No matter how unconvinced Zhang Quanquan was, in the end, he could only obey Chef Ge’s instructions.
But the resentment in his heart swelled like a tide. Even Chef Ge… even he now felt Xu Ying was superior to him? Was he seriously going to start helping Xu Ying now?
With a belly full of grievance, Zhang Quanquan picked up the fish, his expression as sour as vinegar.
Xu Ying was in the middle of testing a new recipe—braised fish. When she turned around and saw Zhang Quanquan still moving at a turtle’s pace, her tone was impatient.
“Brother Zhang, can you hurry up? We need that fish soon!”
In this era, meat dishes held an irresistible charm. Meat wasn’t easy to come by. Even if one had ration tickets, catching the right timing was crucial. When there was no meat, the tickets were useless. Every day, state-owned restaurants received limited quantities of meat, sometimes more, sometimes less.
So, the moment people caught wind of available meat, they would rush to the restaurant with their ration tickets in hand, eager to exchange them for meat dishes.
Even if they didn’t plan to eat here, they’d take the food home.
Xu Ying had already anticipated the frenzy that would follow the debut of her fish and pork dishes.
The pork was manageable—just toss it all into a large pot and let it cook.
But the braised fish… that was another story. It took work.
To save time and effort, Xu Ying had decided to fry all the fish in one go. Otherwise, frying them one by one would take forever.
She glanced at Zhang Quanquan, who was reluctantly picking up the fish as if it were a heavy burden. Without the slightest courtesy, she barked out instructions:
“Brother Zhang, clean the fish, remove the internal organs, then make a couple of straight cuts on both sides. Marinate them for a bit with a pinch of salt and a splash of cooking wine. Thanks.”
Zhang Quanquan’s face darkened at first—he had been planning to snap at her—but the moment he heard Xu Ying give detailed cooking instructions, his anger fizzled out.
His hands picked up speed, the resentment slowly melting into begrudging focus.
Meanwhile, Xu Ying bustled about, preparing the side ingredients. She peeled garlic cloves, washed and sliced green onions and ginger, rinsed dried red chilies and trimmed them.
With that done, she turned to the pork.
There was quite a lot of it. Just before getting off work yesterday, she had unlocked a whole array of pork dishes—braised pork, garlic white pork, stir-fried pork with chilies… along with a basket of eggs, a basket of duck eggs, and a variety of cooked foods.
But what delighted Xu Ying the most was that she’d also unlocked some seafood.
Just as she finished prepping, Zhang Quanquan returned.
“So, the fish is ready. What next?” he asked, almost humbly.
Xu Ying nodded in approval, took the fish from him, and gestured for him to stay by her side.
“Watch carefully,” she said, letting him stand close enough to observe the process as a secret apprentice.
She heated oil in the pan, then placed a few pieces of fish into the hot oil, frying them until both sides were a golden brown. Once crispy, she drained the oil and set the fish aside.
Over and over, she repeated the process until all the fish were perfectly fried.
Then, she poured out most of the oil, leaving only a small amount. Once hot, she added the fried fish back into the pot, followed by a splash of vinegar. As the tangy aroma rose, she tossed in the green onions, ginger, garlic, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, soy sauce, a touch of salt, and a dash of sugar.
Finally, she poured in hot water, just enough to submerge the fish. Bringing it to a boil over high heat, she then reduced it to a low simmer for ten minutes.
(For those who didn’t like spicy food, the dried chilies could be skipped. But Xu Ying liked her food hot—and so did most of the locals. So spicy it was.)
The scent of spice filled the entire kitchen. Irresistible.
She plated the fish piece by piece, leaving just a small amount of fish broth in the pot.
In a separate bowl, she mixed dry starch with cold water and stirred it into a smooth slurry. Pouring the water starch into the remaining fish soup, she simmered it until the sauce thickened, then spooned the glossy mixture over the fish.
Finally, she washed and chopped fresh coriander, scattering it over the top like a green crown.
The glistening braised fish, rich with aroma and color, was ready.
Its mouthwatering fragrance wafted through the restaurant.
