Chapter 1 (1/2)

Today’s at Shanghai it was 24 degrees with breeze, and a little drizzle.

The breeze smashed through the signboard of the “Secret Garden”, and the mixed raindrops infiltrated into the wood a little bit, finally letting the old shop located in the bustling downtown area reveal a sense of vicissitudes that should belong to it.

A young girl with a retro film machine on her neck stood at the door of the store. She held the umbrella in one hand and the old photo who was in yellow in one hand against the threshold.

It’s right here, the Xiaoyang Building, which is used for both business and residence, is still red brick. Although the the name of the store have changed, , I can see the appearance of more than 80 years ago. The shop door is small and can only be passed by one person at a time.

When the girl pushed the door in, she found that there was no hole in this inconspicuous store. The wooden door is like a time gate, and it goes back to the old Shanghai of the last century. The mossy stone road followed by the complex and colorful wool carpet leads to the red brick wall with old photos and newspapers. The bricks and tiles are the same as the one that Grandma described at her.

She walked very slowly, picking up one or two still lifes from time to time with the camera on her chest. The old things here are very tasteful. It is no wonder that this old Shanghai local dish can stand still under the pressure of a bunch of French-style Italian meals on the beach.

An old waiter standing by the inner court door and wearing a long gown greeted him. “Miss, what do you need for help?”

The girl turned around and was caught in the current situation as a bad thing, apologizing. “Sorry, I took a photo without asking for permission in advance. If the owner cares, I can delete it now.”

After the old waiter saw her appearance, he took a few seconds. He can not help but take off the reading glasses and blinked, and continued to look at her, looking at the corner of his eyes, a little tears.

The girl was panicked by his reaction. “Old man, what’s wrong with you?”

He knew that he was out of order and bowed his eyes with a long sleeve. “Nothing. The little girl looks like a woman. I was a little shooked Did the lady make an appointment in advance?”

“No. I just came back from abroad and didn’t know the rules here.” The girl saw through the shoulders of the old waiter that there were not many guests in the store, and many tables were empty. “Can you make it convenient?”

The old waiter’s face showed a distressed expression. “I am really embarrassed, our chef has regulations. Every guest needs to book in advance for also the number of people and dishes in advance. He does not accept instant orders.”

“Do he not accept instant orders? What is the rule? Is it not that he is not capable enough to make the food that the guests need on the spot to set the rules? The chefs in the Michelin restaurant are not so picking guests.”

“This…” The old waiter could not abrupt the guests, nor dare to talk about the boss. The hatchback is difficult.

“Childish.” A low, lazy male voice came out from the mouth of the meal. She looked at the sound, only to see a white arm with a plate of color and flavor. The fragrant barbecue sticks out. If you look closely, you can find that the arm line is slender and muscular, and it is a hand that can only be imagined. But at the time her occupational disease allowed her to focus her attention on the dish.

A selection of five-flowered barbecues sizzles in the dish, topped with a layer of peeled fresh squid, and the squid is topped with a rich sauce. She could smell the scent and move her index finger a few meters away. Bravo! (Great)

The hand pressed the bell. Immediately the waiter came up and took the dish. Her attention returned to the speaker.

The dining outlet was small, and she could only see a part of his chef’s suit shaking inside. This chef should be extremely tall, because the window that is almost at the height of her chest is actually only in his lower abdomen. And this chef is very vocal, even the chef’s clothes are custom-made, LOGO on the buckle is her favorite French brand.