yournovel Chapter 84 Is this the "pretty meal" you were talking about?
Chapter 84 Is this the "pretty meal" you were talking about?
The wooden door to the "human touch" room was pushed open, and a cool, perfume-like scent wafted in.
Han Lulu, dressed in an exquisite Chanel-style suit, stopped abruptly as soon as she stepped across the threshold.
She frowned and covered her mouth and nose tightly with a hand painted with light purple nail polish, as if afraid that the air here would pollute her breathing.
Her eyes, adorned with thick false eyelashes and exquisite makeup, scanned the bustling store, and the disdain in her eyes almost solidified into reality.
In her line of sight, to her left were several middle-aged men wearing suits with their collars unbuttoned and shirts slightly damp with sweat, who were eating rice without any regard for their image, making soft chewing sounds.
At the next table, a young couple was eating a bowl of braised beef and potatoes without even looking up, with the boy's mouth even covered in sauce.
In Han Lulu's view, that "wolfing down" manner was an insult to her understanding of the words "dining etiquette".
"Zhang Yu, are you crazy?"
Han Lulu stopped walking, her expensive stiletto heels making uneasy sounds on the wooden floor.
She turned around and looked accusingly at her boyfriend, who was carrying a bag and sweating profusely.
"Is this the 'pretty meal' you bragged about all night yesterday, insisting on taking me here?"
You call this pretty? Is this pretty?
Zhang Yu wiped the sweat from his eyes, savoring the pervasive aroma of beef brisket in the air, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
He couldn't take it anymore.
He'd had enough.
I'm fed up with queuing for three hours every weekend just to accompany Han Lulu to check in at those "cold brew salads" that are presented as exquisite as works of art but taste as bland as plain water.
He was fed up with those "high-class restaurants" that sprinkled gold leaf on steaks, surrounded desserts with inedible plastic flowers, and ended up with bills so expensive they made his heart race, yet his stomach was still empty.
"Lulu, I'm not joking."
Zhang Yu looked at Mengmeng, who was sitting behind the cashier, counting the receipts like a little adult.
He glanced again at the glistening beef stew with potatoes that Su Chen was holding, his eyes resolute.
"Isn't this a pretty meal?"
Look at the color of the broth, look at the sandy texture of the stewed potatoes—isn't this a million times better than those mashed potatoes we had before?
"Your taste is hopeless." Han Lulu laughed angrily, pointing a finger at a diner not far away who was eating with a flushed face and even let out a burp.
"Look at them, what's the difference between this and the canteen at the construction site?"
They didn't even have a decent napkin box, and they were using these unrefined bowls instead.
Zhang Yu, what caption should I use when I post this on WeChat Moments? Should I use something like "Remembering the bitter past and appreciating the sweet present in the old streets"?
Instead of trying to coax her in a humble manner as usual, Zhang Yu walked straight past Han Lulu and strode to the cashier.
"Hello, I'd like to order a serving of braised beef brisket with potatoes, please."
"Ding—WeChat account balance of 58 yuan has been credited."
Hearing the crisp notification sound, Han Lulu felt her self-esteem shattered by the 58 yuan.
She walked over in disbelief and growled in a low voice:
"Zhang Yu! You actually paid? Did you even ask for my opinion?"
I wouldn't eat a single bite of this greasy stuff!
"You don't have to eat it."
Zhang Yu turned around and looked at his girlfriend with an almost indifferent gaze for the first time.
"Lulu, I'm really hungry."
I ate a slice of bread this morning so I could bring you here.
If you don't want to eat, just watch from the side, or wait for me at the cafe outside.
But today, I absolutely must have braised beef brisket with potatoes.
Han Lulu was stunned.
In her memory, Zhang Yu had always been a gentle and even somewhat indecisive "photography tool".
She was used to directing Zhang Yu, and also used to his uncomplaining obedience.
Zhang Yu's almost rebellious determination today left her speechless, as if she had punched a cotton ball.
"Fine, Zhang Yu, you've got guts."
Han Lulu gritted her teeth in resentment and snatched the designer bag from Zhang Yu's hand.
Looking around, I finally chose a relatively quiet spot to sit down.
She slammed the bag down on the table as if it weren't a bag worth tens of thousands of dollars, but a brick used to vent her anger.
As Su Chen carried two bowls of freshly cooked beef brisket past Han Lulu's table, he keenly sensed the awkward atmosphere.
He didn't say anything more, but simply nodded politely to Han Lulu and then placed the bowl steadily in front of Zhang Yu.
"Your braised beef brisket with potatoes is served with free refills of rice. Please enjoy."
Su Chen's voice was clear and pleasant, and her every move exuded an undeniable elegance.
This made Han Lulu, who was about to get angry, pause for a moment.
She squinted as she observed Su Chen, from his long, slender, fair hands to his high-quality hoodie, and then to his calm and composed demeanor.
