Chapter 310 - 287: Intermediate Gourmet Enjoyment Cashback Card
Chapter 310: Chapter 287: Intermediate Gourmet Enjoyment Cashback Card
"Let’s go. I’ve already booked a restaurant," Ye Ling said with a wave.
"Yay, a feast!" Luo Yue immediately started bouncing with excitement. Her fair, slender legs instantly drew the eyes of many people nearby.
"Try to be a little more mindful of your surroundings," Ye Ling grumbled, giving her a light rap on the head.
"I know, I know."
Luo Yue immediately feigned grievance again and hid behind Ning Ruoxi. "Ruoruo, Master is bullying me!"
"Stop bullying Yueyue," Ning Ruoxi said, dotingly ruffling Luo Yue’s hair before shooting Ye Ling a glare. "Go get the car."
Hiding behind Ning Ruoxi, Luo Yue gave Ye Ling a sly look, wiggling her eyebrows smugly.
Ye Ling rolled his eyes. ’I knew I shouldn’t have let this girl come back!’
Luo Yue linked arms with Ning Ruoxi, skipping along the whole way and looking exceptionally happy.
"So, what are we having for lunch?" Luo Yue suddenly asked.
"Fugu."
Ye Ling turned his head, a grin spreading across his lips.
"Fugu?"
Luo Yue stopped in her tracks.
"That’s right. The poisonous kind!" Ye Ling said, a teasing smirk on his face.
"Master, you don’t have to go that far... If it’s like that, I’ll just give Ruoruo back to you," Luo Yue said, pushing Ning Ruoxi in front of Ye Ling.
"You silly girl." Ning Ruoxi gave Luo Yue a look, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
’So this is what they call a fair-weather friendship!’
"Fugu is poisonous..."
Luo Yue made it clear she valued her life. She was a total coward when it came to this!
"Silly girl, he’s just teasing you," Ning Ruoxi explained. "The fugu people eat nowadays is all farm-raised. It doesn’t have any fatal toxins."
"Master, you’re so mean!" Luo Yue shot Ye Ling a resentful glare.
"Let me correct you. I didn’t lie."
Ye Ling, however, put on an innocent expression. "It’s true there are no fatal toxins, but there can still be trace amounts. Enough to make your tongue go a little numb, for instance."
"Whatever! Master is just a big meanie!" Luo Yue made a face at Ye Ling.
"You little brat. Believe it or not, I’ll leave you on the side of the road," Ye Ling shot back, glaring.
’Damn it.’
’Is this girl getting cocky?’
"No, don’t! I was wrong..." Luo Yue ducked her head, shrinking back.
Watching this exchange, Ning Ruoxi couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
’These two are a real pair of jokers, no doubt about it!’
"All right, all right, let’s hurry up and eat. I’m getting hungry," Ning Ruoxi said.
Ye Ling just grunted, deciding not to bicker with the little brat any longer.
The Maybach sped through the streets of Modu. Thankfully, it wasn’t evening rush hour, so the drive was smooth. They didn’t hit any traffic and arrived at their destination in about twenty minutes.
The place Ye Ling had booked wasn’t one of the trendy fugu restaurants that were all the rage right now. As for why...
Well!
Brother Ling was scared of dying, too.
Even though most fugu was farm-raised these days, the thought of eating it raw... Ye Ling still felt a little chicken!
Ye Ling had chosen an old, time-honored establishment: He’s Fugu Shop.
Supposedly, the shop had a hundred-year history.
Of course, whether it truly had a century of history was a matter of opinion.
After parking the car, Ye Ling led Ning Ruoxi and Luo Yue into He’s Fugu Shop.
The shop’s style was that of a place that relied on its reputation—no particularly flashy decorations, just a very quiet ambiance.
"Sir, do you have a reservation?" a waiter asked, approaching the moment the trio stepped inside.
"Yes, I do."
Ye Ling nodded. "The reservation is under Ye."
"Mr. Ye, please follow me. We have a private room ready for you." The waiter nodded, turning slightly to the side and gesturing for them to proceed.
As soon as Ye Ling and the others were seated under the waiter’s guidance, a menu was presented to them.
The menu wasn’t a modern, laminated affair. It was made of something like kraft paper, giving it a sense of history and tradition.
Ye Ling glanced at it and was secretly taken aback.
The restaurant’s decor might have been simple, but the prices on the menu were anything but!
A single bowl of fugu bone ramen cost 999 Huaxia Coins. That was a seriously steep price.
For Ye Ling, however, it was just a drop in the bucket.
’A net worth in the billions, you know?’
"See what you’d like to eat." Ye Ling didn’t order himself, instead handing the menu to Ning Ruoxi and Luo Yue.
"I’ll just have the steamed fugu egg..." Comrade Luo Xiaoyue was clearly still feeling a bit chicken, so she only ordered the one dish, priced at 599 Huaxia Coins.
