"This isn’t actually a place where businesses are normally allowed to operate. However, because of Boss Zhou’s story, the government made a special exception and approved this alley for his imitation shark fin soup stall."
"But, when closing time comes each day, Boss Zhou is busy helping out at the orphanage."
"So, there’s no one left to handle the cleanup."
"Once people found out about Boss Zhou’s situation, they started voluntarily throwing their own disposable bowls and chopsticks—or any left on the tables by others—into the trash can."
"Helping out at an orphanage?"
Li Xiao watched the figure disappear at the end of the alley.
He suddenly felt a bit curious about what motivated the man to consistently volunteer at an orphanage.
But he was still livestreaming, after all, so Li Xiao had no intention of following him.
Although this wasn’t the grid area Wenchu People was responsible for, it wasn’t far.
Given her warm-hearted nature, even if she didn’t know the details herself, she could quickly find out the specifics for Li Xiao.
Taking out a napkin to wipe his mouth, Li Xiao got up and headed toward the next food stall.
「...」
"Next up, I’m taking you all to try some cold-dressed fish skin."
"Cold-dressed fish skin is a traditional Shunde dish. But since Yangcheng is very close to Shunde, you can find quite authentic cold-dressed fish skin in many places around Yangcheng."
"The place I’m taking you to today has been selling cold-dressed fish skin for over 40 years."
"I’m sure many of you have already guessed which place I’m talking about."
Seeing that many people in the livestream chat were already typing out the shop’s name, Li Xiao smiled and nodded.
"That’s right, it’s Chen Tian Records."
"However, this place has mixed reviews online, so I can’t guarantee it’ll be good. But since it’s so famous, I definitely have to experience it for myself!"
Actually, Chen Tian Records wasn’t the only food stall in his notebook that sold cold-dressed fish skin.
However, since it had the biggest reputation, Li Xiao thought about it and decided to come here first.
While he was explaining, he had already gotten in line at Chen Tian Records.
The line wasn’t long, only about seven or eight people.
After just a short wait, it was Li Xiao’s turn.
Besides fish skin, Chen Tian Records also offered rice noodle rolls and boat congee.
’Since I’m already here...’ The other two snacks weren’t expensive either, so Li Xiao went ahead and ordered them as well.
Although the shop had mixed reviews online, the food came out surprisingly fast.
It was just that the service attitude seemed a bit poor. The older waitress silently slapped a disposable takeaway box down on the table.
Li Xiao could even feel a few drops of sauce splash out from the takeaway box.
If he hadn’t been standing a bit far from the table, the splashing sauce would have probably gotten on him.
He was rather dissatisfied with this kind of service.
Even though this Chen Tian Records was a roadside stall, the prices were not cheap at all. A small portion of fish skin cost a full 26 yuan.
For this kind of time-honored brand that never had to worry about business, it was common for some of the staff and the owner to become arrogant and treat customers poorly.
After all, for them, even with bad service, smaller portions, and higher prices, people would still be willing to pay.
Suppressing his dissatisfaction, Li Xiao opened the disposable box.
When he saw the cold-dressed fish skin inside, his brow furrowed slightly.
Inside the takeaway box was the already-prepared cold-dressed fish skin.
Julienned cucumber, shredded green onion, slivers of ginger, sliced onion, and a large amount of fried peanuts were all mixed in with the fish skin, giving it a messy, unrefined look.
The entire portion of cold-dressed fish skin, including all the garnishes, only filled about half of the box. Honestly, the portion size was pitifully small.
Before he could even start complaining, the viewers in the livestream chat were already in an uproar.
"Damn, that portion size is ridiculous, isn’t it???"
"When I saw the takeaway box, I already thought the portion looked small. But you’re telling me it doesn’t even fill up that tiny box???"
"This fish skin is like, 26 yuan, right? More than half of that is just peanuts and other garnishes. It’s outrageous that the fish skin isn’t even half of it!"
"This is a so-called ’time-honored brand’? It looks so ordinary."
"I saw so many bloggers recommend this place. I can’t believe it’s just this."
"Fish skin isn’t even that expensive to begin with, and they’re still stingy with it? That’s just too cheap!"
「...」
Seeing everyone’s complaints, Li Xiao secretly nodded in agreement.
"Indeed, just looking at the presentation and the portion size, it really doesn’t seem to live up to its reputation."
"But it’s street food, after all, so we can’t be too demanding. Let me try the taste first!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he didn’t hesitate. He picked up his chopsticks and started mixing everything together. Once all the ingredients and sauce were thoroughly combined, he picked up a piece of fish skin and popped it into his mouth.
The fish skin was very thick. You could tell at a glance that it had to have come from a large fish to have this kind of thickness. The skin itself was translucent with a faint, silvery-white sheen.
Coated in chili oil and sauce, a rich, savory aroma wafted from it.
The moment he put it in his mouth, the fresh, complex flavor of the cold-dressing sauce flooded his taste buds.
The fragrance of sesame oil, the mild heat of chili oil, the savory saltiness of soy sauce, the sweetness of white sugar, and the tartness of aged vinegar.
All the various seasonings were mixed together, yet the flavor wasn’t chaotic. Instead, it had a relatively harmonious quality.
Li Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly. He hadn’t expected the dressing to taste even better than he thought it would.
After all, the stall’s earlier actions had already left him with a poor impression.
But he quickly realized that this was, after all, a food stall that had been in business for 40 years. If their craft was truly terrible, they would have gone out of business long ago.
As he slowly bit down, the fish skin released a faint, salty fragrance. It had clearly been brined before preparation to ensure the skin itself wouldn’t be bland.
The texture of the fish skin was incredibly springy and chewy. The bitten-off piece seemed to dance around in his mouth.
The fish skin was very thick, and the juices it had absorbed immediately gushed out.
After swallowing the piece of fish skin, Li Xiao tried some of the other ingredients.
Soon, a system notification appeared in his mind.
[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 31st entry in your collection.]
[The food entry you have unlocked is: Cold-Dressed Fish Skin]
[Food Rating: 80 [Good]]
[Reward multiplied by 3 due to ’Good’ rating.]
[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 400,000]
[Congratulations, you have received a recipe reward: Cold-Dressing Sauce Recipe]
[Congratulations, you have received a recipe reward: Cold-Dressed Fish Skin Recipe]
A score of 80 was both unexpected and reasonable to Li Xiao.
After all, the system only ever judged the quality of the food itself.
Things like value for money and service attitude were not factored into the system’s evaluation at all.