It is said that the dish Song Sao Fish Soup was made by a female chef from Bianjing during the Northern Song Dynasty.

This female chef became famous for her fish soup, and later married the fifth son of the Song Family, becoming known as "Song Wusao."

The Song Wusao family moved south to West Lake during the Southern Song period, where she continued selling fish soup by the Su Causeway to make a living.

One day, Emperor Gaozong of Song was boating on West Lake and encountered Song Wusao selling her fish soup by the Su Causeway, so he bought a portion to taste.

After tasting it, Emperor Gaozong highly praised the fish soup and rewarded Song Wusao with gold, silver, and silk.

After this incident spread, Song Wusao's fame skyrocketed, with wealthy merchants flocking to buy her food.

From then on, "Song Sao Fish Soup" became a renowned delicacy throughout the city.

This dish has been passed down since the Southern Song period for over eight hundred years, and through countless improvements by famous chefs, it has evolved from its original taste.

But undeniably, it remains a traditional dish full of historical and cultural flavor.

...

After Jiang Yu finished preparing the ingredients for the spicy chicken in the prep room, it was already past four-thirty.

With only an hour left before the dining hall's dinner service, Jiang Yu, Lu Shuwu, and Qian Liwei prepared to start cooking.

The three chefs stood in a row in front of the stove, each heating oil in their wok before adding their respective dishes.

The moment the ingredients met the hot oil, the sizzling sound of frying, the roar of the stove fire, the clanging of spoons against the iron wok, and the whooshing of the exhaust fan overhead all blended together, forming a unique "symphony" of the kitchen.

The alluring aroma wafted out at that moment, directly entering the nostrils.

Jiang Yu was still thinking about the Song Sao Fish Soup, so he cooked a little faster today. Moreover, all three dishes he made were quick dishes, completed in just over half an hour.

As for the two remaining steamed dishes, chopped chili fish and steamed ribs with taro and black beans, they were already prepared before the stir-frying and placed in the steamer to cook.

By the time he had finished cooking, Shen Deqing, who went to the market to buy perch, had just returned.

"Good job, good job!"

Jiang Yu smiled at him and took the bag. Looking inside, he saw that the perch was still alive, opening its mouth repeatedly in the little bit of water in the plastic bag.

He turned and said to Shen Deqing, "Xiaoshen, go wash your hands and take over from Yan Tongtong. Ask her to come over."

"Oh, okay."

Shen Deqing nodded, ran to the sink to wash his hands, shook them dry with a few flicks, and hurried to the sales area at the front.

Not long after, Yan Tongtong came over.

Before she could ask, Jiang Yu said,

"I'm about to start cooking. Go tell Aunt Liu to bring Lele over. The fish soup won't taste good if it cools down."

"Okay, I'll go right away."

Yan Tongtong nodded with excitement and ran off.

After she left, Jiang Yu picked up the fish and returned to the prep room to start cooking.

Perhaps because his knife skills had improved, Jiang Yu quickly and deftly handled the perch.

After scaling and removing the gills, he filleted the fish, coated it evenly with Shaoxing wine and a bit of salt, placed it on a plate with slices of ginger and knots of scallion, and put it in the steamer outside to cook.

While the fish was steaming, Jiang Yu wasn't idle. He returned to the prep room, cut winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and ham into shreds, then cracked two eggs, separating the whites into a bowl and whisking them.

Once the preparations were complete, the perch was nearly done steaming.

Jiang Yu waited a moment, then took out the steamed perch, poured the fish juices into a bowl, removed the skin, and set aside the meat in the juices.

At this step, the dish was only half finished.

Transferring all the prepared ingredients to the working area, Jiang Yu washed the small pot, then reheated it and added lard.

Once the lard was hot, he first added the shredded shiitake, ham, and bamboo shoots to stir-fry, then poured in the flaked fish and fish juice, adding soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, and chicken stock.

As the soup in the pot came to a boil, Jiang Yu slowly poured in the cornstarch slurry along the pot's edge, stirring gently with a spoon to prevent clumping.

After thickening, he gradually added the whisked egg whites, and finally seasoned with rice vinegar and white pepper, stirring well before turning off the heat and ladling the fish soup into a soup bowl.

"Is this the Song Sao Fish Soup?"

As soon as the dish was finished, Lu Shuwu leaned over for a look.

The Song Sao Fish Soup, though fragrant, wasn't as intensely aromatic as the spicy chicken or stewed chicken feet with Mei vegetables, which made one's mouth water.

Its fragrance, like its appearance, was subtle and required a closer whiff to notice.

After observing for a while without gaining any insight, Lu Shuwu couldn't help asking,

"Boss, I didn't see you add any sugar when making this dish, yet you did add vinegar. How does it taste sweet and sour?"

"Why don't you try some?"

Jiang Yu glanced at him and added a few cilantro leaves from a basket into the fish soup.

Looking at the mild-looking soup in front of him, Lu Shuwu thought for a moment and shook his head with an awkward smile,

"Uh, never mind, I won't compete with others for it."

