1996: Starting from a bankrupt farmhouse restaurant

Chapter 141 The Price of Mala Tang

After receiving the award, Lu Yuan simply hung the medal on the wall as if it had always been there.

He doesn't like to rely on these tactics to grab diners' attention; for a restaurant, taste is the most important thing.

The next day, the fried dough workshop became the busiest place.

Wei Yinghong then called over a few more aunties to help her make mooncakes.

The Zhou family craftsmen have already delivered all the gift boxes, and all the designs were hand-carved by them.

It feels very high-quality to the touch, and the pattern is exquisite. If you didn't know it was a mooncake box, you would think it contained red wine or cigars.

The most ingenious part is that after the mooncake box is opened, it reveals a well-arranged series of layers, each of which is hollowed out and carved with different patterns.

Each box of mooncakes can only contain 8 pieces, also for the sake of a homonym, wishing the bosses to get rich.

This gift box has absolutely nothing to do with cost-effectiveness; it's purely for enhancing the perceived quality.

Today we started making traditional mooncakes, because traditional mooncakes need to rest for 2-3 days after baking to allow the oil to seep back into the mooncakes.

We'll start making the flaky pastry mooncakes a few days later when we're ready to pack them into boxes.

The aroma of mooncakes, a standard mixture of sugar and oil, wafted far and wide during baking, almost permeating the entire village.

Just before lunchtime, Zhaoyan suddenly returned.

Her little face was puffed up with anger. She originally wanted to go to the fried dough workshop, but seeing everyone busy, she sat on the steps with her arms crossed and stared blankly.

Lu Yuan checked the time; it was only 10 o'clock, which should have been the start of class.

So he squatted down next to Zhao Yan and asked, "Hey, who's upset Teacher Zhao again?"

Zhao Yan, looking aggrieved, began to recount her morning's ordeal: "Lu Yuan, can you imagine? I was in class when several teachers came and took all the students away to pick corn for their families!"

"Harvesting corn—this is so the students can use their class time to help their families with farm work!"

"Most importantly, they said they'd be going to break into one place every day for the entire week! They'd finish in a week!"

"They're still children. This is the time they should be spending studying, how can they be picking corn?"

Zhao Yan grew angrier the more she thought about it. Her chest trembled slightly as she bit her lip hard, trying not to appear so vulnerable.

Especially when she gave up her life in a big city and chose to come to this poor and remote area to teach, and found that people didn't value education at all, the sense of loss made her reflect on whether it was all worth it.

"Just treat it as a social practice experience!" Lu Yuan comforted him.

Zhao Yan still didn't understand, and pouted, "Is there really such a thing as putting it into practice?"

"That's how we all grew up," Lu Yuan explained patiently. "We did more than just pick corn; we also caught longhorn beetles, swept the graves of martyrs, and cleaned nursing homes."

"We also have our own social practice component, but our primary consideration is to prioritize solving problems in daily life."

"For example, when you're picking corn, have you ever thought that the teachers besides you are also farmers? Especially if male teachers can't go back to do farm work, the women at home can't finish picking all the corn."

Zhao Yan gradually listened to Lu Yuan's explanation, her expression relaxed, and her body stopped being tense.

Lu Yuan continued, "For example, catching longhorn beetles is another example. They are pests that, if not removed in time, will burrow into trees and hollow out the trunks. We boys need to climb several meters up the trees, grab them with our hands, and throw them down to stun them, then the kids below can put them in boxes."

As Zhao Yan listened, she became completely engrossed in Lu Yuan's story and even began to yearn for the activity of catching longhorn beetles.

So he asked, "When are you going to catch the longhorn beetles?"

"Next June, perhaps!" Lu Yuan replied.

"Oh!" Zhao Yan sounded a little disappointed, but the next second, she smiled brightly and asked, "Lu Yuan, can I go eat mala tang for lunch today?"

Lu Yuan replied with a smile, "Of course! You can eat as much as you want on this street, and then just leave without paying!"

Zhao Yan stood up, dusted off her pants, wrinkled her nose, and said, "I want it extra spicy and numbing, the super spicy kind!"

She then waved to Lu Yuan as she walked backwards, heading towards Sister Lu's Spicy Hot Pot. Lu Yuan admired her graceful figure for a while before heading to the kitchen to get busy.

After nearly two months of training, Lu Yuan has now let Lu Jie cook the stir-fried pork dish on his own. However, Lu Yuan will control the seasoning and details during the cooking process.

