Translator: Xiong_Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
It was pretty late when Yuan Zhou told Zhou Jia that Mu Xiaoyun would come in during the upcoming winter vacation. Dinner time had already arrived.
“Please, come on in for your meal, everybody.” Zhou Jia stood at the door, saying courteously and gently.
“Finally, we can eat dinner. I’m starving. Get me a bowl of Clear Broth Noodle Soup quickly, please.” As soon as they entered the restaurant, the customers began to order dishes.
The first ten customers got seated one after another. Then, Zhou Jia went up and began to accept the orders.
Of course, Master Cheng also entered the restaurant along with the first ten customers. Until now, he hadn’t been absent from the kitchen work for one single day. He came on time every day and didn’t leave until Yuan Zhou closed the restaurant.
Occasionally, Master Cheng bought some fruits for Yuan Zhou. Then, Yuan Zhou would place them on the shelves when he sculpted outside. When he was free, he would eat some, but most of them were eaten by the children that passed by.
After all, Yuan Zhou could sculpt a lifelike animal or flower very easily with only a few movements, which naturally attracted those children. Even the dog, Broth, had eaten lots of fruits.
Therefore, Broth wagged its tail to Master Cheng to welcome him every time it saw him. Even Yuan Zhou didn’t have the honor to enjoy such treatment.
“This little thing is simply ungrateful.” Yuan Zhou whispered in his heart every time he saw that, but on the surface, he still appeared to be as aloof as a prince charming. After all, he was a generous man.
Then, Master Cheng entered the restaurant. The first place at the moment was an unknown person. At least, other regular customers hadn’t met him before.
This man was dressed in a decent business suit, brown wool coat, and burnished leather shoes. Apart from that, he also wore an obviously expensive watch on his wrist. With a briefcase being held in his hand, he appeared both expectant and unsettled. Judging from his appearance, he didn’t seem to come here for a meal.
He had an appearance of uprightness and seemed to be in his forties or fifties. With a square face and thick eyebrows, he looked like a powerful man. On this point, he was similar to Manager Shi, who hadn’t been here for a long time.
Whenever someone was coming out, Zhou Jia would go out to remind others. Right after she reminded them this time, she was stopped by this unknown man.
“Hello. I am just wondering if you serve the 100 Styles of Rice Cuisines here?” Once he said that, others knew that he came here for the 100 Styles of Rice Cuisines. Judging from his voice, he was apparently that Manager Li, Li Wentong, the one that had called Jiang Changxi last night.
“Yes, we do. For some very complicated ones, however, you need to book in advance today and can only eat it tomorrow.” Zhou Jia nodded her head and then explained carefully.
“I just want to order the rice crust. Do I need to wait until tomorrow?” Li Wentong said bluntly.
“I don’t know that, either. When you order the dishes later, my boss will naturally tell you.” Zhou Jia didn’t promise him anything, but just replied very clearly.
“Okay.” Li Wentong nodded his head and asked no more.
He didn’t wait too long this time. In less than 5 minutes, he got his turn to enter the restaurant.
It was chilly outside. Once the night fell, there was always some wind in Chengdu City. People couldn’t help but wrap themselves up tightly. As soon as Li Wentong entered the restaurant, however, it felt like he was suddenly relaxed and the chilly winter days became spring.
He couldn’t help taking a look backward. The breeze was still blowing outside.
“It really is like two different worlds.” Li Wentong took off his coat and prepared to hang it while saying that.
“I’m sorry. As our restaurant is small, we don’t have a place to hang coats, so you will have to hold it by yourself.” Zhou Jia stood at the side and reminded warmly.
“Not even a place for hanging coats?” Li Wentong looked at the high chair and found it indeed did not have a back, nor was there any hanger for clothes. The key point was that whoever came in and took off their coats all placed them on their legs. Seeing that, he was a little surprised, but he didn’t reveal it.
“No. I’m sorry.” Zhou Jia said courteously.
“That’s fine, forget it.” Though Li Wentong wasn’t used to that, he still didn’t say anything more.
“May I ask what you would like to eat today?” Zhou Jia gestured Li Wentong to look at the menu in front of him.
“100 Styles of Rice Cuisines. But the one I want is called Green Jade Rice Crust, the kind that has broth.” Li Wentong said straightforwardly without turning and opening the menu.
