Chapter 390: Mushroom Feast

The three of them went upstairs.

Li You continued to busy himself in the kitchen.

Soon, all the orders of Nine-Turned Pork Intestines for the first wave of customers outside were ready.

Li You walked out of the restaurant.

It was lively outside.

The customer who was helping weave the traps was still at it. When he saw Li You come out, he smiled and said, “Boss, come see how this is coming along.”

Li You had already seen it and replied with a smile, “It’s excellent! You’re better at it than I am.”

The customer laughed. “Even though I know that’s not true, I’m still happy to hear you say it, Boss. Speaking of which, weaving things with these bamboo strips is really interesting. It gives you a real sense of accomplishment.”

Li You quite agreed with that sentiment. Then he added, “Everyone’s Nine-Turned Pork Intestines is ready. You can come eat.”

The customers were all delighted and hurried into the restaurant to find seats.

The customer who had been weaving the traps also put down his work, stood up, and headed inside. “Boss, I’m going to go eat then.”

Li You smiled. “Of course.”

After the customers came in and sat down, Da Bai and Xiaohai began serving the food. Since everyone had ordered Nine-Turned Pork Intestines, there was no worry about mixing up the orders.

This was the first time any of them had seen this dish.

Their first glance was one of surprise, because the color of the pork intestines wasn’t what they had imagined.

It was actually reddish-brown.

It was the first time any of them had seen a pork intestine dish of this color.

If they hadn’t known beforehand that the main ingredient was pork intestines, they might not have guessed what it was.

At most, they would only have thought, ‘Why does this dish look a bit like pork intestines?’

Still, it looked quite appetizing. It felt like it would be delicious.

Even those who didn’t like pork intestines felt this way at that moment.

They had to try it right away.

All the customers picked up their chopsticks, eagerly grabbing a piece and putting it in their mouths.

It felt incredibly soft, tender, and smooth, requiring no effort to chew.

It was fragrant, a little spicy, and also a bit sweet and sour.

The texture was marvelous, and it was delicious.

The aftertaste was endlessly satisfying.

Everyone was pleasantly surprised, including those who previously disliked pork intestines.

They realized the reason they hadn’t liked pork intestines before wasn’t that the ingredient itself was bad, but that they had never tasted truly delicious pork intestines.

Nine-Turned Pork Intestines, a famous traditional dish from Lu Province, truly lived up to its name. It was genuinely delicious.

Of course, the fact that Li You was the one who cooked it had a lot to do with it.

If any other chef had made Nine-Turned Pork Intestines, it probably wouldn’t have been this good.

‘I wonder if I’d also find Boss Li You’s Spicy Stir-fried Pork Intestines delicious?’

This was what the customers who previously disliked pork intestines were thinking.

They didn’t like Spicy Stir-fried Pork Intestines. But if Li You made it, the result might be different.

They hoped to have a chance to try it in the future.

For now, they would focus on this Nine-Turned Pork Intestines.

All the customers grew happier and happier as they ate.

At this time, more customers began to arrive one after another.

Among them were the business owners from the town market, like Zhao Yu, Xie Hai, and Deng Luping.

Besides Ling Xiaoru, Zhao Yu was the first person to know that Li You was going to introduce a dish featuring pork intestines as the main ingredient.

This was because the last time Li You went to the market to buy pork intestines, he had mentioned it to Zhao Yu in front of his smoke shop at the market entrance.

Back then, Zhao Yu had been extremely expectant. ‘What would a pork intestine dish from Li You taste like?’

Now, he could finally find out.

Zhao Yu and the other business owners from the market all ordered the Nine-Turned Pork Intestines.

Li You went back into the kitchen to continue his work.

While cooking for the customers, he also prepared the grand mushroom feast for lunch.

Li You planned to prepare the three types of mushrooms—Termitomyces, Green Head, and Chanterelle—in several different ways.

First were the Termitomyces mushrooms.

This is a type of fungus that grows in symbiosis with termites. It only grows above termite nests.

Currently, it cannot be artificially cultivated.

This fungus is known by many other names in different places and is quite famous.

It is also one of the most delicious fungi.

There are many ways to eat it; it can be stir-fried, deep-fried, pickled, pan-fried, mixed in salads, braised, grilled, stewed, steamed, or used in soup.

And no matter how it’s prepared, the flavor is exquisite.

It could be called the king of mushrooms.

Since that was the case, Li You planned to use some to make soup and simply stir-fry the rest.

They were delicious even when just simply stir-fried.

As the saying goes, “The finest ingredients often require the simplest cooking methods.”

This line, from the food documentary “A Bite of China,” is very well-known.

Next were the Green Head mushrooms.

These mushrooms are a vibrant green, and their caps have many mottled, crack-like patterns. They look just like poisonous mushrooms.

But in reality, they are a delicious and non-toxic edible fungus.

They are also very versatile and can be stir-fried, braised, stewed, steamed, sautéed, mixed in salads, or simmered.

Li You also planned to prepare them in two ways.

One as a simple vegetable dish, and the other red-braised with pork tenderloin.

Although the finest ingredients only need the simplest cooking methods, pairing them with other ingredients to create different variations is also a great choice.

Finally, there were the Chanterelle mushrooms.

This type of fungus is very beautiful. It’s trumpet-shaped and either apricot-yellow or egg-yolk yellow.

