I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 214: Chapter 210: A Bighead Carp for You

Letting the brine simmer in the pot, Li You went to the field and started digging with Ling Xiaoru.

The land they cleared yesterday would add up to about two-tenths of a mu once they finished digging. Combined with the tenth of a mu they already had, the entire vegetable garden would be three-tenths of a mu.

That was already a considerable size.

While digging, Li You also kept an eye on the time.

After about an hour, he returned to the kitchen.

By this time, the brine had finished simmering. It was ready for braising.

Li You put in 30 chickens and 500 chicken feet.

The braising began.

Then he went back to the fields to continue digging.

They kept digging like this until 11 a.m., when the two of them finally finished all the land.

Looking at the large stretch of newly tilled land, both of them felt a great sense of accomplishment.

”Boss, what vegetables are you planning to plant?” Ling Xiaoru asked.

Li You said, ”Maybe edamame, peas, celtuce, cauliflower, and okra.”

”Okra?” Ling Xiaoru’s eyes lit up. ”Boss, you’re going to plant okra? That’s great! I love okra. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also highly nutritious. It’s earned the nickname ’king of vegetables’.”

Li You said, ”You think okra is delicious? A lot of people would definitely argue with you about that. To many, okra is one of the worst-tasting vegetables out there.”

Ling Xiaoru said, ”I know about that. Okra often makes the list of worst-tasting vegetables. But I really do think it’s delicious. The texture is so smooth and unique. What about you, Boss? Do you like it?”

Li You said, ”I think it’s alright. I can’t say I love it, but I don’t think it’s bad either. But it’s true that okra is very nutritious. It’s good to eat more of it.”

Ling Xiaoru said, ”So, Boss, you should plant a lot of okra. Very few people grow it around here. You rarely see anyone selling it at the market.”

Li You nodded. ”No problem, I’ll plant some more.”

”That’s great!” Ling Xiaoru was very happy.

Just then, someone arrived. It was Lin Guodong from Taoshan Village.

Lin Guodong was carrying a fish. It was quite large, probably five or six pounds. It looked like a bighead carp.

Li You’s eyes lit up. He was most interested in bighead carp right now.

Because he had drawn the ”Chopped Pepper Fish Head” recipe in yesterday’s lottery.

’Why would Uncle Guodong bring over a bighead carp?’

Just as Li You was wondering, he heard Lin Guodong call out with a laugh from a distance, ”Xiaoyou, I’m bringing you a fish.”

’So it’s a gift for me.’

Li You quickly went to greet him.

As he got closer, a notification appeared.

Ingredient: Bighead Carp

Quality: Medium

’It’s actually medium quality?’ Li You was both surprised and delighted. He quickly asked, ”Uncle Guodong, where did you get such a big bighead carp?”

Lin Guodong said, ”We caught it in the reservoir by our old family house. Lao Zhang and I went fishing together. We caught three, so we decided to bring one over for you.”

’So it’s a wild bighead carp from a large reservoir. No wonder it’s medium quality.’

’It’s just a shame that I can’t get these bighead carp in large quantities.’

’Otherwise, the ”fish head” ingredient for the Chopped Pepper Fish Head would be sorted.’

’Of course, even though I can’t get them in bulk, just having this one is still a happy occasion.’

So, Li You didn’t refuse. He took the fish and said with a smile, ”Then thank you very much, Uncle Guodong, and Uncle Zhang too. This fish is sure to be delicious.”

Lin Guodong nodded. ”This fish is definitely delicious. Much tastier than the farmed bighead carp they sell at the market. That’s why we brought it over for you. If it was just a farmed one from a weir pond, we wouldn’t have bothered bringing it, because there’s nothing special about that.”

Li You thanked him again. ”Uncle Guodong, thank you both so much. To think of me even when you’re out fishing, and to bring it all this way for me.”

Lin Guodong waved his hand. ”We’re the ones who should be thanking you. When we sell you our crayfish, vegetables, and eggs, you always give us a very good price. Everyone in our village is very grateful.”

