I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 380: Chapter 342: Indeed, A Supreme Delicacy

Then, Duan Canghong said, ”The restaurant I went to is no ordinary place. You three will understand once you’ve had a taste. Shall we start eating now?”

The three men all agreed that since the food was already here, they might as well start now.

If they ate now, it wouldn’t even be dark by the time they were finished.

Duan Canghong nodded. ”Then I’ll have to ask you three to put away your fishing rods.”

Liu Hong, Wang Zhongyu, and Cai Qingfeng all nodded and reeled in their fishing rods.

Carrying the bucket of fish, the four of them returned to the courtyard together.

There was a faucet in the courtyard where they could wash their hands. After the three men had washed up, Duan Canghong invited them to sit at the dining table in the main hall.

The three men thanked him and walked into the main hall.

The moment they stepped inside, a rich aroma hit them.

The aroma was so appetizing it made their mouths water.

Liu Hong, Wang Zhongyu, and Cai Qingfeng were all pleasantly surprised.

Judging by the aroma, the food Boss Duan had brought back seemed like it would be incredible.

’What kind of dishes could smell this amazing?’

All three men looked toward the dining table.

A large food cover on the table obscured all the dishes from view.

’Why can’t we see?’ All three of them were desperate to lift the cover.

But they managed to restrain themselves.

’This is his house. It would be rude to seem so impatient and lift the cover ourselves.’

Seeing the looks on their faces, Duan Canghong knew the aroma had captivated them. He could tell they were dying to see what dishes lay under the cover.

This made Duan Canghong incredibly happy and filled him with a sense of satisfaction.

And this was just the beginning.

Duan Canghong decided not to keep them in suspense any longer. He walked to the dining table and lifted the cover.

The three were overjoyed. ’Finally, we get to see the dishes!’

But as they looked, expressions of disbelief and delight quickly spread across their faces.

’Every single dish on the table looks incredible.’

’Look at this spicy crawfish! It looks so appetizing. I’ve never seen crawfish that looked so appetizing.’

’And is that Chopped Pepper Fish Head? It looks so tempting. I want to try it right now.’

’Is this shrimp? From the tail. It’s so white and tender, it’s making my mouth water. What are those bits mixed in with the shrimp? They look a little like tea leaves.’

’Shrimp? Tea leaves?’

’I get it! This is Longjing Shrimp. It looks so tempting.’

Even the three most common dishes—Mapo Tofu, Twice-Cooked Pork, and Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes—looked incredibly delicious.

The braised chicken and chicken feet also looked unbelievably good. It made you want to just grab a piece and shove it in your mouth.

The more they looked, the more delighted they became.

They had assumed it was just ordinary takeout. But now it was obvious it wasn’t!

’Maybe what Boss Duan said earlier wasn’t an exaggeration after all.’

Boss Duan had said the restaurant wasn’t your average place. The three of them hadn’t paid it much mind at the time. But now they understood. ”Not your average place” was an understatement. This was something else entirely!

Liu Hong said joyfully, ”Boss Duan, these dishes all look incredibly delicious. Thank you, Boss Duan!”

Wang Zhongyu and Cai Qingfeng also expressed the same sentiment.

Duan Canghong was very satisfied with their reactions and said with a smile, ”You three are too kind. Please, sit down, sit down.”

”Alright, alright. Thank you, Boss Duan!”

The three men had been waiting for those exact words. They thanked him again as they hurried over to take their seats.

Duan Canghong got them bowls and chopsticks, then opened a bottle of soda.

Since they had all driven, they couldn’t drink alcohol and had to stick with soda.

It was a bit of a shame, but drunk driving endangers everyone, so it was out of the question.

’We’ll just have to drink together some other time.’

”By the way, where are your wife and parents?” Liu Hong asked.

He was asking about Duan Canghong’s wife and parents.

Duan Canghong replied, ”They went to visit relatives today and won’t be back until after dinner tonight.”

Liu Hong nodded, ”Oh, I see.”

”Then let’s go ahead and eat,” Duan Canghong said. ”Please, everyone! Dig in!”

”Alright, alright, thanks, Boss Duan!”

Thanking him again, the three men picked up their chopsticks and began to serve themselves.

They couldn’t wait a second longer!

Liu Hong was the first to pick up a piece of the braised chicken and pop it into his mouth.

From the moment he’d first laid eyes on it, he’d been wanting to just grab a piece and eat.

Now, he finally could.

The moment he took a bite, he was hit with an unprecedented wave of delight.

The braised chicken was far more delicious than he could have ever imagined.

All he wanted to ask was, ’How could braised chicken possibly taste this good?’

He’d always loved braised chicken and bought it often. He’d had plenty of delicious versions before.

But now, all the braised chicken he’d once considered delicious couldn’t even compare to what he was eating now. The difference was immense.

This was the best braised chicken he had ever had in his life. In fact, it might be the best food he had ever tasted, period.

’What Boss Duan said before was really true. He wasn’t exaggerating at all. Not one bit.’

With just a single piece of braised chicken, Liu Hong was completely convinced that Boss Duan had been telling the truth.

He was in a state of disbelief, yet more delighted than ever before.

