Chapter 410 - 409: Sichuan Boiled Fish? Master Jiang Can Cook Sichuan Food?

Chapter 410: Chapter 409: Sichuan Boiled Fish? Master Jiang Can Cook Sichuan Food?

The five men, all capable of speaking eloquently in front of powerful figures, were now at a loss for words.

Everyone was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

Jiang Liu took the initiative, smiling as he extended a hand. "Weren’t you asking for a handshake?"

The deadlock was broken, and the atmosphere instantly lightened.

"We’re troubling you, Boss Jiang!"

"Hey!"

Jiang Liu shook hands with Hou Canjun and Yu Guoguang. Both men used two hands to clasp his.

This was a show of great respect and importance.

Tang Zu Yun and the other two also wanted to extend their hands, but Hou Canjun stopped them.

Jiang Liu then signed autographs for them.

The five men looked thrilled.

Yu Guoguang tactfully picked up his juice and stood. "You’ve worked hard, Boss Jiang. We should get out of your hair, then?"

"Alright."

"We’re truly sorry for taking up your time this morning. Do you need any help? The two of us don’t know much, but we can definitely handle being assistants."

Tang Zuhua’s eyes widened in disbelief. ’Don’t know much? Are you two serious?!’

The other two business tycoons were speechless as well.

They never expected the two titans of the culinary world to have such a "humble" side. Whenever they invited them to make an appearance, didn’t they always have to put up with a sour face?

A far cry from now, where the smiles hadn’t left their faces...

’Fuck!’

’What a couple of old bootlickers!’

"Thank you for the kind offer, seniors, but I can manage on my own." Jiang Liu declined with a smile.

"Alright then." Yu Guoguang thought it was a shame. ’I really wanted to see more and learn a thing or two.’

"Boss Jiang, if I may be so bold... will there be a special dish for lunch?"

Yu Guoguang immediately shot Tang Zuhua a glare. ’Is that a question for you to ask?’

In his heart, Jiang Liu was already a god-like figure.

He wouldn’t allow anyone to show the slightest disrespect to the deity he worshipped.

Jiang Liu didn’t hide it; it wasn’t a secret. "There will be. I’m planning to make and sell twenty jin of Boiled Fish."

"Boiled Fish? The Sichuan dish?!"

Yu Guoguang was astonished. "Master Jiang, you know Sichuan cuisine too?"

His confidence immediately returned.

"Mm... I know a little tiny bit."

"Haha! What a coincidence! My ancestors were Sichuan chefs, and I started out in Sichuan cuisine myself. This must be fate!" Yu Guoguang’s face was flushed with excitement.

’Boss Jiang knows Sichuan cuisine too! Even if it’s just a little bit, isn’t that perfect? I might even be able to offer him some guidance.’

While he admitted he couldn’t compare in other areas, he was completely confident when it came to Sichuan cooking!

Yu Guoguang secretly straightened his back just a little.

The other four men all looked excited.

’We’re getting a new dish for lunch!’

"It is quite a coincidence," Jiang Liu said casually, eating his steamed bun.

Seeing that Jiang Liu had no interest in chatting with them,

Yu Guoguang quickly said with a chuckle,

"Well, we won’t disturb you any longer, Master Jiang. We’ll head out first."

’Well, would you look at that. His tone is a lot more familiar now.’

’He sure changes his tune fast.’

"See you at lunch, Master Jiang."

"Okay, see you at lunch."

The five men left.

Jiang Liu quickly finished his bun, drank two large bowls of congee, then closed the door and drove off to buy black fish.

He planned to divide each jin of the Boiled Fish into two portions for sale, which was already a generous amount.

Served with rice, a half-jin portion of Boiled Fish with its side vegetables and broth would be more than enough for one person.

As for the price, a hundred yuan should do.

Jiang Liu even checked on Meituan. Other restaurants charged around a hundred yuan for a jin of Boiled Fish, and that included unlimited rice.

His version was so authentic, it was perfectly reasonable to charge fifty extra.

*

「The seafood market.」

There weren’t many people around at this hour.

A group of seafood vendors, all smelling of fish, were gathered around, chatting.

"I’m telling the truth, don’t you believe me! Boss Jiang really came to my stall yesterday to buy fish, and I even gave him a discount!" Cai Longfei argued, his face red and neck veins bulging.

