I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 318: Chapter 300: Dragon Fruit and Cherokee Rose

What a line, ”We’re all used to it.”

Duan Canghong gave a thumbs-up. ’That was a smooth flex.’

Then he added, ”Cousin, I’ll treat tonight. Let’s go back and get Second Aunt and Second Uncle and have dinner here. What do you think?”

Lin Guodong said, ”That’s a great idea! But how could I let you treat? You’re all guests here. I’ll be the one to host.”

Duan Canghong said, ”If you’re the one hosting, we’ll feel too awkward to eat here. At your house, we’re guests. But here, we’re all customers. So, let me do it.”

Lin Guodong said, ”Once you’re on our turf, you’re the guest no matter where we eat. Otherwise, if I were to book a banquet at a hotel, wouldn’t that make us all guests with no host? So, cousin, there’s no need to argue. When we come to visit you, it won’t be too late for you to host then. If you really treat us tonight and word gets out, people will say I don’t know how to treat my guests. I can’t have that.”

Lin Guodong insisted on being the one to host.

After a moment of hesitation, Duan Canghong laughed and said, ”Alright then, I’ll let my cousin foot the bill tonight.”

Lin Guodong said, ”That’s how it should be.”

In truth, Duan Canghong and the others didn’t want Lin Guodong to spend money, as it made them feel a little awkward.

This was especially true for Duan Canghong, as he was the one who had suggested it.

But now that they knew everything here was exceptionally delicious, it would be a true shame to come all this way and not eat a proper meal.

’One should normally be frugal, but there’s nothing wrong with splurging on a good meal once in a while.’

Duan Canghong truly wanted to host, but since Lin Guodong had put it that way, he could only let him foot the bill.

’I’ll just have to find an opportunity to treat him back next time.’

Whether it was Duan Canghong or the others, they were all quite looking forward to dinner tonight.

Just then, Li You walked out of the shop and saw Lin Guodong and the others. He was slightly surprised and smiled. ”Uncle Guodong, when did you get here?”

Lin Guodong also smiled. ”We just arrived a little while ago. Xiaoyou, these are my guests for the day. After trying the three dishes I took home from here, they found them so delicious that they said they had to come see your place for themselves.”

’So that’s how it is.’

Li You said to Duan Canghong’s group, ”A warm welcome to all of you, Uncles. Please, come inside the shop and rest for a while.”

Duan Canghong and the others were all sizing up Li You, thinking to themselves, ’So he really is this young.’

’It’s hard to believe a young man like him could possess such incredible culinary skills.’

’And he’s so polite, too.’

Duan Canghong and the others all said, ”You’re too kind, Boss.”

Then, Duan Canghong added, ”Boss, we won’t go in just yet. We’d like to look around outside for a bit first. You’ve done a great job with this outdoor area.”

Li You said, ”Oh, not at all. I just sort of threw it all together. Please, feel free to look around, Uncles.”

Duan Canghong and the others nodded. ”Alright, alright. You go on and get busy, Boss. Don’t mind us.”

Lin Guodong also said, ”Xiaoyou, you get back to your work. We’ll just look around ourselves.”

Li You nodded. ”Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”

”Alright.”

Li You turned and went back into the shop, while Lin Guodong, Duan Canghong, and the others walked into the Hundred Fruit Garden.

You had to admit, building an orchard here was a great idea. It provided fruit to eat and also served as a scenic attraction.

’This must be one of its unique advantages over opening a shop in the city, right?’

Lin Guodong said, ”This orchard is called the Hundred Fruit Garden. The owner plans to plant one hundred different types of fruit trees.”

”One hundred types?”

Duan Canghong and the others were rather surprised. ’Can he really manage that many? After all, not every fruit tree is suited for this region’s climate.’

Lin Guodong said, ”It might be a bit difficult, but it’s not impossible. For the fruit trees that are suited to our climate, there’s no problem at all. He can plant whatever he wants. For those that aren’t quite as suitable, he can still give them a try. Just because others failed doesn’t mean the owner will fail, right?”

Duan Canghong nodded. ”That’s a good point. The trees will surely live. The key is whether they’ll bear fruit, and what the quality of that fruit will be.”

Lin Guodong smiled. ”Exactly.”

Duan Canghong added, ”I don’t see any Dragon Fruit here. I wonder if the owner would want any? If he does, I could sell some seedlings to him. For a cheap price, of course.”

Dragon Fruit?

Lin Guodong remembered something. ”You said before that you were planning to start a Dragon Fruit farm, specializing in growing them. Is it up and running now?”

Duan Canghong nodded. ”It is. But it’s still small-scale at the moment, only one mu. It’s still in the trial phase, you could say. I’m just testing the waters. If the returns are good, I’ll gradually expand.”

Lin Guodong said, ”One mu isn’t small. And it’s true, you shouldn’t start too big; it’s too expensive. As for the owner here... I’ll ask him. He’ll probably be interested.”

Duan Canghong nodded. ”Then please ask him, cousin.”

Lin Guodong said, ”I’ll go to the shop and see. If he isn’t busy, I’ll ask.”

...

「Inside the shop.」

”Dragon Fruit? Yes, of course!”

After hearing Lin Guodong’s proposal, Li You was completely on board.

He was actually thrilled.

Dragon Fruit was a very well-known fruit. Not only was it delicious, but it was also a fruit, flower bud, vegetable, and medicine all in one, making it highly valuable.

The Dragon Fruit flower is especially beautiful.

Not only is it extremely similar to the Queen of the Night flower, but it’s also larger. It has earned the nicknames ”King Flower” and ”Overlord Flower.”

