novelslam Chapter 14 The Sucker
Chapter 14 The Sucker
Wang Guoming looked serious, took out his phone, and pointed the camera at Song You.
He even adjusted the angle to ensure that Song You and the fish were completely captured in the frame.
"Boss Song, do you mind if I record a video?" Wang Guoming's tone was polite, but his actions showed his determination.
Song You, carrying the lively grass carp, glanced at him and found it amusing.
This setup looks like they're filming a food documentary.
"No problem, record whatever you like," Song You readily agreed.
He walked to the clean stone slab in the yard and put the fish down.
The grass carp struggled violently on the stone slab, its tail slapping loudly and splashing up a few drops of water.
Wang Guoming zoomed in, ready to capture every detail.
He wanted to see what secret this young man was hiding.
Then, he witnessed a scene that defied all expectations.
Song You did not immediately make a cut.
He reached out a hand and gently placed it on the struggling fish's head, then closed his eyes.
His lips moved slightly, and a series of low, rhythmic syllables came out of his mouth.
"Thank you for nature's bounty, thank you for your dedication..."
Wang Guoming's hand, which was holding the phone, trembled uncontrollably.
Again!
They chant scriptures when killing a chicken, and they chant scriptures when killing a fish!
Does this boss have some special belief? Or is it simply that he has an overly strong sense of ritual?
His facial muscles twitched a few times as he suppressed the urge to complain and continued recording.
But what happened next made his eyes widen again.
The large grass carp that had been struggling desperately on the stone slab miraculously quieted down under his palm.
It's like all your strength has been suddenly drained away; you can only twitch slightly occasionally before finally becoming completely still.
Does she seem to be asleep?
[Gourmet Druid] ability, [Divine Arts] activated.
[Druid Log: You have shown mercy to the creatures of nature, and they will return to their cycle in slumber. Gourmet Druid Beginner Progress +1%, Current Progress: 10%.]
Song You opened his eyes, and a thin-bladed dagger had appeared in his hand without him noticing.
Hand up, knife down.
Clean and neat.
There was no struggle, no blood splattering.
This ten-pound grass carp ended its life in an almost eerie stillness.
Wang Guoming's eyelids twitched as he watched. He zoomed in on the video, repeatedly checking to see if the fish was already dead.
But its bright red gills and clear eyes clearly indicated that it was still alive just moments before.
"Hypnosis or acupressure? By the way, do fish have acupressure points?"
A bunch of unreliable words flashed through Wang Guoming's mind.
He simply couldn't understand what was happening before his eyes.
Song You ignored his shock and began to scrape off the scales, gut, and process the internal organs.
The set of movements was still fluid and fast, dazzling the eye.
Soon, a whole fish was broken down into several large pieces.
"Boss Song, I'd like to make a braised dish," Wang Guoming said quickly, snapping out of his daze.
"OK."
Song You picked up the fish pieces and turned to go into the kitchen.
Wang Guoming followed closely behind, this time without even saying hello, and went straight in.
Heat a pan, add oil, and fry the fish pieces until golden brown on both sides.
This step is normal.
Then, Song You picked up soy sauce, cooking wine, and vinegar from the spice rack next to him and poured them into the pot in that order.
Wang Guoming's eyes lit up suddenly: Now!
He stared intently at Song You's hand, trying to see what kind of special seasoning could turn something rotten into something magical.
But what he saw was just the most common dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, and a bottle of ordinary rice wine.
Even the brand is the same one sold in the supermarket downstairs from his house.
As the seasonings were added, a rich, savory aroma, mixed with the freshness of the fish, burst forth from the pot.
Wang Guoming took a deep breath; this was the taste!
Why?
Why do the most common seasonings and the most conventional methods produce such amazing changes in taste when combined?
He wouldn't give up.
"Boss Song!" he said, pointing to the condiment bottle beside him. "Could I try some of your condiments?"
Song You paused for a moment while stirring the food.