Just then, Yan Tongtong ran in, sweating and gasping, saying,

"Senior brother, they're here."

"Oh, good, the Song Sao Fish Soup is ready too. I'll take it over."

Jiang Yu responded, placing the large bowl of soup on the tray, then lifted the tray and started to walk out.

After taking a few steps, as if he remembered something, he turned to Yan Tongtong and said,

"Xiaoyan, bring over two clean small bowls, and take two small spoons as well."

"Oh, okay."

Yan Tongtong nodded and ran over to get the bowls and spoons, following closely behind Jiang Yu as they left.

Lu Shuwu watched as Jiang Yu disappeared around the corner with the fish soup, unable to resist smacking his lips, and loudly said to Qian Liwei, who had just finished stir-frying a dish:

"Ah Wei, bring all the dishes out, it's about to open for business!"

...

In the Seventh Dining Hall lobby.

Liu Shurong had just brought her son Wu Wenle inside and was startled by the scene before her.

Isn't the dining hall supposed to open at 5:30?

It's not even 5 yet, and there are already so many people lining up in the dining hall!

Moreover, on the road outside, it seems quite a few people are hurrying over here too.

It seems that internet influencer wasn't lying, the food in this dining hall really is good, otherwise, why would the students all be rushing over?

Liu Shurong felt a surge of hope, praying that Boss Jiang's cooking can really stimulate her son's appetite; as long as her son is willing to eat, perhaps his anorexia can be cured!

With this hope in her heart, the mother and son found a corner seat in the dining area and sat down.

Soon after they sat down, Liu Shurong saw Jiang Yu carrying a tray with a large soup bowl, slowly walking over in their direction.

Behind him, Yan Tongtong was carrying bowls and small spoons, following closely.

Liu Shurong felt a rush of excitement and quickly stood up.

Not long after, Jiang Yu placed the large bowl of Song Wusao Fish Soup in front of them on the table and said with a gentle smile:

"The Song Wusao Fish Soup is ready, I wonder if Lele will like it?"

Saying this, he glanced over at Wu Wenle, who was sitting to the side.

Wu Wenle sat listlessly in his seat, lifting his eyelids to take a glance at the bowl of fish soup emitting a faint aroma, then shifted his gaze away.

Obviously, he wasn't interested in the dish Jiang Yu had prepared.

Liu Shurong's smile froze, and after a while, she recovered and turned to look at the steaming bowl of fish soup.

The fish soup was glossy in color, with gray-black mushroom shreds, pale white bamboo shoots, and red ham strips floating in the thick soup, accompanied by bright green cilantro leaves, creating a fresh and elegant color palette, like a scene from a Jiangnan painting, showcasing the delicate subtlety of Qiantang cuisine vividly.

Although the fish soup looked beautiful, why was the aroma so faint?

As a native of Qiantang, she naturally had eaten this dish many times, and every time the fish soup would be immensely fragrant, detectable from afar.

"Perhaps Boss Jiang isn't from Qiantang, so he couldn't manage to make authentic Song Wusao Fish Soup?"

Thinking this, a wave of deep disappointment rose from her heart; she had noticed clearly earlier that Lele just gave the fish soup a glance and then looked away, indicating he didn't want to eat it.

Could it be that in desperation she had sought the wrong person?

What should Lele do?

In an instant, she was filled with despair.

"Aunt Liu, why don't you hurry up and feed Lele?"

Jiang Yu hadn't spoken yet, but Yan Tongtong, standing on the side watching everything, couldn't help but get anxious; she stepped forward, picked up a bowl, stirred the thick fish soup gently with a spoon, and continued to say,

"This fish soup is best eaten while hot, it won't taste as good when it's cold."

The fish soup only had a faint aroma before, but who would've thought that with Yan Tongtong's gentle stirring with the spoon, steam rose instantly, and a rich enticing fragrance spread in the air.

This aroma wasn't just from the fish but also from the mushrooms' freshness, ham's meatiness, and chicken soup's light fragrance, just smelling it made one irresistibly drool.

"Wow! This fish soup smells amazing!"

Yan Tongtong couldn't help swallowing her saliva, a bit embarrassedly stuck out her tongue, giggling as she said, "I'm tempted to drink a few sips!"

Liu Shurong, who was originally in low spirits, was taken aback, her eyes widening in astonishment, unable to comprehend:

The fish soup only had a faint smell before, how could it suddenly become so aromatic after being stirred by Yan Tongtong?!

What, what exactly happened?

"Mom, I want to eat this."

Before she figured out why, Wu Wenle's familiar voice suddenly came to her ears.

Liu Shurong was taken aback, as if she hadn't heard it clearly, instinctively asking again:

"Lele, what, what did you just say?"

"I want to eat, want to eat fish soup…"

"Alright, alright! Mom will serve you!"

Yet now she heard clearly, but her tears started falling like beads from a broken string, "pattering" down.

These weren't tears of sorrow, but tears of joy.

She had been waiting too long to hear her son say "I want to eat"!

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