A plate of braised pork belly with fermented bean curd hadn't been finished when the waiter started bringing in the other dishes one after another.
Ginger-spicy ribs, spicy green pepper chicken, baked bass with scallions, cabbage rolls with minced meat, and a soup, mushroom and pork slice soup.
Once these dishes were brought in, the small private room, which already felt a bit enclosed due to the warm air conditioning, was instantly enveloped with the rich aroma of dishes.
So much so that the ones who were previously eager to see who was sneaking bites instantly lost their temper.
With so much delicious food, what's half a plate of braised pork belly anyway?
At this moment, everyone in the room was also exceedingly excited, chattering away:
"Holy cow! It's so fragrant, just look at these ribs, they seem so delicious!"
"This spicy green pepper chicken is the real treat, just look at the overwhelming green and red peppers, one bite and I feel like sweat would explode out!"
"Childish! Which dish made by Boss Xiao Jiang isn't delicious? Not to mention the meat dishes, even this cabbage roll with minced meat is absolutely delicious, so fresh it'll make you swallow your tongue!"
"..."
Everyone couldn't help but look at the cabbage rolls with minced meat set aside. In a large white porcelain plate, the bright green cabbage leaves were wrapped around marinated filling, rolled into rice ball-sized cabbage rolls, forming a circle on the plate.
The bright green cabbage rolls were sprinkled with a bit of minced garlic and finely chopped chili, making people have the urge to eat them.
"Are all the dishes here? Hurry and eat, it'll taste bad cold."
He Xiaowei was already a big foodie, and seeing so many delicious dishes on the table, how could he resist?
He picked up his chopsticks, tapped on his bowl, and said,
"If you all are reluctant to start, then I won't be polite!"
"The way you say it, as if you're ever polite!"
Duan Yiming retorted at him with exasperation, also picking up his chopsticks to call Deng Linhui and Zhu Youfeng over,
"Eat, eat, eat, don't be shy, all the dishes are here, if you want rice, just ask the waiter."
With that, he took the initiative, reaching out with his chopsticks to grab a rib to gnaw on.
As the host, he had the advantage to start eating first!
Delicious!
Just a couple of bites into the ribs, Duan Yiming's expression changed, the ribs were indeed delicious, tender and falling off the bone, flavorful and spicy, very tasty.
But damn it, were they spicy!
He couldn't help but look at the dish, and boy, was he surprised!
No wonder these ribs were so spicy, this ginger-spicy ribs dish, aside from ribs, was filled with bright red chilies and sliced old ginger!
This old ginger was spicy by itself, and with these big red chilies, wasn't it just spice upon spice?
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.
If ribs are mixed with those two things, it would be weird if they weren't spicy!
Honestly speaking though, these ribs, despite being spicy, were really delicious. Even though Duan Yiming's mouth was burning, he couldn't help but clean off the rib in his hand.
After licking the sauce off his fingers, he couldn't resist grabbing another rib to gnaw on.
Mmm, these ribs, truly fragrant!
Besides Duan Yiming, Deng Linhui, He Xiaowei, and Zhu Youfeng were all in a similar state, each enjoying themselves thoroughly.
"Hiss-ha! This spicy green pepper chicken is too spicy, isn't it? Hiss-ha! Damn, my tongue is burning!"
"Mmm, this bass is really tasty! The fish is smooth and tender, full of the fish's flavor, really fresh and fragrant, and the best part is, it's not spicy at all! Delicious!"
"I said this cabbage roll with minced meat is delicious, and I was right! Ha ha, one bite of this cabbage roll fills your mouth with a fresh taste, not to mention it bursts with juice, right? Fresh and tender, with both meat and vegetables, not only tasty but also nutritious!"
"..."
The four couldn't be satisfied with just one dish; after tasting one, they reached out with their chopsticks for other dishes, thus, the chopsticks battle officially started!
Of course, the participants in this "battle" were only three people. Zhu Youfeng wasn't that familiar with Deng Linhui and He Xiaowei, so he naturally wouldn't jump into such an intimate activity.
He watched the intense battle for a while, quietly got up and went outside the private room, asked a waiter for a large bowl of rice, then came back to continue eating.
Zhu Youfeng, being a member of the school's basketball team, tall and strong, naturally had a big appetite, and couldn't be satisfied just eating dishes.
With a large bowl of rice in hand, he ignored the others "fighting," used a spoon to scoop both the chilies and chicken from the spicy green pepper chicken dish into his bowl, downing almost half of it at once.
Then, he picked up his chopsticks, mixed the spicy green pepper chicken with the rice in his bowl, and shoved a large mouthful into his mouth.
Upon taking one bite, sweat started to appear on Zhu Youfeng's face.
Spicy! It's really too spicy!
