The head chef was a fat, bald man. He was eating heartily while listening to the two men's conversation, nodding seriously.

"Indeed, this mala tang tastes really good! Especially the tofu puffs, pig lungs, and mushroom skewers, one bite and you'll feel like you've lost half your soul! Once our Zuixianju launches this mala tang, the number of customers coming and going will probably break down the door!"

Upon hearing these spirited words, Song Jiaren's smile was even more radiant.

With a swift motion, he slapped the bald master chef hard on the shoulder.

"In that case, I'm entrusting the entire Malatang business to you. Get everyone to buy everything you need, from stoves and offal to mushrooms and vegetables. Tonight, I'm going to make Malatang the new signature dish of Zuixianju!"

"Yes, okay." The bald master chef immediately responded.

With swift movements, he slurped up the soup, scooped up the last scallion from the bottom of the bowl, and then headed out.

As I stepped out of the threshold with my left foot, I suddenly realized something was wrong.

"Boss, you forgot to give me the recipe for this mala tang (spicy hot pot)."

Song Jiaren's smile froze abruptly, and his voice rose sharply, "You drank every last drop of this big bowl of spicy hot pot, soup and vegetables. Could it be that you still haven't figured out the recipe?"

Upon seeing this, the servant who had been playing the straight man quickly moved two steps away, lowered his head, and remained as quiet as a chicken.

The head chef rubbed his shiny bald head and nodded somewhat embarrassedly.

"I haven't figured it out."

Upon hearing this, Song Jiaren's expression immediately turned sour, but he still pressed on, "Even if you haven't fully grasped the essence of this spicy hot pot, you should at least be able to taste some of the tricks, right?"

The master chef felt a chill run down his spine from the dark and cold look in his eyes.

His tongue trembled even more, "I... I can taste it, I can taste that the soup base of this mala tang is made from pork bones."

"You can tell it's made from big bones?! That's quite a skill!" Song Jiaren laughed in exasperation.

Anyone who has drunk this spicy hot pot will be able to tell that it is made from large bones.

Meat skewers cost two coins each, while vegetarian skewers cost one coin each.

This huge bowl of spicy hot pot costs at least a hundred copper coins.

He himself only drank a sip of soup, and all those hundreds of copper coins went into the bald man's stomach. Now, he's telling him that he didn't taste anything. Does that mean he, Song Jiaren, is supposed to spend money to hire a cook to eat for free?

The master chef wasn't a blockhead; he wouldn't actually believe that such sarcastic praise was a compliment to his skills.

With a quick dart of his eyes, he hurriedly added, "Boss, although I couldn't taste the seasoning in this mala tang, as long as I can get the recipe, I guarantee I can make the exact same, or even better, mala tang."

After so many years in the kitchen, his culinary skills have become unparalleled.

The only thing I couldn't figure out was the seasoning for this mala tang; it must be a secret recipe from somewhere else.

Each profession has its own methods. Even if he crawled out of a dog's belly and grew a dog's nose and a dog's tongue, he still couldn't directly taste the intricacies of the profession.

Song Jiaren glanced at the bald master chef, his eyes darkening further.

Immediately, he walked behind the counter, opened a drawer, took out two snow-white silver ingots, and handed them to the servant next to him. "Tell the stall owner that I've bought this mala tang recipe from Zuixianju. From now on, you are not allowed to see any mala tang anywhere near Qingshui County."

"Yes, sir." The thin-faced servant replied meekly, "I'll take care of it right away."

He was already very familiar with the process of buying a house.

The reason why Zuixianju has stood the test of time for so many years is because of its daily updated recipes, and more than half of these recipes are purchased from outside.

***

In front of Baichuan Academy.

"Knock knock knock—"

As soon as the clear bell rang, the students rushed out of the school gate like dumplings being dropped into boiling water. Their blue cross-collar robes fluttered in the wind, and their former scholarly air had vanished without a trace. Every single one of them had the word "foodie" etched on their foreheads.

Wang Dapang and Lu Lao Er were at the forefront.

Wang Dapang's real name is Wang Chenbai, a name that is elegant and profound. However, because he was greedy for food since childhood, he became bloated and overweight, and has been called Dapang ever since.

Lu Lao Er's real name is Lu Xiuwen, and he is the second oldest child in his family.

Both men were sons of wealthy families in Qingshui County.

Five or six of the neighbors who had initially come after hearing the news were still in line. Wang Chenbai plopped down at the back of the line, glanced at the three remaining vegetable baskets next to the Su siblings, and immediately raised his voice.

"Miss Su, ten of each type of vegetarian skewers, and twenty of each type of meat skewers."

Lu Lao Er followed closely behind, "Miss Su, I'll have ten skewers of both meat and vegetables!"

Su Hua continued skewering and cooking the vegetables, then smiled and said, "Today's vegetarian skewers include six more vegetables: spinach, cabbage, lettuce, red mustard greens, pea shoots, and shiitake mushrooms. Are you sure you want ten skewers of each kind?"

Every single skewer on their stall is a substantial portion.

Compared to what I used to eat at Modern China, this one skewer is equivalent to seven or eight skewers.

This guy ordered a dozen or more skewers of each item right away, which added up to several hundred skewers. She couldn't help but worry that eating like this might upset his stomach.

Wang Chenbai blushed slightly, "It's okay, bring me everything, I can eat it all."

Qin Yucheng, with Ah Cai helping out, came over upon hearing the commotion and took out ten fried dough sticks from the pot, handing them to Wang Chenbai. "This guy has more money than he can ever spend, Miss Su, you don't need to worry about him spending money."

"Young Master Qin... I... I can do it myself."

When Wang Chenbai saw Qin Yucheng personally handing him the skewers, his legs trembled.

He hurriedly stepped forward and took the skewer of fried dough, completely unaware that the oil droplets on the skewer had gotten onto the hem of his robe.

If his father found out that he dared to let the young master of the Qin family serve him and bring him food, he would be dead.

His sudden display of utmost respect and flattery made Su Hua raise an eyebrow and glance at Qin Yucheng.

A fair-skinned young man with his wide sleeves rolled up stood on the greasy stall, like a shining pearl fallen into the mud and sand—well, completely out of place.

Qin Yucheng felt Su Hua's gaze and couldn't help but smile and say, "Back when I was at Baichuan Academy, I studied with Wang Dapang and Lu Lao Er for a few days, so we're old acquaintances."

Su Hua's heart stirred slightly. "Are there any requirements for attending Baichuan Academy?"