At that moment, two more customers came in and bought the last four braised chicken feet.
All the braised chicken feet for today's trial sale were sold out.
Soon, another wave of customers walked in.
This time, it was Liu Yiquan, Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, Xie Hai, and other business owners from the town market.
Liu Yiquan smiled. "Boss Li, we're here for your braised chicken feet. Everyone's limited to two, right? In that case, please give each of us two."
Li You said apologetically, "Boss Liu, and to all the other bosses, I'm very sorry, but today's braised chicken feet are already sold out."
Hearing this, Liu Yiquan, Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, and the other business owners were all taken aback.
'They're already sold out?'
'But it's still so early!'
They had even come over at this specific time just so they could get today's braised chicken feet.
'Don't tell me we were still too late?'
Looking at the customers in the shop currently eating chicken feet, the group of business owners felt a little helpless.
'These guys are really something else! Coming even earlier than us just for two chicken feet.'
And a lot of them were drinking alcohol.
'You need a bowl of wine for just two chicken feet?'
'That's just too much, way too much!'
'Though, they do look like they're enjoying themselves.'
The business owners were quite disappointed. They really wanted to taste Li You's braised chicken feet for themselves.
Li You added, "But don't worry, bosses. I'll most likely be selling them again tomorrow. And there should be more than today."
Upon hearing this, the business owners' eyes all lit up.
If they were available tomorrow, then missing out today wasn't such a big deal.
Liu Yiquan smiled. "In that case, we'll just wait until tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get some then."
Li You also smiled. "It shouldn't be a problem tomorrow."
The business owners all expressed their hope that this would be the case.
Then, they said their goodbyes and left.
It was just a little after ten in the morning, still too early for lunch.
They would head back first. If they decided they wanted to eat here for lunch, they would come back then.
After finishing their braised chicken feet and wine, the other customers also left one after another.
Chu Yiwei and Lin Xin did not leave.
They both had classes in the afternoon.
'Well, we might as well wait here, have lunch, and then head back.'
"Boss, where did you buy this painting? It's so well done!" Chu Yiwei said, looking at the painting on the wall.
Li You said, "I didn't buy it. A customer painted it herself and gave it to me. Oh, right, you've met her before. You even had crayfish together."
"Was it Xiao Yue... no, that can't be it."
Chu Yiwei pondered.
'If it were Xia Xiaoyue, the boss wouldn't have said it like that. He knows I'm already quite familiar with Xia Xiaoyue, so he wouldn't say 'you've met her before'... who could it be, then?'
Li You added, "It was the beautiful woman who was with Xia Xiaoyue the day before yesterday afternoon, Ling Xiaoru. They invited you and Teacher Lin to have crayfish with them..."
Now that he mentioned it, Chu Yiwei remembered. She asked in surprise, "She painted this? She's that good at painting? Is she a professional artist?"
Li You said, "I suppose you could consider her a professional artist."
Chu Yiwei added, "I can't believe she's so beautiful and so young, and already a professional artist."
Li You smiled. "Teacher Chu is also beautiful and young!"
Chu Yiwei said, "She's prettier than me, and younger."
Li You said, "You two should be about the same age, right? She's at most a year or two younger than you. And you're both equally beautiful. In the same league."
"Really?" Chu Yiwei smiled faintly, then asked, "What about Xiao Yue? Is she prettier than both of us?"
"Well..." Li You considered how to answer.
'Chu Yiwei, Ling Xiaoru, and Mu Qingye are all in one league. In terms of both figure and looks, they're on the same level.'
'But Xia Xiaoyue is clearly a level higher.'
'Truthfully, Chu Yiwei, Ling Xiaoru, and Mu Qingye are already quite stunning. Their looks and figures are nearly flawless.'
'It's just that Xia Xiaoyue's looks and figure are both too perfect.'
'Of course, Ye Shengge is even more perfect.'
After a moment of contemplation, Li You said, "You're all very beautiful!"
This was a meaningless platitude that didn't answer Chu Yiwei's question at all.
However, after hearing it, Chu Yiwei just smiled and didn't press the matter further.
Time passed quickly.
Starting from 11 AM, people began to trickle in for lunch.
These customers had also planned to order a couple of braised chicken feet to try, but they were told they were already sold out.
This left them all very disappointed, but there was nothing to be done. They could only wait and see if they could get some tomorrow.
Chu Yiwei and Lin Xin ordered their food as well.
After eating, they said their goodbyes and left.
Afterward, more customers arrived at the shop.
「In the parking lot.」
Another taxi, which had come from the county seat, slowly drove into the lot.
The car door opened, and an old man stepped out.
He was called an old man, but he wasn't really that old, only around sixty.
Moreover, he was hale and hearty, with a ruddy complexion and a nimble body.
His vitality was even better than some people in their thirties or forties.
The taxi drove out of the parking lot.
The old man slowly surveyed his surroundings.
After looking around for a moment, the old man nodded slowly and muttered to himself, "This is indeed a good place."
Then, his gaze fell upon the restaurant not far away.
After observing it for a moment, he slowly walked to the front door.
"Welcome!"
Da Bai was at the entrance to greet him.
Seeing Da Bai, the old man showed no sign of surprise. He simply sized it up for a few seconds, then smiled faintly and said, "Thank you."
After that, he walked into the restaurant.
Upon entering, the old man's attention was quickly drawn to the painting on the wall.
He watched it with great interest for a while, his curiosity growing the longer he looked. There was even a hint of pleasant surprise. Finally, he nodded and muttered to himself, "Not bad, not bad at all."
Only then did he walk to an empty table and sit down.
Xiaohai came forward to take the customer's order.
The old man said, "One serving of Napa Cabbage in Consommé, one Mapo Tofu, and one Crucian Carp with Giant Hyssop. And a bowl of wine. Thank you!"
"Of course. Please wait a moment."
After speaking, Xiaohai turned and took the order slip to the kitchen.
The old man waited at his table.
Soon, the Crucian Carp with Giant Hyssop was brought out first, followed by a bowl of wine.
A look of pleasant surprise appeared on the old man's face.
'What a dish!'
'What a wine!'
He gave this assessment before he had even tasted them.
Then, he picked up his chopsticks and placed a small piece of fish in his mouth.
The look of surprise on his face deepened. He thought to himself, 'The flavor is truly exceptional. I've never had crucian carp this delicious before. This little restaurant is truly something special!'
Next, the old man lifted the wine bowl and took a small sip.
The moment the wine touched his lips, a look of excitement spread across his face.
He thought again, 'This wine truly belongs in the heavens. To think I'd be able to drink such a fine vintage in my lifetime. This is one of life's greatest blessings. What a joy! What a joy!'
The old man felt a joy unlike any he had ever experienced.
Eating the fish and drinking the wine, he felt that it had been a long time since he'd felt so utterly content.
This beautiful, remote corner of the world would soon become a place people yearned to visit.
...