I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 381: Chapter 343: Ants Moving House, Is It Going to Rain?

Because from now on, they could go there to enjoy a delicious meal whenever they wanted.

The three of them felt incredibly lucky right then. Lucky that they had stayed.

Otherwise, not only would they have missed this incredible meal, but they might never have known such a restaurant existed in Jiulong Gorge.

At least, not anytime soon.

The three of them raised their glasses, toasting Duan Canghong with their soft drinks to express their gratitude.

They thanked him for insisting they stay for the meal.

Duan Canghong was delighted, saying it was his pleasure. He added that he hoped for a pleasant collaboration in the future.

”A pleasant collaboration is a certainty!” the three of them declared.

After the toast, Liu Hong said, ”It’s a real shame we can’t drink today. I’ll definitely find another chance to have a proper drink with Boss Duan.”

Duan Canghong chuckled. ”I’m also looking forward to drinking with you three. Oh, and speaking of wine, I have to mention the wine from Li You’s place. The wine there is the best in the entire world.”

’The best wine in the entire world?’

Liu Hong, Wang Zhongyu, and Cai Qingfeng were all stunned once again.

Their first reaction was that this was a bit of an exaggeration.

But they quickly remembered the food. If someone called these dishes the most delicious in the world, they wouldn’t argue.

’If the food is this good, the wine might be just as incredible.’

And so, the three of them quickly concluded that it probably wasn’t an exaggeration after all.

’At least, not much of one.’

Even if it wasn’t the absolute best wine in the world, it was sure to be a rare and exceptional vintage.

’Just how good could it be?’ The thought made them eager to find out.

’Boss Duan must have brought some with him. Even if we can’t drink it now, maybe we can each take a little to go and drink it when we get back.’

Of course, they knew that was asking a bit much.

It was just a fleeting thought for the three of them.

But Duan Canghong, as if reading their minds, said, ”However, the wine at Li You’s place can only be consumed on-site. You can’t take it to go.”

”Oh? Why is that?” all three of them asked.

Duan Canghong explained, ”It’s a rule Li You set. No matter who it is, no one can take the wine away. So, if anyone wants to taste that amazing wine, they have to go to the restaurant in person.”

”Alright then.”

The three men nodded slowly. Since the owner made the rule, there was nothing more to be said.

’As for why the owner would set such a rule? There could be many reasons.’

’But whatever the reason, he’s the owner, so it’s his right.’

’Oh well.’

’We’ll just have to wait until our next visit to the restaurant to taste this incredible wine.’

For now, it was time to eat.

There were so many delicious dishes to enjoy.

...

Jiulong Gorge.

It wasn’t even six in the evening, and Li Donghai’s corn was sold out again.

He was in a fantastic mood. He said goodbye to Li You, hopped on his tricycle, and headed back to the village.

When he got back, he’d have new stories to share with the villagers.

Li You was busy in the kitchen.

At seven that evening, Ling Xiaoru arrived. After learning that the ten ears of corn had been purchased, she divided them into three portions.

Four for Li You, three for herself, and the remaining three she would take to Chu Yiwei at her school tomorrow.

So that was how Ling Xiaoru had planned to divide the ten ears of corn.

Li You thanked her, then said, ”Grandpa Donghai gave me a few more today, so I don’t need these. You and Teacher Chu can just split them, five each.”

Ling Xiaoru shook her head. ”No, that won’t do. The ones Grandpa Donghai gave you are from him. The ones I’m giving you are from me. They’re different. Three for me and three for Teacher Chu is plenty.”

Since Ling Xiaoru insisted, Li You didn’t refuse any further. ”Alright then,” he said. ”By the way, I have some Dragon Fruit here. Take a few with you when you leave tomorrow. And take some for Teacher Chu, too.”

”Dragon Fruit?” Ling Xiaoru asked. ”Did you buy them?”

”No,” Li You said. ”A customer gave them to me. It was that Uncle Duan I mentioned before. He came to get some takeout today and brought me a dozen or so Dragon Fruits.”

Ling Xiaoru asked, ”The one who sold you the Fire Dragon Fruit Tree Seedlings?”

Li You nodded. ”His family’s Dragon Fruit is delicious. I put them on the coffee table upstairs. Help yourself when you go up.”

”I’ll try one in a bit then,” Ling Xiaoru said.

With that, Ling Xiaoru went upstairs. Sure enough, she saw a bag of Dragon Fruit on the coffee table.

She picked one up, peeled it, and saw it was red-fleshed.

The red ones were better, more delicious than the white-fleshed kind.

She cut off a piece of the fruit and popped it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up—it was delicious. And so sweet.

Ling Xiaoru was delighted. She turned on the TV and continued to eat while she watched.

After the last group of customers finished their meal and left, Li You closed up the shop. He brought up their dinner, poured himself a bowl of wine, and settled in, feeling completely at ease.

...

「The next day.」

In the morning, after breakfast, Ling Xiaoru left with six ears of corn and six Dragon Fruits.

Three ears of corn and three Dragon Fruits were for Chu Yiwei.

She was sure Chu Yiwei would be thrilled to receive them.

After finishing his work in the kitchen, Li You stepped out of the restaurant.

He went for a stroll in the Hundred Fruit Garden to check on the growth of the fruit trees.

Li You loved observing the fruit trees and vegetables, watching them grow little by little and change day by day.

He walked over to a wild peach tree.

This wasn’t one he had planted; it was a wild peach tree that had been here from the start.

Despite being wild, it was fruiting exceptionally well. It was laden with a large number of relatively big peaches.

They were barely edible now, though the texture and flavor weren’t quite right yet. In about half a month, they would be perfect.

Li You considered picking one to taste but decided against it. ’No need to even try one,’ he thought, ’I already know it won’t be good yet. Better to wait a few more days.’

Just then, Li You glanced at the ground and happened to spot a huge colony of ants marching in a long line toward higher ground.

’What’s this? Are the ants moving to higher ground?’

Li You was no stranger to this sight; he had seen it many times before.

There was a folk saying that if ants moved to higher ground, it was a sign that rain was coming soon.

He’d even read about it in textbooks.

There was some scientific basis for the belief, but it wasn’t a hard and fast rule.

Ants move for many reasons, most of which have nothing to do with impending rain.

So, you couldn’t really say the saying was true.

Li You figured the saying probably started because it happened to be a coincidence a few times, and the idea just stuck and spread.

It was an understandable belief, and there was no harm in it.

Still, Li You was a little curious now. Would it actually rain today?

He looked up at the sky. It did, in fact, look a bit like rain.

’Interesting.’

...