Chapter 14 – Delicious Dishes
The flavorful seafood rice was garnished with silver-carp fish, black star clam meat, horned shrimp, rainbow snail meat, magic crab legs, and stone skeleton fish roe—all fresh ingredients Lin Jiu had brought back.
The moonstone rice was perfectly steamed, emitting a rich, fragrant aroma. The rice grains were translucent and glossy. Lin Jiu used a large serving bowl to plate three portions of rice. He layered the prepared magic seafood ingredients on top of the rice, creating a small mound. A spoonful of stone skeleton fish roe was placed at the very top. The roe was succulent and shimmering, with each piece resembling a pomegranate seed, gracefully rolling in the bowl and exuding an irresistibly enticing allure.
Lin Jiu freshly ground some coralline green pepper. He didn’t need much—just three portions would suffice. The intense aroma of coralline green pepper filled the air with its spicy and sweet notes.
He crafted a unique dipping sauce using a special soy sauce to enhance the magical seafood, incorporating freshly ground coralline green pepper for an extra burst of flavor. The seafood rice was perfectly prepared and ready to be enjoyed.
Lin Jiu also made a pot of fresh shrimp soup using horned shrimp heads and magic sea red mushrooms. The aroma alone indicated how delicious it would be.
Lin Jiu noticed that, apart from the magic sea creatures (magic seafood), other ingredients could be purchased with magic points, making him acutely aware of the scarcity of magic points.
He ladled three bowls of fresh shrimp soup onto a wooden tray, placed the three portions of seafood rice and the dipping sauce on it, and then took it to the private room.
The three were already seated at the table and eagerly reached out to take the full tray of seafood rice.
“It’s okay, I’ll handle it.”
Lin Jiu served the seafood rice, then the sauces, and finally the bowls of soup.
He opened the lids of the soup bowls, and the steam rose, releasing a rich, fragrant aroma. Each bowl of clear soup featured two vibrant red mushrooms and was served without any shrimp heads. The intense aroma made the three of them feel quite hungry.
Lin Jiu lifted the lid for Si Xu and, as he glanced up, he caught sight of a face he recognized all too well from countless screens. His hand trembled, nearly dropping the lid into the soup.
Lin Jiu was so shocked that he momentarily forgot to look away, staring directly at Si Xu.
Si Xu smiled, “Hello.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, but Lin Jiu couldn’t place it and didn’t have time to think.
His mind was racing with thoughts of “What do I do now that my idol of so many years has suddenly shown up to eat my food? Should I offer a discount, extra servings, or ask for an autograph?”
Countless thoughts raced through Lin Jiu’s mind, leaving him so stunned that his expression was blank.
“What’s this round thing…” Jiang Ge stopped, noticing the awkward atmosphere and glancing between the two, suddenly realizing, “Let me introduce you. This is my friend who’s ill and needs to eat your fish every day, or he’ll need nutritional supplements.”
“He’s a singer, known as ‘Si Xu’. You should know him, right?” Jiang Ge asked expectantly.
If Lin Jiu were a fan of Si Xu, it would be a lot easier.
Lin Jiu, still in shock, nodded blankly, “Hello.”
Then he expressionlessly picked up the wooden tray and left.
The three in the private room: “…”
Jiang Ge was confused, “He really isn’t your fan?”
Si Xu smiled. He had seen Lin Jiu’s reaction and noticed that while Lin Jiu’s expression remained unchanged, his ears were turning red, making him look a bit cute in his awkwardness.
“What a pity. If he were your fan, I could order freely,” Jiang Ge said as he scooped up a piece of fish roe with a wooden spoon, taking a bite. The roe burst into his mouth with a “pop,” and the fresh, salty flavor spread throughout his palate.
Jiang Ge’s eyes widened in amazement. “This… These are fish roe? Such large fish roe! What kind of fish produces such big, fresh roe? There’s no fishy taste at all. It’s so delicious!”
Jiang Ge took another spoonful and combined it with the rice and silver carp meat, stuffing his mouth full. The exquisite taste activated all his taste buds, and he closed his eyes in enjoyment.
“This rice is also very good—soft and chewy, so fragrant!”
Without hearing Jiang Ge’s praises, Si Xu and Wen Qin also picked up their wooden spoons.
Si Xu took a sip of the soup first. He had a sensitive stomach and couldn’t indulge like Jiang Ge. A spoonful of the rich, fresh shrimp soup warmed his empty stomach and awakened his dormant taste buds. If just a bowl of shrimp soup was this delicious, the seafood rice was bound to be even better.
Both Si Xu and Jiang Ge had tasted silver carp before and were familiar with its wonderful freshness. Wen Qin, however, was trying seafood that could extend Si Xu’s life for the first time. After tasting the seafood with the rice, he realized that a bowl of seafood rice costing several thousand yuan was actually not expensive. It was worth the price with its good taste and generous portion.
Jiang Ge dipped his chopsticks into the soy sauce and coralline green pepper, and his eyes lit up. He mixed the coralline green pepper into the soy sauce and drizzled it over the seafood mountain in his bowl. The flavor was even more exquisite, perfect for customers with a strong taste.
“The sauce is also delicious. When drizzled on…” Jiang Ge was so absorbed in eating that he could hardly speak.
*
Lin Jiu stood in the kitchen, taking a while to recover from the shock of seeing Si Xu.
Recalling the news about Si Xu’s serious illness and looking at Si Xu’s gaunt face, it was clear that he was indeed unwell. Jiang Ge had mentioned more than once that his friend could only eat when silver carp was included. Lin Jiu hadn’t known that Jiang Ge’s friend was Si Xu, and he wasn’t sure what illness Si Xu had. Since he could eat, Lin Jiu decided to let him eat as much as he wanted.
