Qi Cong had not wanted to come over in the first place. Having skipped lunch, he was already starving, his stomach practically growling against his backbone. During the afternoon sketching session, the others had kept praising this place, raving about how delicious the food was.
It had thoroughly annoyed him, especially since the dishes at lunch had looked entirely ordinary to him.
His classmates had only mocked him in return, asking how he could possibly judge something as bad when he had never even tried it.
Qi Cong had been fit to be tied. The moment drawing class ended, he bolted straight for the agritainment restaurant—he was going to see for himself just what was so great about the food here, and then hurl their praise right back in their faces with crushing sarcasm.
Preoccupied by his heavy, resentful thoughts, he failed to notice the "Closed" sign hanging on the front door, nor did he realize that the other customers had already cleared out.
Stepping into the main hall, he found the staff having their meal. As he walked in, they all turned to look at him with strange expressions.
"Sorry, we're closed for the day," Hua Guduo said, stepping forward with a polite smile to usher him out.
Only then did Qi Cong realize the door was half-latched because business was over for the day. No wonder there wasn't a single customer left in the place besides himself; he hadn't paid attention at all.
His face flushed crimson. Refusing to lose face, he stubbornly argued:
"You turn away paying customers? Your menu barely has any dishes to begin with, and it's not even that late. Why are you closing already?"
Bai Mengmeng was momentarily speechless. She could only stand up and ask, "Handsome, we've sold out of all our prepared dishes. Are you hungry?"
"Um... I really am. Just make me another portion of those dishes from noon," Qi Cong said, a trace of awkwardness crossing his face.
"There's no food left. Even if you want to eat, we can't magic it up out of thin air. You'll just have to come earlier tomorrow."
Naturally, Qi Cong refused to give up. He hadn't come here to eat in the first place; he had come to pick a fight.
Looking around, he spotted Liang Cha sitting there with a bowl, digging in with great relish. He quickly chimed in, "You guys are having noodles, right? I'm starving right now. Just bowl me up some noodles, that'll do!"
Liang Cha paused. Without even chewing, he slurped the entire bowl of noodles straight into his mouth, finishing it off in the span of a few seconds.
Wiping his mouth clean, he raised the empty bowl to show that nothing was left.
*Hiss...* Qi Cong felt a sharp pain in his temples from sheer anger.
This jerk was clearly doing it on purpose!
"I'll pay for it! A hundred bucks for a bowl of noodles, how about that?!"
Without waiting for an answer from anyone, Qi Cong scanned the QR code to pay on the spot, presenting them with a fait accompli.
Bai Mengmeng wore a look of utter helplessness. Since the guy was practically shoving money into her hands, she had no choice but to accept it with a smile.
"Want noodles, do you? No problem at all. Just wait a moment."
With a beaming smile, she turned around to prepare the noodles.
Qi Cong plopped down into a chair, fuming, as he realized his impulsive actions weren't very rational either.
His family had already booked a table at a proper restaurant for him, yet instead of going there to feast, he had ended up paying through the nose for noodles at some rundown little joint!
What was even more exasperating was that these noodles had cost him a hundred yuan!
Before long, Bai Mengmeng emerged carrying a tray holding a bowl of noodles and two small side dishes, which looked utterly unpretentious.
The messy arrangement of the food alone killed any appetite.
Qi Cong was just about to find fault when his stomach let out a sudden growl. Fortunately, there was hardly anyone in the dining hall, so he couldn't be bothered to fuss. He picked up a pair of chopsticks and shoveled a mouthful of noodles into his mouth.
The noodles tasted completely ordinary—nothing special at all. Tomorrow, he was going to ruthlessly roast those classmates of his; they clearly had no idea what good food was if they thought *this* was delicious.
And those two side dishes—he had no idea how they were even made.
He tried a strand of the Chinese toon sauce first, but after chewing twice, a wave of nausea hit him and he almost spat it out.
The flavor was way too bizarre!
He wanted to throw a tantrum, but not far away, Wang Hao and Liang Cha were fixing him with dark, piercing stares. Besides, he had come looking for trouble, and since he was flying solo now, Qi Cong didn't dare make too big of a scene. He had no choice but to try the other side dish.
The moment he took a bite, however, he was struck by how amazing it tasted.
"This is so good!" Ever since he was a kid, he had a sweet tooth. The acacia flower and egg dish, bursting with a savory-sweet crispness, hit his palate instantly. After swallowing, a lingering, sweet floral fragrance seemed to bloom in his mouth.
Before he knew it, he had polished off the entire plate of acacia flower eggs.
Now, only the bowl of noodles and the remaining side dish of Chinese toon sauce were left.
After hesitating for a long moment, Qi Cong picked up another bit of the Chinese toon sauce, wanting to taste it properly.
It didn't seem quite as overpowering as before. Even so, the stuff still smelled funky and felt a bit repulsive, and he had no idea what on earth it actually was.
After a brief moment of silence, he dumped the Chinese toon sauce straight into his noodle bowl and mixed it thoroughly.
Once mixed, most of that repulsive smell was absorbed, replaced instead by a refreshing fragrance.
Combined with the savory richness, the noodles tasted increasingly delicious to Qi Cong. By the time he slurped down the last of the noodles and found the bowl empty, it suddenly hit him: he had come here to pick a fault.
Yet... since he had licked the bowl clean, how was he supposed to complain?
What puzzled him even more was what exactly those two side dishes were made of.
Unable to suppress his burning curiosity any longer, he finally blurted out:
"Boss, what are those two side dishes made of?"
"One is stir-fried acacia flowers with eggs, and the other is Chinese toon sauce. How did you find them?"
Bai Mengmeng asked with a smile, her tone brimming with hidden meaning.
"So-so, I guess. Even if they don't look like much, the taste is passable. It's not a total waste of a hundred bucks," Qi Cong said, sounding distinctly forced.
Because the Phoenix Mountain Scenic Area was far from the city, even though he caught a shuttle bus that went straight back to downtown, it was already dark by the time Qi Cong reached home.
The moment he stepped through the door, his mother grabbed him by the ear and started lecturing him.
"I specially hired a master chef to cook a grand feast at home today! You were the one whining on and on about it beforehand, yet you stood me up. Where on earth did you go running off to?"
Qi Cong's greatest fear was his mother, so he quickly laughed and begged for mercy.
"What on earth did you eat out there today that made you forget all about a grand feast?" Mother Qi asked, her face full of suspicion.
Qi Cong had completely forgotten that his original intention was to pick a fight. Eager to curry favor, he blurted out, "Mom, I found an amazing little restaurant today. Their noodles are seriously delicious, and they also have Chinese toon sauce and stir-fried acacia flowers with eggs. They tasted even better than the crab roe noodles at Imperial Feast House!"
Mother Qi had risen from humble roots in her early years before making a fortune in business. Hearing this, she couldn't help but find it amusing.
Weren't Chinese toon and acacia flowers just common greens?
They were everywhere in the spring, and she had eaten them countless times when she was a little girl.
"Old Qi, get out here right now! The sun must be rising from the west today—your precious son doesn't care about a grand feast, he's actually taken a liking to wild vegetables!"
Qi Cong's face flushed red and he couldn't help defending himself: "I'm telling the truth, it really is delicious! If you don't believe me, I'll take you there to try it tomorrow!"
Father Qi had always treated his son like the apple of his eye. Hearing this, he found it rather intriguing.
"With a picky palate like yours, if even *you* think it's good, then I really am curious what kind of gourmet delicacy it is. I'll have your mother and I go check it out tomorrow when we have time."