I See through Everything

Meanwhile.

In Shanmei District’s bustling Xinying Market, the air was filled with the endless clamor of haggling.

A stall owner, Old Li, wearing a waterproof apron, was enthusiastically hawking his seafood. Just then, an older woman in simple clothes, carrying a few bags, walked over. She looked at the Egyptian Catfish in the tank with a puzzled expression.

"Can you eat this Egyptian Fish?"

Old Li put down his fish-gutting knife and grinned, revealing a set of yellowed teeth. "Of course! Why wouldn’t it be?"

But the woman shook her head and said in a low voice, "I heard you can’t eat this Egyptian Fish. They say it’s really dirty."

Old Li immediately furrowed his brow and retorted, "Who’d you hear that from? That’s just a rumor."

Just then, a young man nearby came closer and chimed in, "I heard you can’t eat Egyptian Fish, too. They say it’s raised in sewage and has excessive levels of heavy metals."

Old Li explained anxiously, "Nonsense, that’s just nonsense! Egyptian Fish are highly adaptable, but that doesn’t mean they’re dirty. As long as they’re from a proper farm, there’s no problem."

The woman was still skeptical. "But I’m still a little scared to buy it. It just doesn’t feel right."

Hearing this, Old Li sighed helplessly. "These rumors are killer. Perfectly good Egyptian Catfish, and now no one dares to eat them."

Just then, however, another customer came over and said with a smile, "These rumors really are powerful, aren’t they? But you get your Egyptian Fish from a fish farmer, right?"

"Yeah! Why?" Old Li asked, confused.

"I went to Magong Town yesterday to visit the Hailufeng Company’s farm. Their Egyptian Fish tastes amazing, and it doesn’t have that muddy, fishy taste. Yours just can’t compare!"

’How is that possible?’ Old Li had been selling fish for half his life; he knew Egyptian Catfish inside and out. Even when raised with proper feed and in better quality water, they always had a faint, muddy taste.

"You should go try it at Jianghai Restaurant when you have time. If you sold their kind of Egyptian Fish, I’d definitely buy one."

"Really?" Though he found it hard to believe, Old Li decided he would go to this so-called Jianghai Restaurant tonight and see for himself.

「Elsewhere.」

In towns like Shanmei District, Hai Feng, and Lufeng, restaurants specializing in boiled fish, pickled vegetable fish, and grilled fish were also starting to feel the impact.

After all, Jianghai Restaurant’s similar dishes were priced at only two-thirds, or even half, of theirs.

Combined with the taste, texture, and boneless nature of the new Egyptian Catfish, business for similar restaurants near Jianghai Restaurant had plummeted.

Take Tonggang Road in the district, for example.

Inside a once-bustling Sichuan restaurant, the chatter of a few diners rose and fell at tables bathed in soft light.

A waiter, Xiaowang, was busy weaving between tables when he suddenly heard a dissatisfied voice from Table 8.

A middle-aged man with glasses pointed his chopsticks at a basin of boiled fish. "What’s the deal with this boiled fish? It’s full of bones! It’s such a pain to eat!"

His female companion at the same table chimed in, "Yeah, and it has a muddy, fishy taste, too. This fish can’t be fresh, can it?"

Hearing this, Xiaowang quickly walked over, an apologetic look on his face. "I’m very sorry, everyone. I apologize for the poor dining experience. I’ll take care of this for you right away."

The man with glasses frowned. "For you to serve a dish like this is just too disappointing. Even the Egyptian Fish I had at Jianghai Restaurant was better than this."

Faced with the customer’s difficult complaint, Xiaowang could only offer a helpless, apologetic smile and reply, "I’m truly sorry. Perhaps our chef wasn’t careful enough when preparing the fish. It’s our mistake."

The female customer shook her head. "And that muddy taste... the fish is obviously not fresh. You can’t run a business like this."

Xiaowang quickly tried to salvage the situation. "How about this? We can remake the dish for you, or we can exchange it for something else, as compensation from our restaurant."

The man with the glasses softened his tone slightly and shook his head. "Fine, just forget about this dish. No need to replace it."

He didn’t dare ask for a replacement. He knew some chefs would fly into a rage when a customer sent a dish back and might secretly add something to the food.

Xiaowang breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Thank you for your understanding. I’ll ask the manager to give you a discount."

With that, Xiaowang quickly cleared away the problematic boiled fish and headed for the kitchen.

Xiaowang rushed into the back kitchen and placed the basin of nearly untouched boiled fish in front of the chef, Old Zhang. He said helplessly, "Master Zhang, this table wants to return their food. They said this boiled fish has too many bones and a muddy taste."

The moment Old Zhang heard this, his busy movements halted. His face darkened, and he boomed, "What? They sent it back? How could there be a problem with my cooking?"

Xiaowang was taken aback by Old Zhang’s reaction and said cautiously, "That’s what the customers said."

Old Zhang’s eyes widened, his anger uncontrollable. "Too many bones? A muddy taste? Do they know anything about food? Boiled fish at this price is made with grass carp! What do they expect, for us to use black fish or perch?"

Then he threw the ladle in his hand onto the stove with a loud CLANG.

"I’ve been a chef for so many years and I’ve never seen customers like this! This is just outrageous!"

The prep cook next to him quickly tried to placate him. "Old Zhang, don’t be angry. Let’s figure out how to solve this first."

Old Zhang wouldn’t listen. He roared at Xiaowang, "Go tell that table there’s no way they’re returning it! Take it or leave it!"

Just then, the restaurant manager, hearing the commotion, hurried over and said sternly, "Old Zhang, calm down. The customer is always right. Let’s solve the problem first. We can’t treat our guests this way."