Chapter 95: The Wild Red-crowned Crane of Nine Dragons Gorge Goes Viral
Afterward, the two said their goodbyes and left.
"It’s getting dark. Drive safe tonight."
"Okay. Goodbye, Boss!"
"Goodbye!"
After seeing them off, Li You returned to the kitchen to make some spicy crayfish for himself.
There were enough crayfish left in the Storage Pavilion for one more meal.
There was a soccer match at eight o’clock tonight.
He could eat crayfish while watching the game.
Perfect!
After some work in the kitchen, a large plate of spicy crayfish was ready.
It was 7:50 PM, just in time.
He closed up the shop and carried the crayfish upstairs to the second floor.
He placed the crayfish on the coffee table, sat down on the sofa, and turned on the TV.
The good life began.
It was a U-17 Women’s World Cup group stage match.
In their first two matches, the U-17 women’s national team had one win and one loss for a total of 3 points, temporarily placing them fourth in the group due to an inferior goal difference.
Therefore, to advance from the group stage, they had to win tonight’s match.
It was a difficult task, but not without hope.
Whether it was the men’s team or the women’s team, as long as they were playing in an international competition, they deserved support.
Soon, the match officially began.
Li You ate his crayfish while watching the girls fight hard, cheering them on.
Eventually, the match ended.
The result was disappointing. The U-17 women’s team lost 0-1 and failed to advance from the group stage.
But their performance was still good, especially in the second half. They played very well, showing hope for the future.
Li You felt the young ladies’ performance was still worthy of applause.
...
「The next day.」
It was Saturday again.
’I wonder if Wei Ping’s family, or Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, and Zhang Rui’Er will come today?’
They were among the first customers of the restaurant, and Li You was eager to see them again.
The outcome was a pleasant surprise.
At ten in the morning, Wei Ping’s family arrived.
"Boss, we’re back!" Wei Ping laughed heartily.
"Hello, Uncle Li You!"
Wei Ping’s two children were also very happy to see Li You.
Li You went to greet them, smiling. "Master Wei, welcome back! And a warm welcome to your wife, your parents, and to Yu and Xiaoxi."
After they exchanged pleasantries, Wei Ping noticed the "Today’s Specials" board and said with a delighted surprise, "Boss, have you added twice-cooked pork and mapo tofu?"
Li You nodded with a smile.
"That’s fantastic! We’re in for a new treat today," Wei Ping said, overjoyed.
His wife and parents were equally surprised and delighted.
Just then, several more cars pulled into the parking lot one after another.
Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the others had also arrived.
It was a massive group, probably around forty people.
Many of them were new faces.
Clearly, some newcomers had tagged along this time.
"Hahaha! Boss, we’re back again. We brought a few more people this time," Liu Xu said with a laugh.
Li You laughed as well. "The more the merrier. Welcome, everyone!"
"Hello, Boss!"
"Boss, it’s been a week!"
"..."
Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the others all greeted Li You one by one.
"Master Wei, you got here early!" Liu Xu then greeted Wei Ping.
Wei Ping smiled. "We just arrived a moment ago ourselves. By the way, the boss has added new dishes. We’re in for another treat today."
"Really? What are they?" Liu Xu asked eagerly, pleasantly surprised.
Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the others also looked at Wei Ping, equally surprised and delighted.
Wei Ping pointed to the "Today’s Specials" board.
When Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the others saw it, they were even more ecstatic.
’What great dishes!’
Twice-cooked pork and mapo tofu were both absolutely fantastic, well-known dishes.
Those two dishes were already delicious on their own.
’So, just how delicious would Boss Li’s twice-cooked pork and mapo tofu be?’
’The anticipation is almost too much to bear!’
’I wish we could eat them right this second.’
Unfortunately, it was just a little past ten in the morning—still a bit too early.
’Just have to hold on a little longer, and we’ll get to eat soon.’
While the returning customers were eagerly anticipating the twice-cooked pork and mapo tofu, the newcomers who were here for the first time were all secretly dumbfounded.
’Aren’t these guys overreacting a little? Is it really that exciting?’
Although they had come along, they still held some doubts in their hearts.
Of course, this was normal. Until they had personally tasted the food from Li You’s restaurant, they truly couldn’t understand the excitement and anticipation Liu Xu and the others were feeling.
...
Meanwhile, at the Xingshui Academy of Fine Arts, a set of photographs had gone completely viral.
It was Mu Qingye’s photos of the Red-crowned Cranes, taken yesterday at Jiulong Gorge.
"Holy crap! They’re really Red-crowned Cranes—wild Red-crowned Cranes! Xingshui City actually has wild Red-crowned Cranes?"
"It’s unbelievable. But these photos are definitely real. Which means the wild Red-crowned Cranes must be real too."
"Hahaha! Our great Xingshui is awesome!"
"Even if you don’t go for the Red-crowned Cranes, just look at that gorge—it’s gorgeous! I can’t believe a place this beautiful exists in Xingshui City, and I never even knew about it."
"Jiulong Gorge? Nice name. It’s in Changxi County, right?"
"That’s right. I have to go to Jiulong Gorge to see the wild Red-crowned Cranes. I’ve only ever seen them in a zoo, but zoo cranes can’t compare to wild ones at all."
"Speaking of Jiulong Gorge in Changxi County, I heard a rumor recently. They say there’s a restaurant in Jiulong Gorge with unbelievably delicious food. Apparently, everything from their noodles to their stir-fries is the absolute best of the best. The rumor is that anyone who walks in gets completely blown away by the food. I don’t know if it’s true, though. It sounds way too exaggerated."
"Forget ’sounds like,’ it IS way too exaggerated. I heard that rumor too, but I don’t believe a single word of it."
"It has to be someone trying to generate hype. But why do it at our school? I looked it up—it’s at least a two-and-a-half-hour drive from campus to Jiulong Gorge. It’s so far away. Do they really think we’d drive all the way out there just to eat? Whoever’s behind this must be an idiot."
"That’s what’s so weird! Wait a minute... you don’t think this whole wild Red-crowned Crane thing is also part of the hype campaign for that Jiulong Gorge Restaurant, do you?"
"That’s probably not it. The photos were taken by Mu Qingye from the photography department. It shouldn’t have anything to do with that restaurant. Still, you have to admit, that restaurant got really lucky. Because of these photos, a lot of people from our school will probably head to Jiulong Gorge now, especially from the photography department. They might end up eating at that restaurant when they’re there."
"Actually, it’s a good thing there’s a restaurant there. If—and I’m just saying if—we were to go to Jiulong Gorge, after driving all that way, we’d definitely want a place to eat lunch."
"That’s true."
"Anyway, if you’re interested in the wild Red-crowned Cranes, you have to go check out Jiulong Gorge."
"I’m going, I’m definitely going. A two-and-a-half-hour drive to see wild Red-crowned Cranes without even leaving the city? That’s something I never would have dreamed of before."
"Exactly! And that’s why Mu Qingye is blowing up right now."
"..."
Discussions like this were happening all over campus.
...