“Dammit. If anybody praises me like that again in future, I will be pissed off.” Liu Tong drank another mouthful of fish soup angrily.
“It’s extremely fresh and delicious. The purple perilla is really used perfectly.” Zhou Shijie squinted his eyes and said while enjoying the delicacy blissfully.
“Indeed. The purple perilla removes the earthy smell of the freshwater fish and the intrinsic offensive smell of the fishes while the rice crust absorbs it and turns it into the scorched aroma. The delicate fragrance comes from the lingering taste of the stewed purple perilla. They are really a perfect match.” Chu Xiao drank up the fish soup in the bowl and said quite seriously.
“Exactly. I thought that purple perilla couldn’t be eaten anymore after they were stewed, but who knows it could be so tasty. And it’s surprisingly so soft. Along with the crisp rice crust and the fresh fish meat, I get three different tastes from a single fish soup.” Zhou Shijie smiled earnestly, too.
“Rice Crust Fish Head Soup. Interesting.” There appeared a smile on Chu Xiao’s arrogant face.
“It’s indeed very good. The last course is really prepared perfectly. It feels that the dessert is the only thing that we lack.” Zhou Shijie stroked his beard and said complacently.
“This rice crust tastes even better than the rice provided by you last time, Chairman.” Chu Xiao suddenly said to Zhou Shijie.
“Well, yes. Those few old guys seem to have a habit of cheating others.” Upon thinking of the several people from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Zhou Shijie gnashed his teeth and said.
“Teacher, if this person is so awesome, why is he willing to start such a small restaurant over here?” Liu Tong drank off the fish soup and asked that first.
“Do you think everyone wants to make a name for himself nationwide like you do? This Boss Yuan doesn’t like doing things that way.” Zhou Shijie glared at Liu Tong angrily first and then sighed with emotion.
“You ought to learn something from him. Don’t always think of making a name for yourself. You really should stop to study the culinary skills intensively. Look! Even if this Boss Yuan is so skilled in cooking, he doesn’t like pursuing fame and is just immersed in his culinary skills. He is absolutely a genuine grand gourmet.” Zhou Shijie continued to educate Li Minghui after he did the same to Liu Tong.
However, Yuan Zhou indicated that he consented to that statement. Well, he was cooking neither for fame nor for interest and never thought about himself but others. Therefore, he was the successor of socialism.
“Yes, teacher.” Li Minghui listened to him seriously and nodded his head.
Nonetheless, Liu Tong just appeared to be serious on the surface, but wasn’t convinced at all inwardly. With his eyes rolling around, no one really knew what evil thoughts he was thinking of.
“This is the last course of the All-Fish banquet, the Dace Meat Stuffed Green Dumplings. Please take your time and enjoy.” Yuan Zhou revealed a natural complexion as if he hadn’t heard the complimentary words to himself. He carried the last course, the snacks, to them.
As for the after-meal fruits, Yuan Zhou indicated that there indeed wasn’t any. After all, fruits couldn’t be cooked with the fish meat.
The plate carried by Yuan Zhou was separated into two sides like the Taichi Pattern. On one side, there were golden yellow dumplings similar to the gold ingots, wrapped in the fragrantly fried egg yolk while on the other side, the dumplings were snow white. Through the very thin dumpling skin, one could see the white and tender fish meat and the colorful ingredients inside.
The black drop of vinegar and the fiery-red pepper oil were at the two sides of the eyes of the Taichi fish respectively. The color assortment appeared bright and conspicuous, which could whet the appetite by merely taking a look.
“The fragrance along with the hint of sourness and peppery taste really makes me want to eat a lot.” Zhou Shijie stroked his beard and said with great satisfaction.
“It’s so thin. Did you make it as per the thickness of wonton wrappers? How fragrant.” Looking at the cute gold ingots, Li Minghui also couldn’t help complementing.
“He’s indeed skillful with his hands.” Apparently, Liu Tong had thought of Yuan Zhou’s skill in peeling off the fish skin with one single cut.
“That is not the main point.” Chu Xiao had been knitting his brows tight ever since this dish was served.
