"Is this the Yiming Pavilion I know?"
"It should be. The restaurants called Yiming Pavilion in the capital are both properties of Little Sweet's family," Teacher Xie Nan explained with a smile.
Cui Tonglan had naturally heard of Yiming Pavilion restaurant, and not only heard of it, but had also been there a few times.
"Yiming Pavilion restaurant's dishes are affordable and taste good. Moreover, the hygiene is also up to par."
Cui Tonglan clearly held Yiming Pavilion restaurant in high regard.
"Thank you, Sister Tonglan, for liking Yiming Pavilion restaurant so much. In the future, I'll get you a discount card!"
This was a matter that Su Xiaotian had been considering recently.
There were more and more restaurants in the capital, and the competition was increasing. Several restaurants had become competitors to their family's restaurants.
In such a situation, if they didn't seek change and attract more customers, it was not impossible to be eliminated in the future.
After much thought, Su Xiaotian came up with the idea of a membership card system.
In the future, Yiming Pavilion could be developed into a chain store. With a membership card, customers could enjoy preferential prices and priority reservations at any store, which she believed would attract many people.
This idea was becoming increasingly mature, but she had not yet found suitable materials and places to make membership cards.
Upon hearing Su Xiaotian say she would get her a discount card, Cui Tonglan was very happy.
"Then I won't be polite. I really like the taste of Yiming Pavilion. This taste is somewhat different from imperial cuisine. The chefs at Yiming Pavilion must not be from the imperial court."
Su Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh when Cui Tonglan said this.
What she said was indeed overestimating Yiming Pavilion.
"Sister Tonglan, the chefs at Yiming Pavilion are my grandmother, and they have nothing to do with the imperial court."
"Is that so? Xiaotian, does your family have a hereditary skill?"
Times had been tough these past few years. For many, being able to eat their fill was enough, and few people paid attention to non-essential elements like color, aroma, and taste.
Therefore, apart from those with hereditary skills, others' culinary skills were indeed not very good.
Su Xiaotian didn't know how to answer for a moment.
She didn't know if her grandmother had any hereditary skills, but she probably didn't.
After all, compared to other master chefs, her grandmother was self-taught.
"It's just ordinary local farmhouse dishes, combined with the characteristics of some other cuisines."
After thinking for a long time, Su Xiaotian finally found the precise wording.
A large portion of the recipes that Grandma Su was using were actually recipes from other cuisines that she had provided.
However, after Grandma Su's research and experimentation, she had brought the flavors to their peak.
Cui Tonglan smiled and said, "Indeed, Yiming Pavilion's recipes are not purely from one cuisine. Instead, they seem to draw from the strengths of many. Cantonese, Sichuan, Shandong, Huaiyang cuisines – these flavors are all present, yet not entirely similar."
Cui Tonglan felt that Grandma Su's cooking could establish its own school.
Su Xiaotian did not expect Cui Tonglan to be so knowledgeable about cuisines. If she were not in this line of work, there could only be one possibility: she had tasted all these cuisines before.
Although Cui Tonglan had never revealed her identity, she had given Su Xiaotian an address. People living in such areas, Su Xiaotian could guess to some extent, were either wealthy or noble.
In any case, although their Su family had been striving in the capital for several years, they could not integrate into such circles.
She guessed that Cui Tonglan's in-laws must be a prominent aristocratic family in the capital.
The capital was full of hidden talents, and this type of person was precisely what it lacked the least.
These families, able to lie low during that decade and develop smoothly after the policies were relaxed, standing invincible, were worthy of many people's emulation.
Su Xiaotian's guess was not wrong. Cui Tonglan's husband's family, the Gu family, had some influence in the capital.
But this was not the most important thing. The most important thing was that the Gu family not only had strength but also foresight.
More than ten years ago, they had keenly sensed the problems and started early, dispersing their children to the countryside.
Although it was a bit harder temporarily, it was worth it to exchange peace for the family by remaining low-key.
Cui Tonglan's husband was one of those sent to the Northwest.
Cui Tonglan's maternal family, the Cui family, was also a family with some influence in their region.
The two families had comparable backgrounds and shared many common topics, and they later became husband and wife.
This was also why Cui Tonglan could return with her husband when he went back to the capital.
After all, according to policy, Cui Tonglan would not have been able to return with her husband.
Many educated youths who married in the countryside chose to divorce in order to return to the city.
Cui Tonglan, due to her family's background and her husband's deep affection for her, was a fortunate woman.
"Sister Tonglan, I'm at Yiming Pavilion on weekends. You can come and find me."
Given the other party's distinguished family background, Su Xiaotian did not intend to go to her.
But she genuinely liked Cui Tonglan, so it was best for Cui Tonglan to come and find her.
Cui Tonglan possessed the straightforward, generous, and unpretentious demeanor of people from the Northwest, which resonated well with Su Xiaotian.
As she spoke, Su Xiaotian broke open a tomato and gave a piece to Cui Tonglan's son, two-year-old Gu Yu. The little fellow took it and fed it into his mouth, eating with great joy. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Alright, I'll come find you when I'm free," Cui Tonglan immediately agreed.
Su Xiaotian then gave the pancakes separately to Cui Tonglan and Xie Nan.
Then, she looked at Yin Ruyun, who was lying on the adjacent bunk, seemingly lost in thought, and reached out to take a pancake.
"Let's eat together!"
She didn't like Yin Ruyun, but they knew each other, and she figured Yin Ruyun would have nothing to eat at this time.
Yin Ruyun indeed had nothing to eat. Her last two slices of bread were eaten for breakfast that morning.
She had thought about buying food on the train, but she still didn't want to eat such indescribably bad food.
Especially when compared to Su Xiaotian's delicious food opposite her, it made her lose her appetite even to think about it.
Taking the pancake Su Xiaotian gave her, Yin Ruyun didn't know what to say for a moment.
She was truly surprised that Su Xiaotian would give her a pancake.
Just as she was about to say a few polite words, she heard Su Xiaotian speak coldly.
"No need for polite words. We are destined to be on different paths, and we cannot become close friends."
If it were the Yin Ruyun of the past, she would have definitely taken offense, even harboring resentment towards Su Xiaotian.
But now, her mindset had changed significantly, and she would no longer dwell on this matter.
Instead, a faint smile appeared on her face.
Su Xiaotian opened the glass jar, allowing everyone to add sauce to their pancakes according to their preference, and eat them with the cucumber. The taste was excellent.
The cucumber perfectly balanced the richness of the sauce, and the strong flavor of the sauce compensated for the blandness of the pancake and cucumber!
This was Yin Ruyun's deepest impression after tasting it.
Even many years later, she could still recall this simple meal on the train!