Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 509: Sour and Fresh Noodles

Lu Lang smiled and bowed to Li, saying, "Madam, how are you? It's been a long time since we last met. How have you been?"

Li was flattered, her face was full of smiles, and she nodded quickly, "It's fine, it's fine."

"Thank you, Lord County Magistrate, for your concern. Are you well?"

Li stuttered a little. She had practiced her articulation fluently from speaking to the diners in the restaurant on a daily basis, but now she was dozing off and could only reply like a parrot.

Lu Lang nodded and said with a smile: "This is in private, Madam, you don't have to call me that. Grandmother and mother call me Xiao Si, so you can call me Xiao Si from now on."

After Lu Lang finished speaking, he saw that Li just smiled, so he walked in on his own and went to the dining table.

He smiled and said to Shen Yu as if he was back home, "We've been busy all day, and the food the county chef cooks is still as bad as usual."

"That's why I brought Qixi here to eat for free. Is the food enough? Qixi and I didn't eat much for dinner."

The guys had never seen such a scene before. They just sat there stupidly with chopsticks in their hands, and even forgot to stand up and make room for the two men.

Shen Yu glanced at the table and said with a playful smile, "Fortunately, we had some cold noodles today. If we share it, it will be enough for the two of you."

Shen Yu said to the waiters, "Don't just stand there, hurry up and bring two more round stools and two sets of bowls and chopsticks."

"If you delay any longer, this cold noodle won't taste so refreshing anymore."

The guys finally reacted and stood up and rushed to move stools and get bowls and chopsticks.

There was a smart one who went out of his way to fetch a basin of clean water and a clean towel, and asked Lu Lang and his servant to wash their hands before eating.

Lu Lang and Qi Xi were not shy. They thanked Shen Yu, washed their hands, and sat comfortably in the seats arranged by Shen Yu.

Today's cold noodles are thin hand-stretched noodles. They are cooked and then rinsed with cooled water. They taste chewy and smooth.

The noodles are very rich in toppings.

There is a fried meat sauce made by stir-frying pork belly and yellow soybean paste, which is rich in sauce, meaty and oily.

Use cold boiled water to make a yellow sesame paste that is neither too thick nor too thin.

There is a salty, fresh and sour three-in-one oil made by mixing sweet soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and some chopped green onions.

There are also various fresh summer vegetables, thin and crispy cucumber shreds, soft and fragrant cooked broad beans, fresh and rich chopped celery, and bean sprouts that have been blanched in boiling water and then rinsed with cold water.

We also prepared fresh garlic. Although it tasted unpleasant after eating, it was already evening and we could go home after eating, so it was fine.

The fresh and spicy taste is the finishing touch of this bowl of sour, refreshing and fragrant noodles.

Lu Lang declined Qixi's help and mixed a large bowl of noodles according to his own taste, then ate it politely.

Although with the expansion of restaurants and inns, the number of people eating together now has more than doubled compared to when the store first opened.

However, Shen Yu did not distinguish between masters and servants just because he hired more servants.

Although we were seated at two tables, everyone's meals were of the same standard, and when we were eating, it was as lively and lively as if we were a family.

Shen Yu is very strict when everyone is doing things.

If you do not do well, he will point it out to your face without mercy. If you do well, he will praise you in front of everyone.

Although she never scolded anyone with a stern face, as soon as Shen Yu opened her mouth, the guys began to reflect on themselves in their hearts. It was over, they must have done something wrong.

It was as if he was not facing a young girl who was a few years younger than him, but an old man with a stern face and a ruler in his hand.

But as long as the shop is closed or they are together in private, Shen Yu is the most easy-going person.

The guys were not at all restrained in front of her.

The gossip heard in the restaurant and various rumors in the community are always discussed happily and enthusiastically when everyone is eating together.

When she met something Shen Yu was interested in, she would ask a few questions and join in the discussion. At this time, she was like her innocent little sister who was interested in everything.

Normally, meals are always lively and bustling, but today, with the addition of Lu Lang, everyone suddenly became quiet.

It was so quiet that the waiters didn't dare to eat the noodles in big mouthfuls. They mixed the noodles quietly and ate them in small bites, imitating Lu Lang's gentle manner.

The two younger ones, Yucheng and Dundun, were initially very restrained because Lu Lang had changed from Master Lu to Magistrate of Lu County.

But after eating for a while, he found that Lu Lang was still the same as before, and did not have the majesty of the county magistrate as he had imagined, so he relaxed.

Finally, Yu Cheng couldn't help it and started asking Lu Lang about his recent trial.

Because a lot of backlog cases were tried in one go, people in the community were spreading the news.

Even Mr. Yang, the teacher, couldn't help but give examples and make a few comments when teaching his students, praising the new Magistrate Lu for his efficiency and fair trials.

In fact, those cases were all trivial matters, just between neighbors. The parties involved thought they were big events, and they were entangled in disputes and each thought they were right.

In fact, from the perspective of an observer, asking a few more questions carefully can help you sort out the issues and distinguish right from wrong.

Lu Lang would answer every question and would not look down on them just because they were superficial.

Everyone saw that he was easy-going and didn't follow any particular rules when eating together. He would even eat garlic with noodles like themselves.

Gradually, they became bolder and began to ask Lu Lang about the various discussions about the case that they had heard from the public.

The atmosphere at the table became lively and relaxed again.

After the meal, the guys became closer to Lu Lang without realizing it.

I feel that although Magistrate Lu is about the same age as me, his knowledge and conversation are many times higher than mine, which makes me admire him unconsciously.

One of the waiters plucked up the courage to ask, "Mr. County Magistrate, will you come to our restaurant for dinner again in the future?"

Lu Lang smiled and glanced at Shen Yu and said, "You should ask Miss Shen. If she agrees, I will be more than happy to do so."

After Qixi came that day, the guys finished their work in the evening and couldn't help but pester Li and the others to ask questions out of curiosity.

Why did the new county magistrate send his personal attendant as soon as he took office and also send gifts to Miss Shen?

Li thought that the left and right ladies had come in person, and she also had confirmed that the Lu family would come over soon to formally make the decision.

In the future, she would definitely have to interact with the Lu family frequently, so she decided not to hide it from her family and told them that Madam Lu had come in person to propose marriage.

Therefore, at this time, the guys already knew that County Magistrate Lu was the lady's future son-in-law.

It’s just that before they got married, although their status had been determined, the Lu family had not yet made an official decision.

It was not in accordance with the rules for Lu Lang to come here at this time, so the guys asked Lu Lang if he would come again.

Shen Yu didn't think so much, and said with a smile: "When you are free, just come over, and it will be more lively if we eat together."