I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 149: Chapter 148: The Boss’s Divine Cooking Skills

In an instant, all the customers felt even more proud and honored.

They greeted Wei Yang, Jing Wenbo, and Liang Shui one after another, saying how delighted they were to see the three of them eating here.

Wei Yang, Jing Wenbo, and Liang Shui all responded with smiles, thanking everyone for their warm welcome.

The atmosphere was incredibly lively for a moment.

In the kitchen.

From the sounds outside, Li You knew, of course, that Wei Yang had returned.

And this time, he’d brought two other major directors, Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui, with him.

This came as a bit of a surprise to him.

It was a good thing, though. Li You was very happy.

’I’ll go out and say hello in a little while.’

At the entrance.

After a bout of lively greetings and pleasantries, the three famous directors walked into the restaurant with the other customers.

As soon as they entered, the eyes of both Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui fell upon a large wine jar.

’Is that exquisite, unforgettable wine really stored in that jar?’

’The most ordinary, simple-looking jar, yet it holds the best wine in the world?’

’This has to be one of the most unbelievable things in the world.’

Wei Yang noticed where Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui were looking and smiled. ”Find it a bit unbelievable that such an exquisite wine is stored in such an ordinary jar? Don’t worry, there are plenty more unbelievable things to come here.”

Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui both sighed with emotion. ”We’re starting to feel more and more that this is truly a magical restaurant.”

Wei Yang laughed heartily, in an excellent mood.

Then, the four of them, including Zhang Tian, sat down at an empty table.

Wei Yang couldn’t wait and said to Da Bai, ”Da Bai, we’re ready to order.”

”Of course. Please go ahead, Mr. Wei.”

”Four orders of Cabbage in Consommé, two orders of Mapo Tofu, one Twice-cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts, one Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes, four Crucian Carp with Fragrant Herbs, and six pounds of Spicy Crayfish. Also, bring us three bowls of wine to start,” Wei Yang ordered all at once.

”Right away. Please wait a moment, gentlemen.”

With that, Da Bai took their order slip to the kitchen.

Then, it walked over to the wine jar and began to ladle out the wine.

”Old Wei, should we really order the spicy crayfish? The flavor of that stuff is decent, but eating it is... well...” Jing Wenbo trailed off.

He was sure Wei Yang knew what he meant.

Of course Wei Yang understood. He used to feel the same way.

But not anymore.

He smiled slightly and said, ”Lao Jing, I get what you mean. But the spicy crayfish here isn’t just ’decent.’ It’s delicious beyond your wildest imagination. How can you drink here and not eat spicy crayfish? In fact, we should just let loose and dig in. Once you do, you’ll find that eating them is a wonderful experience. And the wonder isn’t just about the flavor.”

”Is that so?”

Both Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui were skeptical.

Wei Yang didn’t press the issue. It was better to let them experience it for themselves in a moment.

Just then, Da Bai came over carrying three bowls of wine.

”Here is your wine. Please enjoy, gentlemen.”

”Thank you!”

The moment the wine was served, Jing Wenbo and Liang Shui forgot all about the spicy crayfish. They eagerly leaned in and took a deep sniff.

’Yes, that’s the aroma. Exactly the same.’

They could finally drink the wine that had haunted their dreams.

The two of them couldn’t help but feel a thrill of excitement.

Then, they raised their bowls and eagerly took a drink.

Satisfaction. Complete and utter satisfaction.

’This is truly the finest thing on Earth!’

A single sip made one feel ethereal, like an immortal ascending.

Wei Yang, of course, also took an eager drink.

He was just as satisfied.

”By the way, why are we drinking from bowls instead of cups?” Jing Wenbo asked.

Wei Yang laughed. ”Because they don’t have cups here, only bowls. Besides, Lao Jing, don’t you think drinking such fine wine from a bowl feels more liberating and unrestrained?”

Jing Wenbo’s eyes lit up. ”Now that you mention it,” he said, delighted, ”I think you’re right.”

Liang Shui expressed the same sentiment.

Wine this good really ought to be drunk from a bowl.

Zhang Tian, of course, also caught the aroma of the wine.

Such a fragrance was enough to make him feel a little intoxicated. He was already feeling captivated just from the smell alone.

