Chapter 104: Immediate Effects

“Dexter, Dexter, shouldn’t you make the next pot of fish slices for everyone?” George poked the somewhat dazed Liu Heming and said.

“Uh, okay, what…?” Liu Heming responded before realizing he hadn’t clearly heard what George said.

But that no longer mattered. That large bowl of fish was now down to just the broth, with not a single slice of meat left inside. Everyone was just puffing out breaths and looking at him, so there was no need to overthink it.

“How was the taste?” Liu Heming asked after collecting himself for a moment.

“Dexter, it tasted great. I never knew fish could be eaten this way. Although it was a bit numbing and spicy, I couldn’t stop eating it because it was so delicious,” Lewis chimed in from the side.

“Alright, I’ll make the next pot right away. Since you all think the flavor is good, I won’t make any changes,” Liu Heming said with a smile and a nod.

This time, it was even simpler to make. After all, he had already prepared the base ingredients earlier, and now he had experience from the previous batch, so things went more smoothly.

Another large pot of Boiled Fish in Chili Oil was brought to the table. There was no need for Liu Heming to introduce it now; even though the fish was still very hot, everyone couldn’t wait any longer.

Although the previous large pot had been substantial, there were also many people—residents of Xiangshui Town, plus Sasha and Robin, along with Bill and Jenny, totaling nearly thirty people.

“Wow, Dad, this batch of meat is even much more delicious than the last one,” Alex exclaimed after taking one bite, turning around to call out to Liu Heming, who was preparing the next pot.

“It really is, Dexter. This pot is genuinely much tastier than the previous one,” George added, confirming Alex’s words.

“After all, the first pot was my first attempt, so my control over the heat was a bit off. Everyone, feel free to eat—there’s plenty more,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

This was his excuse. For him now, controlling the heat wasn’t troublesome in the slightest. The reason everyone found it so delicious was that he had just received a reward from the System, which improved the quality of the food he cooked by 5%.

It seemed the System was truly incredible—these were immediate effects. With the same ingredients and the same cooking method, the System’s intervention had enhanced the flavor of the food so much, making it more enjoyable for everyone.

While everyone was eating happily, the Bear Cubs were distressed. With everyone else eating and no one paying attention to the bears, how could they be happy? So the two Bear Cubs, ignoring whether the oily smoke was irritating, ran straight to his side, each hugging one of his legs and refusing to let go.

“You two wait a little longer. This pot is made just for you. I only added a tiny bit of seasoning—if I added more, it could upset your stomachs,” Liu Heming said somewhat helplessly.

How could he forget these two little heroes? If not for them, he would still be racking his brains over the sixth dish for his daughter. However, their digestive systems were different from humans’, so they needed a separate batch.

Their pot was truly “boiled fish”—only a tiny amount of seasoning was added, and ingredients like Chili Pepper and Sichuan pepper were left out entirely. Even so, the Bear Cubs ate with immense joy, finishing off the meat and broth in no time.

After taking care of everyone else, Liu Heming finally made the last pot of Boiled Fish in Chili Oil. This was for anyone who hadn’t had enough, as well as for himself, the Chef.

He took a big gulp of chilled Beer to rid himself of the kitchen heat, then fished out a piece of fish and put it directly into his mouth. The fish was firm, smooth, and springy, with a mix of numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant flavors—it was truly excellent. Liu Heming felt that this tasted better than what he used to make at home and was no less impressive than the flavors from those big Restaurants.

This was related to his improved cooking skills now and the flavor boost provided by the System. Additionally, this Snakehead was genuinely wild, so its flavor was superior to that of farmed Snakehead.

Even though Alex was already full, her little belly bulging, seeing Liu Heming eat made her feel a bit hungry again. But after looking at her tummy, she could only give up.

“See, although you might find this kind of fish scary, when cooked with the right method, it turns into a delicious dish,” Liu Heming said to everyone after giving his daughter a small bite.

“Actually, I find it a bit hard to understand why you don’t encourage people to eat these. I think there are many Chinese people in the United States and plenty of Chinese Cuisine Restaurants, so people should be able to eliminate a portion of them fairly quickly.”

“It’s not that we haven’t thought about it. There are some incentives in place now, but we don’t dare promote it on a large scale,” Jenny said with a smile.

“Because once it’s genuinely promoted, there will inevitably be some trade of live fish. If that spreads and someone accidentally releases them into a river, managing the situation in the future would become even more troublesome.”

Liu Heming thought for a moment and nodded. That really was the case. For Boiled Fish in Chili Oil, live fish tasted better—it was all about freshness and tenderness. But here, unlike in China, even if everyone ate freely, it wouldn’t outpace the breeding speed of these fish.

The delicious Boiled Fish in Chili Oil had instantly won over everyone’s taste buds. Occasions like this, where the whole town gathered to eat together, were truly rare.

George felt very pleased and became even more firm in his own thoughts.

In the past, everyone might only get together for fun during Christmas and harvest times. If it was too dry and yields decreased, the harvest celebration would be skipped, leaving only Christmas. But now that Liu Heming had come here? Look at how much closer the communication among everyone had become.

This was the best omen. Once the Magical Ranch developed further, it would gradually drive the development of the entire Xiangshui Town, and restoring the town’s former prosperity wouldn’t be all that difficult.

“Dad, Dad, it’s so, so dark outside,” Alex, who had been playing outside with the Bear Cubs, ran in and said to Liu Heming.

“Cloudy?” Liu Heming muttered, then looked out the window.

Goodness, the sky outside was frighteningly overcast. Everyone had been too focused on what was in front of them and hadn’t noticed the weather conditions outside at all.

“Haha, good, that’s great. Our Xiangshui Town has finally been blessed with a heavy rain,” George exclaimed joyfully after running to the window and taking a look.

The other residents of Xiangshui Town had similar expressions. Xiangshui Town had been dry for too long, and the entire Land needed this heavy rain to soak it.

However, Liu Heming, who was eating his Boiled Fish in Chili Oil, frowned slightly. This rain had come too abruptly. Checking the weather forecast had become part of his daily routine, and this morning’s forecast hadn’t indicated any rain at all.