Chapter 451: This Place Is the Main Store

After being rejected, the “hopeless romantic” buried his head and started eating his lamb soup in silence. The remaining two couldn’t help but feel a sense of “sympathy between fellow sufferers” and quietly began eating as well.

Qin Hao ate rather crudely, holding a flatbread in one hand and a bowl of soup in the other, alternating between bites of flatbread and sips of soup.

Chen Ren, on the other hand, ate very properly—using chopsticks to pick up the flatbread, taking small bites, and drinking his soup without making a single sound.

“Here you go, two servings of lamb soup for our honored guests,” the waiter said as he first placed down two identical bowls of lamb soup soup. Then he placed a neatly arranged stack of baked flatbreads in front of Zheng Hanrui. “Miss, your flatbreads.”

He then placed a stack of crisp, golden-brown flatbreads in front of Gu Ning’an, smiling as he said, “Sir, your crispy flatbreads.”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re too kind. If you need anything, just call me,” the waiter replied before stepping away.

Looking at the crispy flatbreads in front of Gu Ning’an, Zheng Hanrui suddenly felt that they really did seem tastier when baked that way.

So, she asked tentatively, “Young Master Gu, your crispy flatbreads look much better. Would you be willing to trade me one?”

Gu Ning’an shook his head. “No trade.”

“Fine, no trade then…” Zheng Hanrui muttered with a little “tsk” under her breath. “I’ll just order more next time!”

At that moment, just as Gu Ning’an was about to start eating, Liu Feng leaned over and said, “Young Master Gu, if you give Hanrui a flatbread, I’ll cover your lamb soup today.”

Upon hearing that, Gu Ning’an looked up at Liu Feng and replied flatly, “Do you like her?”

Liu Feng hadn’t expected such a blunt question, and his face instantly flushed. Flustered, he tried to change the subject. “Hanrui and I grew up together…”

But before he could finish, Gu Ning’an turned to the slightly surprised Zheng Hanrui and asked, “Do you like him?”

Without hesitation, Zheng Hanrui replied, “No. He’s just a childhood friend.”

“Hmm.” Gu Ning’an turned his gaze back to Liu Feng, who now looked completely defeated. He said calmly, “Since she doesn’t like you, why bother trying so hard to please her?”

“If your stomach is empty, you should focus on filling it first.”

Liu Feng had no response to that. After a brief silence, he lowered his head and began eating his lamb soup in large gulps.

After hastily finishing his lamb soup, Liu Feng stood up with an awkward smile. “I’m full. You all enjoy. I’ll head off first.”

Then, under the gaze of the others, he walked over to the waiter, handed him some money, and gestured toward Zheng Hanrui. “I’ll pay for that young lady’s lamb soup too.”

The rest, who were close enough and watching him, naturally heard his words.

“This young man is really something…” Gu Ning’an sighed and then said no more, focusing on the lamb soup in front of him.

Qin Hao and Chen Ren, sharing the same table, found the situation incredibly awkward. After finishing their lamb soup, they made brief farewells, left money on the table, and quickly departed.

After all, they also liked Zheng Hanrui. If they lost their heads and did something overly sentimental like Liu Feng, only to be exposed by Gu Ning’an, they would probably have to flee in embarrassment too.

In that case, it was better to leave this “troublesome place” as soon as possible…

Once only Gu Ning’an and Zheng Hanrui were left at the table, the latter ate her lamb soup while quietly observing his “unique” way of eating.

She watched as he broke the flatbread into four pieces, arranged from largest to smallest.

He then ate them in reverse order, from smallest to largest.

Step one: eat it plain.
Step two: dip it in soup.
Step three: soak it in the broth.
Step four: wrap it with meat.

Seeing such a complicated method, Zheng Hanrui couldn’t help but ask, “Young Master, don’t you find this way of eating troublesome?”

Gu Ning’an smiled. “lamb soup should be eaten this way to fully experience its layered flavors.”

Layered flavors… from a simple serving of lamb soup?

Curious, Zheng Hanrui followed his method: she broke off a flatbread into four parts, picked up the smallest piece, and took a bite.

Eaten plain, the chewy texture spread the flatbread’s original fragrance across her mouth.

She then took a slightly larger piece and dipped it lightly in the milky white lamb soup. After tasting it, she was genuinely amazed!

The light dip added just the right amount of savoriness and softness—delicious and satisfying.

The third step, soaking the flatbread in the broth until it absorbed the rich flavors, transformed the texture again. It became soft, melting in the mouth, no chewing needed. The broth’s umami combined with the flatbread’s wheat aroma, sliding smoothly down her throat.

Finally, pairing the flatbread with a piece of meat—it was indescribable.

If she had to sum it up in one word—it was perfection.

Following this entire process, Zheng Hanrui suddenly felt that this lamb soup, already outstanding, had become several times more delicious!

“Young Master, your way of eating is truly amazing!” Zheng Hanrui said with her cheeks puffed out, her face slightly flushed from the hot soup.

Yet Gu Ning’an didn’t even glance at her, continuing to focus solely on eating his lamb soup.

Seeing this, Zheng Hanrui no longer felt neglected. Instead, she contentedly resumed eating her own lamb soup with enthusiasm.

Before long, both had polished off their bowls of lamb soup.

Zheng Hanrui rubbed her belly in secret, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.

“Sir, was the meal to your satisfaction?”

“If there was even a single thing you weren’t happy with, we wouldn’t charge you.”

The waiter came forward respectfully, addressing Gu Ning’an.

Gu Ning’an paused for a second, then smiled. “Very satisfied.”

“Great! Hope you’ll visit again!” The waiter clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and was about to leave when Zheng Hanrui called out, “Why didn’t you ask me?”

“Heh…” The waiter gave an awkward smile and whispered, “We have an unspoken rule—if someone requests the flatbreads be baked extra crispy and eats lamb soup the way you did, we always ask that question.”

Zheng Hanrui asked in confusion, “What kind of rule is that?”

The waiter shook his head. “I’m not sure either. That was set by the old master. All our branches follow the same practice.”

“Branches?” Zheng Hanrui asked, “You mean you’ve opened several other stores too?”

The waiter nodded with a smile. “Of course. We’ve been making lamb soup for over twenty years. There are already eight branches, including one in Jiangling Prefecture.”

Zheng Hanrui nodded. “So you’re an old, established brand. Then where’s your main store? I bet the lamb soup made by the head chef there tastes even better.”

The waiter grinned. “This very store is the main one. And the chef who makes the lamb soup here is our old master himself…”