Since stir-fried meat is made directly with cooked meat, the requirements for heat control are not that high, so Lu Yuan was quite at ease letting him do it.

Even so, Lu Jie had to experiment with the staff meals many times before he finally approved the dish.

When Lu Jie was the first to stand on the stove, the other four apprentices were extremely envious and worked overtime to practice, hoping to be able to work on the stove as soon as possible.

At Sister Lu's Spicy Hot Pot, it wasn't time to eat yet, and everyone was still busy.

Everyone was a little surprised by Zhao Yan's arrival, because Zhao Yan was usually shy around everyone in the village. She would greet them politely but wouldn't interact with them much.

All people knew was that this was a volunteer teacher from a big city who was staying at Lu Yuan's house.

However, for Lu Yuan's aunts and other relatives, there was an extra layer of filter when they were choosing a wife for their nephew.

So the old lady warmly took Zhaoyan's hand and led her to sit down at the table by the window.

Before long, Zhao Yan was surrounded by eight-treasure tea, fried dough sticks, melon seeds, candy, and fruit.

Zhao Yan was stunned and hurriedly waved her hand, saying, "Auntie, this is too much. You're too kind. I'll just have a simple bowl of spicy hot pot."

The old woman's enthusiasm was overwhelming for most people. She gently patted Zhaoyan's hand and said, "Girl, call her 'Auntie' like Lu Yuan does. Calling her 'Auntie' sounds so awkward!"

"Okay, Auntie!" Zhao Yan called out sweetly.

"Oh!" The old woman was overjoyed, holding Zhaoyan's hand tightly, unwilling to let go. "Look at our daughter, how beautiful she is! She has both looks and figure. And these smooth little hands! Daughter, let me tell you, a woman's most important thing in life is to marry a good man!"

Zhao Yan was initially pleased with the praise, but suddenly paused, thinking to herself that the old lady's tone had changed too quickly.

The other aunties and sisters-in-law were also happily leaning against the front desk, creating a pleasant atmosphere for chatting even though they didn't join in.

"Girl, have some fried dough sticks to tide you over. They're all homemade and healthy." After the old woman finished speaking, Zhao Yan found that she already had a fried dough stick in her hand. It was simply amazing. She didn't know how the old woman had managed to give it to her.

The old woman gently tapped the table and continued, "Girl, I can tell just by touching your little hands that you're destined for a life of happiness!"

"We women have different fates. Some are born to suffer, while others are born to enjoy happiness. No one should envy anyone else, and no one should feel sorry for anyone else. The key is that those who are born into hardship should strive to be better, and those who are born into happiness should be content."

The old woman's words didn't contain any grand principles, but were all based on her life experience, which Zhaoyan found quite interesting.

The aunties and sisters-in-law around nodded in agreement. They had listened to the old lady talk a lot before, and she found it both amusing and reasonable.

"So, my dear daughter, you absolutely must choose a good family. Your little hands, if you overwork yourself, will ruin your life!"

"But it's not all about having money. I've seen on TV that being a rich lady isn't easy. There are so many rules in wealthy families. You don't have to do any housework, but you feel really stifled inside."

"If you ask me, our Xiaoyuan is just fine!"

Zhao Yan was savoring the Eight Treasure Tea. It was full of fruity aroma, and with the addition of sweet rock sugar, it was sweet but not cloying, with a refreshing fragrance. It was very delicious.

When I suddenly heard Lu Yuan's name, I almost choked on my food.

Thinking to himself, "Auntie's turn of events was so smooth, but what does Lu Yuan have to do with this?"

The old woman then turned her gaze to the other aunties and sisters-in-law, ensuring the entire group engaged: "Everyone says city people are rich, they don't need to farm and can get a monthly salary. Last time, Sister Guifen went to stay with her daughter in the city for a few days, and when she came back, she said that the young couple was also struggling financially; meat and vegetables were even more expensive than in our village. Their living space wasn't spacious either, and she could hear everything the couple next door did!"

Rural women chat without any taboos or restraint, and the aunties are used to it, so they all laugh heartily.

Zhao Yan and the other young women were shy and blushed deeply when they heard this.

"If you ask me, city people don't even live as well as we villagers. Xiao Yuan pays us so much every month, we don't even know where to spend it. And look at Xiao Yuan, he earns several thousand yuan a day, it's like he's printing money at home! Don't you agree?"

