Chapter 315 - 298: Who Made These 3 Dishes?

Chapter 315: Chapter 298: Who Made These 3 Dishes?

"An extra dish?"

Lin Guodong asked, confused, "Xiaoyou, what dish is this?"

Li You said, "Why don’t you open it and see, Uncle Guodong?"

Lin Guodong lifted the lid of the take-out container. After getting a clear look, he exclaimed in surprise, "Isn’t this what they call a ’sow’s shell’? Oh, the mandarin fish you mentioned, Xiaoyou. Steamed mandarin fish... Xiaoyou, what’s this for?"

Li You said, "I went fishing in the canyon yesterday and caught a few mandarin fish. I steamed one for you all to try."

Lin Guodong said, "Anything you steam is bound to be delicious. How much is it? I’ll pay you for everything at once."

Li You said, "I haven’t officially added this dish to the menu yet, so it doesn’t have a price. Uncle Guodong, you can check my menu if you don’t believe me; it’s not on there. That’s why this dish isn’t for sale yet. I’m just having you try it out, like a taste test. Once you’ve tasted it, you have to tell me if there are any problems or suggestions so I can make improvements. So, there’s no charge this time."

"Well..."

Lin Guodong looked at the menu. Indeed, there was no Steamed Mandarin Fish on it.

"But, Xiaoyou..." Lin Guodong still felt uneasy about it.

Li You said, "Uncle Guodong, you’re being too formal again. Look, when you gave me that fish, I didn’t refuse. So, you shouldn’t refuse, either."

Lin Guodong said, "That’s different. You’re running a business. Since it’s a business, I should pay."

Li You said, "But I haven’t launched this dish yet. Right now, I’m asking for your help to test it. I’ll be asking other customers to test it too."

After hearing Li You’s explanation, Lin Guodong finally nodded and said, "Then thank you, Xiaoyou."

Afterward, he was naturally delighted and pleasantly surprised.

He had only planned on buying half a braised chicken today. He never expected to leave with Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetables and Steamed Mandarin Fish as well.

When he brought this home, his guests would surely eat it and exclaim how incredibly delicious the food was today.

For Lin Guodong, this would be a great way to gain face.

After thanking him profusely, Lin Guodong departed, carrying the three dishes.

Li You returned to the rocking chair in front of his shop. Now he could play a game for a while and wait for the lunchtime customers to arrive.

’I’ll just play *Cadillacs and Dinosaurs*,’ he thought. It was one of the most classic arcade beat ’em ups.

Li You had played it when he was little. Now was a good time to relive some childhood memories.

Around here, the game was also known as *Yellow Hat*, because the most popular of the four playable characters wore a yellow hat.

The character’s name was Mustafa. Since that was too hard to remember, everyone just called him "Yellow Hat" based on his most prominent feature.

And because this character was the most popular and most frequently chosen, the game itself slowly became known as *Yellow Hat*, too.

Mustafa was also Li You’s favorite character, so of course, that’s who he picked now.

With his character selected, the game quickly began.

Li You fiddled with the controls. ’The gameplay is still pretty good.’

Stage one, stage two, stage three, stage four...

With infinite continues, clearing the stages was a given.

He eventually reached stage eight, the final level.

Beat this stage, and you clear the game.

Li You was in high spirits. As he was playing, a voice reached his ears, "Huh, boss, you play this game too!"

Li You turned to see three customers had arrived, all of them staring at his phone screen.

Li You smiled. "Nothing much to do right now, so I’m just playing a bit. I played this when I was little. Have you guys ever played it?"

"Of course!" the three men said in unison.

"*Yellow Hat* is one of the most classic arcade games. It was super popular back in the day, everyone loved to play it."

"This is stage eight, isn’t it? The final level. I haven’t played in over a decade, but I still remember it crystal clear."

"There’s a barrel coming up. If you break it, a roasted turkey leg pops out for a big health boost... Look! There it is. I knew I wasn’t wrong."

"..."

The three men chattered excitedly as they watched Li You play.

Seeing their high spirits, Li You said, "What do you guys think if I got an arcade machine and put it here in front of the shop?"

Hearing this, the three men’s eyes lit up. They grew strangely excited and said, "That’s a great idea, boss! That would be incredible!"

"If you had an arcade machine here, I’d play a round every time I came to eat. Even though I haven’t really played in over ten years, I’m still super interested. This is such a wonderful memory from our childhood."

"I’d play too! *Yellow Hat*, *Knights of Valour*, *Warriors of Fate*, *Oriental Legend*, *Denjin Makai*, *Electric Divine Demon Puppet*, *Metal Slug*... There are so many classics!"

"And *Street Fighter* and the *King of Fighters* series! My favorite is *The King of Fighters ’97*. Boss, I think you could even host a *KoF ’97* tournament. Two-player versus, or even multi-person battles, and the winner gets a discount or something. I bet a ton of people would be interested."

