Chapter 74: A Uniquely Marvelous Mouthfeel
He brought them out to the customers.
When Li You walked out of the kitchen carrying the first serving of mapo tofu, all the customers were once again overjoyed.
The boss’s mapo tofu was finally right before their eyes.
Someone immediately stood up and took the mapo tofu from Li You’s hands.
Others went into the kitchen and brought out the remaining servings.
Fifteen servings of mapo tofu emanated an incredibly rich aroma, tantalizing everyone’s taste buds.
It wasn’t just the fragrance; its appearance was also stunning.
It looked super delicious at first glance.
Everyone picked up their spoons at once.
That’s right, spoons.
Li You had prepared a spoon for each person.
Because mapo tofu is so tender, it’s easy to break apart if you try to pick it up with chopsticks.
Using a spoon is the proper way to eat mapo tofu.
Besides, a spoon allows you to scoop up a piece of tofu along with some minced meat and a bit of sauce all at once.
Eating all three together is what makes it truly delicious.
Everyone couldn’t wait to start scooping.
After scooping up a spoonful, they saw it contained tofu, minced meat, and sauce.
It was a bit hot, so they blew on it.
Then, they put the whole spoonful into their mouths.
In an instant.
Numbing, spicy, fragrant, hot, crisp, and tender—six sensations exploded throughout their mouths all at once.
Only one word came to mind:
Incredible!
This was a unique and wonderful texture.
A sensation that belonged only to mapo tofu.
No other dish had a mouthfeel like this.
This could no longer be described with a simple "delicious."
It wasn’t just delicious; it was also incredibly satisfying.
The numbness was satisfying, the spiciness was satisfying, and the fragrance was satisfying.
It was simply too satisfying, too delicious, too addictive!
’Is this what a truly well-made mapo tofu is like?’
Xia Xiaoyue, Yu Wei, and the other girls were all extremely happy.
’Finally, we’ve finally eaten a truly delicious mapo tofu.’
’This is countless times more delicious than any mapo tofu we’ve had before.’
’The two aren’t even in the same dimension.’
’We knew it! The mapo tofu we had before was never made properly.’
’The boss here is just amazing. As soon as he makes a move, it’s a perfectly executed mapo tofu.’
Lin Guodong and the other villagers from Taoshan Village were just as happy.
’This mapo tofu is way, way better than the stuff we make at home.’
’It’s countless times more delicious.’
’So this is how delicious a properly made mapo tofu can be.’
’No wonder mapo tofu is so famous, and no wonder those people reacted the way they did earlier.’
’After eating such delicious mapo tofu at the young man’s place today, won’t we have to brag about it for hours back in the village?’
’We have to brag about it, really brag.’
’We have to let those guys in the village know that the mapo tofu they’re always eating isn’t made right at all.’
The more Lin Guodong and the others thought about it, the happier they became.
’We just came to help the young man grind some soybeans today, but we never expected such a wonderful surprise.’
’This is just fantastic!’
Ye Shengge was also delighted.
’I’ve had mapo tofu often before, and I like it a lot.’
’But this mapo tofu is far more delicious than even the best one I’ve ever had.’
’I feel like this must be the ultimate flavor of mapo tofu.’
’Staying to eat the mapo tofu before leaving was definitely the right choice.’
’Every single one of this boss’s dishes is truly top-tier.’
’I’m starting to like this restaurant more and more.’
Zhao Yanglin also said joyfully, "Waiting to eat the mapo tofu before heading back was definitely the right decision. This is better than any mapo tofu I’ve ever had."
Meanwhile, He Xianfei sighed again in his heart.
’I was originally wondering if Li You’s mapo tofu skills might be inferior to mine.’
’I’m also very confident in my own mapo tofu.’
’I’ve already lost to Li You on the Boiled Cabbage in Broth, Twice-cooked Pork, and Stir-fried Potato Slivers. I had to be better at one dish, right?’
’But the result was disappointing.’
’Li You’s mapo tofu skill is also a level above mine.’
’The younger generation is truly formidable!’
Although the truth was still hard to accept, He Xianfei’s admiration for Li You grew even stronger.
At this moment, Qu Feng said, "This might just be the best-tasting mapo tofu in existence, don’t you think?"
He Xianfei slowly nodded. "It’s possible, but it’s hard to say for sure."
Qu Feng nodded. "Right, we can’t be 100% certain."
Zhao Yanglin smiled faintly and added, "Whether it is or not, I’m becoming more and more interested in this restaurant."
...
Of course, Li You was also eating with everyone.
He, too, was eating with great delight.
’This flavor, this texture... it’s even better than I imagined.’
’And this isn’t even the most perfect version of mapo tofu.’
’I can still make an even more delicious mapo tofu with higher quality ingredients.’
’Of course, higher quality ingredients are a matter of luck, not something you can actively seek out.’
’If I find them, I find them. If not, I won’t force it.’
’It’s important to have the right mindset.’
’Oh, right, I should get some rice for everyone. Someone’s bound to want rice.’
So, Li You went back into the kitchen and ladled out a large basin of rice from the Qiankun Rice Cooker.
"There’s rice here. Anyone who wants some, come and get it yourselves. Don’t be shy."
"Great! Thanks, Boss. With mapo tofu this good, you definitely want some rice."
All the customers got themselves some rice to eat.
Pairing this kind of mapo tofu with rice was simply bliss.
After the fifteen servings of mapo tofu were finished, all the customers were full.
This was completely unexpected for the customers.
Originally, they had all planned to formally order their meals after tasting the mapo tofu.
But who would have thought the boss would prepare a full fifteen servings for them to "sample"?
’This can’t even be called a tasting anymore, can it?’
’And then we ate so much rice on top of that, we’re completely stuffed.’
’It’s mainly because the mapo tofu and rice were so good together that we just couldn’t stop eating.’
Since they were all full, they obviously wouldn’t be ordering any more food.
This made all the customers feel very embarrassed.
’Who gets full just from a taste test and then doesn’t order anything?’
"Boss, this is... really embarrassing. We accidentally got full."
"Boss, I was planning to order the twice-cooked pork, but I don’t think I can eat anymore now."
"..."
Seeing his customers’ reactions, Li You laughed. "Don’t feel bad, everyone. What’s the big deal? I’m actually happier that you’re all full. It just means the mapo tofu was really delicious."
Hearing Li You say this, the customers were all very pleased.
"Boss, your mapo tofu really is super delicious. We’ve finally had a truly delicious mapo tofu."
"The boss’s mapo tofu perfectly embodies the dish’s eight-character maxim. In fact, you could say it embodies it to the fullest. Of course it’s going to be super delicious!"
"We knew the boss’s mapo tofu would be amazing."
"..."
The customers were all full of praise.
Li You was very happy and said with a smile that he was just glad everyone enjoyed it.
After a good while of lively chatter, it was already six in the evening.
Xia Xiaoyue, Yu Wei, and the other girls said their goodbyes and left.
"Boss, we’re heading back to school now. We’ll come back in a couple of days."
"Alright. It’s getting dark soon. Drive safely."
"Okay."
At that moment, the girls were all still quite excited.
’Today was just so meaningful.’
’Not only did we get to participate in and experience the entire process of making tofu, witnessing the legendary ’setting tofu with gypsum,’ but we also got to drink such rich and delicious soy milk and eat truly amazing mapo tofu.’
’It’s so exciting!’
’This will definitely be a day we’ll never forget.’
...
A huge thank you to Dreamkiller_Sin for another 1500-coin tip, and to NewToThis for another 100-coin tip!
Thank you to both bosses!
...