Translator: Xiong_Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
"Alright. Let's stop the small talk. I didn't even eat lunch for the sake of this meal." Zhou Shijie smiled and said.
"Where are the appetizers?" Chu Xiao asked quite straightforwardly.
"Since you are treating, we just followed you here to broaden our horizons." Li Minghui said with a seemingly modest manner.
Nevertheless, Liu Tong just appeared relaxed and indifferent to that. He was merely waiting to tell his teacher about the defects of these dishes. It was fairly easy for him to pick on the dishes.
"Okay. The first is a cold dish, Weaving Brocade Diligently While Wearing Winter Clothing." Yuan Zhou nodded and reported the name of the dish directly without saying anything more.
"Is it an established practice to give the dishes a name of which people don't actually know the meaning in our country? We definitely don't know what this dish is." Chu Xiao grumbled directly.
"It's not so for most of the dishes. This master might be rather artistic." Liu Tong said with a tone of sarcasm.
"Um." Li Minghui nodded his head with a seemingly reserved manner. Obviously, he also agreed with that.
Then, even if Chu Xiao's word hadn't meant to be sarcastic, they became sarcastic now. However, Chu Xiao was still thinking what kind of cold dish Yuan Zhou would carry out without realizing that.
"Is a name really worth discussing so heatedly?" Zhou Shijie interrupted them straightforwardly.
"Everybody, you'll know the reason after you eat it." Without any explanations, Yuan Zhou just turned around and went back to the kitchen to prepare the dishes after he said that lightly.
Nevertheless, others customers at the side started a discussion.
"Isn't this person the chef that often came here formerly? Besides, those few people seemed to have come here specially to eat Boss Yuan's dishes." While waiting for their dishes, a customer discussed with a low voice.
"Yes, indeed. I feel that that man in the black business suit is a little familiar." The other customer paid more attention to Li Minghui.
"I think it's the old man that is taking the lead." The first customer said seriously.
"I'm not talking about that. Oh, yeah. I remember who he is." Reminded by the first person, the other customer suddenly thought of Li Minghui.
"Who's he?" The first customer asked curiously.
"Isn't he the one that often appears on TV? That's him, the head chef of that five-star hotel. Last time, a team of film crew went there for a meal and praised him a lot. Yes, it's him." When the other customer spoke of the last sentence, his voice was very low.
"It seems that these few people are very influential socially." The first customer nodded and said solemnly.
"Anyway, Boss Yuan isn't afraid of them. His craftsmanship definitely outclasses theirs and thus, they came here to spy on the situation here." Tang Xi stood behind them silently and interrupted their dialogue before the two people noticed her.
"Yeah, that's true." The two customer jumped up in fright and then only agreed with her.
"Um." Only then did Tang Xi return to her own seat and sit well contentedly, waiting to eat the delicacies.
Yuan Zhou had no idea of the discussions as he was processing the fish attentively.
Frankly speaking, the name of the dish, Weaving Brocade Diligently While Wearing Winter Clothing, was no more than Cold Fish Skin. But this simple dish was quite particular concerning the processing of the fish skin.
Yuan Zhou took up a small string bag and directly scooped up a big grass carp about 1.5kg from the water tank. The moment he wiped the fish dry, Yuan Zhou began to process it.
In a banquet, the first dish was always a cold dish. First, it could free the customers from boredom while waiting for other main cuisines; secondly, the customers can fill their empty stomach a little bit. Therefore, the first cold dish of the banquet must have an appetizing function.
Only under the condition that the customers had a good appetite could they taste the next dish better.
"Here's the cold dish, Weaving Brocade Diligently While Wearing Winter Clothing, for you. Please take your time and enjoy." Yuan Zhou carried the plate to them personally.
The plate carried to them by Yuan Zhou was a very neat and smooth square. Normally, the cold dish was served with broth and thus a flat plate couldn't be used. However, Yuan Zhou used it.
The plate had a snow-white bottom with a few unknown leaves painted across the corners. Meanwhile, the dish was piled up like mountains on the plate with vivid and distinct colors.
The colloidal matter of the fish skin was transparent and had a clear distinction between black and white. Even other colored vegetables by the side couldn't steal the spotlight from it.
