Ever since Aunt Guan and Uncle Ouyang disappeared without a trace, the Ouyang residence has remained empty.

Lan Ya Mei originally arranged for Er Gou Niang and Gou Dan'er to stay on the third floor of the barbecue restaurant, but the two of them couldn't sleep that night. Er Gou Niang, in particular, had never stayed upstairs before, and her feet didn't touch the ground, so she didn't sleep a wink all night.

After Lan Yamei found out, she discussed it with Grandpa Ouyang and arranged for the two of them to stay in the east wing of Grandpa Ouyang's second courtyard.

The east wing is uninhabited and has always been kept clean and hygienic, with all the necessary living facilities and a separate courtyard.

The second courtyard has both a front and a back entrance. The grandmother and granddaughter can enter and exit through the back entrance without disturbing each other.

Exiting through the back gate, you first encounter a narrow, gravel-paved path. Walking another twenty or thirty meters along the path, you'll find a large pond. Primarily used to collect rainwater to save the city during droughts, it's quite large and surrounded by tall willow trees.

Ever since the two disappeared, the front gate has been locked, and the two women sent over have been very well-behaved, only moving around in the second courtyard.

This was done not only to respect the original owner, but more importantly, to avoid alerting the other party and to only have the two women keep an eye on the activity in the front yard.

As soon as Lan Yamei came out of the kitchen, Manager Wang, who was eating at the table, kept his eyes on her. Seizing the opportunity, he stood up and approached her with a smile. "Manager Lan, the food is absolutely delicious! I'm so full. Why don't we go over there right now?"

He chuckled after saying that.

Lan Yamei admired his persistence and said, "Manager Wang, there's no rush. It's not too late to go later."

It's not that Lan Ya Mei is putting on airs, it's just that she hasn't decided yet whether or not to keep some of her skills to herself.

Shopkeeper Wang flattered, "My time is worthless, but you are so busy. What if you have something important to do later? I'm afraid I'll be waiting anxiously!" He then chuckled.

Although the fat man seemed anxious and eager to earn money on his own, he was sincere and his words made sense. Ever since he transmigrated, he hadn't had a single day without being busy. So he made up his mind to impart all his techniques for slicing fish! That would be a blessing for the people of the Tang Dynasty.

So he nodded and said, "Alright! Manager Wang, lead the way!"

The two walked out of the barbecue restaurant one after the other and entered Zui Xiang Lou.

It was nearly noon, but there wasn't a single customer at the Zuixianlou restaurant. Several waiters were idly wiping tables, looking on with envy at the bustling business of the barbecue restaurant.

"Boss, you're back! Hello, Manager Lan!" Several shop assistants quickly greeted him.

"Hurry up and get all the cooks to the kitchen. Go quickly." After saying that, Manager Wang invited Lan Yamei to sit down and have some tea.

"Is the fish still alive?" Lan Yamei asked, taking the covered teacup offered by the waiter.

"They're alive and well! There's a pond in the backyard where they're kept," the waiter replied truthfully.

"Okay, prepare another cleaver, thin and sharp! Also prepare some pickled cabbage, a bunch of scallions, a scallion, a handful of Sichuan peppercorns, and a handful of whole dried chilies. A bottle of good rapeseed oil, and half a bowl of peeled garlic. I'll need them later!" Lan Yamei gave all the instructions in one breath before taking a sip of tea and closing her eyes to rest.

Manager Wang quickly instructed his staff to prepare. Seeing that Manager Lan had his eyes closed, he didn't dare to disturb him, but secretly dismissed everyone, instructing them to remain quiet.

In fact, Lan Ya Mei was just pretending to sleep. In the last few minutes, she needed to decide whether to reveal her techniques completely. If she did, the sauerkraut fish dish would be given to Manager Wang.

I didn't spend much time with Manager Wang, but he was a thoughtful boss. It wouldn't be accurate to say I wasn't a little jealous. When I first opened my shop, Manager Wang certainly had his share of gossip.

But looking back, it's only natural. Manager Wang deserves some credit for eliminating the two potential threats, Wu Tongling and Guan Hu. For that, Lan Yamei should repay him. Besides, one flower doesn't make spring; a riot of colors makes summer.

Having made up her mind, Lan Yamei opened her eyes, took a sip of hot tea, stood up and said, "Let's go, Manager Wang."

"Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble!"

In the kitchen, three chefs were already waiting, their eyes full of anticipation. All the other staff members crowded around, craning their necks as much as possible to avoid blocking the way, their curiosity piqued.

Manager Wang seemed a little concerned. He waved away all the staff except the cook, then closed the kitchen door before explaining with a grin, "Manager Lan, don't laugh at me, this is the rule."

Lan Yamei didn't say much. She just glanced at everyone, rolled up her sleeves, washed her hands, and got ready. She only said one sentence, "Everyone, please watch carefully and learn diligently. I will only do it once. How much you can learn depends on fate."

He then turned to Manager Wang and promised, "This dish is something I developed exclusively. Only I know how to make it; no one else has ever seen it before. I'm giving it to you today without reservation. As for whether you'll make a fortune, that depends on your luck!"

"Thank you! Thank you!" Manager Wang said with a beaming smile, already impatient.

First, take out a fresh potato that has been peeled, quickly slice it, and then soak it in a bowl of water to let it sit.

Without saying much, Lan Yamei lit the firewood in the stove and poured two ladles of water into the pot. Then, she slowly scooped the lively blackfish out of the water, pressed it onto the cutting board, stunned it with two slaps, and quickly scraped off the scales.

Hold the fish head down, use a thin knife to cut open the belly, and remove the intestines. Then, starting from the tail, cut along the bone upwards to easily remove the fish bones. Finally, chop off the fish head and set it aside for later use.

After the fish body was split in two and the abdominal bones were removed, the two best pieces of fish meat were washed with water, taken out, and quickly sliced ​​into pieces, then placed in a bowl for later use.

Cut the fish bones into three-inch sections and place them in a separate bowl. Cut the abdominal bones into even sections along the grain and set aside. Stand the fish head upright and split it in two from the mouth area and set aside.

At this point, the fish has been killed.

The four people present had clearly never seen such a thing before, and like children who had never seen the world, they were reluctant to blink.

The vegetables were all washed and chopped in appropriate amounts, then set aside. Next, the scallions, ginger, and garlic were chopped, using the same method as everyone else.

By this time, the potatoes had settled for a while. Gently scooping them up, white potato starch had settled at the bottom of the bowl. Lan Yamei gently poured off the water, added a little more water, stirred it with two fingers, and then poured it into the large bowl containing the fish. She also added an appropriate amount of salt, scallions, ginger, and garlic.

He looked up and said, "Give me a small cup of baijiu (Chinese liquor)."

None of the three cooks wanted to miss a minute. As soon as Manager Wang turned around to get the food, he was nearly tackled by the eavesdropping staff outside the door. Both sides were startled.

"Go, go, go! Bring me a cup of the best liquor." Manager Wang ordered, not caring about the details.

A waiter quickly poured a glass and brought it over.

Shopkeeper Wang took the wine cup, closed the door, and quickly handed it to Lan Ya Mei. Her eyes were filled with curiosity; she'd never seen wine needed for cooking before! Was it for drinking? Or for eating?