Bu Fang looked at the two of them in puzzlement. He was already used to Luo Sanniangâs raucous behavior but why was this JuanâEr coming into his store with a lunch box?
Bu Fang gave the two a suspicious glance and then said with a smirk, âI am busy.â
Luo Sanniangâs expression suddenly stiffened for a moment and her eyebrows immediately knitted together. âWhat did you say?â
âItâs opening hours right now⌠so I am busy. Youâre welcomed if youâre here to eat. However, if youâre seeking me for other reasons, please wait until opening hours is over,â Bu Fang directly ignored Luo Sanniangâs dissatisfied gaze and headed back into the kitchen.
âYou⌠You rascal!â Luo Sanniang was furious. She was naturally well aware of Bu Fangâs rules. However, she was unable to stand Bu Fangâs attitude. Within the imperial city, who would dare speak to her, Luo Sanniang, in such a manner?!
âSanniang, thereâs no hurry. Owner Bu is right, itâs opening hours right now. We canât disturb other peopleâs business,â JuanâEr hurriedly said while grabbing onto Luo Sanniang who seemed as if she was about to fly into a rage. Her face was flushed with a trace of anxiousness.
In the end, Luo Sanniang gave in under JuanâErâs pleading gaze. She was actually not that angry. She was simply peeved by Bu Fangâs attitude.
âIâll listen to you. In that case, letâs eat something here while we wait. Even though that rascal is stuck-up and has a bad temper, his dishes are really delicious!â Luo Sanniang said while her eyes scanned her surroundings in search of a seat.
âCome here and sit down with us,â Xiao Yanyu called out while beckoning to them with her fair and slender hand.
âMy goodness, Yanyu, youâre here as well.â Luo Sanniangâs eyes immediately brightened when she saw the Xiao siblings. She walked over toward them while pulling along JuanâEr and sat down next to Xiao Yanyu. âOh my, Xiao Xiaolong. You little sissy, youâre here too? What a coincidence.â
After hearing her words, Xiao Xiaolong almost vomited out a mouthful of blood in anger. Every time he met her, Luo Sanniang would call him a sissy. This was simply⌠maddening!
âCoincidence⌠My ass!â Xiao Xiaolong thought while letting out a snort and ignored Luo Sanniang by turning his head away from her.
âXiaoyi, serve the dish,â Bu Fangâs voice came from the kitchen as a rich fragrance filled the entire place and caused everyone present to become slightly mesmerized.
Hearing that, Xiaoyi skipped over to the serving window and took away the dish placed there.
The atmosphere within the store was caught up in an excitement toward food once more. Everyone was heartily enjoying their meals.
When most of the customers finished their food and left after paying their bill, the store gradually regained its quietness once more.
âOwner Bu, are you finally free now?â Luo Sanniang asked in annoyance while rubbing her slightly bulging stomach.
Bu Fang wiped off the water droplets on his hands before he pulled a chair over and sat down. He looked at Luo Sanniang and nodded.
âWell, what do you want? I canât promise Iâll be able to help even for ordinary matters,â Bu Fang said.
Luo Sanniang raised her eyebrows in response. However, she could not be bothered to get angry with Bu Fang anymore. She pulled JuanâEr over and said, âJuanâEr is the one looking for you.â
Bu Fang was surprised for a moment. He gave the bashful woman before his eyes a glance, noticing her face was flushed in embarrassment. He could not figure out her intention for finding him.
JuanâEr seemed to have plucked up a lot of her courage as she placed the lunch box in front of Bu Fang and solemnly said, âOwner Bu⌠I⌠Yesterday, I went back home and tried making your⌠egg tarts. So, I want you to taste them.â
âHmm? This woman made egg tarts after returning home yesterday?â
Bu Fang was startled as he gave her a surprised glance. The steps of making egg tarts were rather complicated. Did she really make them after only eating them once?