Naturally, Li You was more than willing to plant such a fruit. It was already part of his plans for the orchard; he just hadn’t taken action yet.

Now someone was proactively offering to sell him Fire Dragon Fruit Seedlings. This was great news!

Li You couldn’t have been happier about the offer.

So, Li You continued, ”Uncle Guodong, I was already planning to plant Dragon Fruit. The fact that Uncle Duan has some is just perfect.”

Hearing this, Lin Guodong was also very pleased. ”Excellent. I’ll go get him, and you two can discuss the details.”

Li You said, ”I’m not busy right now. I’ll just go over with you.”

Lin Guodong nodded. ”That works too.”

The two of them left the restaurant, walked into the Hundred Fruit Garden, and made their way to where Duan Canghong and his group were standing.

Lin Guodong said, ”Cousin, Boss Li You is here. It’s a go. Boss Li You is happy to plant them.”

Duan Canghong was delighted to hear this and smiled. ”That’s wonderful that Boss Li You is interested in Dragon Fruit.”

Li You said, ”Dragon Fruit is well-known, nutritious, and delicious. Plus, its flowers are gorgeous. Of course I’m willing to plant them. It’s a stroke of luck for me that Uncle Duan has seedlings available.”

Duan Canghong said, ”The Dragon Fruit flower is indeed gorgeous, just as beautiful as the Queen of the Night. And you can even sell the flowers. If you have a good market, they can go for ten or twenty yuan per flower.”

Li You nodded. That was indeed true.

The Dragon Fruit flower was a health food that could be used for both culinary and medicinal purposes.

It can be eaten raw or cooked, and can also be processed and dried for preservation.

When eaten raw, it is crisp, smooth, fragrant, and sweet.

When cooked, it can be stir-fried, used in stews, or made into soup. These cooking methods create a rich aroma and retain its high nutritional value. It can help fight oxidation and aging, soften blood vessels, and protect the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems.

It is also excellent for cooking in hot pot or brewing as a tea.

It was perfectly normal for such a flower to sell for a good price.

Duan Canghong asked again, ”How many plants are you thinking of, Boss? Do you want the red-fleshed or white-fleshed variety?”

Li You said, ”Twenty plants should do it. Ten of the red-fleshed and ten of the white-fleshed.”

Duan Canghong nodded. ”No problem. I’ll deliver them tomorrow. I’ll select large seedlings of the highest quality. Once they’re planted, they should be able to flower and bear fruit this year. The flowering and fruiting season for Dragon Fruit is very long.”

Li You nodded; he was aware of this as well.

Dragon Fruit plants can bloom more than a dozen times a year. They can then produce fruit from April all the way through November or December, a period of almost ten months.

This fruiting period is definitely one of the longest among all fruits.

Dragon Fruit was indeed a fruit well worth cultivating.

”How much are you asking for them, Uncle Duan?” Li You felt this was a question he had to ask.

Duan Canghong mulled it over. ”I’ll be picking out large, high-quality seedlings. How does 20 yuan per plant sound, Boss?”

That price wasn’t expensive; one could even call it cheap.

Li You had no objections. ”No problem,” he said. ”Then I’ll have to trouble you to bring the seedlings over tomorrow, Uncle Duan.”

Duan Canghong nodded. ”Alright. After I deliver them tomorrow, you inspect the seedlings first, Boss. If you think they’re good enough and you’re satisfied, then you can pay. If you’re not satisfied, it’s no problem, I’ll exchange them.”

Li You smiled. ”I’m sure any seedlings chosen by Uncle Duan will be excellent. I’ll definitely be satisfied.”

Duan Canghong also smiled. ”I think you will be, Boss. Oh, by the way, Boss, we saw you have another garden over there. It seems to be filled with wild fruits. Is that area specifically for growing them?”

Li You nodded. ”That’s right. That’s the Wild Fruit Garden.”

Duan Canghong said, ”That’s a neat idea, quite interesting. The customers from the city will probably be very interested in a wild fruit garden.”

Li You nodded. ”That’s the idea. It’s supposed to be one of the restaurant’s special features.”

Duan Canghong said, ”A very good one. It’s just that you don’t have many varieties of wild fruit yet. We have a lot of Cherokee Rose plants where I’m from. Would you be interested, Boss? If so, I can dig one up and bring it along for you. It’s free, of course.”

Cherokee Rose?

Li You’s eyes lit up. ’That would be perfect!’

Cherokee Rose, also known by many other names like Ci Yu Zi, Ci Li Zi, Mountain Pomegranate, Pheasant Head, and Sugar Jar, is a type of wild fruit somewhat similar to the Roxburgh rose.

They are considered similar because they are related species, and both of their fruits are covered in thorns.

However, the differences are actually quite obvious.

The Roxburgh rose fruit is oblate, while the Cherokee Rose fruit is pear-shaped or obovoid. The shapes of the two are very different.

Cherokee Rose is primarily used for medicinal purposes. It has astringent effects that help control urination, stop bleeding and discharge, and relieve diarrhea. It’s often used for conditions like nocturnal emissions, frequent urination, and chronic diarrhea or dysentery.

But since it was a wild fruit, it was, of course, also edible. It tasted quite sweet and had a pleasant texture.

It’s precisely because of its sweet, candy-like taste and its jar-like shape that it earned the name ”Sugar Jar” in some regions.

Li You had a strong memory of this fruit.

This fruit grew in his area, but he hadn’t happened to find any yet. He figured that if he made a specific effort to search in the mountains, he could probably find some.

But now, since Duan Canghong was willing to dig one up for him, that was just fantastic!

Of course, Li You wasn’t going to refuse.

...