Chapter 47: I’m Liking This Life More and More
After finishing the grilled fish, the potatoes were also just about roasted.
Li You used a tree branch to pull the potatoes out from the fire.
Parts of the outside were already charred black.
You have to get the timing just right when roasting these; you can’t overcook them.
Otherwise, you might easily char the entire potato.
He picked up a potato and broke it open. The inside was a perfect, golden yellow.
The roasted aroma of potato wafted out at the same time.
He took a bite. It was delicious.
Seeing Li You enjoying his so heartily, Ye Shengge, Xia Xiaoyue, and Yu Wei pulled their own potatoes out of the fire as well.
After letting them cool slightly, they picked them up and broke them open.
They were all perfect—cooked through, but not overdone.
Ye Shengge took a bite and said joyfully, "This flavor feels familiar. It’s delicious."
Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei were just as delighted after their first bite.
"It’s been years, maybe a decade, since I’ve had a roasted potato," Xia Xiaoyue said. "It tastes just like I remember."
After finishing one roasted potato each, Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei decided not to roast any more.
They still had beef noodles to eat and needed to save room.
"Oh? There’s a new dish, Cabbage in Boiled Water. Boss, is it the same kind served at state banquets?" Xia Xiaoyue asked.
Li You nodded.
"Wow!" Both Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei couldn’t contain their delight.
’The boss can even make state banquet dishes! He’s amazing!’
"I’ve known about this dish for a long time and even tried it once, but it never felt authentic. Boss, we’d like one order of Cabbage in Boiled Water and two small bowls of beef noodles," Xia Xiaoyue said.
"Alright, I’ll get right on it for you," Li You said with a smile.
With that, he walked into the kitchen.
The two young women were still by the fire chatting with Ye Shengge, so he decided to complete the final steps for the Cabbage in Boiled Water inside the kitchen.
Before long, the Cabbage in Boiled Water and the two small bowls of beef noodles were ready.
He placed them on a dining table.
Stepping out of the restaurant, he called to Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei, "Your food is ready, come and eat."
Their eyes lit up. "Thank you, Boss," they said before heading into the restaurant.
Ye Shengge pointed to the fish and said, "Boss, I saved two for you."
Li You picked up the two fish and handed one to Ye Shengge. "One for each of us."
"But that means I’ll have eaten four all by myself. That’s a bit much," Ye Shengge said.
"It’s no big deal," Li You said. "If you like it, you should eat more. The next time I go check the fish traps, we’ll have more fish to eat anyway."
"In that case, I won’t be polite. Thanks, Boss." Ye Shengge accepted the fish.
As she roasted it, she added, "The fish in this canyon really are abundant, and high-quality too. The incredible taste of this grilled fish has a lot to do with the quality of the fish itself. This is truly a wonderful place, Boss. You were definitely right to open your restaurant here."
Li You laughed. "I think so too."
Meanwhile, inside the restaurant, Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei were staring at the Cabbage in Boiled Water, their faces full of delighted surprise.
Yu Wei said, "Xiao Yue, I never expected this dish to be so beautiful. It looks like a Snow Lotus."
"That’s because the boss made it so well," Xia Xiaoyue said. "The last time I had Cabbage in Boiled Water, it had roughly the same shape, but it was nowhere near as beautiful. And the aroma was far from being this rich."
"Speaking of the aroma, I was just wondering," Yu Wei said. "This broth looks just like plain boiled water, so how can it be so fragrant?"
"It was probably clarified using chicken and pork purée," Xia Xiaoyue said. "But as for the specific technique? I’m not sure."
Yu Wei nodded.
Then, the two began to taste the broth.
The moment they tasted the broth, they were overcome with surprise.
It smelled fragrant, but it was even more fragrant to the taste.
Yu Wei said excitedly, "I’ve never tasted such a delicious broth in my life. No wonder it costs 568 yuan per serving."
"This broth is so much better than the one in the Cabbage in Boiled Water I had last time," Xia Xiaoyue said. "With a broth like this, the dish truly deserves its fame as a state banquet specialty. I knew the one I ate before wasn’t authentic."
"It must not be easy to make this dish authentically," said Yu Wei.
"Definitely," Xia Xiaoyue agreed.
After a few more sips of broth, they began to eat the cabbage.
One bite, and they were once again amazed.
’It’s hard to believe cabbage can be this delicious!’
’No wonder it’s served at state banquets.’
A piece of cabbage, a few sips of broth, then a bite of beef noodles.
This was pure bliss!
’This is what truly savoring a gourmet meal feels like.’
When the two of them slowly finished their meal, they both felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.
They scanned the code to pay. The total was 590 yuan.
After paying, the two of them walked out of the restaurant.
"Boss, we’ve paid," said Xia Xiaoyue.
Li You nodded. "I’ve received it. Thank you both."
Xia Xiaoyue added, "Boss, the Cabbage in Boiled Water I had last time was definitely not authentic. Yours is so much more delicious."
Li You smiled. "Thank you for the praise, Xia."
"That’s because it was truly delicious," Xia Xiaoyue said. "Your culinary skills must be at the Special Chef level, right?"
Li You shook his head. "I only specialize in a small selection of dishes right now. I wouldn’t dare compare myself to a Special Chef."
"You’re too modest, Boss," Xia Xiaoyue said. "Boss, we’re going to take a walk in the canyon."
Li You nodded. "Be safe."
"Okay!"
The two of them headed toward the canyon.
By now, the grilled fish and roasted potatoes were all gone.
Ye Shengge said contentedly, "Grilling food like this is both delicious and fun. It’s really great. I should try grilling food like this when I get home."
Li You wasn’t surprised that Ye Shengge could grill food like this at home.
’She even has her own orchard. What’s a little setup for grilling food?’
"Boss, I’m going to take a walk in the canyon too," Ye Shengge said.
Li You nodded. "Be safe."
"Okay!"
After Ye Shengge left, Li You went into the restaurant and placed the dishes Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei had used into the automatic dishwasher.
Just then, Yang Zheng returned.
"Boss, we need twenty-six orders of Shredded Potato Stir-fry, all to go."
Li You’s eyes lit up. He smiled and said, "Alright, no problem."
Yang Zheng added, "Sorry to trouble you, Boss. We’ll pick them up when we’re leaving."
"Alright."
After that, Li You immediately got to work.
Twenty-six orders of Shredded Potato Stir-fry came to 416 yuan.
’Today’s revenue has broken 4,000!’
’If I can make this much every day, I’ll be earning a lot each month.’
’Mom and Dad would be so happy.’
Before long, all twenty-six orders of Shredded Potato Stir-fry were packed and ready.
Yang Zheng and his group returned right at that moment.
"Here are your twenty-six orders of Shredded Potato Stir-fry. You can count them if you want."
"No need to count. We trust you, Boss," everyone in the group said.
Then they scanned the code to pay.
After paying.
"We’re leaving, Boss."
"Take care, and be safe on the road. Thanks for coming."
"Don’t mention it, Boss. Your food is so delicious, we’ll definitely be back often."
"You’re welcome anytime!"
"Goodbye, Boss!"
"Goodbye!"
Not long after Yang Zheng’s group left, Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei returned as well.
"Boss, we’re heading back to school. We’ll be back next time."
"Okay, drive safe."
"We will. Goodbye, Boss!"
"Goodbye!"
After seeing off his customers, Li You lay back down in his rocking chair.
He was growing to like this kind of life more and more.
...