Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 119: Chapter 116 Wild Hilsa Fish

Huang Hongying immediately laughed, “That’s quite a coincidence. The girl’s crab really has an authentic taste; I have no idea where she gets her supply from. Lately, we’ve been eating wild seafood delivered from her shop, and it tastes much better than what’s sold in the markets.”

Zhou Guosheng smiled as he put the crab meat that Secretary Song had peeled into his mouth. Upon tasting that familiar flavor, he couldn’t help but nod in agreement, “It’s rare indeed. This crab tastes just like the one I had many years ago when I lived in S City. With the current water pollution, it’s not easy to find such authentic local crabs. Mrs. Huang, your niece is quite remarkable!”

Only then did Huang Hongying seem to remember something, grabbing the serving chopsticks to pick up a piece of freshly served herring and placing it into Zhou Guosheng’s bowl: “Now that you’ve tried the crab, please taste this fish. It was also delivered by my niece today. I was worried that if it stayed out too long, it might lose its freshness, so I had Auntie Zhang start steaming it once everyone was seated.”

“Is this herring?” Preoccupied with the crab, Zhou Guosheng hadn’t noticed what the other dish was. Only now, seeing the creamy white fish flesh in his bowl, did he realize that this dish was no ordinary fare.

Huang Hongying smiled and nodded in affirmation.

Zhou Guosheng was surprised and carefully picked up a piece of the fish and placed it in his mouth.

...

It melted effortlessly, feeling like soft silk on the tongue, and the rich and savory flavor spread rapidly, filling his entire mouth.

The flavor was pure and intense, and it refused to dissolve – a taste from memory, familiar yet strange, distant yet seemingly within reach.

The sealed memories were unlocked by this flavor, slowly becoming clear.

…

In a blur, a skinny boy followed behind an old man with a hunched back.

Being a limping rascal, the old man was often the butt of jokes among the young lads.

Someone would start a rhyme, and a group of kids would join in the teasing.

“Zhou the lame, drinks rice soup, limps on the foot, takes a wife, wife weeps, returns to her mother’s house…”

The new and clueless skinny boy, although ignorant, knew that those were not kind words, and in anger, he clashed with the group of kids.

He would fall and get back up, his body and face covered in wounds, his nose filled with the scent of soil, yet the fury and resilience in his eyes deterred the group of kids.

The boy who returned home stood outside the courtyard, his face bruised, his clothes torn with a large hole, barefoot with one shoe missing, and hesitated to enter the house.

An old woman dressed in coarse clothes opened the door, raising her rough hand as if to hit someone.

The boy closed his eyes in fear, but the expected slap never came, and the anticipated scold turned into a sigh.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a simple steamer on the crude dining table, with a plate of steamed fish still steaming hot inside.

Under the dim light, two old people with wrinkled faces sat nearby, their gentle gazes and loving smiles watching him devour the fish with great gusto.

…

As soon as he tasted the first bite, Zhou Guosheng’s eyes went wide. Memories unfolded one by one in his mind—years of longing, and now at the taste of this hilsa fish, he finally remembered. It was the taste of his childhood, the taste of family.

The elderly man’s withered hands trembled slightly, savoring the familiar flavor. He became so excited that he couldn’t contain himself, shaking uncontrollably. Tears sparkled in his eyes, and old tears ran freely down his face.

Zhou Meiting saw her father weeping and quickly stood up to support Zhou Guosheng, asking in a concerned voice, “Dad, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Everyone at the table panicked, rising to gather around the elderly gentleman.

“Should we call a doctor? Is it serious?”

Su Zhenhua had not expected such a turn of events. This was his banquet for esteemed guests; any mishap could destabilize his position. Thinking this, a wave of tension tightened his heart, and his gaze became nervous and flustered.

Unexpectedly, at this time the elderly man swallowed his sobs and said, “More than sixty years ago, when I first came to S City, my grandmother also made me a steamed hilsa fish. The taste of that fish, unforgettable for a lifetime. Over the years, I’ve traveled far and wide, tasting many ‘authentic’ wild hilsa claimed to be genuine, yet never finding the taste of those days. I thought I was close to forgetting that taste, but to my surprise, after decades, I found it here—this is the true taste of my childhood!”

The crowd exchanged glances, and the old man, realizing his outburst, quickly wiped away his tears and chuckled, “I’m fine. It’s just that I haven’t tasted such delicious fish in so long, so I got a bit emotional.”

Even though Huang Hongying knew the fish was a wild hilsa when Huo Sining brought it, she didn’t know what it tasted like. Now seeing Zhou Guosheng’s reaction, she was taken aback.

The others also looked skeptically at the unassuming plate of rice wine hilsa fish, tentatively picking up a piece with their chopsticks and placing it in their mouths.

The rich, fragrant, and mellow taste swept through their entire palate. The full-bodied juice and tender flesh rippled between their teeth and across their tongues, filling their mouths and sliding down their throats. In that moment, everyone felt as if they were in a clear spring, the exquisite taste instantly conquering all their taste buds.

“This is so delicious!” Zhou Jiajia couldn’t help but exclaim.

Even Zhou Meiting, who was usually picky and hard to please, appeared surprised and satisfied.

The other diners were even more impressed. Secretary Song, usually reserved and not given to frivolous talk, had a keen interest in food. At the moment, he wished he could swallow his own tongue. With so many people and just one fish, it obviously wasn’t enough—the three-pound hilsa was quickly reduced to nothing but an empty shell and bones.

Everyone looked eagerly at Huang Hongying, who, feeling the pressure, quickly asked Auntie Zhang to put the other hilsa fish in the steamer.

When they ate the first fish, Huang Hongying and Su Zhenhua had been somewhat reserved, feeling as hosts they should be modest, but their courtesy resulted in barely having a few bites before the fish was gone. The Zhou family might look refined when dining, but they were fast with their chopsticks when it came to fish.

This time, Huang Hongying and Su Zhenhua realized something was wrong. When the second hilsa was served, they dispensed with politeness. Everyone’s chopsticks reached for the fish in unison. The couple mouthed words of embarrassed apology but shamelessly feasted, quickly finishing off another fish.

The meal lasted for two hours, not ending until nine o’clock. Everyone’s stomachs were full, yet their taste buds still craved more.

The hosts and guests were all satisfied, with Zhou Guosheng’s face showing contentment. Zhou Meiting, who usually remained expressionless, unexpectedly broke into a smile. She seemed less resistant to her father’s decision to invest in S City.

Seeing the expressions of Zhou Guosheng and Zhou Meiting, Su Zhenhua felt more confident, and a relaxed smile finally appeared on his face.