The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 462 You call this a set meal?

The cooking in the kitchen continued.

If the best way to enjoy "Fried Double Crispy" is to eat it right out of the pot, when the duck gizzards are chewy and crisp, the pork belly is crunchy, the remaining hot oil still coats the ingredients and carries the aroma of scallions, ginger and garlic, and the aftertaste of the broth lingers on the surface, and you can eat it quickly and gobble it down, then "Stir-fried Diced Pork in Soy Sauce" and "Stir-fried White Carp in Oil" are hot dishes that can be enjoyed slowly.

Both of these dishes are great with rice.

The diced pork in the stir-fried pork with soy sauce is deep-fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, coated with a rich and flavorful sauce. It's a classic savory stir-fried dish.

The oil-drenched silver carp is not as salty. The silver carp is slightly marinated, and the hot oil makes the originally loose fish meat very tender. The saltiness is highlighted even more.

Having tasted braised shark fin rice, Qin Huai understands very well the value of pairing this delicious dish with a bowl of perfectly steamed, plump rice.

Qin Huai really wanted a bowl of rice.

However, it seemed that Fenyuan had no intention of serving rice. He and Zhao Cheng'an were eating a set meal, and what dishes were served depended entirely on Xia Murui's wishes. If rice was included in the set meal according to Xia Murui's plan, Zhang Guanghang would serve it. Since no rice was served, Qin Huai felt that the set meal probably did not include rice.

Qin Huai really wanted to wave at the surveillance camera and ask Zhang Guanghang if he could have a bowl of rice.

But he held back.

He remembered one of Xia Murui's most striking personality traits—his eccentric temperament.

When people talk about Xia Murui, they always add "eccentric" after "irritable," and emphasize that she has become increasingly eccentric in recent years.

Normally, Qin Huai would have asked for rice. But the situation is different now; he doesn't know how many dishes are coming up, and they haven't all been served yet.

If he were to ask for rice, Chef Xia would fly into a rage in the kitchen, thinking, "How dare you serve such good food with rice? Our Fenyuan dishes are never served with rice! Do you even know what eating is? Fine, you don't need to eat anymore. There won't be any more dishes left, and then Qin Huai would become the eternal sinner of this meal."

Qin Huai couldn't bear the blame, so he chose to eat for a while, then suddenly felt conflicted, hesitated to speak, struggled, and finally came to his senses and continued eating.

His complex inner thoughts were reflected in his expression. Zhao Cheng'an, sitting opposite him, didn't even look at Qin Huai, keeping his head down and eating the whole time.

The fish was thoroughly cleaned of bones, with even the most difficult-to-remove small bones barely noticeable. Zhao Cheng'an had never tasted such a high-class fish dish before, and he ate with such gusto that he completely forgot himself and devoured at least three-quarters of the plate, displaying an impressive, unrestrained appetite.

The guests at the other two tables didn't notice Qin Huai's expression either; their dishes had already been served. At Fen Yuan, as long as you have the money and the means to finish, you can order as many dishes as you want, and if you really can't finish, you can take the leftovers home.

Of course, this is only in theory. If he orders too much, Xia Murui will definitely be unhappy, as he is too old to cook too many dishes.

Therefore, diners at Fenyuan Restaurant are all adept at ordering, offering a comprehensive selection of dishes, including cold appetizers, hot dishes, soups, and desserts, without repeating any dishes. If they manage to snag braised sea cucumber with scallions, they won't order butterfly sea cucumber; if they have egg drop chicken slices, they won't order Dezhou braised chicken; and they won't deliberately order excessive amounts of food they can't finish just to try everything.

Back then, there was a guest who hosted a banquet to flaunt his wealth, which angered Xia Murui and got him blocked.

After the braised silver carp with oil was served at Qin Huai's table, the hot dishes at the other two tables were also served one after another.

The couple's table had colorful fish strips, while the group of three friends had braised sea cucumber with scallions. Combined with the fact that they also managed to snag a casserole of shark fin, their skill in grabbing food was quite remarkable.

Everyone was engrossed in eating, but only one person noticed Qin Huai's complex emotions.

That person was Xia Murui, who was cooking in the kitchen and occasionally glancing up at the security camera.

Xia Murui frowned, clearly not understanding how her cooking skills could elicit such an expression from Qin Huai while he was eating.

Xiao Hang was distracted while picking out the fish bones and didn't remove them completely, so a fish bone got stuck in his throat.

Or does he simply not like eating fish?
"Xiao Hang," Xia Murui spoke again, "who wanted to eat the oil-drenched silver carp?"