Liu Hong felt this way, and so did Wang Zhongyu and Cai Qingfeng.

Wang Zhongyu’s first bite was the spicy crawfish.

Crawfish was one of his favorite foods, and he’d had many delicious kinds. But the one he was eating now was the most thrilling he’d ever tasted.

He couldn’t find the words to describe the unparalleled flavor of the crawfish in his mouth.

All he knew was that this was the most exquisite food he had ever tasted.

’Boss Duan hadn’t lied or exaggerated. I really am eating the most exquisite food I’ve ever had.’

In that moment, he felt nothing but excitement and relief—relief that they had decided to stay.

Otherwise, they would have missed out on this incomparable feast.

Cai Qingfeng’s first bite was the Longjing Shrimp.

The plump, tender shrimp was just too tempting.

He had heard of the dish, but to be honest, he’d never actually tried it.

’Now, he had no idea what other versions of Longjing Shrimp tasted like.’

But that didn’t matter.

What mattered now was that this was, without a doubt, the most exquisite food he had ever tasted.

’Boss Duan hadn’t been lying.’

After tasting the Longjing Shrimp, Cai Qingfeng couldn’t wait to try the other dishes.

Every dish looked incredible, so of course, he couldn’t stop at just one.

Liu Hong and Wang Zhongyu did the same.

And with every new dish they tried, their shock and amazement grew.

Each dish was far more delicious than they could have imagined. Every single one was a masterpiece of flavor.

Even the simple, everyday stir-fried shredded potatoes.

Stir-fried shredded potatoes was one of the most familiar dishes to them. And yet, even this familiar staple had been transformed into an exquisite delicacy unlike anything they had ever tasted.

It was truly unbelievable, yet undeniably real.

The three of them never imagined that without any rare mountain treasures or wild game—using only the most common, everyday ingredients—it was possible to create such unbelievably exquisite food.

’Where in the world did Boss Duan get this food?’

Liu Hong impatiently asked, ”Boss Duan, where did you buy these dishes?”

Duan Canghong had been paying attention to the changes in their expressions.

The mix of surprise, disbelief, and excitement on their faces gave Boss Duan a profound sense of satisfaction.

This was the moment he had been waiting for. And now it had finally arrived.

Their reactions were just as he had imagined; they hadn’t disappointed him.

As for Liu Hong’s question, he had long expected it.

So, he smiled faintly and said, ”Have you heard of a place in Wenxian Town called Jiulong Gorge?”

”Of course!” all three replied.

In fact, they had all been there before, though it had been a while—probably three or four years ago.

’Why is Boss Duan bringing up Jiulong Gorge?’

’Could the restaurant be in Jiulong Gorge?’

’No, that’s impossible, right?’

”That makes things easier,” Duan Canghong continued, just as they were having that thought. ”The restaurant is right there in Jiulong Gorge. If you go from the main street in Wenxian Town, you’ll find it at the entrance to the gorge. It’s very easy to spot, since there are no other buildings around.”

’It’s actually in Jiulong Gorge?’

They hadn’t been to Jiulong Gorge in years and had no idea a restaurant had opened there.

’Are that many people visiting Jiulong Gorge these days? When we went a few years ago, it was almost deserted.’

”There still aren’t many people. Only on weekends does it get a little busier,” Duan Canghong said.

”Really?”

This left Liu Hong, Wang Zhongyu, and Cai Qingfeng feeling a bit puzzled.

’If there still aren’t many visitors, why would there be a restaurant there?’

To this, Duan Canghong just smiled and said, ”Gentlemen, with food this good, do you really think the location matters?”

The three men paused for a moment, then it suddenly dawned on them.

’That’s right! When every dish tastes this unbelievably good, who the hell cares about the location!’

’Forget Jiulong Gorge. You could open a place like this deep in some remote, inaccessible forest, and it would still be packed with customers.’

’And business would be booming.’

And while Jiulong Gorge might be remote—out in the middle of nowhere, even—it was actually very accessible by car.

It was right next to a road. The road wasn’t wide, but it was paved with concrete, smooth and easy to drive on.

As long as it’s accessible, business is guaranteed to be excellent. Remoteness doesn’t matter at all.

At this, Boss Duan smiled. ”And Boss Li You’s business is indeed excellent!”

Liu Hong, Wang Zhongyu, and Cai Qingfeng all nodded. That was only to be expected.

’Wait, is the owner’s name Li You?’

Boss Duan nodded. ”Boss Li You isn’t just the owner; he’s also the chef. He made all of these dishes himself. What’s more, he’s very young—only about twenty-five or twenty-six.”

’Only twenty-five or twenty-six?’

Liu Hong, Wang Zhongyu, and Cai Qingfeng were all stunned. ’That’s way too young, isn’t it?’

’That can’t be right!’

Boss Duan added, ”It’s hard to believe, I know, but it’s the truth.”

The three of them marveled in disbelief.

After their initial amazement, a new wave of excitement washed over them.

To them, Boss Li You’s age wasn’t really what mattered.

What mattered was that they now knew a restaurant like this existed in Jiulong Gorge.

And that was incredibly exciting!

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