Chapter 509 - Chapter 509: Chapter 496: Another Bowl Please

Chapter 509: Chapter 496: Another Bowl Please

The waiter explained, “This fish soup noodles, it’s soup stewed with fish bones, and the fish is freshly sliced into the soup. It tastes very savory. Miss, you can have a bowl.”

“Okay, just the fish soup noodles then,” Zhuang Qingning said.

“Alright, two bowls of plain noodles, and a bowl of fish soup noodles,” the waiter smiled, “You three are our first customers today, I will give you some pickled radish later on, it complements the noodles perfectly.”

“Thank you,” Zhuang Qingning responded with a smile.

“You’re welcome, please wait a moment, the noodles will be ready soon.” The waiter then pulled the curtain and headed to the backyard, clearly to urge the kitchen to prepare the noodles.

Indeed, they were the only customers in the shop!

The faces of Shen Quan and Shi Bao became even more severe, feeling that all the enticing words the waiter previously used to describe the taste of the soup were purely bluffing.

“What about I go next door and buy some buns?” Shen Quan stood up, “Manager Zhuang, what filling do you want? I heard shouted outsides, there are green onion and meat, cabbage and meat, radish and meat, it seems there are also vegetarian ones, cabbage and tofu fillings.”

If the noodles were terrible, at least they had some buns as backup. Together with the noodle soup, they could barely make do.

After all, it would be embarrassing to leave without eating after they had entered.

Zhuang Qingning blinked, chuckled and said, “You were just clamoring about wanting to eat noodles, now you want to buy some buns in addition, are you afraid that the noodles here are particularly terrible?”

Shi Bao and Shen Quan, realizing that Zhuang Qingning was thinking the same, nodded like two pecking chickens.

They both leaned over to Zhuang Qingning and lowered their voices so that the waiter couldn’t hear, “Look at this noodle shop, it’s so deserted. The waiter mentioned earlier, we are the first customers, no one comes here to eat noodles, it must be because the noodles here are extremely terrible, that’s why no one comes.”

“I will buy a few buns, so we can manage with them later. Next to it seems to be a braised meat shop, if it doesn’t work out, I will check what else they have to eat.”

Shen Quan suggested, “How about a roast chicken?”

With buns and roast chicken, they could almost fill their stomachs. As for the noodles, drinking a mouthful of hot soup would suffice.

Zhuang Qingning threw a helpless glance at them, “Don’t just assume that the noodles here are not good. Let’s taste them first when they arrive. If they don’t taste good, it’s not too late to buy the buns.”

“Moreover, I think the noodles from this noodle shop won’t be bad.”

“Why does Manager Zhuang say that?” Shi Bao scratched his ears, “Nobody comes to eat…”

“Look at this shop,” Zhuang Qingning looked at the entrance, “The entrance is spacious, the signboard over the door, and even the windows and doors are very grand and extremely clean. The tables and chairs are better than those in ordinary small shops, they are all varnished and very new. Judging from this situation, it should be newly opened.”

“The external signboard says ‘World’s Best Noodles’, and the shop location is fantastic, but it only sells noodles. The locals, not to mention the visitors, would definitely think that the noodles in this shop are not cheap, and they can’t afford them.”

“And the locals, if they just want to fill their stomachs, there are plenty of noodle stalls on the street. If they want to eat something good, there are only noodles here, it’s not enough. Naturally, there is no reason to treat guests to noodles.”

“So, I guess, this shop is deserted due to these reasons. However, I noticed that everything is arranged neatly here. I guess the manager should be a very rigorous person, and this kind of person is usually meticulous in their work. If they sell noodles, the method of making noodles must have been researched carefully. So I think the taste of the noodles here should be pretty good, and the ingredients are probably generous.”

“Moreover, despite the deserted atmosphere, the waiter was not asked to go outside to attract customers. I guess the owner must have his own stubbornness and pride. I think the noodles of this noodle shop should taste good, just probably not too cheap…”

As Zhuang Qingning finished speaking, the waiter returned apologetically, “I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you the rules of our noodle shop. You have to pay in advance.”

“And these plain noodles cost six coins a bowl, the fish soup noodles cost ten coins a bowl. The price is not cheap, if you think it’s okay, feel free to eat, if you find it unacceptable, the noodles in the kitchen have not been put into the pot yet…”

That is, they could still change their minds and leave.

Shi Bao and Shen Quan looked at each other.

Really, Zhuang Qingning was right, the noodles in this noodle shop were indeed not cheap.

With regular plentiful harvests recently, grain prices had been steady, hence, the plain noodles sold in other stalls outside were as cheap as two coins a bowl. The slightly expensive ones would only cost three coins, and the fish soup noodles would at most cost around five coins. When compared, the prices here were twice as expensive. It’s no wonder no one came to eat noodles.

However, if the price was correctly predicted by Zhuang Qingning, could the taste of the noodles also be as she guessed?

Shen Quan hurriedly pulled out his money bag and handed twenty-two coins to the waiter, “Please speed up a bit, we are all a bit hungry.”

“Very well, please wait.” The waiter collected the money and returned to the back.

After a short while, three bowls of noodles were served.

Two bowls of plain noodles, and a bowl of fish soup noodles.

As previously described by the waiter, the fish soup noodles consisted of a proper, milky white fish soup, topped with a sprinkle of emerald green chopped green onions. Under the neatly arranged fish slices were noodles that looked quite chewy. The whole bowl of noodles emitted steaming fragrance.

And these plain noodles looked clear broth, at first look, it seemed like plain water, yet a faint aroma hit the nostrils. The noodles laid at the bottom of the bowl, like silken threads, on top sprinkled with some sesame oil.

Appearance-wise, it seemed very appealing, much better than the noodles sold in any random stall outside. The aroma was also quite unique. But the ultimate question remained, the taste of the noodles…

They were already famished, so without further formality, they picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

These noodles…

Shi Bao and Shen Quan were surprised when they swallowed the first mouthful of noodles.

The texture was smooth and crisp, accompanied by a clear fragrance. They couldn’t describe the taste of these noodles, but it was incredibly comfortable to the taste buds, they couldn’t help but continue eating.

They couldn’t even spare time to pick up a slice of the pickled radish served on the table.

They almost gobbled up everything in front of them, even drank more than half of the noodle soup. After placing the bowl on the table, they immediately gestured to the waiter.

“Waiter, another bowl of noodles please.”

They both said in unison. After glancing at each other, they both laughed out loud.

“Which type of noodles do you want?” the waiter also started to chuckle, “Still plain noodles?”