“Oh? What do you mean?” It was the first time that Chu Xiao had expressed a different opinion. Therefore, Zhou Shijie asked curiously.
“Boss Yuan, please give me that board and let me have a look.” Chu Xiao didn’t answer Zhou Shijie, but contrarily said to Yuan Zhou who was turning around.
“Um?” Yuan Zhou didn’t know why he said so.
“That board.” Chu Xiao pointed at a piece of white board erected in front of the chopping board on the azure stone countertop and said earnestly.
“Okay, no problem. But you can’t take it out.” After Yuan Zhou said that, he handed the board to Chu Xiao.
“As expected.” Once he received the board, Chu Xiao pinched it. Only after that did he sighed with emotion.
“What’s wrong?” Zhou Shijie still didn’t understand why he would do so.
Wasn’t it just a foam board? Where was the novelty?
“Chairman Zhou, take a look at it by yourself.” Chu Xiao handed the board to Zhou Shijie.
“Okay. Let me have a look.” Zhou Shijie was also very curious.
Once the board was in his hand, Zhou Shijie knew it wasn’t foam. Instead, it was a kind of unknown soft board similar to the flexible flue.
“It turns out to be so. No wonder you say the main point isn’t the dumplings.” After that, Zhou Shijie also let out a sigh and said that.
On the white board were the thickly dotted fish bones of all sizes. But that wasn’t the main point. The main point was that these fish bones were arranged into the shape of the fish without the fish head and fish fin.
Besides that, each of the fish bones was inserted into the board with the same strength. Even his abilities in picking out fish bones were peerless.
“On this point, even I can’t achieve his level. After all, I’m not good with knife skills.” Chu Xiao said cleanly.
As a professional chef who specialized in sculpting and plate presentation, even Chu Xiao himself said that his knife skills were not as good. Li Minghui and Liu Tong were thoroughly astounded by that.
“It’s extremely difficult.” Zhou Shijie nodded his head and had to admit that.
“Teacher, I want to have a look.” Li Minghui uttered and said.
“Me, too.” Liu Tone echoed right after him.
“It’s good for you to have a look.” After saying that, Zhou Shijie handed the board to them.
“Hiss… It can be prepared in this way?” Seated beside Zhou Shijie, Liu Tong naturally saw it first. His surprise was straightforwardly shown on his face.
Li Minghui, who continued to watch it afterwards, kept silent for quite a while and then said, “That way, the fish bones are indeed all picked out. However, won’t the fish meat be thoroughly mashed?”
Li Minghui swore that he didn’t want to pick holes in Yuan Zhou at all, but instead, just wanted to know if it was like imagined.
“Boss Yuan, why not explain that by yourself?” Even Zhou Shijie was a little hesitant.
Only Chu Xiao felt it wasn’t possible for the fish meat to be smashed. First of all, he trusted Yuan Zhou’s craftsmanship; secondly, he had witnessed the processed fish where the fish bones had been picked out. It was an intact piece without even a hole and the knife scratches were simply invisible.
“You just need to know where each fish bone is and then pick them out. It’s just as easy as one plus one being two. Everything has a pattern.” Yuan Zhou said that calmly and indifferently as if it were quite easy to pick the fish bones out and arrange them into a shape of the fish.
“I want to hit somebody, teacher.” Liu Tong took a deep breath and then looked at Zhou Shijie to consult him.
“Hahaha. This old guy finally sees a true genius. One plus one is two? This little brat of Yuan Zhou is definitely ascending to the heavens.” Zhou Shijie felt it both angry and interested and was simply speechless.
“Teacher, shall we leave first?” The steady disciple Li Minghui felt he couldn’t bear Yuan Zhou anymore. If this damn difficulty level was as described by Yuan Zhou, then what can the dished cooked by them during normal times be called? Was it at the level of playing with clay?
As the prime culprit, Yuan Zhou just frowned and said while looking at them, “The fish bones of these fish all have a sequence. Just remove them based on the regular pattern.”
In regard to Yuan Zhou’s explanations, Li Minghui and Liu Tong answered with one accord, “Ho Ho”.
At the same time, there appeared the same words in their heart, “I want to swear now.”