I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 347: Chapter 326: Building a Fish Pond to Show Off the Big Crab

Ling Xiaoru took the peaches and left.

This time, she was really heading back to work.

After Ling Xiaoru left, Li You put the fish and crabs from the bucket into the Spatial Fish Pond.

He also placed the largest mountain crab into the Spatial Fish Pond for the time being. He would move it into the outdoor pond once it was finished.

He then checked the rewards he received from completing the game instance earlier: 2,000 mountain crabs and 2,000 river crabs.

They were all currently in the Spatial Fish Pond.

First, he looked at the mountain crabs. A corner of the Spatial Fish Pond was teeming with them.

They were all quite large, but not as big as the giant one he had caught. They were only about two-thirds its size.

Still, this was already considered very large for a mountain crab.

These mountain crabs were all of superior quality. Li You planned to raise them long-term and wouldn’t be eating them casually.

Mountain crabs were quite valuable. Li You planned to use them only when absolutely necessary.

If he wanted to eat some on a normal day, he could just go catch them in the canyon himself.

The mountain crabs in the canyon were mostly of medium quality, which was already quite good.

For example, when Ling Xiaoru had just mentioned going to catch some mountain crabs to eat, Li You didn’t even say that he already had some and there was no need to go.

After checking the mountain crabs, he moved on to the river crabs.

The river crabs were in another corner, just as densely packed.

There were both male and female crabs. They were all large and looked incredibly plump.

They looked much plumper than even the most visually appealing hairy crabs on the market.

’They’ll be absolutely delicious once they’re steamed.’

Li You’s mouth started to water. He was also a big fan of river crabs.

’I’ll steam a few for dinner tonight.’

’Oh, right. During the fight with the monster mountain crab in the game instance, two other ingredients also dropped: mandarin fish and perch.’

’I should check those out, too.’

Several thousand of each type of fish had dropped, all of superior quality.

First, the mandarin fish. They were remarkably uniform in size, each weighing just over a pound, maybe around a pound and a quarter.

This size was perfect for steaming. One fish per serving, which would make pricing simple.

’Gorgeous mandarin fish!’

Next, the perch. They were just as uniform, with each fish also weighing around a pound and a quarter.

’Perfect for making steamed perch.’

’I finally have enough of both of these fish.’

’In that case, it’s time to officially add steamed mandarin fish and steamed perch to the menu.’

As for the prices, Li You had already decided.

Steamed Mandarin Fish would be 98 per serving.

Steamed Perch would be 58 per serving.

He added both dishes to the ”Today’s Specials” board.

Next, Li You went to the front of his shop and considered where the best place to dig a pond would be.

It didn’t need to be too large. Just as Ling Xiaoru had said, thirty or forty square feet would be plenty.

He’d make it look natural and aesthetically pleasing.

Once it was done, besides putting the giant crab inside, he could also add a few other pretty fish.

Soon, Li You chose a spot to the left of the shop’s entrance, right beside the path leading from the parking lot.

Once the pond was built, every customer coming from the parking lot would have to walk right past it.

’It was the perfect spot.’

He didn’t have much else to do, so he figured he might as well start digging right away.

Although building the pond would require professionals, Li You could at least clear away the topsoil himself.

Then, he could leave the subsequent steps—pouring the concrete base, adding a waterproof layer, and finally lining it with stones—to the professionals.

Two men from the village, Li Zhong and Li Chi, were professionals at this sort of thing.

He would give them a call later and ask them to come work for a few days. He’d pay them a proper wage, whatever the going daily rate was.

’But for now, I’ll just focus on clearing away the topsoil.’

It wasn’t that he couldn’t have left this part to Li Zhong and Li Chi. But Li You was suddenly in the mood; he wanted to get his hands dirty.

He wanted to be a part of it, after all.

To move the soil, all he needed was a hoe and one of those shallow bamboo baskets used in the countryside for hauling dirt and sand.

Li You had both of these tools.

The baskets were typically used in pairs, allowing them to be carried on a shoulder pole.

But for now, Li You only needed one. He’d just carry it by hand.

After grabbing a hoe and a basket from the Storage Pavilion, Li You got to work.

This was supposed to be strenuous physical labor, but Li You found it surprisingly easy.

Being in better physical shape made all the difference when it came to manual labor.

By the time 11:00 AM rolled around, Li You had cleared out most of the soil from the designated area.

Just then, a customer arrived.

Seeing what Li You was up to, the customer asked in pleasant surprise, ”Boss, are you building another one of your gardens?”

Li You stopped what he was doing and smiled. ”Nope. Not a garden this time. I’m building a pond.”

”A pond?” the customer repeated. ”What kind? For ornamental fish? Or for edible fish like crucian carp, common carp, and mandarin fish?”

Li You said, ”For ornamental fish. But before I add any fish, I’m going to put a mountain crab in it. I caught a huge one in the canyon today. I can’t bring myself to eat it, so I’m planning to raise it in the pond instead.”

”A huge mountain crab? How big is it?” The customer’s interest was instantly piqued. ”Boss, where is it? Quick, bring it out so I can see!”

Li You nodded with a smile. ”It’s in the kitchen. I’ll go get it.”

The giant crab was actually in the Spatial Fish Pond, but he could only tell others it was in the kitchen.

Li You was more than happy to show off the giant crab. He had been planning to show it off to his customers anyway.

’And now, his chance had come.’

The customer was delighted to hear this and nodded eagerly. ”Great, great! Thanks, Boss! I want to see just how big this thing is.”

Li You said, ”It’s no trouble. Just a second.”

With that, Li You walked into the shop, went into the kitchen, and pulled the giant crab from the Spatial Fish Pond, placing it in a bucket.

Then he carried the bucket out of the kitchen.

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