The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 530 Little Huang Rong Makes Her Appearance

Gushan City is not large. The central market is full of shops, densely packed with buildings, and bustling with people.

Buddha Jumps Over the Wall lives up to its name, even tempting the Buddha. It makes those monks who don't follow the rules of monastic life slide down the wall covered with red apricots with their bald heads. As it is slowly simmered over a low flame, the rich and layered aroma quickly fills the surrounding streets and alleys.

The aroma is rich and enticing, yet it doesn't become tiresome after a while. It's as if the fragrance changes every now and then, making it truly irresistible.

The old folks around here all know that the old manager was forced out, and the restaurant was taken over by someone from out of town. Yesterday, he even got into a fight with the owner of the Bihai Casino.

The elderly people here still have some impression of the handsome young storyteller from back then, but they never expected that it would be an old friend returning.

So logically speaking, since the original chef and waiter were gone when the business was taken over yesterday, and the business was to open for business today without any further fighting, the ordinary people in the surrounding area would not dare to go there immediately, for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

Even though the old signboard of Hongyun Restaurant hasn't been changed and still looks so welcoming, business probably won't be good on its opening day.

However, once the large earthenware pot of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is placed on the street and simmered for eight hours, it means that the rich aroma will linger for a long time. People around can get a taste of it if they stay for a while. It's like a living signboard, constantly attracting the attention of the surrounding people.

Even if these people were still hesitant, saliva is something that cannot be controlled by conscious will. Everyone within a hundred meters of Hongyun Restaurant was unconsciously swallowing saliva from time to time, so how could they concentrate?

Not long after, around 10 a.m., another notice was posted at the entrance of Hongyun Restaurant.

Hongyun Restaurant is reopening today, and will open for business at 5 PM. All guests who come to our restaurant will receive a complimentary bowl of our signature dish, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Our menu is as follows: Braised Pork Intestines with Scallions, Braised Sea Cucumber with Scallions, Eight-Treasure Winter Melon Soup, Honey-Glazed Char Siu, Crab Roe Lion's Head Meatballs, Three-Layer Duck, Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth, Dongpo Pork Knuckle, Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili, Farewell Chicken, Chicken Soup with Sea Clams, Stir-Fried Crispy Delicacies, Beggar's Chicken, Stir-Fried Eel Back with Shrimp, Stewed Soft-Shelled Turtle with Rock Sugar, and a Pot of Seafood and Mountain Delicacies.

The sixteen dishes, each from one of the eight major cuisines of later generations, were mostly dishes that had not yet appeared in this era and were unheard of by people in the Song Dynasty. But just by looking at their names, one could tell that they must be delicacies.

With the irresistibly fragrant Buddha Jumps Over the Wall as a base, everyone knows that Hongyun Restaurant is no longer what it used to be.

Because of the time constraints, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall needs to be cooked for eight hours to reach the right consistency, so it can only be opened during the evening market today. However, with the constant bombardment of the aroma of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall for those eight hours, it will soon become a household name in this small Gushan.

Wu Chengyu had been hiding in the back room. Under A Ku's strict orders, he finally stopped playing the suona and was now watching Guo Jing, who had a worried expression, practice continuously.

As for Ah Ku, he's currently focused on Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. The sesame seed cakes have already been prepared in the kitchen, and the important responsibility of watching the fire has been handed over to Ah Ku, who is tirelessly enjoying himself and drooling.

People from Guiyun Manor were constantly watching outside Hongyun Restaurant, reporting on the situation. This aroused suspicion from Lu Chengfeng and Qu Lingfeng. Could this Mo Nan really be back to open a restaurant? Don't the Beggars' Sect members usually prefer to stay at the City God Temple?
As the sun gradually set, after a day of indulging in delicious food, the people of Gushan City could no longer resist. Just then, another notice was posted in front of the restaurant.

Hongyun Restaurant is having a grand opening sale! All diners today will enjoy a 50% discount, plus exciting entertainment – ​​don't miss out!

Now the gourmets of Gushan City no longer cared about the threat from Bihai Gambling House. Since they didn't owe the gambling house any money, the gambling house had no reason to bully them. They were just waiting for the two strings of firecrackers hanging high at the entrance to go off so they could immediately flood into the restaurant.