They are also delicious and have a unique fruity aroma.

The fragrance is very rich.

Additionally, they have medicinal value, believed to be good for the liver, eyesight, lungs, and digestive system.

One could say they are both delicious to eat and very good for one’s health.

All of these fungi are precious ingredients gifted to humanity by nature.

The Chanterelles would also be prepared in two ways.

One dish would be a simple stir-fry, and the other would be a soup made with half a chicken.

The soup, made with chanterelles and chicken as the main ingredients, would have an unparalleled flavor and nutritional value.

Three types of mushrooms prepared in six different ways. He believed the three young women would absolutely love such a mushroom feast.

As Li You worked, the customers’ orders were served one after another.

The Nine-Turned Pork Intestines ordered by Zhao Yu, Xie Hai, Deng Luping, and the other business owners were also served.

The business owners couldn’t wait to start eating.

The moment they took a bite, just like the customers before them, they were all completely surprised and delighted.

The flavor was fantastic, with a lingering aftertaste that was endlessly satisfying.

They had never eaten pork intestines with this kind of flavor before, and it was an incredible experience.

Boss Li You’s new dishes really never disappointed.

They were grateful to Boss Li You for allowing them to taste this traditional famous dish from Lu Province right here.

From now on, they had a new option whenever they craved pork intestines.

It was a very happy thought!

The customer who had previously mentioned in the shop that he had eaten Nine-Turned Pork Intestines during a trip to Lu Province had also arrived.

A serving of Nine-Turned Pork Intestines was placed in front of him.

The customer was very excited and said, “Just from its appearance, it already looks much better than the Nine-Turned Pork Intestines I had in Lu Province.”

Then, he eagerly picked up a piece and began to eat.

After eating it, he became even more excited. “It really is much more delicious! I just knew the Boss’s Nine-Turned Pork Intestines would be better than the ones in Lu Province.”

The surrounding customers who were eating became equally excited upon hearing this.

It seemed that no matter which regional cuisine a dish belonged to, as long as the Boss was willing to make it, he could create a flavor that surpassed that of its place of origin.

It was true for the previous Chopped Pepper Fish Head and Longjing Shrimp, and it was true now for the Nine-Turned Pork Intestines.

Although the Nine-Turned Pork Intestines this customer had in Lu Province was likely not the best version available there…

…they believed that even if the very best version from Lu Province were here, it still couldn’t compare to the Boss’s Nine-Turned Pork Intestines.

They couldn’t be absolutely certain of this, but the customers still believed it to be true.

That’s how much confidence they had in Li You now.

They ate on, continuing to enjoy the exquisite flavor of the Nine-Turned Pork Intestines.

…

「In the kitchen.」

Li You’s mushroom feast was complete, and he had also prepared a serving of Nine-Turned Pork Intestines.

It was time to call the three ladies down to eat.

He gave Ling Xiaoru a call.

Soon, Ling Xiaoru, Xia Xiaoyue, and Mu Qingye came downstairs.

Li You carried the mushroom feast and the Nine-Turned Pork Intestines to an empty table.

At this time, there were still many customers eating in the restaurant.

Zhao Yu, Xie Hai, Deng Luping, and the other business owners hadn’t left yet either.

Everyone saw the mushroom feast Li You brought out. Their eyes all lit up. ‘It looks amazing!’

“Those must be the mushrooms that Xiao Yue, Mu, and Miss Xiaoru found in the mountains this morning, right? They’ve already been turned into a feast,” a customer said.

Zhao Yu, Xie Hai, Deng Luping, and other customers who hadn’t known that Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, and Ling Xiaoru had gone into the mountains to find mushrooms that morning now understood. So, these mushrooms had been foraged by those three beautiful young women this morning.

It had rained so heavily yesterday. Today was indeed a perfect day to go looking for mushrooms in the mountains.

Judging by this mushroom feast, the three young ladies had a very good harvest.

They had just brought the mushrooms back, and the Boss immediately turned them into a delicious meal.

‘That’s the life!’

They figured only beauties of Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, and Ling Xiaoru’s caliber would receive such treatment.

The customers were all very envious, including the business owners like Zhao Yu, Xie Hai, and Deng Luping.

They also wished they could bring some ingredients and have the Boss immediately cook them into a delicious meal.

But unfortunately, they weren’t beautiful women, so they didn’t get such special treatment.

Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, and Ling Xiaoru could all feel the envy from the customers in the restaurant.

This made them very happy and put them in a wonderful mood.

And the mushroom feast on the table also filled them with joy.

The Boss had actually prepared them in so many different ways, and every single dish looked delicious.

It was making their mouths water.

Of course, the Nine-Turned Pork Intestines looked great too.

Ling Xiaoru had tried Li You’s Nine-Turned Pork Intestines once before, but it was the first time Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye had seen the dish.

It looked much better than they had imagined.

First of all, the color wasn’t like other pork intestine dishes, which could look a bit unsettling.

Then there was the smell, which was also different from other pork intestine dishes. This one actually smelled quite fragrant.

This made them really want to taste it.

This was the first time they had ever felt the urge to try a dish with pork intestines as the main ingredient.

In the Boss’s hands, it seemed any ingredient could be made to look appetizing.

Both Xia Xiaoyue and Mu Qingye were filled with emotion and excitement.