I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

This remark left Zhao Yanglin, Wei Yang, and the other four men even more surprised and filled with gratitude.

They truly hadn’t expected the boss to give them such a wonderful surprise as they were about to leave.

For a moment, they were overwhelmed with gratitude, all saying that Li You had given them a magnificent gift.

The driver, Xiaodai, was especially thrilled. "Boss, thank you! Thank you so much! I can’t believe even I get one."

Li You waved his hand, telling them not to stand on ceremony and that he just hoped it was enough for them.

The men quickly assured him that a pound was more than enough and they were already delighted.

Afterward, each of them held their wine flask, beaming with joy.

This pound of wine—should they drink it themselves? Or use it as a gift to curry favor? It was a question that required careful consideration.

It seemed like it would be a tough decision.

They would decide after they got back.

After another round of heartfelt thanks, the group took their leave.

Their trip had been a resounding success.

And so, in the car, Wei Yang, the other three men, and even the driver, Xiaodai, all wore expressions of unconcealed delight.

The same, of course, was true for Zhao Yanglin.

...

「Jiulong Gorge.」

Li You went back to leaning in his rocking chair, playing his game.

With Ye Shengge playing alongside him, he was even more engrossed.

Before long, however, customers began to arrive for a meal.

Li You stopped his game, went into the kitchen, and started cooking.

’Games are fun, sure, but business is more important.’

Once the first customers arrived, a steady stream of them followed.

They included business owners like Deng Luping and Zhao Yu, as well as the teachers—Chu Yiwei, Lin Xin, and Zhang Qinghe.

They had also heard about Wei Yang’s visit and were thrilled.

The fact that a famous director would come all this way just to eat here meant the boss’s restaurant was the real deal.

The more impressive the restaurant became, the happier they were. It gave them a sense of pride by association.

For a while, the restaurant was bustling with activity.

Everyone was in high spirits, chatting away as they ate.

It wasn’t until eight in the evening, after the customers had gradually departed, that the restaurant finally grew quiet.

The sky had grown completely dark.

Li You asked Ye Shengge what she wanted to eat, adding that dinner was on him tonight.

Ye Shengge said she was still in the mood for spicy crayfish.

Li You agreed. They would have spicy crayfish and wine again, and just like before, they’d eat and drink upstairs while watching TV.

Ye Shengge nodded. "Okay!"

So, Li You went into the kitchen and prepared six pounds of spicy crayfish.

’That should be plenty for the two of them.’

Afterward, he closed up the restaurant, ladled two bowls of wine, and carried the tray of crayfish upstairs with Ye Shengge.

He turned on the television.

The two of them sat down next to each other on the sofa.

On the coffee table before them sat a large platter of spicy crayfish and two bowls of wine.

And so their pleasant evening began.

"Let’s get started."

"Alright."

The two of them clinked their bowls together and each took a drink.

’Oh, right. There should be a Serie A soccer match on the CCTV Sports channel around this time.’

Li You wanted to watch it, so he asked Ye Shengge if she was interested in soccer and if she minded watching the game.

Ye Shengge replied, "It’s okay. I’m a little interested, but not a huge fan. But yes, we can watch the soccer game."

Li You was delighted and quickly switched the channel to CCTV Sports.

Sure enough, a Serie A match was on: Naples versus Genoa.

The first half had just begun.

’Nice, very nice,’ Li You thought. ’This is the life.’

And so, the two of them watched the game, eating crayfish and drinking their wine. Every now and then, they would cheer at an exciting play on the field.

Time passed slowly, and by ten-thirty, the game was over, the crayfish were gone, and the wine was finished.

In the end, Naples beat Genoa three to nothing.

The result wasn’t a surprise.

After all, on paper, Naples was the stronger team and a traditional powerhouse.

As for the wine, they had each drunk two bowls, about half a pound.

Li You was starting to feel a little dizzy again.

It was better than yesterday, though.

"You can shower first. I’ll go after you’re done," Li You said to Ye Shengge.

Ye Shengge nodded. "Okay."

Then she went into her room.

She emerged a moment later, wearing the same white bathrobe as yesterday.

Li You watched as Ye Shengge went into the bathroom.

’Wow,’ he thought to himself again, ’even a bathrobe can’t hide a figure like that.’

He went back to watching TV, waiting for her to come out.

About fifteen minutes later, the bathroom door opened. Ye Shengge emerged, drying her hair with a towel, and said to Li You, "I’m finished."

Li You nodded. "It’s a little cool tonight, and it looks like it might rain. You should make sure your hair is dry."

"Okay," Ye Shengge replied.

A moment later, she added, "If it rains tonight, does that mean we can go looking for mushrooms on the mountain tomorrow?"

Li You nodded. "Of course. But it’s best if the rain has stopped by morning."

Ye Shengge said, "Then I hope it rains tonight and stops by the time we wake up tomorrow morning."

Li You smiled. "Let’s hope so."

He then went to his room to grab a change of clothes.

He stepped into the bathroom.

The bathroom was fragrant again.

When he came out of the bathroom after his shower, Ye Shengge was still on the sofa in her bathrobe.

"Not going to bed yet?" Li You asked.

Ye Shengge stood up. "I’m going now. Good night, Boss!"

"Good night!"

The two of them returned to their respective rooms.

In the middle of the night, sure enough, a light rain began to fall with a soft pitter-patter.

...

「The next day.」

「Morning.」

After getting out of bed, Li You stood at the window and looked outside. The rain had long since stopped, and the sky had cleared.

’Perfect.’

’Weather like this—rain last night, clear skies in the morning—is ideal for mushroom hunting on the mountain.’

’I’ll take Ye Shengge up the mountain after breakfast.’

He opened his bedroom door.

Ye Shengge was already up and sitting on the sofa.

She was wearing a different outfit today.

This time, she wore a long-sleeved shirt and long pants.

’This beauty sure packed a lot of clothes,’ he thought.

Seeing Li You, Ye Shengge’s face lit up. "Boss, it really did rain last night, and it’s already stopped! Does this mean we can go up the mountain?"

Li You nodded with a smile. "We can. These are the most ideal conditions for mushroom hunting on the mountain."

"That’s wonderful!" Ye Shengge was overjoyed.

After a moment, she asked, "But, Boss, why do you look for mushrooms after it rains?"

Li You explained, "Because after a mushroom’s fruiting body absorbs enough water, it grows incredibly fast in a short time. It fully unfurls and can get quite big."

’So that’s why.’

Ye Shengge nodded again. "So before there’s enough rain, their fruiting bodies are usually tiny and hard to spot?"

Li You nodded. "Exactly. And even if people do find them, they won’t pick them. They’re too small, so there’s no point. It’s only after a good rain, when the fruiting bodies have rapidly grown and plumped up, that it’s worth picking them."

Ye Shengge nodded, showing she understood. Then she asked, "So, are we going right after breakfast?"

She could hardly wait.

Li You nodded with a smile. "Alright, right after breakfast."

"Wonderful!"

...