I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 312: Chapter 295: A Soft-shelled Turtle, It’s a Soft-shelled Turtle

Yes, and no.

That was the answer given by the customers who were already here.

Then, without keeping them in suspense, they explained what had happened earlier.

The new customers, including Deng Luping, Zhao Yu, Xie Hai, Yang Zheng, and other shop owners from the town market, were all pleasantly surprised.

Even if they could only have a taste, it was enough.

This was truly great news. They had arrived at just the right time—their luck was excellent.

The new customers all laughed heartily, saying their luck was indeed great. They also commented that the owner had caught eight mandarin fish in a single morning, which seemed to suggest the canyon’s fish population was quite healthy.

”The mandarin fish population in the canyon is definitely good. But if you want to catch them, your method is also important. The owner’s fishing skills seem top-notch,” one customer remarked.

The other customers nodded in agreement.

They all chatted enthusiastically about mandarin fish, everyone in high spirits.

After a while, guessing that the steamed mandarin fish should be ready soon, they all walked into the restaurant together.

Just a moment after stepping inside, they saw Li You emerging from the kitchen with a plate of steamed mandarin fish.

Just as they had guessed.

They could finally eat the steamed mandarin fish.

All the customers grew even more expectant.

Following Li You, Da Bai and Xiaohai brought out the remaining steamed mandarin fish one after another.

The eight steamed mandarin fish, lined up in a row, looked incredibly tempting.

Li You said, ”Everyone, please have a taste. If you have any issues or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to speak up.”

This was just what the customers had been waiting for. They all thanked Li You again, finally saying they wouldn’t stand on ceremony.

Then, they all picked up their chopsticks and, one by one, took a piece of fish to eat.

Li You, of course, had some himself.

Today’s steamed mandarin fish was made after he had mastered the Steamed Fish Recipe. He wanted to see how much more delicious it was compared to the one from last night.

The result was quickly apparent. It was far, far more delicious.

If last night’s steamed mandarin fish was already delicious, then this one was a taste of heaven.

This was both a pleasant surprise and completely expected.

After all, every recipe allowed Li You to create the most exquisite flavors in the world.

Last night’s was merely at the level of a regular chef, a far cry from the world’s most exquisite.

As for the customers, without last night’s fish for comparison, all they knew was that Li You’s steamed mandarin fish was just as they had imagined: incomparably delicious.

This fresh, savory flavor was simply beyond words. Only by tasting it firsthand could one know just how delicious it truly was.

The owner had simply brought the flavor of mandarin fish to its absolute peak.

Only in the owner’s hands could an ingredient like mandarin fish reveal its ultimate flavor.

The owner’s dishes were truly always full of surprises.

The customers were all moved and filled with emotion.

Then they continued eating. Although there were many people and few fish, everyone still managed to get a few bites.

Soon, all eight mandarin fish had been eaten clean.

Everyone felt they hadn’t had their fill, yet they were also deeply satisfied.

Even a tiny bite of such top-quality steamed mandarin fish was enough to leave one feeling content.

Today was an incredibly lucky day!

At that moment, someone who had eaten mandarin fish before said, ”I’ve had steamed mandarin fish in the past, and I thought it was delicious. But now, all I can say is that what I had before was completely ordinary.”

”This is what they call ’no comparison, no pain.’ Steamed mandarin fish from other places naturally can’t hold a candle to the owner’s.”

Meanwhile, those who had never eaten mandarin fish before remarked, ”It’s a bit of a shame I’ve never had mandarin fish before. I can’t compare the taste of this one to any I’ve had in the past. Still, having the owner’s as my very first taste of mandarin fish seems pretty great, too.”

Everyone who had never tried mandarin fish before agreed with this sentiment.

Chu Yiwei felt the same way.

Afterward, a customer asked Li You, ”Boss, when are you going to officially add steamed mandarin fish to the menu?”

This was the question all the other customers wanted to ask as well.

They had originally thought that after tasting Li You’s steamed mandarin fish, they would be able to calm down and wouldn’t be so desperate for him to add it to the menu.

After all, they already knew what his steamed mandarin fish tasted like.

But the reality was the exact opposite. Now, they were even more eager for Li You to release the dish soon.

The reason was, again, because they now knew what his steamed mandarin fish tasted like.

Li You smiled and said, ”I’ll try to release it as soon as possible.”

”You really have to make it soon, Boss. Today’s steamed mandarin fish has gotten us hooked.”

”Exactly, Boss. We’re already addicted. You have to release it soon.”

The customers all chimed in.

Li You nodded. ”No problem. I’ll definitely release it soon.”

Only then did the customers nod in satisfaction and resume their conversation about mandarin fish.

Li You, on the other hand, went into the kitchen to get busy. He had to start making the other dishes the customers had ordered.

After he’d been busy for a while, Chu Yiwei came to the kitchen doorway, poked her head in, and asked, ”Boss, are you going to fish for mandarin fish again this afternoon?”

Li You replied, ”I probably will. Teacher Chu, are you interested in fishing for them?”

Chu Yiwei nodded. ”I don’t have class this afternoon. If you’re going fishing again, I’d like to tag along and watch.”

Li You said, ”Of course! Then let’s go this afternoon. Are you finished eating?”

Chu Yiwei nodded. ”I’m done.”

