I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 205: Chapter 201: Do You Want to Buy Grapes?

However, while no one asked which master had painted it, they did ask if their initial guess was correct.

”Boss, did you commission someone to paint this? It’s incredibly well done!”

Li You shook his head. ”No. Master Guyi painted this on a whim when he was here for a meal a couple of days ago.”

Li You said it nonchalantly, but to Wei Ping, Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and everyone else listening, his words struck like a clap of thunder from a clear blue sky.

Even though they knew Li You wasn’t one to boast, they still couldn’t believe their ears.

’Master Guyi came here to eat?’

’Master Guyi actually came here to eat?’

’It was truly unbelievable!’

”Boss, was it really Master Guyi? Did Master Guyi truly come here for a meal?”

Even though they knew Li You must be telling the truth, many people couldn’t help but ask for confirmation again.

Li You nodded, then briefly explained why Master Guyi came to the restaurant and what had happened during his visit.

At first, Wei Ping, Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and everyone else grew more and more astonished and incredulous as they listened. But by the end of the story, it somehow seemed to make perfect sense.

Master Guyi might have an incredibly high status, but he also had a fondness for fine food and wine.

And since this place had the most delicious food and the best wine in the world, it was only natural that Master Guyi would find his way here.

Of course, this also proved just how incredibly delicious the food here was. Even someone like Master Guyi had sought this place out, despite its remote location, all for a bowl of salty braised pork belly.

It sounded unbelievable that a single bowl of salty braised pork belly could attract the renowned Master Guyi.

But for anyone who had tasted the salty braised pork belly here, it seemed perfectly normal.

So in the end, Wei Ping, Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and all the others felt it wasn’t so surprising after all. They were simply filled with emotion, and at the same time, felt thrilled and excited for Li You’s restaurant.

They were all from Changxi County, so they shared in the honor.

Then they went back to admiring the painting on the wall.

’To think it’s actually a piece by Master Guyi.’

It was truly worthy of being a work by Master Guyi; even laymen like them could tell at a glance that the painting was extraordinary.

They had heard that no new works by Master Guyi had appeared in nearly ten years. In that case, this painting had to be the only one to have been released to the public in the last decade.

’Its value is probably unimaginable.’

”How much do you think it would sell for at auction?”

”I don’t know. But at least ten million, for starters.”

”I’d guess at least several tens of millions. Even a hundred million wouldn’t be out of the question. A small goal, achieved just like that.”

”The boss struck it rich!”

”...”

The more everyone talked, the more emotional and excited they became.

Then someone asked, ”Boss, can we take pictures?”

Li You nodded. ”Of course!”

Everyone took out their phones and started taking pictures.

After taking pictures, someone posted a photo to Liu Xu’s food group and wrote: ”A new painting just hung up at the boss’s restaurant. Everyone, come and guess who the artist is!”

There were over three hundred people in the group, but only a small fraction of them had come today.

When the photo was posted in the group, many of the members who hadn’t come today surfaced.

Including Jiang Caidong.

Jiang Caidong commented: ”That’s a painting of Jiulong Gorge. Did Boss Li specially commission it? That’s a great idea! The painting is really well done, a very high level of skill. As for who painted it? I could never guess.”

”Since you’re asking like that, it’s probably by a famous artist. But even if it is, we wouldn’t be able to guess. We don’t know anything about the Art World.”

”Whoever painted it, it’s definitely very good.”

”...”

The people in the group weren’t very interested in guessing.

Since they didn’t know anything about the Art World, there was no way for them to guess.

And if they couldn’t guess, they naturally weren’t very interested.

However, the customers at the restaurant were about to make them interested.

”We know you’re not familiar with the Art World. But you definitely know the artist of this painting. So just go ahead and make a bold guess. Don’t think it’s impossible. Because at the boss’s restaurant, anything unbelievable can happen.”

Seeing this, the people in the group were all a little stunned.

Because the message seemed to be hinting at an unbelievable answer.

If there was one person in the Art World they would definitely know, it could only be the contemporary Painting Saint, Guyi.

’This painting is a work by Guyi?’

’That’s impossible, right?’

Even though the customers at the scene told them not to find it unbelievable and to just guess boldly, they still found it unbelievable.

”Don’t tell me it’s a work by Master Guyi. That’s too outrageous! It’s completely impossible.”

”If it were a work by Master Guyi, wouldn’t that cause a huge sensation?”

”...”

