CHAPTER 509: CHAPTER 256: MASTER CRYSTAL DISHES IN ONE GO! THE SPECIAL GIFT FROM PARENTS!_3

Chen Meijuan closed and locked the car door. Just as she was about to help Lin Hongqi open his, Lin Xu emerged from the store, followed by Shen Guofu and others.

Upon learning that his in-laws were arriving, Old Shen had immediately canceled the afternoon’s board meeting.

Nothing was more important than welcoming his relatives.

They had traveled all this way, clearly tired from the journey, and even brought the fruit vinegar his wife and niece had been longing for. It was only right and proper to greet them warmly.

"Brother Lin, you must be exhausted from the long journey."

"Oh, Brother Shen, you’re here too! It wasn’t too tiring; the highway made for a convenient trip."

Shen Guofu was about to help move the plastic crates when he caught a strong fishy odor. "What have you got there, brother?" he asked curiously.

"I wasn’t sure what to bring, so I brought some wild soft-shelled turtles that Xiaoxu’s second uncle caught these past few days for you all to try."

Wild soft-shelled turtles!?

Shen Guofu’s eyes lit up. Gosh! This is some great tonic! Brother Lin really gets me. Knowing that I’ve been feeling a bit weak lately, he brought such nutritious ingredients... If we weren’t already in-laws, I’d insist on becoming sworn brothers with him!

He was about to take the box and carry it inside when he realized it was quite heavy.

This pleased Old Shen. It seemed there was a good quantity of turtles.

Zhu Yong and Wei Qian, ever observant, noticed Shen Guofu struggling slightly and quickly stepped in to help lift the crate.

Lin Hongqi instructed, "First, take them out and check if any are dead. We can’t eat dead turtles."

After the two carried the crate inside, Lin Xu turned to his parents and asked, "What else is in the car? Let’s bring everything down now, so the heat doesn’t cause any problems later."

Although it was nearly September and, according to the traditional Chinese solar terms, past the End of Heat, the weather remained scorching. The intense sunlight could even melt some plastic items left in a car.

Soon, all the bottles and jars, cushioned with foam boards, were moved from the trunk into the store.

Most of the male staff had gathered around the aquarium to see the wild soft-shelled turtles.

Meanwhile, the female staff were clustered around the glass jars containing the orange liquid.

"Is this the beautifying fruit vinegar?"

"The color is lovely, and the sour aroma is quite strong."

"I wonder how effective it is. Manager Shu, can we try some later?"

Shu Yun replied, "Trying it is absolutely fine, but fruit vinegar is too sour to drink straight. It needs to be mixed with some honey. I’ll ask the boss later if it’s alright, and if so, I can prepare a pitcher for you to taste."

"Thank you, Manager Shu!"

There were indeed many turtles, nearly twenty in total, both large and small. Each one was alive and feisty, one even snapping at Dundun, who had come over to see the excitement.

"MEOW!!!!"

The little cat was genuinely frightened at first. But when it saw that the turtles retracted their heads when their shells were tapped, it began to tap on each shell with its paws, one after another.

It tapped any turtle that poked its head out, as if playing a game of whack-a-mole.

To prevent the turtles his parents had brought all this way from being tormented to death by the mischievous cat, Lin Xu had Zhu Yong and Wei Qian put them into the aquarium.

"Xiaoxu, about these turtles for tonight..." Shen Guofu gazed at the lively turtles in the aquarium, imagining himself just as vigorous and healthy.

Lin Xu said, "Let’s slaughter a few for dinner tonight. We just had some free-range chickens delivered this afternoon, so I can make the classic ’Farewell My Concubine’ for you to try."

"Good, good, good! Today, I’m prepared to face a scolding from your mother-in-law if it means I can have a few extra drinks!"

Lin Xu wasn’t very skilled at preparing soft-shelled turtles.

But that wasn’t an issue; Beijing had experts who specialized in this dish.

