Silly Zhu's Moving: The Old Neighbor's Nightmare

It was an hour later when Sha Zhu and his neighbors left his house.

Even Director Wang came over to take a look and asked Sha Zhu when he would move back.

Sha Zhu had no choice but to answer truthfully that he would return after his master's wedding. He might have to stay at his master's house for another ten days or so.

Sha Zhu was a little worried about the furniture in his house, so he used his mind to dig a small hole, about the size of a finger, at the top and bottom of the front door, connecting the floor to the door frame.

A concealed latch was designed, allowing the latch to be removed without conscious thought.

They searched the entire main gate, both inside and out, looking for both the visible and hidden locks, but still couldn't figure out how to open it.

Even if you have the key, it's useless. You can't kick it, and the battering ram can't be used. Even if a registered locksmith comes, it won't work.

In the afternoon, after returning to his master's house, he reminded Liu Guangtian to practice his martial arts diligently, greeted his master, and then took the two little girls, Yushui and Lele, shopping.

The two little girls chattered away the whole way, wanting to go to every stall they saw and join in the fun.

When she sees something she likes, she acts cute and tugs at Sha Zhu to pay for it. Sha Zhu always agrees and even bought a big bag to carry some small items.

The two girls were even happier when they saw that Sha Zhu had specially bought bags for them to carry their belongings.

I bought a lot of snacks, school supplies, and hair accessories until my backpack was full, and then I asked Shazhu to buy me a bigger backpack.

Sha Zhu didn't continue to fulfill their requests. Did they expect him to carry a bag on his back and a bag on his chest?

With so many people coming and going on the street, it wouldn't be convenient to take care of these two girls; it would be a real problem if they got lost.

After taking the two little girls to Qianmen Dashilan, Sha Zhu saw that the two little girls were tired from playing and led them directly into Zhimeilou.

Zhi Mei Lou, one of the eight famous restaurants in Beijing, is located in Qianmen Dashilan, Beijing. It opened in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Originally a Suzhou cuisine restaurant, it later changed to Shandong cuisine. It was located on Meishi Street outside Qianmen.

The courtyards inside are beautiful, with winding paths leading to secluded spots, quiet and elegant, and full of antique charm.

As they entered Zhimei Building, the two little girls looked around curiously, and spoke in hushed tones.

Sha Zhu casually asked the waiter where the chef was cooking, and then asked the waiter to lead him to a private room near the kitchen.

Zhi Mei Lou's cuisine emphasizes color, aroma, presentation, and taste. Signature dishes include four-way live fish, cloud-sliced ​​bear paw, three-shredded shark fin, and longevity dishes.

Sha Zhu came here to enjoy the food with his two little girls, so he didn't stand on ceremony and asked the waiter to register several famous dishes.

I also ordered two more seafood and game dishes, and then sent the waiter away.

Rain and Lele chatted quietly with their heads down, and Sha Zhu didn't disturb them. He used his mind to learn the cooking skills of the chef from Zhi Mei Lou.

The kitchen of Zhimeilou was bustling with activity, with seven or eight chefs working on their own tasks at the large stoves. Today was Sunday, and the private rooms in the courtyard were almost full of guests.

Each head chef specializes in only one or two dishes, while simpler dishes are left to the chefs in the second and third kitchens.

On the cutting board in the kitchen, there were all sorts of prepared ingredients—things that fly in the sky, swim in the sea, and run in the wilderness. Sha Zhu was dazzled by the sight.

I used to think I had enough food stored in my storage space, let alone during the Great Famine of 42.

During the great famine of 59 to 61, even during the Little Ice Age at the end of the Ming Dynasty, we were able to eat our fill and have good food.

Seeing the ingredients in Zhimeilou's kitchen today was truly eye-opening. What did Shazhu see? Everything he didn't have in his own space!

Snails, eels, doves, bamboo partridges, wild boars, wild soft-shelled turtles, rat snakes, roe deer, whole sika deer, and brown bears.

There are also some from the sea: grouper, saury, threadfin, amberjack, prawns, lobster, oysters, swimming crabs, whelks, and scallops.

