Around 7 PM.
Before the tavern opened for the evening, everyone was busy with preparations.
Hisako, who had been staying for two days, was diligently wiping the tables with a cloth.
Despite her noble background and following Erina, coming from a prestigious medicinal cuisine family, she was very adept at doing chores like wiping tables, mopping floors, and washing vegetables!
Sometimes, thinking about how her hard work could relieve some of Zane's pressure, she felt even more motivated.
Her diligent efforts made Zane finally understand why she had become Erina's capable assistant.
...
"Zane, I'm here again."
At this moment, a beautiful girl with long blonde hair entered with a smile.
"Hmm?"
"Erina!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Zane immediately looked up.
Today, she wore a light pink dress, like a peach blossom in early spring, exuding a faint sweet fragrance.
With each graceful step, her skirt fluttered slightly, resembling a blooming cloud. Paired with white leather shoes and short socks, she radiated a noble aura under the lights.
Since the start of the Autumn Selection, she had been busy with various tasks.
She hadn't visited the tavern for over a month.
But with the Autumn Selection and the Maple Viewing Event over, Erina finally had some free time.
Initially, she planned to rest for a couple of days, but her restless heart couldn't wait any longer. She came to the tavern early, eager to taste Zane's cooking again!
Of course, there was another reason:
Hisako!
...
"Hisako, you... you're really here!"
Seeing the familiar figure wiping the tables, Erina froze, as if glued to the spot.
However, Hisako quickly hid behind Zane, seemingly wanting to keep her distance, which made Erina feel a piercing coldness in her heart.
"Hisako, it's me."
"I'm Erina. Don't you recognize me?"
Seeing Hisako's cold demeanor and the way she looked at her like a stranger, Erina felt a surge of guilt, helplessness, and regret.
Erina's heart was breaking!
Why?
Did a loss in the Autumn Selection really mean the end of their friendship?
But I never blamed her, nor did I intend to punish her, so why did she suddenly act like she didn't know me?
Erina couldn't believe it. Her long-time friend was treating her this way.
On the other side, Hisako peeked at Erina from behind Zane. Seeing Erina's sad eyes, Hisako felt a deep pain in her heart.
She really wanted to rush out and reunite with her, but...
She couldn't!
She really felt unworthy to face her!
...
"Are you okay?"
"These past two days without you, I've been lost."
"I don't know how to operate the washing machine, where to find the manga I want to read, how to organize the room, and how to schedule tasting sessions... I really don't know what to do."
"Hisako, I can't do without you."
"Can you come back to me? Even if it's just as a friend, I beg you!"
Erina lowered her head, speaking in a nearly pleading tone.
"Miss, I lost in the Autumn Selection."
"I heard Alice won the championship, and the main reason for this unsatisfactory result was my lack of skill."
"Plus, I left without informing you, acting impulsively."
"So... I'm really sorry."
Hisako mustered the courage to step out from behind Zane and looked Erina in the eyes, apologetically.
She made it clear that she wouldn't be returning to Totsuki Academy anytime soon.
Hearing this, Erina's pretty face twisted in pain.
She couldn't accept it and couldn't understand why Hisako kept apologizing to her.
...
"Erina, let her stay at the tavern for a while."
Zane stepped in.
"But..."
Erina's eyes were teary, on the verge of crying.
"With the practical training activity coming up, she'll need to work as an intern somewhere. Let her intern here at the tavern!"
"When the internship is over, I'll persuade her to return to Totsuki."
Then, he whispered to Erina, "You can also apply to intern at the tavern. That way, you can live with Hisako. Understand?"
"Really? Is that possible?"
Erina quickly caught on and nodded.
Avoidance might be shameful, but it was useful.
Hisako, who always aimed to serve Erina, had never faced significant setbacks before, and the consecutive losses in the Autumn Selection showed that she had issues, though they hadn't surfaced until now.
As Leonora mentioned, the person needing the most calm was this diligent secretary.
Of course, Hisako wasn't entirely avoiding Erina, knowing it was impossible to avoid her forever.
What she needed most was to change herself, to become stronger.
Only then could she return to Erina's side and become a qualified secretary!
...
"Alright, don't be like this."
"Hisako is doing well here."
Seeing her sadness, Zane gently patted her shoulder and comforted, "You haven't been to the tavern for a while. Want me to make a new dish for you to try?"
"A new dish? What kind of dish?"
Hearing about a new dish, Erina's mood brightened, and she eagerly asked.
"Yes!"
"A lost dish!"
Zane said mysteriously.
"Lost? So, this dish existed before but disappeared for some reason, and no one can make it anymore?"
Erina's curiosity was piqued.
"Exactly!"
Zane nodded.
Then he turned back to the kitchen to start preparing.
The taste of fish is a hundred flavors in one. Eating fish makes all other flavors tasteless.
It's no coincidence that the ancient Chinese character for "fresh" is classified under the fish radical, not the meat radical.
This shows that fish has always been considered the epitome of "fresh," making it a favorite food throughout history. The dish known as soup-filled yellow croaker is said to be:
A dish that should only exist in heaven, rarely found on earth.
...
The tavern.
Usually served affordable and delicious dishes!