The aunts and sisters-in-law all nodded in agreement; they were the ones who agreed most, because only with money could one stand tall.

The old woman took Zhaoyan's hand again and said earnestly, "Girl, look at our Xiaoyuan. He's rich, tall, and handsome. He's a real catch! You should find someone like him!"

"Madam, you are such a beautiful woman, yet you have no children!"

Zhao Yan was almost driven crazy by the old lady's laughter. The northern accent likes to use reduplicated words and add "zi" to the end of words, but if it is added randomly, it is easy to make a joke.

For example, when people talk about drinking milk, those from northern and even northwestern China often call it "drinking milk".

When people from other places heard this, they were completely stunned. Is the Northwest region really that unrestrained?

However, Zhao Yan quickly realized that the old lady was indirectly introducing Lu Yuan to her.

This won't do!

Zhao Yan recalled Lu Yuan's mischievous ways and thought to herself, if she married Lu Yuan, wouldn't she have to be on guard against him adding wasabi to her food every day?

However, Lu Yuan's cooking is really delicious. If you could eat such delicious food every day, that would be really wonderful, right?

Besides, Lu Yuanren is indeed good-looking. Yesterday, he looked much more pleasing to the eye than the boys in the university student union when he wore a suit.

He's really good at business; he opened so many stores in such a short time and even won awards.

The key point is that he is also very kind. He feeds the children for free and even pays for Dandan's surgery, which aligns with his own values.

Aside from not having gone to university, it seems like he really has no flaws.

Wait, why am I thinking about these things?

Zhao Yan shook her head violently, her face flushed, and immediately picked up her teacup to hide her little expression.

The second aunt said to the eldest aunt, "Sister-in-law, look how scared you've made your daughter. Young people value free love, so don't worry about it."

The old woman chuckled twice and said, "Yes, yes, the water should be boiling by now. I'll go blanch some vegetables for my daughter!"

Before long, the old lady brought over a steaming bowl of spicy hot pot.

A layer of bright red chili oil floats on the dish, sprinkled with sesame seeds and cilantro; it smells absolutely delicious.

It was even more delicious than the first time she ate at Xiao Lu's farmhouse restaurant, because the soup base was now much richer and more flavorful.

Keep the fire burning 24/7 and keep adding ingredients; the broth will only get more and more delicious.

Zhao Yan picked up a strip of wide rice noodle, blew on it gently, and slurped it into her mouth.

Although wide rice noodles may seem unremarkable, they are the soul of Northern Sichuan hot pot.

The local potato noodles are very chewy and have a good elasticity. Most importantly, they absorb the broth very well, making them very flavorful.

Zhao Yan rummaged through the food at the edge of her bowl again and found freshly sliced ​​beef and shrimp. This was too much!

Zhao Yan picked up a shrimp, gently peeled off the shell, skillfully extracted the shrimp meat, and put it into her mouth, eating with great pleasure.

As lunchtime approached, Sister Lu's Mala Tang (a type of spicy hot pot) began to be packed with customers.

I heard there's now an unlicensed taxi driver who runs from the county to the provincial capital, and he specifically stops at Sister Lu's place for half an hour so everyone can have some spicy hot pot before setting off.

This action was widely praised, and now people who want to take his car every day have to make an appointment in advance.

Before long, the front hall of Sister Lu's house was full, but only Zhao Yan was eating spicy hot pot at the table.

So everyone silently watched the pretty girl eat spicy hot pot, picking up a shrimp one moment and a slice of beef the next.

Everyone's mouths watered just looking at it. There were even young couples eating there. The girl kept asking for shrimp and beef, which made the boy's face turn black.

Zhao Yan ate very slowly, thoroughly enjoying the process of eating. After peeling the shrimp, she even licked her fingers, leaving the boys speechless.

At this point, the girls who were with him were so angry that they kept pinching the boy's waist.

Fortunately, the kitchen team led by the old lady was very quick, serving one spicy hot pot dish after another, which stopped everyone from drooling.

After a while, Lu Jie suddenly came to Sister Lu's Spicy Hot Pot carrying a small bowl.

Auntie asked curiously, "Xiao Jie, what brings you here? Isn't it busy over there?"

"Busy!" Lu Jie was covered in sweat, clearly having run there. "Xiao Yuan asked me to deliver dessert to Teacher Xiao Zhao!"

