I Can Talk to Cats C33

Chapter 33: Barbeque Shop

Translated by Lime

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This chapter has mentions of food and you might feel hungry while reading.

Note:

For those that don’t know how barbeque works: I think this restaurant has procedures pretty similar to Korean BBQ where the customers cook slices of meat themselves over a grill/stove that’s built into the table. I don’t really know if “regular” BBQ in China is much different, kinda ironic how the only BBQ I’ve eaten in China is KBBQ.

For those that don’t know how hot pot works: Essentially you get a pot with soup base, regular or spicy, and it is heated up in the middle of the table – usually the “stove” is built into the table. You order different meats/veggies/others that come in pre-sliced portions, such as rolls of meat. Then, you dip/leave the item to cook in the pot. There are also condiments like parsley/green onion/sauces that you can get. I think I covered the gist of it. Haha you can probably tell that hot pot is one of my favorite things to eat in winter :3

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As the Chinese New Year neared, the weather became increasingly cold at night.

Snow gently fluttered down, sparse enough that an umbrella was not needed. However, the occasional snowflake that would land on your face was annoying, not to mention a snowflake drifting down your neck.

Lin Lan, clad in a long red jacket, stood at the intersection leading to the street with the barbeque shop. Cheng Fengyang arrived on time, quickly walking towards her while shrinking his neck down into his jacket. Lin Lan couldn’t help but let out a laugh at his silly appearance because she was doing the same. His back was bent and his hands were stuffed in his blue down jacket.

The two of them shivered as they faced each other and laughed. Seeing the other person huddling in a similar fashion made both of them less embarrassed.

“Let’s go, hurry up and run to the restaurant!”

Without wasting time, Lin Lan and Cheng Fengyang rushed towards the barbeque restaurant.

This less-affluent part of the city would be bustling during the daytime and at nighttime. Although the congested crowds were not orderly, it instilled a sense of cheer in them.

Both the large and small shops strung bright lights around their entrances. Clattering noises of cooking and the lighting of a stove sounded from a small stand set up beside the night market. A fragrance of deep-fried foods and fried rice wafted over. Although they were still a ways off from the barbeque restaurant, Lin Lan and Cheng Fengyang could smell the tantalizing aroma of cumin seasoned on roasting meat. Hungry, they both gulped down their saliva and sped up towards the restaurant.

They weren’t far off from Old Zhou’s Barbeque Restaurant… wait, Old Zhou’s Barbeque and Hot Pot Restaurant. After around seven to eight minutes of walking, Lin Lan and Cheng Fengyang finally arrived at their destination.

“Wow, they really changed a lot,” sighed Lin Lan.

The small and cluttered shop from before had undergone great changes. Two large doors faced her and the interior had been repainted. The lights illuminated the space inside, contrasting against the characters pasted onto the glass windows: “Barbeque” “Hot Pot” “Snow Beer” “Jiang Xiaobai White Liquor”. Through the windows, she could see around ten long tables that were occupied by around half. Some people ate kebabs while others ate hot pot. Occasionally, a waiter scurried around the tables, carrying a tray or a kettle of hot water.

Lin Lan and Cheng Fengyang stood underneath the awning of the restaurant, relishing the enticing fragrance of roasting meat. Sitting at the end of the long table, a father and son were barbequing meat. The heat emitting from the stove warmed the two standing outside of the restaurant, tinting their faces red.

“Uncle Zhou!” Lin Lan called out a greeting to an old man.

_{^{(T/N: I’m using Uncle/Aunt as polite ways to refer to someone. They’re not relatives.)}}

Old Zhou lifted his head up to glance at her, and a smile immediately blossomed on his face: “Oh, it’s Lan Lan! Are you here to eat kebabs with your friend?”

“That’s right!” Lin Lan smiled back at him: “Take your time making kebabs, we’re not in a hurry. I’m requesting seventeen roasted fish kebabs ahead of time. As always, don’t put any seasoning on them, I’m taking them back home.”

Old Zhou was familiar with her request, but was momentarily taken aback by the quantity she requested. After realizing something, he smiled: “I was just about to ask you if bringing home seventeen fish treats for Snowflake would be too much. Then, I recalled that you have opened a shop and have more than one cat now! This uncle can guarantee that the treats will be neatly stored and ready by the time you leave!”

Lin Lan replied, “Thank you Uncle Zhou! Snowflake likes your roasted fish treats the most. He told me more than once that he prefers the taste of your roasted fish.”

“Oh! I’m flattered that your kitty recognizes the taste of my cooking. I’ll pack in an extra one to thank him!” Old Zhou laughed.

Lin Lan was happy receiving a free fish treat and silently thanked her family’s big white cat. Beside them, Cheng Fengyang interjected: “Wait, wait, Boss, don’t forget about me. Can you grill two chicken legs and a sausage? Please don’t add too much salt, I’m bringing it back home too!”

