When Yun Zhao smelled the tantalising scent coming from the kitchen he sat up straight, he sniffed the smell three to four times to make sure that he was not making a mistake. He was worried that the scent was coming from another house and he was mistaking it for the one which was coming from the kitchen of the Lin house.
But even after sniffing three times, he realised that the scent was indeed coming from the kitchen of the Lin family and then turned to look at Lin Jing with a gulp, " Is ...Is the madam really cooking bell fish?" He asked.
How could that ugly, mucus-filled thing smell so good? It was impossible! They were most probably playing with him. His wife had boiled, steamed and even fried that thing but no matter how it was cooked, the thing remained unpalatable. It was even harder to stomach!
Lin Jing smiled at Yun Zhao with a mysterious expression and then nodded before replying, " Of course, my wife is not someone who likes to lie. Since she said that she was going to make something from the bell fish it means that she is going to cook something from it."
This time, Yun Zhao was truly surprised. He did not expect that something as ugly and unpalatable as a bell fish could smell so delicious.
' No, No... I am thinking too much. The last time someone did cook the bell fish well enough that it smelled really nice but then what happened? The next second they all took a bite, they spat it out because the taste was even worse because of the condiments making the fish bitter and the taste of its mucus... was simply....'
Yun Zhao shuddered as he recalled the memory of the last and final time he ate the bell fish.
He was not looking forward to eating this meal but because of Su Wan's identity and the fact that she was sent to their town by the Emperor, he could only purse his lips and wait for the deadly meal to commence.
" Here you go, Master Yun. I hope you will like this simple dish that I have made," she was neither boastful nor servile, instead with a humble attitude, Su Wan only made Yun Zhao feel a bit better as he looked at the porcelain plate on which the squid was neatly chopped and then placed together, with sauce dripping down the meat and chopped green onions placed on top of it.
Next to it was a white sauce that Yun Zhao had never seen before but just looking at it made his appetite steer as Yun Zhao did not see any of the dirty mucous and stingers poking out of the tentacles of the squid. There was no dark blue ink dripping and it wasn't looking slimy either instead —— it looked really good.
But how to eat this? He questioned in his head.
" This is called squid grilled," maybe Lin Yan saw through his confusion which was why he patiently explained. " We have thoroughly cleaned it which is why you can't see any slimy or mucus sticking on its skin.
The meat is safe for consumption, so you can take a bite," he then pointed at the homemade mayonnaise and then added, " If you want then you dip it in the sauce, we call it mayo and for an elevated flavour, you can take a sip of the rice wine that my wife has fermented."
Yun Zhao swallowed hard before he picked up his chopsticks and then picked up a piece of the chopped squid. He then followed Lin Yan's explanation, first he dipped it in mayo and then placed it in his mouth ——
No sooner did he bite the piece of grilled squid, than a flavourful taste filled his entire mouth. It was a mix of smoky, spicy and tangy —— gone was the fishiness which made the squid unpleasant to eat, in fact, it tasted so good that Yun Zhao wanted to slap himself and cry. Such good things and they let it go to waste by making it poorly! How can they do something to such a wonderful delicacy?
What fools they were!