I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 334: Chapter 316: This Steamed Sea Bass Is Too Delicious

Li You understood after listening to Liu Jialiang.

’Taoyuan Village?’

Ling Xiaoru seemed to be from Taoyuan Village. It was in the opposite direction from Wenxian Town, about 10 kilometers from here.

Then, Li You opened the bag. The two fish inside were indeed spotted sea bass.

There are many varieties of perch and bass. Common ones include the spotted sea bass, also known as the Japanese sea bass, as well as the Songjiang Perch, largemouth bass, and river perch.

When people normally talk about sea bass, they’re usually referring to the spotted sea bass.

”Ingredient: Spotted Sea Bass.

Quality: Inferior.”

’Inferior quality. It must be farm-raised.’

Of course, even if it was farm-raised, the meat would still be relatively tender. Prepared well, it would still be delicious.

The two fish were about the same size, both around one and a half jin. They looked quite nice.

Li You smiled. ”Uncle Jialiang, while sea bass is best when steamed, that’s not the only way to cook it. You can also have it braised in soy sauce, sweet and sour, in a sour soup, and so on. If you don’t like steamed fish, you can make a home-style braised version. So, Uncle Jialiang, you should take them back and eat them.”

Liu Jialiang said, ”Can you braise this fish too? To be honest, we’ve never bought this kind of fish to eat, and we’ve never cooked it. We’ve only had it at banquets, and it’s always been steamed. We don’t really like it. Xiaoyou, you should take it. Even if you can braise it, I wouldn’t know how to cook it if I took it back. I’ve never made it before.”

At this moment, many of the surrounding customers gathered around.

”Those two sea bass are quite beautiful. This size is perfect for steaming. If it’s steamed well, it’s really delicious.”

”I think steamed sea bass is delicious too. Uncle, if you think steamed sea bass isn’t good, it’s probably because the chefs didn’t cook it well.”

”The boss’s steamed sea bass would definitely be delicious.”

”...”

The customers were all very interested in the two sea bass and began discussing ways to cook them.

Li You thought for a moment and said, ”Uncle Jialiang, how about this? We’ll each take one of the sea bass. I’ll go steam one right now, and you can take it back to eat with Grandpa Liu and the others. You can all try my steamed sea bass and see what you think. How does that sound?”

”Well...”

Liu Jialiang hesitated for a moment, then smiled. ”Alright then. We’ll try your steamed sea bass. Xiaoyou, thank you.”

Li You said, ”Uncle Jialiang, you’re too kind. I should be the one thanking you for bringing me the sea bass. Uncle Jialiang, have a seat for a while. I’ll go steam it now.”

Liu Jialiang said, ”I’ll watch them play games for a bit.”

Li You smiled. ”Uncle Jialiang, you’re interested in these games too?”

Liu Jialiang replied, ”These games were very popular when I was young. I never really played them, but I saw them around a lot.”

Li You nodded. ”Alright, Uncle Jialiang, you can watch for a bit. I’m heading to the kitchen.”

”Okay.”

Li You walked into the shop carrying the two sea bass just as Ling Xiaoru and Chu Yiwei were coming down the stairs.

They hadn’t left yet.

”Boss, what are you carrying?” both of them asked.

”Sea bass,” Li You said. ”We’re having steamed sea bass tonight.”

Li You was planning to treat Ling Xiaoru and Chu Yiwei to dinner again tonight.

This was because the two of them had helped out all morning.

He had originally planned to treat Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye as well, but they had to return to school with their classmates. He would have to find another chance to treat them next time.

Hearing it was sea bass, both Ling Xiaoru and Chu Yiwei were intrigued.

They both walked over and said, ”Let us see.”

Li You opened the bag. Both girls peered inside.

”The sea bass look quite nice. Sea bass is a type of ocean fish, right?” Ling Xiaoru asked.

Li You said, ”This kind, the spotted sea bass, is indeed a saltwater fish. However, it can also live in freshwater. There are also freshwater types, like the river perch. But when we say ’sea bass,’ we’re usually referring to the spotted sea bass, like these two I have here.”

Ling Xiaoru nodded.

Then, Chu Yiwei added, ”Isn’t there also a famous type called the Songjiang Perch? Is there a difference between the Songjiang Perch and this kind of sea bass?”

Li You said, ”The difference is huge. The Songjiang Perch isn’t actually a type of perch or bass. It has no real relation to what we usually call sea bass, the spotted sea bass. They’re two completely different species of fish. Their appearances are also very different. Besides, the Songjiang Perch is one of our Four Great Famous Fish, so its reputation is much greater.”

”Huh?” Chu Yiwei was very surprised. ”The Songjiang Perch is different from a regular sea bass? I always thought they were the same. I just figured that since it lived in the Song River, people called it the Songjiang Perch.”

Li You said, ”They really are different. They’re not related. You can tell just by looking at them; their appearances are completely different.”

”What does a Songjiang Perch look like? I don’t think I’ve ever known,” Chu Yiwei said, a bit embarrassed.

Li You smiled. ”It’s normal not to know.”

”Boss, where did you get these two sea bass?” Ling Xiaoru asked.

Li You then told her how Liu Jialiang had brought the sea bass over. Finally, he asked Ling Xiaoru, ”Is your home in Taoyuan Village?”

