Super Zoo

Hong Bo's work capacity and efficiency indeed far surpassed that of Hong Feifei. Hong Feifei had been at Animal City for several months, and though Whisperwind Pavilion had long finished its renovations, it hadn't officially opened. After Hong Bo took over, Whisperwind Pavilion opened in less than three days. The first floor of Whisperwind Pavilion has the largest area, serving as a small restaurant for tourists, capable of accommodating up to forty diners at a time, with pricing aimed at the general public; The second and third floors consist of several private dining rooms, which require temporary reservations and offer a more upscale dining experience; The fourth floor has only one private room, which usually isn't open to the public and is exclusively for Comrade Su Ming, apart from him dining there, it can also entertain some high-level clients and leaders; As for the bar business previously owned by Nangong Huang, it was completely canceled. Hong Bo had assessed that Whisperwind Pavilion followed the route of a traditional restaurant and wasn't suitable for operating a bar. People coming to dine and discuss matters would prefer the privacy of private rooms rather than an open bar setting. Opening a small bar in Whisperwind Pavilion would have been an outright loss. Anyway, Nangong Huang is now so busy with interviews and attending the art school for sidelines and supplementary education to improve his performance arts knowledge and skills, he has no time to manage a bar. Additionally, the catering department of the zoo was integrated with Whisperwind Pavilion, and all the original chefs and head lady from the staff canteen were reassigned to work under Whisperwind Pavilion. One of the canteen's master chefs was initially a bit reluctant but, after seeing Hong Feifei's knife skills slicing cucumbers, he promptly packed up his tools and pledged his allegiance. On the opening day of Whisperwind Pavilion, the prepared tons of ingredients sold out completely, and by that evening, it was featured on Yangchuan City's food forum. "I recommend you don't go dining at Whisperwind Pavilion in Animal City. After eating there, you'll be sad to find that you've grown up eating crap!" "Isn't that a bit exaggerated..." "It really is delicious. It's so good, what do we do if we can't eat there again... sniff sniff..." "Honestly, it's like comparing apples to oranges. Our family ordered three dishes and one soup at lunch, just ordinary home-styled dishes, and after eating, my spouse made the same dishes at home that evening, but just couldn't replicate the same flavor." "You're not looking at who their head chef is, a famous beauty and a goddess in the culinary world, my idol!" someone from within the industry chimed in. "Hearing you guys talk about it, I'm starting to crave it. Is it expensive?" "The price is okay, a bit pricier than the average market rate, but acceptable. I heard the dishes on the upper floors are more expensive since they switched menus." "It's not about the price; the key is waiting for a table! There are too many people. I had to wait until 1:30 pm before getting a table." "I heard they're going to start running food stalls outside Whisperwind Pavilion in the evenings. I guess they'll be quite large, so you won't have to wait for a table..." "If I remember correctly, isn't Whisperwind Pavilion that restaurant from the movie 'Animal City'? The one that sells braised human brains, human kidneys, and barbecue human ribs?" "Hahaha, correct!" "Damn, that's terrifying. I must give it a try!" "I hear that starting tomorrow, Whisperwind Pavilion Restaurant will offer a special service..." "Special service? Is the beautiful chef going to massage me? Hahaha!" ... For the next two days at noon, a long queue formed early outside Whisperwind Pavilion Restaurant. Aside from the upstairs private rooms, the first floor didn't take reservations; it was first-come, first-served. The opening of Whisperwind Pavilion Restaurant also attracted a lot of food connoisseurs, most of whom weren't there to see the animals. They bought admission tickets just to come in and queue for the food. Due to the large number of people waiting for tables, Hong Bo specially arranged for waiters to set up temporary shelters on the small flagstone plaza outside Whisperwind Pavilion. Visitors sat under the shelters, sipping tea while waiting for their number to be called. In the sweltering heat, the patrons were becoming restless while waiting when suddenly, to the sound of fluttering wings, two brightly feathered roosters flew up towards Whisperwind Pavilion. On closer inspection, they were not roosters at all, but two plump, large parrots. "Eh, where did these parrots come from? They're so big?" "Boss, your zoo's parrots have escaped. Hurry up and catch them!" someone called out, chuckling, to the staff at Whisperwind Pavilion. Whisperwind Pavilion was built to resemble ancient architecture, with each floor surrounded by extended eaves, each stretching out more than a meter wide. Two proud Diamond Parrots strutted back and forth on them, high above, looking down at the patrons below. "Idiots..." one parrot muttered, craning its neck. "Hey, fuck, what did you just say!" a person close enough to hear retorted, pointing at the parrot. "None of your damn business. Whoever responds is exactly that!" the other parrot retorted with a sidelong glance. "..." A greeter by the entrance stepped out, looked up at the two parrots, grinned without saying a word, then turned back into the restaurant to grab a handful of peanuts and tossed them onto the eaves, calling out, "Behave yourselves. Keep cursing and the zookeeper will pluck your feathers." The two Diamond Parrots flinched, flapping their wings and dodged backward, indeed quieting down. Then, humbly bowing their heads, they pecked at the peanuts like little chickens until they were all gone. After clearing their throats, they began to speak in human language. "Welcome!" "Dear guests, please come in!" "Sister, what dishes do we have in the restaurant today?" "Stupid, I told you this morning. How can you not remember?" "I have a bad memory, remind me..." "I'm telling you, and I'll only say it once, so listen carefully... Today's menu includes steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roasted flower duck, roasted spring chicken, roasted goose, stewed salted duck, soy sauce chicken, cured meat, pickled blossoms, tripe, air-dried meat, sausage, mixed Suzhou plate, smoked chicken, white belly, steamed eight treasure pork, glutinous rice with duck..." The Diamond Parrot rattled off the menu at a rapid pace, like fireworks going off, blurting out a long string of items. The customers waiting for tables below all marveled, their voices carrying into Whisperwind Pavilion. Many of the diners inside, unaware of what had happened, saw the commotion of the people waiting outside and looked up. There were many cheers of approval, and, curious about the fuss, people began to step outside to see for themselves. "Sister, say it again, I didn't catch it..." the other parrot said. "I've said it once already, not saying it again..." Some of the patrons started to tease, laughing, "One more time, one more time!" "Right, say it again and we'll get you some peanuts," someone shouted at the parrot. Hong Bo emerged from Whisperwind Pavilion, giving a fist and palm salute to guests both inside and outside, and with a megaphone, he laughed, "Dear visitors, to thank you for your love and support, our restaurant is introducing a parrot comedy act. From now on, these two parrots will perform comedy sketches and storytelling for you all. Those not dining or waiting for a table can order a cup of tea, enjoy the cool breeze and listen to their act. Oh, the tea is affordable; we have everything from a few dozen to a few hundred per pot..." "Which sketches can they do? Do they know 'The Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties'?" someone jokingly asked. "Cough cough, they don't know many yet..." Hong Bo was cut short when a hoarse, elderly voice began, "Li Yuanba, not caring for the consequences, came at him with a hammer, and Wu Tianxi had no choice but to block with his mixed-metal gong. The shock caused his hands to bleed. He turned his horse and fled. Li Yuanba reached out and, with one scoop, tossed him into the air, catching his feet, and then—crack..." The parrot overhead, imitating the voice of Mr. Shan Tianfang, was quite convincing. But as it spoke, it suddenly stopped. "And then what happened with the crack?" someone asked loudly. "Crack... crack... crack..." the parrot scratched its head with its large wing, saying "crack" over and over but couldn't remember what came next, looking anxiously to and fro on the eaves. "Stop wandering around, you've probably forgotten your lines again!" the other parrot flapped its wings and said. Laughter erupted.