bookbashuk Chapter 39: The New Guest
Chapter 39: The New Guest
There were more than just these two strange customers in the shop.
There were also about a dozen new guests who arrived one after the other. Some were roughnecks, while others were dressed like young masters. They didn't seem to have come from the same group, but they all seemed to know each other.
They occupied three or four tables, some laughing and shouting loudly with their chests open, slapping the table with their hands, while others acted like seasoned and sophisticated people, chatting and laughing with the former.
They talked about江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) affairs, cursed their enemies, and their spittle was stained with blood. They spoke so loudly that it seemed as if they were afraid others wouldn't hear their glorious deeds.
Old Liu pretended not to hear.
He lowered his head, focusing intently on the noodles bubbling in the pot, gently stirring them with his long chopsticks.
He thought that everyone had probably arrived by now.
Just then, the door was pushed open again.
Old Liu subconsciously looked up and then paused, stunned.
He had met many people, all kinds of people, but he had rarely seen someone so remarkable.
The leader was a young man, whose posture was as upright as a lone poplar tree in the wilderness.
He had a knife at his waist.
A very peculiar curved knife.
The scabbard was blood red, and the hilt was also blood red, like a blood-red flower.
The youth's appearance was equally unforgettable.
With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a distinct angular face, his most distinctive features were his eyes and the corners of his mouth. Even without any expression at the moment, his eyes seemed to reflect a hint of cynicism, and the corners of his mouth naturally turned up slightly.
He was followed by five people.
Five beautiful women.
The first woman was dressed in a brocade dress that was so luxurious it was almost blinding, adorned with gold hairpins and jade hairpins, sparkling with jewels. Her eyes and brows exuded a mature and charming allure, but beneath that charm lay a chilling coldness.
She is like a peony in full bloom, yet with thorns.
The second one was much younger, only sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a pale yellow shirt, and as lively as a fawn in the forest.
His eyes were large and bright, revealing an undisguised cunning in every glance, as if he found everything in the world interesting.
She followed the young man, her demeanor showing a natural intimacy.
The third one was a few years younger than the second one. She had a simple and elegant smile on her face and looked like a very gentle and polite young lady from a wealthy family, but she was dressed as a maid.
The last two women were dressed like ladies from a wealthy family, but they were meek and obedient, and their demeanor was that of maids. They were both very beautiful, and they followed quietly at the back, their steps light.
The six people walked in, and the once noisy noodle shop instantly fell silent.
It's hard not to be still.
After all, it would be difficult for any one of those five beautiful women to appear in such a simple place.
They should have been at the most famous and luxurious Manxianglou in the city.
But now they not only appear in this kind of place, but there are five of them at once. How can people not calm down?
The laughter of the dozen or so men abruptly ceased, their gazes sweeping over them with surprise, curiosity, and amusement, making no attempt to conceal their stares.
But when their gazes fell on the blood-red curved sword at the waist of the leading youth, they quickly looked away, exchanging glances with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty. They rarely saw such a sword in the Central Plains, and even less so such a precious blade.
The man in black also turned his head slightly, his ashen face expressionless, except for a slight twitch of his slanted eyebrows.
Only the boy leaning against the wall, sensing the sudden deathly silence, merely paused in his soup-drinking motion without looking up.
When Old Liu saw this scene, he felt his throat go dry.
But Xue Bufeng had already walked up to Old Man Liu and was looking at him through the rising white mist.
"Boss."
Xue Bufeng spoke, his voice low, with a lazy smile:
"I've heard you're quite skilled at cooking? What's your specialty?"
When Old Liu heard others asking about his craftsmanship, his back seemed to straighten a bit, and he began to recount it as if it were his own treasure:
"That's a lot."
"Shanxi cuisine boasts many exquisite dishes. Just the ones my little shop makes include knife-cut noodles, braised pork noodles, 'tijian' noodles, 'boyu' noodles, 'jiupian' noodles, 'maoerduo' noodles, 'heluo' noodles, 'youmian kaolaolao' noodles, 'zhanpianzi' noodles, 'cajian' noodles, 'minqu' noodles, 'bulanzi' noodles... What kind of noodles would you like, sir?"
Hua Baifeng said, "Isn't this all noodles? What about the premium dishes you mentioned?"
Old Liu said:
"Young lady, you're joking. In Shanxi, in my little shop, aren't these the only 'fine' dishes we have?"
Hua Baifeng stared wide-eyed, as if the old man in front of her was playing a trick on her.
Xue Bufeng laughed heartily, but to onlookers, it inexplicably made the already tense atmosphere in the shop even heavier.
"it is good."
"Then make six bowls of your best dishes. If you have braised beef and dried tofu, that would be even better. With so many of us, it's hard to please everyone. After all, we can't just eat noodles."
Old Liu also smiled:
"Sir, you must be a seasoned eater. How can you eat noodles without tofu? We don't have beef, but we do have braised pork. The crispiest pig snout and the most tender pig tail are also quite good."
"Okay, that's settled."
After saying that, Xue Bufeng turned around and led the five women to the only empty table left in the shop.
Before the smile on Old Liu's face had faded, he had already lowered his head again to busy himself with tending to the noodles in the pot.
The surging steam blurred his deeply wrinkled face.
The last rays of dusk slanted in through the crack in the door.
Xue Bufu had already sat down.
That was supposed to be the last seat, but it just so happens to be right in the middle of the store.
It was as if he was born to sit in the most eye-catching place, no matter where he went.
At the same time, many eyes that were already observing them were immediately drawn to them as if by a magnet.
At the adjacent tables, a dozen or so men with their shirts up and loud voices were openly scrutinizing each other.
His gaze swept back and forth across Xue Bufeng's face, the eerily red curved sword at his waist, and the five women behind him, each with their own distinct charm.
The man in black on the other side turned his ashen face slightly to the side, his disdainful and cold eyes slowly "nailing" over like two iron nails.
Although he could see women, he almost never looked at them.
He only had eyes for Xue Bufu.
From the top of Xue Bufeng's head, inch by inch, it "nailed" down to the soles of his feet, as if assessing a weapon ready to be drawn.
Only the boy leaning against the wall kept his head down, holding the large, rough porcelain bowl in his steady hands, slowly sipping the noodle soup.
From the moment Xue Bufeng entered until he sat down, he never looked up once, as if the bustling shop and the crowd of people were less worthy of his attention than the few scallions floating in his bowl.
The atmosphere grew heavy, like the calm before a downpour.
Xue Bufeng seemed oblivious.
He picked up the rough earthenware pot on the table and poured himself a bowl of tea.
The sound of rushing water was so clear and almost jarring in the sudden silence.
After a moment, the unsettling silence was finally broken.
"drink!"
"Let's do it!"
The men of the martial world seemed to be awakened by the sound of water being poured, and they came back to life.
Laughter, the clinking of bowls, and the thud of hands slapping the table erupted even louder than before, as if deliberately designed to attract the attention of the beautiful women.
Isn't this a very common thing?
Whenever a beautiful woman appears in a man's life, even the most cowardly man will inevitably become a little braver, let alone these men who risk their lives.