Liu Chang'an grilled the large yellow croaker, roe, and fish maw, then brought them all to the table. Aside from the shrimp-and-corn rice, he also placed some snowflake beef over the charcoal to roast slowly.
Wild large yellow croaker had fresh, tender flesh that separated into exquisitely beautiful garlic-clove-like flakes. With a single chopstickful, each piece of fish looked crystal-clear, like thinly cut jade, giving off a fragrant, lustrous sheen. It tasted sweet and savory, the sort of flavor that made one suddenly realize: so this was what fish was supposed to taste like.
The fish maw was soft and glutinous, though it did not have much flavor to speak of. Still, it was an excellent supplement for girls. One bite alone was worth at least several thousand yuan, though An Nuan and Yan Qingcheng did not know that, and Liu Chang'an did not care... If one really wanted to talk about priceless nutritional supplements, there was no need to point them out so plainly.
"This roe is delicious too. It's like crab roe, and it isn't fishy at all. If there were more, it would be great for a roe-and-fish-maw hotpot." While worrying about the roe's cholesterol content, An Nuan imagined more flavorful ways to prepare it.
"Next time, I'll treat you to the Third Cafeteria. They have roe-and-fish-maw hotpot there. The ingredients probably aren't as good as these, but it's fragrant and spicy, and really good with rice." Yan Qingcheng had eaten it with Tong Xi and the others before. Girls had small appetites, so they could often pool their money and share a large dish between several people. All told, it could be much cheaper than ordering one or two meat dishes on their own.
"Okay, okay!"
Once Liu Chang'an had finished cooking, he usually did not