”Hahaha! It really is a work by Master Guyi. He painted it on a whim when he came to the restaurant for a meal and then gifted it to the boss.”

Everyone in the group, including Jiang Caidong, was completely shocked and couldn’t believe it.

’Master Guyi went to Boss Li’s restaurant for a meal?’

’This can’t be real, can it?’

”Why couldn’t it be real? Everyone’s probably heard that Master Guyi loves fine food and wine, right? And the boss here has the best food and wine, so isn’t it perfectly normal for Master Guyi to come?”

’Put that way... it does make some sense.’

But the key question was, how did Master Guyi find out about Boss Li’s restaurant?

”Well... it was because of a bowl of salty braised pork belly.”

”A bowl of salty braised pork belly?”

”Yes, a bowl of salty braised pork belly. This is what happened...”

One of the customers at the scene explained why Master Guyi had gone to Li You Restaurant.

The people in the group were amazed and filled with emotion. Boss Li’s restaurant was getting more and more incredible.

Even Master Guyi had been drawn there by its reputation, and he’d even painted a picture on the spot to give to Boss Li.

That was a painting of extremely high value!

Boss Li had struck it rich!

And besides, the value of the event itself—Master Guyi visiting the restaurant and leaving behind a painting—was even greater than the value of the painting.

This event would surely be talked about with great relish by countless people in the future.

It might even become a celebrated story, passed down through the Art World, the culinary world, the world of gastronomy, and many other fields.

Boss Li’s restaurant might just become a legendary establishment.

Also, now that Guyi had visited, it would be perfectly normal for other famous figures and big shots to go in the future. There would be no need to be so surprised anymore.

Boss Li’s restaurant was becoming more and more amazing. It might even become the most famous restaurant in the entire country one day.

Wait a minute... if it really reached that stage, then they, the members of this group, would also share in the glory!

Because Boss Li, like them, was from Changxi County. And his restaurant was located within Changxi County as well.

’Pride. This is something to be proud of!’

At this thought, everyone in the group, including Jiang Caidong, became excited all over again.

And this time, their excitement was completely different from before.

’We hope that day truly comes.’

Meanwhile, back at Jiulong Gorge Restaurant, Wei Ping, Liu Xu, Xiao Yue, Zhang Rui’Er, and the others, after admiring the painting for a while longer, started eating the braised chicken again.

Da Bai, of course, had already finished cutting up all 20 braised chickens.

The braised chicken was also unbelievably delicious the moment it entered their mouths.

’There’s no mistaking it.’

’This is absolutely the best braised chicken in the world.’

If Master Guyi had tasted this braised chicken before he’d had that bowl of salty braised pork belly, he surely would have come for the chicken instead.

They were so lucky to be able to eat such delicious braised chicken.

The boss had been worried they wouldn’t be able to finish 20 braised chickens. Now, all they wanted to say was that they could easily devour another 20.

Seeing everyone eating so happily, Li You was also very happy.

He returned to the kitchen and took out some plums that had just been picked that morning from the Storage Pavilion.

After washing them, he arranged them on two plates.

Carrying the plates out of the kitchen, he said, ”If you’re starting to feel a bit full from the rich food, come have some plums. They were just picked this morning, so they’re very fresh.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up when they saw the plums.

They knew the boss’s plums were exceptionally good.

They had tried them last week.

Liu Xu laughed. ”Even if we ate tons of this braised chicken, we’d never get tired of it. But we definitely have to eat the boss’s plums too.”

”Haha! Exactly. The boss’s plums are a must-eat. Thanks, Boss, we won’t be shy then!”

”Finally, we get to eat some truly good plums again.”

”...”

The customers all expressed similar sentiments.

Then, Xiao Yue added, ”By the way, Boss, does Uncle Jialiang have any more plums to sell? If so, I’d like to buy some more. The ten pounds I bought last time were gone in two days. They were just too delicious. I want to buy more this time. Twenty pounds.”

”Me too. I want to buy some more as well. I went to the market the day before yesterday and couldn’t find any that tasted nearly as good.”

”If there are more, I’ll take twenty pounds too.”

”I’d like to buy some more too.”

”...”

Many of the customers said they also wanted to buy more.

An idea sparked in Li You’s mind. He said, ”There are still plums available. Even if Uncle Jialiang is out, other families in the village have them, and they’re all very good. Besides plums, would any of you be interested in buying grapes? Summer Black grapes.”

...