Chapter 26: Bu Fang Whose Culinary Skills Were Severely Challenged
Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: mole, Vermillion
“Big brother, do you think this gigolo is an idiot? We’re wagering with him, but we’re the ones who decide whether it’s delicious. Even if his dishes are really delicious, we can just say that it tastes bad and he can’t do anything about it! At that time, he’ll still need to obediently hand our sister over,” Ouyang Di covertly whispered to the stern-looking Ouyang Zhen.
Ouyang Zhen gave a sidelong glance to his third brother, then snorted and said, “With our taste buds, even the most delicious cuisine in the imperial palace tasted the same. Do you think we even tell whether it tastes good or not? Aren’t you just talking crap?”
“That gigolo will definitely lose this wager,” Ouyang Zhen triumphantly said as his beard fluttered.
“I knew Big brother is the smartest among us; you understood immediately. It’s only because we drank too much and lost our sense of taste. Except for wine, everything tastes like plain water. It’s really uncomfortable, though,” Ouyang said with a sigh.
“Second brother! Don’t worry about it. After we pick up Xiaoyi, I’ll let you drink the “Exquisitely Aromatic Intense Flames Wine” that the emperor bestowed to me! It will definitely make you feel as if your entire body is on fire!” Ouyang Zhen said as he patted Ouyang Wu’s shoulders.
“Heh! Thank you, big brother! With our palate, only wine can satisfy us now!” Ouyang Wu grinned.
While the three of them were chatting, Bu Fang was already preparing the dishes in the kitchen.
The Ice Sea fish needed to be marinated in advance when cooking Lees Fish, and he only prepared two fishes the night before. He already cooked one previously and was going to leave the other one for dinner. However, since someone else ordered the dish, he took it out to cook it.
After removing the distillers grains from the exterior of the fish, Bu Fang made two small cuts on its body then placed it on a plate inside the bamboo steamer.
The Egg-Fried Rice and Fish Head Tofu Soup were being prepared as well.
The smell of the Egg-Fried Rice was very fragrant; it drifted out from the kitchen and enveloped the three barbarians of Ouyang like silk, causing them to continuously sniff.
“It smells so good! It looks like this gigolo has some skills after all.” Ouyang Di said with an intoxicated expression.
The other two remained silent, but they did not think much of it. No matter how fragrant it was, there was no point; with their bland taste buds, everything tasted the same.
As Ouyang Xiaoyi was not around, Bu Fang had to personally serve the Egg-Fried Rice. He placed it on the table and said, “Erm… Whoever’s Egg-Fried Rice, please enjoy your meal.”
As the three brothers looked similar to Zhang Fei, Bu Fang—who suffered from mild face blindness—was already having difficulty differentiating them.
“This is mine.” Ouyang Wu narrowed his eyes, got closer to the Egg-Fried Rice and deeply breathed in. The rich fragrance immediately filled his nasal cavity. He honestly thought it smelled really good.
Ouyang Wu was unable to endure it any longer and scooped up a spoonful of Egg-Fried Rice into his mouth. As the silk-like egg liquid entered his mouth, it immediately solidified. When it mixed together with the pearl-like rice grains, it was like they were jumping around his mouth, giving him a peculiar feeling.
“Guru.”
After swallowing the Egg-Fried Rice in his mouth, Ouyang Wu’s face turned expressionless. Even though the texture was excellent, it had no taste at all.
Ouyang Zhen and Ouyang Di tried a bite as well, and they both frowned after trying.
“What the hell is this? There’s no taste at all… Is this supposed to taste good?” Ouyang Zhen pursed his lip together, then threw the spoon onto the table and complained.
Bu Fang was startled, thinking. “How is this possible? How could the improved Egg-Fried Rice taste bad?”
This was the first time he met a customer that improved Egg-Fried Rice was unable to subdue.
Bu Fang smelled the fragrance of the Egg-Fried Rice in the air; it was so rich that it was as if a piece of silk was caressing his face. “There shouldn’t be any problems with the taste!”
“Is it because their taste buds are unique?” Bu Fang thought.