’If I took a sip of that, wouldn’t I just ascend to heaven on the spot?’

Zhang Tian was truly dying to have a taste.

At that moment, he finally began to understand why the three famous directors would travel so far just to eat here.

This wine alone made the trip worthwhile.

It was just a pity he couldn’t drink any.

Just then, Wei Yang said, ”Xiaozhang, my apologies. To have such fine wine right in front of you, and you can’t even have a drop. And they don’t do takeout here, so you can’t even buy some to take home.”

Zhang Tian quickly replied, ”Director Wei, it’s nothing, really. I’d love to try it, of course, but it’s fine if I can’t.”

Wei Yang nodded. ”Next time, you could find some time to come by yourself. Stay a night in Wenxian Town, which we passed through earlier, then head back the next day. That way you can drink here. Or you could hire a driver.”

Zhang Tian nodded. ”Okay, Director Wei.”

The men continued to chat.

Before long, the spicy crayfish was the first dish to arrive.

Wei Yang said with delight, ”Here it is! You guys can ask Da Bai or Xiaohai for disposable gloves. I won’t need any. I’m just going to wash my hands and eat them with my bare hands.”

After speaking, Wei Yang got up and walked outside.

Jing Wenbo, Liang Shui, and Zhang Tian looked at each other, bewildered.

’Not even using disposable gloves?’

’Has Old Wei gotten this bold?’

’Oh, what the hell. We won’t use them either.’

And so, the three of them also stood up and went outside to wash their hands.

There was another reason for their decision: they noticed that none of the other customers in the restaurant eating spicy crayfish were using gloves either.

Since no one else was using them, they didn’t want to be the odd ones out.

After washing their hands, the four men returned to their seats.

Time to eat.

With the first bite, Jing Wenbo, Liang Shui, and Zhang Tian were all met with an unprecedented, almost unbelievable surprise.

It was just as Wei Yang had said—a flavor so delicious it was beyond anything they had expected.

’So crayfish could actually taste this good.’

’If they had tasted crayfish this delicious sooner, why would they ever have been reluctant to eat it?’

’Could this be the best-tasting crayfish in the entire country?’

’It’s entirely possible.’

Jing Wenbo, Liang Shui, and Zhang Tian didn’t dare to make a definitive conclusion.

But it felt very, very likely.

This owner’s culinary skills were truly transcendent.

It felt like not even a Special Chef could compare.

Of course, that was limited to this one dish of spicy crayfish.

The three of them expressed their thoughts with deep emotion.

Wei Yang smiled slightly. ”No, it’s not just the spicy crayfish. The next few dishes are also beyond what a Special Chef could make. Of course, that might be an overstatement. Perhaps that’s not the case. After all, even people like us almost never get the chance to eat a meal personally prepared by a Special Chef. How good is a dish made by a Special Chef’s own hands? None of us really know. But I’ve always felt that a Special Chef can’t match Boss Li You. Of course, I’m only talking about the dishes Boss Li You has on his menu.”

The total number of Special Chefs in the entire country could be counted on two hands.

Each one was considered a national treasure.

Even though Wei Yang, Jing Wenbo, and Liang Shui were famous directors, the chance of them eating a meal personally prepared by a Special Chef was indeed close to zero.

Therefore, they couldn’t draw a firm conclusion.

However, looking at the spicy crayfish before them, they truly felt that not even a Special Chef could replicate this flavor.

They couldn’t be certain, but that was the feeling they had.

Because this was truly a flavor delicious beyond imagination.

Eating such amazing spicy crayfish while drinking such exquisite wine was indeed a marvelous feeling.

Moreover, eating the crayfish with their bare hands, once they got over their initial hesitation, truly offered another kind of wonderful sensation.

It was vaguely reminiscent of a scene from a wuxia novel—the carefree satisfaction of drinking wine from large bowls and taking hearty bites of meat.

It was so satisfying!

At this moment, Jing Wenbo, Liang Shui, and Zhang Tian all felt utterly content.

They finally understood why Wei Yang had said earlier that the wonder of eating spicy crayfish wasn’t just about the flavor.

Eating here was just plain awesome!

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