Little Restaurant

The late autumn of 1983 was a season full of harvest and restlessness.

The wind of reform blew across the land of God, bringing vitality to the private sector that had disappeared for years. In the capital of the country of Fustian, which is famous for its food culture, private taverns sprang up in the streets and alleys. The long opening hours and good service of such taverns attracted many people.

When he felt bored and lonely away from home, he would always come to this tavern. When he arrived at the door, the young hostess spotted him. "You're here? Come and sit inside." He still sat at the table near the kitchen. People generally do not want to sit in the seat of the fumes, so he always sits here, so that the quiet and undisturbed.

The hostess had figured out his appetite and instructed the cook, "Master Liu, have meat boiled in white water, fatty." "No, I won't eat this today, have a mixed lung slice."

"Ah, what's wrong today?" The hostess asked in surprise while cleaning up the leftover soup on the table. "Nothing, but I just want to taste the taste of your Sichuan cuisine." He replied in a thick Gansu accent.

"Do you want a beer?" He nodded. When the food was ready, he ate and watched the hostess neatly organize the store.

The street was already lit up with streetlights, and the days were getting shorter by the day. This tavern is not large, only five tables, but the store is very clean, a little more sophisticated people, are willing to come here to drink and eat.

The hostess is a young widow, twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, shrewd and capable, one person to support her husband left the restaurant. Her husband had a motorcycle accident a year ago and left his beautiful wife behind. The store employs only one master chef, a runner, Simone Zhang.

The mistress finished her work and sat beside him.

"Don't you want to drink?" He said to the hostess. "No drink."

"Can you tell me, your name?" "My name is Yang Fang. Why do you come here every day, you're here on business from out of town, right?"

"Yes, I'm staying in that hotel out front, so ......" he said, excited by the hostess's conversation with him. "Got it. It's cold in that part of Gansu, isn't it?" She changed the subject. "Of course, it's colder than Chengdu."

"Do you have a wife and children at home?" "There is a son, his wife ran away to Xinjiang with a businessman, she is not as beautiful as you."

Yang Fang blushed, but she liked the straightforwardness of this northern man. "Is Chengdu good?" "Not very good, oh, I mean the weather. Of course, the people are not bad."

"Anyway, the food is one of the best in the country." "That's not necessarily true."

"Don't you come to my place every day to eat?" "Because it's your restaurant."

Yang Fang wasn't quite used to the bluntness, and her face reddened again.

"One more beer." Someone in the next seat called out. "Oh, here it is." Yang Fang took the opportunity to get out of the dilemma.

However, after finishing her work, her feet disobeyed her and she went back to the northern man, whose simplicity attracted her.

"You just now, don't you understand?" "I'm not a fool, but ......"

"Don't you laugh, I have here ......" the man pulled out a packet from his jacket pocket, which was wrapped in a handkerchief, "a little something."

Yang Fang opened the handkerchief, "Ah, the ring!" Wrapped in a golden ring, "How good is this ......" "Ahem, is it not fashionable to wear a ring nowadays?"

"But I can't take yours!" "You despise me?" The man had a pout on his face.

"No, don't say that. Okay, I'll take it." Yang Fang put the ring on her finger and went to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, the master chef was skillfully frying vegetables. The sound of pots, bowls, ladles, pans, and stir-fries resounded, and grease and smoke spilled everywhere. Zhang Simone put the dirty dishes packed into the sink, while washing, "This kid is hitting on you," everything is not hidden from her eyes, "Hey, young and widowed, and so beautiful, you still need to find a partner, so that these men do not surround you like flies. "

"There's nothing wrong with that."

Yes, she is still young and beautiful, naturally like men to pursue, everyone has vanity. As for finding a partner, she hadn't seriously thought about it. She and her husband are very close, and now she is keeping the store left by her husband, which is doing quite well, and she does not want others to get involved.

"Look." She held the ring out to Simone Zhang to see. "Oh, it's gold!" Zhang Simone's mouth opened wide, "It seems that this kid is crazy about you."

The sound of a motorcycle engine rang out outside the store. "Here comes the buyer." The hostess got up to welcome them.

In walked two men, the first one in his 20s, wearing a Quash sports suit, taking his helmet as he walked; the one in his 40s, wearing a sheepskin hunting suit, with a beard.

"Boss lady, two cold dishes, a bottle of Quantifying Aqua." The young man called out.

"What kind of cold dishes do you want?" "Brother, what do you think?" The young man asked his older companion ingratiatingly.

"Let's have one mixed with tripe and one with chicken, and stir-fry two vegetarian dishes, you guys can decide."

Yang Fang and Zhang Simone began to get busy.

When the food and drinks were ready, the two men ate and paddled, talking and laughing and playing. The older one's eyes were so fixed on Yang Fang that he forgot to drink. The young man understood and said to Yang Fang, "Madam boss, drink a few sips of wine with us and count the money separately."

Yang Fang hesitated for a moment, but for the sake of business, she went anyway.

The man sitting in the corner had been watching what was happening here and looked at Yang Fang in surprise.

Although Yang Fang was socializing with the two men, she always felt that eyes were staring at her. Her face was a little hot, but it was not convenient to leave immediately. She looked back at the man awkwardly. The man took a few sips of wine and yelled through his alcoholic nature, "Another bottle of wine."

Yang Fang wanted to take the opportunity to leave, but the older man pulled her back, "Just have that old lady serve him." Yang Fang had no choice but to stay.

Simone Zhang took the wine to Hangzhou. The Hangzhou poured a glass full of wine, drank it all, and then made no sound, drinking mulled wine alone.

After an hour or so, the customers in the tavern were almost gone, and the two men on motorcycles had also left.

Simone Zhang and Master Lou began to clean the store. Only that man was still drinking wine.

It was drizzling outside. Yang Fang walked over and sat next to him. After a moment of silence, she said, "I'm still angry, it's business, I can't help it."

"Do you need the money?" "I can't offend the buyer!"

The man stopped talking, and he had seven or eight empty beer bottles in front of him. "Don't drink," Yang Fang said, "you're so dead-heated."

"Here." The man suddenly took out a pile of 10 yuan bills from his arms and threw them on the table, "The wine here is too tasteless, I will forget it, goodbye." He said he stood up and walked out of the store with a slight sway, walking towards the night with drizzle. Yang Fang tried to help him, but he pushed him away.

Yang Fang returned to the store, looking at the money thrown down by the man on the table, suddenly falling on the table, "He will never come again." Tears slowly flowed out like the drizzle outside, mixed with the remnants of wine on the table, I do not know what it is like.

Outside the house, the drizzle continued to rain, and the cold air came through. Winter is coming.