“Gigolo, you should just quickly throw in the towel and return our sister. You will not be able to cook anything that can impress us,” Ouyang Di gloatingly said with a smile.
The fact that the three of them only ate a single bite each and did not finish the Egg-Fried Rice was greatly out of Bu Fang’s expectations.
Even the big black dog lying at the entrance lifted its head and interestedly watched the scene unfold in the little store.
“Please wait.” Bu Fang’s expression was extremely grim. He felt that his culinary skills was being severely challenged.
He returned to the kitchen and the Fish Head Tofu Soup was ready to be served. He carefully poured the soup into a blue and white porcelain bowl. The Lees Fish needed a few more minutes, so he served the fish soup first.
“Here’s your Fish Head Tofu Soup, please enjoy your meal,” Bu Fang solemnly said.
The fragrance of the Fish Head Tofu Soup was not inferior to Egg-Fried Rice in the slightest. The refreshing smell of the fish mixed with the faint fragrance of the tofu was like a fluttering gauze touching their skin. The milky-white fish soup and crystal-clear tofu were giving off a faint radiance under the lighting.
Just the appearance of the dish fascinated the three brothers, triggering their appetite. However, after they finished drinking the fish soup, they became expressionless, as if they had just drank a bowl of tasteless plain water.
“No! Your fish soup doesn’t taste good,” The Ouyang brothers said in unison while shaking their head.
“Interesting.” Bu Fang remained expressionless, but he was extremely serious at that moment. He meaningfully glanced at the three brothers and returned to the kitchen. He still had one more dish left and if it did not impress them, then it would only mean one thing.
“There’s definitely something wrong with their sense of taste.”
As a chef, Bu Fang was confident of his own dishes. Even though the reactions of the three brothers surprised him, it did not affect his confidence in his culinary skills.
Taking the Lees Fish out of the bamboo steamer, the rich wine aroma instantly gushed out and filled up the entire store.
The triumphant Ouyang brothers sitting in the store suddenly stiffened, as if their souls had been taken.
“Bi… Big brother! What a rich… wine aroma!” Ouyang Di felt his mouth gone dry and his eyes widened like saucers. The moment the wine aroma had emerged, he was instantly captivated.
Ouyang Wu and Ouyang Zhen were feeling exactly the same as he did. They felt as if they had ants in their pants, evoking their desire to drink wine.
“This is definitely the smell of a good wine! Only the “Exquisitely Aromatic Intense Flames Wine” from the imperial palace could compete with this! Could this store really have such a high grade wine?” Ouyang Zhen continuously swallowed his saliva, as he impatiently waited.
The three of them were staring at the kitchen entrance, when a slim figure emerged.
Bu Fang was extremely serious as he slowly carried out the Lees Fish.
However, three pairs of eyes—that seemed as if they were looking at prey—startled him. “What the hell?!”
“Here’s your Lees Fish, please enjoy your meal.” Bu Fang glanced at the three of them, then placed the Lees Fish on the table and solemnly said.
“How is it Lees Fish? It’s not wine?!” The Ouyang brothers cried out in unison, revealing the disappointment in their voice.
“I already said that we don’t serve wine,” Bu Fang expressionlessly replied.
“Gigolo, you’ve already lost. You can’t impress us without wine. You should just obediently hand over our sister,” Ouyang Wu sighed and said while disappointedly looking at the Lees Fish.
“You should try it first,” Bu Fang calmly said with an adamant expression.
At that moment, Ouyang Xiaoyi—who had already run away to her room just now—suddenly walked out of her room with a worried expression. “Abandoning the smelly boss like this seems to be a little dishonorable… What if he got beaten up by my brothers?”
Ouyang Xiaoyi was well aware of her brothers’ temperament and was feeling slightly guilty.
“Smelly boss, you must hang on, you mustn’t die before I get there,” Ouyang Xiaoyi prayed in her heart as she swiftly ran out of her room to the dining area.
She covertly peeked into the dining area from behind the door, but the very first sight made her eyes open wide with amazement.
