While Xie Feng and his group marveled inwardly, their hands and mouths didn't pause for a second.
'How could anyone stop eating something this delicious?'
This was a time for savoring the meal. At this moment, nothing else seemed to matter.
Soon, every dish on the table was picked clean.
After that, twenty bowls of Yangchun Noodles were brought to their table.
They had ordered the Yangchun Noodles to verify if they were truly, as claimed, twenty percent more delicious than the ones from Mianwei Jia Noodle House.
Boss Jiang Caidong had claimed that Master Liang's noodles only had about eighty percent of the skill behind Boss Li You's.
But now, there was no longer any need for verification.
After eating the previous dishes, Xie Feng and his group were already completely convinced of Jiang Caidong's claim.
However, even though they didn't need to test the claim anymore, they were still desperate to eat the noodles.
The prospect of Yangchun Noodles that were twenty percent tastier than Master Liang's was, without a doubt, incredibly exciting.
They dug in.
They shared one bowl between two people, so each person got half.
The moment the noodles and broth touched their lips, they knew—it really was a notch above Master Liang's Yangchun Noodles.
'So this is what peak Yangchun Noodles taste like.'
Even though they were mentally prepared for it, everyone was still utterly delighted.
They kept eating.
Soon, their half-bowls of Yangchun Noodles were empty.
They were starting to feel full, but they weren't satisfied yet.
They could still eat more, and they *wanted* to eat more.
So, they decided to order more. Even the most frugal members of the group didn't suggest it was time to stop.
'We can be frugal later. But today is our first time trying this food. The only way to do justice to such an ultimate delicacy is to eat our fill.'
They continued ordering.
Spicy crayfish it was.
They'd start with sixty pounds and see how they felt after that.
'Let's see just how delicious Boss Li You's spicy crayfish can be.'
Before long, more than a dozen platters of spicy crayfish were brought to their table.
Everyone dug in eagerly.
With the first bite, they had their answer.
It was delicious to an unimaginable degree.
They had never tasted crayfish this good.
'This must be the best-tasting crayfish in the world, right?'
They were incredibly lucky to be able to eat crayfish this delicious.
Once again, everyone was overcome with excitement.
Eat, eat, eat. They couldn't stop.
They were completely unable to stop themselves again.
The other customers, including the man in the white shirt, watched Xie Feng's group eat with such gusto and were all very happy, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction themselves.
They loved watching new customers, batch after batch, come to the restaurant for the first time and be utterly conquered by the boss's food.
As residents of Wenxian Town, they shared in the glory.
Just then, Li You walked out of the kitchen.
Upon seeing Li You, Xie Feng and his group felt a sudden, inexplicable rush of excitement.
'That's him! That young man is Boss Li You.'
They had seen him clearly last time at Jiang Caidong's noodle house.
But back then, they never would have imagined that this young man possessed such transcendent culinary skills.
In their excitement, Xie Feng and the others all greeted Li You, telling him how incredibly delicious the food was.
Li You looked over at Xie Feng's group and recognized some of them.
The last time he was at Jiang Caidong's noodle house, these people had been there eating noodles.
It hadn't been long, so they were still fresh in his memory.
'I can't believe they actually came to my restaurant.'
Li You was both surprised and delighted. He smiled and said, "You're the customers from Boss Jiang's noodle house. It's great to see you. Welcome to my little restaurant."
Seeing that Li You actually recognized them, Xie Feng's group was surprised, delighted, and even more excited.
Xie Feng laughed heartily. "I can't believe you recognize us, Boss Li! What a pleasant surprise!"
Li You said, "We were at Boss Jiang's noodle house eating noodles at the same time, of course I remember. You must have come on Boss Jiang's recommendation, right?"
Xie Feng nodded. "Boss Jiang said coming here to eat would open our eyes to a new world of cuisine. We didn't believe him at first. It wasn't until we tasted your food that we realized your culinary skills are truly unfathomable, Boss Li. Boss Jiang was right—we really have discovered a new world of food here."
Li You smiled again. "I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a new world of cuisine, but I'm glad you're enjoying your meal."
Xie Feng and the others all remarked that Boss Li was being too modest. They declared that from now on, this place would be a culinary holy land in their eyes.
Li You laughed at this, repeatedly offering humble words of thanks.
