1996: Starting from a bankrupt farmhouse restaurant

Chapter 124 Night Chat (5K)

Friday arrived, another day for two private banquets.

In addition to Mr. Wang's business banquet, Xu Jianjun's friends also made reservations.

In fact, this kind of high-end banquet is Lu Yuan's main goal for his future work. Once Lu Jie and the others have grown up, he can also give away the farm-style dishes that are more like Lu Yuan's.

Lu Yuan had completely grasped Mr. Wang's needs.

At first, he was prepared to have something understated, luxurious, and sophisticated, but after getting to know him better, he realized that Mr. Wang was essentially a nouveau riche.

The more extravagant, the better he likes it!

Therefore, when Lu Yuan went to the provincial capital last time, he specifically bought several sets of ethnic costumes, including Mongolian, Tibetan, and Uyghur styles.

The Miao, Hui, and other ethnic groups all bought a set.

There were also some unique ethnic utensils; basically, Lu Yuan bought a set of everything that could be decorated.

Since the last private banquet, whole roasted lamb has become a standard feature of Lu Yuan's business banquets.

Lu Yuan had Zhenzhen and Pingping learn the complete process of the sheep-opening ceremony.

Aside from dancing, these two girls are excellent in every other area.

Especially when it comes to singing, he didn't expect the two girls to be so talented; they learned almost exactly what the tapes were saying.

Although it lacks some professional techniques, it still manages to highlight some of the original, natural beauty.

If Mr. Wang is inviting guests from out of town, then play him a folk song from northern China.

If you're inviting local guests, just play them any folk song from another region.

In addition, Lu Yuan added several more dishes featuring the "carp leaping over the dragon gate" motif.

We will ensure that every dish served will give Mr. Wang a great deal of face.

Mr. Xu's friend is also a livestock business owner, Mr. He.

Mr. He's family runs a cattle farm in the Daning Town area. They usually live in a self-built house on the cattle farm, which is actually very close to Lu Yuan.

Mr. He's requirement is to make arrangements as needed, and Lu Yuan can arrange it himself.

But often, the less demanding something is, the higher the requirements become.

For this type of customer, you can't be too extravagant, nor can you cater to too niche a clientele.

Lu Yuan mainly serves famous dishes from the eight major Chinese cuisines, which diners have at least heard of even if they haven't eaten them.

This kind of dish is impossible to go wrong with; even if it doesn't suit their taste, it's not the dish's fault.

As night fell, the banquet in the courtyard was in full swing.

Zhao Yan slowly drove her jeep to the entrance of Xiao Lu's farmhouse restaurant. She noticed that the oil pancake workshop was still lit up, so she cautiously peeked over.

She peeked out the window and was surprised to find Wei Yinghong staring at the oven as it baked bread.

She rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

This is truly surreal; they returned a few days ago and sent Chen Nuo there the very next day.

I had no idea about the recent changes in everyone, and I didn't realize how big those changes were.

A rich aroma of milk mixed with the fragrance of wheat wafted out, and Zhao Yan couldn't help but swallow.

She was a little angry with herself for this. Ever since she came to Lu Yuan's house, her mouth had been acting up, and she couldn't help but swallow her saliva. Wei Yinghong stared at the oven for a long time, then suddenly turned around and found Zhao Yan lurking outside.

He immediately beckoned her in, then brought out a chair for Zhaoyan to sit down.

"Teacher Xiao Zhao, has Chen Nuo already gone to Yunnan Province?"

"They're probably on their way now!" Zhao Yan smiled and said solemnly, "Aunt Wei, please don't call me Teacher Zhao anymore. Just call me Zhao Yan or Yan Yan."

Zhao Yan, a girl from a big city, naturally felt a certain distance from Wei Yinghong, so Wei Yinghong was very happy that she could be so close to her.

She poured Zhaoyan a glass of water first, then pointed to the oven and said, "You haven't had dinner yet, have you? Xiaoyuan is probably busy with a private dinner right now and doesn't have time to cook. Why don't you try some of Auntie's bread?"

"Auntie, when did you learn how to bake bread?" Zhao Yan asked, staring curiously into the oven.

"I just messed around with it. Xiao Yuan said what I baked should be called raw toast. Yes, that's the word," Wei Yinghong explained with a smile.

