books44 Chapter 203 Wonton Stall
Chapter 203 Wonton Stall
At Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the gates of the Paradise Pavilion remained tightly closed.
Lin Chunyi, Lin Lanshan, and Ning Linlan, who had long forgotten their mother's words, were already standing at the door, staring at the gate.
"Xiaoyi, Lanshan, when do you think this Paradise Pavilion will open? I hope I didn't come here for nothing again today~"
"I don't know, maybe business was good tonight and they were too busy, so they're probably still resting now," Lin Lanshan replied seriously.
"Hmm~ In that case, let's go for a walk and come back. Maybe it'll be open by then," Lin Chunyi suggested.
Peach shook her head and sneezed. It was hard to tell if it was from the cold wind or the faint scent of perfume.
Well... it wouldn't be right for three young women to just sit and wait at the entrance of such a large brothel, that would attract too much attention.
Left with no other choice, they boarded a mule cart and wandered around the city.
Girls' tastes are mostly similar. They either like pretty, sparkly jewelry, or they like food that smells good and looks delicious.
Ning Linlan, who had just been sullen, now tugged at her two sisters' sleeves with a grin, "There's a meat pie stand up ahead. I can smell it from far away. It must be delicious! Let's go down and take a look."
"Let's go." Lin Chunyi jumped off the mule cart first, walked forward and pointed to the sizzling pancakes in the oil, asking, "Boss, what kinds of fillings do you have, and how much are they?"
"Wild vegetable and egg pancakes are five coins each, and pork pancakes are eight coins each," the pancake stall owner said.
"I'll pay, I'll pay!" Ning Linlan stepped to the front and pulled out twenty-four copper coins to give to him. "Give us three meat-filled ones!"
"Okay! Here you go, be careful, it'll burn your hands."
The three of them ate meat-filled fried dough as they walked, their eyes fixed on the next food stall.
Chen Shi (辰时) is also known as Shi Shi (食时), which is breakfast time. Therefore, the streets at this time are filled with various food stalls.
The heat and aroma of food wafted among the passersby who were having breakfast.
It was lively and warm.
There's a fried cake stall every five meters, a steamed bun shop every ten meters... There are so many kinds of food on both sides of the street that they can't possibly look at them all or eat them all.
"Xiaoyi, Lanshan, that wonton stall! It's really delicious! Hurry up, there won't be any seats left." Ning Linlan spotted the wonton stall that she and her parents would occasionally go to after going to the county town early in the morning to sell their game.
He grabbed their hands and walked quickly forward.
"Huh? You're still buying more? Can you even eat any more?" Lin Lanshan glanced at her left hand, which wasn't being pulled, and saw a bag of hot osmanthus cakes. She had only eaten one piece, leaving two more.
The older sister was holding a string of candied hawthorns in her hand, and she had only eaten three.
It wasn't that they couldn't afford one skewer each; Ning Linlan said they would only buy a little of each kind of food, just enough to taste. This way, they could leave more room in their stomachs and try more different kinds of food!
The wontons at this shop look really delicious; all five tables were already full, not a single empty seat.
If there's nowhere to sit, just stand in front of the shop and wait to get your food packed up and go.
"Auntie, the bill is due!"
A group of people had just finished eating, paid their bill, and stood up to leave!
Ning Linlan, with her sharp ears and keen eyes, quickly walked behind them, plopped down on the still-warm bench, and shouted loudly:
"Auntie, give me three small bowls of wontons to eat here."
She then waved to the two sisters who were slowly approaching her table, saying, "Come on over! Don't let someone else take your seats."
A table and four long stools can usually seat four people.
There were three people sitting at their table, all of whom were women.
So, because they were a step too slow and missed out on a table, the other male customers who wanted to share a table had to stop and could only opt to take their food to go.
"Hahaha, I guess I was quick enough, I almost missed out." Ning Linlan sat on the stool, swaying back and forth as if she had won a battle.
Lin Chunyi laughed at her: "Is it that delicious? Look how impatient you are."
Lin Lanshan immediately chimed in, "Sister, if Sister Ning says it's delicious, then it must be delicious."
Ning Linlan sat with her arms crossed, saying smugly, "You'll see in a moment. I guarantee you'll want more after you've eaten a bowl!"
"The wontons are here!" The auntie making wontons walked over with a tray, just in time to hear this.
“You’ve eaten here a few times with your elders, haven’t you? I remember you. Since you like it so much, I’ll give you another spoonful later.” She bent down and whispered the last sentence in Ning Linlan’s ear, her smile kind.
He then said to the two sisters, "This must be your first time here, ladies? You look a little unfamiliar."
You can eat my wontons with peace of mind. They are made with freshly slaughtered pork every day, plus my unique secret seasoning. They are made and cooked to order.
I'm not exaggerating, just like this girl said, I guarantee you'll eat it all and want more!
Ning Linlan exclaimed in surprise, "Really? Hahaha, thank you so much, Auntie! We'll definitely come again!" Being able to get an extra spoonful for free was something she was naturally happy to thank and gratefully accept.
Since the wonton stall owner had said so, the two sisters naturally responded with a smile: "Your wontons look generous in portion and smell delicious. They look very tasty."
Lin Chunyi blew on the wrinkled pink dumpling in the spoon and then put it in her mouth.
The outer skin is as thin as paper, and you can taste the tender and chewy meat filling with just a light touch of your teeth.
As you chew, you can almost taste the mushroom flavor.
Blow on the second spoonful of soup and drink it down. Sesame oil, chopped green onions, vinegar, and dried shrimp all went into my stomach at the same time.
The savory and mellow broth dispelled the chill that had lingered in her body that morning.
Before Lin Chunyi could speak, Lin Lanshan happily said to the stall owner, "Auntie, your wontons are so delicious!"
Lin Chunyi had no choice but to hold the bowl with one hand and scoop up another spoonful with the other, and quietly began to eat.
The auntie smiled broadly, her wrinkles deepening as she received positive feedback from the new customers. "Then you should eat quickly. Wontons taste best when they're hot; they won't taste good when they're cold."
In modern terms, Ning Linlan's success was a testament to her successful "planting the seed" (a metaphor for a positive association with something). So even before she opened her mouth to eat, she was already beaming with delight as if she had eaten a whole bowl herself.
More guests arrived, and the auntie hurried back to continue making wontons. The three of them started eating wontons one spoonful at a time.
Just then, a man and a woman carrying a baby walked past them.
Looking at the wonton stall with no empty seats, the woman said helplessly to the person next to her, "Dr. Qin, I told you to wake me up earlier, but you didn't listen. See, there are no seats left again."
The man stammered, "Ah Fu, next time, next time I'll definitely call you earlier."
"I'll trust you one more time! Let's go buy some steamed buns."
Master? Afu? Lin Chunyi's ears twitched, and she craned her neck to look at the man among the two, seemingly lost in thought.