You are unlucky and I am tough

Among Cheng Shuang's friends, the last person to arrive was Qin Suyue, who was accompanied by three wealthy young ladies with whom she had a close relationship.

Cheng Shuang reserved a private room for them, but those ladies, like most of the female guests today, came specifically for the play "The Dream Play" and requested to sit outside.

Lin Zhelan only performs on the stage in the front building; guests in the east building cannot see "Dream Play" but can only watch some acrobatics and dancing.

However, the lobby and the second-floor seating area were already full, so Cheng Shuang arranged for them to sit on the third-floor seating area and had the waiter bring over two screens.

Then I sat with them for a while, got to know the ladies, and waited until they finished ordering before saying I had to excuse myself.

He went to the third floor to deliver wine to Master Yuan, and then went to the second floor to see if Cheng Lizheng and the others needed anything.

The tables at Cheng Lizheng's and Cheng Daming's houses were next to each other, and the children on both sides went back and forth between the tables, watching the acrobatics downstairs and tasting the different dishes on the tables, creating a lively scene.

"The crayfish is so delicious." Cheng Zhengyi peeled the crayfish with his hands, his breath coming in gasps from the spiciness, but he still couldn't help but stuff the crayfish meat into his mouth.

"It looks scary, but it tastes really good." Cheng Zhengde was also sweating from the spiciness, but his hands kept moving.

They had eaten it once before, but not much that time; each person in the family got two, and that was it.

The children almost cried from the spiciness that time. Cheng Lizheng was old and couldn't handle even one bite. Yang and Qi also couldn't eat spicy food very well, so almost all of the three catties they ordered ended up in their stomachs.

This scene also played out at other tables that had ordered spicy crayfish; anyone who could handle the spice found themselves getting more and more hooked.

The crayfish are sold by weight, with about ten crayfish per pound. At a table of three or four men, each person can only eat two or three, which is not enough at all. More than half of the people who ordered this dish asked for more.

This is because the building has a rule that a table can only add a maximum of three catties of crayfish; otherwise, some people with large appetites might not even have enough for ten catties.

Spicy crayfish is undoubtedly the most discussed and popular dish among all the dishes, but the other dishes are also good.

Unprecedented ingredients and a rich variety of novel flavors bring customers surprise after surprise.

"Waiter, bring another three catties of crayfish to this table."

"Let's add two jin of spicy crayfish to our table."

"Waiter, one more serving of roasted pepper beef and tofu casserole."

"Where's our extra chopped chili fish head? Could the waiter please hurry up?"

"Another serving of cold preserved egg salad, please. I was wondering if your portions are a bit small, could you make them bigger?"

As Cheng Shuang traveled along, all she could hear were these sounds; the busy waiter wished he could ride on wheels of fire.

Arriving at Cheng Lizheng's table, Cheng Shuang asked with a smile, "Grandpa Lizheng, would you like to order some more dishes?"

"No need." Cheng Lizheng waved his hand and said with a smile, "This table is too much to eat. Every dish is something I've never tried before. I've really broadened my horizons today."

Several little kids immediately surrounded Cheng Shuang, chattering about which dish was the best.

Cheng Shuang chatted with Chen Shi for a while. She didn't know many people and only needed to entertain a few tables of people, so Wei Qinglang was much busier.

Besides the villagers, there were also the Lu family, Master Yuan, Saige and his clansmen, as well as some people Wei Qinglang had met while preparing the restaurant. Since they came because of him, he would always go over and chat for a bit, and then sit down for a drink.

From the second floor to the third floor, from the front building to the east building.

Needless to say, Xie Zhiyou was in an even worse situation. He had just sat down at this table when his familiar business partner called him over. Before he could exchange more than a few words, a friend from another building sent someone to invite him over. He wished he could be in two places at once.

In contrast, Xie Shuyu and his group of cronies were drinking and listening to music in the room, having a great time, behaving like typical spoiled brats.

At lunchtime, the building was at its busiest, with guests arriving in waves, and it was time for the performance of "The Dream Play" to begin.

As the sounds of gongs and string instruments rang out, people in the private rooms opened their doors and came out. Only then did Cheng Shuang truly realize that quite a few people had come specifically for this performance.

This play features more than a dozen characters, with the main characters being the actress Lin Zhelan and the young scholar, who appear throughout the entire play.

The young male lead is Lin Zhelan's go-to partner, because Lin Zhelan's only flaw is that she is a bit too tall. In the Hundred Plays Garden, there is only one young male lead who is almost half a head taller than Lin Zhelan.

The young man had regular features and a handsome appearance when dressed up. He also sang well and had some loyal fans.

The two stood side by side at the front, leading the group to bow to the audience before starting their performance.

Zhu Shaoyuan was sitting at the best table near the stage when he heard someone at the next table say that the male and female leads on stage looked very well-matched. The corners of his mouth that were smirking instantly fell, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes.