"I know toast, but what is raw toast?"

Zhao Yan had some questions and was surprised that she, a person from the capital, needed to ask a rural woman from the Northwest about even basic bread knowledge.

Wei Yinghong pointed seriously at the raw toast that was about to be baked and said, "Regular toast is quite hard, but raw toast has a high water content and contains milk and honey, so it's very soft. Xiaoyuan said it's like a cloud, that's what I mean."

Zhao Yan listened very attentively, racking her brains to make sure she had never heard of this word before.

She had never heard of this name even when she went to the United States, which only fueled her curiosity.

With a ding, the oven finished its work, and the milky aroma of the raw toast reached its peak.

Wei Yinghong opened the oven, put on a pair of cotton gloves, took out the mold, and placed it on the work surface.

"Little... Yan Yan, don't touch the edge of this mold, it's hot!"

While giving instructions, Wei Yinghong gently patted the sides of the mold.

Then she took out an iron frame, placed the mold upside down on the frame, patted the mold with one hand, and slowly removed the mold from bottom to top with the other hand.

As the mold slowly came off, a golden-brown toast appeared in front of Zhaoyan.

When the toast was removed from the mold, it even shook a little, wobbling precariously.

Without the constraints of molds, the aromas of milk and wheat are even more unrestrained.

Zhao Yan herself loves this kind of sweet bread, and when she encountered this top-quality bread, her stomach had already started rumbling.

Wei Yinghong took off her cotton gloves, folded them together, and placed them aside. She then took out a palm-leaf fan and gently fanned the toast to help it cool down quickly.

"Yan Yan, you can break it off and eat it yourself. Xiao Yuan said the first piece of raw toast is the best!"

Zhao Yan was already eager to try, and asked curiously, "Auntie, don't you need to cut it into slices with a knife?"

Wei Yinghong smiled and shook her head, saying, "You'll know once you break it open."

The bread crust was no longer hot thanks to Wei Yinghong's fan.

Zhao Yan gently touched the toast and immediately felt the soft and elastic crust, completely unlike the hard crust of traditional toast.

She gently pinched one corner, and with a little force, the toast cracked open.

An even richer milky aroma wafted over with the rising steam.

She slowly tore it off, revealing the white interior of the toast; the bread at the tear looked like pieces of cloud being gently torn off.

She held the small piece of bread she had torn off and gently shook it; the bread revealed a silky softness.

As she swayed, the bread floated in the air.

Zhao Yan's throat moved slightly, and she opened her cherry-red lips slightly to take a small bite of bread.

Soft, incredibly soft, with a rich milky aroma, and a strong wheat flavor after chewing, layer upon layer of flavors assault the taste buds.

good to eat!too delicious!

Zhao Yan and her parents had been to America and Europe, and the so-called foreign bread there was so hard it could kill someone.

But this was the first time she had ever tasted bread this soft.

Like eating cotton candy, the bread melts easily in your mouth.

Soon, the small piece of bread was finished. Zhao Yan felt that she hadn't had enough, so she shyly and carefully tore off another piece.

Wei Yinghong seemed to notice Zhao Yan's embarrassment, so she directly broke off a small half of the toast and pushed the rest to Zhao Yan.

"Yan Yan, you can eat here slowly. Auntie will go out for a bit."

Seeing that Wei Yinghong had taken some of it, Zhao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that she would have eaten it all, which would have been very impolite.

But that toast was so delicious, like a seductive enchantress, making it impossible not to be tempted.

Wei Yinghong took the other half of the toast and went to the kitchen of Xiao Lu Farmhouse Restaurant.

In the kitchen, the private banquet dishes were more than halfway done. Lu Yuan was keeping track of the time, waiting for the bosses to finish drinking before serving the final hangover remedies.

Wei Yinghong seized the opportunity, placed the bread on the cutting board, and said, "Son, make a sandwich."

Lu Yuan didn't ask who wanted to eat; he simply took out his newly bought frying pan and cracked two eggs into it.

"Mom, I told you to use firmer toast for sandwiches, this stuff is too soft!" Lu Yuan complained to Wei Yinghong while heating the pan.

