The aroma of the fish offal hot pot was overwhelmingly dominant, with the concentrated fish broth, beef tallow base, doubanjiang, and fresh pepper fragrance lingering in the air for quite a while.

Boss Magna had long set the tableware, sitting upright in front of the dining car's folding table, gazing intently at Lin Chen, who was slowly approaching with the pot.

Although he had seen the appearance of the food in the pot from outside the car window, the angle didn't provide a strong visual experience.

When the iron pot was placed centrally on the table, he genuinely felt the impact of this pot of fish offal.

The golden fish broth occasionally bubbled, with a thin layer of red oil around the edge. Brownish yellow fish roe floated on the surface, interspersed with many white translucent fish air bladders.

The fish head, stripped of its major bones, was no longer terrifying in appearance, leaving only soft fish meat soaked in broth, and the remaining bones were unrecognizable.

"The rice will take a few more minutes; start eating first. You look like you're about to faint; didn't have breakfast?"

Lin Chen pinched a handful of chopped green onions and casually sprinkled them into the pot.

The addition of vibrant green onions seemed to breathe life into the entire pot of fish soup, instantly making the color scheme lively.

"I only had a sandwich to pad my stomach; I didn't expect to get hungry so fast."

Magna impatiently unwrapped the chopsticks and reached for the pot, picking up a white translucent fish bladder, dipping it back in the red oil and fish broth before bringing it back.

He had never seen a cooked fish bladder before; surprisingly, it looked entirely different from when raw, somewhat resembling fish skin, only a whitish-yellow.

Drawn closer, the rich aroma of doubanjiang became more pronounced, the unique freshness of perilla leaves was very noticeable, with no trace of fishy smell at all.

He was unafraid, blowing on it a few times before popping it into his mouth.

It's just fish meat, could it really be life-threatening?

He had long been curious about this sellable item!

The fish bladder burst with a rich umami taste when eaten, consistent with its scent, but much more intense.

The texture was overall slippery, yet had a surprising chewiness. A few bites filled the mouth with a gelatinous texture, getting more flavorful with each chew.

Most importantly, due to its structure, it was like a broken balloon, filled with delicious fish soup inside. The sensation of a burst of juice in one bite was instantly satisfying, with his mouth involuntarily curving up.

"This thing is actually quite delicious!"

He hadn't expected something that looked so frightening with bloodstains when raw to become such a tasty treat when cooked.

Why had no Western chef or restaurant ever thought this could be a dish?

Suddenly, a sliver of distrust for the entire Western culinary world emerged in his heart.

Even Michelin chefs, claimed to be world-renowned, probably wouldn't know how to cook this, right?

But… can a chef who discriminates against ingredients really be considered a top chef?

Shaking his head, he pushed these odd thoughts out of his mind.

As they say, every profession is a mountain apart; he's just a seafood seller, he should meddle less in the chef's business.

Swallowing the fish bladder, he grabbed a large piece of yellow-brown fish roe and placed it in his bowl.

Compared to the fish bladder, he was more familiar with fish roe, like salmon roe or caviar, top-tier delicacies with undeniable freshness.

Though the roe of ordinary marine fish couldn't be eaten raw, it surely couldn't taste bad, right?

Thinking this, the chopsticks automatically placed the fish roe into his mouth.

Unlike the slippery, gluey texture of fish bladder, the fish roe had a unique feel—it was somewhat powdery, but when biting into the roe grains, it was noticeably bursting on the tongue, releasing incomparable deliciousness.

Pairing with the rich and spicy red fish soup made it incredibly satisfying!

Just one bite and Magna's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

"Hell, the fish roe and bladder are actually this tasty??"

"That indicates you have quite an acceptance for Chinese cuisine."

Lin Chen no longer felt as smug as before when hearing compliments, but calmly scooped himself a piece of fish roe too.

"For those who can accept it, fish roe and bladders are ultimate delicacies, but for those who can't, they can't swallow even a bite."

"Indeed."

Magna nodded in agreement, licking his lips, and reached for the pot again with his chopsticks.

Though the fish bladder was tasty, the fish roe was more enticing, with its delightful burst texture.

After having several pieces of fish roe, he remembered there was still fish head meat in the pot.

"By the way, Lin, how do you eat this fish head? Just like regular fish meat, is there any part that's inedible or particularly delicious?"

"Everything's edible; the inedible parts have been removed."

Lin Chen rummaged in the pot with chopsticks, picking a piece of meat looking like jelly to put in his bowl.

