down, the lady in the cheongsam was impeccable in both demeanor and speech—and keep in mind, she was just one of many greeters; there were a whole bunch of people like her standing at the door.

Regardless of whether the fish-free food was expensive or not, it certainly broadened Feng Xiuhu's horizons in terms of professional competence.

By this time, Shunzi had already read through the first page of the menu. He didn't want to show his ignorance, but he couldn't help but gasp and exclaim in a low voice, "This is way too expensive—"

Feng Xiuhu pretended not to hear. He reached out and closed the menu, then looked at the lady in the cheongsam and said, "This is our first time here, and we don't know what's good to eat, so we won't look at the menu. I only have one request—I want to eat fish."

The lady in the cheongsam didn't change her expression and nodded with a smile: "The customer's request is our imperial decree - I will recommend a few signature dishes for you and find the best chef to cook them. I guarantee that what you eat will taste no different from real fish."

Feng Xiuhu said with dissatisfaction, "What I want to eat is real fish."

Even though she could see through Feng Xiuhu's deliberate attempt to make things difficult, the lady in the cheongsam remained unperturbed. She coaxed Feng Xiuhu, "My dear guest, once you leave Qianyu City, where can't you eat real fish? But these fake fish that look just like real fish are something we can't eat anymore without them."

Feng Xiuhu leaned closer: "Really not?"

The woman in the cheongsam shook her head: "Really not."

Her tone and demeanor seemed genuine, which bored Feng Xiuhu, who waved his hand and said, "Then you decide what to do."

The woman in the cheongsam bowed and walked away in her high heels.

The waiter pushing the cart handed over a warm handkerchief at just the right moment.

As Feng Xiuhu wiped his hands, he said to Shunzi, "Don't look so sad. Since you're here, eat as much as you want."

Shunzi was still worried: "Brother, we have a long road ahead of us. How can we afford to spend money like this?"

Feng Xiuhu didn't care: "Money can be earned again—just like she said, if you miss this shop, you won't have another one."

"What difference does it make what you eat? It's all about filling your stomach."

Shunzi sighed: "I think Big Brother has forgotten that we need to save our money to buy some useful equipment."

Feng Xiuhu's eyelids twitched—he had really forgotten about this.

Before leaving, he had been thinking about this matter, and thought he would ask the teahouse owner about it while he was at it, to find out where there were shops in the city that sold weapons. But the owner went off on a tangent and Feng Xiuhu forgot about it.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Feng Xiuhu felt a little embarrassed, but he still stubbornly insisted, "I remember! Anyway, it's not like I'm short of money—I'll ask the teahouse owner again tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)