Gourmet Food Supplier

"I’m only talking about the dish. What’s the matter with you to swear at me?" The man wasn’t really convinced of that. His face flushed due to the embarrassment.

"I’m sorry, but I just like telling the truth," the arrogant man said leisurely while stroking his short hair conveniently.

"Hey, you! ..." The man wanted to scold him, but before he could say anything, he was interrupted.

"Ok, don’t talk nonsense anymore. Boss, please get me another serving of Dongpo Pig Knuckle.," the arrogant man said shrewdly.

"Sorry, sir. No one is allowed to order the same dish for more than once here at our restaurant." Yuan Zhou didn’t answer the man. It was Zhou Jia who went up and explained to him.

Concerning the questions from others, Yuan Zhou never explained to them. It was mainly because he was too lazy to say anything.

"Gee? I order it for the popularization of science," the man said calmly.

"Sorry." Zhou Jia uttered words of apology, yet with a firm manner.

"Forget it. Let me tell you guys directly. Luckily I still remember it." With one hand in his pocket, the man pointed at the empty plate in front of Ling Hong.

Hearing that, the surrounding customers became slightly speechless. Everybody could see the plate was even cleaner than that of being sucked by a dog, leaving no gravy at all.

"This pig knuckle has no bones inside and is stuffed with something else, which gave it the sweet and fragrant taste of seafood, yet without any fishy smell. Moreover, Boss Yuan didn’t use any sugar, right?" the man said affirmatively.

"That’s impossible. How could the pig knuckle becomes brownish red without sugar?" the person found a discrepancy to retort about instantly and then said loudly.

"You are so meddlesome." Seeing Yuan Zhou not intend to answer him, the man looked at the person with a manner of contempt.

"If I say he didn’t use it, he surely didn’t use it. With your knowledge quantity, you definitely don’t know the word ‘simmer’. But I’m not interested in being your Chinese teacher." The man took a look at the person and then continued saying.

"The pig knuckle is simmered by Boss Yuan with small fire in one go from covering the pot to turning off the fire." When he found Yuan Zhou didn’t retort him, the man continued with great confidence.

"The pig knuckles are different in sizes and the fire isn’t likely to remain the same during the cooking process. Therefore, the pig knuckle will turn yellow if the fire is turned off too early and turn purple if the time is too long. Meanwhile, the fat will not be cooked perfectly and the lean meat will taste bad if the cover is taken off during the process. Only through his superb craftsmanship could the perfect red color be well displayed." Pointing at a Dongpo Pig Knuckle just served on the table, the man spoke with fervor and assurance.

"It’s truly an accurate analysis. Although there’s no sugar inside, it nevertheless tasted sweet. Awesome!" The girl who was just served with the pig knuckle straightforwardly picked a piece up and tasted it. After that, she shouted in surprise.

"It’s Boss Yuan’s craftsmanship that is so awesome." On the usually arrogant face of the man appeared the genuine admiration.

"That’s right. It’s Boss Yuan who’s so awesome. And it naturally has nothing to do with you." The person was still unwilling to admit defeat. He directly spoke high of Boss Yuan.

"Self-consolation of a mediocre person." The man concluded quickly and accurately.

"I don’t want to talk to you." The person didn’t want to talk much.

"Even a pig knuckle requires so many skills! What was the soft thing that I ate before?" A customer couldn’t help doubting what he had experienced before.

They had also eaten the so-called Dongpo Pig Knuckle before in banquets. But now, everyone was doubting if the thing they had eaten was the same thing to that cooked by Boss Yuan.

It’s much too elegant.

"It’s said that something else is stuffed inside it." The customers tightly stared at the pig knuckle in front of the girl.

"It’s surprisingly amber in color with a hint of transparency. So delicious!" The girl ate the central part of the pig knuckle, as was expected by all.

She then divided into the central part and the soft jelly-like thing was obediently picked up and wrapped in the meat. As soon as she put it into her mouth, the girl immediately praised profusely.

"Gee? What’s this?" The customers all felt rather curious. Just when they wanted to ask the man who appeared impressive, they nevertheless found the man suddenly disappeared.

"When did he leave? He ran away immediately after acting cool. Damn it." The customers were slightly puzzled, but the delicacy in sight seemed to be more important to them.

The man who had turned up arrogantly had indeed left. While he was walking out of the restaurant step by step, the customers were all looking at the pig knuckle that was praised miraculously. Therefore, no one noticed him leave.

