Listening to Chen Lan’s words, Jia He, with his arm around Chen Lan, leaned his big head on her shoulder and nodded obediently, replying, “Mother, tomorrow when I take a bath, I’ll try scrubbing with Big Brother and Second Brother to see if it’s really comfortable.”
Chen Lan laughed and scolded, “Jia He, are you looking for a beating? You dare to question your mother’s words?”
Jia He quickly denied, “Mother, how could that be? I am the one who listens to you the most, everyone else is far behind me.”
At this, brothers Jia Yao and Jia Xing, hearing his words, also chimed in. Rolling up their sleeves, they both lunged to discipline him, scaring him into hiding behind Chen Lan and wailing, “Mother, please control these two, they are bullying me again.” The mother and sons then burst into laughter and playful banter.
Chen Lan saw the comings and goings at the entrance of the bathhouse and realized it wasn’t convenient for the family to talk there. So, they walked across the road from the bathhouse, chatting while waiting for Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang to finish their baths so they could go to the state-run restaurant for dinner together.
After waiting for about another quarter of an hour, Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang also emerged from the bathhouse with rosy complexions.
Once the group reassembled, they discussed finding a state-run restaurant for dinner. At this, Jia He again coquettishly entwined his arm around Chen Lan’s and said, “Mother, let’s go somewhere different to eat today. We always go to the same place and they only have a few dishes, I’m getting tired of it.”
Hearing Jia He say this, Xu Mingxuan, with a stern face, retorted, “Tired of it? I think you’re just not hungry enough. You’re eating good food and you’re still complaining about being tired of it. I think you need to be starved a few meals to cure your picky eating. I’ll see what you’re tired of eating then. Lan’er, starting today, for every meal, give him only two cornmeal steamed buns, and let’s see if he’s still tired of it.”
Upon hearing his father’s words, Jia He immediately wailed, “Father, no! How can you treat your son like this!”
Chen Lan smiled and gently patted Jia He’s back, saying, “Alright, son, take it easy. Don’t act silly with your father anymore, be careful he doesn’t actually hit you.”
After speaking, Chen Lan turned back to Xu Mingxuan and said, “Mingxuan Ge, let’s listen to Jia He’s suggestion and change our taste today! Let’s go to a different state-run restaurant to eat!”
Since Chen Lan had spoken, Xu Mingxuan no longer objected. Everyone also unanimously agreed to go to another state-run restaurant today to try something new.
So, Xu Mingxuan suggested they go to the Qingbin Restaurant on Qingbin Road in Nangang District to try it out, saying it was also a very famous state-run restaurant in Nangang District.
Chen Lan asked in surprise, “Mingxuan Ge, have you eaten there before? Otherwise, how would you know there’s a famous Qingbin Restaurant here?”
Xu Mingxuan smiled and replied, “I haven’t been there. Er Zhuang and I heard people talking while we were getting our baths. They said that this state-run restaurant’s stir-fried meat slices, cherry pork, braised pork intestine, poached fish, lettuce with shrimp, and crispy chicken are all very good. They also said that the poached fish here is particularly outstanding, as they use live fish, fresh from the water and prepared on the spot. Lan’er, don’t you love fish the most? Let’s go to that restaurant today and try something new, what do you say?”
Chen Lan, hearing that there were dishes prepared fresh in this era, decided to try the chefs’ skills and immediately agreed. She then waved her hand and said, “Okay, children, let’s set off now. Order all those good dishes your father mentioned, and let your father and your uncle have a good drink with the people who helped with the work tonight to relieve their fatigue.”
Chen Lan was so eager to try it for a reason! Since it was such a famous state-run restaurant, it wouldn’t easily go bankrupt. However, when Chen Lan visited Harbin for business in the early 1990s of her previous life, she didn’t see this state-run restaurant in Nangang District at all. This indicated that the restaurant must have been demolished later. Therefore, Chen Lan decided to bring everyone to taste the most authentic delicacies made by the chefs before it was demolished, to avoid any regrets. Su Dan Novel Network.
To enjoy good food, this group of people really went all out. After walking for half an hour and then waiting for nearly an hour, they finally received the few signature dishes they had ordered.
The poached fish looked very appealing, with a beautiful golden-yellow skin. It smelled very fragrant, with a sweet and sour aroma.
The group quickly packed the dishes into lunchboxes and bought a bag of old-dough steamed buns before hurrying back.
Everyone had already expended a lot of energy after their baths and was very hungry. Coupled with the long journey back and forth, they were all ravenous, wishing they could eat immediately.
To eat sooner, Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang, each carrying a bag of buns and a bag of lunchboxes, strode back with the speed of marching soldiers.
Chen Lan, holding Jia Hui’s hand, quickened her pace, following closely behind Xu Mingxuan and Er Zhuang. The three boys also kept up, their long legs moving swiftly.
After walking for about another half hour, the sky had begun to darken. The group finally returned to the courtyard of the dilapidated house.
Old Zhang was still busy wiping the newly repaired eight-immortal table. Xu Mingxuan walked over quickly and said, “Old Zhang Ge, it’s getting dark, and your eyes can’t see clearly. Let’s stop here for tonight. Aren’t you hungry? I apologize, I apologize! We’re back late. Let’s wash our hands and get ready to eat!”
Old Zhang was indeed hungry. After all, he was doing manual labor and his stomach was always empty quickly. Hearing Xu Mingxuan call for dinner, he didn’t stand on ceremony with the couple. Nodding at Xu Mingxuan and Chen Lan, he loudly called out, “Lao Er, let’s stop here for today. We’ll leave the rest for tomorrow. The children are hungry, quickly bring your apprentices to wash your hands and come eat!”
Zhang Er Ye replied, “Okay! Big Brother, I’m coming. Don’t wait for me, I just have two more nails to put in.”
Chen Lan and the children busily took out the packed dishes and placed them on the newly repaired eight-immortal table.
Fortunately, the weather was hot, and the dishes were still steaming. The poached fish looked very good, with a crispy golden exterior and tender white fish inside. It smelled sweet and sour. Chen Lan thought that this poached fish should taste good too.