Chapter 25: Five Grains Prosperity Steamed Fish

“Jiuyuan, are you there yet?” A hint of urgency crept into Father Lin’s voice through the Bluetooth earpiece.

“Almost, don’t rush me. I’m on my bike,” Lin Jiuyuan replied.

Father Lin was stunned. His hometown dialect slipped out in disbelief. “What did you just say?”

What the hell? In an emergency like this, and you’re riding an electric scooter over?

“It’s not that far. It’s rush hour—riding is faster than taking a cab. It’s basically just a food delivery run anyway. Oh, and since I’m technically working overtime, make sure the client pays triple,” Lin Jiuyuan added before hanging up, focusing on the road.

The scooter wasn’t even his—it was borrowed from Jiang Qing. They’d borrowed it so often that they were starting to feel guilty, thinking of buying their own. But Wang Ying strongly objected, lecturing them: “The shop’s just getting off the ground, and you already spent a fortune on renovations. You gotta save money! That scooter is just sitting there anyway, and we charge it at Taotie Delicacies. With how much they look out for us, this is nothing!”

So, they never ended up buying one.

The little scooter worked hard, faithfully carrying Lin Jiuyuan all the way to a gated villa community in the suburbs.

The client, upon hearing that he’d arrived by scooter, nearly had a meltdown. He was so anxious that he’d driven out to the entrance himself, looking like he’d have sent someone to drag Jiuyuan off the road if he’d taken a second longer.

Since scooters weren’t allowed inside, Jiuyuan parked at the gate, pulled an insulated food bag from the delivery box, and hopped into the client’s car.

The family’s butler greeted him with the utmost respect. “Taoist Lin, have you eaten yet? Shall I have someone prepare a meal for you?”

“No need. I’m heading back for our staff dinner. We eat very well.” Jiuyuan smiled, the twin tear-shaped moles under his eyes catching the sunset glow, making him seem almost unreal. Leisurely, he added, “This delivery isn’t for me.”

The butler was puzzled but knew better than to ask questions.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the client’s home—a grand villa that practically screamed old money.

As soon as Jiuyuan stepped into the living room, everyone inside shot to their feet.

One particular old man, dressed in a sleeveless undershirt and baggy shorts, had red-rimmed eyes. Clearly distressed, he rushed forward. “Taoist Lin, finally! Where’s the expert your father spoke of? Didn’t he come with you?”

This was Old Jin, the client. A big shot in the local antiques scene, known to everyone simply as “Master Jin.”

“The boss isn’t coming. He sent me to deliver this,” Jiuyuan said, handing over the takeout bag. “Just have your grandson eat it.”

Old Jin blinked at him, completely thrown off. He turned to Father Lin in disbelief. “Father Lin, did you not tell him what’s going on with my grandson?”

How could they be so casual about this?!

Father Lin nodded calmly. “I did. If Jiuyuan says this is the solution, then trust him. Let him explain.”

The situation was actually quite simple—Old Jin’s grandson had pissed off the wrong people. Someone had hired a so-called “master” to trick him into practicing some shady cultivation method, and now the kid had lost his mind, teetering on the edge of total madness.

With no options left, Old Jin had turned to the Lin family for help. Father Lin was at a loss, so he sought out Yun Tao.

Yun Tao, in the middle of deciding what to have for dinner, casually waved a hand and said, “Have Jiuyuan deliver some takeout.”

Jiuyuan kept it brief. “This is Wenray Fish congee. It’s packed with high-quality ingredients—enough to stabilize his condition. Master Jin, I’d suggest you stop wasting time.”

Originally, he’d planned to bring the cold fish skin salad, but considering the client’s current state, he’d swapped it for something easier to eat. Thoughtful, right?

Wenray Fish! The legendary ingredient said to cure madness! If this takeout was the real deal, then there was still hope for Old Jin’s grandson.

Old Jin dared not dismiss the opportunity. Frankly, he had no other options left. Taking the congee with the utmost reverence, he and the butler hurried into the room.

Inside, a chaotic racket of crashing and banging erupted—clearly the grandson thrashing around in his crazed state.

Then, after a while… silence.

Old Jin emerged, his face beaming with joy. He bowed deeply to both Father Lin and Jiuyuan. “It’s real! It really is Wenray Fish! My grandson’s already much better!”

Jiuyuan wasn’t surprised. If the boss said it worked, it worked.

He relayed the instructions. “He’ll need to eat Wenray Fish for two weeks to fully recover. The shop is busy, so I won’t be able to deliver it every day. Send someone to pick up the meals. Oh, and my boss has a message for you.”

Master Jin immediately straightened. “I’m listening.”

Jiuyuan smiled. “If you’d like to teach the culprit a lesson… that’s a separate fee.”

Jiuyuan only knew that Brother Tai Tai Sui would handle it. How exactly he’d handle it? No clue. He was just the messenger here.

Old Jin understood immediately. “Consider it done. I’ll leave it to the expert!”

“I’ll pass the message along.” Jiuyuan checked his watch. “I need to get back for staff dinner. Transfer my overtime and meal compensation to my boss’s account—my dad knows the details.”

Then, ever the professional, he turned to the butler. “Would you mind driving me back to the gate? I’m on a tight schedule.”

Jiuyuan had arrived in a hurry and left just as fast.

Father Lin watched his son’s retreating figure and let out a deep sigh.

