Chapter 10: Even After Tasting It Myself, I Still Can’t Believe It
A short while later.
Liu Xu and his friends’ Yangchun Noodles were served.
When they saw the noodles, they all shook their heads in resignation.
First off, the presentation was a far cry from what they’d hoped for.
They didn’t smell very fragrant, either.
However, they were mentally prepared for this.
So they weren’t disappointed.
They tasted them.
The flavor was... acceptable. No pleasant surprises, but nothing to be disappointed about either.
Objectively speaking, the taste was still pretty good.
It just paled in comparison to the Yangchun Noodles from Jiulong Gorge.
They figured they’d just make do.
This was already the best Yangchun Noodles they could find in the county seat.
They’d just have to wait until the weekend to go back to Jiulong Gorge for a proper meal.
They slowly finished their noodles.
Then they went to the counter to pay.
The owner, Jiang Caidong, saw that they were new faces and asked, "How did you find the taste, folks?"
He liked to ask new customers this question.
For one, it helped him understand his customers’ true feelings.
For another, he enjoyed hearing customers say things like, "Not bad," "It tastes great," or "Delicious."
Liu Xu thought for a moment before replying, "Objectively, it tastes pretty good. But compared to the Yangchun Noodles from another place, there’s a pretty big gap."
Jiang Caidong froze upon hearing this.
’What does he mean by that?’
’What place is he talking about?’
’It couldn’t be Jiulong Gorge again, could it?’
Jiang Caidong asked again, "What place are you referring to?"
Liu Xu said, "A restaurant in Jiulong Gorge."
Jiang Caidong was shocked.
’So it really is Jiulong Gorge again.’
’Why are these guys saying the same thing?’
’Are the Yangchun Noodles there really that much better?’
’That’s impossible!’
Jiang Caidong pressed, "Are the Yangchun Noodles at that restaurant in Jiulong Gorge really that much better than mine?"
Liu Xu nodded. "Yes, sir, I’m just being honest. The Yangchun Noodles there are incredibly delicious."
Jiang Caidong’s brow furrowed.
Liu Xu added, "Well, sir, we’ll be going now."
"Of course, of course. Take care," Jiang Caidong said quickly.
Then he went back to frowning.
When that one customer said it before, he didn’t believe it at all.
But now, he was starting to believe it a little.
After some thought, he walked into the kitchen and said to the junior-level pastry chef, Liang Heng, "Master Liang, another customer just said that a restaurant in Jiulong Gorge has Yangchun Noodles far better than ours. He even called them the pinnacle of deliciousness."
Liang Heng frowned as well. "Another customer said that? You don’t think they’re in cahoots, deliberately trying to mess with us? Boss, did you offend someone?"
Jiang Caidong shook his head. "They didn’t seem like they were working together. Master Liang, let’s take a trip to Jiulong Gorge. We’ll go investigate. Let’s go now. At most, we’ll just lose half a day’s business this afternoon."
Liang Heng thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I hear the scenery there is beautiful. We can just treat it as a sightseeing trip."
Jiang Caidong said, "Let’s go. We’ll take my car."
They handed over their kitchen duties to the other chefs and the cashier tasks to someone else. The two of them went to the garage, got in the car, and headed straight for Jiulong Gorge.
...
Two and a half hours later, Jiang Caidong’s car arrived at the entrance to Jiulong Gorge.
They soon spotted Li You’s restaurant.
"Mountain Restaurant? There’s actually a restaurant here," Liang Heng said, surprised.
But, as he’d thought before, if there really was a restaurant in a place like this, it would be a win if the noodles they sold weren’t terrible.
"Don’t worry, Boss. In a place like this, you’d be lucky if the noodles aren’t terrible. There’s no way they’re better than ours," Liang Heng said.
Jiang Caidong nodded.
He had actually thought the same thing all along.
However, the fact that there was indeed a restaurant here at least proved one thing: the customer from the day before and the group from today were right about a restaurant existing in Jiulong Gorge.
And if they were right about the restaurant, then their claims about the Yangchun Noodles might not be entirely unbelievable after all.
But whether it was true or not, they would soon have an answer.
He drove the car into the parking lot and stopped.
The two men got out.
They looked around first. They had to admit, the scenery here was truly stunning.
But sightseeing wasn’t the main purpose of their trip.
They walked toward the restaurant.
’That young man lying in the rocking chair by the entrance must be the owner, right?’
’He looks pretty comfortable.’
...
Li You saw the two men approaching.
He stood up to welcome his customers.
When they got closer, he asked, "Are you two here for noodles?"
Jiang Caidong said, "We’ll take a look first."
Then he and Liang Heng noticed the "Today’s Special" sign.
They were indeed selling Yangchun Noodles. And the price was quite normal.
"Do you only sell Yangchun Noodles here, sir?" Jiang Caidong asked.
Li You nodded. "For now, yes."
Jiang Caidong then said, "In that case, we’ll have two small bowls."
’In any case, since they’re really selling Yangchun Noodles here, we should try them before we say anything else.’
Li You was delighted. ’With this order, I only need to sell twenty-seven more bowls to complete the mission.’
"Please, have a seat inside. The noodles will be ready soon."
After showing them to a table, Li You went into the kitchen.
Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng spoke in low voices.
Soon, two small bowls of Yangchun Noodles were brought out.
"Please, enjoy your meal."
The moment Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng saw the noodles, their previously relaxed expressions froze in utter disbelief.
’These noodles... they look incredible!’
Just from the presentation, they already looked more appetizing than the noodles at their own restaurant.
What’s more, the noodles had a rich, savory aroma.
It was an aroma their own Yangchun Noodles completely lacked.
’What is going on?’
’How can a place like this have Yangchun Noodles with such amazing presentation?’
Neither Jiang Caidong nor Liang Heng could understand it.
But regardless, they had to taste them first.
They both picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.
The first bite left them even more incredulous, even deeply shocked.
The flavor was truly exceptional, even better than they could have imagined. It was far, far superior to the taste of the Yangchun Noodles at their own restaurant.
A bitter feeling welled up in Jiang Caidong’s heart.
’So, the customer from the day before yesterday and the five customers from today... they were all telling the truth.’
’It was unbelievable, but the truth was right in front of him.’
’Hard to accept, but he had no choice but to accept it.’
’So the best Yangchun Noodles in Changxi County weren’t at my restaurant after all. They were here.’
Although this place wasn’t in the county seat, it was still within the borders of Changxi County.
Liang Heng felt even more bitter.
This young owner’s skill with Yangchun Noodles was far superior to his own.
Even his own master, Zhang Haisheng, a senior-level pastry chef who had specialized in Yangchun Noodles, couldn’t come close.
’What in the world is going on? Who is this young owner?’
’Could he possibly be a Special-Level Pastry Chef?’
’No, that’s not right!’
’There aren’t even enough Special-Level Pastry Chefs in the entire country to count on two hands. And every single one of them is famous.’
’There’s absolutely no way this young owner is one of them.’
’None of them are this young.’
’Then how can this young owner make Yangchun Noodles like this?’
Liang Heng simply couldn’t comprehend it. He couldn’t even believe that Yangchun Noodles this delicious could exist in the world.
Even after tasting it with his own mouth, he still found it unbelievable.
...