Chapter 20: Drinking a Bowl of Fish Soup
Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: Vermillion
A blue and white porcelain bowl contained the Fish Head Tofu Soup; fresh and tender fish meat was floating in the pristine milky-white fish soup, along with crystal-clear tofu that looked brittle to the touch. The rich fragrance converged at the top of the bowl and exuded a captivating radiance under the dim lighting.
Bu Fang satisfactorily took a deep breath as the faint fragrance of the fish rushed through his nasal cavities and spread into his limbs. The Fish Head Tofu Soup was actually a slightly difficult home-cooked dish as it tested a chef"s control over heat. However, with Bu Fang"s culinary skills, that was naturally quite accomplished.
That was the only way to produce the pristine, milky-white fish soup.
After bringing the blue and white porcelain bowl out of the kitchen and placing it on a table in the store, Bu Fang took out a smaller bowl and was ready to personally taste the delicious Fish Head Tofu Soup.
"My dear boss, what did you cook? It smells so good!" Just when Bu Fang was about to start eating, a small head popped out from behind the door. Her charming, large eyes were staring at the bowl of Fish Head Tofu Soup in front of him.
Bu Fang was startled for a moment, then he expressionlessly glanced at the little loli. He almost forgot about her, but he was not surprised that she would be attracted by the smell of the soup.
"I am trying out a new dish," Bu Fang simply said.
Just as he finished the sentence, the little loli was already standing in front of him. She was licking her lips while her eyes were staring at the bowl without blinking.
"A new dish? It looks delicious. Is this fish soup? Why is the soup milky-white?
"Eh? This tofu is beautiful. It looks just like a piece of artwork. How did it retain such an appearance after cooking?
"Wow! This fish head has a lot of meat! It looks delicious!"
......
Bu Fang put down his bowl and chopsticks, and looked at the babbling little loli. He awkwardly sighed and said, "Go and get a bowl and chopsticks, we"ll eat it together."
The little loli"s eyes immediately lit up, and a gleeful smile appeared on her chubby face. "Boss, you"re the best!"
And so, the little loli ran into the kitchen, then quickly returned with a porcelain bowl in hand and was impatiently staring at Bu Fang.
The corner of Bu Fang"s mouth widened into an awkward smile. He took over the bowl in her hand and filled half of it with fish soup. Then he added a piece of fat, tender fish meat and two pieces of crystal-clear tofu into the bowl.
The little loli happily received the bowl. She brought it close to her nose and inhaled; she could not help but delightfully yell out from the warm fragrance.
The little loli seemed to be quite knowledgeable about eating. She did not immediately eat the fish meat, but lifted the bowl and drank the soup instead. The milky white soup pa.s.sed through her tender lips and into her mouth. The slight viscosity caused the soup to feel as smooth as silk. The rich taste was released in her mouth and completely enveloped her taste buds while the refres.h.i.+ng taste completely relaxed her entire body.
"D... Delicious! It smells so good!" The little loli satisfactorily sipped from the bowl; her large eyes were squinting like two crescent moons. She had a satisfied expression on her face, as if she could drink from this bowl for the rest of her life.
"Don"t just drink the soup, you should try the fish meat as well. You might be surprised," Bu Fang simply said. He gently looked on as the little loli drunk the soup.
Bu Fang picked up his own bowl of soup and started to drink as well. The taste was indeed savory and the freshness of the ingredients was fully exhibited.
"Ah! This fish... Why is there a p.r.i.c.kling sensation!" After eating a piece of fish, the little loli was taken aback. Even though eating the fish meat gave her a p.r.i.c.kling sensation, it did not lower her rating of the dish but increased it. The p.r.i.c.kling sensation came from the ingredient itself, and when combined with the refres.h.i.+ng taste, its richness was increased and made the taste more apparent.
The tofu was extremely soft as well and melted in her mouth. The faint taste of the tofu mixed with the residual taste of the fish gave her a peculiar pleasure.
"This is the most delicious soup I"ve ever tasted!" The little loli earnestly said toward Bu Fang after she finished the last drop of soup. It was not only delicious, but also improved her true energy circulation and a warm feeling was spreading throughout her body.