Just then, three figures appeared at the gate of Gushan City: two women and one man, all around ten years old, slowly walking into the city.

The leader was petite, but she walked with a bouncy, light step, showing only the agility of a young girl without any weakness. Her skin was fair and delicate, with an oval face and dark, bright eyes that also carried a hint of cunning. With just a slight glance, it seemed as if she was plotting something wicked.

The weather by the sea in March was a bit chilly. She wore a white mink coat, her hair was tied up with a gold ring, and she had a string of pearls around her neck that emitted a faint glow. She wore embroidered shoes.

She's like a fairy, yet with a touch of delicate beauty and playfulness; she's like an elf, yet with a refined and otherworldly elegance, as if all the beauty in the world has fallen upon her alone.

However, the girl didn't look happy at all; she was pouting and constantly criticizing others.

"That stinky senior brother, that wicked senior brother, how come we can never escape his eyes every time we run away from home? He doesn't catch us and bring us back, he just keeps suddenly appearing and disappearing. No matter how we run, we can't escape. It's so annoying."

"Little Yingzi, I'm asking you, did you betray us and secretly leak our whereabouts? I planned the route carefully this time, it was flawless, how could it not have been hidden from Junior Brother?"

The boy next to her was a head taller than the girl. He was strong, with slightly dark skin. He wasn't particularly handsome, but he had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a rather honest and simple demeanor. At that moment, he looked very aggrieved.

"Junior Aunt, it really wasn't me. You know Guanying listens to you the most. How could I dare to be a traitor? It's just that Uncle Mofeng's martial arts are too high. We can't hide it from him no matter what."

"I refuse to believe that the three of us can't outsmart Feng Mofeng. Just by looking at him, you can tell I'm much smarter than him. There's no reason we shouldn't be able to fool him."

"Xiaoyun, don't you think so? Every time I run away from home, I can't even get a hundred miles before that stinky senior brother stops me and I have to slink back to Gushan. I'm not having it."

The second girl looked very quiet, wearing an apricot-yellow robe and a jade hairpin in her hair. She had a delicate and pretty appearance, with a small nose and small eyes that were very cute, but there was also a hint of mischievousness in her eyes and brows. She glanced at the boy beside her.

"In my opinion, Guanying definitely wouldn't dare to betray us, but he's too stupid and will inevitably slip up. As long as Junior Uncle keeps an eye on him, none of the three of us can escape. Junior Aunt, how about the two of us run away together next time, without taking that idiot Guanying with us?"

Upon hearing this, the boy's face turned red: "No, my father said that wandering the world is very dangerous. I must come along, otherwise who will protect you?"

The leader of these three was Huang Yaoshi's daughter, Huang Rong, who was Wu Chengyu's cousin and the only person in the world related to him by blood. The girl in the apricot-yellow dress was Qu Lingfeng's daughter, Qu Yun. Thanks to Wu Chengyu, she wasn't terrified after witnessing her father's murder. The world lost a foolish girl and gained a clever and lovely little girl.

Finally, the honest and simple-minded young man is Lu Guanying, Lu Chengfeng's son. Compared to the original story, he has been studying martial arts under the tutelage of Peach Blossom Island since childhood. Compared to the leader of the Taihu Lake bandits, his martial arts skills at this time are incomparable.

Huang Rong is now 17 years old and is no longer alone and miserable on the island as in the original novel. Huang Yaoshi usually ignores her and finally leaves Peach Blossom Island in a fit of anger.

Huang Rong, who has been accompanied by two friends, Lu Guanying and Qu Yun, since childhood, and is carefully cared for by three senior brothers, is not lonely. However, she has now entered her rebellious phase and is always going against Huang Yaoshi. When she gets angry, she wants to run away from home, but is always caught and brought back by Feng Mofeng.

Having been pampered by so many people since childhood, Huang Rong's personality was somewhat more spoiled than in the original novel, and she immediately retorted when she heard Lu Guanying's words.

"Hmph, you think your martial arts are so high? You've been practicing the Splitting Palm since you were a child. Every time I use the Falling Flower Divine Sword Palm, you're always forced to retreat. If something really happens, can you even protect me?"

