Xia Qianqian ordered a cold dish, and the menu finally landed in Tongtong's hands.
The waiter, assuming Tongtong couldn't read, thought he wouldn't understand it either and recommended a few dishes suitable for children.
Unexpectedly, Tongtong looked at the black characters on the menu and said without any pressure, "Uncle, I want seafood congee, chicken drumsticks, and grilled mantou. The grilled mantou should be sweet, thank you, uncle!"
Hearing Tongtong's request, the waiter was stunned: "Kid, you... how old are you?"
"I'm almost four," Tongtong replied.
The waiter's jaw dropped in surprise: "So young, and you know so many characters, that's amazing!"
Tongtong was already accustomed to such praise and didn't consider it something to brag about. He said sweetly, "Uncle, can we hurry? I'm really hungry!"
Upon hearing Tongtong was hungry, the waiter nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I'll tell the kitchen to expedite it. If you're really hungry, we have free biscuits. Would you like me to get you some?"
But Tongtong refused: "Thank you, uncle, no need. I'm afraid if I eat biscuits, I won't have room for anything else!"
"You are such a cute child. Then uncle will go and expedite it for you!"
Indeed, a likable child is welcome everywhere.
If it were a bratty kid, the waiter wouldn't even bother, let alone go out of his way to expedite.
In a moment, the rice wine Director Wang had ordered arrived, along with two bottles of hot milk.
"The rice wine here is also a specialty, give it a try!" Director Wang personally poured a bowl of rice wine for the two.
The bowls and chopsticks they were using were the same as those used by ancient people, with small, shallow rims.
Even when filled to the brim, they could be finished in two or three sips.
Xia Qianqian never drank alcohol, but the aroma of the rice wine was very strong. She couldn't help but try it, and immediately her eyes widened in surprise: "Mmm, it's really good. It has a light sweetness and a rich wine aroma. I feel like I could drink a pot and not get drunk!"
After saying that, she drank the entire bowl of rice wine in one go. Seeing this, Director Wang hurriedly said, "Don't be fooled by its taste. This stuff actually has quite a kick. For someone like you who doesn't drink, two liang will get you tipsy."
"Really? Why don't I feel anything?" Xia Qianqian didn't quite believe it!
Seeing her disbelief, Director Wang shook his head helplessly: "If you don't believe me, don't blame us if you make a fool of yourself after drinking too much later!"
Xia Qianqian thought carefully and felt that as a woman, it would indeed be bad to drink too much. What if she got drunk and acted crazy? She decided not to be greedy.
Liu Yifeng didn't drink much, but his father brewed wine every year, hiring special masters to steam glutinous rice in a large pot and then ferment it.
In the first two days of fermentation, the rice wine was sweet. The longer it fermented, the higher the alcohol content would be.
He liked to drink sweet rice wine, so every time they steamed wine, his father would set aside some sweet rice wine for him to drink.
Sometimes, if there was leftover rice wine and the alcohol content increased, his father would use it to make egg drop soup for him, adding some sugar. It tasted very good.
However, the taste of this rice wine smelled different from the one brewed at home.
He took a shallow sip, and the taste was indeed different from his family's.
It wasn't particularly sweet, but the wine aroma was rich. After a sip, the wine aroma permeated his mouth, stimulating his senses, making him want to drink more.
So, he also drank the bowl of rice wine in one go.
Director Wang saw that both of them liked it and smiled, "I didn't lie to you, did I? The sales of this rice wine in this restaurant are even better than beer. Especially in cold weather, a bowl of hot rice wine is a very comfortable thing. I'll pour you another bowl, but Qianqian, you have to drink it slowly, don't gulp it down again!"
Xia Qianqian nodded, "Okay, I know!"
"Daddy, can I have a sip?" Tongtong was also attracted by the taste of the rice wine.
Although Tongtong looked eager, Liu Yifeng clearly refused: "No, children can't drink alcohol, it's bad for their health. When you grow up, Daddy will drink with you, okay?"
"Alright!" Tongtong was unhappy but didn't insist on drinking.
Liu Yifeng didn't soften his stance. He unscrewed the lid of the milk bottle and handed it to Tongtong, "Tongtong, drink milk. Drinking milk helps you grow taller, you can drink more!"
"Okay!" Tongtong took the milk and drank a few sips.
Director Wang looked at Tongtong's obedience and sighed with envy: "Why are good children always someone else's! If this were my son and I refused to let him drink rice wine, he would probably be crying his lungs out and making a fuss. If I told him to drink milk then, he'd probably just throw it away, let alone drink a couple of sips."
Tongtong's sensible nature was precisely what made Liu Yifeng's heart ache the most: "Actually, I wish my child would have a bit of his own temper. Being too sensible just makes people feel sorry for him. But Tongtong never makes me worry about anything. When he encounters a problem, he first reflects on himself, then apologizes, even though it doesn't directly concern him."
"You should be content. Having such a good child, I'd trade two for him, see if you'd swap!" Director Wang was so annoyed by his humblebragging. If his son were even half as sensible as Tongtong, he would be satisfied. But his two rascals couldn't even reach Tongtong's toes.
Liu Yifeng couldn't help but laugh, "Director Wang, you seem to be at a disadvantage, but in reality, you're clearly getting the better deal. One child is already a handful, and you want to trade two sons for mine? Aren't you trying to kill me?!"
"Hahaha, you're too humorous!" Director Wang was amused by his words.
Soon, the barbecue arrived, along with cold dishes and other snacks. The table was full, and only Tongtong's seafood congee had not yet arrived.
Looking at the feast on the table, Liu Yifeng clicked his tongue, "Director Wang, can we finish all this?"
"If we can't finish it, we'll pack it up. Let's eat first, eat as much as we can. The barbecue sauce here was bought by the owner at a high price from a descendant of a Qing Dynasty imperial chef. Their family has been chefs for generations, but later they found the work too tiring and changed careers. The secret recipe they developed was once publicly auctioned, and the restaurant owner won it. Look at the color, it's very appetizing."
As Director Wang spoke, he handed each of them a skewer.
Liu Yifeng took a bite, and the taste was as Director Wang described, indeed very good. For barbecue, seasoning is the most important. But many people can't get the balance right, and it ends up tasting ordinary. But this place is different; one bite immediately makes you crave the next. The red oil and sauce coating the outside looked appetizing, and the taste was even more irresistible. No wonder this restaurant is so popular. It seems that crowded restaurants always have something special about them.
As soon as Liu Yifeng finished one skewer, Tongtong, the little foodie, had already picked up a second one, his mouth full of oil.
"Their ingredients are all skewered and grilled fresh, so children can eat them too!" Director Wang quickly said, afraid Liu Yifeng would stop Tongtong from eating more.
Indeed, you could tell if the ingredients were fresh.
"Is it delicious, Tongtong?" Liu Yifeng asked with a smile.
At this moment, Tongtong was happily eating and couldn't speak, only nodding in response.
"This child..." Liu Yifeng was a little helpless, not expecting Tongtong to be so interested in food.
Director Wang: "It's a blessing for a child to eat well. Eat more, Tongtong. If it's not enough, we'll order more. Uncle Wang will make sure you're full!" Seeing Tongtong eat with gusto, Director Wang was very pleased!
While they were having their late-night snack, the director of the television station received a phone call. The call was from the CEO of Yun Duo'er's company. An entertainment company, of course, would have connections. From the director of the television station to the hosts, they would surely know some people.