The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

After arriving in Bei’an, Yu Han’s itinerary was very spontaneous.

He went wherever he wanted to go.

Ate whatever he wanted to eat.

When he came to Qianlima Restaurant, he hadn’t made a reservation in advance, so he was seated in the main hall.

Just as a table of customers in front of him left, he sat at a spot next to the aisle.

While waiting for the dishes, waiters frequently passed by with customers who had ordered their meals, either guiding them to private rooms on the first floor or directly to the second floor.

Yu Han, with nothing else to do, unconsciously started observing the passersby and the customers dining at neighboring tables.

The business at Qianlima was thriving, with all the dining halls filled with guests.

He was lucky that a table became available right after he ordered his meal.

But those who arrived after him weren’t as fortunate.

Two groups of customers, after ordering, were led to the waiting area next to the dining area.

Without dining seats available, both the customers and the waitstaff were anxious.

In the time Yu Han sat waiting for his meal, two waiters came over to check on the dining situation in the hall.

The young couple seated to Yu Han’s left were clearly about to finish their meal.

But both were chatting as they ate, eventually forcing two distant groups of customers to leave, yet they showed no sign of getting up.

Yu Han unintentionally glanced over at them a couple of times, but then was distracted by the arrival of the server with dishes.

The server brought a dish over, swiftly placing it on the table and announcing its name clearly: ”This dish is Wine Marinated Field Fish!”

Yu Han’s gaze fell on the shallow blue porcelain plate.

The plate was beautiful, with a matte edge that had a shell-like light blue hue.

In the middle lay two whole field fish, covered between them with a few fresh green scallion leaves, with a shallow layer of sauce soaking only half the fish, appearing more like a still life painting than a dish.

Since coming here, Yu Han had tried quite a few local delicacies, but it was truly his first time eating field fish.

This dish was quite characteristic of Bei’an, and it had been mentioned in the travel guide he’d read before—only the preparation was different.

Before the dish was served, he was slightly uneasy, afraid it might turn out badly, but now just seeing the presentation put him at ease.

The fish did indeed look incredibly delicious.

Initially, he hadn’t thought so, but now, looking at the dish in front of him, he was beginning to feel a bit hungry.

He picked up a piece of the tender meat from the fish belly with his chopsticks and tasted it carefully.

The dish, though it looked simple, was extremely flavorful.

He could tell that a strong liquor had been used in its preparation, a well-aged and potent brew.

The alcohol seeped into the fish, which had a golden-red hue, giving it an enchanting beauty, and the aroma of the wine floated up.

The fish meat in his mouth was delicate and smooth, with a long-lasting aftertaste, and the true essence of the fish’s flavor began to ascend after thorough chewing.

Along with the rich wine marinade and the scallions imbued with the sauce, Yu Han suddenly felt a bit intoxicated.

It was as if he felt a sense of melancholy through the vicissitudes of time, imagining the fish having left the lakes and rivers, now resting quietly in the wine, suffused with a captivating taste.

The field fish weren’t large, just two on the plate, and while Yu Han had neither main course nor alcohol, he was eating meticulously and savoring the flavors, feeling the sounds of inquiry from deep rivers, the world’s vicissitudes, and beauty seep out from the texture of the marinated fish.

He had eaten half of the two fish when more dishes were brought to the table.

Yu Han was still savoring the taste of the field fish when his eyes were caught by the new dish placed in front of him.

”This dish is Fortune Braised Eel Glue!”

The server carefully placed the clay pot on the table.

The broth in the pot was steaming, with a crystal-clear appearance.

Yu Han put down his chopsticks and picked up a spoon, first serving a piece of eel glue.

The texture was soft and smooth, surprisingly free from any fishy smell.

As someone from a southern coastal city, Yu Han had eaten a lot of seafood since childhood, especially pickled raw seafood, which was quite popular in his hometown.

Like pickled slipper lobster, pickled shrimp, and crab, dubbed ”seafood poison.”

These were genuinely delicious and a favorite since childhood.

But he actually had some aversion to fishy smells, finding certain types of fish glue unbearable due to their fishiness.

However, the kitchen at Qianlima handled the eel glue exceptionally well, completely removing any fishy odor, possibly due to proper soaking or thorough cleaning of the inner membrane.

But it was also largely due to the species’ origin.

Thinking of Qianlima’s good reputation, Yu Han silently praised it in his heart.

It was indeed the real deal!

For the next spoonful, he scooped up a dark round object, unsure of what it was, but upon tasting it, discovered the unique flavor of hair moss.

The spherical object turned out to be a hair moss meatball.

It absorbed the rich aroma of the eel glue and bone broth, making the hair moss meatballs both tasty and refreshing.

And upon a closer scoop, he could also find small square pieces of meat, tasting like pork, with a tender texture.

He continued to eat the Fortune Braised Eel Glue, one bite after another.

Although he had only tried two dishes, Yu Han was filled with anticipation for the upcoming dishes.

It was indeed thanks to those two elderly gentlemen earlier, otherwise, he wouldn’t have had the chance to taste such delicious food.

Yu Han felt immensely grateful.

Before the new dishes arrived, he had already finished off the Wine Marinated Field Fish, and if it weren’t for the Fortune Braised Eel Glue being too hot, only some of the broth would have been left by now.

As he was slurping the soup, the server came again.