Do you know: I, a commoner prime minister

Chapter 55 Tofu Shop

It's good to be young; I recovered completely after just two days of rest.

That day, Zhou An took Shi Tou out for a stroll, intending to bring back some gifts for his parents, Shu Lan and the others.

Generally, the results of the provincial examinations are released half a month after they end, so Zhou An is not in a hurry. He buys whatever he sees that suits him, completely as he pleases.

"Huh, a tofu shop?"

As Zhou An passed by a restaurant, he was somewhat surprised to see the sign above the entrance.

He had heard Lu Wang mention before that Shouzhou was the birthplace of tofu, and there was a tofu restaurant there where all the dishes were made with tofu as the main ingredient.

He also mentioned that the tofu banquet at the tofu restaurant was a taste he could never forget.

He didn't expect there to be a tofu shop in Tongzhou, but he didn't know if it was the same one as the one in Shouzhou.

Thinking it was almost noon, Gu Ning took Shi Tou into the restaurant.

"Sir/Madam!"

The waiter greeted us warmly and asked, "How many of you are there? Would you like a private room or dining in?"

"You two!"

Zhou An looked around the lobby on the first floor. It was already mostly occupied, and many of the people there were dressed as scholars.

Let's dine in.

"Alright, this way please, sir!"

The waiter led Zhou An to an empty area, where Zhou An chose a table in the corner.

"Is your tofu shop related to the Shouzhou tofu shop?" Zhou An asked after sitting down.

"I didn't expect you to know about Shouzhou Tofu House."

The waiter smiled and said, "Our owner is the same owner of Shouzhou Tofu House. This is a branch that just opened last year. Rest assured, sir, although we don't use spring water from Bagong Mountain tofu, it is still made with mountain spring water, so the taste won't be too different."

"I've only heard about it, this is my first time here. Could you please recommend some of our signature dishes?" Zhou An said.

"Since there are only two of you, one clear broth white jade dumpling, chrysanthemum tofu soup, phoenix tail pipa tofu shrimp, 'Hundred Birds Returning to Their Nest', 'Battle of Feishui', and 'The Cry of the Wind and Cranes' will be enough for you," the waiter said.

"..."

If Zhou An remembers correctly, the last two should be idioms, right?

"The sound of wind and the cry of cranes" is barely acceptable as a dish name, but what the heck is "Battle of Feishui"?

"Ha ha."

At the next table sat a slightly chubby young man in his early twenties. Seeing that Zhou An looked a little confused after hearing the name of the dish, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Seeing that Zhou An and the waiter had forgotten to come over, the slightly chubby young man put away his smile and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Brother, I'm really sorry, I wasn't making fun of you. It's just that some of the dishes at Tofu House really don't sound like dish names. When you hear them for the first time, you'll probably think the same thing as me."

"It's alright!"

Zhou An looked at the waiter and said, "I'll take those dishes you just mentioned!"

"Alright, please wait a moment, sir!"

The waiter responded and left.

"Are you very knowledgeable about the dishes at Tofu House?"

Seeing that the slightly chubby young man's dishes had not yet been served, Zhou An started chatting with him.

"My ancestral home is Shouzhou. I've eaten here often since I was a child, so I naturally know about it."

Seeing that Zhou An had taken the initiative to inquire, the slightly chubby young man enthusiastically introduced himself to Zhou An.

"The dishes that the waiter just recommended to you are all signature dishes of Doufulou, and almost all of them are good. For example, the Phoenix Tail Pipa Tofu Shrimp is made by mixing tofu and shrimp tails, and it is named so because it is shaped like a pipa (a Chinese lute)."

Chrysanthemum tofu soup involves cutting tofu into more than 162 slices, resembling chrysanthemums. After being heated in chicken broth, the petals unfold, making it not only beautiful but also incredibly delicious…

The slightly chubby young man introduced the dishes in great detail. If the waiter hadn't just noticed that he hadn't reacted at all, Zhou An would have suspected that he was the young owner of the tofu shop.

"Thank you for your understanding, brother. My name is Zhou An, courtesy name Huaide. May I ask how you should address me?" Zhou An said, bowing.

