I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Just then, Da Bai walked out of the shop, carrying a bowl of soaked soybeans.

Everyone was stunned to see Da Bai.

’Why is there a robot here?’

Seeing their stunned expressions, Li You remembered that Da Bai and Xiaohai hadn’t been here when they visited last Saturday.

He smiled faintly and said, "This is Da Bai, one of my robot assistants. And then there’s Xiaohai, who is also my robot assistant."

Just as he finished speaking, Xiaohai also walked out of the shop.

Seeing the two robots—one white, one black, both looking very cute and endearing—everyone became excited all over again.

This was especially true for the women, like Xiao Yue and Zhang Rui’Er.

’These robots are so beautiful and adorable!’

Of course, the most excited of all were Wei Ping’s two children.

The two little ones were so excited they were practically dancing on the spot.

"Boss, are they smart?"

"Boss, what can they do?"

"..."

Everyone fired off a string of questions.

Li You listed off all of Da Bai and Xiaohai’s abilities.

All the customers listened, completely dumbfounded.

’Is he for real?’

’Do robots that smart even exist?’

Xiao Yue walked up to Da Bai, intending to have a chat.

She was surprised to find she could converse with Da Bai without any issues at all. It felt just like talking to a real person.

Xiao Yue was utterly amazed.

All the other customers were just as amazed.

At the same time, they all came to believe what Li You had said earlier.

’So, there really are such intelligent and clever robots these days.’

It was a real eye-opener.

Once the amazement wore off, everyone grew incredibly excited and thrilled.

With two robots like these around, dining here would be even more interesting from now on.

Interacting with robots like these and enjoying their service would surely be a unique experience they couldn’t get anywhere else.

The very thought of it was exciting.

Thanks to Da Bai and Xiaohai, the atmosphere buzzed with excitement for quite a while.

Afterward, everyone’s attention finally returned to the stone mill.

Wei Ping volunteered. "I’ll be the first to work the mill."

He wanted to experience it for himself, and he also wanted his two sons to have the experience.

Everyone shouted their approval in unison.

Wei Ping first thanked the crowd. Then he turned to his two children and said, "Yu, Xiaoxi, haven’t you been saying you wanted to try the mill? How about we work it together now?"

"Okay!" the two little ones replied in unison.

Li You went back into the shop, brought out a stool, and placed it in front of the stone mill.

This way, the two little ones could stand on the stool and grab onto the push handle.

"Thanks, Boss!"

Wei Ping expressed his thanks, then he and his two sons grabbed the push handle together.

The father and his two sons pushed with all their might, and the millstone began to turn slowly.

Seeing the millstone move, Wei Ping’s wife began to add water and soybeans into the hole on the upper stone.

Slowly, the first stream of white slurry began to seep from the gap between the upper and lower millstones.

Seeing the slurry emerge, everyone on the scene let out a cheer.

For the vast majority of them, it was the first time they had ever seen soy milk being ground by a stone mill in person.

So, everyone was visibly excited.

Many people took out their phones, snapping photos and recording videos.

Liu Xu was filming as well.

He also shared the videos and photos he took to the "Supreme Delicacies of the Wilds" WeChat group.

His post quickly made the group lively again.

At first, it was mainly those who couldn’t make it today who were talking.

"Is that a stone mill? I can’t believe that restaurant has an old-fashioned rural tool like that!"

"So a stone mill can really grind beans into soy milk? That’s a first for me."

"Is the soy milk made with that thing even clean? It doesn’t look very sanitary."

"Seeing a stone mill grinding soy milk brings back so many memories! I wish I had gone today."

"Putting a stone mill like that next to the restaurant is such a great idea! It’s so unique. The boss is really creative."

"..."

Seeing the lively discussion in the group, many of the people who were actually there chimed in.

"Hahaha! See what you miss for not coming today? An event this fun! I’m going to take a few turns at the mill later myself. After today, I’ll officially be someone who has worked a stone mill."

"It’s really fascinating to watch in person. And after we finish grinding all these beans into soy milk, we’re going to make tofu right here. You guys have never seen how tofu is made, have you? I haven’t either. But now, I’ll get to see it happen, live and in person! Hahaha!"

"Grinding beans with a stone mill, making tofu, and eating delicious food. If we’re lucky, we might even see a wild Red-crowned Crane. Today is destined to be a day full of memories."

"I’m getting more and more excited for everything else that’s planned for today!"

"..."

These messages from the people on site made those in the group who hadn’t come increasingly antsy with regret.

More and more of them regretted not coming.

"Holy shit! I was so wrong not to go today. If I rush over right now, can I still make it?"

"Are you guys really making tofu after you finish the soy milk? Damn, I really want to see that! I eat tofu all the time, but I have no idea how it’s made. Can someone please film the whole process and post it in the group later? And make it a long video, not just a few seconds or ten seconds long."

"I really want to see it, too. I only know that tofu is made by ’curdling’ it. You know, ’curdling tofu with gypsum,’ or ’curdling tofu with brine.’ There’s also that saying, ’Just as brine curdles bean curd, one thing is mastered by another.’ But how does the ’curdling’ part actually work? I have no idea."

"Placing a stone mill next to the restaurant so customers can experience grinding soy milk and making tofu themselves... That boss is a genius!"

"The boss is seriously amazing!"

"..."

The group chat was buzzing, and so was the atmosphere at the restaurant.

Wei Ping laughed heartily. He had finally ground soy milk with a stone mill using his own two hands.

Even though he was born in the countryside, he had never worked a stone mill before.

More importantly, his two children had also gotten to grind beans with the stone mill themselves.

’This is a memory they’ll cherish for the rest of their lives.’

’It’s even more meaningful for them.’

Watching the two little ones, their faces flushed with excitement as they jumped up and down, Wei Ping knew he had made the right choice.

’I have to thank the boss for the stone mill, and for soaking the soybeans for us in advance.’

After a few more turns, Wei Ping stopped.

It wasn’t that he wanted to stop. He just knew that many others were waiting in line for their turn.

’He couldn’t just hog the handle all day, could he?’

"Alright, who’s next?" Wei Ping announced.

"Me! Me!" someone immediately shouted, unable to wait.

And so, one after another, more and more people came forward to experience working the mill.

After their turn, every single person looked thrilled, as if they had accomplished some incredible feat.

Slowly, the pile of soybeans dwindled as the buckets of soy milk filled up.

Finally, after the last soybean went into the feed hole, the grinding was complete, yielding three large buckets full of soy milk.

By this time, it was already approaching noon.

Customers from the nearby town had already started arriving for lunch.

When these new customers arrived, they were taken aback by the scene.

’Why are there so many people today?’

’And why are they grinding beans with a stone mill?’

After asking around, they learned that since it was the weekend, these were all customers from the county seat and the city.

They had made an appointment last Saturday to come here today to grind beans and make tofu with the stone mill.

After learning the story, the newcomers found it all very interesting.

So, instead of rushing to eat, they stood off to the side with great interest, watching everyone work the mill.

They watched until all the beans were finally ground.

Li You announced that he needed to start cooking for the lunch guests. He then asked Wei Ping, Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the others if they wanted to start making the tofu now, or if they’d rather eat first and make it together in the afternoon.

Wei Ping, Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the rest all chose to eat first.

’Making tofu would definitely be more fun with Li You around!’

Besides, they were all dying to eat the spicy crayfish.

So, eating first was the clear choice.

They would continue in the afternoon, after they’d had their fill.

...