Chapter 423 - 365: Cutting Tofu into Fine Threads? That’s Just Too Awesome

Chapter 423: Chapter 365: Cutting Tofu into Fine Threads? That’s Just Too Awesome

To be able to cut tofu into such fine shreds... that’s just badass, isn’t it?

All the customers peered closely at the fine white threads in the dish again.

Looking at them now, they really did seem to be shredded tofu.

Badass!

Forget the taste for a second—just the fact that someone could cut tofu into shreds this fine was already incredible.

It was almost beyond their comprehension.

’No wonder this dish is called Wensi Tofu. So it really is tofu shreds... huh? Wait, that doesn’t seem right.’

’I think the menu said Wensi Tofu?’

They quickly checked the menu.

It really was "Wensi Tofu," with the "si" from the word for "thought." Shouldn’t it be the "si" that means "shred"?

The customers voiced their confusion.

Li You smiled. "’Wensi’ is a name—the name of the dish’s creator. During the reign of the Qianlong Emperor in the Qing Dynasty, there was a monk in Yangzhou named Monk Wensi..."

Li You briefly recounted the story of how Monk Wensi invented Wensi Tofu.

After hearing the story, understanding dawned on the customers.

So that was the story behind it.

Anyone who saw this dish and heard its name without knowing the story would probably assume the "si" in Wensi meant "shred."

It was quite a coincidence that the two words sounded the same.

"This dish was invented in Yangzhou, so it must be a part of Huaiyang Cuisine, right?" another customer asked.

Li You nodded. "It is indeed part of Huaiyang Cuisine. It’s also a famous dish served at state banquets and has appeared on the menu many times."

Really?

Now that was impressive!

All the customers gave him a thumbs-up.

"By the way, Boss," Lu Xiangyun said, "are most dishes at state banquets from Huaiyang Cuisine?"

Li You nodded. "That’s right. State banquet menus are largely based on Huaiyang Cuisine. This is mainly because Huaiyang dishes are exquisitely presented and have a mellow flavor, which suits the palates of international dignitaries well."

The customers all nodded, agreeing that Huaiyang Cuisine was amazing.

"Hey, don’t you think you guys should hurry up and taste what this Wensi Tofu is actually like?" the newly arrived customers said to Lu Xiangyun and his group.

"Right, right, right! We’ll try it now," Lu Xiangyun and the others nodded frantically.

They had been so busy exclaiming how "badass" it was that they’d almost forgotten something so important.

Time to taste it.

Lu Xiangyun and his friends each ladled a spoonful of Wensi Tofu into their bowls.

They lifted a bundle of the shreds with their chopsticks, like eating noodles, and brought it to their mouths.

All the ingredients were soft, tender, fragrant, and mellow. The flavors of the various ingredients intertwined, creating one delicious layer after another, complex and with a lingering aftertaste.

The group was full of nothing but praise.

After hearing their praise, the newly arrived customers all smiled and said, "Actually, you can tell just by looking at it. You don’t even need to taste it to know it’s going to be delicious."

’Huh? No, that’s not right.’

’We shouldn’t even need to look at it to know it’s going to be delicious.’

’How could a new dish from the boss not be delicious? We should have known it would be amazing the moment we saw the name.’

’In that case, what are we waiting for?’

Time to order and eat.

First, they ordered the Wensi Tofu. Then they added a few other dishes.

The group of newcomers also insisted on splitting the bill.

After the customers placed their orders, Li You went back into the kitchen and started cooking.

The few newcomers sat down at a table next to Lu Xiangyun’s group.

"By the way, why haven’t we seen Elder Gu and Elder Liu? Have they not arrived today?" the newcomers asked.

"The two elders already left this morning," Lu Xiangyun said.

"Left?" The newcomers were quite surprised.

Lu Xiangyun continued, "They left. And when they did, they asked the boss to say goodbye to us on their behalf. They also said they were very sorry they couldn’t say goodbye to each of us personally."

The newcomers were surprised again. "The two elders really said that?"

Lu Xiangyun said, "Of course. What, you think the boss made it up?"

The newcomers grew emotional, just as Lu Xiangyun and his group had earlier.

After that, more and more customers kept arriving at the restaurant.

All the new arrivals quickly learned that Guyi and Liu Yuan had left that morning.

They also learned that the two had entrusted Li You to say goodbye and express their apologies for them.

The customers were all emotional and very touched.

As for the new dish, Wensi Tofu, all the newly arrived customers quickly noticed it as well.

Most of them, like Lu Xiangyun’s group before them, knew nothing about Wensi Tofu and had never even heard of it.

However, one customer exclaimed excitedly, "I know this dish! It’s from the Huaiyang Cuisine school. The knife skills required are extremely high because you have to cut the tofu into shreds so fine you can pass them through the eye of a needle."

These words made everyone else who didn’t know about Wensi Tofu look at him with utter disbelief.

’This guy must be full of it, right?’

’Cutting tofu into shreds fine enough to thread a needle? How is that possible? That’s just too far-fetched.’

’Who could possibly cut tofu into shreds like that? Tell him to come out and give us a demonstration.’

At that moment, Lu Xiangyun chuckled and said, "He’s not making it up. There really are people who can cut tofu into shreds fine enough to thread a needle. If you don’t believe it, why don’t you come over and have a look?"

"Huh?"

All those people turned to look at Lu Xiangyun again.

’Does he have tofu shreds fine enough to thread a needle right there?’

Let’s go see.

Everyone crowded around the table of Lu Xiangyun’s group and saw the Wensi Tofu on it.

’Is this the Wensi Tofu?’

’Are those white strands really made from cut tofu?’

"That’s right, you guessed it," Lu Xiangyun said with another chuckle.

Seeing the incredulous expressions on everyone’s faces, Lu Xiangyun felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

’Look at these guys, acting like they’ve never seen the world.’

’Even though I was just like them a moment ago, looking just as unsophisticated.’

’But at least now, I’m different from them.’

Lu Xiangyun felt this way, and of course, so did the few customers who were splitting the bill with him.

So satisfying!

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