As they spoke, the waiter brought over the swan-shaped custard buns.
"And this, swan-shaped custard buns. Have a taste." Ye Zi took a bite.
"Hmm, not bad. Better than egg tarts, sweet but not greasy. Much better than the wife cakes we usually eat."
How much are wife cakes? How much are these swan buns? Xu Liping muttered to herself.
Of course, she wouldn't say it out loud.
The waiter served the dishes quickly and brought over a platter of roasted meats.
"Why are they all desserts? Even if they're good, I'm getting tired of them," Ye Zi complained.
"Didn't you order these?" Guo Xuyang said.
"I didn't know they were all desserts. But this plum sauce is quite good. If the next dish is also a dessert, I won't be able to eat anymore."
As she spoke, the waiter brought over the Golden Money Shrimp Balls.
"Finally, something not sweet. But isn't this too oily? And the taste isn't great either. Is this a signature dish? It's not good!" Ye Zi continued to complain.
"I think it's okay? Quite springy, just a bit oily," Yu'er said.
"It's okay for Western food, but it's not as good as the prawns from our place."
"Why don't you have some red wine? The oiliness won't be as noticeable if you have some red wine," Guo Xuyang suggested.
"Are you driving later?"
"I'll drive. I'll take you all back," Xiao Yu said.
"We've been so focused on eating. Yangzi, who is this girl? Aren't you going to introduce her?" Ye Zi asked.
"My name is Xiao Yu, and I'm currently the store manager at an antique shop in Shanghai. It's a pleasure to meet you all, sisters," Xiao Yu quickly introduced herself.
Guo Xuyang looked around and introduced them one by one.
"This is Xiao Yun, President Xiao. She is primarily responsible for the cutting and distribution of jade in the provincial capital. This is Ye Zi, my friend. This is Yu'er, my friend. This is Xu Liping, who is currently the manager of Xuri Dongsheng Jade Gold and Silver Jewelry store and also the manager of the Anran Hotel. This is Xiao Yu, the antique street store manager, who reports to Manager Xu."
"Xiao Yu, don't be nervous. You have the same name as Yu'er? We'll be sisters from now on," Ye Zi said.
"Ye Zi is right. You are sisters from now on. Discuss things together if anything comes up," Guo Xuyang added.
Xiao Yun and Yu'er were confused. They didn't understand what Ye Zi meant by that, and Guo Xuyang's agreement also seemed puzzling.
"This is the Vegetarian Goose Rolls," the waiter brought over another dish.
"I can't eat anymore," Ye Zi declared.
"Manager Xu just said that you ordered too much and probably wouldn't be able to finish it, but you didn't believe her," Guo Xuyang remarked.
"It's our first time here! Who knew there would be so many dishes? I thought they were all small portions."
"Then why don't we cancel the handmade Italian pasta?" Xu Liping suggested.
"No, why would we cancel it? We can take it home to eat later if we can't finish it," Ye Zi insisted.
"The pasta won't be good if it gets mushy when we take it back."
"How many more dishes are there?"
"There are two more dishes. One handmade Italian pasta and the Splendid Fish Broth with Grouper Balls."
"The chef must be preparing them now, right? Never mind, let's take the Vegetarian Goose Rolls back then."
Seeing that she couldn't persuade Ye Zi, Xu Liping simply stopped talking.
In reality, the portions Ye Zi ordered were not large, and they were quite exquisite. The main reason was that Ye Zi and Yu'er had eaten a lot in the morning and were not very hungry now.
Two egg tarts, one swan bun; a platter of roasted meats with only about 100 grams of meat; a serving of Golden Money Shrimp Balls with only two large shrimp; this Vegetarian Goose Roll contained four small pastries, each about two fingers wide, with a little goose meat and carrot inside, not even as big as a spring roll. If people who did heavy labor were to eat here, they might not be full even with three more servings.
"Here are the Splendid Fish Broth with Grouper Balls. Please enjoy," the waiter said as he brought the dish.
"This soup should be good, the color looks nice," Ye Zi said as she took a sip.
"Mm, the flavor is quite fresh. You all try it."
"It's good, but these jelly-like things are not tasty," Yu'er commented after tasting a bite.
"These are tiger prawn balls. But they are indeed not very fresh, not like they were just killed," Guo Xuyang said.
"Speaking of which, the dishes in this restaurant are just so-so. They're only famous for their names. Let's see how the handmade noodles taste later. Will they be the same as the handmade noodles we make at home?" Ye Zi asked.
"They're made by the chef. Can they taste the same as homemade?" Guo Xuyang replied.
"Tch. Don't be blindly worshipful, okay? Chefs are people too. Don't elevate others and belittle yourself just like that," Ye Zi glared at him.
"You have a point. However, I've never seen you cook before."
"With Grandpa in charge of the kitchen at home, would we need to? Don't just talk about me. How many times have you been in the kitchen? Don't just see the dirt on others and not see your own."
"Oh ho, we haven't seen each other for just a few days, and you're already so eloquent. You've improved quite quickly."
"If I don't learn a lot from you, won't that be demeaning to you?"
As the two were bickering, the handmade Italian pasta arrived. Good heavens, in the center of a huge plate was just a small clump of noodles with some meat sauce on top.
"I could finish this in one bite," Ye Zi said.
"You were just worried about not being able to finish! After eating this, you might just be full. Yangzi, are you full?"
"About eighty percent full, I'd say. Just right."
"The chef is very considerate. Knowing you ordered a lot, he gave you smaller portions. That way, you can all taste it without getting too full," Yu'er said with a smile.
"Yu'er is right. Next time, we shouldn't order so much. Let's just order two dishes. See if the portions are still the same? These are too miniature."
"Alright, let's hurry up and eat so we can go back and rest," Guo Xuyang said.
"What's the rush? That person named Xiao Fan hasn't sent anyone over yet. We have to wait a bit longer. Otherwise, they'll go to Manager Xu's place to cause trouble again," Ye Zi said.
"No wonder you're dragging your feet. So you're waiting for someone here?"
"What do you think?"
"Ye Zi, you should go back first. If they come and find you here, I can say we are just ordinary friends, and they won't make things too difficult for me," Xu Liping said.
"How can that be? One person's actions, one person's responsibility. They won't go easy on you. Your shop probably won't be able to open, and your personal safety might not be guaranteed. Given Xiao Fan's character, if he can't find me, he'll make your life a living hell. I know what these second-generation rich kids are like, judging by that arrogant demeanor he had just now," Ye Zi said.
"Ye Zi is right. You shouldn't try to handle this yourself. We'll wait here. Let's settle today's matters today," Guo Xuyang added.