Ye Jiujiu smiled and explained, "That one should be called an octopus."
Grandma Yang looked puzzled. "Aren't squid and octopus the same thing?"
"Not exactly," Ye Jiujiu said patiently. "The octopus is the one that climbed onto the child's head earlier. It has a round head, and people often call it an eight-legged fish."
"As for squid," she continued, "it's the kind you just saw—white in color, with a triangular fin at one end." Ye Jiujiu paused briefly, then added, "There's also cuttlefish, which was right at the bottom of the bucket. Many people mix it up with octopus. It has a thicker body and a hard shell on its back, which can be used as medicine."
"I had no idea they were divided so specifically," Grandma Yang said with amazement. "I used to call all of them squid." She felt she'd truly learned something new today—something she would never have known if she hadn't come here to eat.
"I can't always tell them apart either," Zhou Jie said with a small smile. "If you don't deal with seafood often, it's really hard to distinguish." She paused, then asked, "Boss, are all three available today?"
"Yes," Ye Jiujiu replied as she took out the menu. "These are the only seafood varieties delivered today. By the way, do you eat octopus? Some people find the suckers unsettling and don't dare eat them. If that's the case, you can come back tomorrow and I'll treat you to something fresh."
"I'll eat it." Gao Yuan paused briefly, then said, "But you don't need to treat me, Boss. I'll just order normally. I've eaten your seafood before—I know how good it is. I only spoke up because it's genuinely good. If it weren't, I wouldn't side with anyone."
"That's exactly how I feel," Zhou Jie agreed. "If it's not fresh or tasty, I wouldn't say anything either. We were just speaking up for you—there's no need to treat us." She patted Lele's chubby little bottom. "With how much this kid can eat, we definitely can't let him eat for free."
Lele nodded seriously. "Sister, I have money. I'll pay for whatever I want to eat."
"Pay up," Yueyue chimed in enthusiastically, fully supportive.
"That's right." Grandma Yang hesitated a little, worried about the expense, but she knew there was no reason to take advantage of Ye Jiujiu. After all, the whole incident had been caused by her and her daughter-in-law in the first place.
"It's fine," Ye Jiujiu said calmly. "There isn't much seafood today anyway. And I'm not very confident with squid and octopus dishes yet—you can think of this as helping me experiment."
With that, she turned and went straight into the kitchen, planning to cook every squid dish listed on the menu.
Today's menu included spicy squid rolls, cold mixed five-color bean sprout squid strips, takoyaki, typhoon shelter squid chunks, squid fried noodles, and saliva squid—all dishes that paired perfectly with rice.
Among them, takoyaki and typhoon shelter squid chunks were the more novel options, while spicy squid rolls, cold mixed five-color bean sprout squid strips, and squid fried noodles were fairly common home-style dishes.
Takoyaki was not difficult to make. Ye Jiujiu moved with practiced ease, cleaning the octopus thoroughly and removing the internal organs, ink sac, eyes, teeth, and tube. Because it was extremely fresh, there was no need to peel the skin. She simply cut the flesh into neat, bite-sized pieces.
She then brought out the prepared batter, along with teriyaki sauce, shredded cabbage, seaweed, and other ingredients. After preheating the electric takoyaki griddle, she brushed it lightly with oil and poured the batter into the small round molds.
Once the batter had slightly set and released a faint fragrance, she placed a piece of octopus into each mold. Using a bamboo skewer, she expertly swirled the batter around the filling, adding more batter and cabbage as needed. She flipped and turned the balls repeatedly, frying them until the batter fully wrapped the octopus, forming round, golden balls that were nearly done.
One by one, Ye Jiujiu arranged the takoyaki on a rectangular plate, then drizzled them generously with mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce before topping them with pork floss and seaweed.
The finished takoyaki was savory with a hint of sweetness—especially appealing to children. The moment it was served, Lele and Yueyue eagerly grabbed one each, blew on it a couple of times, and stuffed it straight into their mouths.
Just then, Grandma Liu suddenly said, "Jiujiu, someone came to your shop to cause trouble today? Why didn't you tell me?"
"How did you know, Grandma Liu?" Ye Jiujiu was puzzled. The noise at the front shouldn't have reached the back alley. "Did one of the neighbors mention it?"
"No, no," Grandma Liu replied quickly. "My grandson saw it online."