"This kind of shop... actually has boys of this caliber?"
Han Lulu muttered to herself. But this curiosity was quickly dispelled by the "roughness" in front of her.
At this point, Zhang Yu was completely oblivious to Han Lulu's expression.
He picked up the spoon and first scooped up a mouthful of the bright red, thick soup.
The broth clung to the rim of the spoon, so thick it could almost be pulled into threads.
The moment it entered his mouth, the richness of the beef brisket, the subtle sweetness of the star anise, the spiciness of the ginger slices, and the smooth texture of the potato starch melted together, like a warm current, instantly shattered his taste buds, which had been almost destroyed by the "pretty rice" he had been tormented by over the past few months.
"Whoosh—ha!"
Zhang Yu let out a long, extremely satisfied sigh.
Han Lulu sat opposite her, expressionless, and pulled a pink makeup mirror studded with diamonds from her bag.
She started touching up her makeup as if no one else was around.
Gently pat the powder puff onto your face to cover up any makeup imperfections.
She opened her phone, clicked into the group called "Exquisite Lifestyle Circle," and quickly swiped through the photos of French desserts with full filters and perfect compositions.
[Rant: Today my straight-laced boyfriend took me to a tiny restaurant, the air was thick with the smell of beef brisket. There was even a line at a place like that, I really don't understand modern tastes.]
She typed the message into the input box and was about to send it when a powerful fragrance pierced through her expensive perfume and hit her nostrils.
Han Lulu's fingertips paused.
She subconsciously looked up, glancing at the large bowl in front of Zhang Yu out of the corner of her eye.
It was a huge pile of potato chunks and beef brisket that certainly didn't look "refined".
There was no plating, no mint leaves as a garnish, and even the bowl itself was not elegant at all.
However, wrapped in that rich, dark red broth, each piece of beef brisket has an extremely tempting gelatinous texture.
The ribbed parts, when exposed to sunlight, even gleam with a translucent, amber-like luster.
With a gentle nudge of his chopsticks, Zhang Yu revealed that the piece of beef, which had been stewed until it was almost falling apart, was now soaked in the bright red broth.
"Smack, smack."
Zhang Yu was scooping up a large spoonful of rice mixed with meat gravy, then topping it with a soft potato.
"Lulu, are you really not going to try it?" Zhang Yu looked up briefly, still unwilling to give up.
"Not. Clean."
Han Lulu coldly uttered three words and lowered her head to continue scrolling through her phone. But her finger swiping speed noticeably slowed down.
She began to unconsciously observe the people around her.
She noticed that the girl sitting diagonally across from her, who looked like a white-collar worker, was savoring every bite of meat with her eyes closed, looking relaxed and enjoying herself.
That sense of satisfaction wasn't feigned.
This is something Han Lulu cannot understand.
Han Lulu pursed her lips again, and she also discovered that her salivary glands seemed to be betraying her, starting to secrete saliva frantically.
"Gurgle."
Han Lulu's stomach made a faint sound.
She straightened her back awkwardly and pretended to be watching a short video on her phone.
The video features an internet celebrity elegantly appreciating desserts while facing the camera, accompanied by elegant and ethereal background music.
However, Han Lulu's ears are now filled with down-to-earth "slurping" sounds.
She looked at the braised beef brisket with potatoes again.
What she had initially considered "tacky" dark brown now appeared to be an extremely attractive color.
In comparison, the green salad leaves and pink macarons she had just seen on her phone suddenly seemed pale and lifeless, like plastic models.
Su Chen walked over again, this time carrying a pot of freshly brewed ginger soup.
"Pour both of you a cup of tea to soothe your palates. Beef is warming, so it's best to have some ginger tea to aid digestion." Su Chen smiled and gracefully poured a cup for Han Lulu.
The rising steam from the cup, carrying a hint of ginger spiciness, perfectly neutralized the rich aroma of meat in the air, making the experience refreshing.
Han Lulu picked up her cup, using the act of drinking water to conceal her eyes, which were almost glued to her.
She watched as Zhang Yu poured himself another bowl of rice.
Watching as that spoonful of thick broth was precisely poured onto the snow-white rice grains once more.
Looking at that potato that completely melted when gently pressed with chopsticks.
A seemingly absurd thought suddenly occurred to Han Lulu: What if what he said was true? What if he really was a pretty fan?
But her pride made her hold onto her phone tightly.
However, the aroma was too overpowering.
It was like a living person, whispering in her ear, constantly tempting her and tearing down her defenses called "refinement".
Han Lulu took a deep breath, the light from her phone screen reflecting her complex emotions.
She looked again at the half-empty bowl of braised beef and potatoes, and her previously tense lips unconsciously relaxed slightly.
"Zhang Yu..."
Han Lulu finally put down the makeup mirror in her hand and placed her phone face down on the table.
Her voice was soft, tinged with a hint of struggle and reluctance:
"Is this stuff... really that delicious?"