Chapter 162

Chapter 162: The Coolest One

The restaurant Du De Sheng recommended was tucked away in a rather out-of-the-way alley and was not very large.

If she did not know that Du De Sheng was not the type to talk nonsense, just looking from the outside, it was hard to imagine that this little restaurant hid descendants of an Imperial Chef.

But after she got out of the car, Du An Rao noticed that luxury cars were packed all around the place. If some bad driver wandered in and scraped any of them, the owner would probably want to cry.

After they went through the front door, it was even more crowded inside. Every seat was taken. It was clearly not even meal time yet, but a long line had already formed under the corridor beside the dining hall.

Du An Rao watched the guests for a while and found that most of them were middle-aged people in their forties or fifties. Their clothes were low-key, but the watches, cuff links, and other accessories they wore were anything but ordinary.

Just judging from their looks, any one of them, taken out alone, would probably be the boss of some company.

Yet now they were all squeezed into this small restaurant, lining up like students waiting for food.

Seeing this, she felt that Granduncle really had not been exaggerating earlier.

As if he could see what she was thinking, the old man tapped his cane proudly and said in a smug tone: “This restaurant never does delivery. I don’t care if you are the Heavenly King himself or the Jade Emperor. If you want to eat, you have to come to the shop, take a number, and line up.”

“Not even you?”

Du De Sheng choked, and all his pride from a moment ago vanished: “…Me neither.”

Du An Rao glanced silently at the long, snaking line and said a bit awkwardly: “Then do we have to line up too?”

“No, no. Today is special. My old brother and his wife are treating us. They saved a private room for us early on. We can go straight up.”

Du An Rao let out a breath of relief. If they really had to line up with this crowd, they would not be eating dinner but a midnight snack.

But Du Yi Han instantly caught the key point and said with a half-smile: “So tonight’s meal is thanks to our An An.”

Of course Du De Sheng could hear that this brat was teasing him. He snorted coldly but did not argue. In his heart, though, he thought that this girl An An was so cute, so how could her own brother be this annoying?

Thinking back to that Brother Du who had hidden beside him and his wife the other day, acting as a bodyguard on the left and right, he felt that Du An Rao had to be a genetic mutation, without a doubt the coolest kid in the entire Du family!

Because things were arranged in advance, as soon as Du De Sheng and the others gave their names, a helper who had been waiting outside came up warmly and politely and led them upstairs to the largest private room.

This move poked at the sensitive nerves of quite a few old foodies downstairs.

“What is going on? Your restaurant doesn’t take reservations. How did that group get to go upstairs?”

“Exactly! We’re all following the rules and lining up. Why do they get to cut in line?”

Once someone took the lead, the other unhappy guests followed along, angrily complaining about the restaurant.

The old employee in charge of keeping order downstairs hurried over when he heard the noise. Smiling, he said: “Sorry. The people who just went up are the honored guests of our Old Master and Old Madam. The Old Master and Old Madam are hosting honored guests here today. We are sorry for causing a misunderstanding.”

When they heard that those people were the honored guests of the Old Master and Old Madam, and that the two elders were personally hosting them, the noisy guests froze at once, their faces turning awkward.

“The Old Master and Old Madam are here? Upstairs?”

“Yes.”

“Since they are the Old Master and Old Madam’s guests, then there is no problem. We were being rude.”

“You are too polite. Before going upstairs, the Old Master and Old Madam told us that because they are hosting guests at Gourmet Pavilion today, it might affect everyone’s dining experience. To show their apology, the kitchen will send an extra side dish to every guest here today. We hope you all enjoy your meal.”

Since they were being given food, everyone felt embarrassed to keep arguing.

The noisy guests slowly quieted down. Their hot topic soon shifted from line cutting to who those people going upstairs were, that they could make the two elders personally come out and host them.

At that time, Du An Rao had no idea that right after she went upstairs, there had almost been trouble downstairs because of her.

After they reached the second floor, she realized that this small restaurant had another world hidden inside.

Compared to the simple and plain first floor, the second floor was clearly much more refined, with carved railings, painted beams, winding water features, and a very elegant style.

As soon as they stepped into the private room, the two elders who had been waiting inside stood up at once. They tried their best to stay calm, but the sudden light in their eyes still gave away their true emotions.

“Old Fu, sister-in-law, I brought An An,” Du De Sheng said warmly. They were all old acquaintances, so he did not bother with small talk and directly introduced them: “An An, this is the old brother I told you about before, your Grandpa Fu, and his wife, Granny Wu.”

Even though she knew they were asking her for help, Du An Rao did not put on airs. She followed his lead and greeted them obediently: “Hello, Grandpa Fu. Hello, Granny Wu.”

“Good, good, what a good child,” Grandpa Fu said. “Your Grandfather said you came here right after getting off the plane, so you must not have eaten dinner yet. Your Grandfather and Grandmother have nothing else, but we have a lot of food. Eat something to fill your stomach first. Your Uncle Rui Xiang is still busy in the kitchen. There will be big dishes later. I promise they are new things you have never tasted outside.”

Before Du An Rao could figure out who this Uncle Rui Xiang was, Du De Sheng’s eyes lit up in excitement: “Rui Xiang is cooking today?”

When she mentioned their adopted son, Old Madam Fu’s face also softened with a smile: “When he heard we were treating you to dinner, that child rushed over from the branch restaurant and said he had to cook himself, make a few more good dishes, and let you try the new recipes he has been working on.”

“That is great. An An, we are really lucky today,” Du De Sheng said. “Your Uncle Rui Xiang has truly inherited your Granny Wu’s ancestral skills. His cooking is really something. Even I, as Grandfather, can’t easily get a full table of his good dishes whenever I want. Today we are really taking advantage of you.”

Hearing this, Du An Rao became even more curious about this so-called heir of an Imperial Chef: “If Uncle is cooking himself, should we wait for him before we eat?”

“No need,” Old Madam said. “Rui Xiang just sent someone up to say that we should eat first. He still has a few dishes to prepare. If we wait too long, the dishes already on the table will get cold and won’t taste good.”

As she spoke, Old Madam stood up and personally served Du An Rao a bowl of soup: “You were on the plane all day. You must be hungry. Drink some soup first to warm up.”

Du An Rao quickly stood to take the bowl. After thanking her, she took a sip. The soup was rich and fragrant, and the taste lingered in her mouth. It was better than any soup she had drunk in more than ten years.

“Does it taste good?”

“Very good!”

“If it is good, drink more.”

Although the two elders of the Fu family were anxious to find their missing family, they would never let someone help them on an empty stomach. Seeing that the dishes suited Du An Rao’s taste, they immediately started feeding her like crazy.

When she was almost full, Uncle Rui Xiang, who had cooked a whole table of dishes, finally appeared in the private room.