The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 576 - 565: Zhiwei Restaurant

Chapter 576: Chapter 565: Zhiwei Restaurant

The three couldn’t help but exclaim "Wow," rushing over to surround their teacher with a barrage of questions, "Teacher, can we go eat at the Ganxiang Pavilion?"

"Forget it, your teacher doesn’t have that much money. The Zhiwei Restaurant next to Ganxiang Pavilion is also good, let’s eat there."

Manbao thought for a bit and asked, "Have we eaten at Zhiwei Restaurant before?"

Bai Shanbao couldn’t recall, and looked towards Bai Erlang. Bai Erlang directly ignored Daji and looked at Zhou Silang.

Zhou Silang thought for a moment then shook his head, "No, I hadn’t even noticed there was a Zhiwei Restaurant next to Ganxiang Pavilion."

He felt somewhat self-reproachful, "I thought I had scouted out the nearby neighborhoods thoroughly, turns out there are still so many shops I don’t recognize."

A place like Ganxiang Pavilion was a top-tier restaurant in Yizhou City, so the eateries beside it definitely weren’t bad either.

Mr. Zhuang gave them a glance, turned around to mount the carriage, and said, "We’re still early, let’s go back and rest a bit first before we head out."

Everyone agreed, climbing onto the carriage one after another. Manbao asked Bai Shanbao what the topic for the poetry and literature competition was.

Bai Shanbao said, "It’s actually not difficult, with ’spring’ as the topic, but that also makes it quite challenging. I feel I can’t compete with poetry and literature."

Mr. Zhuang interjected, "Your literary work has its own spirit, don’t underestimate yourself."

Manbao quickly asked, "And me, teacher?"

Mr. Zhuang looked at her and smiled, "Your poetry is also good. If you want to improve your poetry, you should read more of the Classic of Poetry and other good collections of poems. From now on, read two poems before going to bed every night. Erlang, you’ll do this with your senior sister and brother."

The three assigned another task: ...

Even the diligent Bai Shanbao and Manbao couldn’t help but stand in their yard, gazing up at the sky with a forlorn look, "Feels like there’s even less time to play these days. Didn’t they say things would be better once we grew up?"

Zhou Silang drifted by and replied, "That’s because you haven’t grown up enough yet. Look at me now, so free, doing whatever I want each day, unlike before at home, where I had to obey my parents from the moment I opened my eyes."

Manbao thought it over carefully and felt it made sense, so she clenched her fists and made a vow, "I hope I can grow up quickly."

Bai Shanbao and Bai Erlang also clenched their fists to make a wish.

Daji, on the side, silently watched them, not saying a word as he glanced askance at the schadenfreude of Zhou Si.

It was nearly dinner time when Mr. Zhuang finally took them out.

Since the weather was neither hot nor cold, Mr. Zhuang simply chose not to take the carriage but rather led them on foot.

From a distance, they could see Ganxiang Pavilion bustling with excitement. It was said that many candidates coming for the examination had set up banquets at Ganxiang Pavilion and nearby restaurants.

Manbao stared with wide eyes at the signboards of the shops on both sides, trying to locate Zhiwei Restaurant, but did not see it all the way along.

After they walked past Ganxiang Pavilion and went further down the road for quite a while, where the noises of the crowd began to fade, they finally saw Zhiwei Restaurant.

It was also a two-story wooden building, just significantly smaller than Ganxiang Pavilion, and didn’t seem bustling from the outside. However, once inside, they discovered quite a number of patrons seated there.

Mr. Zhuang led them in, and a waiter approached and asked, "How many in your party, sirs?"

Mr. Zhuang said, "Six."

"Please follow me upstairs, there’s a large table free," the waiter led them upward. Manbao looked down from the staircase and realized that the tables in the main hall were almost fully occupied, with the occasional addition of patrons entering from outside and sometimes needing to share tables.

The waiter, with a friendly smile, invited them to sit and asked, "Is this the first visit for the gentlemen? Shall I recommend some dishes for you?"

