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They mainly cooked cheap meals that attracted the ordinary people in All Water County, but they didn’t expect the local big bosses would also come to eat crabs.
“Boss Cui, aren’t you going to Suji Restaurant to eat? Why did you come here?” A man dressed in purple with a pot-belly walked up to the second floor.
“I heard the rice here is wrapped in eggs, and it’s extremely delicious. Besides, I’m tired of eating at that restaurant all the time, so I’m here for a change of taste.” Boss Cui waved his hand and sat down at a square wooden table.
Boss Cui ordered a set meal. The meal included rice omelet and a bowl of Sanjidi Soup. The fried rice was thick, crispy, but also soft. Not only was the color pleasing, the taste was also exceptional. Those who ate it couldn’t stop eating it.
Sanjidi Soup was made with wolfberry leaves, lean meat, pork belly, and pork liver. The wolfberry leaves were cool and refreshing. After eating the fried take and taking a sip of soup, it was the perfect way to cut the grease inside his mouth.
At the end of the meal, the person felt refreshed. Boss Cui left satisfied. He decided that he’d return to his restaurant often to eat. He would tell those old friends of his about this store too.
There were more and more people coming for lunch these days. Of course rice omelet and glutinous rice alone couldn’t meet the needs of these customers, so Lin Lixuan had to find a way to increase the number of dishes.
He could increase the types of soups. He could make soup out of cheap green vegetables, egg drop soup, or a more expensive version of Sanjidi Soup. There was also wolfberry egg drop soup, radish pork rib soup, pig lung soup…
He could also increase the type of dishes. With Ger Yan’s skills, he was getting better and better at frying using the big pot. Every day, Lin’s Restaurant fried four or five dishes. He would use the iron pot, boil water in it, and the guests would come to order directly. Two meats and one vegetable dish were 22 wen. One meat and one vegetable dish were 15 wen. If you wanted to add rice, it only cost one wen.
This mode was convenient and fast. As soon as the guests came, they could order the food they wanted. They practically didn’t have to wait. If you ate at a restaurant, you’d have to wait for the chef in the back, but here, you could eat right away.
It was perfect for those in a hurry.
Relying on this model, Lin’s Restaurant became popular in All Water County. The county magistrate also came to their store to eat.
The officials had a dinner party. Everyone ordered a set meal, which was affordable. The only bad thing was…
“Boss, do you have any alcohol here?”
Yes, they did. Zhao Liniang had a habit of making wine, but after Old Man Lin’s death, the others didn’t really drink much. They only had a few glasses during the new year, so they hadn’t been able to finish the win they’d saved these past few years.
Huang Daniu served them wine. Huang Daniu had been working for a month now. Working at the restaurant was an easy way to get rich. From a thin young man who’d escape the desert, he’d not turned into a normal man.
He was no longer hunched over, and now he seemed to have really been possessed by an ox. He was much taller than the average resident of All Water County. He was very tall, and even if his facial features weren’t outstanding, he’d still attracted the attention of many girls.
“The guy from the shop is really tall.” One of the tall, thin men poured wine for him.
“Dage, come and have a taste. This wine is excellent.”
“It’s strong. Delicious! Compared to the old Liu family’s, who probably mixed water in with theirs.”
“I’ll come here to drink in the future.”
“Hey, who made the wine in your shop?”
“Our boss’ mother,” Huang Daniu replied.
“Her winemaking is good. Very, very good.” The man gave a thumbs up and complimented the taste.
The liquid stored in the shop quickly sold out. There wasn’t much to begin with, and most had been brought over to the shop on the store’s grand reopening. However, since there was a market for this, Zhao Liniang became so happy and brewed dozens of jars of wine at home.
At the beginning of June, when the Lin family moved to the new house, the newly brewed wine was also ready. The day of the move was particularly lively. According to the tradition in Jade Creek Village, when moving, they had to burn a pot of charcoal from the old house and carry it to the new house.
On the morning of June 17th, the Lin family got up early. The iron basin was burning with prosperous charcoal fire. The two of them carried it into their new courtyard. On the way there, countless villagers observed and added to the liveliness.
In order to join in the fun, they followed them to the new house in Jade Creek Village that they hadn’t seen before. They wanted to broaden their horizons.
Although the old and new houses weren’t far apart, it took several hours to move everything. It wasn’t until noon, when the sun hung high, that they finally finished moving everything.
Ger Yan and Zhao Liniang prepared a banquet. Moving to a new house was a major event that was worth celebrating. Holding a moving banquet in the village was the icing on the cake. The current Lin family wasn’t lacking money, so they were very happy to have this celebration.
The villagers of Jade Creek Village were very happy to attend and enjoy this free meal.
