C4 (1/2)

The following story, which I have heard from a friend, cannot be proved. Today, friends are no longer connected, but the story is still very impressive, I have adapted and shared with you.

It was a place called Jia Village, located in the outskirts of Wenzhou. There was a small restaurant at the entrance of the village called Xiaobei Pu Zi, and the owner was a local with the surname Hu, who was known as the Mr.Hu.

Outsiders would definitely find it strange. A good restaurant had bricks and tiles, so why did it have to be called a shop? In fact, the hotel may have been older than the village. In the late Qing Dynasty, there was an ancestor in the Mr.Hu who sold buns. His name was Hu Xiaobei, and he opened a bun house.

When Mr.Hu had just taken over Xiao Bei's shop, he was only slightly over twenty years old. That year, there was a fair market at the entrance of the village three miles away. Over time, he accumulated money, married his wife, and had a daughter in less than two years.

The Mr.Hu had a bad habit, like to gamble, and it was probably a common disease of the people of Wenzhou. At that time, he was a frequent customer of Jia Village's underground gambling den. When people made a bet, they would usually do other things without the mood to, and it was also from then on, when the restaurant's business was not as good as before, and when Mr.Hu and his wife quarrelled every night, and in the end, there was no divorce, so his wife directly carried her daughter and left.

During this time, Mr.Hu should have had a son, but he died of a severe illness right after being born. This was also the reason why he made up his mind to let his wife leave.

Ever since his wife and daughter left, Mr.Hu had completely stopped gambling. However, misfortune came one after another, and every time he rode a bicycle at night, he would fall into the ditch and lose a leg. From that point on, he was leaning on his walking stick, and he also became a lot older.

Fortunately, there was a big road in front of them, and truck drivers would occasionally come to eat their meals, which allowed Mr.Hu to barely survive.

Mr.Hu often said that he was suffering.

The really weird part of the story began one winter night in 2008.

It was mid-December, close to the winter solstice. The weather was cold and the wind was howling. The sound of the bucket filled with water was heard.

As usual, when Mr.Hu saw that it was almost 9, he packed and prepared to close the door. At this time, the chef and the little girl had already gone home, leaving only the Mr.Hu himself.

Suddenly, a tall, thin man dressed in a rustic black cotton jacket appeared from the outside. After entering the shop, he asked to see the menu.

”Close down, stop doing business.” The Mr.Hu said bluntly.

The man seemed to turn a deaf ear and continued to sit down:

”The dishes should be fresh, the food should be hot, and the chopsticks and bowls should be washed clean.”

Mr.Hu thought, could it be that this person's ears were not good, he even said that it was closed?

”Go to another house.” Mr.Hu opened the door for him.

The man remained motionless.

”It's too late today. I don't cook midnight snacks.”

Mr.Hu was speaking the truth. Normally, the restaurant would not have business since after seven, and Mr.Hu would not have waited until now because of staying in the shop.

”This big deal of mine is enough for you to earn.” The man replied coldly.

Mr.Hu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He thought to himself, you're the only one, how much can you eat, and how much can you eat?

”How about I get you a bowl of Egg-Fried Rice?” Mr.Hu remembered that there was half a bowl of leftovers in the kitchen. Originally, he wanted to treat it as a midnight snack, but he had no other choice.

Just as Mr.Hu was about to enter the kitchen with a crutch, he said, ”Egg-Fried Rice is no good, let's eat something decent. Let me see the menu!”

Seeing that it was inconvenient for Mr.Hu to move his legs, the man picked up the menu, used his brush to tick it for a long time, and handed it over to Mr.Hu.

”Stir-fried leek, pickled cucumber, phoenix claw, steamed fish, sweet and sour pork, spicy tofu, fried meat with wooden ears …” Seeing so many dishes on the menu, Mr.Hu was stunned. How could this be a person's share? This was a table full of dishes!

”Wait, I have people coming. For these dishes, cook two tables for me, heat up a few jugs of rice wine and serve some rice.”

Mr.Hu finally understood that this group of people was here to eat and drink. The entire two tables of food was indeed simple, even though it was worth it.

”Oh, how many people are there?” Mr.Hu was immediately alert.

”A dozen.”

”Alright, I understand. You stay here for now.”

Mr.Hu turned and entered the kitchen, secretly delighted in his heart. After all, it was unknown how many years it had been since he had seen such an extravagant guest. Perhaps in the future, he might be able to return as a guest.

Ever since he broke his leg, Mr.Hu had rarely gone to the kitchen to cook, but he had still accumulated some culinary skills. Not long after, the two tables were set up with hot dishes and two big bowls of rice.

After that, the Mr.Hu saw that the man just sat there and waited, not saying a word.

When Mr.Hu opened the door, he saw another person wearing black cotton clothes. He was also tall and thin, and at first glance, he thought the two were twins.

”It's snowing outside and it's very cold. A total of seventeen, all here. ”

Hearing that, Mr.Hu estimated that two big bowls of rice were not enough to eat, so he went into the kitchen to cook some more noodles for them.

But when Mr.Hu came out with a large bowl of noodles, the most surprising scene he saw in his life instantly stunned him.

Aside from the two who were sitting and drinking, all the other dishes on the two tables were swept clean! Why did Mr.Hu know at a glance that it was food? Because all the yellow fish, ribs, and duck legs are just bones!

The problem was that there were only two people in front of him, and the others hadn't arrived yet. In the time it took for a bowl of noodles to be cooked, he actually managed to eat all of the food. How was this possible?

”Boss, settle the bill, calculate how much it will cost me.” The first person stood up and prepared to leave.