Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 932 - 459: Is Master Xia in Such a Bad Mood Today?

Good news, for some reason, today in Beiping City traffic wasn't bad at all, so Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an arrived at Fen Garden smoothly.

Bad news, the two of them arrived too early, at 5:24 PM.

Having never dined at Fen Garden or experienced eating in a traditional courtyard, Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an found themselves facing the tightly shut gates of Fen Garden, naturally feeling apprehensive and too timid to knock. All they could do was wander, hesitate, and pace around in front of Fen Garden, looking like two amateur thieves preparing for a big heist tonight.

"Why don't we take a stroll nearby first? On our way here, I saw a place selling baked buns. Why don't we go over and buy one?" suggested Qin Huai.

Feeling frustrated, Zhao Cheng'an waved his phone screen with the menu displayed and said, "Qin Huai, could you aim a bit higher? We're about to open a blind box and have a big meal, yet you're thinking of baked buns. But on our way here, I did see a convenience store. We could buy two bottles of Coke there."

"Coke makes you feel bloated, and if you drink too much, you can't eat anything."

"Having fasted all day, eating a baked bun before dinner will help us eat more."

The duo faced a disagreement over whether to buy baked buns or Coke first, leading to tension, and just as the amateur thieves were about to have a fierce argument in front of Fen Garden, the door opened.

Zhang Guanghang, dressed in a very basic and ordinary chef uniform, holding an order list in his hand, made a dazzling entrance as if he were a server just starting his shift.

Whether it was due to his tall stature or his impressive presence, Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an felt that Zhang Guanghang's ordinary chef uniform appeared like this year's new fashion from a runway show.

"Mr. Qin Huai and Mr. Zhao Cheng'an, is that right?" Server Xiao Zhang casually marked two ✓ on the list with a pen. "You've reserved the 6 PM dinner for two tonight."

"That's correct." The two replied in unison, "We've arrived early."

"Please come in." Zhang Guanghang stepped aside and gestured for the two to enter.

The two cautiously stepped inside, glanced around, and found that Fen Garden was indeed a legitimate and spacious traditional courtyard, even larger than they had imagined, instantly switching to Granny Liu visiting Daguan Garden mode.

"Wow, there are flowers here."

"Yeah, yeah, look, there's grass over there."

"And there's a rockery."

"Would there be a pond inside, too?"

"There is a small pond, but it's not open to guests. It has a few fish my master likes to eat, ready for him to catch and eat." Said Zhang Guanghang.

Zhao Cheng'an excitedly turned to Qin Huai, "There are fish! Do you think I can have fish with oil today?"

Zhang Guanghang remained silent and simply took note, leading the two towards their table.

Fen Garden is situated within a traditional courtyard, possibly done deliberately by Xia Mubing, or perhaps it was because Xia Mubing happened to buy this courtyard and thought since it's so big and he lives here anyway, why not use one section to open a restaurant, saving the money needed to buy a separate building.

Therefore, the dining area doesn't feature any ostentatious or eccentric decorations; it simply replaces where carvings and furniture would typically be with dining tables, all of which are Eight Immortals tables of the same size, no larger.

No wonder Fen Garden doesn't accommodate tables for more than 6 people; even seating 6 people at one table feels cramped, and more than 6 can't fit at all.

"You two are the earliest guests, please rest here for a moment. Fen Garden doesn't have any waiters, if you need tea, you can refill it yourself over there." Zhang Guanghang finished speaking and went to continue his work in the kitchen, leaving Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an to continue observing.

There are 5 Eight Immortals tables in the hall, and further in, there are separated private rooms because the hall is filled with tables, leaving no extra space for additional decor, making it all look somewhat simple like a country feast. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

But considering this location is a traditional courtyard within Beiping's Second Ring Road, this simplicity could also be seen as the ultimate simplicity.

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an wanted to explore around, but feared breaking the rules and being kicked out before even having their meal, accidentally wandering into the living area and being expelled by Xia Mubing.

Getting kicked out would be a relatively good outcome; if Xia Mubing caught them and took them to the police station, calling Ling Guangzhao to bail them out, Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an would definitely become famous within Beiping's chef circle.

Years from now, people would still bring it up and remember how many years they were sentenced.

The two could only discuss with bold eyes, cautious movements, furtive postures, and lowered voices.

"Wow, I've always heard others say Fen Garden is within a courtyard, but I couldn't really imagine it. Just now, following Zhang Guanghang inside, did you time it? It took us three minutes just to walk from the entrance to here!" Qin Huai exclaimed in awe. "Three minutes is enough to walk four rounds around my house."

"Yeah, yeah, check out this table, it's rustic, simple, and grand—you can tell it's made of good wood just by seeing it." Zhao Cheng'an, equally awestruck, secretly felt the table a few times.

In the kitchen, while plating cold dishes and occasionally glancing up at the surveillance, Zhang Guanghang silently remarked to himself: It is indeed good wood, Huanghuali wood, but it's just ordinary Huanghuali. Master was taken in by a middleman and bought it at Hainan Huanghuali prices.

Zhang Guanghang continued working without showing any outward signs but shifted his gaze from the surveillance to Xia Mubing's face.

Zhang Guanghang keenly observed that his master had been staring at the surveillance feed. Although he could only see the back of his master's head and not his expression, he could tell from the posture that his master was focused while watching the surveillance.

Not far away, the meat simmering in the pot on the stove had reached the desired doneness, but Xia Mubing seemed to not have noticed and continued looking up at the surveillance.