Free Web NovelChapter 485: Chapter Three Hundred and Forty-Five: Lion’s Head and Boiled Beef in Water
Quit gambling, a quite peculiar forum that’s not quite like traditional ones. This place is usually filled with all sorts of bizarre posts: people lying in "dead" for three days, begging generous brothers to sponsor a meal, and swearing to quit gambling for good, only to post the same promise again a few months later—you can imagine what happened in the meantime.
Li Hao wasn’t originally a regular in the Quit Gambling forum. In fact, he used to follow forums focused on food, drink, and fun. But ever since he picked up the bad habit of gambling, Li Hao had become a regular on the Quit Gambling forum, feeling odd if he didn’t browse through it daily.
Li Hao looked around and then noticed the waitress who had greeted him earlier. She had a pair of wings at her waist, bat wings, to be precise, but Li Hao didn’t pay it any mind. He just took her to be another cosplaying waitress since many restaurants nowadays enjoyed such gimmicks, and Li Hao had seen plenty.
Li Hao licked his lips and then took a sip of the lemon water Betty had brought him. The chilled lemon water tasted great, but the sour and sweet flavor made him feel even hungrier.
"Uh, waitress, I’d like a portion of boiled beef slices, a lion’s head meatball dish, and a bowl of white rice. If you have tomato and egg soup, bring me that as well," Li Hao said, licking his lips again. These were all dishes he enjoyed, but compared to the high-end ingredients he used to eat, these served merely to fill his stomach.
"Hmm, okay, please hold on a moment, I need to check with the manager," said Betty with a professional smile, then she headed toward the kitchen and quietly asked Chen Ze.
"Boiled beef slices? And lion’s head meatballs? Those, we can make. Just let the customer know," Chen Ze wiped his hands and stretched lazily, realizing another guest had come from a Parallel Earth.
"Certainly, sir, please hold on for a few moments," Betty nodded and then, surprised, noticed that Li Hao had already finished his lemon water. She refilled his glass.
Li Hao looked at Betty; although the woman was beautiful and very elegantly dressed, if he planned to dine and dash, she probably wouldn’t be able to catch up with him. Just now, the manager who doubled as a chef was in the kitchen, and Li Hao felt there was a very high chance of successfully dashing.
Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief. He had deliberately chosen a seat closest to the wooden door so that he could make a quick exit when it came time to dash. Once outside, he simply needed to find a place to hide — Li Hao doubted they could find him.
Calling the police was a possibility, but since Li Hao had noticed there weren’t any security cameras, he felt reassured.
Li Hao surveyed his surroundings, intending to check for any other customers. He recalled a news report he’d seen about a robber who tried to hold up a restaurant only to find it full of dining police officers; the robber had been shocked. Li Hao certainly didn’t want to be that kind of fool.
"Sebastian, I’m telling you again, don’t breathe on me; your breath reeks of alcohol," said a stunning woman. Her skin was very pale, and her features were incredibly delicate; only her chest was a bit flat, but her beauty made up for it all.
Li Hao swallowed hard; he thought the waitress he’d seen earlier was already pretty, but this woman was even more beautiful.
But then Li Hao noticed something off; why did this woman have a tail, and one covered in scales at that? frёeωebɳovel.com
Li Hao had thought this was just a cosplay restaurant, but he had just seen the woman’s tail swing with agility, and her slit pupils made Li Hao inexplicably anxious.
"Dragone, this isn’t my fault, you can only blame Riesel for not talking while eating," Sebastian rolled his eyes, but the unique physiological structure of dragons meant that when he did, a thick membrane appeared over his eyes, a sight that was also witnessed by Li Hao.
Li Hao gripped his chair tightly, feeling that these three guests were somewhat abnormal, with one tail each, which didn’t look like cosplay props at all, especially with the membrane appearing when rolling their eyes...
"What kind of restaurant have I entered..." Li Hao felt a bit desperate.
Meanwhile, Chen Ze had no idea that a member of the "Quit Gambling" group had come into his restaurant intending to dine and dash, as Chen Ze was engrossed in making lion’s head meatballs.
Lion’s head meatballs are considered a classic Huaxia dish thanks to their unique name, so they’re quite popular and can generally be found in most Huaxia cookbooks, aside from regional cuisines.
Chen Ze always thought of lion’s head meatballs as just big meatballs, similar to "four happiness" meatballs, tofu balls, and such, except larger and with more meat. But for the current Chen Ze, lion’s head wasn’t exactly a challenge.
Therefore, he finished them quickly and soon dished up a bowl of white rice along with the previously made boiled beef and a complimentary mango mousse, which Betty carried out together.
"Sir, please enjoy your meal," Betty said with a smile as she placed the food in front of Li Hao and then left.
The strong aroma constantly stirred Li Hao’s appetite, and he suddenly realized that even the dishes he had once considered cheap had their own unique charm. At the very least, right now, these dishes were filled with temptation, making Li Hao’s mouth water incessantly.
Li Hao eagerly picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a slice of the boiled beef, and ate it with the rice. The spicy sensation instantly overwhelmed his taste buds, followed by the tender freshness and rich flavor of the beef as well as the aroma of white rice, continually prompting his brain to issue the command to keep eating.
Li Hao quickly devoured the boiled beef. The boiled beef in this restaurant was quite different from those in other places. He remembered the boiled beef from other restaurants seemed to have a lot of meat on top, but it was just a layer and below was all vegetables.
But this place was different. Li Hao felt that more than half of the dish was meat, and the quality was exceptional, giving him the impression he was eating top-grade Wagyu.
"This is really delicious," Li Hao wiped his mouth and then picked up a lion’s head meatball, taking a bite.
An indescribable deliciousness, along with a chewy texture, made Li Hao eat faster and faster. He’d thought the boiled beef was the pinnacle, but the taste of the lion’s head was equally matchless.
"Sir, here is your tomato and egg soup," Betty served the last soup and poured him another glass of lemon water.
"Betty, I want ten more cups of Lai Mei!" Sebastian yelled.
