As mealtime rolled around, more people started to come into the restaurant in waves. There were those like Qiu Chen, who came early to support Jiang Feng after catching wind of the news, and then there were couples who simply entered out of pure curiosity.
Those who were acquainted with Jiang Feng, no matter how displeased they appeared after glancing at the menu, would stay out of courtesy. After finishing the refreshing and cooling plum drink that alleviated the heat, they'd let go of their discontent and irritation altogether.
For the unintentional visitors, like that young couple, only a minority chose to stay. The rest would look around at the customers in the restaurant with surprise, murmur "rip-off" under their breath, and then quickly leave as if having oil on their feet.
"How many left?" Qiu Chen and his three friends, despite being full, didn't forget their role-playing duties after their meal. Clearly so stuffed that sitting was uncomfortable, they still remained seated, pretending to be waiting for their dishes.
The four plates on the table were so clean they looked as if they'd been licked, with not a drop of sauce wasted - it all went into mixing with the rice.
"The sixth one just left." Li Jian from the Chinese Literature Department meticulously counted, "They left even before tasting the plum drink, what a pity."
Qiu Chen rubbed his stomach, eyeing the first-floor patrons. It was just twelve o'clock, not yet past the typical dining hour, and already more than half of the seats were filled, sparking a slight worry within him.
"It's not even the start of a new semester yet. With Feng's family restaurant pricing the dishes so high and it's almost full already, when school starts, won't we have to fight for seats if we want to eat here?"
The other three also felt a sense of threat.
"How about we also come to eat in the evening?" suggested Liu Zixuan, who was known for his generous spending.
"Great idea!" The proposal was unanimously accepted.
At this moment, a group appeared at the entrance.
Liu Zixuan and Qiu Chen's seats faced the door, and they stood up instantly upon seeing the newcomers.
"Hello, Professor Wang!"
"Hello, Mr. Li!"
"Hello, Professor Chen!"
"Hello... Head of the Department!"
All nine people in the group were professors from the Physics Department, and four of them had interacted with Liu Zixuan and Qiu Chen before.
"Professor Wang?" Upon hearing the commotion, Jiang Feng put down the plum drink he was serving and hurried to the entrance. "Hello, professors."
"We've come to eat. Professor Wang is treating us. We didn't expect to run into so many students. Jiang Feng, are you working here for the summer job?" Professor Chen, the youngest, asked with a smile.
"I'm just helping out in the restaurant," said Jiang Feng.
As they walked in, they noticed that the majority of the customers were students from the Physics Department, able to recognize many whom they had taught.
"Is the Physics Department having a gathering here today?" Even the typically serious Professor Wang couldn't help but make a joke upon seeing the scene.
"This is my family's restaurant opening its doors for the first time today, and everyone's come to support me. Professors, please head upstairs; we have private rooms and round tables. Would you like to take a private room?" Jiang Feng led the way ahead.
"No need for a private room, we're here to support you too," said Professor Chen cheerfully.
There were menus upstairs, and Jiang Feng went downstairs to bring the professors their plum drinks, suggesting they start by looking through the menu to place their orders.
Upon opening the menu, Professor Li said with a smile, "It's not easy to find a restaurant near UAL University that offers such a complete selection of Shandong cuisine!"
For the students, the prices at Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant were a bit steep, but the salaries of UAL University's professors were quite good, making these prices quite reasonable for a menu so extensive.
Generally speaking, you don't dare to undertake delicate work unless you have the skill.
The professors didn't hesitate to order several vegetable dishes and some main courses, including sweet and sour carp and Dongpo pork.
Jiang Feng and Wang Hao brought the plum drinks to the table, and after Jiang Feng took a quick look at the menu and found everything in order, he went to the kitchen to inform Mr. Jiang Jiankang.
Jiankang had stewed two hocks with the intention of eating them himself, one for lunch and the other for dinner, but now that the professors had ordered it, Mr. Jiang Jiankang would have to make do with one less. The carp was even more serendipitous. The day before, after Jiang Feng had made a suggestion, Jiankang had gone to the fresh produce market behind the wholesale market. There, he came across two live carps exceptionally fresh and decided to buy them to keep on hand.
Who would have thought that one of them would end up in the pot today?
Professor Chen took a sip of his plum drink and praised, "This plum drink is delicious!"
"You find everything delicious," retorted Professor Li, a true Yanjing local who among all the professors was the most authoritative when it came to plum drinks. "Nowadays, most plum drinks are bought from supermarkets made with additives, not like when we were kids when it was stewed with rock sugar. This imperial drink is all about the details - traditionally it's made with smoked..."
