The next morning, Shen Fei was awakened by a series of "pattering" sounds outside the window.

He walked to the second-floor window and saw a very fat raccoon.

It was by the lake, washing a loaf of bread in the water with its paws; the bread was covered in mud.

It was washed again and again.

The bread was quickly washed away, and the water became cloudy.

The raccoon raised its empty paw, looked at it, and seemed quite bewildered.

"Is this guy some kind of clown hired by the monkeys?"

Shen Fei thought to himself that it was kind of funny.

He watched as the raccoon, seemingly unwilling to give up, sniffed around on the grass again, and then, for some reason, picked up a piece of cow dung and ran back to the water's edge.

Shen Fei's face twitched.

He felt he should teach his new neighbor what delicious food was.

He used a little force to make an apple roll over.

The apple rolled to the raccoon's feet.

The raccoon paused for a moment, dropped the cow dung in its hand, picked up the red apple, washed it in the water, and then started eating it.

Just then, Pete's voice came from downstairs.

"Boss! He's here!"

Shen Fei thought to himself, "The fun time is over, it's time for business."

He straightened his clothes and went downstairs.

Pete and James stood in the doorway, both looking very nervous.

A black Mercedes was parked in front of them.

A white man was standing next to the car. He was dressed well and his hair was neatly combed.

He was looking at the houses in the manor and thought they looked a bit old.

He is Antoine, the head chef of the "Conch" restaurant.

He was French, and everyone in town knew he was both arrogant and capable.

"Is this Mr. Shen?"

Antoine saw Shen Fei, nodded, and spoke in a haughty tone, "I only had one hour this morning. Mr. Peter exaggerated on the phone. You know, Mr. Thompson is my friend, and I always trust him."

What he meant was that Thompson said the sea was no good, so you couldn't possibly have anything good there.

"Chef Antoine, welcome."

Shen Fei didn't care what he thought. He made a "please" gesture and led him to the platform in the backyard.

The platform faces Pearl Lake, whose surface is sparkling.

James had already set up a table and two chairs.

"Mr. Thompson is a businessman," Shen Fei said, "but he doesn't understand fish. He only knows how to take the good things the sea gives him, but he can't distinguish between good and bad."

Antoine raised an eyebrow, finding the young man's words rather arrogant and somewhat amusing.

"Oh? Is that so? Then let me see the good stuff you've sorted out."

Shen Fei didn't say anything more; he turned and went into the kitchen.

After a while, he came out carrying an insulated box.

Shen Fei opened the box, and Antoine saw the fish inside. The mocking expression on his face disappeared, and he was very surprised.

There was a large sea bass in the box.

Its scales are intact and shiny, and its eyes look very bright.

Antoine was a top chef, and he could tell at a glance that this fish was exceptional, better than any fish he knew.

"These...these are the fish from here?"

Antoine stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly.

He'd been doing this for twenty years and had seen plenty of good stuff, but he'd never seen such fresh, vibrant sea bass.

Yes and no.

Shen Fei took the fish out of the box and began to process it. "It did grow up in this water, but what it ate and the water it breathed were different from what Thompson provided for you."

Pete stood to the side, watching the boss scale and gut the fish with practiced ease, as if he were creating a work of art rather than cooking.

He was initially very nervous, but now, for some reason, he suddenly feels very confident.

Antoine didn't speak; his eyes remained fixed on the fish.

He watched as Shen Fei used the simplest method to slice the fish and then took out a frying pan.

It doesn't use any complicated sauces or spices.

I only used a small piece of butter.

"Sizzle—"

The butter melted in the pot, giving off a strong milky aroma.

Shen Fei placed two pieces of fish into the pot. As soon as the fish skin touched the hot pot, it made a pleasant sound, and a very fragrant aroma wafted out.

The aroma was pure and powerful, with the scent of the sea and the natural sweetness of the fish, instantly reaching Antoine's nose.

He swallowed hard, his expression changing from disdain to surprise, and finally to a strong desire to eat.

He's a chef, and he knows exactly what that means.

Antoine thought to himself, "Only the best ingredients are cooked this way."

The fact that this fish smells so good just from being heated up shows that its quality is legendary.

Shen Fei didn't look at him; he was focused on controlling the fire. When the fish was almost cooked, he sprinkled some salt on it, then took the fish out of the pot and put it on a plate.

Two fish fillets, with golden-brown, crispy skin and tender, white meat inside, simply placed on a plate.

"Please use it."

Shen Fei pushed the plate in front of Antoine.

Antoine stared intently at the plate of fish, utterly incredulous.

He thought for a moment before picking up his knife and fork and stiffly cutting off a small piece.

He put the fish in his mouth and froze.

He felt that his previous understanding of fish was wrong.

The fish skin was crispy, and then came the fish meat.

He had never tasted anything like it before; the fish was so tender and smooth, it felt like it was alive.

It wasn't fishy at all, and it was especially sweet, like the cleanest seawater, making his tongue feel like it was experiencing a storm.

He closed his eyes, and he felt as if he saw the sea, a very clean and vibrant sea.

He felt that the fish Thompson had given him was inedible compared to this.

"Oh My God……"

His hands were shaking, and he dropped his knife and fork onto the plate.

He suddenly looked up at Shen Fei, whose usually proud face now showed only shock and longing.

He looked at Shen Fei like a believer seeing God.

"This...this isn't a fish, is it?"

He was barely able to speak clearly. "This is impossible! Thompson's sea trawls have ruined this place! This quality... this smell... what is this stuff?!"

Shen Fei picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.

Then he looked at the Frenchman and said calmly.

"Didn't I tell you? This is a wonderful gift from the ocean."

"This is also the first lesson I taught Thompson."

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