Chapter 35: Fish Can Be Like This?
Halfway through eating the dumplings, Xiang Chuan finally noticed something odd: why was no one eating the fish?
The vinegar fried shredded potatoes and pan-fried fish fillets were divided into four large serving plates, two each for the elders group and the kids group, and no matter which group, the vinegar fried shredded potatoes were the first to be wiped out, while the fish fillets that were originally thought would be devoured first by the kids group went completely untouched.
“Why isn’t everyone eating the fish fillets? Sea fish is so fragrant.”
Xiang Chuan called out.
But unexpectedly, everyone froze upon hearing this, looking at her with complicated expressions, and Xiang Chuan shrank back her neck, completely baffled.
“Xiao Chuan, this fish… let’s just forget it.”
Lin Yu said heavily, and the others nodded emphatically as well.
It turned out that at noon today, everyone present had accepted the diplomatic mission’s hospitality and gone to the reception hotel to taste the delicacies personally made by the First Fleet’s traveling chef.
What is the most delicious liquid food?
Of course, it’s fish food.
So lunch turned into a “luxurious” “all fish banquet,” which thrilled people from other departments, but it utterly tormented Lin Yu as well as everyone from the Cultural Affairs Bureau and Yue Xiang Company’s hospitality department.
Especially Lin Yu, Xiang Weiguo, and Lin Minzhi along with their secretary attendants; the three of them had already experienced true deliciousness over this past week, and what did the liquid food and solid food they ate before taste like? No one wanted to recall it.
So at noon during the “all fish banquet,” the six of them used all the acting skills of their lifetimes to swallow the foul-smelling “fresh fish noodle soup” that stank the moment it entered their mouths, all while keeping flawless smiles on their faces.
After leaving the hotel and getting into their own car, everyone simultaneously pulled out their water bottles filled with juice or fruit milk and chugged half a bottle of beverage to wash away the fishy smell in their mouths.
Xiang Qi and Xiang Xue had given away all the meals in their meal boxes to classmates and friends today, so they were forced to enjoy the school cafeteria’s most expensive “beef fish soup,” while Chou Manman simply dislikes the taste of “fresh fish noodle soup” and steered clear.
So even though the fish fillets in front of them, coated in egg mixture and pan-fried to a golden color, looked so tempting, no one had the appetite for it.
“Look, I almost forgot, this fish is made so uniquely, what a pity not to eat it.”
The only one present who hadn’t experienced liquid food like “fresh fish noodle soup” after enjoying gourmet food was Ma Chuanhua, who was so engrossed in eating the dumplings and meatballs that he forgot about the dishes on the large serving plate, thus becoming the only one to pick up a fried fish fillet.
Ma Chuanhua took a gentle bite; under the golden fried coating was tender fish, which slid right into his mouth. Since Xiang Chuan had added some salt during marinating, it had a faint salty taste that was very satisfying. More importantly—it was astonishing! Ma Chuanhua looked incredulously at the fried fish fillet clamped on his chopsticks.
As someone in a high position, he naturally never lacked fish gourmet food in his daily life, but his impression of fish taste was stuck at the level of “fresh fish noodle soup” or “beef fish soup”—sticky and viscous to drink, but with slightly less fishy gaminess than other meats. But this fish fillet in front of him was tender, juicy, and aromatic, even with a hint of fresh fragrance on top! (Xiang Chuan: because I drizzled some lemon juice)
He devoured this fish fillet quickly; since it was sea fish and the kitchen AI had removed all the bones cleanly, the fish fillet slid into his stomach after just a few chews. Ma Chuanhua swallowed his saliva, somewhat unsatisfied, so he picked up a second piece, a third…
Everyone just watched wide-eyed as Ma Chuanhua polished off nearly half a serving plate of pan-fried fish fillets. It had to be said that watching someone else eat heartily really whets the appetite. Before they knew it, Xiang Weiguo and the others seemed to have some relief from their fish PTSD; they swallowed their saliva and also started picking at the fish fillets with their chopsticks.