“What’s cooking today, Chef Ge? Smells amazing!” asked a bearded uncle who’d just stepped in.
Before Chef Ge could answer, Sun Lifang chimed in proudly, “This is braised fish made by our new chef. Smells great, but wait till you taste it.”
The uncle’s eyes lit up. “I’ll take one!”
But when he saw the price tag, he was stunned. “Girl, this fish costs one yuan and fifty cents?”
Sun Lifang didn’t bat an eyelash. “A whole fish weighs nearly two kilos.”
The uncle was ready to complain again, but after hearing the weight, his frown vanished.
Previously, he’d paid sixty or seventy cents for barely half a pound of meat.
Now, he was getting nearly two kilograms of fish for just 1.5 yuan?
A bargain!
With a grin, he carried his plate to a seat. As soon as he sat down, a crowd started peeking at his plate, eyes wide and envious.
“Brother, how much was that huge fish?” someone asked.
“Only one and a half yuan,” the uncle replied proudly. “Weighs over two kilos.”
The fish itself wasn’t that heavy, but once fried, stewed, thickened with gravy, and soaked in soup, the plate weighed at least three kilos.
Served with rice or steamed buns—it was divine.
“I want a fish too,” came a deep voice from the entrance.
It was Huo Chen.
Gao Guihua recognized him instantly as Xu Ying’s friend and, without hesitation, picked the biggest fish and served it to him.
Huo Chen carried the plate to his seat. On the way, Wu Qingsong couldn’t stop staring, saliva practically pooling at the corners of his mouth.
He had been eyeing that first uncle’s plate with a burning hunger. The scent of the fish was simply too much to bear.
The poor uncle kept looking up and locking eyes with Wu Qingsong, feeling more and more awkward.
If Wu Qingsong hadn’t been a man, the uncle might have thought he was being… admired.
Eventually, the uncle was so flustered that he moved to a inner seat just to escape those intense stares.
Suddenly, the familiar ding echoed in Xu Ying’s mind.
[Congratulations to the host! Favorability value increased by +18, +18, +18, +1, +1… A new recipe has been unlocked: Universal Fried Pork.
A new space area has been opened—20 square meters. Also unlocked: Women’s Watch.]
Xu Ying’s brows twitched in surprise. “System, why did Huo Chen’s favorability points spike so much? And they’re still rising! Why aren’t others increasing like this?”
[The system’s current level is not high enough to detect the reason.]
“…Then what use are you?” Xu Ying muttered, resting her cheek on her palm with a curious expression.
“But what’s this ‘universal pork’ thing?” she asked aloud.
This time, the system replied with boundless joy:
[Because the host completed the task so excellently, the system awarded the ultimate prize: the Universal Pork Recipe!
All farm-style dishes made with pork are now unlocked.]
Xu Ying’s mood instantly lifted. She opened the recipe book mentally, and countless pork dishes bloomed in her thoughts like blooming flowers.
“Wow, you’re actually useful for once!” she exclaimed happily.
If the system weren’t just a voice in her head, she would’ve hugged it and given it a kiss—it was that impressive.
A certain system, fully aware of her thoughts, wiggled its nonexistent tail proudly.
[Host, this system doesn’t need a kiss. But… can you give me another reward?]
Xu Ying raised an eyebrow. “What kind?”
The system let off virtual fireworks in excitement:
[Host! These are all brand-new skins! The system knows you’re short on money, so I’m not asking for those 998 or 698 premium ones… Just give me a 99.9 version, please!]
It even sent a shy little emoji to her mind.
Xu Ying rolled her eyes. “You think I’m worth 99.9? How about you sell yourself to me instead and I’ll buy you a skin?”
This poor little system—give it an inch, and it wanted a mile. She only had about a hundred yuan left. And this shameless voice wanted almost all of it for a skin?
She didn’t even spend that much on her entire outfit!
The system immediately wilted like a frost-struck eggplant.
Yingyingyingying…
“Enough. I think this one for 9 yuan suits you just fine. See that skin with a dog’s head on it? Looks just like you.”