Even though he was shocked at Lin Lan’s large order of roasted fish for the cats, Cheng Fengyang quickly learned from her. If he ordered Star’s food now, it would prevent them from having to wait later. Additionally, Star would be impatient and wolf all the food down, scalding her tongue. By ordering now, he could kill two birds with one stone.

“Okay! Got it!” Old Zhou took notice that he came with Lin Lan and warmed up to him as well: “It’s cold outside, hurry up and come inside! If you want anything else, let Auntie Zhou know!”

“Great!”

After Lin Lan and Cheng Fengyang finished greeting Old Zhou, they entered the restaurant. The second they opened the glass door, hot air blew at them from the heater, carrying the aroma of spicy hot pot. Their stomachs growled again.

Quickly, they found a seat at an empty table. Coincidentally, Lin Lan and Cheng Fengyang had the same idea in mind.

“How about getting hot pot?” ”Should we get hot pot?”

Facing each other, Lin Lan and Cheng Fengyang laughed after blurting out similar questions.

Lin Lan wasn’t very fond of spicy food, but Cheng Fengyang liked it. They decided to order the “Mandarin Duck” along with various other ingredients, not forgetting about their previous intentions to order barbeque. After ordering, the two waited for the food to arrive.

_{^{(T/N: “Mandarin Duck” = the pot has two sections, one for spicy soup base and one for regular soup base. I explained the basics of hot pot at the top of the chapter if you are confused. )}}

“This place went through quite a bit of renovation.” Cheng Fengyang propped up his cheek with his elbow on the table while he surveyed the restaurant. “The last time I came here, it wasn’t as spacious. The walls were repainted and the lights were changed. Even all the tables and chairs were replaced. The atmosphere is much more refreshing.”

“Yup, according to my Dad, all these changes happened after the return of Uncle Zhou’s son.” Lin Lan gulped down some water before continuing, “Seems like it was pretty successful. There are quite a lot of people here eating hot pot.”

People who were knowledgeable about business all knew that this usually was a good thing. It was not simply a coincidence that there were many diners.

“Is he the man standing with Boss Zhou over there?” Cheng Fengyang gazed outside. “Wasn’t he working for a large company in the capital? Did he come home to inherit the family business?”

“Eh, there’s nothing bad about returning home.” Recalling her own experiences in Mo City, Lin Lan sighed and shrugged her shoulders. In a tone laced with regret, she spoke, “After living by yourself and experiencing what life is like away from your hometown, it makes you treasure everything you had when you return back home.”

As Lin Lan spoke, her eyelids lowered and she began fiddling with the cup she held with both hands. Taken aback by her heavy sigh, Cheng Fengyang couldn’t help but be shocked.

“Lin Lan…” Cheng Fengyang was about to impulsively ask Lin Lan about her time in Mo City when he abruptly caught himself. Coughing awkwardly, he changed the subject: “Honestly, I kind of envy you guys going to another city to work. I’m unlucky. Forget about attending school in Xi City from primary school to university, even my workplace was a local firm in Xi City. Compared to you two, my life has been ordinary.”

“There’s no such thing as your life being more ordinary than ours. Aren’t all of our lives ordinary?” Lin Lan weakly laughed: “Attend university, find a job, go to work, start dating, get married… Most people live their lives this way. How is staying in your hometown any different from going abroad in this sense? The most important thing is being able to live happily.”

While she spoke, Lin Lan spotted a tri-colored cat off to the side, lying on a counter next to a small shrine. The kitty appeared to be well-fed, curling up into a round ball. Long accustomed to noisy people in the restaurant, the tri-colored cat lazily narrowed its eyes and yawned.

Cheng Fengyang also noticed it: “The God of Wealth combined with the maneki-neko really is auspicious.”

^{_{(T/N: I’m assuming the “shrine” mentioned last paragraph is for the God of Wealth. Maneki neko = the lucky cat waving its hand in some restaurants.)}}

“This is Uncle Zhou’s pet, Huahua. This year, she will be six. I guess you could say she’s a middle-aged kitty.” Lin Lan smiled as she introduced the two, “She is docile and likes to interact with people. Previously when I ordered food here, she would sometimes cozy up to me and let me pet her. Flower, come!”

^{_{(T/N: The kitty’s name is “Huahua” “花花” or flower flower. I was going to go with “Flower” as its name because I’ve been using the English translated names, but I really like the sound of Huahua.)}} 

It was unknown if the kitty responded to Lin Lan’s voice or if she understood Lin Lan’s words, but the kitty who was lazily lying on its side suddenly opened its round eyes and stared at Lin Lan.