These guys were actually accusing him of bragging, of daydreaming.

However, not a single person believed what he was saying.

Everyone just laughed it off.

"If Boss Jiang bought fish from you, how come I haven’t seen him selling any fish dishes?"

"Longfei, where’d you learn to brag like that? If Boss Jiang really shopped here, why didn’t you use it for publicity? Your business might have boomed, haha."

"I always thought you were an honest man. Sigh, looks like I, Old Feng, was wrong about you."

Cai Longfei was so angry he could spit blood.

’Damn it!’

Just then,

a clear voice asked, "Do you have any fresh black fish today?"

Cai Longfei froze, then turned his head toward the voice. His face lit up with elation. "Boss Jiang?"

"Do you have any fresh black fish?" Jiang Liu asked again.

He had a good impression of this man, but he was determined not to take advantage of him today.

"Yes! Yes, I do, Boss Jiang!"

Cai Longfei pushed aside the dumbfounded octopus vendor in front of him.

"Come and see, they’re perfectly fresh. I specifically got a new batch of black fish this morning."

As he spoke, he quickly lifted a black cloth to the side, revealing black fish swimming inside.

The other seafood vendors at the side recovered from their surprise.

"Holy crap! It really is Boss Jiang!"

"Boss Jiang? You’re here to buy black fish? Is there a new dish?"

"That’s right. Boiled Fish for lunch," Jiang Liu replied casually.

These people looked familiar; they were probably all his customers.

He couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. Without him even realizing it, his customers had blossomed all over the Yangzhai Street area.

Everywhere he went, he found friends.

Hearing it was Boiled Fish, everyone’s eyes lit up.

"Boss Jiang, you even know how to make Boiled Fish? Awesome, awesome! That’s my absolute favorite. If you’re making Boiled Fish, I’m definitely getting in line for lunch today, no matter what!"

"I’m telling my wife to go grab a spot right now."

"Boss Jiang, why don’t you buy from my stall? My black fish are bigger than his, and cheaper too!"

Only then did the crowd react.

They all started shouting invitations for Jiang Liu to buy from their stalls.

Jiang Liu refused with a smile.

Cai Longfei had been a bit anxious at first, but when he saw Jiang Liu turn down the other vendors’ invitations, he immediately raised his eyebrows in triumph.

"Hey everyone, stop crowding around. Don’t get in the way of my business, alright?"

The group of seafood vendors left resentfully, filled with envy.

"Boss Jiang, how much do you need?"

"I’ll need about thirty-five jin," Jiang Liu estimated mentally.

’After removing the guts and bones, it’ll be about twenty-five jin.’

’Besides what I’m selling, I’ll keep three jin for myself—mainly because I want some, and my wife and daughter love it too. I’ll also set aside another jin and a half for my father-in-law.’

"Alrighty! Should I pick them for you, or will you do it yourself?" Cai Longfei asked, grabbing a fishing net.

"I’ll do it myself."

With each fish Jiang Liu scooped up, he would casually give it a sniff.

He rejected any that had a strange smell.

In the end, Jiang Liu chose eight fish.

Thirty-seven jin in total.

"That’s one hundred eighty-five yuan in total, Boss Jiang. Let me round it down for you... just give me one-eighty."

Cai Longfei said, gritting his teeth.

He was hoping to build a good relationship with Jiang Liu. Maybe in the future, he could even cut the line or something.

’How cool would that be!’

Jiang Liu shook his head and said firmly, "Just charge me the normal price. If you’re going to sell to me at a loss like this, then I don’t want them."

"Huh? It’s fine, Boss Jiang. I’m not really taking a loss..."

Cai Longfei’s voice trailed off, losing its conviction.

How could he not be taking a loss?

He was losing out big time.

But he was a professional when it came to spoiling Boss Jiang. Who could blame him when Boss Jiang’s food was so delicious? And it wasn’t even expensive. Everyone wanted to treat Boss Jiang a little better.

Jiang Liu looked at him seriously. "Charge me the normal price. Running a business isn’t easy for you. If you try to sell to me for cheaper again, I won’t buy from you anymore."

"Well... alright then."

...

PS: Please keep reading! The author kowtows to all you masters and wishes you an early Happy New Year!