After taking the three of them around the Jade Summit Mountains for two days, they had enjoyed the spring scenery and explored the ancient town. On their last evening, Chen Shu took them to a favorite local restaurant at the foot of the mountain that served lamb in clear broth.
Spirit Prefecture's food also tended toward spicy and sour flavors, so the lamb came with two broth options: plain clear broth or sour broth. The sour broth cost eighteen yuan extra.
Then there was the lamb.
The restaurant was outside the ancient town, so its prices were normal—even remarkably good value. Cooked lamb cost eighty yuan a jin. Chen Shu ordered a jin every time he came. The owners never shorted him; sliced thin and piled loosely on a small plate, it made quite a heap.
The proprietress often threw in a vegetable platter, too. "Platter" was generous—it was a whole vegetable-washing basket, filled to the brim, with free refills.
Country folk were honest. Once you had spent nearly a hundred yuan, they would feel bad if they did not let you eat your fill.
With Qingqing along today, they naturally chose the sour broth. For five mouths, they ordered only three jin of lamb. Chen Banxia had eyes bigger than her stomach, while the sisters preferred vegetables.
They ordered a steamed flatbread as well.
There was nothing else on the menu.
As usual, the proprietress brought a complimentary vegetable platter: a basket crammed with pea shoots, lettuce, potato slices, and cauliflower florets tucked among them. Seeing how many of them there were, she reminded them they could ask for more.
Chen Shu was not embarrassed to tell the others, "This one's free. At first, I thought I was so handsome the proprietress was giving me special treatment..."
Chen Banxia