"..."

The more the customers talked, the more excited they got. And their words made Li You’s eyes light up as well.

’This could really work!’

’I could hold a *King of Fighters ’97* tournament. Anyone who places high enough could get a prize.’

’The higher the rank, the better the reward.’

’Prizes could include discounts on food and drinks.’

’A tournament like that would be a huge draw. It would really liven up the atmosphere in the shop, too.’

’Yes, yes, this could definitely work.’

Li You couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. ’Getting a few arcade machines was definitely the right decision.’

’And I have to thank that customer for the idea.’

’Otherwise, I would never have thought of hosting a tournament.’

’It just goes to show, having more people around is always a good thing.’

He then laughed heartily and said, "A *King of Fighters ’97* tournament is a great idea. I’ll set it up once the machines get here, and the prizes will be related to the food and drinks here. Of course, besides *KoF ’97*, we can do other games from the *King of Fighters* series too. And other fighting games, like *Street Fighter*, *Double Dragon*, *Power Instinct*, and so on."

"Yes, yes, yes, you can do tournaments for all those fighting games," the customers nodded eagerly.

Li You and his customers grew more and more animated as they talked. All the while, Li You’s hands never stopped moving as he played *Cadillacs and Dinosaurs*.

He had now reached the stage eight boss.

The final boss.

This boss was the mastermind behind the dinosaur crisis in the game’s story, the source of all evil: the Doctor of Calamity.

Defeating the Doctor of Calamity would resolve the dinosaur crisis and clear the game.

Beating the Doctor of Calamity wasn’t difficult. Li You defeated him without losing a single life.

Game clear!

Li You was thrilled, and so were the three customers.

"It feels like I’m back in my childhood, in the arcade, watching someone play *Yellow Hat*."

All three customers said as much. They were surprised and wistful, with an inexplicable touch of melancholy.

You can reminisce about childhood, but you can never go back.

Of course, it was more surprise than anything else. The surprise of once again seeing someone beat *Yellow Hat*.

The four of them chatted for a while longer before going into the shop together.

The customers then went to Da Bai and Xiaohai to place their orders, while Li You headed into the kitchen to get busy.

The midday customer rush was about to begin again.

...

Taoshan Village.

Lin Guodong’s home.

The guests had been seated, and all the dishes had been placed on the table.

Among them were the three dishes from Li You’s place: Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetables, Steamed Mandarin Fish, and Braised Chicken.

They were ready to eat.

But before anyone had even picked up their chopsticks, a guest let out a surprised "Huh?" and said, "This Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetables smells incredible. Why is the aroma so rich?"

"I noticed it too. I could smell it before it even hit the table. It’s unbelievably fragrant. And it’s not just the aroma; it looks absolutely delicious. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetables look this appetizing. Cousin, who made this?"

The "cousin" the guest spoke of was, naturally, Lin Guodong. He and Lin Guodong were cousins, and his name was Duan Canghong.

Lin Guodong smiled but said nothing, not answering immediately.

"It’s not just the Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetables that smells so tempting," another guest chimed in before Lin Guodong could answer. "This Braised Chicken smells just as incredible. I’ve never smelled a braised chicken this fragrant."

"And this steamed fish. What kind of fish is it? I’ve never seen it before. This fish looks equally delicious. Who made this? The skill level is extraordinary!"

"..."

Just as Lin Guodong expected, after the guests came to the table, they were quickly drawn to the three dishes he had brought back from Li You’s place.

All three dishes were too fragrant, too tempting. It was hard not to be captivated.

Lin Guodong knew that right now, the guests were all dying to know who made these three dishes.

However, he didn’t plan to reveal the answer right away, so he just said, "Everyone, let’s not worry about who made these three dishes for now. Why don’t you all have a taste first and see how they are."

"Alright, alright, let’s have a taste."

"I’ve been dying to dig in."

"Then let’s start! Everyone, dig in, dig in!"

"..."

The guests had long been impatient. After hearing what Lin Guodong said, they all picked up their chopsticks without hesitation.

Some tried the Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetables first, some the Braised Chicken, and some the Steamed Mandarin Fish.

But regardless of what they tried first, the moment the food entered their mouths, their eyes widened in an instant. They were filled with utter disbelief and an unprecedented sense of delight.

’This is way too good! It’s incomparably delicious, unimaginably so.’

’How could Steamed Pork with Preserved Vegetables—or the Braised Chicken, or the Steamed Fish—be this delicious?’

’It’s simply unbelievable!’

’Who on earth made this? How could anyone create such an incredible flavor?’

’Does someone in Lin Guodong’s family cook this well?’

’Why have we never heard about them before?’

All the guests wondered to themselves.

...