Gourmet Food Supplier

"Boss Yuan, why do you tell us the news at this time of day? What shall we do now?" Ya Ya complained with a bitter face.

"You can come and eat it next time," Yuan Zhou said calmly.

"Boss Yuan, you make such a good point that I don’t even know what to answer." Instantly, Ya Ya choked.

"Humm." Yuan Zhou nodded the head deservedly.

Then, the remaining customers choked, too.

"No wonder Boss Yuan doesn’t like talking," Sister Wan said lightly thoughtfully.

After all, he either made people choked to death or get others choked to death with the way he talked.

"Boss Yuan, let’s stop talking nonsense. Is the 100 Styles of Rice Cuisine available to be ordered as long as the main ingredient is rice?" the man in shirt paused for a while and then asked.

"Yes, it is." With a nod, Yuan Zhou expressed the affirmation.

"Xianglu Rice. Have you ever heard of that?" The man in shirt was a little complacent while speaking of that.

The Xianglu Rice was a kind of food that his grandma had mentioned during his childhood.

The grandma of the man in shirt told him that she had been from an eminent family before she married. When she didn’t have a good appetite or didn’t want to eat, the cook would make the fragrant and tasty Xianglu Rice for her.

Once it was served, the fragrance would be quite alluring. Just in little while, his grandma would eat it up very soon despite her bad appetite.

The man in shirt only heard of the description rather than tasted it personally. Therefore, it had been always kept in mind and unforgotten ever since he was little.

"Humm. I have only got the Rose Fragrant Xianglu Rice," answered Yuan Zhou indifferently. In the heart, however, he wanted to say that the wisdom of the ancestors was really endless and terrific. But luckily, he had the system backing him up.

"That’s great. I would order one bowl of that," the man in shirt said with great excitement.

"Sorry, the business time hasn’t yet started," said Yuan Zhou primly.

"I suddenly feel that my balls are aching." The man in shirt revealed a speechless manner.

"If it isn’t available to order right now, why did you answer me that way?" The man in shirt felt Yuan Zhou did that on purpose.

"It’s my responsibility to tell my customers everything I know of," answered Yuan Zhou lightly.

Then, everybody was lost in silence. They indeed shouldn’t ask that question now. It might be better to ask that after a while.

Absolute silence.

While Yuan Zhou was gradually controlling the situation, the customers were nevertheless waiting for the lunch time in silence.

At the other side, Wu Hai got impatient again. And the reason was quite simple.

Due to Zhou Jia’s advance notice, the gourmet group instantly became excited and noisy. Several people like Wu Zhou, who liked watching the fun, specifically sent the message to Wu Hai. Therefore, he got irritated and impatient again.

[Wu Hai, Boss Yuan is gonna serve another new dish, which is said to be a main course. Meat Dish.] Wu Zhou just narrated the issue briefly to him.

[Bro Wu, the annoying guy Boss Yuan is going to serve a new dish again soon.] Man Man sat at the computer and snickered.

Once they started to notify Wu Hai, they could no longer stop guessing. Most of the regular customers brought out their speculations one after another.

From Braised Pork with Soy Sauce and Meat Balls to Stewed Chicken or Duck to Stir-Fried Shredded Pork.

Due to Wu Hai’s inferior culinary skills, Wu Hai could only cook two dishes now. He had to go outside occasionally to eat some barely edible foods.

As soon as he received the notifications, he saw discussions about meat dishes all over the screen and the news that Yuan Zhou would provide a new meat dish. Stimulated by that, how could he stay there longer?

"Hua La". Without saying anything, Wu Hai pulled his suitcase out and packed up his stuff directly. The resolution of leaving immediately was clearly revealed on his face.

"Wu Hai! What’s wrong with you again?" Wu Lin walked to him swiftly and asked.

"I’m gonna go back. If I stay here longer, I will go mad." Wu Hai appeared rather solemn, yet with his mustache made tidy and neat.

"Stay for the last two days. After that, you can go wherever you want. Even if you want to go to Amazon Rainforest to feed the snakes, I won’t stop you." Wu Lin pressed the suitcase firmly and caught Wu Hai’s arms.

"Lin Lin, don’t say stuff thoughtlessly like that. What’s the matter with you, Xiao Hai?" Zheng Jiawei took Wu Lin’s hands and looked at Wu Hai worriedly.

With her hands being held by Zheng Jiawei, Wu Lin became a little woman immediately and obediently looked at her boyfriend talking.