"I’d like to try the fugu congee, and... this fugu in broth!" Ning Ruoxi tentatively ordered two dishes before handing the menu back to Ye Ling. "You can pick out a few more."
The fugu congee was priced at 499 Huaxia Coins, while the fugu in broth was 1999 Huaxia Coins.
In other words, just casually ordering three dishes had already cost them nearly three thousand Huaxia Coins!
"We’ll have one of each: salt-and-pepper fugu, fugu in sour soup, and braised fugu. And let’s add a bowl of the fugu bone ramen," Ye Ling added.
The salt-and-pepper fugu was priced at 2999 Huaxia Coins, as was the fugu in sour soup. The braised fugu was a little cheaper, but still came in at 1599 Huaxia Coins.
"That’s all for now. We’ll add more if we’re still hungry," Ye Ling said, handing the menu back to the waiter.
"Of course, sir. Please wait a moment." The waiter nodded, then left with the menu.
"This place is so expensive," Ning Ruoxi couldn’t help but remark.
"At first, I thought the food here would be cheaper, since the decor is so simple..."
"That’s where you’re mistaken. It’s usually the opposite. For places that rely on reputation, the prices are often even higher!"
Ye Ling was stating a fact—or rather, something that was gradually becoming common knowledge.
"Think about it, where in the country can’t you find a lavishly decorated, modern-looking restaurant? Because of that, the prices at those places are never too outrageous. Customers can always go somewhere else."
"But a ’reputable spot’ or a ’time-honored establishment’ with distinct local character? That’s what really tempts people to try something new, and so their prices can be shockingly high!"
"Let’s just hope the food doesn’t disappoint," Ye Ling said with a soft chuckle.
Zhu Yun was the one who had recommended this place to him. According to her, He’s Fugu Shop was one of the top-ranked in the entire country.
About forty minutes later, the waiter began to bring out the dishes.
First to arrive were the three fugu dishes!
"Go on, try it. It should be delicious," Ye Ling urged.
"You first, Master!"
Normally, the foodie Luo Yue would have been the first to dig in. This time, however, she held back, her eyes fixed on Ye Ling.
"You little imp!" Ye Ling shot her an exasperated look, picked up his chopsticks, and tried a piece of the fugu.
The fugu was indeed exquisitely delicious. It was exceptionally tender and melted in his mouth.
"Not bad," Ye Ling commented with an appreciative nod. "Even with the salt and pepper, you can still taste that delicate, fresh flavor."
Beside him, Ning Ruoxi also picked up her chopsticks and took a bite.
"It really is good," Ning Ruoxi agreed with a nod.
She had eaten fugu before, but she had to admit, the fugu at He’s Fugu Shop was on another level of delicious.
The freshness of the ingredients, combined with masterful cooking techniques, brought out the fugu’s delicate tenderness to perfection.
"Oh?"
Seeing their reactions, Luo Yue gulped. She couldn’t hold back any longer. She picked up her chopsticks and tried a bite of the salt-and-pepper fugu.
The fugu was still warm, incredibly tender and smooth. A wave of savory freshness instantly filled her senses!
"Whoa, wahhh, so good!"
Luo Yue’s eyes flew wide. She lifted her head, her big eyes sparkling, and then eagerly launched a full-scale assault on the feast before her.
Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi exchanged a look, both unable to suppress a smile.
’This little imp really is just like a child.’
Next, Ye Ling tried the braised fugu and the fugu in sour soup.
The fugu in sour soup had a unique flavor profile; the sourness paired with the tender meat was so good it felt like you could accidentally bite your tongue off. The braised fugu was more conventional, but still excellent.
Ye Ling also tried the fugu in broth and the fugu bone ramen. Both were stunningly delicious.
"It’s expensive, but definitely worth it," Ye Ling couldn’t help but remark.
DING!
[Congratulations, Host, for an unforgettable culinary experience! You have received an Intermediate Gourmet Enjoyment Cashback Card. Spending limit: 100,000 Huaxia Coins. A random multiplier between 1x and 10x will be applied!]
Ye Ling’s eyes lit up. ’As expected of a time-honored fugu shop. It even triggered a system reward?’
This Intermediate Gourmet Enjoyment Cashback Card worked on the same principle as the Advanced Spending Cashback Card he’d gotten before. The only difference was that this one had a much lower spending limit of just one hundred thousand.
But Ye Ling wasn’t about to complain.
’Spend a hundred thousand on a feast, and with a bit of luck, get a million back? How could that not be awesome?’
’It’s beyond awesome!’
’When it comes to ’skimming the cream,’ the process is what matters most, not the result!’
"I’m getting stuffed..."
Luo Yue had eaten her fill and was now leaning back in her chair, rubbing her little tummy.
Beside her, Ning Ruoxi also nodded, licking her red lips in satisfaction.
The fugu was so light and tender that it felt like they had barely eaten anything... and so, both women had ended up eating quite a lot.