"Xu Bao, what delicious dish are you making today?"

"Stewed Fish Entrails!"

Upon hearing this dish, Shen Guofu shivered.

As a child, he had heard countless times from Granny Shen how his old home was in the Northeast, right by the river. There, the family often caught fish bigger than a man, and they would stew the fish entrails in a pot with their homemade soybean paste, refusing to trade it even for a pork hock.

This was Granny Shen's childhood experience.

After reaching adulthood, she followed her husband, Mr. Shen, to work in Beijing, where they had two children.

She had thought that with a son and a daughter, she could live a good life.

Unexpectedly, just a few years after Guofu's birth, her husband passed away from an illness, leaving her a widow.

At that time, some people advised her to remarry; others, to return to her hometown.

But Granny Shen didn't listen to anyone. Instead, despite lacking food and clothing, she single-handedly raised her two children and ensured they both received a good education.

With hindsight, Granny Shen's choice was correct.

After all, staying in Beijing was the only way to keep their Beijing household registration, expose her children to new things, and broaden their horizons.

Later, when Shen Guofu became wealthy, he took Granny Shen back to their old home. However, after many years of absence, the place had changed completely, and there were no longer any fish in the river bigger than a man.

"Uh... I've eaten the one Dad made. It was fishy and stinky—really nasty! And he said it was the taste of our hometown..."

The moment Stewed Fish Entrails were mentioned, Shen Baobao involuntarily recalled the "dark cuisine" her dad had once made.

Shen Guofu chuckled dryly, "I made it according to your grandma's method, but who would have thought the taste would differ so much..."

This is the most frustrating part for those who don't understand cooking. You follow each step of the recipe, but the finished dish, in terms of both taste and presentation, is far from what you imagined.

"Try mine today. I guarantee there will be no fishy or strange taste, only deliciousness."

Lin Xu's words excited Shen Baobao.

Wow, my Xu Bao is finally going to change my perception of Stewed Fish Entrails. I can't wait!

Meanwhile, Shen Guofu slapped his forehead, somewhat annoyed. "If I'd known, I wouldn't have driven today."

If he hadn't driven, he could have enjoyed a few light drinks with the fish entrails. But since he had, he would have to settle for some Sour Plum Soup.

Lin Xu blanched the fish entrails. Seeing it was already past eleven, he set up the wok to start making the Stewed Fish Entrails.

The Shen family of three didn't bother him further. They walked away from the kitchen door to a nearby booth to play on their phones, preparing to enjoy a big meal later.

Just as they sat down, Chen Yan appeared upstairs, wearing a yellow floral dress and clacking in her high heels.

"Eh~ Wearing heels that high every day, you're going to need crutches soon."

"Only because your legs are so long. If I had your height, I'd wear flat shoes every day too."

"Yan Bao, you have to bravely accept the fact that you have short legs."

"I also have to bravely punch you, you stinker Yueyue! Take this!"

As the two sisters bantered, Lin Xu, in the kitchen, began preparing the ingredients needed for Stewed Fish Entrails.

This dish is akin to farmhouse fare, with simple ingredients: scallion, ginger, garlic, and dried chili. If you like it spicy, you can add some Er Jing Tiao and millet chilies before serving.

The highlight of this dish is the Northeastern farmhouse soybean paste, which is considered the soul of the dish and is indispensable.

Of course, if farmhouse paste isn't available, dry soybean paste and soybean paste will suffice, though the flavor will be slightly inferior.

Besides the soybean paste, pork lard and a little pork belly are also needed. This makes the fish entrails tastier, more delicious, and utterly addictive.

With everything ready, Lin Xu added half a spoonful of pork lard and half a spoonful of vegetable oil to the pan.

He heated the oil, added thinly sliced pork belly, and sautéed it briefly before adding ginger slices, scallion sections, dried chilies, and halved garlic cloves.

After frying them until fragrant, he poured half a bowl of farmhouse soybean paste into the pot and stirred it over low heat.

This step requires patience; the fragrance of the paste must be fully brought out before moving on.

"Boss, are we getting ready to serve Stewed Fish Entrails?" Zhuang Yizhou approached and asked curiously.

"I'm going to make some to try first. Later, you all can taste it and see if it's suitable to serve in the restaurant... By the way, did Weiwei give you the contract?"

"She did. She also said she'll arrange a live stream for me with Yue Liyue and Wu Kexin in a few days."

"Weiwei is their agent. Make sure to do well in the live stream after work; the income is definitely good."

"Thank you, Boss!"

Exploited by the capitalist before and after work, yet you still thank them. If it were me... AHEM, stop there. If I keep going, I'll just be insulting myself.

Lin Xu still couldn't accept the fact that he was the boss. He had spent his entire senior year at university studying the struggle against bosses, only to become one himself.

In the end, he had become what he once despised!

The paste in the pot wasn't ready yet.

Seeing Zhu Yong fiddling with some small river fish, apparently intending to pan-fry them, Lin Xu asked curiously, "Did Lin Daiyu knock you out in the ring?"

This comment made all the surrounding chefs smile. For a grown man to be knocked down by a woman in the ring, and for it to be posted online, was rather embarrassing. He wasn't very tough, was he?

Zhu Yong sighed, "I just wanted to trick Yuyu a bit, but she threw a glass of water in my face. Despite my best acting, she saw through it. Her acting must be good too; it was a fair match, you could say."

Seeing him in this state, Wei Qian couldn't help but ask,

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