But that doesn't mean Zane hasn't made rare and noble dishes.
In fact, among the world's top ingredients, only a few leave a lasting impression, and large yellow croaker is one of them.
In the southeastern coastal regions of China, fishermen love to shout, "Yellow croaker! Big yellow croaker! We're rich today!"
This "yellow croaker" refers to an expensive golden fish:
The large yellow croaker!
How expensive is it?
A 7.1-pound large yellow croaker can cost 42,000 RMB.
Its flesh is tender and juicy, rich in protein and gelatin. It can be made into special dishes like "steamed yellow croaker" and "yellow croaker dried fish."
The most valuable part is the swim bladder, which can be made into fish maw, a rare ingredient and medicine.
Fish maw can be made into "fish maw pearls," which in Chinese medicine can alleviate gastrointestinal diseases and kidney stones. The ear stones ground into powder can be made into "fish brain stone powder," which helps with nasal and throat diseases.
Wild large yellow croakers are rare, which increases their value.
A top-quality large yellow croaker is something money can't always buy.
Such rare fish can even rival the price of ambergris, the "gold of the sea."
...
Making soup-filled yellow croaker involves a very complicated cooking process and techniques.
Even professional chefs find it challenging to succeed.
Currently, there are two main ways to debone a fish: raw and cooked, but neither can completely avoid leaving bones due to negligence.
First, the entire fish must be deboned completely.
The methods for deboning a whole fish are the gill removal method, back removal method, and whole fish deboning method.
The gill removal method, which keeps the fish body and skin intact, is suitable for making high-end dishes.
However, this method is generally suitable for fish weighing about one pound.
Larger fish bones are harder and more difficult to remove.
At this moment, Zane first removed the scales, gills, and fins of the fish, then took out the internal organs from the gills, washed and dried it, and laid it flat on the cutting board.
Next, before anyone could see clearly, Zane quickly sliced the yellow croaker on the cutting board, catching Erina's attention.
"What's happening?"
"Is he trying to debone the entire yellow croaker with one cut?"
Erina was visibly shocked!
...
Zane's eyes were sharp.
He quickly lifted the gill cover, severed the connection between the fish head and spine. His knife skills were always fast.
However, his strength was just right and very precise. After cutting, the connection between the fish meat and skin remained intact.
His knife skills immediately drew gasps of admiration from everyone.
"Oh my!"
"Deboning a fish can be this amazing?"
Hisako exclaimed.
Inserting the knife into the fish through the gills, he slowly pushed the knife towards the tail, separating the fish bones from the flesh.
The sequence was orderly.
First, the belly, then the back.
Finally, he quickly turned the fish over and repeated the process on the other side.
He knocked the tailbone with the knife, ensuring no damage to the skin, meaning:
With just one cut, Zane could separate the tailbone while keeping the fish intact.
This was truly astonishing.
Zane's skills were incredible.
It's unknown how he honed such extraordinary knife skills.
Then, Zane began to gently pull the bones out from the gills.
Using the gill removal method to debone the yellow croaker while keeping it intact was a great success.
"This... deboning while keeping the fish intact."
"There's only one way to do this: the g
ill removal method."
Erina was surprised.
...
Due to overfishing, large yellow croakers became "rare as hen's teeth."
So, China started artificial breeding of large yellow croaker over 20 years ago.
With advancements in technology, the breeding techniques matured, and the population of large yellow croaker began to recover in the past decade.
But even if they won't go extinct, it takes at least...
Two to three years to grow to over two pounds in the wild.
Five to six pounds would take over ten years.
"Impossible!"
"How could there be..."
Recovering from her shock, Erina stood up excitedly, exclaiming.
Time flew by, and Zane's soup-filled yellow croaker finally reached its final stage!
He took out a bottle of fragrant yellow wine, pouring a small amount into the fish's belly to remove the fishy smell and enhance the flavor.
...
Next, he prepared the soup filling.
He simmered prepared shark fin, fish lips, snow frog oil, pearl meatballs, and ham in rich chicken broth for half an hour.
This process allowed the ingredients to fully absorb the essence of the chicken broth, making the flavor richer.
After cooking, he cut the ingredients into segments.
Then he stuffed them into the fish's belly, tying the small opening with a string to prevent the soup from leaking.
At this point, the oil in the pot reached 80°C, and Zane gently placed the yellow croaker in the oil to fry. As the oil temperature rose, the yellow croaker turned golden and crispy, emitting a unique and enticing aroma.
When the fish was fried to a golden brown, he took it out.
Finally, he sliced large mustard greens into thin round pieces, thickened the chicken broth, and poured it gently over the yellow croaker.
"It smells so good!"
Erina couldn't help but wiggle her nose.
Sensing the aromatic atmosphere, she sighed deeply.
The entire process of making the soup-filled yellow croaker showcased Zane's superb culinary skills and his respect and love for ingredients and food.
Yes!
To her, Zane's soup-filled yellow croaker was more than just a dish.
"Alright, Erina, here's your soup-filled yellow croaker!"
Finishing everything, Zane took a deep breath to relax.
Finally, he placed the fragrant soup-filled yellow croaker in front of Erina.
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