Upon hearing this, Auntie immediately smiled knowingly. Lu Jie looked up and easily found Zhao Yan. He placed the dessert in front of her and said, "Teacher Zhao, this is a dessert from Xiao Yuan. He told you not to eat anything too spicy."

After saying that, Lu Jie hurriedly ran back.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Zhao Yan blushed slightly, and felt a little smug.

However, being fed feels so good, especially when you're eating a hot and spicy mala tang. Having a bowl of dessert like this is just so comforting.

Zhao Yan touched the bowl; it was still slightly icy. She thought to herself, "This guy is so thoughtful."

Seeing the pineapple in the bowl, she remembered that it was the pineapple ice that Lu Yuan had brought her on the day she came back.

However, she was in a state of tension the whole time that day, just like Pigsy eating ginseng fruit, and didn't pay much attention to the taste.

Take a small spoonful and put it in your mouth. It's instantly cool and refreshing, and the sweet and sour taste chases away the spiciness, giving your mouth a moment to rest.

The young couple around them, who were eating in a hurry, saw Zhaoyan being fed desserts.

They immediately became unhappy and started demanding a cold dessert to cool down their spiciness.

The boy had no choice but to go to the front desk to ask. After receiving a negative answer, he sheepishly returned to the table.

After being rejected by his girlfriend, he could only atone for his sins with a bottle of iced cola.

Zhao Yan listened from the side and found it very interesting; the little emotions between lovers are the most unpredictable.

But a thought suddenly popped into her head: if Lu Yuan sat across from her, wouldn't he be just like that young couple?

Zhao Yan immediately shook her head and buried herself in the bowl of spicy hot pot again.

After having eaten and drunk her fill, Zhao Yan thanked the old lady and the others, and then strolled slowly back to the entrance of Xiao Lu Farmhouse Restaurant along the national highway.

The front hall was still bustling with business, filled with a constant stream of people.

She didn't go inside, but simply sat at the entrance, smelling the sweet aroma wafting from the fried dough workshop.

Looking out over the boundless fields and distant mountain peaks, the early autumn weather is no longer hot, and the sun feels warm on your skin.

Zhao Yan suddenly felt great, but she was in a bad mood when she came back in the morning. Why was that?

After Lu Yuan finished cooking, he habitually took a soft drink to the door, only to find Zhao Yan squinting in the sun.

So he sat down beside him and asked curiously, "You have the same quirk as Louis Koo?"

"What are Louis Koo's quirks?" Zhao Yan shielded her eyes from the sunlight with one hand and looked up at Lu Yuan.

"Get yourself tanned!"

"Lu Yuan, you're so annoying! You even have to tell me what to do when I'm sunbathing!" Zhao Yan turned her head back, removed her hand, and continued to squint at herself while sunbathing.

Lu Yuan joked, "I think you're addicted to tanning. You just went to the Gobi Desert a while ago and got so tanned you looked like an African. You just got your skin tone back to normal and you're already tanning again."

This time, Zhao Yan didn't turn her head back. Instead, she sighed softly and said, "Lu Yuan, you'll never be handsome for more than three seconds in my eyes!"

Lu Yuan asked in surprise, "Huh?"

Zhao Yan thought to herself, "Oh sun, please dispel my evil thoughts! I was just fantasizing about being a couple with Lu Yuan!"

This person can't say more than three nice things before starting to ramble on and on, making people angry.

Although his cooking is incredibly delicious, you can't enjoy a good meal for more than a few times before he adds mustard and vinegar.

This person is definitely better off staying single forever!

Lu Yuan laughed and went back to the backyard, where he moved several paint buckets to Zhao Yan's car.

He then said to Zhaoyan, "Since you don't have classes these two days anyway, I'll take you somewhere that'll definitely be fun!"

Without saying a word, Zhao Yan tossed the keys to Lu Yuan and sat directly in the passenger seat.

She was quite looking forward to Lu Yuan's ability to create drama, and since she was bored anyway, she might as well go for a walk.

However, half an hour later, Zhao Yan was dumbfounded.

Standing on the street in Daning Town, looking at the white walls and paint in front of her, she said reluctantly, "Lu Yuan, you're such a skinflint! I finally got a break, and you still dragged me here to paint!"

Lu Yuan chuckled wickedly, "Nonsense! Is spicy hot pot really that delicious? Are desserts really that good? After eating and drinking our fill, of course we need to get back to work!"

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