Lin Zhelan's partner is almost always this man, and the two seem to have a decent relationship in private, but he has long been unhappy about it.

The look in her eyes as she glanced at the young man on stage was hostile.

A hand holding a wine pot reached out; it was Zhao Xiuwen pouring wine into his empty cup. Zhu Shaoyuan's face instantly regained its gentle smile.

"Dream Play" was more popular than Cheng Shuang had expected, and the ancient people were also more innocent than she thought.

Such a simple love story about a scumbag who abuses a woman has moved these people to tears.

When Lin Zhelan appeared, there were cheers in the building, amazed by his appearance. But after he started singing, the noisy restaurant quieted down considerably.

Most of the guests gradually became engrossed in the performance, quietly enjoying their food and watching the show, even when discussing things with those around them, they kept their voices down.

"As he spoke of their wedding night... everyone congratulated the beautiful woman on marrying the talented man!"

In the climax, the female lead, dressed in a red opera costume, stands on a prop-built city wall, her exquisite singing conveying every word of blood and tears, accompanied by a sorrowful erhu accompaniment, creating a heart-wrenching and poignant beauty.

Cheng Shuang, who has experienced the information explosion era, was also moved. She couldn't help but marvel at the artistic achievements of the ancients. This play was indeed adapted very well.

Looking up, you can see Qin Suyue and several of her friends standing by the railing on the third floor, some of them wiping away tears with handkerchiefs.

Suddenly, someone put their arm around her shoulder. Startled, she turned around and saw Wei Qinglang's face magnified in front of her.

Wei Qinglang leaned closer to look into her eyes, "Let me see if you're moved to tears."

Cheng Shuang elbowed him directly.

Wei Qinglang didn't dodge. He anticipated her movement and blocked her with his hand, then put his arm around her waist and asked gently, "It's getting late. Have you had lunch yet?"

"I don't have time to eat." Cheng Shuang rubbed her stomach. "I'll just eat a couple of bites from this table and a couple of bites from that table. I'm not hungry right now."

Wei Qinglang smiled and took out his other hand, which had been behind his back. In his hand was a large, steaming pancake.

"Want to try some hibiscus cake?"

Cheng Shuang took it, smelled it, and thought it smelled quite good. She asked, "We don't sell pancakes in our building, where did you get these?"

Wei Qinglang said, "Where there are many people, there are business opportunities. Some people on the other side saw that there were many people here today when we opened for business and set up stalls. When I just sent SEG out, I saw a lot of people going to buy, so I bought one for you."

Furong cake is made by wrapping meat filling in dough and deep-frying it. It is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and its shape resembles a hibiscus flower.

"Hmm, it's pretty delicious."

Cheng Shuang immediately took a bite; the outer skin was crispy and the meat filling was fresh and fragrant.

Wei Qinglang immediately leaned over and opened her mouth to bite, but she dodged it with quick eyes and hands.

Wei Qinglang was displeased. "You won't even give me a bite? I haven't had lunch either."

Cheng Shuang glanced at him, as if to say, "If you want to eat it too, then buy one?"

Don't think I don't know what you're thinking.

Never mind, I'm too lazy to point it out to him, so I just handed it over.

Wei Qinglang deliberately bought only one, took a bite, and smiled at her.

Cheng Shuang was caught off guard by his smile and thought that this guy seemed to be getting more and more handsome. It's true that clothes make the man.

She quickly turned to look at the audience, a smile involuntarily playing on her lips, and changed the subject, asking SEG why he left so early.

The play "The Dream Play" downstairs was coming to an end, and cheers and applause erupted from the audience, creating a very enthusiastic atmosphere.

The two watched from the second floor as Cheng Shuang took a bite of the pancake and moved her hand to the side, while Wei Qinglang took another bite.

The two of them took turns eating the hibiscus cake, sharing it with each other.

After the group of customers left at noon, having eaten and drunk their fill, everyone felt that they could rest in the afternoon to prepare for the evening's mini-boom, since it takes time for the reputation of the dishes to spread.

However, they underestimated Lin Zhelan's influence and the city dwellers' enthusiasm for the script "Dream Play," as well as the speed at which news spread in the city.

In the afternoon, which should have been the quietest time for the restaurant, waves of customers arrived, and both buildings were completely full.

The number of people who came specifically to hear the play "Dream of the Red Chamber" was roughly equal to the number of people who came to try the dozens of new dishes that Taibai Tower had introduced.

The restaurant was packed from afternoon until night. As dusk fell, the lights of the restaurant shone brightly, their reflections in the lake resembling a flowing Milky Way.

The restaurant was constantly turning over tables; if it weren't for the fact that we had prepared enough ingredients yesterday just to be on the safe side, we probably would have closed early.