Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 268 Today's meal was a great experience

As the thick sauce is poured on, the sweet and sour and rich aroma spreads.

Several guests who were concentrating on eating looked up and followed the aroma to see the big fish with vivid shape and golden fried surface in the huge fish plate on the table in the corner.

The shiny sauce on the back of the fish is slowly flowing from the fish into the fish plate, exuding an attractive sweet and sour aroma.

After seeing Shen Yu cook it last time, Yu Tao knew that it was time to sprinkle chopped green onions after pouring the sauce. After Shen Yu poured the sauce and stepped aside, Yu Tao picked up the chopped green onions in the small bowl and sprinkled them on top, saying crisply, "The sweet and sour fish is ready. Enjoy, sir."

There was no need to urge Manager Xu, as he had already picked up his chopsticks and was ready to go.

After Yutao finished speaking and stood aside, she couldn't wait to stretch out her chopsticks, picked up a large piece from the most tender and plump part of the fish's back, put it in her mouth, squinted her eyes and tasted it carefully.

After swallowing a piece of fish, Manager Xu paused for a moment, opened his eyes in satisfaction, and smiled as he praised Shen Yu: "It looked delicious yesterday, and it tasted delicious today. The young lady is a great cook."

Shen Yu nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your compliment, please enjoy your meal. If it tastes good, come back again."

After seeing the dish, the other customers thought it smelled delicious, but they immediately lowered their heads and started eating their own food. At most, they secretly made a note in their minds and decided to order this dish to try next time.

However, a young guest who was sitting diagonally opposite Manager Xu at the same table, and who had originally ordered two side dishes and was enjoying them, stopped eating now.

He pretended to be indifferent and secretly glanced at Manager Xu at the opposite table who was eating heartily. He didn't even notice that he had a greedy look on his face.

Manager Xu is a man who loves to eat and knows how to eat. He eats carefully and slowly.

He ate a few bites of fish with great enjoyment, and suddenly felt someone was looking at him. He looked up and saw the customer opposite him, staring at him while he was eating fish.

When he was discovered, he lowered his head in embarrassment, and his ears turned red with shame.

Manager Xu is over fifty years old and has traveled to many places with his master, so he has some ability to judge people.

The customer opposite was about twenty years old, with a simple and honest face. His clothes were neat, but the fabric was not very good. Judging from his attire, he looked like a clerk in some store.

I'm still young, and when I see something delicious, the greedy look of young people will come out involuntarily.

Manager Xu understood, thought for a moment and called Zhou Dalang, "Young Master, please get me a clean plate and bamboo chopsticks."

Zhou Dalang agreed, quickly went to the kitchen to get it, and brought it to the guest's table.

Manager Xu took the bamboo chopsticks, plucked a large piece from the half of the fish that he had not yet touched, put it on a small plate, pushed it to the young man opposite, and said with a gentle smile: "This fish is really delicious."

"It seems that you also like to eat fish. I haven't touched this part yet. You can try it. It's such a big fish, I can't finish it by myself."

The young man at the opposite table was stunned for a moment, his face flushed with embarrassment, and he instinctively wanted to refuse.

But looking at the kind and gentle smile of Manager Xu, and then at the small plate, which showed a large piece of sweet and sour fish with a crispy outer skin and tender and steaming hot meat inside, he hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't resist the temptation of the delicious food, so he took it.

The young man picked up a piece with bamboo chopsticks and put it into his mouth, chewing silently and quickly.

After eating a piece of fish, he smiled shyly at Manager Xu and said, "Thank you, uncle. I'm sorry to make you laugh. This fish is really delicious."

"I have loved eating fish since I was a child, but I couldn't bear to eat it because my monthly salary was limited. My mother said that she would save the money to marry a wife, so I dared not spend money recklessly outside."

Manager Xu said with an experienced tone: "You're welcome. I also like to eat fish."

"You look about the same age as my youngest son. It's nothing to suffer a little when you're young. Judging from your attire, do you work in a shop?"

The young man nodded and said, "Yes, I started as an apprentice and have been doing this for four or five years. Now I get the monthly salary of a second-class clerk."

After thinking for a while, he said, "Today I came to the market with the shopkeeper to buy goods. The shopkeeper had an appointment with someone to drink and discuss business, so he left me alone to find a restaurant to eat."

Manager Xu didn't say anything after hearing this. He just smiled gently and encouraged: "As long as young people work hard, they will get better and better."

The young man smiled gratefully, and the two stopped talking and started eating the food in front of them.

Shopkeeper Xu really loves eating fish. After cooking a fish weighing more than two kilograms, he shared some with the young man across the street and ate the rest.

As he paid the bill, he smiled and said, "I enjoyed my meal today. It's been a while since I've had such delicious fish. Next time I come to the market, I'll definitely come to your house for dinner."

As he spoke, he took out a string of silver coins and said, "Here is a hundred coins, no need to give me the change."

Li thanked him, and Manager Xu smiled, nodded, and walked out.

At this time, Manager Xu would never have thought that an unintentional kindness would save his life in the future. However, these things are all stories for later.

The young man who was eating at the opposite table saw Manager Xu finish his meal, pay the bill and leave. He looked at the empty dish in front of him and felt warm in his heart.

It had been a long time since anyone had shown such concern and encouragement for him. When the shop owner had good things happen to him, he would always think of leaving them to his relative, the top clerk who was not as good as himself in everything.

Like today, the shopkeeper called him over just to help push the cart and move things, and when they were buying and selecting goods, he let him stand far away and was not allowed to come closer to learn.

Following a shopkeeper like this, I don’t know when I can get the monthly salary of a first-class clerk.

The young man sighed helplessly, quickly shoveled the last bit of rice in the bowl into his mouth, stood up, paid the bill and left.

When the market closed, a middle-aged man of short stature wearing a neat short shirt stopped at the door of the restaurant, carrying a bamboo basket on his back. A young man of about fifteen or sixteen followed behind him, holding a short bamboo ladder.

The middle-aged man glanced at the sign of Shenjia Fengnian Restaurant, waved to the young man behind him, and walked into the store together.

At this time, Li was directing everyone to move the long table against the wall on the other side of the store out and move the newly purchased square table into position.

Zheng Sanniang saw someone coming into the store, so she went to greet him and said apologetically, "Sir, I'm sorry, but our store is closed today. If you want to eat something, please come back tomorrow."

The two men did not seem to be here to eat. After hearing what Zheng Sanniang said, they just smiled and stood at the door of the shop, looking around, and asked, "Madam, you misunderstood. We are not here to eat. May I ask if the owner of your shop is here?"

Li and Shen Yu were discussing how to place the stools and how to rearrange the tables next to them.

Hearing the noise, she looked up and saw who was coming. Li hurriedly came over and said, "Manager Chen, please come in quickly. We have cleaned up the shop."