Zhang Guanghang was numb. He put down the cleaver and pointed at Zhao Cheng'an in the surveillance footage: "This customer, if I'm not mistaken, should be Chef Zhao from Zhiweiju."

Xia Murui glanced at Zhao Cheng'an, who was practically licking the fish soup clean, and realized she understood a little better. One liked it, and the other didn't; it was a matter of taste.

Did Qin Huai say what he wanted to eat?

"Pork pancake".

Xia Murui: ...

Xia Murui paused for a few seconds, then took the food out of the pot and plated it: "Xiao Hang, just go outside and ask him what he wants to eat."

Zhang Guanghang: "...Yes, Master."

Zhang Guanghang coldly walked out of the kitchen carrying a plate of braised scallops and winter melon. When he served the dish, everyone craned their necks to take a look, but found it to be an ordinary dish and then buried their heads in their food.

Qin Huai was doing the same, picking out cucumbers from the stir-fried diced pork with soy sauce.

Zhang Guanghang walked up to Qin Huai, looked at him, and silently observed him without saying a word, hoping to see something different about him.

I didn't realize it, but I could tell that his tastes were definitely different from most people's.

She loves cold dishes, cantaloupe, watermelon, and cucumbers in braised pork with sauce; she's definitely a difficult customer to please.

“Esteemed guests, your set meal originally included a beef dish, but we don’t have enough beef today, so we need to change the dish. My chef sent me out to ask if you have anything you would like to eat,” Zhang Guanghang said.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked towards Qin Huai's table. Only Qin Huai looked up in surprise at Zhang Guanghang, his face clearly saying: "Ah, can we order other dishes from the set meal?"
So what if you can order food? Is it a hidden item, a gold item, or a gold hidden item?
The other guests were also amazed and whispered among themselves that the two young men were incredibly lucky; they not only got a set meal but also received side dishes.

"Can...can I order something?" Qin Huai asked hesitantly.

"Please order first, go ahead and order boldly."

Qin Huai: If I were to be bold, I might want to order braised shark fin rice.

Qin Huai frantically recalled the signature dishes of Fenyuan Restaurant he had seen on his way here. Countless dishes flashed through his mind, and finally, the name of a signature dish from long ago appeared before his eyes.

"Peach blossoms bloom...is that alright?" Qin Huai asked.

If he could really order anything, Qin Huai would like to be bold and order shark fin soup and braised pork belly, but he was a little afraid of being kicked out. Considering that Zhang Guanghang said there wasn't enough beef, Fenyuan might not have enough ingredients today. Among all the glittering signature dishes, the rice crust with sauce was undoubtedly the simplest to make, and at the same time, it was delicious.

This was once the signature dish that Fenyuan used to fool foreign guests, and it could barely be considered a staple food. Qin Huai felt that since they couldn't afford rice, eating some crispy rice crust would be fine.

Zhang Guanghang was surprised that Qin Huai's final dish, after a moment's thought, was Peach Blossom Fragrance. His originally cold expression softened a little, and he nodded and went back to the kitchen.

After Zhang Guanghang returned to the kitchen, the kind uncle at the next table said to Qin Huai, "Young man, you've missed out! The vegetables and meat at Fenyuan are delivered fresh twice a day, in the morning and afternoon. Sometimes there might be a shortage, but sea cucumber and abalone are always on hand. It's rare for your set meal to run out of ingredients and Chef Xia would let you order. If you had ordered braised sea cucumber with scallions or braised abalone, Chef Xia might actually have made it for you."

Qin Huai smiled shyly, then cooperated by showing an expression of sudden realization and slight regret: "Oh, I see. I didn't think of that before. Thank you for reminding me."

The kind-hearted uncle expressed his understanding: "It's normal that you don't have experience since it's your first time eating here. You might not be so lucky next time. Just be honest and grab the food."

After saying that, the kind-hearted uncle shook his head and said to his friend, "What a great opportunity!"

Zhang Guanghang went back to the kitchen and told Xia Murui what Qin Huai had ordered. Xia Murui had an "I knew it" look on her face and muttered, "She really loves staple foods."

Soon, Zhang Guanghang came out to serve more dishes, one dish per table.

Qin Huai's table had braised prawns, the couple had stir-fried three kinds of vegetables, and the trio had crab meat with egg white. The difference in their skills in grabbing food was obvious.

While Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an were engrossed in peeling shrimp, the last dish was served at the other two tables.

