Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“What?” Wu Hai just looked at Unworried Mulberry and asked again.
“Well, no…” Just when Unworried Mulberry wanted to say “nothing”, he changed his answer again, “Are you that very famous genius artist Mr. Wu, Wu Hai?”
“Asking for paintings? I don’t have the time.” Wu Hai knitted his brows out of reflex and refused flatly.
“No, no, no. I just want to confirm your identity.” Unworried Mulberry shook his head ceaselessly. He couldn’t afford Wu Hai’s paintings.
Wu Hai looked at Unworried Mulberry the same way he looked at an idiot.
“…” Then, Unworried Mulberry straightforwardly choked and didn’t know what to say.
“Judging from his terrible character, he’s surely the great artist Wu Hai.” Unworried Mulberry complained inwardly.
He didn’t even dare to see what Yuan Zhou cooked now.
“Here’s your Tea-smoked Duck. Please take your time and enjoy.” The soft voice of Zhou Jia sounded at the ear of Unworried Mulberry.
“Oh, okay. Thank you.” Unworried Mulberry immediately came to himself and turned to thank her.
“You are welcome,” after Zhou Jia said that, she turned around and left.
“Nice appearance!” It was the first reaction of Unworried Mulberry when he caught sight of the duck.
That’s right. The outward appearance of the Tea-smoked Duck was really not bad.
The whole duck was cut into pieces and then assembled into the shape of an intact duck again while the skin was a beautiful translucent golden red.
The cooked Tea-smoked Duck was placed in a long plate. A ripple of water could be seen indistinctly at the edge. On the whole, it looked like a duck swimming in the water.
Around the duck was a circle of dark green Lotus-Leaf-Shaped Pancakes like the little folded Lotus Leaf Sandwiches. And some white and delicate lotus flowers were painted on the plate beside the lotus leaves.
This plate of Tea-smoked Duck looked like a living duck swimming blissfully in the lotus pond.
“How beautiful it is!” Unworried Mulberry sighed with emotion. Then, he destroyed the aesthetic feeling without hesitation.
Because he picked up a piece of duck meat with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth immediately.
“Awoo.” Unworried Mulberry swallowed it up at a gulp. It was a piece of duck thigh and thus, the first thing he felt was the skin on the surface.
“Zi Zi”. Unworried Mulberry chewed it and there emitted the sound of the duck skin being chewed up.
The crisp duck skin contained quite a bit of fat. Once the teeth passed through the slightly rigid duck skin, they came into contact with the smooth and tender duck meat.
The duck meat was extremely fresh and tender. As soon as it was bit gently, the meat fell apart. In the meantime, there was also plenty of gravy inside, which was blended with the fat filled with the fragrance of tea. The taste was absolutely excellent.
“Hoo.” Unworried Mulberry couldn’t help heaving a gentle sigh.
“Ba Ji Ba Ji”. Unworried Mulberry couldn’t help but continue chewing. The slightly hard skin, the soft and tender meat, the fragrance of tea that became mellower while chewing and the stimulation of the slightly numbing Sichuan peppercorn all whetted his appetite.
During the process, there was also a kind of indescribable taste lingering in his mouth. Unworried Mulberry believed that it must be the fragrance of the Camphor tree.
“Ka La”. Unworried Mulberry even chewed the bones inside of the duck meat into little pieces. To his surprise, there was even bone oil inside. Even so, it still emitted the attractive fragrance of tea.
After he ate up a piece of duck meat, Unworried Mulberry didn’t stop, but he changed his method of eating. After all, he was also very interested in the dark green Lotus Leaf Sandwiches.
“The taste is terrific, but the breast usually doesn’t taste good. Let me use the duck breast to start with.” Unworried Mulberry took the chopsticks and picked up a piece of duck breast with one hand and then stuffed it into the Lotus Leaf Sandwiches with the other.
Actually, Unworried Mulberry was right. Unless it was taken out and cooked separately, the breast of poultry didn’t really taste good.
As it was all lean, it tasted dry and stringy. But what was this place? It was Yuan Zhou’s restaurant.
And would Yuan Zhou let such things happen? Absolutely not. Therefore, Unworried Mulberry managed to be shocked again.
“It really looks like the lotus leaves, but it’s made from flour dough. It has quite a delicate fragrance.” Unworried Mulberry savored the aftertaste in his mouth and couldn’t help but speak highly of that.
Just like that, Unworried Mulberry ate and sighed with emotion at the same time. In a little while, he ate up a duck weighing 1.25kg and a circle of Lotus Leaf Sandwiches alone, leaving nothing at all.
If it wasn’t because he was in the restaurant, he would have already licked the plate. Of course, it was impossible to order another serving. He had eaten too much.
“Delicious.” Unworried Mulberry couldn’t help sighing with emotion.
He hadn’t savored the aftertaste for long when he suddenly thought of his purpose of the visit here. It wasn’t scientific that the dish was so delicious.
It was even more delicious than he imagined. How was it possible that the food still tasted so good after the restaurant had become famous?
Unworried Mulberry stared at Yuan Zhou blankly. He was definitely a freak.
He sat up straight and gnashed his teeth solemnly, swearing, “Though it tastes good, I don’t want to come anymore.”
When he said that, Unworried Mulberry was quite indignant. After all, it was a rare failed operation despite his great efforts.
No one knew what he came here for, but that didn’t affect him from feeling awkward. That was why he acted that way.
Other customers at the side all heard what he said, but no one really responded to him.
Even Lee Yanyi beside him didn’t look at him at all. He just waited attentively for the Tea-smoked Duck being served.
Then, he felt more embarrassed and hence walked out of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant quickly and silently.
Yuan Zhou had no idea of this anti-fraud operation conducted by Unworried Mulberry and of course, he didn’t worry about that, either. After all, he conducted his business honestly and smoothly. Now, he was more curious about the matter in front of him.
The next afternoon, Yuan Zhou sat at the door and sculpted his radishes as usual. The shelf by the door was filled with all kinds of radish sculptures.
Red ones, white ones and purple ones. There was nothing you could not find and they were both beautiful and interesting.
“Ta Ta Ta”. There came the light sound of footsteps. Yuan Zhou put down the winter jasmines that he had just sculpted and looked up at the street.
It was the little girl who came yesterday. Today, she was dressed in a small army green cotton-padded jacket and had two pigtails. She ran like an adult and passed by Yuan Zhou and the sculpture shelf towards the money-box.
“Hua Hua”. The little girl groped her own pockets and then took out a glittering coin and inserted it into the money-box through the hole. After that, she ran back to Yuan Zhou.
“Brother Yuan, I saved 1RMB today,” the little girl blinked her big eyes and said seriously.
“Um?” Yuan Zhou didn’t understand her and thus looked at her with puzzlement.
“Yesterday, the small-mustache uncle said I can save money in the box. And when I want to use it, I can take it out,” the little girl said earnestly.
“Well, yes.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head.
“Then can I take the sculpture now?” The little girl asked with an expectant look.
“Sure.” Yuan Zhou nodded his head mildly.
“Thank you, Brother Yuan.” The little girl cheered. Then, she took a sculpture of a small rabbit and ran back to her mum.
“Thank you.” The little girl’s mum expressed his gratitude to Yuan Zhou.
However, Yuan Zhou just nodded his head and didn’t say anything more.
In the next few days, Yuan Zhou saw the little girl insert the coins into his cash box every day. They were basically 1RMB coins or 0.5RMB coins. She inserted the coins into the cash box carefully every day before she came to take the sculpture.
She behaved as if this public cash box were her own money-box. That was awfully adorable.
<EMPTY>