They had long heard of Ger Yan’s good cooking skills. When the Lin family built the house, they could only smell the delicious food, but now, they could also try it.
Those craftsmen ate this meal with relish. Now that this project was complete, it would be difficult to find another boss like this, so they had to enjoy this last meal.
Stewed pork with radish, white chicken, sauerkraut and intestines… There were also vegetable dishes like cucumbers, loofah soup, stir fried vegetables… Stewed pork with radish was real stewed pork without a trace of ambiguity. It was full of meat and not just radish. You could also find pieces of meat in the loofah soup.
The villagers of Jade Creek Village, who came to eat with their bowls, were stunned by this meal. If hundreds of people ate like this, with all these dishes and all this meat, just how much did it cost?
When they arrived, they were shocked by the atmosphere in the Lin family’s courtyard, especially by the grape trellis there. It was set up two or three months ago. The grapes had already been planted, and now the grape vines climbed all over the support, wrapping lush green leaves around it. The hanging green vines were like tassels. This natural decoration was exquisite and beautiful.
Beneath the vine trellis, there were quaint stone tables and benches, as well as a rocking chair. This place must be a heaven for resting.
Without the owner’s permission, they couldn’t look around the house. They could only peep the situation on the outside. The Lin family had built so many rooms for just four people. Tsk, look at the bricks and tiles on the new house. It was so neatly stacked and tightly sealed. It would be impermeable in the rain and even stormy weathers. Such a nice house, even Lin Lixuan’s grandchildren would be able to live here in the future.
When the pots of dishes were served, they didn’t have time to think about the Lin family’s new house. Everyone’s attention focused on the food. Their appetite had been whetted. They didn’t have time to pay attention to anything else.
The woman and children focused on eating vegetables and meat. The mothers were busy selecting pieces of meat and adding them to their children’s bowls. The children wished they had three mouths and could eat everything at once.
The men paid more attention to eating meat and drinking. For this festive day, Zhao Liniang opened dozens of jars of wines and allowed them to drink as they pleased.
Lin Lixuan greeted the guests. He was dragged around and poured several bowls of wine. Ger Yan sat with the women. Those the same age as him envied him for marrying such a good man. Just look at how much Xiucai Lin adored him.
Ger Yan was wearing a royal blue shirt. The green silk headband that had been wrapped around his head when he was cooking had been loosened and now flowed behind him. The cinnabar mole between his eyebrows was bright. While facing the jokes of these uncles and aunts, he had a gentle face.
A loud aunt shouted that the unmarried girls in the village should learn from Ger Yan on how to win their husband’s heart. Seeing how Zhao Liniang and Ger Yan get along well, they wondered what tricks Ger Yan had.
Ger Yan shook his head as they joked around him. There were some people who tried to stir up trouble, but he ignored them. Some asked him how to cook, and he answered sincerely.
The entire banquet was noisy until the late afternoon. Lin Lixuan drank a lot, and after everyone left. Ger Yan and Zhao Liniang helped him into the room to rest before returning to the hall to sort out all the newly moved items. “Ger Yu, go decorate your room.”
Zhao Liniang told him, “Put on the sheets and quilts first.”
Ger Yu nodded and was excited to go into his room. His new room was very large, almost half a mu wide. The widows made the entire place very bright. It was sunny outside and the sunlight came through. He stood in the sun, basking in the warmth of the wheat colored light.
His room was full of newly made furniture. There were wooden beds, cabinets, and a square table. What he liked the most was the swing hanging from the beam by the window. The wooden swing had a thin quilt draped over it. The swing was very wide, and you could half lie on it and take a nap.
Ger Yan and Zhao Liniang were outside sorting out their items. Ger Yan was responsible for organizing the kitchen. He placed the pots and pans, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar one by one. During the banquet, everyone praised his cooking. He let the villagers take the leftovers home. Ger Yan had to clean the cooking pot well so he could make even more delicious food.
Zhao Liniang swept the debris from the yard and hall. She took a basin of water and poured it on the ground. The several small dogs they raised patrolled the yard and accidentally stepped on Zhao Liniang’s newly planted seedlings. They were caught and scolded.
“Don’t step on my vegetables. You won’t get food if you step on them.”
In the evening, the drunk Lin Lixuan slowly opened his eyes. He really drank too much this time. He kept being pestered to drink by the men in the village again and again. He was drunk and dizzy. He slept for most of the day. His ears were still read, and his cheeks were flushed pink.
Ger Yan saw that he woke up and that he still wasn’t very sober. He seemed to be hungover, so he brought him a bowl of sobering soup. Lin Lixuan, who was dazed and a little sluggish, took the soup and took a sip. As soon as the soup hit his mouth, his eyes widened and he spit out the contents in his mouth.