Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Not long after lunch ended, Yuan Zhou’s phone rang.
The caller ID was Sun Ming, a brother Yuan Zhou hadn’t seen for a while.
“Why are you so free to give me a call?” Yuan Zhou directly asked after answering the phone.
“It’s the Chinese New Year soon, so I’m calling to see how you’re doing,” Sun Ming said, his voice through the phone being cut off somewhat.
“No, I don’t believe that. You’re a hoes over bros kind of guy,” Yuan Zhou immediately tore Sun Ming’s lie apart.
That’s right. The only reason Sun Ming hadn’t looked for Yuan Zhou was that he had gotten to know a new goddess, someone he was furiously courting.
He had no time to visit Yuan Zhou’s restaurant. He also had no time to meet up with his brothers. It had been quite a while since he had eaten the delicacies he loved.
Therefore, Yuan Zhou was correct when he said that he was a hoes over bros kind of guy.
“That’s not true at all. Aren’t I calling you right now?” Sun Ming solemnly said, promptly explaining himself.
“You must have called because your courting failed,” Yuan Zhou remarked in a straightforward manner.
Facing a brother that places priority on girls over bros, Yuan Zhou spared no effort in berating him.
“You’re wrong. I already successfully asked her out for a meal,” Sun Ming solemnly stated.
When he spoke, the joy and sweetness in his voice couldn’t be disguised.
“One meal after one month? For your standards, that is quite a decent performance,” Yuan Zhou said, disdain seeping out of his every word.
“Still better than a forever-alone like you,” Sun Ming countered, not willing to be outdone.
“Hoho,” Yuan Zhou sneered, his contempt so deep he couldn’t even be bothered to reply.
“Ok, enough small talk. Let’s get onto business,” Sun Ming knew when to stop. Therefore, he prepared to move onto proper business.
“Yeah, sure. Let’s stop talking. I’m hanging up,” Yuan Zhou said and made it seemed like he was about to hang up the phone.
“No, no, no. Yuan Zhou, don’t end the call. No matter what, we’re still brothers. I have something I need your help with,” Sun Ming knew when to lower himself and immediately started begging for help instead.
“Beg me,” Yuan Zhou said, his voice nonchalant.
“Yeah, I beg you. Please help,” Sun Ming unknowingly nodded as he spoke, making it clear that he was begging.
After Sun Ming begged, Yuan Zhou did not reply immediately. After all, Yuan Zhou was still a forever-alone guy. Moreover, he was a forever-alone guy that held a grudge. Therefore, he wouldn’t let go of a chance to keep Sun Ming waiting.
“Speak. What help do you need,” Yuan Zhou remained silent for five seconds before answering.
“You see, I asked the goddess out to eat at your place. Since I had promised her I will personally cook a dish for her, can you…” Sun Ming quickly made his request known.
Unfortunately, before he could finish his sentence, he was ruthlessly cut off by Yuan Zhou.
“No,” Yuan Zhou left no room for negotiation.
“But I hadn’t even told you what I need,” Sun Ming choked somewhat on his words before saying this.
“You want to borrow the kitchen. Have you ever seen Simon the Snow Blower borrowing his sword to Lu Xiaofeng 1 ?” Yuan Zhou rejected in a straightforward manner since it did not take him long to figure out what Sun Ming wanted.
“Nope,” Sun Ming answered truthfully.
“Right, that’s why my answer is no,” Yuan Zhou righteously said.
Sun Ming wasn’t discouraged by Yuan Zhou’s answer. He directly changed his request instead. The speed in which he changed his request made one wonder if this had been what he wanted all along.
“Yes.” This time, Yuan Zhou generously agreed.
“Excellent. After I confirm a time with my goddess, I will bring her over,” Sun Ming happily said.
“Ok.” Once again, Yuan Zhou turned back into his indifferent self.
“Don’t be like that. When I successfully make her my girlfriend, I will get her to introduce some girls to you as well. After all, the friends of a goddess will definitely be goddesses as well.” Sun Ming sounded rather creepy when he said that, but his tone was sincere.