On the kids group side, Xiang Chuan wasn’t in such a hurry; she ate slowly bite by bite as usual, but the white tender fish exposed after her teeth broke through the golden fried coating was a huge temptation for the other three.
The first to give in was Chou Manman; she originally just couldn’t accept fish in liquid dishes, but the fish in front of her wasn’t liquid, and it smelled quite fragrant, so she thought: maybe I can eat this?
Chou Manman picked up a piece of fish, tentatively taking a small bite, and what she tasted wasn’t the fishy smell she had experienced before, but an indescribable sweet tenderness!
This… is actually fish?!
She widened her eyes looking at the fish fillet in her bowl. Her heart was even more shocked than when she tasted the meat bun and steamed buns this morning.
“Sister Manman, how is it? Tasty?”
Xiang Xue sitting next to Chou Manman asked quietly.
At that moment, Chou Manman was biting into a big piece of fish fillet; hearing her words, she immediately widened her eyes and nodded repeatedly, wanting to say something, but Xiang Chuan quickly stopped her:
“Talk after you finish eating! Careful not to choke.”
Seeing Chou Manman chew and swallow the fish fillet rapidly, Xiang Chuan sighed inwardly: luckily this is sea fish, and the little chef carefully picked out all the bones; otherwise, with everyone’s wolfing down, who knows how many would get stuck by fish bones.
“Tasty, so tasty!” Chou Manman said excitedly: “I usually really hate eating fish, but this…”
“Fried fish fillet.” Xiang Chuan supplemented.
“Right, fried fish fillet!” Chou Manman picked up another piece of fish fillet and put it in her bowl, “It completely lacks that sticky fishy smell of fish liquid food, so fragrant, so tasty!”
With this endorsement from Chou Manman who hates fish, the other two in the kids group couldn’t sit still anymore.
So in less than ten minutes, the two large serving plates of fish fillets were mostly wiped out; if Xiang Chuan hadn’t worried they would get sick of so much fried food and quickly made them drink more soup or beverages to clear the greasiness, they probably would have finished them all in one go.
After the meal.
Xiang Xue pulled Chou Manman along, and together with Lin Minzhi, they went to the entertainment room to live stream the latest two episodes of Empresses in the Palace; Xiang Weiguo and Xiang Qi chatted with Ma Chuanhua in the living room, while Xiang Chuan slipped back into the kitchen to fiddle with something.
In the living room, Ma Chuanhua patted his belly; he usually restrained his diet very strictly, but today he broke in one second, not only eating very quickly but also stuffing himself full. Seeing this, Xiang Chuan immediately poured him a glass of apple juice to aid digestion.
“Xiao Chuan’s culinary skills are truly impressive.” Ma Chuanhua sighed, then he laughed: “If the Fourth Fleet finds out someone makes fish food better than them, I wonder how mad those guys will get.”
Hearing this, Xiang Weiguo and Xiang Qi also laughed.
The Fourth Fleet is the only fleet that simulated Earth’s ocean environment, with ocean area taking up two-thirds of the main ship, and it’s also the only sea product exporter among the twelve fleets. Many rich people, to eat authentic seafood, drag their families during long holidays or fleet exchange periods to the Fourth Fleet to enjoy gourmet food, making it the richest fleet among the twelve.
“Doesn’t this just prove the wonder of ancient gourmet food manufacturing technology?”
Xiang Weiguo looked at Ma Chuanhua meaningfully.
Ma Chuanhua naturally understood the implication, smiled and nodded, looking toward the kitchen, where the faint sound of stirring still came from; the girl who hadn’t fully matured was darting left and right fiddling with something, and for some reason, watching the busy figure in the kitchen stirred a faint expectation in his heart.
“I sincerely hope this will become an important milestone on our path of change.”
Ma Chuanhua took off his glasses, opened the terminal, which prominently displayed “Club Establishment Application” in big letters; he took out his electronic pen for approving official documents and signed his name in the approval section of the application.
