Chapter 200 There is always something that attracts you
"Cuihualou" was formerly Dongxinglou, one of the eight great restaurants in Beijing. Ma Songshan, the chef, was dissatisfied with the tyranny of the young manager An Yuedong, so he left and opened another restaurant in Bamiancao.

Dongxinglou on Donghuamen Street used to be the top Shandong cuisine in Beijing, with a net profit of 4 to 5 taels of silver a year.

Soon after Ma Songshan left, Dongxing Building, one of the eight largest buildings in Beijing, closed down in 44.

Although Cuihualou has the word "lou" in its name, the restaurant is actually a quadrangle. The reason why it is called "lou" is also the rule of the old capital. Lou, Tang, Ju, Zhai, Erhunpu, Dajiugang, different names represent the grade of the restaurant. Only the first-class restaurants can be called "lou".

Cuihualou of course also serves Shandong cuisine. After entering, the group was invited to a private room facing the street, where they could enjoy the beautiful view of the street while eating through the glass.

After making tea for the people at the table and handing them towels, the waiter in a white shirt began to announce the dishes: "Comrades, our chef Ma Songshan is in charge of the kitchen today, you are in for a treat."

"Chicken slices in lotus sauce, butterfly sea cucumber, braised shark's fin, and stewed mullet eggs are all Master Ma's specialties! Would you like to try them?"

"Okay, as you said, I'll add a few cold dishes depending on the number of people. Oh, and heat up a pot of rice wine."

The waiter immediately shouted, "Daming Lake Private Room, six cold dishes, eight hot dishes, lotus chicken slices, butterfly sea cucumber, red braised shark's fin, stewed mullet eggs, braised prawns, three whites in wine, dry fried mandarin fish, clear soup bird's nest!"

"A pot of Shaoxing Nv'erhong."

A voice responded from far away in the courtyard, "Okay."

"Comrades, please wait a moment. The cold dishes will be here soon!"

At this time, a voice came from outside the door, "If you want to eat Shandong cuisine, you have to go to Beijing. The food in Shanghai doesn't taste authentic."

Wang Deming thought the voice sounded familiar, so he turned around and looked through the open door, and it was indeed Zhao Shouyan.

He immediately stood up and shouted enthusiastically: "Brother Shouyan!"

Zhao Shouyan turned his head when he heard the voice and laughed, "Hey, Deming! What a coincidence!"

"Brother Shouyan, I thought you had returned to Shanghai early, but I didn't expect to run into you here."

"Haha, we brothers will have more opportunities to meet in the future," Zhao Shouyan walked into the private room and explained with a smile: "The Commercial Printing Bureau is preparing to move to the capital as a whole. I just went there and was arranged to come back to scout ahead."

"Haha, that's great! Hello, auntie, hello, sister-in-law!" Looking past Zhao Shouyan, who was standing behind him was his wife, and two old ladies holding a little boy, Wang Deming said enthusiastically: "Brother Shouyan, why don't we sit at the same table now?"

"This..." Zhao Shouyan looked at the beautiful women in the room. There were only two men and two children. One of the men had red hair and a big nose. He hesitated for a moment.

"Look at me. Let me introduce you. These two are comrades from the Soviet Union who came to support us. They are my good friends Diana and Alexei," Wang Deming introduced enthusiastically. "Diana, Alexei, this is my good friend, Zhao Shouyan, and his family."

"You two will definitely have a lot in common. He studied literature abroad."

When it was the turn of Zhang Shouchun, Jin Yuqing and Qin Huairu, Wang Deming was suddenly at a loss for words. He could only mumble "Uh" quickly, "This is your sister-in-law."

Then he immediately raised his voice and said, "Ah, these two cute kids are my nephews. Haha, it's just right that they can play with you, my nephew."

Zhao Shouyan blinked a few times, looked at Wang Deming and then at Zhang Shouchun's three daughters, and immediately crossed his right hand in front of his abdomen, secretly raised his thumb, and then looked back at the two old ladies and the wife. An old lady with a round face and silver hair combed meticulously said, "Then let's go together? The child just happens to have a playmate."

Fortunately, the private room was big enough, so Zhao Shouyan and his family didn’t feel crowded when sitting in it.

The waiter ordered more dishes and arranged the children together. Zhao Shouyan's son was about the same age as Yichun, but he got along well with Renchun. After a while, they were talking about which one was better, Outlaws of the Marsh or Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
However, Wang Deming was at a loss when it came to arranging seats for the old ladies. This was the second time he had a problem today. It was not appropriate to arrange any old lady in the main seat.

Fortunately, the two old ladies were very understanding and sat next to Zhang Shouchun and Jin Yuqing respectively. Mrs. Zhao Shouyan sat next to Qin Huairu, and on the other side was Diana.

Soon the table was divided into several distinct factions. Wang Deming chatted in English or occasionally Russian, while Zhang Shouchun and Jin Yuqing accompanied the old lady in low voices and chatted about the mansions and houses in the capital. Anyway, they always talked about people they knew or relatives.

Qin Huairu could only smile awkwardly. Fortunately, Mrs. Zhao did not ignore her after chatting with Diana occasionally, and occasionally talked about children.

Another idiot was the red-haired Alexei. He didn't know anything about the works of several famous writers such as Flaubert and Alexandre Dumas. When they finally got to Alexandre Dumas's The Lady of the Camellias, he immediately interrupted and said, "I know that Alexandre Dumas is Alexandre Dumas's best work!"

"If you don't speak, no one will think you're dumb!" Diana glared at him. This was a disgrace to China.
"Uh" Alexei could only turn around and watch the children chatting animatedly.

"Deming, your novel 'To Live' is really well written. It depicts the decadence of the feudal era very vividly. Have you started writing a new novel recently?"

Diana was stunned when she heard what Zhao Shouyan said, and quickly interrupted and asked, "De, have you ever published a novel?"

Wang Deming waved his hand slightly, "Haha, it's not worth mentioning. It's not a famous work by a famous artist."

Zhao Shouyan was very surprised. He looked at Wang Deming, then looked at Diana and asked, "Ms. Diana, you didn't know that Deming is an excellent young writer?"

Diana was furious and said, "He never told me anything. At first I thought he was a tailor, then he became a Chinese medicine acupuncturist, and then he even gave lectures. Oh my God, I don't even know what he does."

Zhao Shouyan glanced at Wang Deming and laughed, "A doctor who is not a tailor is not a good writer."

"Deming, you haven't answered my question yet?"

Wang Deming pondered for a moment and said, "Well, I read Who is the Loveliest Person written by Wei Wei some time ago. I was deeply touched. So I am conceiving a novel about our Jin-Cha-Ji Anti-Japanese War. I have thought of the name, it is called "Drawing Sword"!"

Zhao Shouyan's eyes lit up. "'Drawing Sword' is a good name! When two brave men meet on a narrow road, the brave will win. It's just like the Korean battlefield. We should be brave enough to draw our swords and drive the coalition forces led by American imperialism all the way to the river!"

"That's right!"

"Without the bloodshed and sacrifice of our ancestors, there would be no chance for people like you and me to sit in a warm private room, enjoy fine wine and delicious food, and watch the beautiful trees and silver flowers."

"Deming, let's go to Tiananmen Square to watch the fireworks show. I heard that the leaders will also come to watch it!"

"Okay. Let's go together!"

(End of this chapter)