Chapter 956 - 958 Delicious to the Point of Tears_1
The ladies followed Bai Ruozhu curiously to pick fruits, indeed, those red and yellow fruits were quite attractive to women. Maids came over with baskets that were woven very delicately. In fact, the baskets had a small capacity and could be filled easily, but because they were so beautifully woven, and had a few wildflowers inserted on top, they looked especially nice when filled with fruits.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu’s demonstration, the ladies and misses no longer cared about etiquette, rolled up their sleeves, and began picking fruits. Soon everyone was laughing and competing over who could pick the biggest ones and arrange them most beautifully.
On the fishing side, Jiang Yichun was accompanying everyone. Despite his cool demeanor, he surprisingly took the lead and caught the first fish, followed by Mr. Zhang, who was quite lucky with a decent-sized catch that made him laugh so heartily that his wrinkles deepened.
By noon, Bai Ruozhu brought the ladies over to call everyone to lunch, and many reluctant folks put down their fishing rods, talking about resuming the fishing in the afternoon.
"Ruozhu, Director Jiang took the lead by catching the first fish, and he said he’s going to let you eat it raw. We all teased him for bullying you, but he played coy and said we’d find out soon enough. What exactly does he mean by eating it raw?" the head of the literary institute asked Bai Ruozhu with a big smile upon seeing her.
Unable to get an answer from Jiang Yichun, everyone turned to Bai Ruozhu. She smiled, revealing eight pearly white teeth, and told the crowd, "You’ll get to see it very soon."
The fish Jiang Yichun caught was no ordinary fish but a red trout that Bai Ruozhu had brought out from her Spatial Pond. In her previous life, she had tasted the deliciousness of raw red trout slices in the cold waters of the Qinling Mountains. To her surprise, the red trout from her space was even more delicious. She tried raising some in the outdoor pond and hired an expert to breed them. The bred red trouts were only slightly less tasty than those from her space, making them a perfect signature dish here.
The fish was taken down earlier, and of course, Jiang Yichun’s single red trout wasn’t enough to feed everyone, so the kitchen caught some more. The chef with the best knife skills cut them into cicada wing-thin slices that were then laid piece by piece on ice-filled plates, adorned with a sprinkle of cilantro in the center, and then served to the guests.
While everyone was still inquiring, plates of sashimi were presented, one for each table, indeed served raw as Jiang Yichun had mentioned!
Some ladies and misses covered their mouths and noses, unable to hide their disgust, whispering about the expected fishiness of raw fish.
Bai Ruozhu laughed and said to everyone, "Feel free to come closer and take a sniff. The red trout here doesn’t have any fishy smell, I assure you it won’t upset anyone’s stomach."
While speaking, she also picked up a pair of chopsticks and demonstrated how to pick up a thin slice, "When you eat it, pick up a slice like this, dip it in some top-quality soy sauce mustard, and you’ll taste absolute heavenly flavor in your mouth. However, those with weak spleens and stomachs shouldn’t eat too much."
She really dipped it in the mustard soy sauce and then put it directly in her mouth.
Her words sparked curiosity among the crowd. Could raw fish really taste good?
Bai Ruozhu continued, smiling, "This mustard is bought from merchants in the south, it’s intensely pungent but leaves a very comfortable aftertaste. Those who are not used to it can try just a little, and if you like it, of course, you can use more."
Tu Lie, who wasn’t a stranger to partially cooked foods from his time in the military, wasn’t fazed by the idea of raw fish slices. He followed Bai Ruozhu’s method, mixed his own little dish of soy sauce, then grabbed a slice of sashimi, dipped it, and without a second thought, popped it into his mouth.
Everyone stared at him, waiting to hear what he would say about the taste. To their surprise, they saw that Tu Lie’s eyes had reddened, and tears were swirling in his eyes. Everyone was stunned. Even if it was unbearably bad, it shouldn’t have brought such a tough man to tears, right?
Tu Lie, with his head tilted back, took several deep breaths before he finally shouted, "Great! This mustard is so strong, it made me tear up! The fish is also incredibly tender. It’s my first time eating it raw, and if it were cooked, it surely wouldn’t have this delicious flavor."
After saying that, he looked toward Madam Tu and said, "You should try it quickly, I guarantee it will suit your taste."
Bai Ruozhu quietly observed Tu Lie’s attitude towards Madam Tu and noticed that he did not alienate his wife. However, a faint sorrow was hidden in Madam Tu’s eyes—a proud woman, how could she endure such humiliation?
Tu Ying and Tu Bai were quicker than their mother in reaching for a slice of fish dipped in soy sauce to taste. The result was that Tu Bai, having added as much mustard as his father, also teared up profusely and was teased by Tu Lie for a long time.
Seeing the Tu Family members all praising the dish, the others felt compelled to join in and pick up their chopsticks as well.
"The Red Trout is available in limited quantities. Today, each table can only be served one plate, and it will continue to be a limited supply in the future. So, everyone, hurry up and enjoy it before it’s gone," Bai Ruozhu said, as she herself picked up another slice, boldly dipped it in the sauce, and put it in her mouth.
In her previous life, she was especially fond of raw fish, so she had always tasked people with finding mustard. Fortunately, there was plenty in Chengshui Country. She imported quite a bit and had craftsmen turn it into fine mustard sauce.
Upon hearing about the limited quantity, Tu Lie promptly rolled up his sleeves to grab more pieces. The others at the table, not wanting to miss out, hurriedly took their slices and, after tasting, praised the dish. Indeed, the texture was tender and even tastier than when cooked.
Bai Ruozhu then instructed the maids to serve the other dishes, mostly cold dishes and specialities of the manor. Finally, each table got a hot pot with the broth made from the bones and heads of the Red Trout they had just tried, while the spicy soup wasn’t overly hot since the people of Danliang Country weren’t accustomed to very spicy red peppers.
"Since we are enjoying the countryside, you must try another specialty of this place—the hot pot with assorted vegetables. Pick what you like, cook it and then dip it in the sauce for eating. Gathering together for the hot pot aims to bring lively and close-knit enjoyment. When you have time, you should bring your families for a vacation," Bai Ruozhu said with a smile.
Everyone thought it was interesting. As Bai Ruozhu suggested, cooking in the hot pot indeed created a warm and festive atmosphere, suitable for family gatherings.
Soon, the fish that the men had caught earlier were cooked and served. Whoever had caught a fish had their catch presented at their table. Mr. Zhang, who had caught the biggest fish, was particularly proud and said to those at his table, "Please enjoy, everyone. I was the one who caught this fish!"
There was a completely different feeling eating a fish that one had caught oneself compared to one that had been bought. Mr. Zhang’s family also found it particularly meaningful, and everything tasted even more delicious.
After the meal, everyone felt they had barely had enough but were constrained by the limits of their stomachs, unable to fit any more food. Even so, many were still fixated on the raw slices of Red Trout, constantly nagging Bai Ruozhu to raise more of them.
Bai Ruozhu, hearing this, laughed and said, "The Red Trout is extremely difficult to raise, or else I wouldn’t hesitate to offer more to everyone. In the future, the manor will also sell limited quantities, up to six plates a day, and each table may only order one plate."