Encountering This Situation For The First Time!

An Wuyang set aside the Beginner Consumption Cashback Card he'd gotten from the Gourmet Lucky Draw Pack—right now, he just wanted to savor these steamed fish.

The second fish An Wuyang tried was the Steamed Black Bean Catfish, a classic home-style dish that many families in Shengqing made.

But most families ended up with a fishy taste and an indescribable texture.

Catfish is a boneless freshwater fish, but it has a strong muddy flavor, and if the heat isn't handled well during cooking, the texture falls apart.

Li Wenya had once made Steamed Black Bean Catfish at home. As for the taste...

Let's just say it wasn't about the taste!

Anyway, both An Wuyang and An Huchun ended up as "projectile warriors," while Li Wenya, who hadn't eaten her own steamed catfish, luckily escaped unscathed.

The Steamed Black Bean Catfish at Zhulin Pier Steamed Fish Restaurant was quite well done.

First, the texture of the meat—An Wuyang had only chosen the tail section, which wasn't as dry and tough as the back meat, so it was very tender.

The fishy smell was well suppressed, and the salty fragrance of the black beans earned another compliment from An Wuyang.

But this time, the Happy Life System didn't give out another Gourmet Lucky Draw Pack. Whether it was because he couldn't get multiple packs in a short time, or because he'd gotten used to the flavor, he wasn't sure.

Next, An Wuyang tried the Roasted Pepper Steamed Perch. Its flavor was also excellent—the fishiness was completely suppressed, while the freshness of the perch, the smoky char of the roasted peppers, and the unique spiciness all came through.

An Wuyang praised it, saying, "This Roasted Pepper Steamed Perch is really good. Compared to chopped chili, roasted peppers taste better."

Xia Yuqing bit her chopsticks, clearly wanting to try the Roasted Pepper Steamed Perch too.

"What's wrong?" An Wuyang asked, looking at her.

Xia Yuqing answered honestly, "I want to eat the Roasted Pepper Steamed Perch too."

"Then go ahead?" An Wuyang said, puzzled. "It's not like I'm stopping you."

Xia Yuqing replied sheepishly, "If I eat something spicy, I'll want rice, but rice makes me gain weight, so..."

So she couldn't eat it, right?

"The cold tomato salad can cut the spice. Have a little, and then try some of that," An Wuyang suggested.

Xia Yuqing was a little foodie at heart, so she took his advice and had a small bite of the Roasted Pepper Steamed Perch.

As she tasted it, her eyes narrowed, as if she were savoring every bit.

"Mmm~" Xia Yuqing let out an indistinct sound. "So good, so good! This is the flavor—it's amazing!"

"I've never found this dish at any other restaurant. Only this place has it," Xia Yuqing said with admiration.

An Wuyang guessed, "Maybe it's too complicated to make?"

"Their roasted pepper sauce—I can tell it's freshly made, not the industrial kind," he added.

Industrial roasted pepper sauce has a too-obvious taste.

Freshly made roasted peppers are easy to spot, since that smoky, charred mark can't be faked.

"Freshly made roasted peppers, plus custom-selected fish cuts, sold at 25 yuan per 100 grams—if this were in a high-end restaurant, they'd lose money at that price!" An Wuyang marveled.

High-end restaurants mean higher costs!

That includes pricier rent, decoration, operations, and labor costs.

The Zhulin Pier Steamed Fish Restaurant looked like it was converted from a self-built courtyard, with middle-aged women as staff who were already short-handed, and the decor was barely there, if at all.

The restaurant's overall costs were very low, so they could sell such dishes at a relatively cheap price. If any other restaurant in a commercial area tried to sell the same thing at this price, they'd probably lose money, right?

"It's that expensive and still losing money?" Xia Yuqing asked, puzzled.

An Wuyang didn't argue with her about the price, because he understood that different financial situations led to different views on the same cost.

The world is diverse, and people are even more so.

The two chatted as they ate, and about an hour later, they finished all the dishes.

Xia Yuqing said, both satisfied and worried, "I'm so full! But my calorie intake for today is way over. I'll have to do an extra two hours of training later to burn it all off!"

"That dedicated?" An Wuyang teased.

Xia Yuqing replied ruefully, "No choice! Our school even set up a university group early, and the major teacher makes us report our weight every day."

???

"It's that competitive?" An Wuyang exclaimed.

"Our major teacher is really strict," Xia Yuqing sighed.

"No wonder it's Magic City Academy of Drama!" An Wuyang could only marvel at how different good schools were. "I'll go pay the bill first. Wait a moment."

"I already paid!" Xia Yuqing said with a grin, waving her phone to show she'd paid via mobile.

An Wuyang was a bit stunned—this was the first time a girl had taken the initiative to pay when he was eating alone with one.

Before, whether it was Su Yueling or other female classmates he got along with, none of them had ever done that.

After all, they knew An Wuyang's family was well-off and he was generous, so they were happy to hang out with him!

"I invited you to eat, and you ended up paying..." An Wuyang said, a little helpless.

Xia Yuqing replied cheerfully, "I still have a lot of my New Year's money left!"

Actually, Xia Yuqing was thinking about An Wuyang's family going bankrupt. Even though he drove a BMW M3 today, she had no idea how much it cost, let alone that he bought it himself.

So she took the initiative to pay, to avoid putting pressure on An Wuyang.

Gotta say, Xia Yuqing was really a bit silly, huh?

"So there's still a lot left?" An Wuyang deliberately teased.

Xia Yuqing let out a cute snort. "Not telling you!"

An Wuyang naturally wouldn't press. He spoke up, "Xia, I need to ask you for another favor."

"What favor?" Xia Yuqing asked back.

"Let's go shopping together. I want to buy a set of clothes, and I'd like you to help me pick them out. Is that okay?" An Wuyang proposed.

Xia Yuqing agreed without hesitation. "Of course!"

This Xia Yuqing didn't realize at all that accompanying him to shop for clothes was a bit too intimate. That was probably the benefit of a 90-point favorability rating, right?

"Then let's go?" An Wuyang gestured.

Xia Yuqing stood up. "Mm-hmm."

"Oh, by the way, where do you want to buy clothes? Want me to recommend a place?" Xia Yuqing added.