Li You added, ”Then why don’t you go upstairs and rest for a bit? I’ll come get you when I’m finished here.”

”Okay, I’ll head upstairs then.”

”Go on.”

Chu Yiwei left, and Li You continued with his work.

In the middle of it all, he took a moment to stir-fry some mapo tofu for himself and had his meal.

He worked until two-thirty in the afternoon, when the last group of customers finished eating and left.

It was time to go fishing.

He went upstairs to get Chu Yiwei.

When he got to the second floor, Chu Yiwei was lying on the sofa playing on her phone. Seeing Li You come up, she sat up and asked, ”Are you all done?”

Li You nodded. ”Let’s go. Time to fish for mandarin fish.”

”Alright!” Chu Yiwei stood up, delighted.

”By the way, do you want to fish?” Li You asked.

Chu Yiwei shook her head. ”I won’t. I don’t like fishing, and I don’t know how. I mainly just want to see how a mandarin fish is caught. I’ve never seen anyone catch one before.”

Li You smiled. ”Then let’s go.”

”Okay.”

The two of them went downstairs.

Li You grabbed his fishing rod and picked up the bucket. Then, they set off for the canyon.

There were still quite a few leftover shrimp in the bucket from the morning.

「On the way.」

”Boss, are you using these shrimp as bait?” Chu Yiwei asked.

Li You nodded. ”That’s right! Mandarin fish are fierce, carnivorous fish. They love eating small fish and shrimp.”

Chu Yiwei asked again, ”Did you catch these shrimp in a ground cage?”

Li You nodded. ”The one I keep in the canyon.”

Chu Yiwei said, ”Oh, I know that one. I picked it up last time to see the catch inside. It felt like the cage was a bit broken.”

Li You said, ”It is a little broken. I’ll make a new one another day.”

Chu Yiwei said, ”That’s a good idea.”

The two chatted as they walked. Before long, they arrived at the canyon.

They went straight to the same spot from the morning.

Once there, Li You said, ”This is the place. I was fishing here this morning, and I’ll fish here again this afternoon.”

Chu Yiwei nodded, looking at the water’s surface. ”The water here isn’t very deep.”

Li You said, ”Only at the edges. It gets very deep in the middle. To catch mandarin fish, you need a spot like this, where the water isn’t too deep and the bottom is covered in rocks.”

Chu Yiwei nodded again and added, ”I feel like there should be soft-shelled turtles in a place like this, too.”

Li You said, ”There should be. Soft-shelled turtles eat shrimp, too. Let’s see if we can catch one this afternoon. Wild soft-shelled turtles are also a delicacy.”

Chu Yiwei said, ”I saw someone selling wild soft-shelled turtles at the market last time. They were selling for 100 yuan a pound.”

Li You said, ”100 yuan a pound is about right for the town. If you took it to the county or the city to sell, you could get two or three hundred yuan a pound.”

Chu Yiwei said, ”It’s definitely more expensive in the county and the city.”

As they were talking, Li You had already prepared his rod and started baiting the hook with a shrimp.

Chu Yiwei watched with wide eyes.

After hooking the shrimp, Li You let the sinker carry it into the water.

Chu Yiwei said, ”The shrimp is still alive. You just fish like that?”

Li You said, ”You’re supposed to keep it alive. It’s more effective at luring the mandarin fish to bite.”

Chu Yiwei nodded. ”I get it.”

Then, she saw Li You periodically lifting his rod and remarked, ”So this is how you fish for mandarin fish. It seems like the float doesn’t have a purpose, does it?”

Li You nodded. ”You don’t use a float when fishing for mandarin fish.”

Chu Yiwei said, ”It really is different from catching other fish.”

’When will a mandarin fish bite?’

Chu Yiwei was full of anticipation.

A few minutes later, she heard Li You exclaim happily, ”Got one.”

Then she saw him grip the rod tightly and pull upward with force.

Chu Yiwei was thrilled, her eyes wide as she stared at the water, eagerly awaiting the moment the mandarin fish would be pulled from its surface.

But Li You added, ”It’s heavy. Doesn’t feel like a mandarin fish. It might be a soft-shelled turtle.”

’A soft-shelled turtle?’

Chu Yiwei was still delighted. A soft-shelled turtle would be great, too!

She had never seen anyone catch a soft-shelled turtle, either. She only knew it was possible to fish for them.

’So, is it a mandarin fish? Or a soft-shelled turtle?’

Chu Yiwei’s anticipation grew even stronger.

Li You was also very expectant. ’Could the first catch of the afternoon really be a soft-shelled turtle?’

That was an even more pleasant surprise than a mandarin fish.

After all, he had already caught eight mandarin fish this morning and hadn’t hooked a single turtle yet.

The fishing line was pulled from the water, inch by inch.

Slowly, it came into view. The thing that had bitten the hook—or rather, been snagged by it—had a pointed head and a long neck.

It was indeed a soft-shelled turtle.

Chu Yiwei exclaimed excitedly, ”A soft-shelled turtle! Boss, it’s really a soft-shelled turtle!”

Li You himself was also thrilled. To start the afternoon with a soft-shelled turtle was a huge surprise.

And it wasn’t a small one, either—at least two pounds or so.

Soft-shelled turtles don’t struggle much, making them much easier to reel in than other fish.

Li You didn’t have to exert much effort to pull the turtle straight out of the water.

A beautiful catch!

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