Afterward, Li You returned to the kitchen to continue his work.
More new customers had just arrived.
Meanwhile, Xie Feng and his group continued to devour the spicy crayfish.
Soon, all sixty pounds of spicy crayfish were gone.
This time they were finally full, but they still felt like they hadn't had their fill.
But since they were full, they decided not to order any more food.
'We'll come back for another meal this afternoon before we head back.'
For now, they would rest and savor the memory of the meal.
This was, without a doubt, the most delicious and most satisfying meal they had ever had in their entire lives.
'Oh, right. I should tell the guys in the group chat who didn't come about this place.'
The group chat had over seventy members, all of whom had been at the noodle house that day.
Only forty of them had come today. The other thirty or so had other commitments and couldn't make it.
However, even though they couldn't come, the thirty-odd people had been closely following the group's progress.
Just before entering the restaurant, they had posted in the group chat that they were about to have a meal at Boss Li You's place.
They had originally planned to report back to the group chat while they ate, giving updates on the situation at Boss Li You's restaurant.
But the food was so delicious they couldn't stop eating, so they hadn't given any updates.
'By now, the ones who didn't come must be getting antsy.'
Xie Feng and the others all pulled out their phones to check.
Sure enough.
"Where'd you all go? Weren't you going to eat at Boss Li You's restaurant? Why the silence? Have you eaten yet or not?"
"Even if Boss Li You's place isn't as amazing as Boss Jiang claimed, you could at least tell us what you thought after eating!"
"..."
Xie Feng and the others all smiled. The group was getting impatient, just as they'd thought.
But they couldn't be blamed. After all, how could they be expected to stop eating when Boss Li's food was this good?
"Hahaha! Sorry about that, everyone. The food was just too good. We didn't even have time to look at our phones."
"But we're done now, so we can give you a full report."
"..."
Everyone who hadn't come rolled their eyes when they saw the messages.
'These guys are all full of it. Didn't have time to look at their phones? Is it really that exaggerated?'
"Hahaha! It's true, we're not kidding you. Boss Li You's food is just that good! Everything is super delicious. Boss Jiang's claims weren't exaggerated in the slightest."
"The Yangchun Noodles here are seriously way better than the ones at Mianwei Jia Noodle House. Master Liang's skill with them is really only about eighty percent of Boss Li You's."
"Boss Jiang said this place would open our eyes to a new world of cuisine, and he was right. And get this—he uses the most common, everyday ingredients. The menu is all simple, home-style dishes."
"It's a real shame you guys didn't come today. But don't worry, you can come anytime. Then you'll see how a perfectly ordinary, common, home-style dish can become an incredibly exciting delicacy."
"Oh, right. It's not just the food that's top-tier, the wine is too. Even Master Guyi praised the wine here, saying it was something that 'should only be found in the heavens.' It's absolutely the best wine in the world."
"..."
After reading these messages, the people in the group chat who hadn't come were all stunned.
'Master Guyi?'
'The Master Guyi? As in, the number one figure in the Art World, the contemporary Painting Saint?'
'He went to Boss Li You's restaurant too? And he said the wine was heavenly?'
'That sounds like a tall tale, doesn't it?'
'Why do I get the feeling that all the guys who went have lost their minds?'
"Hahaha! We're not telling tall tales, and we haven't lost our minds. The magic of this place is just truly beyond imagination. You have to find time to come and experience it for yourselves."
"Boss Li You's culinary skill is above that of a Special Chef. It's simply unfathomable!"
"This place might be remote, but I'm sure that in the near future, it will become a culinary mecca that countless people across the country will dream of visiting."
"All of us from Changxi County will be proud of Boss Li You's restaurant."
"..."
The more they read, the more unbelievable it seemed to the people who hadn't gone.
'These guys are being even more over-the-top than Boss Jiang was!'
'Now they're calling it a culinary mecca that countless people across the country will dream of visiting.'
'That's pure nonsense.'
'No matter how good a restaurant's food is, it could never become a culinary mecca that countless people dream of visiting!'
'I don't get why those guys are talking like that.'
However, one thing was certain: Boss Li You's restaurant was definitely not as simple as it seemed.
'I'll have to find some time to go see it for myself.'
Everyone in the group who hadn't come made the same decision.
...