"Hmm, I see. Sleep early if you"ve finished eating. There"s still work tomorrow," Bu Fang expressionlessly nodded and reminded her.
The little loli"s facial expression froze, then she haughtily snorted. She put down the bowl in her hands and was about to return to her room. However, she hesitated for a moment when she reached the door, then turned toward Bu Fang and said, "Smelly boss, my name is Ouyang Xiaoyi. You can call me Xiaoyi."
Bu Fang was startled and said, "Hmm, I see."
"..."
The little loli was annoyed. She thought, "I"ve already told him my name, shouldn"t this smelly boss tell me his name?"
"Smelly boss, what"s your name?" Xiaoyi haughtily asked.
"Bu Fang," Bu Fang simply replied as he tidied up the tableware. Xiaoyi snorted and finally satisfactorily went back to sleep.
After placing the tableware in the automatic dishwasher, Bu Fang stretched his body and intended to have an early rest. Even though his body was stronger, it was still important to have a good rest.
Since Bu Fang had already eaten the Fish Head Tofu Soup and his mouth still retained the delicious taste of the dish, he had no intention of cooking his other reward, the Golden Shumai, for the moment.
The night pa.s.sed without any incident.
When the morning sunlight touched the entrance of the store, Bu Fang had already completed his daily training and opened the store.
Ouyang Xiaoyi was rubbing her eyes as she came down the stairs. She spotted Bu Fang feeding the big black dog at the entrance and curiously went up to him. When she saw that the big black dog was eating the Egg-Fried Rice that she ate yesterday, she was completely bewildered.
Bu Fang glanced at her and expressionlessly said, "I forgot to tell you something yesterday. Since you"re repaying your debt by working here, your meals won"t be provided. If you"re eating here, then you"ll still need to pay."
When the little loli heard him, she forced herself to look away from the big black dog and immediately used a pitiful gaze to look at him.
However, Bu Fang was completely unaffected.
"Fine..." The little loli gave up and viciously laid a curse on Bu Fang so he would not be able to find a wife.
Bu Fang was leisurely curled up on the chair and basking in the warm sunlight, while Ouyang Xiaoyi was bitterly sitting nearby. The scene was still quite... harmonious.
Finally, Fatty Jin and his buddies arrived and familiarly greeted Bu Fang.
"Good morning, Owner Bu! The weather is good today." A smile appeared on Fatty Jin"s face.
Bu Fang nodded and lightly replied with a "hmm". Then he got up and entered the kitchen, "If you"re ordering anything, tell it to that girl. Oh, and there"s a new dish today. Do you want to give it a try?"
"Oh my! What a cute little girl. Owner Bu, you have such a unique preference!" Fatty Jin teasingly laughed at him and looked toward Ouyang Xiaoyi. However, the smile on his face soon disappeared and his cheeks slightly trembled.
"Oh my G.o.d! Why is she here! d.a.m.n it!"
Fatty Jin blinked furiously and looked at the little loli. "That"s right... It really is her! Owner Bu is truly formidable, how did he get her to be his waitress... Did those three barbaric brothers of her agree to this?"
Ouyang Xiaoyi recognized him as well. She immediately snorted and impatiently said, "Fatty Jin, what are you ordering? Hurry up."
"I"ll have the improved Egg-Fried Rice and the new dish today," Fatty Jin hurriedly said. The other obese men also ordered their dishes as well. However, they did not order as much as yesterday. After all, the dishes were not cheap.
"Alright, wait for it." Ouyang Xiaoyi seriously memorized their orders and headed toward the kitchen. Once she reached the entrance, she reported their orders to Bu Fang.
"Hmm? Only Fatty Jin ordered the Fish Head Tofu Soup?" Bu Fang was slightly surprised, but it was within his expectations.
After all, the price of the Fish Head Tofu Soup was not cheap: twenty crystals per serving. It was exorbitant.
Only someone with money like Fatty Jin would dare to freely order this dish. Even though the others were rich as well, their wealth could not be compared with his.
"Fish Head Tofu Soup, how interesting. For it to be sold for twenty crystals, I am looking forward to it!" Fatty Jin was filled with expectations as he sat on the chair.