I Can Fish Up Everything!

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Spend More, and Business Rolls In

Pan Yourong had driven over and parked right at the entrance. Seeing that she had her child with her and that the fish looked awkward to carry, Gu Nan offered to take them to her car for her.

"Thank you for the trouble, Boss Gu," Pan Yourong said gratefully, standing by her car. Then she turned to her son. "Honey, thank the nice uncle."

The little boy had been watching Gu Nan with curiosity. At his mother’s words, he obediently and earnestly replied in a clear, child-like voice, "Thank you, uncle."

"You’re welcome!" Gu Nan bent down and gave the boy’s little cheek a gentle pinch. ’He’s a polite little guy,’ he thought. ’He wasn’t noisy or disruptive at all in the shop earlier. A very likable kid.’

He’d seen his fair share of brats. Some of the older folks would bring their grandchildren grocery shopping, and those little terrors would throw things at the fish tanks or even grab a net to try and scoop fish out when he wasn’t looking. It was infuriating.

After watching Pan Yourong drive off, Gu Nan didn’t head straight back inside. Instead, he went over to his electric scooter and headed out to buy dinner.

He’d had noodles for lunch, so he decided to have a proper meal with rice for dinner.

He didn’t go to Old Jiang’s place; their Sichuan food was soulless if it wasn’t spicy.

So he went to another small diner that served local cuisine. While it couldn’t compare to Old Jiang’s, the food was still better than most other small eateries.

Meanwhile, Pan Yourong drove straight back to Feiyun Pavilion after buying the fish.

She parked her car, then took her son by the hand, carried the fish, and entered through the back door of Feiyun Pavilion.

There was an elevator there as well, which took them straight to a large room on the third floor. Dozens of pretty young women in uniforms were inside; it was clearly a lounge where the technicians rested and waited for clients.

When the group of young women saw Pan Yourong’s son, their eyes instantly lit up, and they all swarmed over.

Some of them picked up the boy to play with him, while others pulled snacks out of their purses to feed him.

If An Jun were there, he would surely have yelled, "Daring fiends! I can tell at a glance you’re not human! Unhand that boy and let me take his place!"

Pan Yourong chatted with her "sisters" for a bit, told her son to behave, and then carried the fish to the large staff cafeteria next door.

The technicians’ room and board were covered, so naturally, there was a cook who prepared their meals.

But it was all cooked in large batches, and the flavor was just so-so.

So, Pan Yourong, being a mother, often bought her own groceries and used the kitchen to cook separately, making nutritious and delicious food for her son.

When it came to being a mom, her skill level might not have been maxed out, but it was close. Her cooking, in particular, was excellent.

The willingness of the other technicians to help babysit was partly due to the fact that she often shared her food with them.

"Yourong, what did you buy today?" the cook asked with a smile, seeing Pan Yourong walk in with two bags.

"I bought two fish. I’ll fry one and steam the other. Auntie, could I trouble you to steam this one for me?" Pan Yourong said as she opened one of the bags. After putting on a pair of waterproof gloves, she took out the Blue-striped Gidai.

Steaming a fish was simple enough that even the cafeteria cook, with her average skills, could handle it just fine.

The cook ate her meals there as well and was often treated to Pan Yourong’s cooking, so she was more than happy to help with such a small favor.

Meanwhile, Pan Yourong started on the Black-striped Small Stripes Buri. She tied on an apron, picked up a cleaver, and deftly cleaned the fish. Then, she filleted the meat from both sides.

She separated the belly meat from the loin, discarded the tail, and put the head in the refrigerator to grill another time.

There was still some meat on the spine, so Pan Yourong chopped the bone into sections to be fried along with the rest; it would be just as delicious.

Next, she removed the line of pin bones from the fillets before dicing the meat into small chunks.

Before long, the SIZZLE AND POP of deep-frying filled the cafeteria, and a rich, fragrant aroma began to drift through the air.