“Okay. It’s 118 RMB in total. In this restaurant, payment comes before food is served.” Zhou Jia calculated the price and said straightforwardly.
“Okay.” Li Wentong nodded his head before he took out 120RMB from his wallet and handed it to Zhou Jia directly.
“Here’s the change of 2RMB for you.” Zhou Jia took out the change and gave it back to him swiftly.
“Thank you.” Li Wentong nodded his head again and received it.
“Boss Yuan, a serving of Green Jade Rice Crust with broth inside from the 100 Styles of Rice Cuisines.” Zhou Jia nodded her head and then turned around and reported the name of the dish.
“Got it.” Yuan Zhou’s voice passed from the face mask.
Only then did Li Wentong, who had been staring at them closely, feel relieved.
“It seems this young chef can make it. I just don’t know how the taste will be like.” Li Wentong sat on the chair and looked at Yuan Zhou earnestly.
However, he could catch nothing special from Yuan Zhou’s constantly unchanged face.
“System, I can cook the Green Jade Rice Crust. But what the heck is with the broth?” Yuan Zhou was a little curious.
The system displayed, “I have searched all related information. This dish was invented by a chef one hundred years ago and it was once a cooking masterpiece. However, it was failed to be handed down to the later generations. There isn’t really an authentic cooking method of the Green Jade Rice Crust.”
“Again, it’s surprisingly a dish lost in history. But where about the cooking method?” Yuan Zhou was quite interested in that dish inwardly.
The system displayed, “It has been released and is available to be read.”
“Chinese cuisines are really extensive and profound. It’s unexpectedly cooked using such a method. How interesting!” Yuan Zhou received the cooking method of Green Jade Rice Crust. The customers in the restaurant only saw Yuan Zhou stand still, close his eyes, and then open them again.
“No wonder it was lost in history. It’s surprisingly another kind of tribute rice.” Yuan Zhou opened the cabinet marked with the characters ‘Babao Rice’ naturally as if it hadn’t shown up suddenly, but had been there for a long time.
That’s right. What Li Wentong ordered was called Green Jade Rice Crust. The raw ingredients were another kind of tribute rice.
This kind of rice was called the Eight Treasure Rice, which was produced in Babao Town of the Guangnan County. As it neighbored Fu’ning County on the east, Xichou County and Malipo County on the south, Qiubei County and Yanshan County on the west and Xilin County of Guangxi Province on the north, it was at the junction of Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guizhou Provinces. Therefore, the rice was also one of the varieties of Yunnan rice.
The Yunnan Province was the origin of cultured rice and the initial starting point where rice was spread to other places. Therefore, many kinds of quality rice were all produced there, of which the Zhefang Rice and Babao Rice were two excellent ones.
Due to the place it originated, however, it was named Babao Rice.
Babao Rice consisted of two varieties. For the first one, the rice particles were a greenish white, similar to the color of green jade. It was the best choice to cook the rice gruel. For the other one, the rice grains were snowy white similar to the color of white jade and it was the best choice to cook the steamed rice.
But today, what Yuan Zhou prepared to cook the rice crust with was contrarily the first one, the greenish-white type of rice.
“This chef is said to cook very fast. Is he going to carry the dish up soon?” Li Wentong didn’t sit at a good position, thus he could merely see Yuan Zhou’s body rather than his hand movements.
Therefore, he couldn’t see if Yuan Zhou had prepared the Green Jade Rice Crust.
Not long after that, however, the Green Jade Rice Crust was carried up to him.
“Here’s your 100 Styles of Rice Cuisines, Green Jade Rice Crust.” Zhou Jia set down the plate gently.
“Thank you.” Li Wentong thanked her first before he turned to look at the plate.
It was a plate that had wide edges and was hollow in the center. A semi-circle piece of intact rice crust was placed in the plate, upside down. The middle of the rice crust was a golden yellow with a slight tinge of green. The closer it was to the edges, the greener it became.
Such a strange rice crust was just floating in a bowl of clear water.
“It’s really the Green Jade Rice Crust no matter in design or appearance. Now I’m merely waiting to see if the taste is good.” Li Wentong was a little excited in his heart. Nevertheless, he just picked up the chopsticks steadily and prepared to eat.
