My Manor

"Come on, try this!" After savoring the two dishes ranked second and ninth in Du Famen's list, Du Famen continued leading Jiang Hai to a more distant spot. This dish, ranked eighth in his eyes, was fish lips.

Fish lips have a long history in China. They belong to the same prestigious group of four-eight treasures as camel humps, but are considered part of the eight treasures of the sea.

Fish lips are made from the lips of large fish, such as sharks or rays, and include the skin, eyes, and gills. Common species used include sharks and rays, but sturgeon, large yellow croakers, and even plow rays can also be used.

The sturgeon, in particular, might not be widely known. This fish, resembling a giant sturgeon, is native to the border between Heilongjiang Province in China and the Soviet Union, with two distinct populations. The sturgeon can grow remarkably large, with some reaching up to one ton. It is known for its long lifespan, great strength, and large appetite. Often referred to as a "living fossil" because it has existed for hundreds of millions of years, the sturgeon is considered a rare delicacy.

Sturgeon prices vary widely. The cheapest may cost just a few dozen yuan per catty, while the most expensive can run into several hundred yuan per catty. These fish are rare, and acquiring them is no easy feat.

The fish lips Jiang Hai and his companions are about to try come from this very species, and they taste excellent. However, it's highly unlikely anyone could easily get their hands on them.

Next, Du Famen moves on to the seventh item on his list: a rare mushroom called Yunxiangxin. Even many professional mushroom growers might not recognize it. This mushroom belongs to the four-eight treasures, under the category of grass treasures.

It is not only rare but also impossible to cultivate artificially, much like pine millet, which grows on pine trees. Although pine millet cannot be cultivated, it is still available for purchase, and Yunxiangxin shares similar scarcity.

Du Famen's sixth item is quail, a bird that tastes exceptional when roasted. Of course, the key is having a skilled chef to prepare it. The fifth item on his list is fish roe, including roe from sturgeon, salmon, and mullet, all of which are highly flavorful.

The fourth item is flying dragon, a dish Jiang Hai has in abundance—well, not in abundance, but at least some to enjoy. The third item is truffle, particularly truffle cake. Jiang Hai was initially surprised by how expensive truffles are, but in truth, he found their flavor just average. He's not as taken by them as Westerners are, which shows his preference for meat over fancy ingredients.

However, after learning their price, he did consider planting some in his own forest. Truffles vary in price depending on their size. A 1-2 cm diameter truffle costs about 500 US dollars per kilogram, but if they're over 5 cm in diameter, the price jumps to 50,000 US dollars per kilogram. When compared to gold, which costs 200 RMB per gram (about 200,000 RMB per kilogram), truffles are more expensive than gold.

White truffles are even more expensive. In 2007, a 1.5 kg white truffle was auctioned for 330,000 US dollars. Today, it would cost around 500,000 US dollars. This makes white truffles more expensive than gold, approaching the price of platinum.

This is the third delicacy on Du Famen's list. The second is Kobe beef, which Du Famen already introduced. Finally, the number one item on the list is a soup. Although this cocktail party was for the rich, the soup was reserved only for the invitees. Each guest had one cup, but Jiang Hai casually drank his. He noticed it contained sea cucumbers and black chicken, both familiar to him, but there was one ingredient he couldn't identify.

"What is this?" Jiang Hai asked Du Famen after scooping out the mysterious item with his spoon.

"This is the most valuable ingredient in the soup. I heard you Chinese people call it fish maw," Du Famen explained seriously. He seemed a bit reluctant to spend so much on it.

"Isn't that just Sichuan pepper? But it's so small!" Jiang Hai said, confused.

"No, it's fish maw, the glue of glue. It's a tonic made from fish maw, which you can also find in the tripe of abalone, ginseng, and shark's fin. It's also called fish maw," Qi Li clarified, her eyes lighting up with knowledge.

Fish maw refers to the belly of large fish, and it's one of the eight delicacies of the sea. The price of fish maw varies based on the type of fish. The most common varieties are sturgeon maw and eel maw, but yellow croaker maw—also known as yellow fish maw—is considered higher quality. Older fish maw is especially prized.

Yellow fish maw, for example, improves with age. Newly made fish maw can cost around 400 RMB per catty, while that which is over three years old may fetch 1,000 RMB per catty. Fish maw over ten years old can easily cost tens of thousands of RMB per catty.

Hearing this, Jiang Hai couldn't help but be surprised. Even at tens of thousands of RMB per catty, it didn't seem terribly expensive, especially for a rich man like Du Famen, for whom this price was insignificant.

"This fish maw is said to come from yellow croaker, and this pot of soup cost me 7 million US dollars," Du Famen added, shaking his head in a mix of admiration and slight regret as he sipped his soup.

"Seven million… million?" Jiang Hai couldn't believe his ears. How could a pot of soup that cost tens of thousands of RMB turn into a 7 million US dollar meal? That was more than 40 million RMB! A pot of soup costing that much—this was a true billionaire's indulgence.

"Ah, so it's made from yellow croaker. That's a rare fish," Qi Li remarked, sipping her soup more eagerly.

"Yellow croaker?" Jiang Hai thought for a moment, his mind racing. He seemed to recall hearing the name before. It was said that a fisherman in Guangdong Province caught a yellow croaker, which was bought by a wealthy businessman for 1.7 million yuan, later selling for more than 3 million yuan. Back then, Jiang Hai hadn't fully understood the power of his own spiritual energy and didn't want to take the risk of experimenting with such a valuable fish.

Now, however, with his newfound wealth, he wouldn't have to worry about losing money. If the yellow croaker really was that valuable, Jiang Hai would consider it, though he knew it was a second-level protected species in China.

The fish was certainly a tempting prospect, but it needed careful consideration. Jiang Hai reflected on this as he glanced at the bowl of soup in front of him.

"What are you looking at? This fish maw is quite rare," Du Famen said with a grin, noticing Jiang Hai's intense focus on the soup. He shook the bowl in front of Jiang Hai playfully.

"Oh, I was just thinking… Well, forget it, let's wait until it succeeds. By the way, Du Famen, when did we become so close? I didn't even know!" Jiang Hai handed the remaining half of his soup to Qi Li. Although he was intrigued by the fish, he wasn't particularly fond of drinking the soup, while Qi Li treated it as a treasure.

"Hey, when you say that, it really hurts my feelings. You know, in Chinese culture, they say the first time is awkward, the second time is familiar, and the third time you become good friends. This is the fourth time we've met, so naturally, we're friends now." Du Famen smiled broadly, placing his arm around Jiang Hai's shoulder.

"But the problem is, you're not Chinese, so let's talk. I still have a mission to complete." Jiang Hai shrugged, looking at Du Famen with a hint of skepticism. If they were of the same age, their status difference would be glaring, and Jiang Hai wouldn't think of Du Famen as a friend. But he believed Du Famen wouldn't consider him one either.

"Still so cautious? Alright, I'll tell you," Du Famen said with a smile, sensing Jiang Hai's hesitation.

They didn't speak in front of the crowd but instead went to the second-floor balcony, where bodyguards ensured their conversation would remain private. Qi Li was left downstairs.

Minister Qin, noticing their departure upstairs, felt a momentary pang of nervousness. He knew that Jiang Hai and Du Famen were starting to establish contact, and whether this venture would succeed now rested with Jiang Hai.

"The reason I held this cocktail party was to select a middleman," Du Famen said, his previously cheerful demeanor shifting to a more serious tone. He looked directly at Jiang Hai, his voice low.

"A middleman?" Jiang Hai frowned, puzzled by the sudden shift. What did Du Famen mean by that?