"Chef Wang, take a good look, is this a live Reeve's Shad?" Wang Xiaoqiang asked with a smile.
Wang Dakui's eyes were glued to the shad in the water bag, his face showing ecstatic joy; he turned to Wang Xiaoqiang and excitedly nodded, "Yes, it's Reeve's Shad, huh? Little Qiang, you drove here from Huagui County, that must've taken at least three and a half hours, right? These things die once they're out of water, how could you keep them alive until now..."
"Haha, that's business secret, not to be divulged..." Wang Xiaoqiang laughed it off, giving an evasive answer.
"Eh, that counts as a business secret?" Wang Dakui said disdainfully.
"Of course, Chef Wang, haven't you thought about it? What's the price of dead Reeve's Shad, and what's the price of a live one..."
"Eh, that's true... Sigh, I don't care about your business secrets, as long as I have fresh live Reeve's Shad to eat..." Wang Dakui waved his hand dismissively and then said, "By the way, Little Qiang, how many did you bring today?"
"Sixteen," Wang Xiaoqiang replied truthfully.
"Sixteen, isn't that a bit few?" Wang Dakui complained.
Actually, sixteen was already quite a lot; Boss Feng usually supplied between fifteen to twenty each ti, but Boss Feng's were dead fish, while Wang Xiaoqiang's were alive. Live Reeve's Shad was rare, so of course, the more, the rrier.
"I can only give you fourteen out of the sixteen, I have other uses for the remaining two..." Wang Xiaoqiang solemnly said.
"Co on, Little Qiang, I was just saying it's not enough, and now you've taken away two more... That's really not generous!" Wang Dakui thought, once the fish were off the truck, no matter what, he had to try one, but unexpectedly, Wang Xiaoqiang reduced it by two.
"Uh, I'm really sorry, I'll just bring you more next ti," Wang Xiaoqiang said.
"That's more like it," Wang Dakui cheered up again.
Then, Wang Dakui called over two kitchen staff and instructed them to take down the fish.
The restaurant had never handled live Reeve's Shad before, and the two staff mbers were at a loss on how to proceed.
In the end, after so pondering by Wang Xiaoqiang and Wang Dakui, they found a thod. They got a large basin, filled it with water, weighed it to get the weight, placed the basin under the water bag on the truck, gently opened the water bag to reveal a small opening, and slowly let the water out, letting the Reeve's Shad go into the basin with the water.
After releasing fourteen Reeve's Shad, they carefully lifted the basin down, weighed it again, and subtracted the weight of the previously weighed water in the basin. The resulting figure was the total weight of the fourteen Reeve's Shad.
The fourteen Reeve's Shad, nearly two Chi (around two feet) long and fattened, totaled just under fifty jin (around 25 kg). However, Wang Dakui still counted it as fifty jin and charged the promised price of four thousand yuan per jin.
Seeing how straightforward Wang Dakui was, Wang Xiaoqiang infused a bit more Wood Elent Spiritual Qi filled with vitality into the basin and instructed the staff not to move the Reeve's Shad again before slaughtering them.
Wang Dakui calculated the bill for Wang Xiaoqiang, fourteen Reeve's Shad, totaling two hundred thousand yuan.
Having gotten live Reeve's Shad, the restaurant staff were all quite amazed and held even greater respect for Wang Xiaoqiang as a supplier. They showered him with praises upon eting him. So wanted to learn Wang Xiaoqiang's fish farming techniques, but all were dismissed with evasive answers.
Eventually, Wang Xiaoqiang promised the kitchen crew that next ti, he would deliver a Reeve's Shad to them for free, exciting them to the point of cheering loudly and continuously praising Wang Xiaoqiang for his generosity.
A live Reeve's Shad cost around fifteen thousand yuan each; how could Wang Xiaoqiang not be generous to give it away like this?!
Amidst the staff's continuous thanks, Wang Xiaoqiang drove the small truck straight to the Xu Family's place.
The two remaining Reeve's Shad were for Yongqian.
If it weren't for Yongqian treating him to Reeve's Shad last ti, Wang Xiaoqiang might not have thought about breeding Reeve's Shad, nor would have he had an inco of two hundred thousand yuan right off the bat. Of course, it was also an opportunity to further their relationship.