There are also many wild animals and seafood that even Sha Zhu can't name.

Sha Zhu felt it was necessary for him to learn about the procurement channels of these eight major buildings and see if he could also purchase and store some.

Tianjin is by the sea, so I'll definitely find an opportunity to travel there and try my luck in finding some delicious seafood.

There's no concept of animal protection right now, so you can look for shops that specialize in handling wild animals.

Sha Zhu inspected some of the ingredients in the kitchen and then began to learn the culinary skills of the chefs.

I'll try to learn all these cooking skills today, and then write them down and compile them into a book.

A bad pen is worse than a good memory. This means that if I cook these dishes in the future and can't remember them, it will be much easier to look them up in the book and recall them.

Sha Zhu was diligently using his mind to learn the culinary skills of the various chefs when Yu Shui gently tapped the table and asked Sha Zhu in confusion,

"Brother, there's nothing on the roof. I've been looking at you for a long time with my head up, not moving."

Sha Zhu was startled by the sound of rain hitting the table. Hearing the rain's question, he replied irritably,

"I'm thinking about whether to take you to Cuihualou or Taifenglou next time. You two chat and leave me alone. Let me think about it."

Rainwater happily said, "Brother, how about we go to Zhengyang Tower? I've passed by it several times already."

Every time I go, I can smell the aroma of hot pot at the main entrance; it's even prettier there. Plus, it's more crowded and lively.

Sha Zhu said, bewildered, "Is the mutton hot pot there more authentic than that at Donglaishun? I think it's not as good as Donglaishun's."

"Brother, when did you go to Donglaishun? Why didn't you take me with you? Didn't you say you were going to eat at Quanjude Peking Duck last time?"

"You only take me to Donglaishun? It's been two months, and you haven't taken me there once." Yu Shui said aggrievedly.

"Didn't I take you?" Sha Zhu thought about it carefully, and it seemed that he really had. He had gone with Brother Li from the Housing Department of Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office last time.

Looking at Yu Shui's aggrieved little eyes, Sha Zhu suddenly remembered that he hadn't promised to take Yu Shui to Dong Lai Shun, and he almost fell for the little girl's trick.

After drinking some of the sacred water from the ancient well, the two little girls became even more shrewd than the other.

I hope she won't grow up to be like Daji (a notorious femme fatale in Chinese mythology). Lele looks completely different now compared to two months ago.

You two should go and cause trouble for others when you grow up. Sha Zhu is not someone to mess with. Who knows who will be unlucky? These two little girls are already quite skilled in martial arts.

Whoever gets involved is in for a world of trouble.

Lele opened her big eyes and saw Shazhu staring at her, then spoke.

"Brother Zhu, why are you looking at me like that? When you take Yushui to eat hot pot, take me with you! I'm not picky, Donglaishun or Zhengyanglou are both fine." After saying that, she looked at Shazhu with a smile.

Alright, Sha Zhu admits defeat and won't say anything bad about the rain anymore. But even if he denies it, it's useless; he'll definitely have to make amends.

"Rain, for the past two months, I've been cooking delicious food at home every day. Why are you still thinking about hot pot? I remember eating mutton soup made with big bones at least six or seven times already."

"That's different. You cook at home every day, but you've never made hot pot. I've never had it before, so I don't know what it tastes like," Yu Shui said proudly.

To satisfy the two girls' thirst for knowledge, Sha Zhu said, "Okay, next time let's go to Zhengyanglou first, then Donglaishun, and see what the difference is between the hot pot at the two places."

"Oh, really? That's great, bro." "That's great, Pillar Bro."

Seeing how happy they were, Sha Zhu said, "You two, when you go back, keep your mouths shut."

Don't let my two masters know, and Lele, when you go back, don't tell my master's wife either.

Otherwise, we won't be able to go anywhere. If they find out, they'll be like Tang Sanzang in the story of "The Monkey King Thrice Beats the White Bone Demon," constantly nagging us with their mantras. It's so annoying!

The two little girls covered their mouths and giggled secretly.