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Two female tourists stood in front of the menu, whispering, seemingly in discussion.
After a long time, the round-faced girl looked at Xia Yu behind the counter and chuckled awkwardly, "Haha... uh, can the price be reduced a bit? A friendly discount, maybe ten percent off, or eight percent, of course, seven percent if you're willing. We're planning to try three small dishes."
"I'm not the owner of the restaurant yet,"
Xia Yu spread his hands, "I'm just considered a chef. So, sorry about the price."
The two women heard this and exchanged helpless looks.
"Let's just think of it as splurging at a hotel this time!" The round-faced girl gritted her teeth, "But just so you know, if your restaurant's dishes aren't good, I'll expose it on my Weibo!"
Saying this, the girl lifted her chin proudly, "Don't underestimate me, I'm quite the influencer with six hundred thousand followers on Weibo, and I have some fame in the food scene, too!"
Xia Yu froze for a moment, suspiciously scrutinizing her cute face.
"You're a well-known food blogger?"
Resting his chin on his hand, Xia Yu suddenly said, "How about this, I'll cover this meal for you, and you help write a sponsored article on Weibo, promoting us so that all Japanese know there's such an authentic Chinese restaurant in Ameyoko!"
Upon hearing this, the round-faced girl struggled for only a few seconds before shaking her head righteously,
"No way!"
"I write food travelogues on Weibo just as a hobby, not involving any commercial content!"
Xia Yu shrugged.
"Alright then, I'll just have to do my best to satisfy you and have you write a sponsored article voluntarily..."
The two female tourists ordered three dishes, Fuqi Feipian, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Squirrel Sea Bass, totaling 11,000 yen.
Among these dishes, Fuqi Feipian is relatively simpler to prepare.
Many days ago, the old man had cut the beef into chunks, along with beef tongue, beef heart, and bovine organs, which were marinated with spices, salt, and peppercorn powder, cooked over high heat, then taken out to dry and sliced into thin pieces for later use.
When customers ordered, it just needed to be plated, adding marinade, soybean oil, peppercorn powder, red chili oil, sesame seeds, peanuts, and celery, mixed well, and then served on the table.
Therefore, the first dish Xia Yu served the two girls was a plate of bright red Fuqi Feipian.
"Please enjoy!"
Placing down the plate, Xia Yu turned and went back to the kitchen to stay busy.
"Compared to the Fuqi Feipian back home, there's nothing special about it!"
The round-faced girl held her smartphone and snapped pictures of the dish, "I'll take pictures first as evidence before using my chopsticks!"
Her goddess-like friend sat beside her, seemingly accustomed to her behavior.
"This fragrance seems unusual..." The goddess-like girl was the first to use her chopsticks, lifted a thin slice of beef, sent it into her mouth, where the various spice flavors, blended with the beef taste, merged perfectly and exploded in her mouth.
Appearing before her eyes was a mirage; she was living on a vast prairie, the grass beneath her feet wasn't green but was vividly chili-red, even the air was filled with the numbing scent of peppercorn.
A herd of healthy bulls ran past, bursting with "Spirit," and to her amazement, the girl's eyes widened.
These weren't yaks, nor did they have milk spots; they seemed to have just bathed in a river of marinade, dripping with spicy oil all over.
Unconsciously chewing the beef slice, when she swallowed the chewed beef in one gulp, those incredible illusions vanished from before her eyes. The goddess-like girl's mouth opened slightly in surprise, her cheeks heating up, with a bright blush appearing.
"Delicious!"
"So tasty!"
Beside her, her friend, equally enchanted, closed her eyes, savoring the food illusion.
When Xia Yu brought over the second dish, Sweet and Sour Pork, the entire plate of Fuqi Feipian had already been devoured.
He put down the Sweet and Sour Pork, his head full of dark lines.
"I haven't served you rice yet, and the dish is already gone..."
"No, no, we don't need rice. We'll just have the dishes," the round-faced girl didn't lift her head, her eyes fixed on the dish emitting a rich meaty aroma on the table.
One had to admit, just the sight of the bright red hue of the dish, along with the broccoli garnishing the plate, would surely whet one's appetite.
Especially since the Sweet and Sour Pork had a unique sweet and sour flavor that intensified the secretion of stomach acid.
"Wait a moment, there's another dish. I'll serve you rice first!"
So Xia Yu continued to stay busy, running back and forth between the kitchen and the dining area.
Fortunately, the small restaurant only had these two female guests tonight, otherwise he would surely have been dizzy from the work.
"Dun-dun-dun-dun... The final dish, Squirrel Sea Bass, is done!"
About half an hour later, Xia Yu, catching his breath, placed a large plate of fish before the two girls.
"Please enjoy!"
This time, Xia Yu didn't hurry away, standing behind the counter, scanning over.
As expected, the second dish's plate of Sweet and Sour Pork was also empty, both bowls of rice nearly half-eaten, with the goddess-like girl touching her stomach, apparently full, her cheeks still blushing, eyes dreamy.
As for the round-faced girl, her head down, focused on typing on her phone, even when Xia Yu served the dish and made a commotion, she didn't seem to be disturbed.
"Are you writing a Weibo post?" Xia Yu curiously leaned over.
Indeed, she was composing a Weibo post, already having written several hundred words, with accompanying pictures. The angles were great, and even without post-processing, the Chinese cuisine in the images appeared so appetizing that it could instantly induce hunger.
Hey!
Seeing the two dishes in the pictures, Fuqi Feipian and Sweet and Sour Pork, Xia Yu grinned, showing a smile.
The young lady sure knows her stuff, not wasting his wholehearted efforts on the last two dishes.
Poking her with a finger, Xia Yu reminded, "Don't rush, take pictures of the final dish, Squirrel Sea Bass, and after tasting it, write down your thoughts, with photos and text, to make it complete!"
An exclamation quickly spread through the small shop.
Among the three dishes, the most artistic was undoubtedly the Squirrel Sea Bass!
A large fish laid on a white, polished round porcelain plate, looking as if it had just leapt out of the pond, with its tail and head raised high, while its body was adorned with colorful garnishing.
Green peas, pine nuts, corn kernels...
The two Chinese female tourists hesitated to use their chopsticks, finally, under Xia Yu's urging, they picked up a piece of fish, deep-fried and crispy golden, and slowly chewed it.
In less than ten minutes, the entire fish had been devoured, leaving only the tail and head, no sign of any fish bones.
This Squirrel Sea Bass indeed required some skill in knife work. When preparing the fish, besides cutting flower patterns on the fish meat, one had to carefully cut along the fish's backbone, from head to tail, splitting it in two while removing all the bones, leaving only the tail connected, so the two pieces of fish meat wouldn't separate.
Silently, Xia Yu brewed a cup of barley tea, which aids digestion and cuts through grease, for them.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, the two girls could barely move, feeling utterly satisfied.
"How would you rate it?" Xia Yu pointed to the three plates with only soup left, "Which dish do you think tasted best?"
He thought the two would ponder for a while, but upon asking, the round-faced girl, and the goddess-like girl, replied in unison, "Fuqi Feipian!"
"..."
"I'm so screwed!"
At that moment, Xia Yu's face turned green.
In the small shop's backyard, an old man sitting on the corridor put down his teacup and revealed a sly smile.
That expression seemed to say,
Boy, you're still too naive!
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