Rebirth: I became rich by farming

Chapter 696: Chapter 696 Seafood Delivered the Next Day (2/25)

Grandpa Pei picked out two abalones from a pile of seafood and examined them in his hand. He found the abalones to be truly exceptional and said, "These abalones need a week’s time, you can’t eat them until later."

Mei Mengzhen was surprised, "What, a week later? Is it some kind of ancient recipe? That sounds so troublesome."

It’s no wonder that Mei Mengzhen thought so much about it; generally, dishes nowadays aren’t that troublesome to prepare. If it’s not a modern dish, then it must be some ancient recipe.

Grandpa Pei nodded, "Such fine ingredients would be wasted if I didn’t try that recipe out. If you all think it’s good, it could become a signature dish that surpasses even Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. It’s time-consuming to make, but actually, it’s not hard to prepare."

"Alright then, there’s no dish that Grandpa Pei can’t make. So we’ll look forward to it a week from now."

The particular dish would be ready in a week, but other dishes weren’t so complicated to prepare. What followed were a variety of seafood dishes one after another. Since there were so many different kinds of seafood, Mei Mengzhen couldn’t distinguish one from another. She only heard the names of the dishes, such as Assorted Seafood Congee, Tofu Braised Sea Cucumber, Shrimp Scrambled Eggs, Seafood Bread Soup... as well as a variety of steamed seafood. In short, Western and Chinese seafood dishes were piled up together, so it was their turn to try today’s seafood selections.

There was so much seafood it could fill all the taste testers’ stomachs to the brim, and each type of seafood tasted distinctively delicious.

However, even after tasting all the seafood, Mei Mengzhen still couldn’t recall the names of the seafood dishes, but as long as she was full, that was what mattered. Some things don’t need to be considered too meticulously.

He Yiran gave today’s ingredients a big thumbs up, undoubtedly because she also loved seafood. "These ingredients are really good, even better than what I’ve had abroad. I have no idea where you source these from, it’s just great. Oh also, hold back a batch for me—first, I’ll deliver some for others, and we can sell what’s left in the shop next time."

"I know you too well; I ordered extra. That batch will be delivered tomorrow, but I still need some here. After we’ve made our selection, the rest is yours."

He Yiran excitedly asked, "How much? As much as we had today, right?"

"Right, that much."

After Mei Mengzhen finished speaking, she addressed everyone, "If you want any of the seafood, go ahead and help yourselves. Grandpa Pei, don’t be shy, help yourself. Our shop’s ingredients will only be delivered next Wednesday, and after that, it will be on a fixed schedule every Wednesday."

Fan Tianyu nodded, "So it’s the same delivery time as our other goods."

"Right, it’s more convenient to deliver all the goods in one batch."

Grandpa Pei naturally wouldn’t be shy with her, especially since there was such an abundance of seafood. He immediately picked out the best ingredients for himself, eliciting admiration from He Yiran for his expertise. Grandpa He and his wife also selected several varieties, leaving Fan Tianyu to make his choices. How could he possibly know what to select, having never seen so many different kinds of seafood before, "I really don’t know. Just choose some for me, the ones that are easy to prepare and delicious steamed. I’ll send them directly to my mom. Send extra, my second aunt probably will want to share."

The others nodded, but realistically, these wouldn’t amount to a large volume, so the bulk of the seafood actually remained with He Yiran.

Early the next day, Mei Mengcheng brought back the batch of seafood. He Yiran immediately arranged for express delivery so that it would reach the recipients the next day. So, the courier service was actually capable of delivering the next day. It’s just that it cost differently.

After sending off the courier, He Yiran also breathed a sigh of relief. Mei Mengzhen didn’t understand, "You’ve already sent the parcels, so what are you relieved about? It’s not like it was a big deal. Do you really need to be so anxious?"

He Yiran replied, "Of course I’m relieved because the things have been sent off. You have no idea how many people I’ve sent things to."

Mei Mengzhen replied, without a word, "I know. I saw the parcels you shipped; I helped write the delivery information. How could I not know how many people you sent to? What I really don’t understand is who are all these parcels for? I’ve never even heard of some of the names."

The names she had heard of were those He Yiran had mentioned many times before: the Fu Family, the Jin Family, the Guo Family, and homes of her girlfriends. The rest were names Mei Mengzhen had never heard before.

But talking about these people would lead to lengthy and tiresome discussions, so He Yiran couldn’t be bothered to explain, "Anyway, they’re all friends, and if they weren’t, I wouldn’t send them anything."

Mei Mengzhen pursed her lips and said no more. Besides, it wasn’t her place to pry too deeply into the friends of He Yiran.

The next afternoon, Fu Rui received the parcel He Yiran had sent. Upon seeing the seafood, she immediately called, "Yiran, I got the seafood. Is this also from Xiyuan? Does Xiyuan sell seafood now? Ah, it’s such a shame I didn’t get to eat such delicious seafood when I was at Xiyuan."

That’s about right, "Just steam them directly, that’s what we did, and they really are delicious simply steamed. The chefs at your place will definitely be able to do it."

Fu Rui certainly knew this, but it still wasn’t the same as having it at Xiyuan, "Alright, got it."

No sooner had Fu Rui received her seafood than Mei Yinan also received a large parcel from Fan Tianyu. While unpacking the bounty of seafood, she immediately called Fan Tianyu, "Tianyu."

Fan Tianyu replied, "Mom, did you get the delivery?"

Mei Yinan asked, "I did. What’s the deal with this seafood?"

"Just sent it for you to eat. It’s directly from Xiyuan’s own stock. I sent quite a bit—invite second aunt over and have a feast. I’ve sent enough for both of your families."

"Okay, but I’ve never cooked such large seafood before."

"Just steam them. It’ll be fine if you steam them until they change color and make sure they’re thoroughly cooked. Even overcooking a bit won’t make them tough; they stay tender and sweet. I don’t think you need any dipping sauce; they taste great on their own."

Mei Yinan readily agreed. With phone calls complete on both ends, and Yan Keke’s call done with as well, their seafood feast was finally ready to start.

"Are we done with the calls now? Can we start eating?"

"Let’s eat, let’s eat. That’s why I say steamed really tastes good." But then, Fan Tianyu asked, "Mengcheng delivered it to uncle’s place, right?"

"Delivered, delivered. He was told yesterday morning, as soon as the courier was sent, Brother Mengcheng took it straight there."

Mei Mengzhen asked with a hint of impatience, mainly because these people talked way too much. With their endless back and forth, the meal hadn’t even begun, and the seafood was getting cold.

But in fact, they had been enjoying seafood at Xiyuan for two straight days. Yes, from yesterday to today, they hadn’t changed their menu at all, which tells you just how delicious the seafood was.