Food: Senior year internship, you take over the university cafeteria

Chapter 55 The Orange Cat Waiting for Fish

"No problem, senior!" Meng Qiuke patted his chest confidently. "How much do you need? I'll take care of it!"

"Five or six, weighing about two or three pounds each, and they have to be alive," Wang Sheng said. "I need to practice beforehand and get familiar with the fish's behavior." He already has the skill to catch three-star saliva fish, but he needs to use fish from Jingyue Lake to hone his technique and ensure that everything goes smoothly. At the same time, it's also a rehearsal for Chen Mo and Su Hang.

"Understood! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Meng Qiuke's eyes lit up. This was because Senior Wang trusted him!

That afternoon, Meng Qiuke arrived carrying a large bucket containing six lively Jingyue Lake carp, each with a green back and golden scales, full of vitality.

of course!

He didn't catch it.

We all fished together.

He frequently flies the air force.

Wang Sheng picked one and had Chen Mo and Brother Liu's apprentice clean it. He then began to prepare the core sauce for the saliva fish. Chili oil, Sichuan peppercorn powder, compound soy sauce, minced garlic, minced ginger, vinegar, sugar, salt, and MSG—the proportions were meticulously calculated. The prepared sauce was a tempting, bright red, with a complex and powerful aroma, layered with numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant, sweet, and sour flavors that made one's mouth water just by smelling it.

Make diagonal cuts on the fish, marinate it briefly with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine to remove any fishy smell, and then steam it over high heat until cooked through. The timing was just right; the fish meat was just cooked through, white and tender.

While the fish was steaming, Wang Sheng heated oil in a separate pot and added a large amount of dried chili pepper segments and Sichuan peppercorns to fry until fragrant. With a sizzle, a strong, spicy, and charred aroma burst forth, filling the entire kitchen.

Once the fish is steamed, carefully transfer it to a large fish plate. Drizzle with piping hot spicy oil, then pour over a generous spoonful of thick, glossy red sauce. Finally, sprinkle with crispy fried soybeans and toasted sesame seeds, and garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro.

"The 'saliva fish' is ready." Wang Sheng gestured to everyone, "Have a taste."

The bright orange sauce coats the pristine white fish, garnished with crispy soybeans and sesame seeds, creating a visually striking dish. The intense aroma, a blend of spicy, savory, sweet, and sour flavors, is simply irresistible.

Su Hang was the first to reach for her chopsticks, picking up a piece of fish and putting it in her mouth with the sauce. The fish was incredibly tender, melting in her mouth. Then, a symphony of flavors—numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant, sour, and sweet—exploded in her mouth like bombs!

It's so numbing it makes your lips dance, so spicy it makes your forehead sweat, yet so fresh it makes your eyebrows fall off, so fragrant it's intoxicating. The perfect balance of sweet and sour balances the stimulation, making it irresistible! The crispy soybeans and sesame seeds add to the rich texture.

"Hiss—ha—this is amazing, Brother Wang!" Su Hang gasped for breath from the spiciness, but couldn't stop eating. "This flavor is just right! It's numbing, spicy, fragrant, and fresh—my mouth is watering uncontrollably! It's even better than what I ate in Sichuan!"

Chen Mo, Brother Liu, and the others ate with gusto, nodding repeatedly, their brows beaded with sweat, oblivious to the urge to wipe it away. Meng Qiuke was especially excited: "Senior! This is it! Make this on the day of the competition! It'll definitely be a sensation!"

Wang Sheng himself tried it, and the three-star "saliva fish" was indeed amazing. The complex taste of numbing, spicy, fresh, fragrant and sweet was perfect for cooking on the spot.

Three weeks have passed in the blink of an eye, and the autumn breeze is refreshing by the Jingyue Lake at Jinling University.

The lake surface shimmered, and the ginkgo trees on the shore were already tinged with pale gold. At six o'clock that morning, just as dawn was breaking, the waterfront platform was already brightly lit.

The core members of the fishing association are extremely busy – setting up warning lines, arranging fishing spots, and testing the sound system.

Dozens of fishing spots are neatly arranged, each equipped with a professional fishing chair, umbrella stand, fish basket stand, and even a small refrigerator.

Several second-year student volunteers were carefully placing signs that read "Live bait prohibited" and "Protect the ecological environment" in prominent positions.

"Over there! The sunshade at fishing spot number two is a bit crooked, adjust it!" Zhang Tao, the president of the fishing association, held a walkie-talkie, sweat beading on his forehead but his eyes shining. "This is the biggest event our association has organized in its ten years of existence; we can't afford any mishaps!"

