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墨書 Inktalez
"Look at you, looking down on others!" Ziyan cursed inwardly.
"We'd like a private room, and bring us a few of your most expensive and unique classic dishes," she said.
After speaking, Ziyan thought to herself: Hmph, I have over a thousand taels of silver on me now. Am I afraid I can't afford this meal?
When the waiter heard about the private room and ordering the most expensive specialty dishes, his initially disdainful expression immediately turned into a smile filled with wrinkles.
He then bowed slightly and pointed toward the stairs in the middle of the hall, saying, "Miss, please proceed to the second floor private room."
Beside her, Gu Yuxuan looked at Ziyan, who was pouting and exuding arrogance, shook his head, and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Ziyan followed Gu Yuxuan as they went upstairs with the waiter to a luxurious and elegantly decorated private room that overlooked the hall below.
After introducing them to the room, the waiter quickly went back downstairs.
At this time, it was not mealtime anymore. Ziyan glanced around and noticed that there were still quite a few diners both upstairs and downstairs. Even on the tables in the hall where there were no guests sitting, there were still bowls and plates left uncollected from previous meals.
It was clear that this restaurant was doing quite well, and the food must be delicious! Thinking about the ancient restaurant's delicacies she was about to enjoy, Ziyan felt filled with anticipation.
Then she turned to Gu Yuxuan and asked, "Have you ever been to a restaurant before?"
Gu Yuxuan, who was also observing the environment of the restaurant at that moment, blinked at Ziyan and replied with a calm expression, "No, this time I'm relying on you. Thank you in advance, Sister Ziyan."
"Come on, don't be so modest. As the saying goes, 'A soft mouth eats well; a short hand takes less.'"
Ziyan stared at Gu Yuxuan for a while before saying again, "After this meal, you have to promise me two things."
"What? No way! Then I won't eat," Gu Yuxuan said playfully as he pretended to get up to leave.
"Wait," Ziyan fell for it and immediately stood up to stop him but saw Gu Yuxuan suddenly sit back down with a hearty laugh.
"You are so easy to trick! Hmph, it's just two small matters; agreeing won't be a problem. Go ahead and tell me what they are."
Wow, he agreed so quickly? This little monster is indeed as clever as a fox. Could it be that he already knew I had something to ask of him? Ziyan paused for a moment before secretly speculating in her heart.
"Guess?" Ziyan jumped out of her embarrassment. Since you want to play mind games, let's see who can figure it out in the end.
"Hmph, first, you're thinking about those treasures in the mountains, wanting me to help you get them and turn them into silver; second, you want me to occasionally act as your guardian or confidant?"
After saying this, Gu Yuxuan's eyes were filled with a sharp light. His beautiful eyes were so deep that they seemed bottomless, making one imagine his life filled with intrigue: for instance, those who bear deep grudges and temporarily avoid the world. At least Ziyan often imagined his background like this in her mind.
"You are impressive!" Ziyan looked at Gu Yuxuan with an admiring gaze.
Then she continued, "However, you only guessed the first half correctly. The second half is not about you being my guardian or confidant; it's about you teaching me martial arts, like some extraordinary techniques and lightness skills. Once I learn these, I can protect myself."
Ziyan thought for a moment and added, "Of course, since you are doing so much for me, I will definitely not treat you poorly. During this time, I will be responsible for providing you with a nice meal every day. Also, since you are both my teacher and friend, when I earn enough silver in the future, I will also provide you with corresponding help or sponsorship."
After saying this, Ziyan looked at Gu Yuxuan with a firm and determined gaze.
"Is that so? Hmm, it’s worth discussing."
Just as their negotiation was going smoothly, a voice from outside interrupted them. "Sir, the dishes are here."
Then the waiter entered, followed by several clerks responsible for serving food, who filed in one after another to present the specialty dishes from Koufu Tower.
The waiter exaggeratedly raised his thumb and said loudly, "You two may not know this, but the chef we hired here once worked in the royal palace. This culinary skill is not just renowned in Hengfeng County; even in the entire prefecture city, it is absolutely top-notch."
After praising the chef, the waiter began announcing each dish in a sing-song manner as the clerks brought them out: "Main dishes—Divine Roast Duck, Braised Pork Knuckle, Charcoal-Grilled Lamb; Side dishes—Braised Chicklet, Longevity Deer Whip Soup, Almond Cream Tofu; Desserts—Water Chestnut Crystal Cake, Delicious Digestive Cake, Sesame Roll."
Once he finished announcing these dishes, the waiter added, "Gentlemen, please enjoy your meal. If you need anything else, just let us know. We will take our leave now."
Then the waiter led the group of clerks out of the private room.
Ziyan stared at the table full of specialty dishes and then started with the Braised Pork Knuckle. After taking a bite, she found it quite close to its original flavor.
While this taste might be considered good in ancient times, for Ziyan—who had tasted all kinds of delicacies from the Twenty-First Century—it was just average. Regardless of what sauce was used, it had a very singular flavor and lacked any other spices like Star Anise or Cinnamon; naturally, there was still quite a bit of fishy smell lingering.
Next was the charcoal-grilled lamb. It smelled delicious but was exactly what she had anticipated: salty with a hint of Sichuan Pepper flavor. Moreover, the mutton smell was quite strong. Ziyan thought to herself that it would be better if they could add some cumin and ginger powder. The ancient palate was really heavy; once this charcoal-grilled lamb cooled down, it would probably become hard to swallow.
Ziyan quickly tasted all the dishes one by one. Aside from finding a few desserts somewhat acceptable, she was utterly disappointed with most of what were supposed to be main dishes.
The most difficult to drink was that so-called Deer Antler Soup. Although it contained the precious Chinese medicinal herb ginseng, its taste was still not as good as the River Clam soup I casually made myself. After taking a sip of the Deer Antler Soup, Ziyan quickly rinsed her mouth four or five times with the tea in front of her and ate a few pieces of Delicious Digestive Cake. What is Delicious Digestive Cake? It's actually just similar to the Hawthorn Cake from the Twenty-First Century.
On the other hand, Gu Yuxuan did not seem to reject the dishes in front of her like Ziyan did. She ate slowly and elegantly while observing Ziyan's frowning expression, which seemed full of grievances.
Finally, Gu Yuxuan couldn't help but ask, "Is it really that bad? You ordered such a big table of food but won't eat properly; you really are quite wasteful."
"Me—?"
Ziyan felt wronged in her heart. But then she thought, should she tell him that she used to live in the Twenty-First Century and could be considered a foodie who often roamed the streets looking for delicious food to try?
In her previous life, Ziyan wouldn't exactly call herself a foodie, but aside from her major, she had spent years self-studying herbal medicine due to her interest in research.
She was quite knowledgeable about herbal medicine produced in both the north and south, let alone just recognizing them. Her asking Old Man Mo for medicinal herbs was merely to throw people off the scent and avoid her family's suspicions.
"Well, think whatever you want. Anyway, these dishes don't suit my taste; it's such a waste of good ingredients."
"Oh—"
Thinking back to the two meals she had at the Zi Family that Ziyan cooked, although the ingredients were extremely simple and ordinary, making such delicious flavors from such simple things surely indicated exceptional culinary skills!
Thus, Gu Yuxuan looked at Ziyan with an extremely confident and trusting gaze. "Hmm, I believe you."
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