Chapter 34: New Dishes—Stir-Fried Beef Chow Fun and Steamed Perch! Amazing, Can I Eat Your Cooking Forever?

“Dad! Are we making fish?!” Jiang Youyou was already drooling.

She loved fish.

Rong Shuang also enjoyed fish and couldn’t hide her anticipation.

Jiang Feng smiled. “Yes, steamed perch. You two can try it later.”

“Yay!”

Rong Shuang and Youyou high-fived.

The fish vendor gave Jiang Feng an envious look. “Bro, you’re lucky. Your wife and kid are both so beautiful.”

“Not like my wife—200 pounds.”

Rong Shuang’s cheeks flushed slightly.

She loved hearing people assume she, Jiang Feng, and Youyou were a family.

Jiang Feng didn’t correct him, just chuckled. “That’s good too—steady. Go ahead and prep the fish. I’ll grab some other things.”

“Sure thing, take your time.”

Jiang Feng bought five red peppers, a bottle of Shaoxing wine, soy sauce for steaming fish, onions, celery, dried shrimp, cilantro, and scallions.

These vegetables would be used to make a vegetable broth for seasoning the soy sauce.

Store-bought soy sauce was often too salty and harsh.

To make it taste better, he’d mix it with vegetable broth, a bit of sugar, fish sauce, and white pepper, then bring it to a boil.

That would bring out the freshest flavor.

After shopping, the vegetable vendor said, “Go ahead, I’ll have someone deliver these to you.”

Jiang Feng smiled. “No need today—I have a car now. I’ll take them back myself.”

The vendor grinned. “Then let me help you load up. Consider these peppers and celery on the house.”

“No, I’ll pay.”

“Don’t be polite. Just give me a discount next time I visit your shop for buns.”

Jiang Feng laughed. “No problem. You’re always welcome.”

He also bought the meat.

Most items were the same as usual, but he got an extra pound of beef.

On a whim, he also picked up fresh wide rice noodles and mung bean sprouts.

Once he had everything else, he returned to the fish stall.

The vendor had already cleaned and prepped the fish.

Ten fish, each about 1.1 pounds, totaled 270 yuan after a small discount.

The morning’s shopping came to 1,464.7 yuan.

Buying more ingredients meant higher expenses.

The vegetable vendor helped carry everything to Jiang Feng’s car and loaded it into the trunk.

Jiang Feng hadn’t bought too much, and the car had plenty of space—no problem fitting it all.

“Alright, I’ll head out now. Drive safe, Boss Jiang.”

“Thanks, Brother Li.”

Jiang Feng drove back and parked near the shop.

He unloaded the groceries onto the sidewalk first. “You two wait here. I’ll park the car and come back.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t carry anything. Wait for me. One of you is sick, the other is five years old.”

His tone was firm.

Rong Shuang and Youyou both wore identical expressions of obedience.

Great.

Their bond seemed to be growing stronger by the day.

After parking, Jiang Feng checked the battery—still at 94%.

The trip had cost less than 5 yuan in electricity.

Not bad.

He didn’t plug in the car to charge, not wanting to occupy the charger unnecessarily.

Back at the shop entrance, Rong Shuang and Youyou stood guard over the groceries.

Cui Hao had tried to help earlier, but Youyou refused—she insisted on waiting for her dad.

Jiang Feng carried everything inside and immediately started marinating the fish.

The amount of seasoning varied depending on the fish’s weight.

He used Shaoxing wine instead of cooking wine—the latter was too strong for freshly killed fish.

Shaoxing wine, baijiu, or beer worked better.

Once the fish was marinating, he sliced a pound of beef and seasoned it too before moving on to dough and meat filling prep.

Jiang Feng organized every step efficiently, saving a lot of time.

By 6:30 a.m., the sky had brightened.

Jiang Feng was fully prepared.

He took out one fish and placed it in a dedicated steamer.

At the same time, he heated a wok and readied the marinated beef.

Rong Shuang and Youyou watched curiously from behind the counter.

Jiang Feng stir-fried the beef in hot oil until 70% cooked—not fully done, as residual heat would finish the job.

He set the beef aside.

Without cleaning the wok, he reheated it, added oil, and fried the aromatics until golden. Then he tossed in the bean sprouts.

Once the sprouts were cooked, he added the separated rice noodles.

When the wok’s smoky aroma emerged, he drizzled dark and light soy sauce along the edges, letting the high heat intensify their fragrance.

Finally, he added the beef back in, stir-fried everything evenly, and plated it.

The noodles carried the rich color of the dark soy sauce.

The plate was clean—no excess oil pooling at the bottom.

“So fragrant!” Youyou was practically drooling.

“Incredible!” Rong Shuang’s eyes sparkled with amazement.

Stir-fried beef chow fun was a famous dish, once even a test for Cantonese chefs.