"Don't worry about it!" Wei Yinghong said stubbornly.

Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly, gently cut off two slices of raw toast, and then fed the rest into his mouth.

"Did I tell you to eat it?" Wei Yinghong unusually snapped at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan felt wronged, thinking to himself, "Where has my mother's love gone? Why can't I even eat a piece of bread?"

However, Lu Yuan's hands did not stop moving at all. He took out the butter that he had bought at a high price in the provincial capital from the freezer.

He lightly smeared the pan a few times, then put the two slices of bread into the pan and fried them until they were slightly browned.

This also increases the firmness of the raw toast, making it easier to hold the food.

Lu Yuan took out a large sausage, cut off a few slices, and fried them briefly.

Finally, it was time to assemble: bread slices, tomato slices, ham slices, fried egg, and a little ketchup squeezed onto the vegetables before covering them with another bread slice.

Unfortunately, he couldn't buy salad dressing this time, otherwise the taste would have been even better.

He's been too lazy to make mayonnaise lately. But seeing how much his mom loves sandwiches, he figured he should find a chance to make it.

Lu Yuan then cut the sandwich diagonally into two triangles, placing them one on top of the other on a plate.

Seeing Lu Yuan's plating, Wei Yinghong smiled with satisfaction and immediately took the plates out of the kitchen.

Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly, guessing that his mother was going to show off her baked bread to someone again.

Now, everyone in Lujia Village, from the old man to Lu Wen's unborn child, knows that Wei Yinghong is an excellent baker.

When Wei Yinghong returned to the fried dough workshop and placed the plate on the worktable, Zhao Yan was stunned.

The fried egg and ham showing through the cross-section, along with the exquisite plating—this is a sandwich!

Wait, how come they even make sandwiches?

The key is the presentation of this sandwich; it looks so authentic!

Who are the rural people and who are the Beijing people?

Zhao Yan was completely bewildered at this moment!

"Yan Yan, don't just stand there, eat it while it's hot!" Wei Yinghong pushed the plate towards Zhao Yan again, saying, "This little bit of dry bread won't fill you up. It has to be a sandwich, with eggs and meat, that will keep you full!"

"Okay, Auntie, I won't be polite!" Zhao Yan picked up the sandwich and took a bite.

This undoubtedly redefined her ranking of sandwiches.

The bread, fried in butter, smelled wonderful, and combined with the bread's own deliciousness, Zhao Yan was completely amazed.

Before she knew it, she had finished the whole sandwich and even let out a faint burp, which startled her so much that she immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

"Auntie, am I a big eater?" Zhao Yan asked, a little embarrassed.

"What? This is hardly edible!" Wei Yinghong pointed to the remaining sandwich on her plate and said, "When I'm working in the fields, I need to eat four or five of these to have the energy."

Wei Yinghong's self-deprecating humor eased Zhao Yan's shyness. Suddenly remembering something, she immediately opened her bag, took out a small bag, and handed it to Wei Yinghong, saying, "Auntie, this is a gift from Chen Nuo and me to you!"

"That won't do!" Wei Yinghong quickly declined, "It's already a great honor for such outstanding girls as you to come to our rural area to teach. We can't possibly send you any more gifts."

"7

"Aunties, you are the teachers who have truly broadened our horizons. What we have done is actually just a trivial matter."

Zhao Yan insisted, and after Wei Yinghong declined several times, she finally accepted the gift, which was a set of expensive cosmetics.

If Wei Yinghong recognized the brand, she probably wouldn't want to use it.

Zhao Yan took out the cosmetics and taught Wei Yinghong how to use them. Wei Yinghong was full of curiosity and listened attentively like a primary school student.

As night deepened, the lights in the front hall of No. 2 were still on. Zhao Yan was a little curious, so she said to Wei Yinghong, "Auntie, I'm going to take a walk in the yard."

"Okay, Yan Yan, just make yourself at home and don't be shy." Wei Yinghong held the cosmetics with obvious delight and responded with a smile.

After leaving the fried dough workshop, Zhao Yan strolled to the backyard, and then walked along the light-filled corridor to the small courtyard.

Mr. He's private banquet has ended, leaving only Mr. Wang's group, who is quite drunk and whispering to some other boss.