At the other side, the girl ate up half of the pig knuckle just in a little while. Only after she paused with great difficulty did she say to her friend at the side.

"It’s so tasty. I think I have made a mistake. This pig knuckle is a little small. Yuan Yuan, you can order something else." The girl decisively abandoned her friend and chose the food instead.

She had already forgotten the promise to eat it together.

"Alright. Get me a serving of the pig knuckle, too. And also the little Yuanxiao," said Yuan Yuan blankly.

"Er... Sorry, Yuanxiao is not a dish for dinner." Zhou Jia got surprised at first with the weird match and then answered.

"Then change it to Egg Fried Rice." Yuan Yuan changed another dish directly.

"Ok. One moment, please." Zhou Jia answered quickly.

"Humm." Yuan Yuan nodded the head.

Seeing the girl eat up the thing inside of the meat where the bone had formerly been mouthful by mouthful, the customers couldn’t help asking, "What exactly is this? Is it the seafood as mentioned by the man?"

"What kind of seafood is like that?" A customer didn’t believe that.

Usually, the seafood had the particular flavor, but this thing apparently didn’t. Of course, he also might have added some flavorings. But the customers had no clue what it was although they thought for quite a while.

It surely wouldn’t give them any satisfactory answer to ask Yuan Zhou about it.

"Wu Hai, why don’t you tell us something about it since you have eaten the dish? I can’t wait to know." So, they started to ask Wu Hai.

"Carrageen." Ling Hong answered with a complacent expression ahead of Wu Hai.

"Carrageen?" On the faces of the customers were all the manner of "Are you fu*king kidding with me?".

He spoke as if no one had known what the carrageen was.

Carrageen grew on stones along the coast of the Southeast regions. The plant grew thickly and had no branches. Its leaf was in the shape of that of willow while the root hairs were more than one foot long with the color alike to amber.

"Yes. The carrageen that has been boiled into gelatinous substance. I don’t know what he has added, but it could be surprisingly coagulated together. Moreover, the texture is surprisingly so tender and smooth," Ling Hong sighed with emotion.

"The most important is that Boss Yuan didn’t break the anadesma born with the bones at all. That way, he could make sure the gelatinous carrageen won’t infiltrate into the meat. Hence, they can maintain their own tastes separately and meanwhile slightly merge together." Anyhow, Wu Hai had learned the culinary skills from Yuan Zhou for three days and hence discovered that quickly, not to mention he had originally been very careful.

"So that’s how it is." The customers indicated one after another that they were convinced of the complicated procedures at last.

"Why do I suddenly feel this Dongpo Pig Knuckle worth more than 2000 RMB is not actually expensive?"

"Craftsmanship is rated by its price"

"How are you going to let me eat other Dongpo Pig Knuckles later?" suddenly, one of the customers said that.

"I look forward to Boss Yuan cutting the shredded tofu noodle," suddenly, a man said that.

"That’s true. With such a superb craftsmanship, he could have already cooked the Three-Nested Duck. Boss Yuan, when will you serve that dish?" This customer was also one that liked watching food program. He remembered this famous dish immediately.

"Later," Yuan Zhou answered earnestly this time.

"Ok. We’ll wait." This customer said excitedly right away.

"It’s really a bright idea! The craftsmanship is excellent and the taste is so marvelous. Boss Yuan, if you keep cooking like this, you will end up going against the heavens. If you continue improving like that, how should I do when I go out on business travel in future?" Ling Hong looked at Yuan Zhou with a frightened look.

"Whatever you want," answered Yuan Zhou squarely.

"Well, Boss Yuan, I can actually hire you. You follow me to go on business travel and I pay you 10,000 RMB every day." Hit by an inspiration, Ling Hong suddenly proposed.

"Wu Hai, what do you think?" All of a sudden, Yuan Zhou looked at Wu Hai beside him primly.

"Ling Hong, let’s have a talk." Wu Hai stroked his mustaches and smiled.

"I’m just talking casually. Anyway, I’m not you," Ling Hong said indifferently.

He clearly knew how frightening Wu Hai was when somebody grabbed food from him. His messy art studio could simply prove that. Having been lucky to see it, Ling Hong indicated that he could take temporary setbacks.

"Humm. I know you are not as rich as me. Zhou Jia, get me another serving of Egg Fried Rice Set," Wu Hai said generously.

...