The last dish served by the husband-and-wife team was "Wanfu Pork." They didn't order soup, perhaps because they don't like soup and were afraid of ordering too much food. The three-person team's casserole shark fin was the standard version. A casserole was served with shark fin at the bottom and various other dishes on top. Unlike the golden and shiny "Huangmeng" shark fin, which seemed to have a buff, the shark fin was actually cooked in a clear broth. At first glance, it looked rather bland and unremarkable, like a large pot of stew.

But the fragrance is very strong.

The trio's faces were practically overflowing with smugness, especially when they saw Qin Huai and the others craning their necks to stare at the shark fin soup on their table; their satisfaction was at its peak.

Eating shark fin soup in a clay pot is certainly satisfying and enjoyable, but when only they are eating it and others are watching, the satisfaction and joy are doubled.

Although it sounds a bit cheeky to say this, it's the truth: returning home in glory is like wearing fine clothes at night.

If you eat shark fin soup in a clay pot and no one is watching, and no one posts about it on social media, isn't that a waste of a meal?
The three of them held their bowls, each taking a bite with their chopsticks, and enjoyed the meal immensely.

Zhao Cheng'an peeled a shrimp and exclaimed enviously, "This is shark fin soup in a clay pot! It's such a huge portion. It doesn't look like much, but it smells so good. Qin Huai, how delicious do you think it must taste? What does it taste like?" Qin Huai was also peeling a shrimp and couldn't imagine it either. He replied, "I don't know. I've only ever had braised shark fin soup. I think it must taste completely different from braised shark fin soup. It's probably a different style."

"Shark fin soup in a clay pot is more suitable for hot pot dishes than for mixing with rice."

Zhao Cheng'an: ?

Brother, are you even speaking human language?
Do you know that you've betrayed your class?
The couple watching the table next to them enjoy a clay pot of shark fin soup was certainly envious, but looking down at their own table—with its large, skillfully diced, richly colored, and perfectly marbled pork belly, equally delicious and tempting—and then at the unremarkable braised prawns on the young couple's set meal table, they suddenly felt much better.

It's true that comparisons are the thief of joy.

Although they only had Wanfu meat to eat, the neighbors next door were in a worse situation. They could only eat dishes like braised prawns, braised silver carp, and stir-fried diced pork, which were decent in the set meals but were quite ordinary when ordered separately. They didn't even take advantage of their only good opportunity to order Peach Blossom Feast. Thinking about it this way, I suddenly realized that my meal wasn't so bad after all.

Hey.

The couple happily ate the Wanfu meat.

The air was filled with the aromas of various dishes: the meaty fragrance of braised pork belly, the robust and fresh aroma of shark fin soup in casserole, the savory and rustic fragrance of broth, the sweet aroma of braised prawns, and more...

Fresh out of the pot, the aroma was rich and complex. For a moment, I couldn't quite place it, but it smelled delicious, definitely a meaty and vegetable aroma.

The couple had already eaten half of the Wanfu meat. With a bite of meat in their mouths, they looked up and felt a little lost, subconsciously glancing towards Qin Huai's table.

Seriously? You've already eaten well enough with this set meal, how could there be any good dishes?
Zhang Guanghang came out carrying the dishes.

"Nine-Turned Intestines, please enjoy."

Nine-Turned Intestines is theoretically one of the guaranteed dishes that should be included in the set meal.

But it's clear that this dish of braised pork intestines offers no guarantee of a win.

As a famous Shandong dish, Nine-Turned Intestines requires a high level of skill from the chef, but it is also quite versatile. When done well, it is Nine-Turned Intestines; when done poorly, it can simply be considered ordinary braised intestines.

Good braised pork intestines require the use of the end of the intestine, and demand high standards in terms of cooking time, plating, and seasoning.

Nine-Turned Intestines are reddish-brown in color and tender in texture, offering a balance of five flavors: fragrant, sweet, sour, spicy, and salty. The reddish hue comes from the caramelized sugar, the beautiful color from the lard, and the complex flavor from a variety of seasonings such as ginger, clear broth, cooking wine, cinnamon powder, light soy sauce, and vinegar. It doesn't require a single high level of skill from the chef, but rather a high level of proficiency in all aspects of the chef's skills.

The guaranteed dish that can be served at Fen Yuan is naturally braised pork intestines, not red braised pork intestines. However, braised pork intestines are divided into guaranteed braised pork intestines and premium braised pork intestines.

The Nine-Turned Intestines in front of me are clearly more than just a safety net.

Not only is the plating exquisite, but each piece of large intestine is clearly the end of the intestine, and its color and aroma exude a golden luster.