Zhenzhen and Pingping were still guarding the door. Although most of them were so drunk they were unrecognizable, they still had to provide the service Lu Yuan requested.

Zhao Yan didn't dare to approach and disturb them, but instead walked to the wall and looked at the cartoons drawn on it carefully.

A few days ago, when I was catching pigeons with Lu Yuan, I was a little scared and didn't notice these paintings at all. Only today did I realize that these paintings are not simple.

The comics on the wall were very vivid, and Zhao Yan became more and more engrossed in them, constantly moving around and switching scenes as she followed Naruto's growth.

Suddenly, Zhao Yan felt a sharp pain in her head, as if she had bumped into something.

She covered her head and looked up, only to find Lu Yuan standing in front of her with his arms crossed, and behind Lu Yuan was a large water vat.

If Lu Yuan hadn't stopped her, she would have fallen headfirst into the water tank.

"Teacher Xiao Zhao, were you scared out of your wits that day? I was just joking with you."

Lu Yuan felt that the girl had become a bit dazed after being frightened by him, and would often bury her head in the bowl or bump into the water tank.

"Um... I was looking at the cartoons you drew on the wall, I didn't notice."

Zhao Yan was also a little dizzy. She realized that the awkward moments she had experienced when she met Lu Yuan were more than all her previous ones combined.

It was also because she hadn't expected that Lu Yuan, this rural boy, was so different from what people generally imagined, even a bit mysterious.

Just like this cartoon, how much imagination must one have to draw it?

So she asked, "Lu Yuan, did you draw all of these?"

Lu Yuan shook his head decisively, and Zhao Yan breathed a sigh of relief. She thought to herself, "How amazing must someone be to be able to cook such delicious food and also draw such amazing comics?"

But Lu Yuan immediately added, "How could I draw something so ugly? That was drawn by a kind doctor; I didn't want to refuse her kindness. This is the one I drew!"

After Lu Yuan finished speaking, he handed the notebook in his hand to Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan took the notebook and immediately opened it.

Sure enough, there were handwritten sketches of comics on the wall.

The difference is that the drawings in the notebook are much more vivid, especially the combination of expressions and actions, which can immediately immerse you in the world of Naruto.

The paintings on the wall, though brightly colored, lacked a sense of liveliness.

It turns out he was telling the truth; the one on the wall was indeed uglier in comparison.

Zhao Yan flipped through Lu Yuan's manuscript, becoming more and more engrossed, completely forgetting that Lu Yuan was still staring at her from in front of her.

Although Zhao Yan got a bit tanned during her trip, it still couldn't hide her stunning beauty.

Especially her pert nose, which looks like a perfect shape that has been drawn after countless revisions with a paintbrush.

Her long eyelashes curled upwards, making her especially adorable as her eyes fluttered.

Before he knew it, Lu Yuan was also stunned.

He was used to seeing glamorous, heavily made-up urban women.

He has even met many of the high-profile celebrities on screen.

But this was the first time he had ever seen a girl like Zhao Yan, who was unadorned and exuded an air of poetry and literature.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Yan slowly closed her notebook, withdrawing from the world of Naruto.

Lu Yuan also quietly stepped back a few paces. Zhao Yan asked curiously, "Why are there Naruto paintings on the walls of the courtyard? It doesn't seem to fit the restaurant at all."

Lu Yuan didn't answer, but instead asked, "Do you know what cleft lip and palate are?"

Zhao Yan nodded and said, "I've seen a child with a cleft lip and palate; he was quite pitiful."

Lu Yuan said calmly, "I've met a group of them; these comics were drawn for them."

Lu Yuan then told Zhao Yan the story of Doctor Huang and his group, as well as the scene of how they managed to feed the child with the cleft lip.

Zhao Yan listened with rapt attention, her mouth slightly agape in surprise.

A slight tremor ran through her heart as she thought to herself that she had missed so many stories during her trip.

After hearing Lu Yuan's agreement with the children, her eyes lit up, and she immediately asked, "Lu Yuan, next time you treat the children to a meal, can I join in?"

Lu Yuan nodded and said, "Okay, I'll bring you a meal too."

Zhao Yan: "..."

""

She suddenly wanted to punch Lu Yuan.

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