I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

This was especially true for Xie Hai.

He sold bulk liquor, which made him an absolute expert in judging spirits.

Naturally, he also had a deep love for alcohol.

The aroma made him swallow hard, and he was dying to chug a big bowl of it right then and there.

He’d been dealing with liquor for half his life but had never smelled such a tantalizing fragrance.

’I wonder where Boss Li got this from?’

’I’ll worry about that later. First, I’ve gotta have a taste.’

So, Xie Hai said, "Boss Li, this wine smells too good. I have to try it. I’ll call a dedicated moto-taxi driver to pick me up later, so I won’t be riding my bike home. I’ll just leave it here for now."

When the other bosses heard this, their eyes lit up.

That was a great idea; they could do the same.

There were plenty of motorcycle taxi drivers in town who made a living giving rides, and they all had their phone numbers. A simple call was all it would take to get a driver to come pick them up.

And so, the bosses all declared they would have a drink too and arrange for a ride home later.

Li You nodded. That was perfectly fine, of course.

Then he said, "In that case, I’ll treat each of you gentlemen to a bowl of wine. Please, have a taste."

"A whole bowl?"

The bosses were overjoyed to hear this. Without being modest, they all said, "Then we’ll take you up on that offer! Thank you, Boss Li."

Li You smiled. "I wouldn’t want you to be."

He then went into the kitchen and returned with fifteen wine bowls and a liquor ladle.

When serving wine to customers, you couldn’t just dip the bowls directly into the jar to scoop it out.

That’s what a liquor ladle was for.

Traditional liquor ladles were mostly made of bamboo, typically in one-liang or two-liang sizes.

Li You’s ladle was made of bamboo, giving it a very rustic, natural feel.

This was the proper way to serve wine—with a traditional bamboo ladle.

Holding the bowls and the ladle, he walked over to the wine jar and began to serve.

It was a two-liang ladle. One and a half scoops was enough to nearly fill a bowl.

After filling all fifteen bowls, Li You smiled. "Gentlemen, please!"

The fifteen bosses had been waiting impatiently. After offering their thanks, each picked up a bowl of wine.

They all eagerly took a sip.

Instantly, every single one of them was more pleasantly surprised than they had ever been.

’What amazing wine!’

’This is a truly supreme vintage!’

’A spirit this fine is a rare find on this earth.’

They had never tasted such a delicious wine.

It wasn’t that they’d never had famous liquors before.

But all those famous brands they’d tried in the past paled in comparison to the ambrosia before them now.

This was true, fine wine!

Only a wine like this was worthy of the food served in this restaurant.

The group of bosses was full of nothing but praise.

After a moment, Xie Hai asked, "Boss Li, where did you get this wine? And how much do you sell it for?"

The other bosses were also dying to know the answers to these two questions.

All eyes turned to Li You.

Li You chuckled and said, "Let’s just say I acquired it through my own exclusive channel. As for the price? Twenty yuan per liang."

’An exclusive channel?’

The bosses all nodded slowly. They didn’t press him for details about what this special channel was.

They were very curious, of course. Especially Xie Hai.

But continuing to ask would have been rude and tactless.

So, they let it go.

As for the price, twenty yuan per liang. On its own, that sounded a bit expensive.

But for a wine like this, it was an absolute bargain.

If this wine were sold on the open market, people would flock to buy it—not just for twenty yuan a liang, but for two hundred, or even two thousand.

"Boss, do you sell this for takeout?" all the bosses asked.

If he did, they would buy ten jin right away. No, twenty jin.

Not to resell it, but to take home and enjoy themselves.

Li You smiled and shook his head. "No takeout. You can only drink it here in the restaurant."

The bosses were all deeply disappointed.

But they weren’t surprised.

After all, if he did offer it for takeout, this entire jar would probably sell out in minutes.

In truth, just being able to drink such a fine wine in the restaurant was exciting enough.

So, despite their disappointment, the group of bosses was still thrilled.

"By the way, Boss Li, do you always serve this wine in bowls?" Xie Hai asked.

Li You nodded. "I only have wine bowls here, no cups."

Xie Hai let out a hearty laugh. "Good! A fine wine like this ought to be drunk from a bowl. Drinking from a big bowl has a certain carefree spirit to it."

The other bosses nodded in agreement with Xie Hai’s sentiment.

"Also, Boss, now that you have wine, shouldn’t you introduce some hearty dishes that go well with it?" Deng Luping added.

The others nodded again. They’d been thinking the exact same thing.

While the existing Mapo Tofu and Twice-cooked Pork were fine with alcohol, it would be even more perfect if there were some heartier dishes better suited for drinking.

Li You nodded. "I’m already working on it. They should be on the menu soon."

When Li You said he was "working on it," he was naturally pinning his hopes on the upcoming recipes and lottery chances.

’I hope I can get a recipe for a good, hearty dish for drinking soon.’

’Of course, it’s no big deal if I don’t get one right away.’

’Because I still have the Agastache-flavored Crucian Carp.’

As soon as he got some tender ginger, he could launch the Agastache-flavored Crucian Carp.

’Agastache-flavored Crucian Carp should count as a hearty dish for drinking, right?’

’It’s just not quite ideal.’

The bosses nodded repeatedly. As long as it was in the works, they were happy.

For now, it was time to order lunch.

They placed their order: five servings each of Green Pepper Twice-cooked Pork, Garlic Sprout Twice-cooked Pork, Mapo Tofu, and Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes.

Li You nodded, asked the bosses to wait a moment, then turned and went into the kitchen to start cooking.

The bosses took their seats.

They drank their wine while waiting for the food to arrive.

This wine was so good, it was a pleasure to drink even without any food.

Of course, it would be even more enjoyable with food.

And so, the bosses once again found themselves eagerly awaiting Li You’s cooking.

Soon, Li You began bringing out the dishes one after another.

Supreme wine paired with supreme food—this was a life fit for an immortal.

The bosses were all on cloud nine.

After all the dishes had been served, the bosses called out to Li You, "Boss Li, come on, come on! Have a drink with us!"

It was an offer too kind to refuse.

Li You went back to the kitchen and got a wine bowl for himself.

He walked back to the jar and ladled a small amount of wine, about two qian’s worth.

Then he raised his bowl to the bosses and said, "Let me toast you all with this bowl."

"Boss Li, that’s barely anything in your bowl! Fill it up, fill it up!"

The bosses were all telling Li You to fill his bowl, but none of them actually meant it.

They all knew Li You still had a business to run and couldn’t drink too much.

So, it was all just boisterous talk.

Then they all raised their bowls.

"Let’s all toast Boss Li! Thank you, Boss Li, for making such delicious food and for getting us such wonderful wine," said Zhao Yu.

"That’s right! To Boss Li!"

"To Boss Li!"

The bosses all echoed the sentiment.

Li You replied, "Not at all, not at all. It should be me toasting all of you. Thank you all for your patronage. Gentlemen, come on, bottoms up!"

"Hahaha! Alright! Bottoms up!"

"Bottoms up!"

Li You drained his bowl, and all the bosses did the same.

"Hahaha! Great wine!"

"So satisfying! It’s been a long time since I’ve had such a satisfying drink."

...

Li You was secretly astounded.

’Holy crap! They really finished it all?’

’Every single one of them can really hold their liquor!’

"You gentlemen can really drink! Come, come, let me fill your bowls again. This round is on the house, too."

Li You had already made up his mind. No matter how much the bosses drank for lunch today, it would all be free.

"Hahaha! Great! Thank you, Boss Li!"

"Thank you, Boss Li!"

The bosses were all ecstatic.

...