Chapter 76 : What kind of fish is this? Why have I never heard of it?

While things were going on around her, Song Shiwei also got busy.  

She had carefully removed the fish liver in one piece. If it were damaged, it wouldn’t be whole, and this was the most delicious part of the monkfish.  

However, there was a thin membrane covering the fish liver that needed to be removed.  

Song Shiwei delicately peeled off the membrane and gently rinsed the liver to wash away any blood.  

Then, she took a dry cloth, patted the liver dry, and placed it neatly on a plate.  

In this era, there was no rose salt, red wine, or black pepper available.  

So, she adapted her method.  

She took a pinch of salt and sprinkled it evenly over the fish liver. Then, she crushed a few peppercorns and some white pepper with a knife until they became a fine powder.  

She sprinkled the powder over the fish liver along with some starch and gently massaged it in to allow the flavors to be absorbed.  

She heated oil in a pan until it reached about 70% of its smoking point, then carefully placed the fish liver in the pan, frying it until both sides turned a beautiful golden brown.  

By this time, the inside was fully cooked, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.  

And the aroma had already started spreading through the kitchen.  

This fatty fragrance wasn’t like lard or butter. It had a unique and enticing scent.  

Everyone in the kitchen turned their heads, drawn in by the smell.  

But Song Shiwei didn’t pay them any attention, she still had the most crucial step left: making the sauce.  

She picked up a pear, peeled it with a knife, and cut it into two neat cylindrical shapes.  

Then, she poured some Shaoxing rice wine directly into the pan she had just used to fry the fish liver. She had spotted a jar of rice wine on the vegetable rack earlier and decided to use it, making the most of local ingredients.  

As the rice wine began to boil, she added sugar and the chopped pears. Then, she grabbed seven or eight purple grapes from the vegetable rack, washed them, mashed them with the skins on, and squeezed out the juice before adding it to the pan.  

The once golden-yellow sauce instantly transformed into a rich, deep purple-red color.  

When the sauce thickened slightly and the pears were well soaked and cooked through, she removed them, sliced them into long strips, and placed them carefully on top of the fried fish liver.  

Finally, she poured all of the vibrant, fragrant sauce over the golden-brown fish liver.  

The dish was complete.  

By this time, the entire kitchen was filled with the intoxicating aroma of rice wine, mixed with the sweet scent of fruit and the rich, unique fragrance of fish liver.  

This was a smell no one had ever experienced before.  

It was simply delicious!  

Even Sun Quan, who had been skeptical of her skills, was surprised.  

What is she doing? What kind of strange dish is this?  

Just as he was puzzling over it, Sun Zeyan arrived with a group of high-ranking officials.  

Wang Zhenzhu immediately rushed to help arrange seating.  

She selected the brightest, cleanest table and invited the senior leaders to sit.  

Director Zheng turned to the middle-aged man leading the group and said, “Let’s take our seats first. It’s about time, and after walking all this way, I’m sure everyone is hungry. As they say, ‘Food is the most important thing for the people.’ Only when we’re well-fed can we work efficiently! Don’t you agree?”  

Gu Changrong adjusted his black-framed glasses and smiled. “Director Zheng is absolutely right. Only when we’ve had a good meal can we work effectively! Let’s all sit down. We still have important tasks ahead of us after lunch!”  

Sun Zeyan quickly chimed in with a smile, “Yes, yes, exactly! We must make sure our leaders eat well and have enough energy for the day!”  

As he spoke, he gestured toward a man beside him.  

The man understood the signal immediately, reached into his bag, and pulled out two bottles of Moutai liquor, handing them to Sun Zeyan.  

“I wasn’t sure what the leaders preferred to drink, so I took the liberty of preparing this!”  

Just as he was about to open the bottles, Gu Changrong stopped him.  

“Director Sun, no!” he said firmly. “We have important work to do this afternoon. Drinking during work hours is strictly prohibited. This is the rule, and rules must not be broken! Besides, alcohol will only slow us down.”

When Sun Zeyan heard this, he glanced at Director Zheng with an embarrassed expression, only to see that Director Zheng also waved his hands helplessly.  

Only then did he put the bottle of wine down.  

He had done his research beforehand and learned that Gu Changrong enjoyed drinking in his free time and would even have a drink before bed.  

He hadn’t expected him to be so strict when it came to work.  

Now, he wasn’t sure if the factory’s request would go through!  

The factory’s performance had been poor, and there were already rumors from higher-ups that their garment factory might be merged with the neighboring textile factory. A new leadership team would then be brought in to reorganize operations.  

When this news spread, panic ensued not just among him and Director Zheng, but also among the workers, who feared being laid off.  

After all, several factories in the surrounding counties and cities had already shut down this year.  

Southern-made clothing had severely impacted the northern market. In the past two years, their factory’s clothing had struggled to sell, leading to a massive backlog of inventory. The factory’s financials had been in the red for a long time.  

Workers hadn’t been paid for two months.  

Yet, even more than unpaid wages, employees feared being laid off.  

If they were laid off, they’d be completely jobless. At least in the current situation, there was still hope!  

Sun Zeyan and the others had thought that bringing up the issue over a meal would make things easier. They hadn’t dared to raise it at the factory, but once they got to the restaurant once everyone had eaten well and had a few drinks maybe they could ease into the conversation and get a favorable outcome.  

Who would’ve thought that Gu Changrong wouldn’t drink during work hours at all!  

Now that the wine had been taken away, Sun Zeyan could only hope that after the leaders enjoyed their meal, he’d find an opportunity to bring up the factory’s situation.  

At this moment, the kitchen was steadily sending out dishes.  

Sun Zeyan motioned for the dishes to be brought out.  

The first dish was stir-fried pork with peppers decent in taste, nothing extraordinary.  

He had also ordered plenty of large steamed buns.  

Since they weren’t drinking, the leaders at least needed to be well-fed. A meal without steamed buns wouldn’t be satisfying.  

But after just two bites, Gu Changrong put his chopsticks down.  

The second dish was scrambled eggs with cucumber. The eggs were cooked to a golden color and had a nice fragrance.  

However, it was a common dish, something they were used to eating. Nothing particularly exciting.  

Before the third dish even arrived, an unusual aroma wafted through the room.  

Even the server carrying the dish was stunned.  

What is this dish? Why does it smell so amazing?  

As he held the plate, the fragrance hit his nose directly rich, enticing, and completely unfamiliar!  

When the dish was placed on the table, everyone was taken aback.  

Even Gu Changrong let out an exclamation. “Wow!”  

This was the first time he had ever seen such a dish.  

“What is this? I’ve never seen anything like it before! And the smell… it’s so unique!”  

Director Zheng instinctively turned to look at Sun Zeyan.  

Sun Zeyan was equally puzzled at first. But then, he suddenly recalled the young woman’s words earlier, she had mentioned that this fish could be cooked in five different ways.  

Looking at the dish’s appearance now… could it be?  

His eyes lit up as he smiled and explained, “If I’m not mistaken, this should be anglerfish liver, the legendary ‘gold of the sea!’”  

“Anglerfish?”  

Gu Changrong’s eyes widened in surprise.  

“What kind of fish is that? I’ve never heard of it!”  

Not just him, Director Zheng also had no idea what it was. He could only look at Sun Zeyan again, expecting an answer.  

But Sun Zeyan smiled awkwardly. “Actually… I don’t really know what kind of fish it is either.”  

The words had barely left his mouth when Director Zheng growled in a low voice, “You’re serving a fish you don’t even know to the leaders?!”