Li You said, ”I’m just giving you the normal market price. Uncle Guodong, wait a moment. Let me get you a jug of wine to take back and...”

Before he could finish, Lin Guodong waved his hands repeatedly, saying, ”No, no. It’s just a bighead carp, it’s not worth much. Alright, Xiaoyou, I’m heading back. After I get back and have lunch, we’re going fishing again this afternoon. We’ll see if we have any more luck then.”

As he spoke, he turned and walked quickly toward the parking lot.

His motorcycle was parked there.

Seeing Lin Guodong walk off so quickly, Li You gave a helpless smile. Holding the fish, he said to Ling Xiaoru, ”We’ll eat this fish for lunch today. But only the body. We’ll save the head, and some other day, I’ll get some chopped peppers and make Chopped Pepper Fish Head.”

”Okay!” Ling Xiaoru said. ”Bighead carp is indeed perfect for making Chopped Pepper Fish Head. Are you planning to make the chopped peppers yourself, Boss?”

Li You said, ”The method for making chopped peppers is simple. But it needs to pickle for at least a week or so, which is time-consuming. I’ll see if I can buy good quality chopped peppers at the market first. If I really can’t find any, then I’ll make them myself.”

Ling Xiaoru nodded. ”That works too. To make chopped peppers, don’t you just mince some Thai chilies, add minced garlic, minced aged ginger, white liquor, and salt, mix it all up, then put it in a sealed jar and let it sit for about a week?”

Li You nodded. ”That’s right. The method is very simple.”

Ling Xiaoru said, ”I know the method, but I’ve never actually made it. I’ll buy some Thai chilies another day and give it a try.”

Li You smiled. ”Go for it! Chopped peppers are delicious with rice.”

Ling Xiaoru nodded.

The two of them talked as they walked back to the restaurant. Li You handed the bighead carp to Da Bai and told him to kill and clean the fish, keeping the head whole and slicing the meat from the body.

He planned to make a simple Sichuan-style boiled fish for lunch with Ling Xiaoru today.

Even though he didn’t have a specific recipe for it, with his current culinary skills, he could still make the boiled fish taste delicious.

It was just that he wouldn’t officially add any dish to the menu for which he hadn’t obtained a recipe.

At this time, customers started arriving for lunch.

Li You went into the kitchen and got busy.

Around one in the afternoon, during a lull in customers, Li You finished making the simple Sichuan-style boiled fish.

He only used the meat from the fish’s body. As for the head, it was stored in the Storage Pavilion for later use.

After it was done, he picked up a piece of fish to taste. The flavor was quite good.

He brought the fish to a dining table and said to Ling Xiaoru, ”Time to eat.”

Ling Xiaoru answered in affirmation.

They wouldn’t be drinking today. Just fish and rice.

After eating a piece of the fish, Ling Xiaoru exclaimed how delicious it was. ”This fish is delicious on its own, but it’s even better after you cooked it, Boss.”

Li You smiled. ”Then eat up. We have to finish all this fish for lunch today.”

Ling Xiaoru nodded. ”Okay. We can definitely finish it.”

At this moment, the other customers eating in the restaurant naturally noticed the two of them were having Sichuan-style boiled fish.

”Boss, your boiled fish looks delicious too. Why don’t you officially add it to the menu?”

”Yeah! Boss. We want to eat boiled fish too.”

...

The customers all urged Li You to offer the boiled fish.

Li You smiled and said, ”I’m still working on the recipe for the boiled fish; I haven’t perfected the flavor yet. Please be patient. Once I’ve achieved the best possible taste, I’ll officially add it to the menu.”

So that was the reason.

The customers all nodded, saying it was no wonder the boss’s dishes were all so delicious; it was because the boss held himself to such high standards.

Ling Xiaoru, however, said, ”Boss, I think it’s already delicious! You could totally add it to the menu now!”

Li You shook his head. ”It’s not enough. It should be even more delicious.”

After hearing this, Ling Xiaoru nodded slowly, understanding more clearly in her heart why everything Li You made was so delicious.

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