Lin Jiu took a piece of the most tender silver dragon fish meat, sliced it evenly, and placed it on two green loquat leaves on the ice plate. He added peeled horned shrimp tails and sliced rainbow conch meat, arranged it all on the ice plate, and topped it with soy sauce and freshly ground coralline green pepper. The beautifully arranged sashimi platter was now ready.
Seeing Lin Jiu enter, Jiang Ge immediately said, “I want another serving of seafood rice.”
Lin Jiu glanced at his bowl, which was empty, and said, “Only one serving per person.”
Jiang Ge was shocked, “Isn’t this a place to eat? Why limit the amount of food for customers?”
Lin Jiu placed the sashimi platter down. “The ingredients are highly nutritious. It’s best to eat in moderation. Those who need more nutrition or are weak can eat more. Since you’re among the first customers, I’m giving you a sashimi platter. Enjoy.”
The sashimi platter was strategically placed almost right in front of Si Xu.
“Thank you,” Si Xu said, watching Lin Jiu leave.
Jiang Ge: “…”
Jiang Ge: “Are you saying I should eat less and you should eat more?”
Si Xu pushed the sashimi platter to the center of the table, “Eat up.”
Although they were already full from the large portion of seafood rice and the bowl of shrimp soup, they still wanted more.
The sashimi with the sauce was even more flavorful and delicious.
The three of them finished the sashimi platter, all feeling very satisfied. They had never eaten such delicious seafood before. The ingredients were undoubtedly fresh, and the taste was exceptional. Compared to other seafood, this place’s seafood seemed to have a unique, wonderful flavor.
The three of them left the private room. Si Xu put his mask back on and took out his phone to scan the QR code for payment.
“Will there be breakfast tomorrow morning?” Jiang Ge wished he could stay at the restaurant and eat seafood every day.
“The small shop doesn’t offer breakfast. We only serve lunch and dinner.”
“Then we’ll come back tomorrow.”
The three of them left the small shop.
Lin Jiu took out a small wooden sign of the same color and wrote down the business hours.
Lunch: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Dinner: 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
He hung the sign below the shop’s name.
[Chef System Notification: Today’s earnings are 20,992 yuan, actual earnings are 21,994 yuan. The sashimi platter should be priced at 8,998 yuan.]
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu took out his phone and checked the payment information. Si Xu had overpaid by 10,000 yuan, clearly covering the cost of the sashimi platter.
In addition, Lin Jiu noticed an unfamiliar payment notification: Someone had transferred 20 million yuan to him!
He clicked on the payment note: “Supplement for black star pearls.”
The message had been buried under countless missed calls, and Lin Jiu had only just seen it now.
He had dinner at the shop and put the dishes into the smart kitchen’s automatic dishwasher, which took care of washing, disinfecting, and arranging—a complete process that required no effort from Lin Jiu.
There weren’t many ingredients prepared for tonight, so the four people finished everything without waste.
Lin Jiu locked up the shop and walked home. Tomorrow would be the official opening, so there was no need to wait tonight.
*
The next morning, Lin Jiu was woken up by a phone call from the delivery person, who was asking him to sign for the flower baskets.
Lin Jiu was still a bit groggy, “Sorry, I didn’t order any flower baskets.”
“It’s from a Mr. Si who heard you’re opening today and sent over a truckload of flower baskets.”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu got up, washed up, and hurried to the shop. The front of the shop was already filled with flower baskets, attracting quite a few onlookers.
The flower baskets were beautiful and matched the shop’s color scheme, making the entrance look very festive.
Lin Jiu signed for the delivery, and the driver left.
Lin Jiu hadn’t planned any grand opening celebrations, nor did he expect anyone to celebrate for him. He wanted to open the shop quietly, but getting many flower baskets in the morning made him happy, especially since they were from someone with the surname Si.
Lin Jiu opened the shop, changed into his custom work uniform, and came out to find kids sneaking flowers.
When Lin Jiu went outside, the kids quickly hid the flowers behind their backs and ran away.
Lin Jiu went back inside, prepared the ingredients for lunch, and soon noticed adults picking flowers as well. He went outside again.
The woman picking flowers was the owner of the laundry shop diagonally across the street. She smiled and said, “These flowers are really beautiful. They must have cost a lot, right? I’ll take a few to put in a vase. Otherwise, it’s such a waste to just throw them away.”
“I didn’t plan to throw them away.” Lin Jiu’s expression was blank beneath his mask.
The woman sighed, “Flowers for a grand opening are usually displayed for just a day and then discarded. Fresh flowers don’t last long; they’ll wither by evening.”
The woman almost stripped one basket bare, clutching a handful of pink flowers as she left.
Lin Jiu pulled the door open and moved the flower baskets inside, placing them all in the shop. Only two baskets, from which flowers had been picked, were left at the entrance. A wooden bench was set up below the decorative window, with the two remaining baskets placed on either side of the bench. He hoped this would deter anyone else from picking flowers.
Seeing Lin Jiu move the baskets inside, the laundry shop owner gave a disdainful look and went into her shop.
Soon after, another local flower shop delivered two large bunches of golden wheat stalks, wishing for “Great Prosperity for the New Shop.” The delivery was made by Mr. Jiang.
Lin Jiu signed for the delivery and placed the golden wheat stalks next to the two remaining flower baskets.
Zhang Liu, standing nearby, peeked in and asked, “What are you selling in the shop?”
Noticing that Zhang Liu was wearing a uniform from Chen Ji Noodle House, Lin Jiu realized he was an employee from the neighboring shop. “We sell seafood.”
Lin Jiu habitually wore a mask. He hadn’t worn it in the shop the previous night and had coincidentally encountered Si Xu coming in for a meal. He wasn’t sure if Si Xu recognized him; given his low profile, it was unlikely that he did.
