Rebirth of the Forbidden City: The Troublemaker in the Courtyard

Donglaishun is arguably the most famous copper pot hot pot restaurant in downtown Taipei.

Since around 1920, Donglaishun has become the top mutton hotpot restaurant in Beijing because of its improved hotpot utensils and its unique features of carefully selected ingredients, meticulous processing, complete seasonings and high firepower.

Ning Yuan came from the future, and was accustomed to having hot pot at home, but Zhong Yuemin and the others did not have the conditions to do so.

In the past, when people went to Donglaishun for hot pot, they would order a bunch of vegetables and one or two plates of mutton. For Zhong Yuemin and his friends, who were only fifteen or sixteen years old at the time, this was just the amount they needed to try something new.

People are like this. The more they can’t eat or the more they don’t have enough, the more they desire it.

After the profit share Ning Yuan gave him during this period, Zhong Yuemin became quite well-off.

He dared to bring more than thirty people with him to the east.

A large group of unruly young people from the compound, led by Ning Yuan, Zhong Yuemin and Zhang Haiyang, parked their bicycles in front of the entrance of Donglaishun, and then rushed into the Donglaishun store in an arrogant manner.

In 1955, with the joint efforts of the government and the founder Ding family, Donglaishun successfully achieved public-private partnership.

Until this time of year, Donglaishun is the most famous name for local halal food.

Ning Yuan walked into the restaurant and looked around. His first impression was cleanliness and tidiness. (This is also one of Donglaishun's core competitive advantages! It's well documented!)

The floor is paved with cement, without any debris or garbage, and the walls are scraped with white putty, which is white and bright.

The tables are not big, and they look like round dining tables of about 1.5 meters (long tables and popular hot pots were added around the 1980s, similar to modern set meals!).

There is no problem seating seven or eight people at a table.

Zhong Yuemin wanted to treat everyone himself, so the job of entertaining people naturally fell on him.

After a chaotic arrangement, these thirty-odd guys were finally able to sit at five adjacent tables.

There were also two waiters in white aprons with sleeves coming to help serve customers.

After seeing this group of young people sitting down, he tactfully came to the table where Ningyuan Zhong Yuemin and his friends were and started asking for food.

"Stop rambling. I'm here to eat hot pot. Serve ten plates of mutton to each table first. As for the other side dishes, you can serve ten more. Oh, and some hand-rolled noodles. Go ahead. If it's not enough, I'll order more later!"

Zhong Yuemin was so excited that he started to ask for fifty plates of mutton.

In this day and age, under these conditions, who would dare to eat like this!

The two female waitresses looked at each other, not knowing how to respond. They could only nod silently and then hurried back to the counter.

After the two waiters returned to the counter, the restaurant manager naturally came out to ask for the order. After hearing how these young people ordered dishes, he was also a little surprised.

The restaurant director was also a middle-aged man. He wanted to go forward and confirm with Zhong Yuemin and the others, but after seeing these young people teasing and playing around as if no one was around, he rationally did not go forward. Instead, he asked them to notify the kitchen to prepare the food.

Just place your order based on what they ordered!

Ningyuan's Zhong Yuemin and his colleagues don't have the time to worry about the store owners' concerns.

They have already started taking their own small bowls to the dipping sauce area to mix their dipping sauces.

Donglaishun’s dipping sauces can be said to be the most complete in the entire city, bar none!

Sesame paste, soy sauce, vinegar, chili sauce, sesame oil, coriander, chopped green onions, etc. are all available, and diners only need to match them according to their taste.

It didn't take long before an old-fashioned copper hot pot was placed on each of the five tables where Zhong Yuemin and his group were sitting, and plates of mutton filled the entire table.

There was no room left for the potato chips, cabbage slices, frozen tofu, sweet potato vermicelli, etc. that were later added to the dish.

Ning Yuan and his friends could only ask the waiter to wait a little longer before serving the dishes.

An old-fashioned copper hot pot was placed in the middle of the table, bubbling with steam, and there were seven or eight bottles of Arctic Ocean soda on each table.

This Beibingyang soda is also the favorite of the naughty kids in Beijing.

In 1954, Beibingyang established a factory on Anlelin Road with special approval from the government. In 1961, the first generation of Beibingyang soda was officially released to the market.

Beibingyang soda, which costs one cent a bottle, is really a luxury item in this era.

However, eating copper pot hot pot meat is most enjoyable when paired with Arctic Ocean soda!

Zhong Yuemin couldn't wait any longer. He picked up the chopped mutton and put it into the boiling pot for a few seconds. Then he dipped it in the bowl of seasoning and put it directly into his mouth to enjoy.

"It smells so good! It's so fucking delicious! When I was little, I always thought, 'When can I eat mutton hot pot whenever I want, and eat until I'm full?' That would make my life perfect!"

After taking a bite of mutton, Zhong Yuemin couldn't help but sigh.

"So, today you have fulfilled your childhood dream, right?" Ning Yuan replied while eating.

The mutton on each table was eaten up at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Each plate of mutton at Donglaishun weighs about 4 taels, and the mutton slices are hand-cut by the workers. The mutton is sliced as thin as paper, and the color is fresh and tender, which looks very appetizing.

These ten plates of meat only weigh four pounds, which is not enough for these fierce and big-bellied men.

The people at Ning Yuan's table were all of the same character. Zhong Yuemin, Zhang Haiyang, Yuan Jun, Zheng Tong, Zou Cheng and Fatty Fan, all of them kept busy with their hands and mouths!

In less than five minutes, the ten plates of meat were empty.

At this time, tofu, cabbage, vermicelli, potatoes and other ingredients are put into the pot.

"Fuck, there's no way this is enough!" Zhong Yuemin complained when he saw that there was no mutton left on the table, then quickly stood up and waved to the waiter.

Two waitresses had been keeping an eye on the guests at Ning Yuan's table. When they saw Zhong Yuemin's movements, they immediately trotted over and asked, "Young comrade, do you need anything else?"

"Of course, otherwise why would I call you here! Just give each of our tables five more plates of mutton!" Zhong Yuemin added in a domineering manner.

"Uh, you still want so much..." The waitress couldn't believe it.

She has been working as a waitress at Donglaishun for two years. This is the first time she has seen such a lavish way of eating. She was really shocked!

"Go ahead, comrade, just go ahead. We won't dine and dash!" Ning Yuan saw the waitress's worry and quickly reassured her.

The waitress returned to the counter to report in doubt.

Seeing that the middle-aged male director frowned, he still didn't have the courage to make up his mind to step forward.

If you were to offend these fearless young people, you wouldn't get paid, but you'd be in big trouble! It's not worth it, it's not worth it!