She had tried versions from many renowned chefs, but Jiang Feng’s was flawless—absolutely perfect!

Jiang Feng said, “Take this to the table first.”

“Okay.”

Rong Shuang carried the plate over.

Jiang Feng opened the steamer.

The fish was 90% cooked—the meat near the bones still slightly underdone.

The outer flesh had turned white but hadn’t overcooked into a dull shade.

Perfect.

He transferred the fish to a plate, garnished it with scallion strips, red pepper slivers, and a sprinkle of white pepper, then drizzled sizzling hot oil over it.

An irresistible aroma filled the air!

He brought the fish to the table.

Rong Shuang and Youyou clutched each other’s hands in excitement.

It smelled so good!

They could hardly wait!

Jiang Feng smiled. “Dig in.”

Rong Shuang immediately picked up her chopsticks, serving Youyou some noodles, beef, and fish.

“Thank you, Teacher Rong.”

“Eat up.”

Jiang Feng divided the remaining chow fun into two portions.

“Go ahead.”

Rong Shuang nodded and took a bite of the noodles.

“Delicious!”

The seasoning was just right, and the oil had perfectly infused the noodles with a rich, dry aroma.

Absolutely perfect—the best beef chow fun she’d ever had!

“Teacher, the beef is so good too! So tender!”

Youyou spoke with her mouth full, her face alight with excitement.

“Youyou, don’t talk with food in your mouth,” Jiang Feng reminded her.

“Mmph, sorry. But it’s just too good!”

After apologizing, she buried herself in eating.

Rong Shuang tried a slice of beef.

Heavenly!

The doneness was impeccable—no rawness, just tenderness.

After the chow fun, she picked up a piece of fish and placed it on Jiang Feng’s plate.

“You should eat more. If you work too hard without eating well, I’ll feel bad.”

Her cheeks pinked as she spoke.

Jiang Feng kept his head down and ate.

“Blockhead,” Youyou muttered after swallowing, rolling her eyes.

Rong Shuang giggled and tried the fish.

“This is amazing too!”

The fish’s doneness was even more impressive—tender and fresh!

And Jiang Feng’s seasoning was perfect.

The soy sauce and marinade ensured the flavor stayed consistent from the first bite to the last.

One fish and a plate of beef chow fun—the three of them cleaned it all up.

“Soooo good.”

Youyou rubbed her belly, slumping back in her chair.

Rong Shuang hadn’t eaten as much but agreed wholeheartedly. “It really was incredible.”

“Can I eat your cooking for the rest of my life?”

She gazed at Jiang Feng, her eyes brimming with affection.

Jiang Feng stood up to clear the plates, pretending not to hear as he started wrapping buns.

“Are you selling the perch, Dad? Can we keep the other nine for ourselves?” Youyou asked.

Jiang Feng teased her. “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.”

“Because it’s too delicious!”

“If you want more, we’ll buy fresh fish tonight. These won’t be as good after three hours.”

Cantonese cuisine demanded the freshest ingredients.

Marinating could slow flavor loss, but waiting too long still affected quality.

“Fine,” Youyou said. “But what if they run out of this kind of fish?”

She genuinely worried she might not get to eat Jiang Feng’s fish again.

Jiang Feng held back a laugh. “Relax, they won’t.”

Rong Shuang agreed. “Only your dad makes fish this delicious.”

“Okay, good.”

Youyou sighed in relief.

Rong Shuang asked, “Will you sell the beef chow fun?”

Jiang Feng shook his head. “Not for now. Stir-frying creates too much smoke, and our kitchen setup isn’t ideal.”

For the time being, he’d stick to steamed dishes.

Once he felt like renovating the kitchen, he could start offering stir-fried items.

Rong Shuang bit her lip. “Then… if I want to eat it, will you make it for me?”

Jiang Feng nodded. “Just let me know in advance.”

He tried to sound businesslike, but Rong Shuang’s pleading gaze stirred something in him—a feeling he’d rarely experienced with Xu Na.

After washing the dishes, Jiang Feng walked to the blackboard and added a new item:

Steamed Perch (600g) — 200 yuan

Though perch wasn’t expensive, Jiang Feng’s skill made it worth the price!

Rong Shuang even thought it was too cheap.

The most expensive steamed perch she’d eaten cost 3,888 yuan.

That chef had used better ingredients, but the taste couldn’t compare to Jiang Feng’s!

He could charge 4,000 yuan and still have customers lining up!

The man she loved really was the best—running an honest business without overpricing.

Ugh, she was falling for him even harder!

Soon, it was 7 a.m.

Rong Shuang took Youyou to kindergarten.

She had mostly recovered and could return to work.

Jiang Feng opened the shop, welcoming the customers already waiting in line.

Four office workers stepped up to the counter and asked curiously, “Boss, is the perch any good? It’s a bit pricey.”