299: Chapter 299 A Dish of Vinegar Fish

At Qiantang International Airport, Su Nange was seeing off Liu Yuan.

Four members of Black Kite, dressed in plain clothes, stood behind the Young Miss.

A Gulfstream private jet was parked nearby.

Su Nange still wanted to urge Liu Yuan to stay, as it was best not to run around at this time.

However, seeing the anticipation and longing in Liu Yuan's eyes for the film festival, Su Nange ultimately didn't say anything.

Because he knew the film festival was minor; Global Asia's market value was the real reason that moved Liu Yuan.

Liu Yuan had always been very career-minded, and Su Nange couldn't stop her.

He could only silently resolve to protect her well.

Although it was across the globe, Su Nange now had the confidence to reach the other side of the ocean in a short time.

Moreover, with Black Kite protecting the Young Miss, it was enough to deal with the vast majority of crises.

After two months of training together with him, their strength had made significant progress.

In individual combat, Chunsheng, Xiachang, Qiu Shou, and Dongcang had all ascended to a higher level.

Especially Qiu Shou, after experiencing the battle against Demon Dog, realized that there are always people better than you.

In this world, there exist monsters that might transcend worldly laws.

Su Nange was a living example.

Su Nange and Liu Yuan hugged and kissed goodbye.

Watching the silvery Gulfstream passenger plane disappear into the clouds, Su Nange prepared to begin his trip to Yanjing.

But today, a guest had suddenly arrived, and he still had to receive her.

A woman who had rushed over from Yanjing had been waiting for Su Nange at A Single Thought early on.

However, she did not follow Chen Qianqian's guidance to rest in a luxurious private room.

Instead, she sat by the stone table in the courtyard, holding a cup of clear tea.

She liked the scenery at A Single Thought very much.

She smiled and thought, how could her older brother be so reckless as to destroy such a Zen-filled, elegant courtyard?

The two assistants she brought stood quietly to the side, holding a plaque in their hands.

Su Nange had gone to pick up Zhou Wanqing, so he arrived late.

But this woman was not the least bit displeased; instead, she welcomed him with a smile.

When Su Nange saw the woman, he felt she wasn't as pretty as his own young ladies.

But she had a very calm and introverted temperament, with a strong sense of heroism between her brows.

She didn't look very old, wearing a camel trench coat; her long boots and pants made her legs look quite long.

The woman took the initiative to extend her hand: "I am Shangguan Lingyi, here from Yanjing. My grandfather insisted that I express my gratitude to you in person!"

Then, Shangguan Lingyi greeted Zhou Wanqing.

"Hello Sister Wanqing, hello senior!"

Senior? Su Nange was confused.

Zhou Wanqing smiled: "Hello Lingyi!"

Then she explained to Su Nange that Shangguan Lingyi was also a top student at Yanjing University, so calling her senior was perfectly fine.

You don't hit a smiling face, and Su Nange was a magnanimous person.

"Hello, why not go inside to drink tea? January in the South isn't much warmer than the North."

Shangguan Lingyi had her assistant remove the red silk from the plaque, revealing the golden, gleaming characters "A Single Thought".

The vigorous and powerful brushwork not only revealed a touch of Wei-Jin style but also contained heavy respect and expectations.

This was the reason Shangguan Lingyi insisted on waiting outside.

Shangguan Lingyi smiled: "This was inscribed by my grandfather himself. I hope you won't take my brother Shangguan Fei's recklessness to heart."

Su Nange looked at Zhou Wanqing.

Zhou Wanqing frowned, signaling with her eyes: The elder of the Shangguan Family has already given you an out, what more do you want?

Su Nange was speechless; wasn't he just listening to her opinion?

"Qianqian, hurry and have someone hang up the plaque! Hehe, this must be worth a lot, right?"

Shangguan Lingyi giggled: "Mr. Su is truly humorous."

Zhou Wanqing pulled Shangguan Lingyi: "That's not humor; when the time comes, you'll know how cheap his mouth can be!"

Su Nange: "Older Female Cousin, how can you disparage your own younger brother like that?"

Zhou Wanqing laughed: I just want to disparage you, preferably exposing your ugly face to everyone.

Otherwise, who knows if your fish pond will expand? Let these girls stay away from you.

Su Nange clenched his fists. Hehe, wait until I get to Yanjing, I'll kill you!