Lin Lan gestured at the cat with her hand and the kitty meowed, jumped down from the counter, and weaved its plump but agile body through various human legs.

“Miaowow!” (Why am I able to understand you!?) The round kitty meowed as it leaped onto Lin Lan’s thigh.

“Maybe it’s because we’re familiar with each other.” Lin Lan petted the cat and rubbed in between her ears. “How have you been, Huahua?”

“Miaow— Miaowow—” (Pretty good. Ever since the Young Master has returned, Master and Mistress have started smiling more. When Young Master started renovations, he made me a beautiful cat bed. However, I still like the old cushion I used before because it had their scents on it.)

“Seems like your days have passed nicely.” Listening to Huahua’s ramblings, Lin Lan smiled.

Sitting across from them, Cheng Fengyang was already accustomed to this scene. When the cat cafe was still being renovated, he frequently went over to help and was used to seeing Lin Lan talking with kitties. Every time, he would arrive at the conclusion that this cat-loving woman had mastered the cat language. Otherwise, how did she and the cat have such normal seeming conversations? 

As the human and kitty talked, the hot pot and a portion of the meat and veggies they ordered arrived.

“Oh? Lan Lan, have you come to see Huahua again?” Uncle Zhou’s wife, Auntie Zhou, neatly placed the dishes on their table and laughed when she saw her family’s cat snuggling against Lin Lan: “Are you not scared of your Snowflake being jealous?”

“Haha, not at all, Auntie Zhou.” Lin Lan raised her head and joked, “Snowflake is very calm and rational. As long as I bring him home some dried cat treats, he doesn’t care about any cats I have outside.”

Lin Lan’s joke caused Auntie Zhou to howl with laughter: “That’s good then, I’m busy now so I’ll leave Huahua with you. Eat while the food’s hot!”

Actually, she didn’t even need to prompt them to eat. As soon as the food was carried onto the table, the two people had picked up a kebab and started gnawing on it. Lin Lan picked out a boiled quail egg from the hot pot ingredients and gave it to Huahua. The plump tri-colored cat immediately leapt from its seat and started chewing on the boiled egg.

When the hot pot broth began to boil, Lin Lan placed some ingredients into the pot. She picked up a slice of meat and swirled it in the regular soup _{^{(T/N: not spicy)}}. After a while, Lin Lan placed the meat in her mouth and chewed on it. Satisfied, she nodded her head. In front of her, Cheng Fengyang was the same, giving her a thumbs-up. Then, they started cooking the next batch of meat.

With such a delicacy in front of them, words were not needed. It was time to eat!

When they finished, the two people leaned back to relieve their round bellies and looked extremely satisfied.

“Delicious! Next time, I’m treating my family to eat a round of this hot pot. It’s true, the real delicacies are hidden in markets or in a random alleyway.” Cheng Fengyang patted his stomach. After eating and drinking his fill, he had completely forgotten to maintain his handsome image in front of Lin Lan.

Lin Lan wholeheartedly agreed with his statement. When she had time, she would definitely be treating her family to a round of this hot pot as well. Her only hope was that her mother wouldn’t spoil the mood and say “If you gave me the several hundred yuan you paid for this meal, I can make a better one at home”.

“Auntie Shen, I’m paying the bill!” Lin Lan fished out her phone and after hearing the amount, scanned the QR code to pay for the meal. In the same breath, she said, “Huahua is getting older and it isn’t healthy for her to be this heavy. You should try getting her to lose some weight.” While they were eating, Lin Lan had wanted to feed Huahua a bit more food but when she thought of the heavy tri-colored cat jumping onto her thigh, she held back.

Auntie Zhou immediately replied, “Your words are the exact same as what my son said before. He told me that if cats are older and overweight, it is very easy for them to become sick. Before that, I’ve always thought that it was good luck to have a rounder kitty. I’ll be sure to bring her to see the veterinarian tomorrow.”

Knowing that Huahua was under the care of responsible owners, Lin Lan was at ease. After saying that she would come back, she turned to the full Cheng Fengyang beside her: “I’m ready, let’s go?”

The stuffed young man slowly turned his feet and rotated his legs out from the chair. He was just about to use the back of his chair to help himself slowly stand up when something suddenly happened. 

“AH!” Next to them, the table of people let out a wretched scream because one of them had unsteady hands. The entire plate of meatballs plopped into the pot from a high angle and the red soup splattered out. It splashed onto some people’s clothes and a waiter’s face.

But the most unlucky of them all was the person who was about to stand up and leave. Much of the soup splashed onto Cheng Fengyang’s eyes and face. Covering his eyes, he screamed as it was more painful than what any of the other diners had experienced.

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I had most of this chapter done last week so I have no clue why I kinda just forgot… Anyways, thanks for reading! I have about a week of break from school soon so hopefully I will be able to get on top of releases.

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