Chapter 84

Wu Furong had long been in awe of Li Qi's culinary skills. Seeing him agree, he didn't say much, took the silver, and began to process the fisherman's gold membership.

Realizing what was happening, Hong Tianjiu's dark eyes darted around, and without a word, he quietly slipped into the kitchen.

The other guests also looked forward with anticipation. They usually came here to eat hotpot and weren't very familiar with the chef's skills at Zui Xianju. Now they could finally see for themselves.

In a private room on the second floor, a young attendant glanced at the fisherman downstairs and asked the handsome young master sitting opposite him in a low voice, "Young Master, do you think that kid can really make six dishes from these few small shrimps?"

The young master, dressed in a dark blue silk robe, exuded an air of nobility. He snorted and said, "That guy is full of nonsense. Who knows if this is all a setup between them."

The attendant nodded and said, "Young Master is right. That kid is full of tricks. We were fooled by him last time."

Hearing this, the young master's eyes flashed with anger, and he said fiercely, "I won't let such a despicable person off this time."

"Should we go find him now? To prevent him from escaping again," the attendant suggested maliciously.

The young master shook his head and said, "He won't get away. Let's see what happens first." He raised his wine glass, took a sip, and muttered to himself, "I didn't expect him to be able to brew such fine wine. Sigh—"

After just a short while, someone called out, "Here they come, here they come."

Before the words had even finished, Hong Tianjiu ran out of the kitchen with an excited look on his face. Then Wu Xiaoliu and the brothers Zhu came out of the kitchen, each carrying a tray.

Six dishes, already done? That was incredibly fast.

Everyone looked at each other in surprise.

The fisherman frowned, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Wu Xiaoliu first approached the table where the fisherman was sitting and placed the dish down. Four golden shrimps were neatly arranged on a piece of cabbage leaf, looking elegant and simple.

"My master heard about you, Shuiwang, so he specially prepared boiled shrimp with a bit of high-quality tea leaves," Wu Xiaoliu said proudly.

The fisherman was slightly taken aback, lowered his head to smell it, and his eyes showed a hint of surprise. He didn't pick up his chopsticks but nodded and smiled, "I should thank your master, but this is just one dish, and it seems all the ingredients are used up. What about the other five?"

"It's your turn, Brother Dazhu."

Wu Xiaoliu smiled and nodded at Chen Dazhu behind him.

Chen Dazhu smiled and immediately placed the tray down. On it were four small plates, each containing a sauce-like liquid. He then placed the four plates around the table.

The fisherman looked at them, puzzled, and asked, "What are these dishes?"

"Don't worry, we followed your instructions," Wu Xiaoliu said with a chuckle. "These four plates are ginger vinegar, broad bean paste, spicy sauce, and honey fish sauce. You just need to dip the shrimp meat in these sauces. My master said these sauces include flavors from all over the country. For thirty taels, you can taste the whole country, so it's really worth it."

The fisherman was taken aback and smiled, "Whether it's worth it or not, we'll have to see after eating."

Chen Dazhu came forward, first breaking off the heads of two shrimps with his chopsticks and placing them aside. Then he cut open the shrimp shells with a small knife, took out the white shrimp meat, and cut it into four pieces. "Sir, please enjoy."

The fisherman glanced at Chen Dazhu, nodded, and followed Wu Xiaoliu's instructions, dipping the shrimp meat in the sauces. The more he ate, the more his brows furrowed. After finishing, he was silent for a moment, sighed, and said, "There are only five dishes here. What about the last one?"

Everyone was stunned. Since the fisherman said this, it proved that Wu Xiaoliu's words were true. Just four plates of sauces included flavors from all over the country, which was truly incredible. They were amazed and began to consider whether they should also get a gold membership card.

"Hey, Xiaoliu, let me demonstrate the last dish."

At this moment, Hong Tianjiu's childlike enthusiasm kicked in, and he squeezed in, looking excited.

While Li Qi was preparing the six dishes, Hong Tianjiu had been in the kitchen and knew the secret.

Wu Xiaoliu hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Alright, but don't mess around, Brother Xiaojiu."

"Sure, sure, I know."

Hong Tianjiu nodded excitedly and then said to the fisherman, "You're lucky. I, Xiaojiu, have never served anyone before." He picked up his chopsticks, broke off the heads of the other two shrimps, and Chen Dazhu helped remove the shells.

Hong Tianjiu thanked Chen Dazhu, then placed a shrimp head on a piece of shrimp meat, pressed it with his fingers, and a few drops of yellow, thick shrimp paste fell onto the shrimp meat. He repeated this with the other three shrimp heads.

After finishing, Hong Tianjiu clapped his hands and said, "The sixth dish is called shrimp paste with shrimp. My brother Li said that although shrimp paste isn't as delicious as crab roe, it is very nourishing. He said you should eat more of it."

The fisherman picked up the shrimp meat covered in shrimp paste, put it in his mouth, and chewed it gently. He sighed, nodded slightly, glanced at Chen Xiaozhu standing at the back, and asked, "All six dishes are here. What is that young man holding?"

Chen Xiaozhu came forward and placed the tray down. On it was a bowl of white rice.

Wu Xiaoliu smiled and said, "My master said you only eat four small shrimps per meal, so he guessed you must be a frugal and hardworking man who wouldn't even eat a piece of meat. He was worried you might not be full, so he specially prepared this shrimp-flavored white rice for you. This bowl of rice was cooked with the four shrimps, so it won't be any less delicious than the previous five dishes. Most importantly, this dish is free. Please enjoy."

Everyone burst into laughter.

In fact, anyone with a keen eye could see that the fisherman wasn't there to eat but to cause trouble. However, Li Qi had easily resolved the situation with just a few sauces and even earned thirty taels, which was truly impressive.

The fisherman's lips curled into a cold smile, and his face turned grim. He clapped his hands and said coldly, "Master Li's culinary skills are truly remarkable. I, Huang Wenyeh, have learned a lot. As for this bowl of rice, I appreciate the gesture, but I must take my leave."

Huang Wenyeh put on his hat, picked up his fishing rod, and prepared to leave.

"Wait."

Wu Xiaoliu suddenly called out to him.

Huang Wenyeh turned around, surprised, and asked, "Little Master, is there something else?"

"You forgot your fish basket."

"Thank you."

Huang Wenyeh took the fish basket, glanced meaningfully at Wu Xiaoliu, laughed, and then turned to leave.

"Xiaoliu, your master's culinary skills are truly remarkable."

"Right, right. What other dishes can your master make?"

"Hey, what are your master's specialties?"

As soon as Huang Wenyeh left, everyone gathered around, praising him.

At that moment, an unpleasant voice came from upstairs, "It's just a trivial skill."

Everyone was stunned and looked up to see a handsome young man.

The young man smiled coldly, waved his right hand, and there was a light thud. Wu Xiaoliu felt something hit his chest. He looked down and saw a paper ball. He bent down to pick it up, opened it, and saw three large characters—Chrysanthemum Residue.

What is this?

Just as Wu Xiaoliu was puzzled, the young man said, "If your master can make this dish, fifty taels wouldn't be a problem." He then continued drinking his wine.

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