But to be fair, the chili chicken mixed with rice is really delicious!
He didn't make a sound, kept his head down, and continued to eat in big mouthfuls. As he ate, he didn't forget to occasionally reach out and grab a cabbage meat roll for a big bite.
These cabbage meat rolls are not spicy at all, fresh and savory, crisp and juicy. Having a bite of this is simply a perfect way to counter the spiciness!
Zhu Youfeng seemed to have found the "foodie code," and he ate happily. Not only did he eat the cabbage meat rolls, but he also tried the scallion-baked sea bass, and didn't even miss the explosively spicy ginger ribs!
So, while Duan Yiming, Deng Linhui, and He Xiaowei were busy in a "chopstick battle," occasionally grabbing a bite of food, Zhu Youfeng ate with great enjoyment. Before long, he had finished a large bowl of rice mixed with chili chicken.
By this point, he was almost full. Seeing the others still "fighting" with each other, Zhu Youfeng didn't stand on ceremony. He scooped a big bowl of mushroom meat slice soup, leaned back in his chair, drank the soup, and watched the "battle."
He looked so relaxed, like an old man sitting in a sunny corner in winter, sipping tea and watching the kids in the village play and laugh.
But I have to say, this mushroom meat slice soup is really delicious. The first sip almost made him swallow his tongue!
Duan Yiming, Deng Linhui, and He Xiaowei fought for a while, and suddenly noticed Zhu Youfeng sitting like an old man, leaning back in his chair, squinting and drinking soup, looking so leisurely and carefree, almost crossing his legs.
The three of them exchanged a glance and suddenly lost interest in fighting.
When they looked down at the dishes on the table, they were all instantly wide-eyed. Half of the chili chicken was gone, and a third of the ginger ribs were missing. The cabbage meat rolls and scallion-baked sea bass were barely left...
What the heck, although their "chopstick battle" was intense, they barely got to eat any of the dishes. Everyone was busy stopping others from grabbing the food; who had time to grab some for themselves?
Where did all these dishes go?
The three of them didn't need to think to know who the "culprit" was!
Aside from the three of them, wasn't there only Zhu Youfeng left in the room? If he didn't eat the dishes, that'd be really strange!
In an instant, three pairs of eyes, as if they would eat him alive, turned toward Zhu Youfeng, who was leisurely drinking soup, making him feel a chill down his back, breaking out in a cold sweat.
He quickly sat up straight, put on a naive look, and said with a chuckle:
"I saw you guys were having fun, so I didn't want to disturb you. Besides, the dishes were so delicious, that I, without realizing it, ate just a little bit more!"
As he said this, he held his right thumb and index finger about two centimeters apart to describe this "little bit."
This made Duan Yiming and the others laugh in exasperation.
Wow, everyone thought you were this big, honest, and naive guy who didn't say much after entering the room. Who would've thought, you're actually a "foodie assassin"!
While everyone was busy in a "chopstick battle" and had no time to grab the food, you sneaked in and ate so much!
Duan Yiming immediately realized that even the plate of fermented bean curd braised pork was "secretly eaten" by Zhu Youfeng.
At this moment, he felt like crying but had no tears. Bringing Zhu Youfeng over, wasn't this like inviting a wolf into the house?
Of course, Duan Yiming just thought about it. He didn't actually regret it; he wasn't that petty. Who invites someone for a meal and is afraid of them eating too much?
If that's the case, it's better not to invite at all!
Zhu Youfeng was already full, so the other three quit fooling around. Each grabbed their chopsticks and quickly finished off the remaining dishes, even the mushroom meat slice soup was divided cleanly.
With so many dishes, even though the three of them didn't eat rice, their bellies were completely full.
After eating, Duan Yiming and others all slumped in their chairs, rubbing their bellies with contentment, speaking blissfully:
"Today was a real feast, so many delicious dishes, it was amazing!"
"Looks like Boss Xiao Jiang's skills have improved again, today's dishes were even better than when we ate on the first floor. It's so memorable!"
"Delicious indeed, but it's so hard to book this room. Who knows when we can eat here again next time!"
"Ah, we're so happy today, let's not talk about such unhappy things!"
"..."
While they were chatting, Deng Linhui, who hadn't said much, suddenly spoke up:
"Now it's so hard for us to even have a meal here, it's all because of He Xiaowei!"
"What the hell? How did it suddenly become my fault?"
He Xiaowei was confused, sitting up straight and looking at Deng Linhui, said,
"Lao Deng, let's be fair while we speak!"
"Hehe, Lao Deng never shoots without a reason. If he says so, he must have his reasons."
Duan Yiming, in a lively mood, chimed in with a laugh,
"Lao Deng, tell us, why blame He Xiaowei?"
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.