“No thanks. I don’t need that kind of help,” Yuan Zhou said, his tone resolute.
‘After all, with my perfect look and godly cooking skills, I will definitely be well-liked by girls. I do not need a blind date to help me,’ thought Yuan Zhou confidently.
“You’ll see then. My goddess is incredibly pretty,” Sun Ming said in a mysterious manner, not minding Yuan Zhou’s rejection.
Later,” this was Yuan Zhou’s answer.
Then, he directly hung up the call.
“This guy,” Sun Ming muttered as he stared at his phone. Then, he put his phone down as well.
“It’s still not time to rest. I need to practice cooking that dish,” Sun Ming said to himself and rushed into his kitchen.
As for Yuan Zhou, this call changed nothing much for him. As usual, he practiced his knife and carving skills at noon. And when the time came, he prepared the ingredients required for dinner.
The customers of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant would always arrive early to wait for their food. Even Lee Yanyi was no exception to this.
In the past, Yan Jia would drop Lee Yanyi off at the street intersection. Lee Yanyi would then silently walk his way to the restaurant. This time, something seemed different. When he was still far away, the vigorous voice of a man could be heard speaking.
“Is this the restaurant of that Boss Yuan? Why is the restaurant opened at such a secluded place?” Xing Min — Lee Yanyi’s mortal enemy during the ingredient exchange — was the one who spoke.
The two old men were known for always bickering with each other. However, they had a similar fashion sense. Both of them were wearing gray woolen suits, making them look traditional and upright, with their hair meticulously and neatly combed.
The difference between them was the flushed face Xing Min had while Lee Yanyi appeared much more indifferent. After all, Xing Min was somewhat fat.
He wasn’t as picky with his food as Lee Yanyi was.
“This is an example of a fragrant wine that fears no dark alley. You are the one that wanted to come. If you’re unhappy, feel free to leave. It’s not like I enjoy bringing you here,” Lee Yanyi glanced at Xing Min and said.
“I’m already here. Of course I need to go take a look. I didn’t get the chance to eat much previously,” Xing Min righteously stated.
“Pfft, taking the high ground even when you’re only here because you’re a glutton,” Lee Yanyi continued speaking in a ruthlessly direct fashion.
“Better than you who is a glutton every single day.” Once again, Xing Min became infuriated.
“No. I am merely practicing my judgment and sense of taste,” Lee Yanyi righteously said.
“Heh,” Xing Min snorted.
Just like that, the two bickered without stop until they reached the restaurant. The number of people here did not surprise Xing Min.
After all, the food Yuan Zhou made during the ingredient exchange and the excellent cooking skills he had demonstrated warranted him such popularity.
Fortunately, Lee Yanyi was a glutton that was a frequent visitor to this restaurant. Therefore, they had arrived quite early. When the restaurant opened, the two of them were part of the first batch of customers to get seated.
“Grandpa Lee and this other grandpa, what do you want to eat?” Mu Xiaoyun obediently walked up to them and asked.
“I only need to know what’s your boss’s signature dish,” Xing Min directly said.
“Look at the menu yourself. His entire menu is filled with his signature dishes. Anything Yuan Zhou cooks will turn into his specialty,” Lee Yanyi immediately replied and gave Xing Min a look of disdain, speaking with an air of wisdom.
“Yeah. The dishes on the menu are all highly praised by our customers. All of them are our signature dishes,” Mu Xiaoyun said naturally.
“You don’t understand. Any chef will have their very own signature dish,” Xing Min said, disapproval deep on his face.
“You think that because you are ignorant. Just order anything you want from the menu.” It seemed like the contempt was about to seep out of Lee Yanyi’s face.
After all, he had personally tasted all the dishes on the menu here. Each of them were of the best quality, reaching the pinnacle of what the ingredients could reach.
Xing Min ignored Li Yan. Facing Yuan Zhou, he directly asked.
“Boss Yuan, what is your signature dish?” Xing Min solemnly asked.