Ling Xiaoru nodded. ”That’s right. Have you been there, Boss?”

Li You shook his head. ”No. I’ll go have a look when I get the chance.”

”Okay!” Ling Xiaoru was very happy. ”You’re welcome to visit anytime, Boss.”

Li You nodded. Then he went into the kitchen and started to make the steamed sea bass.

He had mastered the recipe for steamed fish, so naturally, he could make the most perfect steamed sea bass.

Even an inferior quality sea bass could be made exceptionally delicious.

A short while later, the steamed sea bass was ready. Li You packed it into a takeout container.

Carrying the container, he walked out the door and over to the arcade game area.

Liu Jialiang was still there, watching the customers play games with great interest.

”Uncle Jialiang, it’s ready.” Li You handed the packed steamed sea bass to Liu Jialiang.

Liu Jialiang took it and thanked him again. ”Xiaoyou, thank you so much.”

Li You said, ”I should be the one thanking you, Uncle Jialiang.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Liu Jialiang left with the steamed sea bass.

After Liu Jialiang left, a customer asked, ”Boss, when are you going to add steamed sea bass to the menu? We want to eat your steamed sea bass too!”

”Yeah, yeah, we all want to try it. The boss’s steamed sea bass must be incredibly delicious.”

”...”

The customers all chimed in, saying they also wanted to eat steamed sea bass.

Li You smiled. ”I’m already looking for the ingredients. Once I find some I’m satisfied with, I’ll add it to the menu. That includes the mandarin fish from before, too. Please just wait a little longer; it shouldn’t be more than a few days.”

The customers all nodded. A few days’ wait was fine.

After that, Li You continued to watch the customers play games.

Time slowly passed. At five in the afternoon, customers started ordering dinner.

They had been playing here all day, so they figured they would eat an early dinner and head back.

Li You went into the kitchen and began a new round of work.

Soon after, more and more customers came into the shop to order food. Besides the ones who had been there all day, there were, of course, new arrivals.

Time passed again, and it was soon seven in the evening. Many customers had already finished eating and left, but the main hall was still full.

There were even people lining up, waiting for a table.

’I really need to go buy some more tables and chairs,’ Li You thought.

When the shop was full, he could put the tables and chairs outside. That way, he wouldn’t have to worry no matter how many customers showed up.

Even though yesterday, today, and even now, some customers still chose to sit on the ground outside, that was ultimately just something to experience once in a while. He couldn’t just have customers sitting on the ground all the time, right?

It wasn’t often that customers had to wait for tables, but it was always better to be prepared.

’I’ll go look for some in the next couple of days.’

Just then, his phone rang. It was Liu Jialiang.

’They must be eating now.’

Li You answered the call.

”Xiaoyou, it’s delicious! Absolutely delicious! This steamed sea bass you made is amazing. We all love it. It’s so much better than the steamed sea bass we’ve had at banquets before.”

Even through the phone, Li You could feel Liu Jialiang’s unrestrained surprise and joy.

Li You wasn’t surprised. He smiled and said, ”Uncle Jialiang, I’m glad you all like it.”

”Like it? We love it! Absolutely love it! Xiaoyou, the skills of those banquet chefs are nothing compared to yours,” Liu Jialiang added.

Li You said, ”You can’t really say that. I’m just particularly good at steamed sea bass. There are other dishes at banquets that those chefs probably make better than I do.”

Liu Jialiang said, ”Xiaoyou, you’re too modest. From what I can tell, you’re much more skilled than they are. Xiaoyou, you must be busy right now, so I won’t disturb you. I just wanted to thank you again.”

Li You replied, ”Uncle Jialiang, you’re being too formal.”

Liu Jialiang laughed. ”Alright, alright, I won’t be so formal then. Xiaoyou, get back to work. I won’t bother you.”

”Okay.”

Li You was very happy that Liu Jialiang’s whole family had enjoyed the fish.

For a chef, the greatest joy was when others thought their food was delicious.

「Meanwhile, in Changle Village.」

The Liu family, who were in the middle of their meal, were indeed all thoroughly surprised.

They had never really liked steamed fish, including steamed sea bass. They always felt that aside from being a little salty, it didn’t have much other flavor.

They believed that to be tasty, fish had to be braised or cooked in some other rich sauce.

But now they knew. The reason they’d disliked steamed fish before was simply because the fish they’d had wasn’t cooked well.

Or perhaps it wasn’t that the fish wasn’t tasty. Many people certainly found it delicious. It was just that their own standards for the flavor of steamed fish were... how to put it? A bit particular, which was why they didn’t enjoy it.

However, it was certain that those other steamed fish weren’t *truly* delicious.

Because a truly delicious steamed fish, like the one Li You had made, would be considered incredibly tasty even by people with very particular standards, like them.

So, in the end, it all came down to flavor.

’So steamed sea bass can be this delicious. Xiaoyou really is much more skilled than those banquet chefs.’

If his steamed sea bass was this good, his other steamed fish dishes were probably just as amazing.

’He’s incredible!’

Grandpa Liu remarked with emotion, ”The food Xiaoyou makes is just too delicious. If someone hosting a banquet could hire him as the chef... even if he didn’t cook all the dishes, just one or two... the guests would be singing his praises after tasting them. The host would look so good.”

Liu Jialiang nodded. He completely agreed with his father.

...