The Cantonese cuisine at A Single Thought was very good; the big lobster was crisp, sweet, and springy, the abalone was soft and glutinous, and the crab paste was golden-red and oily.

According to Su Nange's requirements, the ingredients had to be strictly selected according to the highest standards.

However, beyond that, Su Nange still hoped to prove the worth of local cuisine.

A dish of West Lake Vinegar Fish was brought up, looking exceptionally out of place with the table full of Cantonese dishes.

But Su Nange was very interested, looking unconvinced.

"Come, you two beauties, try this. This is the most authentic West Lake Vinegar Fish, which I only managed to replicate after finding an old master who has been at it for decades and going through various documents."

Not to mention Shangguan Lingyi, even Zhou Wanqing couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Because this dish was extremely controversial.

And to be honest, even at the best Four Seasons Hotel in Qiantang, Zhou Wanqing didn't think this dish was that delicious.

For the price of several hundred yuan per serving, it was at most just turning something bad into something edible.

Seeing the two hesitate, Su Nange looked aggrieved.

It felt just like getting a perfect score on a test only to be questioned by his mother when he got home.

Su Nange protested: "You don't know, this real West Lake Vinegar Fish has very complex procedures."

"First, starting from the selection of materials, this grass carp must be starved in clear water for 3 days to drain all intestinal impurities."

"But my fish was specially placed in the source of the Qu River in our Zhijiang Province and starved for over 30 days."

"Then, the entire cooking process for this dish doesn't use a single drop of oil; it relies entirely on a pot of soup."

"And this soup must be simmered with old hens, ham, big bones, and scallops for eight hours."

"The fish meat cannot be boiled over high heat in the soup; it must be slowly braised until cooked."

"Then, the old master prepares the sweet and sour sauce to glaze it, sprinkling on ginger minced like osmanthus flowers."

"This sugar shouldn't make people feel it's sweet; it should only stimulate the freshness of the fish meat. This vinegar should both suppress the last bit of fishy smell and awaken the clear, cold taste of the lake water."

"Finally, this ginger mince is the key; whether or not the fish meat can taste like crab depends entirely on it."

Su Nange looked proud, as if he were even more smug than after winning a fight.

It was like an assignment the teacher gave to recite the whole text, and he was the first to stand up and demonstrate it fluently.

Su Nange's expression seemed to be saying: Praise me, praise me, am I awesome or what?

Zhou Wanqing looked at him with an indulgent smile; this younger brother was too cute.

If you call him immature, he really did do so much homework.

But if you call him mature, he seems to be sulking over something that has already been defined by the world and has no real meaning.

Zhou Wanqing picked up her chopsticks: "Since he spent so much effort, we shouldn't make him lose face, right? Lingyi, let's try it."

Shangguan Lingyi thought, isn't this Su Nange quite interesting? How could her brother have such a huge misunderstanding with him?

He seemed to be introducing a dish, but in reality, he was using this method to instantly bridge the distance between people with the most simple, earthy warmth.

However, if Zhou Wanqing knew what Shangguan Lingyi was thinking, she would definitely say: You think he's interesting? He is interesting.

But if you were a man, try again? This guy, with pretty young ladies, praises them every three sentences and starts handing out milk tea every five.

Even Jia Baoyu would have to call him a master of tea art!

However, when the two women picked up a piece of crystal-clear fish meat, coated in sweet and sour sauce and ginger mince, and put it into their mouths.

Hm? Damn, this guy really wasn't bragging.

Carefully feeling with the tip of the tongue, there was really a clear, cold lake water taste melting in the mouth, and the fish was as tender as a cloud.

The perfectly balanced seasoning and the underlying flavor of the delicious soup bloomed in layers.

In the aftertaste, there was truly a faint, almost imperceptible hint of crab aroma.

Su Nange saw their expressions: "You didn't really think I was bluffing, did you? I am really trying to prove the worth of Qiantang local cuisine!"

"For someone from Lu City like me, is this easy for me!"

Zhou Wanqing rolled her eyes at him; you're acting aggrieved now?

However, facing such a younger brother, Zhou Wanqing, as the Older Female Cousin, was really smitten: "Alright, alright, my younger brother is amazing. Older sister will pick the most tender part of the fish belly for you!"

Shangguan Lingyi looked at these two and felt a sense of indescribable, cloying sweetness.