This guy is really too familiar with himself.
"These... are just ordinary seasonings, nothing special to taste," Song You casually replied.
"I'll pay more!" Wang Guoming exclaimed anxiously, pulling out his wallet and a few red bills. "Boss Song, I'm just curious! Let me try it, and you can keep the money!"
Song You looked at the few red bills and a smile immediately appeared on his face.
"Hey, Brother Wang, you're being too polite." He pushed the money back, "Just try it, it's no big deal."
As he spoke, he was making plans in his mind.
These two don't seem like ordinary diners. If I can serve them well, I won't have to worry about repeat customers. They might even help me spread the word.
He took out a few clean small spoons from the cupboard.
"They were all bought from supermarkets in the city: light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, cooking wine, and vinegar. They're all here."
Wang Guoming took the spoon, his expression as serious as if he were conducting a chemistry experiment.
He first scooped up a little soy sauce with a spoon, put it in his mouth, closed his eyes, and savored it carefully.
Salty and savory.
Gone.
It just tastes like the most ordinary light soy sauce.
He switched to a different spoon and tasted the dark soy sauce.
Still nothing special.
He tasted all the seasonings: cooking wine, vinegar, salt, sugar... He even asked for a glass of water and rinsed his mouth after each taste.
The meticulous demeanor of that person left Song You in awe.
Those so-called food critics on TV are nothing special, aren't they?
Finally, Wang Guoming put down his spoon, his face full of confusion and bewilderment.
No single seasoning is special.
So where exactly is the problem?
He was completely baffled and could only watch helplessly as Song You stewed the fish, then plated it and took it out.
Once the fish was served, Wang Guoming no longer had time to think about those perplexing questions.
He picked up a piece of fish belly meat and put it in his mouth.
The familiar, irresistible flavors once again tantalize the taste buds.
He took a bite, rinsed his mouth with water, and then picked up a piece of chicken stew with mushrooms from the table.
Rinse your mouth again, then take a bite of stir-fried vegetables.
He tried to use this method to discern the subtle differences in the taste of each dish and uncover the secrets behind them.
But the more he tasted it, the heavier the fog became in his mind.
Li Zhe, standing next to him, had none of these worries.
All he knew was that it tasted good!
Li Zhe's chopsticks flew up and down, swirling like clouds in the wind.
When Wang Guoming snapped out of his study, he found that Li Zhe had almost finished all the food on the table.
"You bastard!" Wang Guoming pointed at him, too angry to speak.
Just then, a burst of cheerful laughter came from the direction of the reservoir.
It's the same group of fishermen who came before.
The man carried a small bucket, his face beaming with the joy of a bountiful harvest.
His wife held the child's hand and followed beside him.
"Boss, we're back! We had some good luck today!" The man excitedly handed the bucket to Song You.
When Song You looked inside, he saw seven or eight palm-sized crucian carp and two small grass carp jumping around in the bucket.
"A good harvest." Song You smiled and took out an electronic scale. "Let me weigh you."
"It weighs three jin and six liang in total, which is twenty-one jin. I'll charge you seventy-five yuan."
"Okay!" The man readily scanned the code and paid.
His wife, smelling the aroma of the food wafting through the air, couldn't help but swallow hard and whispered, "Why don't we eat here too?"
The little boy was even more direct, pointing at the plate of braised fish on Wang Guoming's table and shouting, "Dad, I want to eat fish! I want that fragrant fish!"
Song You spoke up at the opportune moment: "If you want to eat, that's fine too. I'll cook it for you. The ingredients are your own, and I'll only charge a processing fee: one hundred per adult, half price for children. These fish are small, so they'll be quick to prepare, and I won't charge an extra processing fee."
The man was immediately tempted upon hearing this.
He smelled the strong fragrance, and then looked at his child's longing expression, and immediately made the decision.
"Eat! Boss, make us a braised dish, and a crucian carp and tofu soup!"