He took a photo of the aquarium with his phone and sent it to his senior, Xie Baomin: "Senior, my parents brought some wild soft-shelled turtles to Beijing. If you’re not busy this afternoon, could you come over and teach me how to prepare them? And please take a couple with you when you go. I have a feeling these turtles will be all claimed by tonight."

Almost immediately after he sent it, Xie Baomin replied: "I’m in a meeting with Director Liao right now, but I’ll head over as soon as it’s done. Don’t post about this on social media, or Qiuqiu and the others will see it. I barely got a few bites of the pork kidneys last night before that bunch snatched them all away."

"Okay, Senior!"

After ending the chat, Lin Xu gave his parents a tour of the restaurant, explaining the layout and the function of each area.

When they reached the second floor, they encountered Shen Baobao emerging from the kitchen carrying Crystal Skin Jelly and a dish of Garlic Paste for dipping. Dressed in a chef’s uniform, she had swapped her tall chef’s hat for a shorter assistant chef’s hat, looking both mischievous and cute.

"Mom and Dad, you’re here! Quick, try my cooking. I made it all by myself, from start to finish!"

As she spoke, Ji Minghui brought over two bowls of hand-pulled noodles. Qin Wei and a few assistant chefs followed with several stir-fried dishes and side dishes, while Zhuang Yizhou presented a small tureen of Silverfish Soup.

Hmm, with the head chefs personally serving the dishes, the sense of occasion was truly impressive.

Chen Meijuan graciously thanked everyone. She then picked up a piece of her daughter-in-law’s jelly and tasted it. Her expression momentarily froze, then she gave Shen Baobao a thumbs-up. "Wow, our Yueyue is truly skilled! Her cooking is much better than Lin Xu’s. Old Lin, you have to try this. It’s even better than what we ate at the Fishing Platform on engagement day!"

Lin Xu: "..." Mom, you should probably ease up on the praise, he thought. If she gets too confident and tries to whip up some experimental disaster in the kitchen, there’ll be no recovering from it. The memory of his father-in-law’s expression after tasting that bitter melon junket still sent a shiver down his spine.

Lin Hongqi took a bite, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. He then praised, "It’s really good—smooth and tender, with a slight chewiness. Well done, Yueyue."

"It was no trouble at all. I’m just glad you and Mom enjoy it," Shen Baobao said modestly.

Just then, having finished inspecting the turtles, Shen Guofu slowly came up the staircase. Shen Baobao, brimming with confidence from her in-laws’ praise, immediately approached him with chopsticks. "Dad, quick, try this dish! See if it suits your taste."

Shen Guofu asked curiously, "Did Lin Xu make a new dish?"

Shen Baobao said with a playful grin, "No, he didn’t make it. It’s from a new chef. We’re having the elders try it to see if they’re a good fit for Lin Ji."

Taste-test? The word piqued Shen Guofu’s interest.

Chefs often gave their all—120 percent—during a taste-test, resulting in dishes that were significantly tastier than usual.

He took the chopsticks and picked up a slice of the jelly, inspecting it. "Hmm, this jelly is perfectly clear. They’ve got some skill."

Hearing this, Shen Baobao’s face brightened.

Shen Guofu inspected the jelly, then dipped it into the bowl of Garlic Paste. After taking a bite, his face quickly contorted in pain.

"Good grief! Was salt free today? Why is the dipping sauce so incredibly salty?" he grumbled. "Even someone who knows nothing about cooking should understand you don’t overdo the salt!" He then forced down the piece of jelly and quickly followed it with several gulps of water from the glass on the table.

After setting down the glass, he turned to Lin Xu and said, "Lin Xu, you can’t hire a chef of this caliber. They wouldn’t even qualify as an assistant! Their skills are terrible. This tiny bit of dipping sauce? I reckon it would take me three days to get through it. Good heavens, any more of this stuff, and you could pass it down as a family heirloom!"

After he finished speaking, he noticed his daughter’s expression had become quite ugly and asked curiously, "Darling, what’s the matter? You look so pale. Are you feeling unwell?"