Master Jin, mistaking the sigh’s meaning, sympathized. “Kids grow up and become independent. They stop clinging to home. Must be tough, not even getting to talk much.”

Father Lin’s face was full of regret. “Nah. I just really wanted to try their staff dinner. But he ran off too fast—I didn’t get the chance to ask.”

…

Master Jin: “……”

…

Meanwhile, Lin Jiuyuan hadn’t even made it back to the shop before Yun Tao received the overtime payment.

The little money gremlin counted the balance, let out an excited whoop, and sparkled with glee. “So much money!”

Now he could buy gifts for everyone! And—finally!—clear out his shopping cart full of rare ingredients and spiritual treasures!

Oh, how he wished he could take on more side gigs! Just look at this poor, perpetually underfed little taotie!

Tai Tai Sui flicked his forehead lightly. “Alright, little money-grubber. I finished my gig—how do you plan to thank me?”

Yun Tao blinked innocently. “I’ll add an extra chicken leg to dinner?”

Tai Sui smirked. “You really know how to sweet-talk your big brother.”

Yun Tao chuckled to himself as he lay in bed that night, secretly picking out gifts for his siblings.

A brand-new gaming console for Brother Tai Sui and Brother Lin Xiao, a gorgeous outfit for Sister Feifei—sure, Feifei could transform her appearance at will, but that was no excuse not to spoil her with something pretty!

For Brother Fenghe, he went all out. He converted a huge sum of Shanhai Coins and replaced the soil in the underground courtyard with layers of rich spiritual earth. Now, Brother Fenghe could literally move his room into the soil itself.

He even bought him a whole set of new furniture in one go!

It wasn’t until they introduced the Five Grains Prosperity Steamed Fish to the menu that Yun Tao realized—people didn’t seem to prioritize emotional stability all that much. The Emotionally Grounding Cold Fish Skin Salad had been a hit, maybe because there were plenty of people who liked that kind of dish, but good versions were hard to come by.

What people really cared about? Getting rich.

The phrase Five Grains Prosperity referred to bountiful harvests, and the Wenray Fish’s special buff had kept up with the times—it could enhance all kinds of earnings. The strength of the effect depended on various factors, though, so eating a single fish wasn’t going to make anyone rich overnight.

On the very first day, every Five Grains Prosperity Steamed Fish was reserved by the residents of Shanhai Street and the surrounding area. No surprise there—this was a shopping district, filled with business owners looking for a little extra luck. And since Taotie Delicacies was already regarded as a near-mystical restaurant with an extremely high success rate, demand was through the roof.

That evening, nearly every dinner table in Shanhai Street had a Five Grains Prosperity Wenray Fish on it. The steamed version, in particular, won unanimous praise from the older crowd.

“Steaming preserves the fish’s natural flavor better than anything else!”

Wenray Fish had minimal bones, thick flesh, and was easy to eat. A tender slice, dipped into sauce, melted in the mouth—one bite, and you just wanted more.

Dad Jiang loved fish, but his fishing skills were nowhere near as good as Taxue’s. He fished for two hours every day, and whenever Wang Ying asked how many he’d caught, his answer was always the same: “Got plenty! Just need two more to make two.”

Given his decade-long streak of abysmal fishing, the Jiang family always had to buy their fish. But even if he got up early to hit the market, there was no way he’d find anything as fresh as what Taotie Delicacies served.

Dad Jiang, the self-proclaimed fish-eating expert, was moved to tears. “I thought the Emotionally Grounding Cold Fish Skin was already amazing, but this steamed fish is on a whole other level! Tao Tao, where do you get your fish? If there were no steamed fish in this world, it wouldn’t be worth turning!”

Wang Ying smirked. “Didn’t you say the same thing about ginger scallion chicken last time?”

Jiang Qing, watching her parents’ bicker, smiled and picked up a piece of fish. Casually, she said, “We tested the Cold Fish Skin effect at work—it really does help with emotional stability. Maybe this steamed fish will actually bring us prosperity? Either way, since Dad loves it, let’s eat it for a week!”

Dad Jiang immediately raised both hands in agreement!

They didn’t even get through a whole week before the fish’s effects started showing.

First, Jiang Qing’s beauty tutorial video went viral. She had done a fantasy cat-eye makeup look on Feifei, and it got loads of praise. But what really caught people’s attention was the beautiful garden in the background—her family’s fruit shop. Tons of people in the comments were saying how much they wanted to visit in person.

Seeing this, Yun Tao suggested, “Shanhai Street’s getting more popular these days. You should start selling fresh-cut fruit and juices, and open up the garden to attract customers! This place is only going to get busier, and your business will just keep growing.”

Jiang Qing thought it over—made sense! Before, whenever she tried advertising their fruit shop, it never really took off because, well, the shop itself was nothing special.

Now she realized they had a hidden advantage they hadn’t been leveraging. After discussing it with her parents, they decided to pivot—open the garden to visitors, and start selling fresh fruit boxes and juices!

The moment they announced the garden was open, customers started pouring in before they even finished setting up their fruit boxes. Tons of people showed up on the weekend just to take photos!

Even the neighboring knitting shop saw an uptick in business. Grandma Liu mentioned she’d just landed a massive order.

At this point, the residents of Shanhai Street went from skeptical to true believers—eating Five Grains Prosperity Steamed Fish really could boost business!