Lu Guanying's face was bulging with veins: "I was just afraid of hurting you. My master said that you don't practice diligently and your internal strength is shallow. If I hurt you with my full strength, my father will definitely beat me."

Although they are a generation apart, they have a deep bond since childhood and are actually best friends. However, even best friends bicker. Lu Guanying looks very much like Lu Chengfeng, but he lacks some of the scholarly air and is more honest and simple. Every time they bicker, they can only blush.

At this point, someone needs to smooth things over, and Qu Yun is the best glue between the two.

"Alright, Guanying has always been on our side. If you keep talking to him, he'll start to cry."

"Hehehe, you crybaby."

"I wasn't crying, I was just trying to reason with you."

Qu Yun grabbed Huang Rong's hand: "Little Martial Aunt, we're finally back to Gushan. I know you don't want to go back to Peach Blossom Island right now, but what am I going to do if I get hungry?"

Huang Rong then realized that her stomach was rumbling: "Alright, Xiao Yingzi, I'm not angry with you anymore, but you have to treat us to dinner today, and it has to be the best food. Anyway, even if I lose weight, my father won't care."

The rain in June cleared up quickly, and seeing that Huang Rong was no longer angry, Lu Guanying immediately returned to normal.

"I'm tired of everything in Gushan. Why don't we go to Guiyun Manor and have the chef make Eight Treasure Duck?"

The three friends were heading to Guiyun Manor in the west of the city when they passed by the market and immediately smelled the rich aroma of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. Their mouths watered instantly, and their bellies swelled up even more.

Huang Rong's eyes widened instantly: "Heavens, what is this smell? It smells so good! Does Gushan have something I haven't eaten before? Let's go, let's go! I've lost my appetite for Eight Treasure Duck just from this aroma."

She grabbed Lu Guanying and Qu Yun and rushed into the market. It just so happened that Hongyun Restaurant was opening for dinner, and the three little ones heard the sound of firecrackers going off.

They arrived at the entrance of Hongyun Restaurant. Qu Yun was quite surprised: "Hongyun Restaurant? We're tired of all their food. Is there anything we haven't tried yet?"

Huang Rong pointed to the large urn at the entrance of Hongyun Restaurant: "This is Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. What a strange name. I've never heard of it before. Just by smelling it, I know it must be good."

At this moment, a large group of people had already gathered at the entrance of Hongyun Restaurant. As the firecrackers had burned out, they were preparing to enter the restaurant to enjoy their meal. The group rushed in, and Huang Rong, along with two friends, used her lightness skill to weave in and out of the crowd and quickly occupied a table.

Several waiters disguised as soldiers from the Beiwei Army wandered around the lobby. Huang Rong, who had been running around all day, was starving and immediately ordered food.

"First, I'll have your Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, one serving for each of you. Then I'll have this Eight Treasure Winter Melon Soup, Honey Glazed Char Siu, Crab Roe Lion's Head Meatballs, Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth, Farewell Chicken, Chicken Soup with Sea Clams, Stir-fried Crispy Delicacies, Shrimp and Eel Stir-fry, Rock Sugar Stewed Turtle, and a Pot of Mountain and Sea Delicacies."

The waiter reminded her, "Madam, our dishes are quite large; you probably won't be able to finish all of this."

Lu Guanying, who was standing next to him, immediately took out a silver ingot and slammed it on the table: "Just go ahead and do it, we can afford it."

Since the restaurant owner was in charge, he naturally followed the customer's lead. The waiter immediately placed an order and served three bowls of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall to Huang Rong and her two companions.

Just as they were about to feast, they suddenly heard someone banging a gavel in the southeast corner of the restaurant lobby.

"The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were known for their morality, and the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties were renowned for their achievements.

The Five Hegemons and the Seven Heroes caused chaos in the Spring and Autumn Period, and the rise and fall of the country changed in an instant.

A few lines of names from Jin and Song, looking north at countless barren hills,
The predecessors sow the seeds, and the successors reap the harvest; what's the point of talking about fierce competition?

Young Guo Jing, today I'm here to tell you all a story—a tale of heartless men throughout history.

(End of this chapter)