Chapter 54 (1/2)

Chapter 54: A Novel Excuse to Ask for Leave

Dressed in an ordinary T-shirt and khaki casual pants, Yuan Zhou’s style didn’t differ much from before. The only difference now might be the color of his clothes. Previously, he barely wore any light-colored clothes, but now he paid no heed to that anymore.

This gourmet street was the biggest one in the city. Stores were arranged in orderly rows along the street. The first floor mainly served food suited for the ordinary folk. It was lunch time now, when business would be booming as can be seen from the swarms of customers. Yuan Zhou wasn’t a picky eater, thus he chose a restaurant which he assumed served fresh food based on the scent, then walked towards it.

“Old Town Steamed Bun House”, Yuan Zhou took a look at the name before entering.

What to eat didn’t matter; the important point is that the ingredients must be fresh.

There were quite a few customers inside. Most of them ordered the steamed buns and soup and everyone seemed to enjoy their food.

“Boss, give me a serving of steamed buns with vegetable fillings, a bowl of soup and a bowl of tremella broth.” Yuan Zhou began to order the dishes after glancing through the limited options on the menu.

“They’ll be served right away. Hold on, please.”

This restaurant was operated by a couple. The husband seemed simple and honest; his arms was firm and strong; his face was red due to exertion from kneading the dough. The wife was dressed fashionably. She had curly permed hair and light make-up, giving her a lively and attentive look. She appeared to be good at mathematics as she received money while serving the dishes at the same time without affecting both.

“Here are your steamed buns and soup. The tremella broth is in the pot over there. Scoop some for yourself.” The wife carried a tray of four steamed buns towards him. They were steaming hot and emitted the delicate fragrance of wheat.

After taking the bowl, he realized the soup was warm and was at a perfect temperature to be consumed immediately. Furthermore, a small plate of kelp was also served for free on the tray.

“Gulp”

Yuan Zhou first drank a mouthful of soup to soothe his dry throat, then prepared to taste a steamed bun.

The steamed bun smelled fresh and the scent of the flour kept emitting from it. With a bite, the delicate fragrance of vegetables rushed down his throat. At that moment, however, Yuan Zhou frowned a little.

Ever since his five senses were strengthened, Yuan Zhou was able to capture even slightest smell and taste with his tongue and nose. Right now, apart from the fragrance of the flour and the crispness of the vegetables, there was also a horrible underlying smell that couldn’t be covered.

Since the vegetables used to make these fillings didn’t contain any oil themselves, some oil would be mixed into the fillings to give it a better taste. But apparently, the oil used was of inferior quality. Yuan Zhou could hardly bear the taste. He quickly stuffed his mouth with the skin of the steamed bun and the porridge which was not fresh as well.

“System, these kind of dishes are really difficult to eat.” Yuan Zhou couldn’t help grumbling.

The system read, “Host, what you need to learn is the earnest attitude of every chef towards their cooking. Please continue with your gourmet adventure.”

“Can you please not use the term ‘adventure’ when I am actually studying whole-heartedly?” Yuan Zhou expressed his worries about the system’s communication skills.

Yuan Zhou then started to search other restaurants for taste testing.

The first day ended with Yuan Zhou spending money to conduct various taste tests.

“ling ling ling”

Yuan Zhou got out of bed very early in the morning after being awakened by his cellphone’s alarm. There could only be one reason for him to do so.

Picking up an A4 paper prepared previously, he then went downstairs and stuck it to the front door.

Afterward, he went back, in hopes of getting more sleep.

However, Yuan Zhou was much too naive. He had barely returned to his room on the second floor and didn’t even get the chance to lie on his bed before pandemonium broke out downstairs.

If one listened closely, the yells were all about opening the restaurant. After considering for a while, he washed up and then fled the restaurant.

………

On the other side, Vice Division Chief Lee was on his way to the tax bureau. He had intended to drop by Yuan Zhou’s restaurant for an inspection.

Actually, he wanted to refuse this assignment. For a suspicious restaurant, just informing the Trade and Industry Bureau for an inspection would have been fine. He had no idea what the Division Chief was thinking, ordering him to go there and take a look.