Wang Xiaoqiang's unexpected visit was both a surprise and a delight for Yongqian, as Wang Xiaoqiang was not the kind who liked to curry favor with the powerful by flattery. Having known each other for so long, Wang Xiaoqiang had never taken the initiative to visit before. Had it been soone else, they would have worn out the doorstep by now.
It was precisely because of this that Yongqian valued Wang Xiaoqiang even more. Yongqian wasn't adept at smoothing over relations either; otherwise, with his capabilities, he would've risen beyond being the Director of the Provincial Party Committee Office while in office.
What surprised and delighted Yongqian even more was that Wang Xiaoqiang brought him two Reeve's Shad, almost two Chi long each.
And they were alive.
Liu Yueying and Qingxue, mother and daughter, were also astonished. The whole family chided Wang Xiaoqiang for being too extravagant, bringing such valuable gifts on a re visit.
Seeing that the family had misunderstood, Wang Xiaoqiang explained, "The fish is expensive, but I didn't buy it, I raised it myself."
"What? You raised it yourself?" Qingxue's eyes widened in surprise, and Yongqian and his wife stared at Wang Xiaoqiang in amazent.
"There are still more than a thousand in the pond. If you want to eat them, just give a call, and I'll deliver them anyti," Wang Xiaoqiang generously offered.
Upon hearing this, Qingxue said to Yongqian, "Hey, Old Comrade, you're in for a treat this ti."
Yongqian laughed happily, but replied, "Little Qiang is raising fish to make money. We should just try them for now. Little Qiang, I'll take these two, but you really don't have to bring any more in the future; they're too precious."
Wang Xiaoqiang didn't know how to respond.
Pointing at the Reeve's Shad in the water bag, Liu Yueying exclaid, "Hey? Little Qiang, you really have a way to keep them alive all the way to the provincial capital..."
"Uh, the fish only die if they are taken out of the water. If I don't let them out, they naturally won't die," Wang Xiaoqiang replied perfunctorily.
To Wang Xiaoqiang's words, the Xu family mbers were sowhat skeptical, but they didn't press the matter further. After all, it wasn't sothing they needed to concern themselves with.
Wang Xiaoqiang personally took out the fish from the water bag and said, "Let's just kill and eat them now, while they're fresh."
Naturally, no one objected to this idea. For one thing, everyone wanted to try sothing fresh, and for another, they all knew that the fish would die once removed from the water. Dead, they wouldn't be fresh anymore, so Liu Yueying imdiately ordered the housekeeper to kill the fish and to prepare one stead and one braised.
She also instructed to prepare a few more dishes to entertain Wang Xiaoqiang.
Since they had a guest, Liu Yueying also put on an apron and went to the kitchen to help out.
Wang Xiaoqiang didn't stand on ceremony and say he would leave, because Xu Yongqian didn't like people who were insincere.
Sure enough, seeing Wang Xiaoqiang comfortably sitting on the living room sofa, pouring himself a drink as if he were in his own ho, Xu Yongqian was pleased and said to Wang Xiaoqiang, "Little Qiang, you should always make yourself at ho when you co here and not act like a guest..."
Xu Qingxue ca over and gave her father a white look, "Yo, old comrade, you really don't treat Little Qiang as an outsider, do you?"
Xu Qingxue addressed Wang Xiaoqiang by his na directly, and Xu Yongqian not only didn't object but laughed heartily and said, "Little Qiang has never been an outsider!"
This father-daughter exchange seed ordinary, but to Wang Xiaoqiang, it was full of aning. That day, after Wang Xiaoqiang had outdrunk Lin Juxiong, Xu Qingxue forcefully took him to Dragon Lake Scenic Area for a trip. In a small pavilion by the lake, where there were no people around, Xu Qingxue asked Wang Xiaoqiang if he was engaged to Xia Guifang, and whether he liked her.
When Wang Xiaoqiang opened his mouth to answer, Xu Qingxue put her hand over his mouth, stopping him from speaking.
At the ti, this left Wang Xiaoqiang completely baffled, and he remained confused for several days until finally, one late night, he figured out her intention.