"I am strict with myself, but my courtesy name is Dekuan!"

"..."

When Zhou An heard the word "strictly controlled," he almost lost his composure.

Generally, people address each other by their courtesy name, without using their surname.

But sometimes it is called by the surname, and if it is called by the surname, then it is Guan Dekuan.

Seeing the strange look on Zhou An's face, Guan Yan chuckled and said, "Huai De, feel free to laugh. Ever since I took this name, I've been the subject of much ridicule."

"I'm so sorry."

Zhou An smiled apologetically, but his goodwill towards Guan Yan increased considerably.

Based on our current interactions, Guan Dekuan seems to be a man of strong emotions.

"Hey, what's the big deal?"

Guan Yan waved his hand and said, "To be honest, I wanted my father to change it, but he absolutely refused, so we have no choice but to leave it as it is."

"When De-kuan introduced the dishes, everyone's mouths watered."

Zhou An changed the subject, saying, "But De Kuan initially said that almost everything was good. What did he mean by that?"

"That was the Battle of Fei River!"

Guan Yan said, "The battlefield of the Battle of Feishui was located within the territory of Shouzhou. This Battle of Feishui is depicted by carving the scene on tofu, and even soldiers from both sides can have some carved on it."

From this perspective alone, this dish is very time-consuming and tastes quite good, but eating it is a bit of a dilemma.

"Too!"

Zhou An nodded slightly. Even the soldiers on both sides could carve, which did make eating it a bit unpleasant.

Isn't this just like Tang Sanzang looking at the ginseng fruit?

"Judging from Huai De's scholarly attire, did he participate in this provincial examination?"

"I'm here to take the exam."

"I also participated. This provincial examination was a few points more difficult than the last one I took."

Upon hearing this, Zhou An recalled that Guan Yan had previously said he was from Shouzhou, and that an outsider could participate in the provincial examination in Tongzhou. There were only two possibilities.

Firstly, his ancestral home is Shouzhou, but he has now moved his registered residence to Tongzhou.

Another possibility is that his father was an official in Tongzhou.

He preferred the latter in terms of the guards' clothing.

However, Zhou An had no intention of probing further. It was rare to meet someone he could chat with, so there was no need to dwell on the other person's identity.

The two chatted about some of the questions in the upcoming provincial examination, while Guan Yan's dishes were served first.

"Huai De, what I ordered is almost the same as yours. How about we eat first, and you can let us eat what you ordered?" Guan Yan suggested.

"That's very well said!"

Zhou An smiled and nodded upon hearing this.

He made no suggestion about having his entourage eat with them.

It's acceptable for someone to have their attendants sit at the same table when dining out, but it's certainly not reasonable to have attendants sit at the same table when dining with others.

Even in later generations, when a family hosts a dinner party, would they have a nanny sit at the table?

Zhou An changed seats, and Guan Yan pointed to the dishes that were served and introduced them to him one by one.

Although the main ingredient is tofu, the dishes made are indeed delicious and visually appealing.

"Come on, have a taste!"

Guan Yan gestured for Zhou An to start eating, and after he tasted it, he smiled and asked, "How is it?"

"It looks, smells, and tastes amazing! It doesn't feel like eating tofu at all!" Zhou An praised.

Guan Yan laughed heartily, somewhat proudly saying, "That's because you haven't tasted the tofu made with spring water from Bagong Mountain. Using spring water from Bagong Mountain and local soybeans harvested in September, the tofu made is crystal clear, tender as cream, and resilient enough to hang on – that's what you call delicious!"

"I definitely want to try it sometime!"

Although Zhou An felt it was somewhat exaggerated, he wasn't disappointed.

"I certainly won't let Wilder down!"

As they ate and chatted, the topic turned to the provincial examination. Guan Yan lowered his voice and asked, "Huai De, do you know why the questions in this year's examination were more difficult than in previous years?"

"It does seem a bit more difficult, but it shouldn't be a big problem, right?" Zhou An asked doubtfully.

Although it was his first time participating in the provincial examination, the relevant exam questions would be revealed after each provincial examination.

"Normally there shouldn't be any problem, but what if the questions weren't set by the examiner?" Guan Yan said in a low voice.