"I want to eat meat, the meat dish cooked by Boss Yuan," stroking his small mustache, Wu Hai said decisively.

"No, you can’t." Hearing Wu Hai still insist on leaving, Wu Lin was pissed off.

"Whatever you say, I will go back today." Wu Hai was quite relieved on thinking of the ID with him.

"Brother!" Wu Lin struggled to get herself free from Zheng Jiawei and directly went up, preparing to give her brother a flying mare.

"Even if you don’t let me go back, I won’t go out of the room. Do as you please," Wu Hai said quickly.

Then, Wu Lin became helpless. No matter what happened, she can’t get him tied and force him to attend the exhibition.

"I’m just a painter. What they are to buy is the painting rather than me. It doesn’t matter whether I’m here or not." Wu Hai had always felt it useless to stay there as the customers only wanted to buy the paintings.

Was there anybody that liked to see which chicken laid the egg before eating the eggs?

"Are you sure to leave?" said Zheng Jiawei with a look of pity as well as hope.

"Damn it, yes. If I needn’t be here, why would I stay?" Wu Hai even uttered some curses.

"Alright. I will tell them you have some sort of emergency and have to travel far," having considered for a while, Zheng Jiawei said directly.

"Jiawei, don’t spoil him." Wu Lin was unable to put up with her brother anymore and complained to Zheng Jiawei.

"I’m your brother, blood brother," Wu Hai shouted while pointing at himself.

"Then why couldn’t you listen to me and stay for another two days?" Wu Lin turned the head and said.

"Then forget it. It matters nothing whether or not I’m your blood brother." Wu Hai stroked his mustache immediately and revealed a manner of indifference.

In order to eat the new dish cooked by Yuan Zhou, Wu Hai really tried his best.

"Never mind. I can manage the remaining work of the exhibition." Zheng Jiawei patted on Wu Hai’s hands reassuringly.

Wu Lin nevertheless only answered with a "Humm" and then watched Zheng Jiawei buy the ticket personally and send her hopeless brother leave.

Just when Wu Hai was on the way back, the lunch time of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant started.

"Boss Yuan, Xianglu Rice. Am I the first?" The man in shirt was quite complacent.

"There’s still one minute left. Wait a little moment." Yuan Zhou took a look at the clock in his restaurant.

"Well, I can wait." The man in shirt then stopped there. He thought mercilessly in the heart that Yuan Zhou would definitely have big trouble if the dish wasn’t cooked to be as satisfactory as described by his grandma. He might as well endure and tolerate him temporarily and see what would happen.

He read the revised Buddhism Dialogues between Hanshan and Shide① silently in the heart to comfort his sombre mood.

"Zhou Jia, you can start to take orders now." Yuan Zhou was already in the kitchen. Once the time was up, he said that.

"Everybody, you can order dishes now. This way, please." Zhou Jia greeted the customers loudly and enthusiastically.

"I care about nothing but the Xianglu Rice. Get one for me, please." The man in shirt was rather persistent.

Seeing that, even Sister Wan became curious. She asked, "What is it? I haven’t heard of that, either."

"Me either." Ya Ya nodded and echoed her at the side.

"Actually, I haven’t eaten the food before, either. I just heard of the name from my grandma when I was little. It was said to be elegant and delicious." Asked by a beautiful young girl, the man in shirt was quite happy to answer the question. However, he spoke in a very low voice as if he were afraid that Yuan Zhou would hear that.

Yuan Zhou truly heard him. He just didn’t care about that as he was fairly confident in cooking the food.

The first step to cook the Xianglu Rice was to pick rice, which covered Xiang Dao, Dong Shuang, Wan Mi, GuanYin Xian and Taohua Xian according to the sequence of the yielding seasons. This time, what Yuan Zhou picked was the rice of Taohua Xian.

The rice in this season carried a glimmer of softness, stickiness and fragrance. It couldn’t be better to blend the Xianglu into the rice.

Food is the fundamental taste of everything. Therefore, Yuan Zhou took out the rice and then started to sluice it very carefully.

①Buddhism Dialogues between Hanshan and Shide: Han Shang once asked Shi De, "Some people in the world slander me, bully me, insult me, laugh at me, belittle me, look me down, hate me and deceive me. What should I do about it then?"

Shi De replied, "You only have to tolerate him, let him win, let him be, avoid him, be patient with him, respect him and never mind about him. After a few years, you can just see him again and will find a quite different person."