I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

It was unbelievable that the restaurant was out in the wilderness, and even more unbelievable that the owner was so young and handsome.

Of course, the most unbelievable thing of all was that a restaurant in the middle of nowhere could have spicy crayfish that was so incredibly delicious.

To be able to make spicy crayfish this good, the young owner’s culinary skills were clearly exceptional.

So why would he open his restaurant out in the wilderness?

How strange.

"Lin Xiao, why would that boss open his restaurant way out there?" her roommates all asked.

"Well..." Lin Xiao said, "Maybe because the scenery is nice. You can go fishing, too. It’s actually a great spot. Besides, the boss does really good business. A lot of pretty girls make special trips just to eat there."

So that was it!

Her roommates all nodded. They didn’t doubt Lin Xiao’s words.

With spicy crayfish that delicious, it wasn’t impossible for business to be good.

The location was remote, sure. But many people were willing to travel to even the most out-of-the-way places for the sake of good food.

Besides, this spicy crayfish was practically a gourmet masterpiece.

The only problem was, this meant it would be hard for them to ever have such delicious spicy crayfish again.

If the restaurant were in the city, they’d have the chance to go and eat there whenever they wanted.

What a shame!

Lin Xiao guessed what her roommates were thinking and added, "I’ll take you guys there when I get the chance. It’s not just the spicy crayfish that’s amazing—everything, including the Yangchun Noodles and the beef noodle soup, is a top-tier delicacy."

The more her roommates heard, the more incredulous they became. "Lin Xiao, isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?" they asked.

Lin Xiao shook her head. "It’s not an exaggeration at all. You’ll understand once you’ve been there."

Her roommates were still skeptical. "If that’s really true, then that place is just too incredible."

Lin Xiao smiled faintly and added, "The restaurant really is incredible. The owner is super talented, and he’s a great guy, too."

"Is he?"

Her roommates all looked at Lin Xiao, sudden looks of understanding dawning on their faces.

One of her roommates giggled. "Lin Xiao, fess up. You’ve got a crush on that owner, don’t you?"

Lin Xiao’s face flushed red. "What are you guys thinking? Besides, there are so many pretty girls at his place. Even if I did like him, it wouldn’t be my turn. The boss really is incredible, and he’s a great person. You’ll see when you meet him."

"No need to explain, we get it. You even mentioned he’s only six or seven years older than us at most. Why would you emphasize his age if you didn’t like him? Six or seven years older... that’s fine. I think that’s an acceptable age gap."

"I think it’s acceptable too. In fact, I think six or seven years is the perfect age difference."

"It’s totally normal to have a crush on someone! There’s no need to hide it. I have a crush on someone too!"

"Oh, right, do you have a picture of him? Quick, let us see! You must have taken a picture of him, right?"

"Hurry up and show us. Don’t worry, we won’t try to steal him from you."

"I’m not talking to you guys anymore."

"..."

For the group of young women, their romantic feelings just beginning to blossom, the focus of the conversation gradually drifted away from spicy crayfish and delicious food in general.

But that seemed perfectly normal.

...

「Jiulong Gorge.」

Ye Shengge, Xia Xiaoyue, Mu Qingye, Yu Wei, and the other young women returned from the mountains.

Ye Shengge said, "Boss, we saw a very strange tree on the mountain. Its trunk was covered in rows of sharp thorns. It was so peculiar. Boss, do you know what kind of tree it is? Oh, right, we took a picture. Here, let me show you."

Li You didn’t need to see the picture; he already knew what kind of tree it was.

He was a little surprised, though. ’Don’t Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei recognize that kind of tree either?’

’They really should know what it is.’

Ye Shengge held her phone out to Li You.

Li You glanced at it and saw that it was indeed that type of tree.

He nodded. "I know this tree."

Then, he looked at Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei and asked, "Xiao Yue, Yu Wei, you don’t recognize it either?"

Xia Xiaoyue shook her head. "I don’t! It’s the first time I’ve ever seen such a peculiar tree. Boss, why do you ask? Are we supposed to know what it is?"

Yu Wei said the same.

Li You said, "Not necessarily. I just figured you might. This tree isn’t uncommon in the mountains around here, and it’s quite famous."

Famous?

What kind of tree is it?

All the young women looked at Li You.

Li You smiled faintly. "You all should have studied a certain text in school, right? It’s called ’The Tall Honey Locust Tree’."

"’The Tall Honey Locust Tree’?"

The young women all nodded. They had indeed all studied that text.

Although they couldn’t remember the specific content clearly, the title itself was deeply ingrained in their memories.

’Could this be the honey locust tree?’

Li You nodded. "That’s right! This is the honey locust tree. Were its fruit pods shaped like broad beans? They should be growing on the tree by now, though they aren’t ripe yet. Those are the honey locust pods. You can boil them down to make a juice that can be used as soap."

The young women grew quite excited after hearing this.

So this was the honey locust tree.

The boss was right; the tree did have fruit on it already. And the pods really did look like broad beans.

At the time, they had remarked that the tree was peculiar, and even the fruit it bore was strange.

So that was the famous honey locust.

They had known the name "honey locust tree" for a long time, but they never knew what one actually looked like.

Today, they had finally seen one.

Speaking of which, was there a description of the honey locust tree’s appearance in "The Tall Honey Locust Tree"?

How could they have no recollection of it at all?

Of course, that wasn’t important anymore.

What was important was that they had actually seen a honey locust tree today.

In the future, when they heard people talk about honey locust trees, they could say they had finally seen one with their own eyes.

It was a delightful realization.

At the same time, Xia Xiaoyue said, "So that’s a honey locust tree. But I’ve really never seen one before. I don’t think we have them back in my hometown."

Yu Wei said, "We don’t have them in my hometown either."

Li You nodded. "That’s normal. Honey locust trees aren’t rare, but they’re not as common as something like eucalyptus trees, which are everywhere."

Mu Qingye then asked, "So, Boss, when will those honey locust pods be ripe?"

Li You replied, "That’s still a ways off. You’ll have to wait until around autumn. Right now, the thorns on the trunk are still yellowish-green and a bit soft, right? When the time comes, the thorns will turn dark brown and become extremely hard."

Mu Qingye nodded. "So it’s still a while. When they’re ripe, I’ll come get some pods. I want to take them back, boil them down, and try using the juice as soap."

"I’ll come get some too, I want to try it out as well."

"Then I want to try it too."

"..."

Many of the other young women, including Xia Xiaoyue and Yu Wei, said the same.

Li You smiled. "Of course! When the time comes, take as many as you like."

"Okay."

"Boss, we’d all like the Hyssop Crucian Carp for dinner tonight. One serving each," Xia Xiaoyue said.

It was getting late. After eating the Hyssop Crucian Carp, they had to head back to school.

Ye Shengge wasn’t leaving tonight, so she didn’t order anything for the time being.

Li You nodded. "Alright. I’ll go make that for you now."

"Okay, thank you, Boss."

"You’re all too kind."

...