Chapter 496: The Importance of Birthdays

Translator: Xiong_Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth

“Oh? Chu Xiao, have a taste of this.” The moment Zhou Shijie tasted it, he turned his head and said to Chu Xiao.

“Okay.” Chu Xiao nodded his head.

After that, he drank some plain water provided in the Welcoming Set Meal and then picked up a fish slice to eat.

“It seems to be another dish that will be difficult to surpass.” Li Minghui sighed in the heart, but his movements were not slow at all. He also picked a fish slice up and prepared to eat it.

“Let me just pick one up and have a taste.” Liu Tong murmured with a low voice and prepared to pick one up and eat it.

Being the first that tasted the fish, Zhou Shijie had already aimed for the next fish slice while squinting at them.

At that time, Chu Xiao had just stuffed the fish meat into his mouth.

Speaking of which, the cooking method of Candied Floss Fish was really very simple. The process was no more than cutting the fish into the butterfly-shaped slices, wrapping them with the egg liquid and then frying them before they were scooped up and, finally, put aside to let the oil flow. The remaining work was to decoct the sugar syrup with a small fire and then put the fish slices inside it to stir-fry them.

On the whole, the entire process was nothing special and could be described in a sentence.

“Ka La”. As soon as the fish slice entered his mouth, the crisp surface wrapped by the sweet syrup broke lightly, revealing the fresh fish meat inside just as Chu Xiao gave it a bite.

“Hiss. It’s so hot.” Chu Xiao said vaguely.

After the surface broke, the gravy also flowed out along with the fish meat toward his tongue. As it was a little hot, Chu Xiao slightly drew back his tongue. Then, the tip of his tongue felt a fresh and sweet taste filling his mouth.

Actually, everyone had more or less the same taste senses on their tongue. The Harvard psychology professor Edwin G Pauline once said in his published paper that every part of the tongue could distinguish different tastes. However, this argument was proven to be inaccurate by Virginia Corinth.

As a matter of fact, the tongue just had different sensitivities towards each taste and the difference was very slight. As one of the top-level chefs, however, Chu Xiao’s tongue was quite sensitive.

Therefore, the fresh and sweet gravy wrapped in the crisp surface directly shocked Chu Xiao as if a flexible fish was swimming beside him.

With the sound of “Ka Ca Ka Ca”, Chu Xiao bit through the surface. Then, the fresh fish meat inside met the crisp surface. At one side was the strikingly fresh fish meat while at the other was the fragrant and crisp fish meat. The fresh and delicate gravy of fish meat in the middle directly dominated the two different tastes.

It was just like a dance ball being held in the mouth. Everyone was the leading role, but they were each still dominated in good order. Waves of utmost enjoyment burst out in Chu Xiao’s mouth and then flowed into his stomach.

“I never thought fish could be cooked in this way.” Chu Xiao sighed with emotion and then picked up another fish slice quickly.

“Exactly. It’s not excessively sweet and is very easy to chew. I think it was simply prepared specially for me. You young people better eat less.” Zhou Shijie said immodestly and straightforwardly.

“You are wrong. The fish meat is so fresh and sweet that it maintains the most perfect fresh and tender texture while the surface is crisp but easy to chew. Apart from that, it not only has a pretty butterfly-like shape but also interesting decorative patterns. Such gorgeous delicacy is definitely suitable for young people like us.” Chu Xiao said persistently.

“Teacher, your 3H (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia) is a big problem.” Li Minghui gulped down a fish slice and said solemnly.

Of course, it would be more convincing if he didn’t reach out his chopsticks so quickly.

“Yeah, yeah. Your wife told us that you cannot eat too many sweet things. Besides, you said the same for the previous few dishes.” Liu Tong had already forgotten his promise to eat one fish slice only. He picked up and placed the fish slices into his mouth ceaselessly.

“You little brats, don’t steal my delicacy. Shame on all of you!” Zhou Shijie said with an angry manner, but his actions were, on the contrary, very fast. He swiftly picked up the fish slice that Li Minghui had prepared to eat.

He moved as fast as those old people who walked quickly to fight for their discounted vegetables at the entrance of supermarkets every morning. They did that extremely steadily, precisely and relentlessly.

