I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Driving for Over 2 Hours Just for a Bowl of Plain Noodles?

These noodles were truly, unimaginably delicious.

None of the noodles he had ever eaten before, not even the best Yangchun Noodles, could compare to this bowl.

Calling them the best noodles in the world might not even be an exaggeration.

At the very least, they were the best noodles he had ever had.

He never knew noodles could be this delicious.

For Luo Feng, who already loved noodles, this was a massive, pleasant surprise.

He was incredibly lucky to have caught a ride with Wei Ping today.

Otherwise, he might never have discovered that such a restaurant existed out here in the middle of nowhere.

Luo Feng felt extremely fortunate. He said to Wei Ping, ”Master Wei, thank you so much for bringing me here. Now I completely believe you. These noodles are unbelievably good.”

Wei Ping was thrilled.

Even a big boss who had eaten countless delicious noodles from all over the country was saying this. It proved that the owner’s noodles were truly superb.

’See? These are the noodles of our Changxi County.’

Wei Ping felt immense pride.

Then he said with a chuckle, ”President Luo, I’m just glad you enjoyed them. I’m glad you enjoyed them.”

Luo Feng sighed with emotion. ”Getting to eat noodles like these makes this trip to Changxi County more than worth it!”

After that, he fell silent and focused on eating.

He took another sip of the broth. The sublime, savory flavor left Luo Feng completely satisfied.

Wei Ping also focused on his noodles.

No matter how much you ate, you could never get tired of these noodles.

Slowly, the two finished their noodles and drank every last drop of broth.

Luo Feng, still wanting more, said, ”I’d love another big bowl, but unfortunately, I’m already full.”

Then he turned to Li You and said, ”Boss, it’s wonderful to have eaten at your place! These are the best noodles I’ve ever had.”

Li You smiled. ”I’m glad you were satisfied, Boss Luo.”

Afterward, Wei Ping insisted on scanning the code and paying.

The three of them went outside.

Wei Ping looked at the adjacent plot of land and asked, ”Boss, did you clear this land to grow vegetables?”

Li You nodded. ”It’s more convenient to have some vegetables to cook with.”

Both Wei Ping and Luo Feng agreed that it was a great idea.

After a bit more small talk, the two bid him farewell.

They went to the parking lot, got in the car, and drove away.

In the car.

Luo Feng sighed with emotion once again. ”Master Wei, I can’t believe a place like this has such amazing noodles.”

Wei Ping smiled. ”It’s just a little remote.”

Luo Feng said, ”That doesn’t matter. For noodles this good, it doesn’t matter how remote it is. Besides, the scenery here is stunning. I got to enjoy delicious food and a beautiful view. It’s a double delight.”

Wei Ping smiled again. ”Now that you put it that way, President Luo, it’s true.”

...

Next to the restaurant.

Li You continued sowing seeds in the plot of land.

The mission reward included four types of vegetable seeds, with ten seeds of each type.

After sowing all of them, he watered them a little.

Then he went into the kitchen to prepare lunch for himself.

’I think I’ll make two braised crucian carp with chili bean paste for lunch today.’

Braised crucian carp with chili bean paste is a famous Sichuan dish favored by many. Beneath a rich sauce, the spicy, thick flavor of the chili bean paste highlights the freshness and tenderness of the fish.

The succulent, tender fish meat is like a treasure.

It’s not only beautiful to look at but also incredibly delicious.

When making this dish, the sauce must be thick so that the entire fish can soak it up and become flavorful.

He began to cook.

He took two already-cleaned fish from the Storage Pavilion, scored both sides of each fish a few times, rubbed them with a little salt and cooking wine, and let them marinate for a while.

Once they were marinated, he heated up some oil in a wok.

When the oil was about seventy percent hot, he placed the fish in to fry them briefly.

After frying, he removed them and set them aside on a plate.

He poured the oil out of the wok, leaving a small amount behind. Then, he added chili bean paste, minced ginger, and minced garlic and stir-fried them.

Once the mixture was fragrant, he added the fish and some water. He then added the right amount of soy sauce, sugar, salt, and other seasonings.

When the fish were cooked through, he first removed them from the wok and placed them on a serving plate.

Finally, he thickened the remaining sauce in the wok with a starch slurry and poured it over the fish.

Done.

It looked incredibly appetizing.

Li You picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. It tasted pretty good.