Mr. Zhuang replied, "Bring two bowls of steamed pork with rice flour and one order of scallion-braised blood parrot cichlid. For the rest, you decide—just one soup and five other dishes will suffice."

Hearing this, the waiter could tell that this guest knew his food and probably wasn’t a first-timer, but scrutinizing closely, he didn’t recognize Mr. Zhuang and bowed with a smile, "Then, how about I bring an egg soup, a seasonal vegetable dish, a tofu dish, and a clear-simmered chicken?"

Mr. Zhuang pondered a moment and nodded, "Let it be so."

The waiter then hurried off.

Mr. Zhuang gestured for his three disciples to pour the tea, then began to introduce Zhiwei Restaurant, "This is a genuine old establishment. It opened here when your teacher was still young. Their steamed pork with rice flour is the tastiest, just the portions are small."

That’s why he ordered two bowls.

As the eldest senior sister, Manbao stood up first to pour tea for everyone.

After taking a sip of tea, Mr. Zhuang continued, "Their blood parrot cichlid is also done well, mainly because the name is auspicious. People coming here to dine can’t resist ordering it."

"Their dishes might not be as refined as Ganxiang Pavilion’s, but they have their own unique flavor." Mainly, they hold an advantage in pricing.

Though on the same street, the price difference for the same dish was significant, and Mr. Zhuang, who had long been a poor scholar, naturally couldn’t afford Ganxiang Pavilion’s fares.

In his opinion, the best eatery in Yizhou City was Zhiwei Restaurant.

Zhiwei Restaurant was rather quick with their service, mainly because the dishes they ordered were either easy to prepare or the restaurant’s signature dishes, which they had pre-made. Thus, after waiting only a quarter-hour, their food arrived.

Mr. Zhuang first placed a piece of steamed pork with rice flour in Manbao’s bowl and looked at them with a full smile, "Give it a taste."

Manbao took a bite, chewed thoughtfully, and then her eyes lit up with excitement as she eagerly nodded in approval.

Mr. Zhuang then turned his smile towards the others, and Bai Shanbao and the rest hurried to try it as well, finding it truly delicious. It was both tender and fragrant, not greasy, carrying a savory and fresh taste that spread across their taste buds.

Even the usually composed Daji couldn’t help but nod his eyes brightened, to say nothing of Zhou Silang.

After eating a piece, he examined the ingredients of the steamed pork, asking, "Mr. Zhuang, do you know how this is made?"

After tasting a piece and feeling satisfied, Mr. Zhuang shook his head, "I don’t know."

Zhou Silang: "..."

"But this dish has glutinous rice and some spices. As for how it’s made, I have no idea." Mr. Zhuang wasn’t even able to cook ordinary dishes, let alone such culinary delights.

Zhou Silang said regretfully, "If only we knew, once back home, I could get my sister-in-law to make it. Their steamed pork with rice flour is different from others’."

Mr. Zhuang nodded.

Manbao, Bai Shanbao, and Bai Erlang also nodded.

Bai Shanbao said, "The taste of the one made by our family’s cook is also distinct."

After the steamed pork with rice flour, they went on to try the other dishes, which they also found to be tasty, though none had the surprising delight of that dish.

But they were all eating happily.

After they had their fill, Mr. Zhuang sat on the second floor looking down at the liveliness of the main hall below and smiled, "Although it’s not as bustling here as at Ganxiang Pavilion up front, there are still quite a few people coming in to dine, mainly residents who have been living in Yizhou City for a long time. Your Uncle Master Lan is quite fond of coming here to drink."

Manbao asked, "What kind of alcohol is good here?"

"Actually, it’s just very ordinary alcohol, but it’s comfortable to sit here, even more so than in Ganxiang Pavilion." Mr. Zhuang pondered for a moment and said, "Next time there’s a chance, I’ll take you to Ganxiang Pavilion for a meal, and you’ll understand."

The three thought about it carefully, realizing they had already eaten at Ganxiang Pavilion, but didn’t feel much of a difference.