Bu Fang was immediately filled with curiosity. He really wanted to see just what sort of egg tart this woman managed to make.
âYou made egg tarts? Hmm⌠Show them to me,â Bu Fang said.
JuanâEr originally thought Bu Fang would refuse. Contrary to her expectation, Bu Fang actually agreed to her request. Her eyes immediately brightened. She hurriedly opened the lunch box and carefully took out a porcelain plate. In the middle of the plate, there was an⌠umm, egg tart.
The corners of Bu Fangâs mouth involuntarily twitched as he expressionlessly looked at the egg tart placed in front of him. He felt like laughing but found himself unable to do so.
Even though the thing before his eyes resembled an egg tart, its color and smell was⌠Even from a distance, Bu Fang could smell a strange aroma.
âIs this burnt?â Bu Fang asked with a frown as he picked up JuanâErâs egg tart and looked at the burnt marks on its surface.
âI⌠I couldnât control the heat properly. This is already the best one,â JuanâEr said.
Bu Fang nodded without thinking her answer was strange. Afterall, there were no ovens in the Light Wind Empire. It would be weird if she could actually make egg tarts without burning them. The fact that JuanâEr could actually produce an egg tart like this was already pretty good.
Thus, Bu Fang did not say anything else. He found a spot that was not burnt and chomped down.
The egg tart made by JuanâEr was not soft enough and was actually rather hard. Furthermore, it was baked for too long and became uncomfortable to chew.
While Bu Fang was tasting the egg tart, a frown was on his face the entire time. His expression was very solemn.
Everyone within the store was holding their breaths as they watched Bu Fang. He was awe-inspiring whenever he was appraising dishes.
Xiao Yanyu and Xiao Xiaolong had both witnessed Bu Fangâs venomous tongue before. They could more or less predict what was going to happen next⌠The dish was definitely going to get roasted by Bu Fang.
After swallowing the morsel in his mouth, the frown disappeared from Bu Fangâs face. He glanced at the bashful woman standing next to him, whose hands were nervously clasped together. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Honestly speaking⌠the egg tart could be considered a dark cuisine[1]. It was simply hard for anyone to sing praises about its taste. However, it was still much better than actual dark cuisine. At the very least, it was still edible.
However, when strictly evaluated through every aspect, this egg tart was completely worthless.
Nonetheless, this was her first time making egg tarts. After only tasting them a day before, she came to find him with the egg tart for his evaluation. Just this courage and willpower alone was enough to impress Bu Fang.
âOwner Bu, why donât you say something? Just tell us whether itâs good or not,â Luo Sanniang said. She was an impatient person. When she saw Bu Fangâs hesitation, she could not help but urge him to speak.
JuanâEr was staring at Bu Fang with a face filled with expectation. She was truly fond of making egg tarts.
Bu Fang pondered for a moment while lightly drumming the table with his slender fingers. Then, he looked up at JuanâEr and asked, âWhy did you make egg tarts after going back home?â
JuanâEr was stunned for a moment and then anxiously replied, âBecause I like egg tarts!â
Bu Fang was slightly shocked by her blushing appearance. She did not seem to be faking her expression. She was truly captivated by egg tarts and had completely fallen in love with the dish.
Sometimes, food possessed such a charm that could completely mesmerize a person. Even though it could be their first time tasting a dish, they would still be fascinated by this peculiar charm.
Just like how JuanâEr was captivated by egg tarts.
Bu Fang lightly breathed out and placed the egg tart back on the porcelain plate.
He raised his head and looked at JuanâEr.
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âMy assessment of your egg tart is very simple.â
Luo Sanniang and the others immediately perked their ears in curiosity.
Bu Fang gave them an indifferent glance and said, âIt tastes awful.â
â
[1] Dark Cuisine(éťććç) â It is used to describe food that looks bad. It originated from the Japanese manga, âChĹŤka Ichiban!â, but the original meaning had nothing to do with food that tastes bad.