Chapter 506: Different From The Others
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Su Ying covered her mouth and nose as she quickly backed away.
“How long has it been since someone came to this place?”
“Mistress, this place has been vacant for at least 30 years.
The fact that the outer wall of the courtyard was still intact despite the premises having been vacant for more than 30 years proved that the courtyard was sturdy enough.
The moment Su Ying walked into the academy’s premises, she felt a scholarly air sweeping over her. When she stepped in, she was first greeted by a spacious courtyard. Behind the courtyard was a row of houses with red tiles and white walls. Although the walls looked a little mottled, the houses were in good condition. They only needed to make some simple repairs to the walls and roof before they could be used.
After looking around, Su Ying expressed her satisfaction. The conditions here were much better than those she encountered in the Sky Alpha City.
“Not bad. Let’s choose this place. When we go back, ask the people from the
Ministry of Works when the repairs can be completed.
“Yes, Mistress.”
Satisfied with her inspection, Su Ying left the academy and boarded the horse carriage. She wanted to go for a stroll on the street.
As the horse carriage drove through the bustling streets, a familiar figure flashed past Su Ying’s eyes.
Su Ying got the horse carriage to stop in a nearby alley, and she told the accompanying Imperial Guards to wait in this place.
The Imperial Guards looked troubled. ”Mistress, we need to protect you at all times.”
“No need. In fact, I’ll be safer if you guys don’t follow me.” With so many people following her, it would be hard for other people not to notice her.
The Imperial Guards could only obey and wait there for further orders. Su Ying led Zhou Qing into a restaurant, in pursuit of that figure she had just seen.
It wasn’t dinner time yet, but the restaurant was already packed with
customers.
“Please come in, guests.”
Su Ying had just reached the outside of the entrance when a few handsome, squeaky-clean young men came out to welcome her.
Zhou Qing had never encountered such a scene before, and she was so startled that she quickly shielded Su Ying behind her.
Su Ying patted her reassuringly. “Don’t panic.”
-All of you don’t stand so close.” Zhou Qing stared at those men warily.
The men also cooperated, smiling as they took a number of steps back to maintain a certain distance from Su Ying.
-Would you two ladies like to sit in the main hall or in the private dining room?” The leader of the young men asked politely.
“Are you guys the waiters in this restaurant?
The few men nodded with smiles. They appeared as if their smiles were completely imprinted on their faces.
“Yes.”
“We’ll take the private dining room.”
“Please come inside, ladies.” One of the waiters led Su Ying and her companion into the restaurant. As soon as they entered, they could see a large circular stage inside. People were moving musical instruments onto the stage. It seemed like a performance was about to take place.
Su Ying walked up to a private dining room on the second floor. When she sat in the room, she could see the performance on the stage clearly through the gauze curtains.
“What would you two ladies like to eat? Our signature dish today is Plum and
Crispy Skin Duck.”
“Then give me one order of that. What else do you have?
“There’s also Five-Spices Pig Knuckles, Shredded Chicken, and Boneless Duck Feet Salad. These are the dishes that our restaurant’s guests order more often. Would you like to try them too?”
Shredded Chicken and Boneless Duck Feet Salad? Indeed, Su Ying hadn’t tried these two dishes before. “Bring all of them up.
“Sure. Please wait for a moment, ladies.” As he spoke, the waiter took out an hourglass and placed it on the table.
“What’s this?” Su Ying asked with a puzzled look.
“This is our hourglass timer. If all the dishes you two ladies ordered are not served before the sand in the hourglass runs out, the restaurant will give waive the cost of your meal tonight.”
Zhou Qing was very surprised. “You have such a good deal here?
The waiter smiled and nodded before excusing himself.
“Mistress, this restaurant certainly looks different from the others.” There were so many novel services here. No wonder there were so many customers here before it was time for dinner.
Su Ying got up and walked to the window. She saw a line of people queuing up outside the restaurant, and she could even hear the waiter shouting at the top of his voice, telling the people outside to line up properly. He even brought out chairs and served them some snacks so that they had something to eat and drink while they waited. With this kind of service here, it was no wonder that there was no customer at the restaurant across the street.
Su Ying returned to her chair. The instant she sat down, she heard a cheerful tune wafting up from below. Accompanied by the sound of drums, a group of svelte women with their waists exposed emerged from the backstage and danced merrily onto the stage.
They gyrated like water snakes. Coupled with the evocative music, the dancers immediately attracted everyone’s attention.
Many of the men watched until their eyes almost popped out.
The more Su Ying looked at this restaurant, the more she found it interesting. She had a feeling that the owner of this restaurant was somewhat different from other owners.
“Dear guests, the Plum and Crispy Skin Duck you ordered is here. There’s also the Five-Spices Pig Knuckles. These two are hot dishes. Please eat them while they are hot and they will taste better.”
Su Ying was quickly attracted by the aroma of the food.
It had to be said that both the duck and the pork knuckles looked pretty tasty. Su Ying picked up a piece of duck meat with her chopsticks and put it into her mouth. A look of surprise emerged in her eyes. This was a flavor she had never tasted before.
The duck skin was very crispy, but the meat under the skin was very tender. The meat was also juicy. A layer of sour and sweet plum sauce had been poured on the crispy skin. It tasted sweet and crispy without being greasy. It was indeed delicious.
Su Ying then took a bite of the pig knuckle. The meat of the pig knuckle had already been stewed until it was very soft. However, the chef followed up by frying the skin of the stewed pig knuckle again, making the pig skin crispy and chewy at the same time. The combination of the two extreme textures made the dish surprisingly delicious.
Following this, the Boneless Duck Feet Salad and Shredded Chicken were served. Su Ying was very satisfied with the taste of these two dishes too. She even noted down this restaurant’s name. When she had time, she would give Uncle Hea a holiday so that he could come here to try the dishes and then see if he could replicate the dishes.
As she ate the delicacies, Su Ying was in no mood to enjoy the performance on stage.
After Su Ying had eaten her fill, she came to the door and saw Zhou Xiangrong from the comer of her eye. She was wearing a gauze hat and talking to the restaurant manager.
Su Ying had seen Zhou Xiangrong earlier and followed her here. Although the latter was wearing a gauze hat, Su Ying remembered her figure.
From the manager’s respectful expression, Zhou Xiangrong didn’t look like a customer here. Instead, she looked like someone who was in charge here.
Could it be that this restaurant was a property of Marquis Bo An’s Residence? Su Ying quickly dismissed this conjecture. If Marquis Bo An was really that capable, he wouldn’t have remained a sixth-grade official for more than ten years.
Zhou Xiangrong left the restaurant after saying a few words to the manager.
“Zhou Qing, let’s go.”
Zhou Qing acknowledged her order and summoned the waiter to settle the bill before following Su Ying out of the restaurant.
After Su Ying left the restaurant, she told Zhou Qing to return to the horse carriage to wait for her while she stealthily trailed Zhou Xiangrong.
After leaving the restaurant, Zhou Xiangrong went to a teahouse. The shopkeeper of the teahouse also greeted her respectfully when he saw her.
Zhou Xiangrong followed the shopkeeper to the second floor of the teahouse. The private rooms in the teahouse were all separated by screens. If one listened carefully, he would be able to hear what was happening next door.
Su Ying stood in the room next to the two of them and heard the shopkeeper of the teahouse reporting the operations of the teahouse to Zhou Xiangrong..