jdhmnovel Chapter 6 An Encounter at the Restaurant
Chapter 6 An Encounter at the Restaurant
[The Wonderland has been renovated. Would you like to activate it immediately?]
"Turn on!"
[Ding! The Wonderland shop is now open. First-time customers need a ticket to enter.]
Congratulations, host, you have received 100 initial tickets as a gift from the system, which can be used for opening promotion. You can upgrade the tickets and sell them later.
[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the main quest: purchasing a storefront and completing its renovations. You have obtained a Level 1 milk tea shop with an unlimited supply of milk tea.]
As soon as the system finished speaking, a stack of tickets appeared out of thin air on the table in front of Bai Mengran.
"【Fairyland】Ticket required for entry."
"Wonderland, a shopping paradise you'll never forget. Wonderland, you deserve a visit!"
Bai Mengran silently recited the somewhat outrageous advertising slogan, "Little Commander, you didn't come up with these words yourself, did you?"
[Of course, host. I "borrowed" this from other ads, isn't it pretty good?]
Not wanting to trouble its host with such a small matter, it had painstakingly created this after watching countless ads!
"Yes, yes, not bad at all. Although it's a bit rustic, it's quite catchy."
The design looks like it took some effort; the back of the ticket even indicates the currently open shops and the location of "Wonderland".
Just as Bai Mengran stuffed the tickets into her bag, the waiter brought over the dishes.
"Sir, these are our signature dishes: Squirrel Fish, Biluo Shrimp, Braised Pork Belly, and Osmanthus Lotus Seed Egg Drop Soup. Please enjoy!"
After the waiter served the dishes, Bai Mengran instinctively wanted to take out her phone to take a picture and post it on social media. After searching around and not finding her phone, she realized she was in ancient times and had to give up.
She picked up her chopsticks and tasted each dish one by one.
Hmm, the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish didn't achieve the crispy outside and tender inside texture; it was a bit too soft. Furthermore, the overpowering sourness masked the sweetness, resulting in an unbalanced sweet-sour ratio.
The shrimp tasted good, but there was still a slight fishy smell when you put them in your mouth.
The braised pork was a bit dry, and there was too much broth, probably because it wasn't reduced over high heat. After eating a few pieces, it became a bit greasy.
Only the sweet soup was refreshing and pleasant, which Bai Mengran thought was quite good, so she drank two more bowls.
Even the most reputable restaurants are nothing special. For her, a travel food blogger who has tasted delicacies from all over the world, these dishes are at best just passing grade.
It seems that the food in her shop has the potential to bring a completely new taste experience to the people here.
Just as I was enjoying my meal and deep in thought, two young women arrived at the next table. Judging from their attire, they were probably young ladies with their maids.
Since Bai Mengran no longer enjoys watching dramas while eating, she can only passively focus her attention on the people around her.
She noticed that the young lady in the pink dress had her brows furrowed, as if ordering food was a difficult task for her, while the maid beside her kept trying to persuade her.
"Miss, this is already the best restaurant in town, please have some!"
"But I really have no appetite, and I don't know why I just don't feel like eating."
Su Yingying stared at the menu for a long time, but finally couldn't help shaking her head and sighing softly, handing over the task of ordering food to Zhu'er.
"Just keep an eye out for me and order whatever you like."
She used to love eating, but ever since she was seriously ill, she's lost all interest in food. She even vomits after eating, and over time she's become afraid to eat anything at all.
Zhu'er ordered two light dishes and a dessert. After the dishes were served, Su Yingying only picked up two bites before putting down her chopsticks and refusing to eat any more.
"Miss, this won't do! You haven't eaten much for days. Your body won't be able to take it if you continue like this!" Zhu'er was so anxious she was almost crying.
From the moment she heard them say they had no appetite, Bai Mengran had some thoughts, and she kept listening to their conversation.
Seeing that the young lady was sighing with a lot of worry, Bai Mengran moved from one end of the long bench to the other end, which was closer to them.
"Um, miss, I overheard your conversation. So, if I may be so bold as to ask, do you have no appetite?"
The master and servant were startled by the sudden addition of a voice. When they looked up, they saw a girl with bright eyes and a beauty like a fairy smiling at them.
Su Yingying was stunned. She had never seen such a beautiful woman before, as if she were a fairy who had stepped out of a picture book she had read.
When she realized that the fairy was asking her a question, she quickly answered.
"Yes, I don't know why, but I haven't been able to eat anything lately."
Zhu'er also came to her senses, and as if grasping at a straw, she asked, "Miss, do you have any way to help my young lady?"
Seeing that the two of them were staring at her blankly, Bai Mengran smiled slightly, "I just opened a convenience store. There are some novel foods there called Oden. It has a variety of ingredients and a sweet and delicious broth. I wonder if you would be interested in trying it?"
"Convenience store? Oden? What is this?"
Su Yingying had never heard of these words before, but for some reason, just hearing these descriptions made her feel a little hungry.
"I can't explain this to you clearly. How about I take you to see it?"
Su Yingying had suffered enough from not being able to eat these past few days, so when she heard what the girl said, she was willing to give it a try. Besides, she didn't know why, but she had a strange trust in the girl in front of her.
“Then I’ll trouble you to lead the way, young lady. My name is Su Yingying, and I’m thirteen years old. May I ask your name, young lady…”
"My name is Bai Mengran. Um, I'm three years older than you." Bai Mengran, who had lied about her age, touched her nose guiltily, feeling like she was pretending to be young.
"Then I'll call you Sister Bai, and you can just call me Yingying."
Su Yingying is the only daughter of the Su family. Grandpa Su doted on her late in life. She also has two older brothers.
Although her brothers usually take good care of her, she has always longed for an older sister so that they could share their little secrets together.
Bai Mengran also liked this seemingly adorable little girl, so she replied, "Okay, Yingying, let's set off now!"
After they both paid their bills, they left the restaurant together.
Bai Mengran spent 800 coins on this meal, which made her feel the pinch, thinking that this was truly the price of a grand restaurant.
However, she only tried it once, and although she felt it was not worth it, she had at least eaten at an ancient restaurant before.
Bai Mengran led Su Yingying and her maid along the way, chatting as they went. After learning the reason for Su Yingying's loss of appetite, Bai Mengran thought that perhaps she could actually find the answer by accident.
Generally speaking, illness often depletes one's vital energy, which may cause stomach qi to rise and result in loss of appetite.
In addition, illness can easily affect one's mood, making one more depressed. Worrying can damage the spleen, which can indirectly affect appetite.
The two of them chatted as they walked, and Su Yingying felt great.
In addition, walking around also promotes the digestion and absorption of nutrients by the spleen and stomach, so the problem is already mostly resolved.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, Su Yingying noticed that there were fewer and fewer people on the street, which she found strange.