"Try this and see if you can accept it; in Great Xia, this is a treasure. People who love fish heads generally consider this the best part of the fish head, only one piece per fish."

"Hmm??"

Staring at the strange-textured fish meat in his bowl, Magna felt puzzled.

How could there be a transparent part on a fish head??

Could it be the fish brain?

*Gulp*

Thinking of this possibility, Magna suddenly felt a bit uneasy.

He had no issue eating fish roe and bladders or meat off the fish head, but fish brain…

"Don't worry; it's not the fish brain."

Lin Chen easily picked up on his thoughts and casually explained.

"Hmm? It's not the fish brain?"

Boss Magna breathed a sigh of relief, but his confusion deepened.

Besides the fish brain, he really couldn't think of any transparent part on a fish head.

Could it be marrow?

"Never mind, just eat it first and talk later!"

Recalling his previous experience of trying tuna marrow at sea, he steeled himself and put it straight into his mouth.

The transparent fish meat was surrounded by quite a bit of bone, so he had to suck it, just like when he ate marrow before.

"Sssluup"

With a gentle suck, the jelly-like fish meat instantly separated from the bone and melted on his tongue.

Feeling the rich umami and the smooth texture, Magna's tightly knit brows gradually relaxed.

This unknown part really tasted quite good, even more delicious than fish roe, truly like eating fish-flavored jelly.

"Tasty?"

"Delicious!"

He nodded emphatically, his eyes already scanning the pot.

Although each fish only has one piece of this meat, there were over a dozen fish heads in the pot, which meant there were over a dozen pieces of such delicious meat!

This was also the main reason Lin Chen deliberately removed all the big bones.

Once the large fish head bones were removed, the fragments would scatter into the soup, leaving the rest of the fish head with all the essence.

And the fish soup rich with fish head fragments could also be used to soak rice; if there's any leftover, it can be saved for noodles, simply managing two meals.

Magna casually poked around and easily found a couple more pieces of transparent fish meat, quickly putting them into his bowl, along with a few pieces of fish roe and air bladder.

"So tasty, what part is this, it's too delicious, it feels addictive!"

"Oh, this is actually fish lip."

"Fish, fish lip??"

Magna was stunned, pointing at his mouth, "This?"

"Yes."

"......"

He glanced at the remaining piece of transparent fish meat in his bowl, which looked different from the previous pieces and had fewer bones around it. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He didn't think much, assuming the bones had been cooked away, and stuffed it into his mouth, enjoying the rich umami melting on his tongue again.

"Whatever, as long as it's tasty, it doesn't matter what part it is!"

"Oh right," Lin Chen pointed at him remindingly, "the piece you just ate was actually fish brain."

"......"

"???????"

Magna's face froze, feeling an urge to scream.

No way, fish lip and fish brain look the same??

Isn't this a trick!

He never thought his first time would just be casually taken like that, with no mental preparation at all.

Luckily, it was delicious, otherwise he might really have nightmares at night.

"You brat, did you do this on purpose?"

"Really didn't."

Lin Chen spread his hands with a smile, looking innocent.

"Just tell me if it's delicious or not, have I ever recommended anything bad?"

"Hmph!"

Magna snorted angrily, picking up a piece of fish roe and chewing it, seemingly comforting his wounded little heart.

"Does the brain of other animals have the same texture?"

"No, only fish have this texture; land animals' brains are a bit like tofu, meat-flavored tofu, which I quite enjoy."

"Hiss... Liking to eat animal brains, you Great Xia people are so scary."

"By the way, doesn't our hotel have its own farm? The farmer, John, is just like you, bringing some odd ingredients from time to time."

"Next time I'll have him bring some pig brains, then I'll call you~"

"???????"

Magna now wanted to call the police.

Why does it seem like he really wants to eat animal brains, when he's obviously been tricked!!

However, since he's already tried, knowing it's not as scary as imagined, he didn't have much emotional reaction and nodded almost involuntarily.

"Alright, if it's not good, I'll definitely complain."

Thinking about it, he continued to ask: "Apart from the brain, are there any other parts of the pig that's particularly tasty?"

"Yes, many! Like pig nose, pig ears, pig head meat, pig neck meat, pig blood, pig trotters, and innards like large intestines, small intestines, stomach, crispy intestines, liver, these are all absolutely delicious!"

"The ones I just mentioned are relatively easy to accept. Intestines require more culinary skill, the rest taste pretty much like normal food."

"Additionally, there's personal preference like pig lungs, which have a slightly strange taste and texture and aren't as widely accepted, like fish heads, but those who like it really like it, those who don't can't have even a bite."