Western Restaurant

In Renjia Town, Zhang Chulan followed behind Uncle Jiu, constantly surveying his surroundings with a curious gleam in his eyes.

After all, as a modern person who had ended up here, how could he not be curious?

Previously, he had been focused on cultivation and rarely left the Mourning Hall.

Now that he had finally gotten out, he had to take a good look at this Republican era, didn't he?

However, while Zhang Chulan was sizing up others, they were also sizing him up.

His outfit in particular made it clear he wasn't someone ordinary people could afford.

Though it was a school uniform, to the people of this era, it looked like something from the big cities that they'd never seen before.

Seeing this, how could these country folk not be curious?

Before long, the three of them arrived at the Western Restaurant.

The moment they stepped in, they were stopped. The waiter said with a haughty expression:

"Do you have a reservation?"

Zhang Chulan, standing behind, saw this and said with a speechless look:

"Your lousy place requires a reservation to visit? Are you kidding me?"

These words immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Who are you?"

Zhang Chulan: "This young master is Zhang Chulan. Forget it, why am I wasting words with you?

Hey... uh... Uncle Jiu, what's that guy's name again?"

Wen Cai, standing nearby, was a bit dumbfounded and whispered: "It's Ren Fa!"

Hearing this, Zhang Chulan seemed to remember and said impatiently:

"Oh right, that Ren Fa guy. He invited Uncle Jiu here, didn't he arrange anything in advance?"

At these words, the waiter instantly shifted from his earlier arrogance to extreme caution.

He even bent slightly and said:

"So you three are the honored guests Master Ren mentioned. This way, please, this way. Master Ren has already prepared a place for you.

Please follow me. I'll lead the way!"

With that, he guided them into a small private room.

Once inside, Zhang Chulan pulled out a chair for Uncle Jiu and let him sit.

Then he glanced at the waiter behind him, frowned, and said:

"Seriously, do you have no sense at all? The guests are already seated. Not only do you not ask us to order, but you don't even bring a menu.

You can't even pour us a glass of water? Is this how your restaurant treats its guests?"

Hearing this, the waiter, who had been standing there waiting for Master Ren to arrive, hoping to make a good impression, immediately looked embarrassed.

"My apologies. Please wait a moment, just a moment!"

With that, he fetched a kettle and a menu, handed them to Zhang Chulan, and then began pouring water for the three of them one by one.

Seeing this, Zhang Chulan curled his lip and said:

"Uncle Jiu, what would you like to eat?"

Uncle Jiu glanced at the menu in Zhang Chulan's hand and found he didn't recognize a single item.

So he said: "You decide. We'll have whatever you're having. But isn't it a bit rude to order now?

After all, Master Ren hasn't arrived yet, and this time he's the one..."

Zhang Chulan shook his head and said: "Uncle Jiu, you're too upright.

If this Ren Fa invited you to look into matters, he should have come early to wait for you, not made you wait for him.

This is clearly meant to intimidate you. But don't worry, I'll handle it for you. As for the meal, heh, you don't need to fret.

We don't need Ren Fa to treat us. This meal is on me, hehe. The big shot gave me quite a few Silver Dollars before I left."

Hearing this, Uncle Jiu thought to himself that he had indeed been invited by Ren Fa to look at feng shui.

He'd been put on the spot as soon as he arrived, and now the person who invited him hadn't even shown up—it was truly disrespectful.

Besides, Zhang Chulan had said he was treating, so Uncle Jiu didn't argue further.

Zhang Chulan flipped through the menu, then chuckled and said:

"Your food is just so-so. Nothing special at all.

Just give us three cups of coffee each, plus three well-done steaks. Remember, I want them well-done. I can't eat them any other way.

And one egg tart and one small cake per person. That'll do."

With that, Zhang Chulan closed the menu, tossed it to the waiter, and then pulled out a few Silver Dollars, throwing them over.

"This covers the meal. Hurry up and bring it out."

Seeing this, the waiter immediately said with a beaming smile:

"Three gentlemen, please wait a moment. We'll bring it right up for you!"

After that, he left the private room. At this, Uncle Jiu said in a low voice:

"Chulan, do you recognize the words on that menu?"

Zhang Chulan smiled upon hearing this and said:

"Of course. We people of later generations have also studied quite a few foreign languages. I can still make out this much. Besides, there are plenty of Western restaurants in later times. Even though I never had the chance to eat at one, I've still seen them around. Once the food comes up, Uncle Jiu, don't worry about it—I'll handle it for you. Eldest Brother Wen Cai, later on, just watch what I do and follow along, alright?"

Wen Cai responded to this, still looking completely bewildered. Uncle Jiu, annoyed, gave him a kick and said:

"Did you hear what Chulan said?"

Only then did Wen Cai let out a simple, foolish laugh and nod.

Soon, the waiter came in carrying coffee and a few egg tarts.

"Sir, here is your coffee and egg tarts. The small cakes and steak will still need a bit more time!"

Hearing this, Zhang Chulan didn't mind and simply nodded, saying:

"Alright, I understand. You can go now!"

Soon, Uncle Jiu stared at the coffee in front of him, utterly clueless.

At that moment, Zhang Chulan stood up with a chuckle and said:

"Uncle Jiu, let me help you. Don't worry about it!"

With that, Zhang Chulan walked over and picked up the coffee cup and the milk. He slowly poured the milk into the coffee, then glanced around and said:

"Waiter, do you only have white sugar here?"

Hearing this, the waiter looked puzzled and asked:

"Sir, is there something wrong with the coffee?"

Zhang Chulan set the coffee down in front of Uncle Jiu and said:

"Do you only have white sugar here?"

The waiter nodded: "Yes, sir. Is there a problem?"

Zhang Chulan frowned, then waved his hand impatiently and said:

"Forget it, white sugar will do. Uncle Jiu, just add the white sugar to the coffee yourself—I don't know your taste. If it were sugar cubes, you'd just put in one or two and that'd be about right. Sugar cubes are compressed into blocks. Adding them is much more convenient than this white sugar, and the quantity is easier to control. With this white sugar, I can't say for sure. Just add a spoonful or two, taste it, and add more if needed, but don't put in too much."

The waiter, standing nearby, listened with curiosity and asked:

"Sir, what are these 'sugar cubes' you mentioned? Are they the kind we give to children?"

Zhang Chulan shook his head at that and said:

"Of course not. Sugar cubes are crystal sugar compressed into block form. They're not easy to break, but they dissolve quickly in water and are very fine. Also, because they're compressed, they're a bit sweeter, so it's easier to control the amount when adding them. Since you don't have them here, forget it." After saying this, Zhang Chulan turned back to fixing his own coffee, a bit irritated.

On the other side, Wen Cai, having watched Zhang Chulan's movements, began to follow suit.

After finishing his adjustments, Zhang Chulan said with a smile:

"Uncle Jiu, try the egg tart. I wonder how the ones made here turn out? Hopefully, they're not as terrible as the ones I had before!"

Hearing this, Uncle Jiu smiled and nodded, then picked up an egg tart just like Zhang Chulan and took a bite.

"Hmm... barely passable. But that's about it—still edible!"

Not far away, by the door, the waiter thought to himself:

"I wonder which young master this is, being so picky!"

Soon, the waiter came over carrying the steak and small cakes.

After the steak was set down, Zhang Chulan waved his hand casually and said:

"Really, just ordinary steak. Fine, you can cut the steak for us. Oh, and bring us a salad too, no problem, right?"

"No problem at all, sir!"