Professor Li picked up his cup, and as soon as he tasted the plum drink, he was struck silent.
The subtle smoky flavor was just like the ones he remembered from the old mainstay plum drink shops of his childhood.
No, perhaps even better.
"Smoked what?" Professor Chen pressed.
"Dark plums." Professor Li swallowed down his plum drink, "Is this place run by a student of yours?"
"Jiang Feng, the lad's not good at his major, nearly failed last semester." Professor Chen picked up his cup and took another sip, "I think this sour plum drink is quite tasty already."
"It's the authentic imperial method, slowly simmered with rock sugar." Professor Li seemed a bit distracted, as if recalling something, "Ever since those old shops closed down, I haven't tasted such genuine sour plum drink in a long time."
"It seems we're quite fortunate today." Everyone laughed and savored their sour plum drinks.
In the kitchen, Mr. Jiang Jiankang tearfully offered his own pork knuckles.
He scoured all the markets and supermarkets around UAL University to carefully select these two pork knuckles from hundreds. They were soaked in ice water for twelve whole hours just to remove the bloodiness – even the pork knuckles served at last night's dinner didn't receive this treatment.
Jiankang loved pork knuckles and took special care when preparing each one he would eat.
To make the pork knuckles well, he went through great lengths to procure fine Huadiao wine to use as an ingredient.
In the kitchen, Jiankang sentimentally poured his cherished Huadiao wine into the pot, muttering, "Feng, if it weren't for you, Dad wouldn't bring out such good Huadiao wine."
Jiang Feng: ...
Whenever a customer ordered pork knuckles, Mr. Jiang Jiankang acted as if it were a matter of life and death, even though he himself had over a hundred bottles of Huadiao wine stashed away.
The Huadiao wine he used for customers was always the worst.
Finally, Mr. Jiang Jiankang poured a ladle of broth over the pork knuckles.
This was Mr. Jiang Jiankang's cooking habit; he liked to pour a ladle of broth over everything – his kitchen always had a pot of broth simmering away.
The broth toned down the sauce on the pork knuckles but also enhanced their umami and fragrance. When Jiang Feng carried out the pork knuckles, nearly all the patrons on the first floor turned to look.
"It smells so good." People couldn't stop exclaiming.
Even though they were tempted, no one ordered the pork knuckles.
Everyone was a student, and few could bear to spend a hundred yuan on a plate of pork knuckles.
The aroma wafted up to the second floor.
"What's that smell?" Professor Chen sniffed, his appetite piqued.
"Dongpo pork knuckles, please enjoy, professors," Jiang Feng said as he placed the pork knuckles on the table.
"Mr. Chen, Dongpo pork knuckles are a specialty from your area, and you can't recognize it?" another young teacher teased.
"This isn't Dongpo pork knuckles; the ones from my place aren't made this way." Professor Chen shook his head, reaching out his chopsticks to pick up a piece of skin-on pork knuckle, "Maybe it's just their own version here, but they call it Dongpo pork knuckles. This dish is much more aromatic than the regular Dongpo pork knuckles."
The pork knuckle melted in the mouth upon tasting.
"And much tastier too!" Professor Chen added.
The others reached out with their chopsticks.
The first floor gradually filled with patrons, and Jiang Feng and Wang Hao started to get overwhelmed handling everyone, so Qiu Chen and three others decided to pay and help out a bit.
"Posting an empty plate on social media gets you a 10% discount," Jiang Feng reminded them.
"A 10% discount for an empty plate?" The girl from a couple seated not far from Qiu Chen perked up her ears upon hearing this; her own plate was as clean as if it had been licked, except for a little water spinach juice left in one dish, and even the sweet and sour pork's syrup was gone.
She had just lost control and ordered another serving of stir-fried water spinach.
Not only had she revealed her big appetite, but she also spent several days' worth of food money in one meal, and now sat regretting it at her table.
"Yes, UAL University students can get a 10% discount by posting an empty plate on social media," Jiang Feng nodded.
"I am from UAL, studying in the Chinese department. Don't believe me? I've got my student ID!" the girl hurriedly said, glancing at the four clean plates on Qiu Chen's table. With determination, she picked up her juice-stained plate and drank down the residue.
Jiang Feng: ...
This girl sure has character.
Putting down her plate, she took out her phone to snap photos and post on social media.
"Ding, you've gained 1 point of popularity, task progress (2/100)."