As the time slowly ticked toward five-thirty, the employees of Feiyun Pavilion began to file into the cafeteria.

"Wow, Sister Yourong, is this the fish you bought? It smells amazing!" one of the technicians exclaimed. Seeing the large bowl of fried fish nuggets on the table, she couldn’t resist her craving. She picked one up with her fingers and popped it in her mouth, her face full of praise.

"This is a good fish. Most fish don’t taste this delicious when you fry them," Pan Yourong said, admitting she was also a little surprised by the flavor.

’This fish is genuinely delicious when fried,’ she thought. ’It’s every bit as good as the fried cod nuggets I used to make for my son.’

And the cod she bought was authentic imported stock, costing nearly two hundred yuan a pound.

Hearing this, the other technicians all tried a piece, and every one of them was full of praise.

"What’s everyone eating? Smells delicious," a man in his early thirties said as he walked into the cafeteria. Seeing the group of technicians gathered around a table, he walked over curiously to ask.

"Manager, Sister Yourong made this fish. It’s delicious, you have to try some!"

"Oh, really?"

The man they called Manager clearly had a good relationship with the technicians, as they didn’t seem at all restrained around him.

He glanced at Pan Yourong, who was busy feeding her son, then picked up a pair of chopsticks and tried a piece.

The moment he bit into it, he was met with a crispy exterior that gave way to a tender, juicy inside. The seasoning, a simple pepper blend, was perfect, and there was a lingering sweet aftertaste from the fish itself.

The manager raised an eyebrow. "Is this cod?"

Pan Yourong shook her head with a smile. "No, it’s called Black-striped Small Stripes Buri. I bought it from a seafood shop owned by one of our clients. It wasn’t expensive, only fifty yuan a pound—much cheaper than cod."

"Fifty a pound? That’s a great price!" The manager was surprised. He thought for a moment, then addressed everyone. "What do you guys think of adding this to the buffet menu?"

The buffet he mentioned was the complimentary dinner the establishment provided for its clients, served between five and seven-thirty.

Any client who purchased a service of three hundred yuan or more was entitled to the complimentary buffet. As such, the food served was always decent, never subpar.

A fish that cost fifty yuan a pound was an acceptable expense; it could replace one of the more costly items on the buffet.

The manager was, in fact, a minor shareholder in the business, so he was naturally inclined to look for ways to cut costs and improve upon any of the establishment’s shortcomings.

Even for something as minor as a single dish, the details mattered most!

"I think that’s a great idea," Pan Yourong said after a moment of thought.

Feiyun Pavilion hadn’t been open long, and there were two or three dishes on the buffet menu that consistently had a lot of leftovers each day, a clear sign they weren’t popular with the clients.

This fried fish was delicious and could be used as a replacement, which would likely improve client satisfaction with the establishment.

Although she didn’t have any shares, she still wanted the business to prosper.

That way, she would not only earn more but also have stable employment, saving her the trouble of having to find a new job.

Seeing that the other technicians also preferred the fish, the manager said to Pan Yourong, "Alright, Number 66. Send the address to the cook. Have her buy two tomorrow as a trial run. If the clients are satisfied, we’ll make it a permanent addition to the menu."

"Okay." Pan Yourong nodded in agreement.

As for the other dish, the Steamed Blue-striped Gidai, the manager also thought it was delicious after tasting it, but he didn’t consider adding it to the buffet.

At eighty yuan a pound, it was a bit too pricey. Besides, it wasn’t well-suited for a buffet-style service.

Meanwhile, Gu Nan, having finished his dinner, returned to minding the shop until six-thirty. He wore a troubled expression.

He’d been thinking all afternoon but still hadn’t come up with a good way to sell the Black-striped Small Stripes Buri quickly.

’This is a two-star fish. Under normal circumstances, I can catch several every day. The supply is already far outpacing sales... This is getting tricky!’