"Is it Cold Fish Skin?" Zhou Shijie asked straightforwardly.
"Yes. Please take your time and enjoy." Yuan Zhou nodded.
"What fun! He actually gave the Cold Fish Skin such a name." Liu Tong mocked at Yuan Zhou in the heart, but didn't speak it out.
Nevertheless, Li Minghui knitted his brows tight, fearing that the broth would flow everywhere on the table.
"Please, Chairman Zhou." Chu Xiao took up the chopsticks and said to Zhou Shijia first.
As Yuan Zhou served only one plate, they could not separately eat the dishes.
"This old man is going to start now." Zhou Shijie directly took up the chopsticks and started to eat.
"Please." Yuan Zhou nodded.
Chu Xiao followed suit right away and picked a piece of fish skin up with the chopsticks.
"Fish skin? I am looking forward to it." Chu Xiao looked at the beautiful fish skin similar to crystal and then stuffed it into his mouth.
"Um?" Chu Xiao and Zhou Shijie took a look at each other and picked up some fish skin again to eat without calling Li Minghui and Liu Tong together.
However, the two disciples didn't care about that at all. Liu Tong even asked something else, "Since you are treating, is there any tea water? I like drinking tea."
"Sorry, there isn't." Yuan Zhou answered directly without any hesitation.
What a joke! There was only 400g of Pre-Ching Ming Tea provided by the system and he had drunk 50g yesterday. How was it possible that would he give it to others to drink now?
"Tsk-tsk." Without saying anything, Liu Tong just made such sound with an unknown meaning for the others. Nonetheless, Yuan Zhou didn't feel like chatting with them. As long as they didn't ask for the tea leaves, he didn't care.
"Let's have a taste." Li MInghui stopped Liu Tong from picking on Yuan Zhou.
"Okay." Liu Tong answered cleanly.
Only then did they reach out the chopsticks and start to pick the dish. They weren't actually hopeful about the taste, even if many customers crowded and lined up here. They had seen such situations more than once and thus didn't think Yuan Zhou could withstand their professional examination.
At the same time, Chu Xiao didn't have time to speak with them. He just concentrated on savoring the taste in his mouth.
Normally, it was difficult for the fish skin to absorb any particular taste. So people usually made a thick sauce to eat along with the fish skin so that it would have the taste of the sauce. However, Yuan Zhou didn't prepare the dish in that way.
They didn't really know how Yuan Zhou processed the fish skin, but Chu Xiao obviously felt a slight saline and sour taste as well as strange fragrance from a mouthful of fish skin full of colloidal matter and elasticity. Apart from that, as a stimulus, a hint of spiciness suddenly magnified the taste of the fish skin.
With the sound of "Ca Ca", Chu Xiao chewed the fish skin. There seemed to be something soft, sticky and chewy in his mouth. When he chewed it, however, it became crisp. With the slightly sour and spicy taste of the sauce, it made Chu Xiao spirit's rise up instantly.
"Interesting." When Chu Xiao picked the dish with the chopsticks again, he couldn't help saying that.
"It's indeed interesting. The taste is really appetizing." Zhou Shijie said straightforwardly. Of course, he didn't stop picking up more of the dish.
"It tastes different." Chu Xiao took a look at Yuan Zhou and then said.
That's right. For the second mouthful of the dish, Chu Xiao obviously felt that the taste had slightly changed.
While he was chewing, there was broth bursting out from the fish skin as if he were eating a jelly. It obviously contained the colloidal matter, but meanwhile, there was plenty of juice. Besides that, the taste of the juice was fresh and natural with a slight sweetness, which made the freshness and crispness melt well with the mouthfeel of vermicelli made from bean starch.
With such a fresh and delicate taste, it was like a fish in the mouth. It was simply fresh and delicious.
"Isn't it fish skin?" Chu Xiao thought about that ceaselessly with a frown.
"It's truly like the brocade. The taste of the fish skin is as fine and smooth as the brocade." Zhou Shijie didn't have any reservations, thus he said admiringly. However, he couldn't help but pick some more of the dish with his chopsticks.
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