I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 273: Chapter 258: He Came After All

Li You nodded. ”That’s right. Besides the plums and potatoes, there was another great find.”

”What is it?” Ye Shengge was very curious.

Li You showed the Reishi to Ye Shengge. ”This,” he said.

Ye Shengge’s eyes lit up. She took the Reishi with both hands and said, ”A wild Reishi, and it’s huge! This really is a treasure. You rarely see wild Reishi this big. Was this also a gift? This is quite valuable!”

”This wasn’t a gift,” Li You said.

He then explained the story behind the Reishi.

So that’s what happened.

Ye Shengge nodded. ”So, Boss, are you going to help Uncle Zhang find a buyer for it?”

Li You asked, ”How much do you think it’s worth?”

”At the normal market price, it’d be around 2,000 yuan,” Ye Shengge said. ”However, if you have the right connections, it could potentially sell for over ten thousand, or even tens of thousands, up to a hundred thousand or more.”

Li You nodded. He didn’t doubt her words. It was just that most people didn’t have those kinds of connections.

Then he added, ”I’m planning to buy it myself. I’ll take it home for my parents to steep in water and drink.”

”That’s a great idea,” Ye Shengge said. ”Drinking water infused with wild Reishi is very beneficial for your health. The only thing is, it’s extremely bitter and doesn’t taste good. I wonder if your parents will be willing to drink it?”

”I don’t know either,” Li You said. ”I’ll take it back and have them try it first.”

”That makes sense. So, Boss, what price are you planning to offer?”

”The standard market price will do,” Li You said. ”I’ll give Uncle Zhang 2,000 yuan for it.”

Ye Shengge nodded. ”That’s a fair price. I’m surprised you can even find Reishi in Taoshan Village.”

”It’s not that strange for Reishi to grow there,” Li You said. ”There might be some in the mountains around here, too. It’s just that you have to stumble upon them by chance; you can’t go looking for them.”

”If they were easy to find, wild Reishi wouldn’t be so rare,” Ye Shengge said.

Li You nodded. ”True enough.”

...

Just then, a car with Qian Province plates pulled into the parking lot.

The car door opened, and a man stepped out. It was the celebrity actor, Lu Yuan.

A few days prior, at the Southwest Film and Television Base, Liu ZeLin, a celebrity actor from Xiang Province, had been on set with director Zhang Hongyi. He had told his friend Lu Yuan, another actor also from Xiang Province, that the best Chopped Pepper Fish Head in the world was at a place called Li You Restaurant.

Liu ZeLin knew that Chopped Pepper Fish Head was one of Lu Yuan’s favorite dishes.

That’s why he told Lu Yuan where to find the absolute best Chopped Pepper Fish Head: at Li You’s restaurant.

He wanted his friend, a fellow connoisseur of the dish, to be able to taste the single best version of it in the world.

However, Lu Yuan hadn’t believed him. He couldn’t accept the idea that the best Chopped Pepper Fish Head wasn’t in his home, Xiang Province, but at some little restaurant in the mountains of Chuansheng Province.

He knew Liu ZeLin wouldn’t lie to him on purpose, but that didn’t mean his friend’s claim was fact.

’He probably just doesn’t know how truly delicious the Chopped Pepper Fish Head in Xiang Province can be,’ Lu Yuan reasoned. ’That must be why he thinks the dish from some remote mountain restaurant could surpass every version in all of Xiang Province.’

Lu Yuan had no intention of going to that mountain restaurant to try it for himself.

’It’s a journey of over 600 kilometers, and I know it can’t possibly be true. Going all that way for a taste would obviously be a foolish decision.’

And yet, here Lu Yuan was today.

For the past few days, he couldn’t get it out of his head. ’What does the Chopped Pepper Fish Head at that mountain restaurant actually taste like? Why would it lead Liu ZeLin to the absurd conclusion that it’s better than anything in all of Xiang Province?’

The more he thought about it, the more curious he became.

In the end, his curiosity won out, and he decided to go investigate for himself.

’A journey of over 600 kilometers is long, but it’s not impossibly daunting. It’s manageable.’

So today, Lu Yuan had rented a car and driven straight here from the Southwest Film and Television Base.

He came alone, without his assistant or a hired driver.

He hadn’t told Liu ZeLin he was coming, either.

He didn’t want anyone else to know he was here.

He was afraid people would say he’d done something stupid. ’After all, who would be foolish enough to travel over 600 kilometers to verify a claim they knew was absurd and couldn’t possibly be true?’

Thanks to Liu ZeLin’s detailed directions, Lu Yuan reached his destination without much trouble.

’The location is definitely remote, but as long as it’s accessible by road, it’s tolerable.’

’It would be even better if the road from Wenxian Town were a bit wider, though.’

Lu Yuan looked at the restaurant a short distance ahead. ’This has to be the place,’ he thought.

’Alright, let’s go order a Chopped Pepper Fish Head.’

Lu Yuan walked slowly toward the restaurant.

He saw a young man and woman standing at the entrance.

’Liu ZeLin said the owner, Li You, was very young—only about twenty-five. Could that be him?’

’And who’s this woman? Her looks, her figure... they’re both absolutely top-class.’

’You couldn’t find anyone this beautiful in the entire entertainment industry.’

Lu Yuan’s eyes widened in stunned admiration.

Li You and Ye Shengge also noticed Lu Yuan as he slowly approached.

Their first impression was that he was a new face, likely visiting for the first time.

But then, they both felt he looked vaguely familiar. ’Where have I seen him before?’

Finally, Ye Shengge was the first to recognize him. She whispered, ”It’s the actor Lu Yuan. He’s pretty famous, a bona fide celebrity.”

”Lu Yuan?” Li You nodded slowly. ’So it’s him. No wonder he looked familiar. He knows about my restaurant too? Looks like word is slowly getting around the entertainment industry.’

”It was only a matter of time,” Ye Shengge said.

By now, Lu Yuan had reached them.

Li You took a few steps forward. ”Mr. Lu, welcome. It’s an honor to have you visit our humble restaurant.”

Lu Yuan wasn’t surprised that the man recognized him. ’I am a celebrity actor, a public figure, after all.’

’It would have been nice if he’d been a little more excited, though. That would have given me a better sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.’

’His words are polite enough, but he’s far too calm. It doesn’t do much for my ego.’

’But that’s not the point. The Chopped Pepper Fish Head is the point.’

So, Lu Yuan said, ”You’re too kind, Boss Li You. I heard the Chopped Pepper Fish Head here is exceptional. I came all this way just to try it.”

’So he really did come all this way for the food, and he even knows my name.’ Li You was quite pleased. ”Please, come in, Mr. Lu,” he said. ”I hope it won’t be a disappointment.”

Lu Yuan nodded, followed Li You into the restaurant, and found a table.

”Shall I get you a Chopped Pepper Fish Head to start, Mr. Lu?” Li You asked.

Lu Yuan nodded. ”Yes, please, Boss Li You.”

”Of course. Please wait a moment, Mr. Lu,” Li You said.

With that, he went into the kitchen and started cooking.

Soon, a serving of Chopped Pepper Fish Head was ready.

There were no other customers for the time being, so he wasn’t busy. Li You personally brought the Chopped Pepper Fish Head to Lu Yuan’s table. ”Sorry for the wait, Mr. Lu,” he said.

...