Chapter 142 - 141: Does That Restaurant Really Exist? (Part 2)
Is this even wine?
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it heavenly Jade Dew!
This wine is twenty yuan for fifty grams?
Old Wei was just messing with them.
He’d gone too far!
This wine had to be at least several hundred yuan for fifty grams, maybe even two thousand.
They’d even believe it if he said it was twenty thousand yuan for fifty grams.
Of course, to be precise, the wine was *worth* twenty thousand for fifty grams. But it was priceless on the open market.
Because this wine was definitely not for sale anywhere.
How did Old Wei even get his hands on this stuff?
This was just too incredible.
"Old Wei, how did you get this wine?" Jing Wenbo asked impatiently.
Wei Yang said, "The owner of a restaurant gave it to me."
’A restaurant owner gave it to him?’
’What kind of restaurant owner is that amazing? To have such a fine wine and just give it away for free.’
"Which restaurant?" Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui asked in unison.
Wei Yang took a long breath and said slowly, "A small restaurant nestled in the mountains, miles from any town, far from the hustle and bustle of the city."
Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui were stunned into silence.
’How is Old Wei getting more and more ridiculous?’
’Leaving aside the fact that it’s far from the city, how could there even be a restaurant in the mountains, miles from the nearest remote town?’
’And even if there was a restaurant, how could it possibly have such a fine wine?’
’Unbelievable!’
’Completely unbelievable!’
’Hmm, wait a minute. Old Wei also said earlier that while the Mapo Tofu here was very authentic and delicious, it was still a far cry from the Mapo Tofu at another place.’
’Could they be the same restaurant?’
"Old Wei, don’t tell me that the restaurant you mentioned with the better Mapo Tofu is this little mountain restaurant you’re talking about now," said Jing Wenbo.
Wei Yang smiled faintly and said, "Lao Jing, you guessed it. They are one and the same. The Mapo Tofu there isn’t just better than the one here.
In fact, it might just be the best Mapo Tofu in the entire country.
And it’s not just the Mapo Tofu. Their other dishes—like Boiled Cabbage in Broth, Twice-cooked Pork, Stir-fried Potato Slivers, Spicy Crayfish, Huoxiang Crucian Carp, and even their Yangchun Noodles and Beef Noodles—they all might just be the best in the country.
To sum it up in one sentence, every single dish that restaurant sells is potentially the best in the entire country.
And one last thing, this wine really does sell for only twenty yuan for fifty grams there."
Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui were completely dumbfounded.
Because Wei Yang’s claims were getting more and more outrageous.
They didn’t believe a single word of what he just said.
No, more accurately, they didn’t believe a single word, not even a single punctuation mark.
This was just one outrageous claim piled on top of another.
Forget about the wine for a second.
Just the food.
The Mapo Tofu there is better than here? Maybe even the best in the country?
And not just the Mapo Tofu, but all their dishes, like the Boiled Cabbage in Broth, Twice-cooked Pork, Huoxiang Crucian Carp, and everything else—they’re all the best in the country?
How is that possible?
Not even the most amazing hotel in the whole country would dare make a claim like that!
And a restaurant in the middle of the mountains serves Boiled Cabbage in Broth?
That’s not just outrageous, that’s the mother of all outrageous claims!
’What’s gotten into Old Wei today? Why is he spouting all this nonsense?’
Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui looked at Wei Yang, at a loss for words.
Wei Yang wasn’t surprised by Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui’s reaction.
He knew what he was saying sounded completely outrageous.
Like one unbelievable claim after another.
But every last word of it was true.
The restaurant was just that magical and incredible.
Wei Yang said, "I know you don’t believe me. But everything I’ve said is the truth. If it weren’t, why would I tell you all this? I’m not crazy. I also know that no matter what I say, you won’t believe me. So, if you’re ever curious, why not go see it for yourselves? Then you’ll know if I’m telling the truth or not."
"Well..."
Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui looked at each other.
Wei Yang had a point. He wasn’t crazy, so why would he make all this up?
’Could it actually be true?’
’But how is that possible?’
’I just can’t wrap my head around it!’
Wei Yang smiled and continued, "If you can’t figure it out, then don’t think about it for now. Let’s just drink. To be honest, I hesitated for a long time before bringing this wine to share with you. I really didn’t want to part with it. The owner only gave me this one pot, just five hundred grams in total."
Jing Wenbo said, "If it only sells for twenty yuan for fifty grams, why don’t you just buy more? You could buy out the owner’s entire stock without breaking a sweat, right?"
Wei Yang said, "If only I could. Forget twenty yuan for fifty grams, we’d be willing to buy it even for two hundred or two thousand! But the owner won’t sell it for takeout. You can only drink it at the restaurant. He won’t sell it to-go, no matter how much you offer."
Jing Wenbo was puzzled, "Why? He doesn’t want to make money?"
Wei Yang said, "The owner has his reasons. Actually, if you think about it, you can understand."
"Really?"
Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui thought for a moment, then both nodded slowly.
They could indeed understand.
’Hmm, wait... that’s not right! Nodding like this makes it seem like we already believe such a restaurant exists.’
’We don’t believe it yet. There’s no way we’d believe it.’
’Or rather, we don’t dare to believe it.’
’But... it might be worth checking out in person.’
So, Jing Wenbo asked again, "Old Wei, where exactly is this place? And how did you find out about it?"
Wei Yang replied, "It’s just outside Wenxian Town, in Changxi County, Chuansheng Province. It’s not too far from where we are now, about a six-hour drive. As for how I found out... Old Zhao, Zhao Yanglin. You both should know him, right?"
Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui both nodded. They both knew of Zhao Yanglin, but they weren’t close.
They also knew that Zhao Yanglin and Wei Yang were very close, old friends for many years.
Wei Yang nodded and continued, "He’s the one who took us there. It was just yesterday. There were six of us in total..."
Wei Yang then recounted in considerable detail their trip to Li You Restaurant the day before.
The more Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui listened, the more incredible the story became.
Before, they thought it was completely unbelievable.
But now, after hearing Wei Yang’s detailed account, it started to sound like there might be something to it.
’Could there really be such a magical restaurant?’
’It’s just completely mind-boggling!’
"Oh, right. Also, a Miss Ye Shengge is there, too. And she’s on very good terms with the owner. She’s even rented a room from him and is staying there overnight," Wei Yang added.
"Ye Shengge? Who’s that?" both Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui asked.
Wei Yang took a deep breath and said, "Someone with connections that reach the very top. Of course, that’s just my guess. But it’s a very strong possibility."
Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui were shocked to hear this.
’Why would someone like that be there?’
"For the fine wine and food, of course!" Wei Yang said. "Though maybe that’s not the whole story."
’Is that so?’
Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui looked at each other again.
’In that case, it makes it even more likely that the restaurant is real, doesn’t it?’
’So incredible!’
...