However, it was only ’pretty good.’ The flavor wasn’t quite good enough to sell to customers.

Of course, Li You had no intention of selling it anyway. It wouldn’t be too late to sell it to customers once he mastered the system’s recipe for braised crucian carp with chili bean paste.

Time to eat.

’Oh, right. I sold two more bowls of noodles today. Only twenty-five more to go to complete the mission.’

’Tomorrow is the weekend again. I wonder if business will be better?’

...

「Changxi County Town」

Liu Xu sent a message in his company’s group chat: ”I’m going to Jiulong Gorge for Yangchun Noodles tomorrow. Let’s all go together, the more the merrier.”

At the same time, the three girls—Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and Ning Wan—each posted on their social media: ”Going to Jiulong Gorge for noodles tomorrow. Anyone want to come along?”

The weekend had finally arrived again.

Liu Xu, Xie Yunfei, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and Ning Wan had decided long ago that they would go back to Jiulong Gorge for noodles once the weekend came.

The noodles, the broth, the flavor—they were a constant temptation, luring them back.

At the same time, they decided to put out a call in their company group chat and on their social media.

Anyone who wanted to go was welcome.

This way, no one could accuse them later of hogging all the good stuff and not sharing such delicious noodles.

Of course, they had already told their colleagues and friends on social media just how amazing the noodles in Jiulong Gorge were.

But it seemed no one believed them.

Or perhaps they did believe them, but their understanding of ”delicious” was limited to the ordinary kind.

It was like when people casually say that the buns from this place or the hotpot from that place are good.

So, most people couldn’t understand their decision.

”You’re driving for over two hours just for a bowl of noodles? Are you sure you’re okay?”

”There are plenty of delicious noodles out there. Why drive over two hours to Jiulong Gorge? And for plain noodles, at that. Wouldn’t I be better off getting some beef or rabbit noodles here in town?”

”The gas money alone could buy you several bowls of noodles, couldn’t it?”

”Driving for over two hours just to eat noodles? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Are you serious?”

”...”

Many people, whether they were company colleagues or friends on their messaging app, said things like this.

In response, Liu Xu and his friends said, ”The fact that we’re willing to drive over two hours just to eat them proves they’re worth it! It’s not like we’re doing it for fun!”

Even after they explained, people still couldn’t understand.

Liu Xu and his friends understood their skepticism.

So, they didn’t say any more about it.

In any case, they had shared and invited everyone. Now, no one could blame them later for not telling them sooner.

If people didn’t want to go, they wouldn’t force them.

However, not everyone was unwilling to go.

”I’ll go with you. I’m actually a little curious just how good those noodles can be. Besides, I’ve heard Jiulong Gorge is beautiful. I’ve been wanting to go see it for a while now.”

”Liu Xu, what time are you leaving tomorrow? I’ll go with you. I’ll just treat it as a trip to Jiulong Gorge. How many people are going? Are the cars sorted out? Do you want me to drive?”

”Rui’Er, I want to go. What time are we leaving?”

”...”

After Liu Xu and his friends took a headcount, they found that besides their own group, another eight people said they would go.

That was quite a few people.

The group was thrilled. The more, the merrier.

...

「The next day.」

「Morning.」

Li You opened for business.

At eleven in the morning, three cars pulled into the parking lot one after another.

Li You’s eyes lit up.

’Is business really better on the weekends?’

A total of thirteen people got out of the three cars.

Li You quickly recognized five of them.

They were the two young men and three young women who had come to visit last time and eaten at his restaurant.

’Have they brought more people to eat noodles this time?’

’This is great!’

When customers voluntarily promote the restaurant, the results are always the best.

Li You was delighted.

The arrivals were indeed Liu Xu and his group.

They had gathered in the county town at eight in the morning and set off from there.

They were slightly delayed on the road, but they had finally arrived.

Liu Xu called out to the eight newcomers, ”See that? That’s the restaurant. Don’t ask the owner why he opened it here. If you ask, the answer is because the scenery is great.”

The eight of them looked at the restaurant, then glanced around at the surrounding scenery.

The scenery was indeed beautiful.

’Jiulong Gorge really lives up to its reputation. Even if the noodles at that restaurant aren’t as amazing as Liu Xu and the others claimed, this trip was still worth it,’ the eight of them thought to themselves.

...

A huge thank you to Xue Bimei for the 5,000-coin donation, becoming the first Deacon of this book!

My deepest thanks!

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