Chapter 271: Impossible to Please Everyone
Using her chopsticks, Fu Ya carefully picked up the soft, bouncy, gelatinous portion of the fish head's cheek, along with the chopped chili clinging to it, and brought it to her mouth. After a slight chew, a satisfied expression quickly appeared on her face.
The gelatinous texture, so soft and tender, melted together with the rich umami and spicy flavors in her mouth. Fu Ya had never tasted such a delicious fish head before. Even more astonishing, there wasn't the slightest hint of a fishy taste.
As expected from the boss.
"Hiss—"
The spice from the chopped chili was different from the numbing spiciness of a mala broth. It lacked the tingling sensation but was even spicier. Despite having eaten spicy mala broth several times, Fu Ya found the afterburn of the chopped chili to be so intense that her mouth felt on fire. She hurriedly grabbed the glass of water beside her and sipped to alleviate the heat.
"How is it? How is it?" Watching Fu Ya sip water, Ying Shuang eagerly asked.
It was only then that Fu Ya noticed none of the other three girls had touched their chopsticks.
After a brief moment of thought, she quickly understood why and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't worry, although... it is indeed very spicy, it's also delicious." She paused, then quickly came up with an idea. "Or we could ask the boss to prepare a cup of Qinan Juice for each of us?"
She had realized that just drinking water wasn't enough to counteract the heat. Sweet Qinan Juice would likely work much better.
Fu Ya's suggestion was quickly approved by the three others. After mentioning it to Qi Han, the other three girls could no longer wait for the juice to be ready and couldn't resist picking up their chopsticks.
Fu Ya's enjoyment of the dish, combined with the alluring spiciness of the Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers, was too enticing, making their mouths water.
"Hiss-ha~~ So spicy! So spicy!" After just a few bites, Ying Shuang couldn't help but open her mouth, fanning it with one hand while sucking in air. She then grabbed her water glass, sipping to cool the heat.
Once the spice in her mouth subsided slightly, she didn't hesitate for a moment and reached her chopsticks back toward the very culprit that made her shout.
"Hiss—" Although she didn't shout as dramatically as Ying Shuang, Ji Yunruo, sitting across from her, already had slightly swollen lips. She sat silently, occasionally sucking in cool air, her eyes slightly squinting.
The spice had completely overwhelmed her.
On the other hand, Ping Xinyan, who sat beside Ji Yunruo, after her initial hesitation, began eating one piece of fish head after another. Her big eyes grew brighter with every bite.
Ping Xinyan's unusual behavior was soon noticed by the others. At some point, the other three girls put down their chopsticks and silently watched her.
"What's wrong with you guys?" Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Ping Xinyan stopped eating and curiously looked at her companions.
"Y-you— hiss— is it not spicy for you?" Ji Yunruo hesitated for a moment before softly asking.
Among the four of them, she was the most sensitive to spiciness. That was why she had been too overwhelmed to say a word earlier, even feeling a faint throbbing pain in her temples.
Watching Ping Xinyan eat piece after piece without even flinching, Ji Yunruo began to doubt whether they were eating the same dish.
"Oh! Are you talking about this?" Ping Xinyan smiled. "To be honest, I've never eaten something this spicy before, but I think I can tolerate it?"
As she spoke, she picked up her water glass and took a small sip.
Hmm... While the fish head is delicious, my mouth does feel a bit salty after eating so much...
It would be great to have something light to balance the flavor...
Huh?
Her gaze quickly shifted to the small bowl of mixed noodles placed beside her. She remembered what Qi Han had said when he served the dishes and her eyes lit up instantly.
That's right!
This is the perfect time to eat the noodles!
Clapping her hands together, Ping Xinyan's eyes sparkled with excitement.
At the moment, the fish head on the plate was not yet finished, so mixing the noodles directly into the dish wasn't an option.
But that wasn't a problem for Ping Xinyan.
Using her chopsticks, she carefully picked up just enough noodles for a single bite from her small bowl. She gently placed them into the broth on her side of the plate, then added a little bit of the chopped chili, mixing everything lightly.
Soon, the broth coated every strand of noodle evenly. Ping Xinyan picked them up again with her chopsticks and brought them to her mouth.
As soon as she began chewing, her eyes sparkled even more.
The chewy noodles, combined with the spicy, savory broth, created a flavor so exquisite it was hard to describe.
"You all have to try the noodles! They're amazing when mixed like this!"
At this moment, Ping Xinyan couldn't help but recommend her discovery.
The portion of Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers was large, but with four of them sharing, it was finished quickly.
Inspired by Ping Xinyan's enthusiastic recommendation, the other three girls tried the broth-mixed noodles. The novel experience left them all deeply satisfied.
"Ahh!"
Ji Yunruo took a bite of soft, fragrant Egg Fried Rice, savoring the familiar, rich aroma of eggs filling her mouth and nose. A smile spread across her face.
Indeed, she still preferred non-spicy food.
Among the four of them, Ji Yunruo had eaten the least of the Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers. At first, every piece she ate required a long pause for the spiciness in her mouth to subside. Thankfully, Qi Han soon brought over the Qinan Juice.
With the cool, sweet juice to soothe the heat, Ji Yunruo was finally able to enjoy the flavor of the dish.
But if she had to choose between Egg Fried Rice and the Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers, she would still pick the Egg Fried Rice without hesitation.
As the four girls sampled the Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers, Qi Han had been observing their reactions. Since this was the first time Hunan cuisine was introduced in the Douluo Continent, he was curious to see how people here would handle the spiciness.
The four girls had vastly different responses to the dish.
Ji Yunruo, who could only manage a few bites before being overwhelmed, was clearly someone who couldn't handle spice at all.
Ying Shuang, though constantly shouting about how spicy it was, didn't actually reach her limit. She fell into the category of diners who could handle some spiciness.
Fu Ya had a much higher tolerance for spice, likely due to her ice attribute. While she still needed water to cool down, her reaction was relatively moderate.
As for Ping Xinyan...
Qi Han began to wonder if she was secretly from Hunan Province, disguised as a Douluo Continent resident.
Being naturally so adept at handling spicy food was a rare talent.
These observations gave Qi Han a rough idea of how diners might respond to the dish.
If his calculations were correct, around 80% of customers would love and praise the dish, while the remaining 20% might rarely choose it.
It was impossible to please everyone, but an 80% approval rate was quite high.
With the restaurant offering such a diverse range of dishes, diners who couldn't handle spice still had plenty of options. Qi Han didn't have to worry about the Spicy Fish Head with Chopped Peppers negatively impacting the restaurant's reputation.
After the meal, the staff tidied up the tables and dishes, preparing the restaurant for another day of business.
As soon as Fu Ya opened the doors, Tai Lei and Zhao Yunsheng rushed in eagerly. They had been craving Han's Food since their time in Star Luo City and wasted no time placing their orders.
"Two portions of Qing Dynasty Blessed Pork Meat, two Dongpo Pork Knuckles, and a large Egg Fried Rice!"
"One serving of Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth, one Crab Stuffed with Orange, and one Ginkgo Biloba Dish!"
<+>
if you want to see more chapters of this story and don't mind playing $5 per month to see my latest update, please go to my Patreon[1]
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/collection/67255?view=condensed[2]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 362: The Special Effect of Dinghu Shangsu[3]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/133891194?collection=67255[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/67255?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/collection/67255?view=condensed
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/133891194?collection=67255
[4] https://www.patreon.com/posts/133891194?collection=67255