“No wonder our teacher took a fancy to this guy. He could make such a simple dish Candied Floss Fish so sweet but meanwhile not excessively sweet. Moreover, he has perfectly displayed the freshness and delicacy of the fish.” Li Minghui set down the chopsticks contentedly and then sighed secretly.

“Is this the so-called common Candied Floss Fish? Why does it taste so well. Even if I don’t like eating sweet things, I don’t know how to refuse it.” Liu Tong couldn’t help sighing.

In this tiny restaurant, there was surprisingly such a talented person like Yuan Zhou. The two people, Liu Tong and Li Minghui, were then fully convinced.

As for Chu Xiao, he took out his small notebook again and started to record this dish.

Candied Floss Dish: simple and plain cooking method; superb and skillful techniques; perfectly bring the freshness and delicacy of the fish into play with an appropriate amount of sweetness melted inside.

Cooked by: Yuan Zhou.

Basically, one should only have one dish that could be recorded in Chu Xiao’s small notebook of delicacies. However, this was Yuan Zhou’s second dish.

The two notes of “Cooked by Yuan Zhou” were written next to each other and appeared quite conspicuous.

“I think you just need to write his name. Otherwise, I’m afraid the notebook will be too small to write anymore.” Zhou Shijie glanced at the notebook and said smilingly.

“It’s not a good time yet.” Chu Xiao closed his small notebook and said seriously.

“Your choice.” Chairman Zhou didn’t say much.

While the four people were eating blissfully there, Wu Hai that had barely entered the restaurant became antsy.

“Zhou Jia, I also want a serving of the All-Fish Banquet.” Wu Hai said generously.

“Is it an important day for you today?” Zhou Jia didn’t record his order immediately, but asked that.

“Why are you asking that for?” Wu Hai suddenly had a premonition. More specifically, the feeling was like somebody wanted to stop him from eating the delicious fish.

“Mr. Wu, please check the requirements of this dish.” Zhou Jia appeared to be smiling, but was actually very helpless in the heart.

For such an expensive dish, there were still so many requirements. Presumably, nobody else could be so capricious like her boss.

“What exactly does the note that the dish is only available on important occasions mean?” Wu Hai didn’t really understand.

“My boss said it’s available when there’s an important treat or someone’s birthday, etc.” Zhou Jia answered him with a smile.

“Birthday?” Wu Hai was shocked then. What a damn joke that was!

“Yes. So can you please change another one?” Zhou Jia suggested.

Wu Hai was an artist. He was always treated by others in normal times, but he had seldom treated others except for his younger sister or his agent Zheng Jiawei. He didn’t want to bring anyone here except those two people.

Therefore, it wasn’t an easy thing for Wu Hai to have an important treat. As for his birthday, Wu Hai couldn’t help flying into a rage.

“Boss Yuan, what do you mean? Did you specially serve this new dish to baffle me?” Wu Hai pointed at the all-fish banquet, stroked his small mustache, and asked with his eyes wide open.

“Just follow the rules.” Yuan Zhou said indifferently.

“Rules? Let’s forget about the rule that one cannot eat two same dishes, which almost made me starve. Again, let’s forget about the matter that you closed the restaurant and rested without prior notice, which almost made me starve. But what exactly do you mean by making a rule that the dish is only available when there’s someone’s birthday?” Wu Hai counted Yuan Zhou’s crimes one by one and asked bitterly.

Looking at the emotional man, Wu Hai, Yuan Zhou felt a little puzzled, but he still asked with a seemingly indifferent tone, “This is my rule.”

“Let your rules go to hell. I believe that you do know I was born in the leap month of a leap year and don’t want me to eat the dish. How fearful that is! Boss Yuan, how can you do this to me? Furthermore, this is the meat, not vegetables.” Wu Hai said with such a sorrowful tone that anyone who heard him would become sad and shed tears.

In Yuan Zhou’s heart, however, he couldn’t help rolling on the ground and smiling ceaselessly.

“A birthday in the leap month of a leap year! Haha. That means you don’t have many birthdays in your lifetime.” Yuan Zhou indicated that he wasn’t smiling, definitely.

“Have you ever celebrated your birthday?” Yuan Zhou asked primly with his face taut.

…

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