Chapter 26: Can the Yangchun Noodles Here Win?
Hearing Jiang Caidong say that, Qu Feng’s brow furrowed once more.
’What does this Boss Jiang mean? Does he also think that guy can beat me, no contest?’
’In that case, I’ll have to go see for myself tomorrow just who this master is.’
’If he’s not as good as me, we’ll see how you squirm your way out of this.’
Then, Qu Feng said, "In that case, I’ll take my leave. I’ll be back first thing tomorrow morning."
Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng both said, "Master Qu, take care."
After Qu Feng left, the customers were buzzing with excitement and peppered Jiang Caidong and Liang Heng with questions.
"Boss, is what you said true? Is there really such a place?"
"Which town is it in, exactly?"
"..."
Jiang Caidong nodded. "It’s true. In Jiulong Gorge, just outside Wenxian Town."
Jiulong Gorge?
The customers all knew of this place. Even if they hadn’t been, they knew it existed.
"I’ve been to Jiulong Gorge before. I didn’t see any noodle shop there!" several customers said.
Jiang Caidong said, "It just opened recently. It’s right at the entrance to the gorge, past Wenxian Town. Also, it’s a restaurant, not a noodle shop."
"Oh, I see." The customers understood.
But Jiulong Gorge was out in the middle of nowhere. Why would anyone open a restaurant there?
Jiang Caidong said slowly, "All I can say is, even if he opened his restaurant there, his business will likely be very good."
Is that so?
That was truly a curious thing, the customers all thought.
Then they all said, "Boss, what time are you leaving tomorrow morning? We want to tag along and see it for ourselves."
Although the journey was long, they really wanted to go and see the situation with their own eyes.
Jiang Caidong said, "It depends on when Master Qu gets here tomorrow morning. Probably around 8 or 9 AM."
The customers all nodded, saying they would also head to Jiulong Gorge around that time tomorrow.
Then, the customers took their leave.
Jiang Caidong shook his head. Deep down, he really didn’t want the customers to know about the existence of Jiulong Gorge Restaurant.
Although they would probably find out sooner or later, delaying it for a while was better than nothing.
But there was no other way. He couldn’t just let people believe that Changxi County’s Yangchun Noodles were inferior to Heyang City’s, not when he knew Jiulong Gorge Restaurant existed.
’In a way, having Jiulong Gorge Restaurant is a blessing for Changxi County,’ Jiang Caidong mused.
...
The news of Qu Feng’s challenge to the Yangchun Noodle masters in Xingshui City had indeed spread throughout the culinary circles of both Heyang and Xingshui.
The chefs of the two cities had completely different reactions.
The chefs from Heyang City roared with laughter, overjoyed.
Master Qu was bringing glory to the Heyang Chef World.
Although the results from Changxi County weren’t in yet, they were sure there would be no problem.
The two districts couldn’t stand up to him, so how could a mere county be any stronger?
They could already call the outcome.
Meanwhile, the chefs of Xingshui City sighed in resignation.
They were reluctant to admit it, but they had indeed lost.
They could only blame the fact that Yangchun Noodles weren’t Xingshui City’s specialty.
"The results from Changxi County aren’t in yet, right? So it’s not a done deal yet."
"That may be true, but there’s almost no chance the outcome will change. The one with the highest skill in Yangchun Noodles in Changxi County is Liang Heng, who currently works at Mianwei Jia Noodle House. I know Liang Heng pretty well, and he’s definitely no match for Qu Feng."
"Unless Qu Feng has an unexpected slip-up during the competition. But the chances of that are too small."
"Alright. Then there’s nothing to be done. We’ll just have to see if we can win back our reputation with another dish in the future."
"We definitely have to win it back. Otherwise, won’t those chefs from Heyang be showing off in front of us every day?"
"Yeah, we have to win back our reputation."
"..."
...
「Jiulong Gorge.」
Dusk was falling. Li You built a bonfire in front of his restaurant, planning to roast a couple of crucian carp for dinner.
Three customers had come this afternoon, all classmates of Xia Xiaoyue from the Xingshui Academy of Fine Arts.
They had decided to come and try the food after hearing Xia Xiaoyue say that the Yangchun Noodles here were super delicious.
They hadn’t expected to find Beef Noodles and Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes on the menu as well.
So, the three of them ordered one large bowl of Yangchun Noodles, one large bowl of Beef Noodles, and a plate of Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes, and shared everything.
They couldn’t stop praising the taste, all saying that even though they had driven for over two hours, it was totally worth it, and they would definitely come again.
The three of them spent a total of 42 yuan.
Main Quest progress increased by 42 yuan, for a total of 63 yuan.
He needed to keep up the good work.
Gradually, the aroma of roasted fish began to spread. It was time to enjoy a good meal again.
...
「The next day.」
In the morning, after breakfast, Li You took a bucket down to the gorge to check his fish traps again.
Then, he lay back in his rocking chair to wait for today’s customers.
At 10:30 AM, three cars pulled into the parking lot one after another.
The car doors opened, and a total of twelve people got out.
They were all customers from Mianwei Jia Noodle House the day before.
After leaving Mianwei Jia yesterday, they had arranged to come here together today.
When they arrived, they saw that there really was a restaurant here.
’Can a restaurant in a place like this really do business?’
All twelve of them were skeptical.
"Looks like we’re the first to arrive. Boss Jiang, Master Liang, Master Qu, and the others aren’t here yet."
"Seems so. Should we wait here? Or go to the restaurant first?"
"Since we’re already here, let’s go to the restaurant, of course! Come on, let’s go check out what this place is all about."
"Alright, let’s go."
The twelve of them walked toward the restaurant together.
’Why are so many people showing up at once?’ Li You was a little surprised.
’Are they here to eat?’
Regardless, Li You stood up to welcome his guests.
After the group walked in, a young man in a plaid shirt said to Li You, "Excuse me, are you the owner of this restaurant?"
Li You nodded. "Are you here to eat?"
The man in the plaid shirt said, "Boss, we’d like to look around first. Is that okay?"
"Of course," Li You said.
The twelve of them looked around curiously.
They had to admit, the view from here was absolutely spectacular.
The field of vision was wide open, and the scenery was gorgeous.
Eating while enjoying the view would certainly be a pleasure.
Then, everyone noticed the "Today’s Menu" sign.
They really did have Yangchun Noodles.
Compared to Mianwei Jia, the price for a large bowl was one yuan more, while the small bowl was the same. That was pretty normal.
Then there were also Beef Noodles and Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes.
’Just these three dishes?’
’That’s a little sparse.’
Of course, for a restaurant in a place like this, having three dishes on the menu was already quite impressive.
Right now, what the twelve of them most wanted to know was whether the Yangchun Noodles here could really defeat Qu Feng so easily.
Master Liang and Boss Jiang had both seemed so full of confidence.
But for some reason, they all had a feeling of uncertainty.
It was mainly because the restaurant’s location was... hard to describe.
"Why don’t we each order a bowl of noodles and try it? Then we’ll know," someone suggested.
Good idea.
The others had the same thought.
Just as the group was about to order their noodles, several more cars pulled into the parking lot.
’Looks like more people have arrived.’
’I wonder if Boss Jiang, Master Liang, and Master Qu are among them?’
’I should go say hi.’
’As for the noodles, we can order them later.’
"Boss, more people from our group have arrived. We’re going to go say hello first."
"Alright."
The twelve people walked toward the parking lot.
Li You, however, was a bit confused. ’What is going on today?’
...