The couple ate the braised pork belly and looked at the braised pork intestines, unconsciously swallowing hard.

Damn it, the delicious meat in my mouth suddenly doesn't taste good anymore.

Isn't the set meal next door a set meal? How come they think the set meal next door is better than theirs! Wasn't Chef Xia said to be in a bad mood lately, and that the set meal food was no good? How come the food next door is so good!

That was a mistake; I should have ordered the set meal today.

The trio eating the shark fin hot pot were somewhat shocked by the high quality of today's set meal, but looking at the shark fin hot pot in front of them, they felt it was nothing special.

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an wouldn't think that much about it. The food was already on their table, so what was there to think about? They just had to eat.

The two of them ate with gusto, their mouths practically dripping with oil.

Zhao Cheng'an even had a happy expression on his face while eating.

"Qin Huai, I think I can still eat at least two more dishes!"

"I think I can eat three dishes." Qin Huai was unwilling to admit defeat at this time. "But there shouldn't be any other dishes. The last dish should be Peach Blossom Feast."

"Crispy rice crust, oh crispy rice crust, perfect for finishing off the main course." Zhao Cheng'an nodded repeatedly. "I just don't know if the portion is big. We'll split it in half, and if we're still not full, we can go buy some sesame seed cakes."

The other five: ...

Are you two starving ghosts reincarnated?
Just as the two starving ghosts were about to devour the Nine-Turned Intestines, Zhang Guanghang served another dish.

"Please enjoy your meal of Wanfu Meat."

The couple: Waaaaaah, why does their set meal also have Wanfu Pork? Why do we think their Wanfu Pork tastes better than ours?
The couple had already finished eating, but they refused to leave. They wanted to stay and see what other dishes the next table would serve.

Where's the set meal we were promised? Wasn't it supposed to be 4-5 dishes? This is way too many!

That's four questions already!

Every dish was delicious. There were no cold dishes, no vegetables, no soup, and there was even braised pork belly. Surely the next dish would be peach blossoms.

No.

"Braised sea cucumber with scallions, please enjoy."

"Please enjoy the abalone served whole in its shell."

"Please enjoy your premium tofu."

"Sweet and sour carp, please enjoy."

The couple felt they couldn't shed any more tears, and they were tired of saying "I envy you" to themselves. They were both numb and thought they might have just fallen asleep and dreamt because they had eaten too much carbon dioxide.

The trio of friends weren't much better off; they almost lost their appetite for the shark fin soup, completely dumbfounded.

A very strange thought arose in their minds: was the set meal actually a buffet?
The previous set meal for two only had 4-5 dishes because they didn't have big appetites; they would be full after eating 4-5 dishes. These two people, however, ate like they were starving. Chef Xia was in a good mood and, seeing that they were still hungry, kept serving more dishes.

When Zhang Guanghang came out of the kitchen carrying another casserole dish, the trio thought they might also be having a nightmare.

Otherwise, who can explain to them what this is?
What? ? ?
Shark fin soup in a clay pot?!
This one is even more luxurious, with a huge portion, filled with all kinds of meatballs and hot pot ingredients. The meatballs are piled up like a small mountain, and the shark fin soup is so thick it's almost overflowing!

Is this still shark fin soup in a clay pot? What kind of enormous hot pot is this?!
Are these two people even able to finish their food? Can they even finish it all? Doesn't Fenyuan restaurant discourage food waste? How can they eat so much?

Is this reasonable?

Is it reasonable???
Weren't these two young men eating a set meal? Last time, the lucky guy surnamed Han who got shark fin soup in his set meal only got one dish, not this many other dishes!

Who are these two people? Are they Master Xia's long-lost grandsons?

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an weren't much better off either.

The two of them were completely bewildered by what they had eaten.

Qin Huai also began to wonder if he was hallucinating. Why did he seem to see a big pot of shark fin soup?

"Shark fin soup in a clay pot, please enjoy." Zhang Guanghang put down the clay pot of shark fin soup, took away the empty plate, and calmly left.

Looking at the large pot of shark fin soup in front of him, Zhao Cheng'an nervously swallowed: "Qin...Qin Huai, how much would this cost if we ordered everything separately?"

"I don't know. I only know that the deluxe version of the casserole shark fin soup costs 68000."

"Master Xia, could you have misremembered and thought we ordered this many dishes? I just replenished my supplies this morning, so I don't have any money to pay for the meal."

Hearing Zhao Cheng'an say that, Qin Huai suddenly relaxed and said confidently, "Eat up, I have money to pay for the meal."

I'm not buying more shares.

(End of this chapter)