Not far away, the cooking area is already taking shape.

Wang Sheng, along with Chen Mo and Liu Ge's apprentices, were carrying the last few kitchen utensils onto the makeshift stove. The flames of the two powerful stoves were adjusted to a deep blue, and the stainless steel countertop was polished to a mirror-like shine. Eighteen kitchen knives of various shapes and sizes—slicing knives, cleavers, boning knives, and carving knives—were neatly arranged on it, gleaming coldly in the morning light.

"Brother Wang, isn't this a bit too much?" Chen Mo clicked his tongue as he tidied the spice rack. "My dad worked in a hotel for thirty years and he'd never seen so many knives on display."

Wang Sheng was adjusting the electronic scale without looking up: "Different fish, different parts, require different knives. Crucian carp have fine scales, so you need a thin-bladed, sharp knife; carp have hard bones, so you need a thick-backed, heavy knife. Only with the right tools can you avoid wasting the ingredients."

As he spoke, his hands moved with mechanical precision—three grams of salt, five grams of sugar, and two milliliters of soy sauce, without the slightest error. The system panel flickered faintly in the corner of his field of vision, and his culinary proficiency quietly increased by 0.1%.

At 7:00 AM sharp, the participants began to arrive.

The professional equipment of several wealthy men dazzled the students watching.

"Wow, are they here for a competition or to do scientific research?" A freshman, livestreaming on his phone, panned the high-end equipment. "Did you guys see that? That silver box is a Japanese-imported bait cooler. They say it can maintain the bait's activity at a constant temperature! How much does that cost?"

The comments section started scrolling: "Poverty limits my imagination," "Are college students this cunning when fishing?"

Just then, a beautiful figure squeezed into the crowd, and the scene changed abruptly.

Su Weiwei wore a slightly oversized light gray windbreaker, her ponytail tied high, her face bare yet her features were exquisite. The fishing rod she held had a label on the plastic handle that read "Beginner's Edition, Original Price 99, Now 59." The bait box contained several clumps of dark earthworms, and the float was a simple red plastic one.

"Excuse me, excuse me—" She clumsily made her way through the crowd, her fishing rod nearly poking the student in front of her in the back.

A well-equipped angler next to her glanced at her and kindly reminded her, "Young lady, your rod is too soft and your line is too thin. If you hook a big fish later, you might break the rod and lose the fish."

Su Weiwei's cheeks flushed slightly, but her eyes shone brightly: "It's okay, I just came to experience it. It's alright if I don't catch anything, the main thing is—I heard that Senior Wang will cook the fish that he catches."

The angler paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Got it! You're here for Master Wang's cooking! Alright, best of luck!"

At 7:30, after a brief speech by the principal, the competition officially began.

Twenty fishing rods were cast in unison, the bait arcing as it fell into the lake, creating ripples on the surface. The students watching held their breath, their phone cameras pointed at the water.

Suzhou and Hangzhou had already set up tripods, with high-definition cameras simultaneously pointed at both the fishing and cooking areas. The live stream title was eye-catching: "Live! Jinling University's First Jingyue Lake Ecological Fishing Competition! Chef Wang Sheng cooks fish live – catch, kill, and eat on the spot!"

Within five minutes of starting the broadcast, the number of online viewers exceeded 8,000.

The live chat was flooded with comments: "This school is so creative!" "The principal is so enlightened!" "Where's Wang Sheng? I want to see Wang Sheng chopping vegetables!"

Su Hang adjusted the camera, focusing on the cooking area. Wang Sheng was preparing for the competition. He stood in front of the kitchen counter, holding a knife in each hand, and was doing the final sharpening on the whetstone. The rhythmic "swish" sound of the blades rubbing against the stone surface, which was transmitted to the live broadcast room through the microphone, had a strangely healing quality.

"Brothers, did you see that? That's what you call professional." Su Hang lowered his voice, like a football commentator, "Brother Wang said, if the knife isn't sharp, the fish will suffer. If the fish suffers, the meat will be tough, and the taste will be three points worse."

Just then, the live chat exploded.

"Look at the fishing area! There's that orange cat!"

"Yuanbao! It's Yuanbao! How did it get in there?"

The camera angles switch rapidly.

Yuanbao had somehow slipped into the fishing area and was now patrolling behind the anglers with its cat-like gait. Its round body moved slowly, but its amber eyes sharply scanned each fish basket, and its tail tip swayed gently, as if assessing its spoils.

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