It seed Xu Qingxue had taken a liking to him, and even harbored thoughts of entrusting her life to him. That's why she had asked about his engagent to Xia Guifang and whether he liked her, and then, fearing his answer might disappoint her, she had stopped him from speaking.
"By the way, Qingxue, take out those four bottles of Wuliangye from my cabinet. I'm going to have a big drink with Little Qiang later..." Xu Yongqian instructed his daughter.
Before Xu Qingxue could respond, Wang Xiaoqiang already waved his hand and said, "Elder Xu, I really can't drink much..."
"Being humble, you even outdrank Giant Bear. Still saying you can't..." Xu Yongqian chuckled and tapped Wang Xiaoqiang playfully.
Wang Xiaoqiang was surprised to hear this; he hadn't expected Xu Yongqian to know about the incident, but he quickly realized that Xu Qingxue must have told him, so he shifted his gaze to Xu Qingxue.
Xu Qingxue said sternly, "Why are you looking at ? Wasn't it you who outdrank Giant Bear that day?..."
Wang Xiaoqiang rubbed his face awkwardly, then uttered a phrase that left the Xu family father and daughter at a loss whether to laugh or cry... "That's because Giant Bear's drinking capacity is just too poor."
Seeing Xu Qingxue going to her room to fetch the alcohol, Wang Xiaoqiang stood up and followed her. Inside the room, he asked in a whisper with a reproachful tone, "Hey, why did you tell your father about that day's events?"
Xu Qingxue shrugged helplessly, conveying an expression of inevitable surrender: "They've been keeping an eye on and Giant Bear's affairs. Even if I didn't tell, they would've found out..."
"So, what was your parents' reaction after hearing about it? Did they bla ?..." Wang Xiaoqiang asked uneasily.
"Indeed, they were a bit angry, saying that you scared off their golden son-in-law, and they might have to make do with you as a substitute..." Xu Qingxue spread her hands.
Wang Xiaoqiang's heart skipped a beat, but he said disdainfully, "Cut it out, Elder Xu and Aunt Liu are not like that, and besides, I don't even qualify as a substitute."
"Of course, they wouldn't outwardly say so, but that's what they an in their hearts..." Xu Qingxue looked at Wang Xiaoqiang with an ambiguous smile yet spoke with a serious tone. "If you don't believe , go and ask them yourself..."
Of course, Wang Xiaoqiang didn't dare to ask and remained silent at the dinner table. However, the entire Xu family, including the housekeeper, weren't silent at all when they tasted the fish Wang Xiaoqiang had cooked. They were amazed, incessantly exclaiming how even more delicious it was than the Arican Reeve's Shad.
As the one with the most authority on the matter, Xu Yongqian said, "These flavors are on par with the Yangtze River Reeve's Shad! Even, there's a taste that the Yangtze Reeve's Shad doesn't have..."
"Little Qiang, how did you raise these fish? Why do they taste so good?" Xu Qingxue asked in surprise: "Can you teach ? I want to raise a few as well..."
Wang Xiaoqiang said, "You better just raise so ornantal fish! For eating ones, I'll deliver them to you..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Qingxue felt a surge of sweetness, but she gave him a disdainful glance and said, "Pfft! You really look down on people. I'm determined to raise a few and show them to you..."
After enjoying the fresh Reeve's Shad and finishing off a bottle of fine Wuliangye, Wang Xiaoqiang was ready to take his leave post dinner, and Xu Yongqian didn't try to keep him. He just ordered his daughter to walk Wang Xiaoqiang out.
Xu Qingxue escorted Wang Xiaoqiang out, and outside, she hooked his arm and said, "I never expected you to be so thoughtful. You just watch how happy that Reeve's Shad made my father..."
"Aren't you happy?"
"If my dad is happy, I'm happy." Xu Qingxue revealed a sweet smile.
"Hey, can I fulfill my promise today?"
"What promise?"
"A five-minute long kiss... uh, no, forgot to add interest. Let do so calculations..."
"Go to hell, why do you only think about that?" Xu Qingxue rolled her eyes at Wang Xiaoqiang, pushing away his arm forcefully.
But she quickly took it up again, her face blushing as she said quietly, "Next ti, okay? You've been drinking today!"(To be continued. If you like this work, welco to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation tickets, monthly tickets, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian to read.)
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