As he entered and went upstairs, the young waiter James Brooks immediately made an accurate assessment. The fattest guy was the leader, definitely the boss; the other two were also leaders, but their ranks weren’t as high as the fattest one’s. Just look at their faces and bellies—both a size smaller, not corrupt enough, so their positions must be a bit lower.

The remaining two were brought along by the fat leader. Judging by their timid expressions, bodies leaning forward and always ready to nod, there was no doubt they were drivers. In the past, this was the role of the stable hand who held the horse!

The key was these two women. He hadn’t gotten a good look at the one in sunglasses yet, but the one in the sunhat was truly something else—not only was she not a local from Wulong County, she was an absolute stunner, a real beauty. Her oval, delicate face was even fairer and softer than the big steamed buns in his dad’s bamboo steamer. James Brooks instantly recognized the sandals she was wearing as Delman’s flat princess shoes. He had once thought of buying a pair for his girlfriend Grace Brooks, but when he asked about the price and found out it was two thousand yuan, he immediately gave up and bought a knockoff instead. That silly girl didn’t even notice!

The seven guests were led into the private room and were even more surprised than James Brooks.

The room was simple but not shabby, very tidy, rustic yet elegant. Bamboo chopsticks, long benches, poplar wood tables, and a nostalgic painting on the wall with big characters: “People’s Commune, One Pot!” The young waiter with a white towel over his shoulder courteously invited them to sit, and the waitress, dressed like a village girl, enthusiastically poured water. Peach Blossom was a real village girl—no need for any disguise. Now, wearing a floral shirt, her tanned face looked honest, and when she smiled, two deep dimples appeared, adding even more local charm.

Except for the leading boss, the others were probably seeing this setup for the first time. Besides curiosity, there was a bit of surprise, but mostly satisfaction! Luxurious environments weren’t rare, but a rustic, elegant, clean, and unique place like this was.

“Oh, poplar wood tables, coarse porcelain bowls… People’s Commune, One Pot… haha… very retro, feels like time travel! Back to the era of the People’s Commune!”

The pretty girl propped her hand on the table and sat down, smiling as she commented. The unvarnished tables and benches carried a natural woody fragrance, pleasing to both the eye and the heart.

James Brooks noticed that slender, fair hand—so much fairer than the scallion whites on his own counter—and said with a smile, “Miss, you can’t travel back in time!”

“Why not?” the pretty girl asked with a smile, her bright eyes and white teeth making James Brooks's heart skip a beat.

“It’s simple. If you went back, all the beauties of that era would be put to shame!” James Brooks replied with a smile, handling it gracefully.

He was flattering her, but in his heart he thought, If only my Grace Brooks were this beautiful, I’d be in heaven.

Both the young and older beauties burst into laughter, and the men joined in. The woman who took off her sunglasses caught James Brooks's attention—she was in her thirties, also very pretty, but her beauty made one think of foundation, eyebrow pencil, eye shadow, and lipstick—so much makeup you couldn’t tell her real age! Still, she had a very attractive aura.

The seven of them sat down, still laughing.

“Young man! Is this still the Jian family’s Wulong Pot?” the fat leader asked with a smile, casually flipping through the menu.

While arranging the melon seeds, James Brooks replied, “You’ve been here before, sir? That’s right, the First Pot has always been run by the Jian family.”

“So you are?”

“Oh, Jian Zhongshi is my dad, and I’m James Brooks… Hey, uncle, if you want to call me, just call me Xiaofan or James Brooks, but please don’t put ‘Xiao’ in front of my surname!” James Brooks saw the fat man about to speak and quickly added.

“Why?”

Everyone was puzzled for a moment, but then realized—if you put ‘Xiao’ in front of the surname Jian, it becomes ‘Xiao Jian, Xiao Jian’… which sounds like ‘Miss, Miss’… Instantly, everyone burst out laughing again, finding this young waiter quite amusing. His words were full of jokes, and he really knew how to liven up the atmosphere.

“Haha… Xiao Jian… Fan!” The fat leader caught on and waved his hand, saying, “I won’t look at the menu. Why don’t you introduce us to your specialties?”

“Hehe, everyone, here we only have one kind of dish—stewed dishes. As long as it’s a stew, we’re good at it! Any stew you can name, we basically have it! As for staples, we have steamed buns and rice. I recommend you try our special big steamed buns. Deep well water, stone-ground flour, firewood—guaranteed you’ve never tasted anything like it,” James Brooks introduced.

“Take a look, Olivia, see what you like!” The fat leader handed the menu to the pretty girl beside him.

“Mr. Brooks, you order,” the pretty girl glanced at the menu casually, not expressing an opinion.

James Brooks’s eyes lit up—oh, the pretty girl’s name is Olivia.

Another man smiled and said, “Young man, we’re new here, but we’ve heard of the First Pot’s reputation. I tried your pork stewed with cabbage a few years ago—very tasty! But with so many guests, we can’t just serve that. Do you have any special dishes to recommend?”

“How about this—tell me if you have any dietary restrictions, and I’ll recommend something! …Shall we start with this young lady?” James Brooks asked, his eyes eagerly on the pretty girl named Olivia.

“Not too spicy!” the pretty girl said.

“More broth!” the older beauty said.