I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Before long, they arrived at Bald Qiang’s log cabin.

"Li You, come on in. Take a look at my little yard. Wouldn’t you say it’s perfect for planting ginger?" Bald Qiang said proudly.

Li You smiled. "It really is perfect. Thank you, Brother Qiang."

’In *Boonie Bears*, Bald Qiang grew his vegetables and sugarcane right in this little yard, so it really is a perfect spot.’

Bald Qiang let out a hearty laugh and waved his hand. "Don’t mention it, don’t mention it. I’m always happy to host. Let’s rest for a bit and wait for Xiong Er and the others to get here."

"Alright."

Before long, Xiong Er, Jiji and Maomao, Luobutou, Beng Beng, Tutu, and the other animals all arrived together.

"WHOOSH~"

Jiji somersaulted into the yard from outside. "Li You, I heard you’re going to plant ginger in Bald Qiang’s little yard. This King has personally come to help you plant."

"Us too! We want to help too!" Maomao, Beng Beng, Luobutou, and Tutu all chimed in.

Li You smiled. "Thank you. Thank you all. I’ll make lunch for everyone today."

"Awesome! Xiong Er said you’re a chef. Your food must be delicious! We’re in for a treat!" all the animals cheered.

"Alright then, let’s get planting," said Bald Qiang. "Li You, did you bring the seed ginger?"

Li You nodded, then took all fifty-five pounds of seed ginger out from his Storage Pavilion.

The seed ginger had all developed sprouts. The sprouts themselves were thick and sturdy, with blunt, rounded tips.

This was a clear sign of high-quality seed ginger.

"Wow, this is some high-quality seed ginger! We’re guaranteed a bumper crop with these," Bald Qiang said, his eyes lighting up.

"You’ve got a keen eye, Brother Qiang," Li You complimented.

Bald Qiang said smugly, "But of course. I’m a master gardener, you know. An eye for quality is nothing special for me."

"More like a master braggart," Xiong Er retorted, his usual jab at Bald Qiang.

"Hmph! I’m the bigger man here. I’m not going to lower myself to arguing with a bear," Bald Qiang snorted, turning away from Xiong Er.

Li You found their banter amusing. ’Being with Bald Qiang and the animals always puts me in a good mood.’ He then said, "First, let’s till the soil."

"I’ll do it," said Luobutou.

He then burrowed into the ground, and after darting back and forth a dozen times or so, he had tilled half the yard.

The whole thing took less than a minute.

’Incredible!’

’That saves us the trouble of using a hoe, not to mention all the manual labor.’

’Now all we have to do is plant the seed ginger.’

The method was simple: place the ginger pieces into the soil with the sprouts facing up, cover them completely with loose earth, and finish by watering them.

Li You, Bald Qiang, and the animals got to work. In less than five minutes, all fifty-five pounds of seed ginger were planted.

Bald Qiang then pulled out a hose and started watering the plot.

After the watering, the job was done.

’Now, all that’s left is to wait for the ginger to sprout and grow.’

Li You thanked Bald Qiang and the animals, then said, "Brother Qiang, may I borrow your kitchen? It’s time I cooked for everyone."

"Be my guest," said Bald Qiang.

"Hooray!" the animals cheered.

A smile touched Li You’s lips as he walked into Bald Qiang’s kitchen and got to work.

’I’ll make Cabbage in Supreme Broth, Mapo Tofu, Twice-cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts, Twice-cooked Pork with Green Peppers, Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes, and some Yangchun Noodles.’

’And I’ll make extra-large portions of everything.’

’All the ingredients I need for these dishes are right here in my Storage Pavilion.’

’Even though Xiong Da, Xiong Er, Jiji, Maomao, and the rest are animals, in the world of *Boonie Bears*, they absolutely love human food.’

’So I can definitely make these dishes for them. I’m sure they’ll love it.’

As Li You cooked, a fragrant aroma began to waft from the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Bald Qiang had turned on the TV and was watching it with the animals.

The aroma drifted into the living room.

The moment they caught the scent, Bald Qiang and the animals couldn’t sit still. They all rushed into the kitchen, eager to see what Li You was making. How could it smell so amazing?

"So it’s twice-cooked pork! Li You, your cooking skills really are better than mine. I can’t believe you made it smell this good," Bald Qiang admitted, a rare moment of humility from him.

"Twice-cooked pork? It looks so good!" Xiong Er was already starting to drool.

The rest of the animals, Xiong Da included, were all drooling with anticipation.

Li You chuckled. "It’ll be ready soon. Once this batch is done, you can all start eating."

"Great, great! Thank you, Li You," the animals all exclaimed.

Li You told them it was his pleasure.

It was a batch of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, and it was ready to be served.

He filled two large plates to the brim.

"Alright, you can take these and start eating," said Li You.

"I’ll carry one!" Xiong Er said, picking up a plate and heading out.

"This King shall carry one as well! Leave the remaining plate for this King!" Jiji declared.

But Xiong Da beat him to it, snatching the plate. "Jiji, you’re too slow!" he laughed as he walked out.

"Xiong Da, how dare you! Put that down for this King at once!" Jiji shouted, quickly chasing after him.

"You two bears, save some for your Brother Qiang!" Bald Qiang yelled, chasing after them as well.

Of course, the other animals all ran out after them.

Li You continued with the next dish: Mapo Tofu.

At the same time, he started cooking the Yangchun Noodles in another pot.

Back in the living room, Xiong Er put the plate on the table and immediately snatched a piece of pork, popping it into his mouth.

In that instant, the bear felt like he was floating. "This is delicious!" he exclaimed. "I’ve never eaten anything this good in my whole life!"

Xiong Da set his plate on the table just as Jiji, Maomao, and the other animals caught up.

Seeing Xiong Er’s ecstatic reaction, everyone else eagerly reached out to grab a piece for themselves.

Seeing this, Bald Qiang quickly stopped them. "Stop, stop! Can you animals have some manners? What about hygiene? Don’t I have bowls and chopsticks here? Just wait."

With that, Bald Qiang went and got a bowl and a pair of chopsticks for each of the animals.

"Thanks, Bald Qiang!" the animals chimed.

Then they eagerly used their chopsticks to grab pieces of pork.

For animals, they were surprisingly skilled with chopsticks.

"Xiong Da, you are blocking this King! Move aside!"

"Make way, make way! Don’t block King Jiji!"

"Xiong Er, you’re eating too much! Stop eating!"

"Delicious! This is the most delectable thing this King has ever tasted! This King has decided: Li You shall become my royal chef!"

"Don’t push, don’t push! Jiji, you’re stepping on my foot!"

"Save some for me, save some for me!"

"..."

Bald Qiang and the animals descended into a chaotic battle for the food.

The two large plates of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts were devoured in no time.

Everyone, from Bald Qiang to the animals, was ecstatic but still far from satisfied.

"That was so good! I’m gonna go see if Li You’s finished with the next dish!" Xiong Er said, running toward the kitchen.

"Me too!" Bald Qiang and the other animals were not about to be left behind.

In the kitchen, Li You could hear the commotion from the living room and knew everyone was loving the food.

This made him very happy.

Now, seeing Xiong Er, Bald Qiang, and the rest of the animals crowd into the kitchen again, he smiled. "Just a moment, everyone. This next dish is almost ready."

...

A huge thank you to Qieyi Miao and ~Lotus for the 100-coin tips!

Thank you both so much!

...