Chapter 268 - 254: Returning from School

Chapter 268: Chapter 254: Returning from School

Seeing that Li You genuinely didn’t want any, Liu Zhanghong didn’t press the issue. He smiled and said, "Alright then. I’ll just take it home and eat it myself."

Li You nodded. After chatting with Liu Zhanghong for a little longer, he said his goodbyes and left.

He made his way back home.

Since Li You had called to say he was coming home today, his mom hadn’t started on dinner yet.

Normally, she would have already finished cooking dinner by this time.

Li You was in charge of cooking dinner. First up was Chopped Pepper Fish Head. He had never made this dish at home before.

Tonight would be the first time.

Then, he’d make some Mapo Tofu and a Bamboo Mushroom and Pork Rib Soup. That should be enough.

There was no point in making more for just three people; it would be a waste.

Li You went into the kitchen, lit the fire, and washed the wok.

The wood-fired stove at home was still great to use.

Li You loved using the wood-fired stove.

He loved watching the flames rage in the firebox.

Adding a little more firewood made the flames burn even brighter.

One by one, the three dishes were ready.

It was time to eat.

It was the first time his parents had ever eaten Chopped Pepper Fish Head.

They had always thought that just eating a fish head wouldn’t be very interesting. But after one taste, they found it was surprisingly delicious.

His parents were pleasantly surprised.

His dad said, "I never knew you could eat fish heads this way. I don’t think anyone around here has ever prepared them like this."

Li You said, "It was originally a dish from Xiang Province, but now you can find it all over the country. We have it around here too, it’s just not common. Has really no one in our village tried it?"

"Never," his dad said, shaking his head. "I’ve never heard of anyone eating a fish head like this. This is from a bighead carp, isn’t it?"

Li You said, "You can use heads from other fish, but bighead carp is the most common. Its head is large and the meat is tender, so it’s the most suitable."

His dad nodded. "I’ll go tell everyone about this tomorrow. Let them all know there’s such a delicious way to eat fish heads."

Li You smiled. "In that case, you should tell them how to make it, too. The recipe is actually pretty simple. The key ingredient is the chopped peppers, which they sell at the market in town. This dish..."

Li You explained the recipe for Chopped Pepper Fish Head in considerable detail.

His dad nodded along. He was thrilled to have a new topic to shoot the breeze about with everyone tomorrow.

Seeing his dad so happy made Li You happy too.

They continued with their meal.

His parents could have extra helpings of the Bamboo Mushroom and Pork Rib Soup; it was incredibly nutritious.

After they finished their unhurried meal, Li You washed the dishes. Then, he went out to the courtyard to enjoy the cool evening air.

By now, the sky was completely dark, and a smattering of stars had appeared.

Lying in the rocking chair and watching the stars held a special kind of charm.

A sky full of stars meant tomorrow would be another beautiful day.

...

「The next day.」

「Early morning.」

After getting up, Li You made three bowls of beef noodles for breakfast, just as he always did.

After they finished eating, he went to pick plums from the tree in front of the courtyard.

The plums were now fully ripe.

Li You went under the plum tree, took a look, and said to his dad, "Dad, should we go ahead and pick all the plums?"

If fully ripe plums weren’t picked promptly, they would start falling to the ground, which would be a waste.

His dad said, "We can pick them all. In that case, let’s just do it now."

Li You nodded. "Alright."

The two of them started picking plums. They worked quickly, and in less than an hour, all the plums were off the tree.

They didn’t strip it completely bare, though. They deliberately left twenty or thirty plums on the branches.

They were for the birds.

It was a village custom. Whenever they harvested a fruit tree, they would always leave a little behind.

There were many kinds of birds in the village. The villagers were fond of them and were happy to have them make their homes there.

The harvest filled two large baskets, weighing hundreds of pounds.

His dad told Li You to take a lot with him, saying he could offer them to his customers.

Li You planned on taking plenty with him anyway. Besides sharing them with customers, the main reason was his Storage Pavilion.

Plums placed in the Storage Pavilion would stay perfectly fresh and never spoil.

If he left them at home, his parents wouldn’t be able to eat them all, and most would end up spoiling.

’I’ll take half today and come back for more in a couple of days.’

He packed about half the plums into sacks, filling two of them completely.

He loaded them onto the back rack of his motorcycle and tied them down securely.

Li You said goodbye to his parents, then got on his motorcycle and headed back to his restaurant.

Partway there, he stopped and moved most of the plums into his Storage Pavilion, leaving only about fifty pounds on the motorcycle.

That would be plenty to bring to the restaurant for now.

When he got back to the restaurant, the door was already open. Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru were both waiting for him outside.

Their faces lit up when they saw him return.

Li You took out the plums. "Have some," he said. "They’re from the plum tree at my family’s house."

"Thanks, Boss!"

They each took a few plums and washed them at a nearby spigot.

Then, they started eating.

After just one bite, both of their eyes lit up. The plums were delicious.

"You two haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? What would you like?" Li You asked.

"Yangchun Noodles, a small bowl," they both replied.

Li You nodded. He then went into the kitchen and made two small bowls of Yangchun Noodles.

After Ye Shengge and Ling Xiaoru finished, they each paid for their meal.

Afterward, Ling Xiaoru said her goodbyes and left for work.

...

「11 AM.」

A beautiful, fresh-faced young woman pulling a suitcase appeared at the restaurant’s entrance. Seeing Li You, she said happily, "Boss, I’m back!"

Li You was just as happy to see her. He smiled and said, "Back on home-leave again?"

She nodded. "It started today."

The newcomer was Lin Xiao, a sophomore at the county’s No. 2 High School and the granddaughter of Lin Zhonghai from Taoshan Village.

The county’s No. 2 High School had a home-leave once a month for its boarding students.

Lin Xiao had taken a bus from the county seat early this morning back to Wenxian Town. From there, she took a motorcycle taxi to the restaurant.

She had come here first, before heading home.

Of course, she had to pass by here on her way home anyway.

Seeing the suitcase Lin Xiao was pulling, Li You asked, "You haven’t been home yet?"

Lin Xiao shook her head. "Not yet."

Li You said, "Well, have lunch here today. It’s on me. I’ll take you home this afternoon. How does that sound?"

Lin Xiao replied, "Thanks, Boss. But I have money—over two hundred yuan. I can pay for myself. I want the spicy crayfish."

Li You smiled. "Save your money for school. You only come home once a month, so it’s my treat. Really. Besides the spicy crayfish, we also have Chopped Pepper Fish Head. Want to try it?"

Lin Xiao shook her head. "I don’t know. I’ve never had it before, but I’ve heard of the dish."

Li You said, "Then you should try it today. See if you like it."

"Okay!"

Lin Xiao was filled with happy anticipation!

...