Yuean County
At dawn, the town was bustling with activity, and three horse-drawn carriages slowly pulled up to the side of the road.
Li Zhiyuan and eight or nine classmates got off the carriage.
"I never expected Master Chen to be so kind. He not only invited us to have a meal, but also let us stay overnight."
The eight or nine people were walking down the street, chatting happily.
"By the way," said the handsome man at the front, tapping his folding fan between his thumb and forefinger, "at this time, can we get some spicy soup?"
"Yes, yes, we can eat it! Hahaha!" The students behind him lit up.
The spicy soup has been on the market in the county town for half a month, and it became a hit as soon as it appeared.
Unfortunately, they have to rush to class early every day, and by the time they finish class, the goods are already sold out.
If I want to eat it, I can only ask my family to buy it and save it for me, or wait for my day off.
"It's still early, if we go there now we might be able to get a turn."
"Walk."
The eight or nine people headed to the spicy soup stall with great enthusiasm.
Li Zhiyuan, who was walking on the very edge, had a dark expression.
Hu spicy soup, isn't that just that lowly woman Ye's stall?
He knew how popular Hu spicy soup was; his classmates who had tried it at the academy all praised it.
But after Jiaojiao and Zimo tasted it, they told him that it was terrible and they didn't know why it was praised so highly.
He had been eating Ye's food for fourteen years, and it could only be described as mediocre. It would be a miracle if the spicy soup was delicious.
Hmph, that wretched woman Ye is still waiting for him to come knocking on her door. This time, his going to the spicy soup stall is practically like him delivering himself to her doorstep. Isn't that making her ecstatic?
Li Zhiyuan stepped forward and laughed, "What's so great about spicy soup? It's just a street food. How can it compare to Ruyi Restaurant's Golden and Silver Porridge? Let's go to Ruyi Restaurant instead!"
The students frowned, clearly displeased.
"Ha, I wonder which wealthy family Brother Zhiyuan is from, that he looks down on street food?" said Liu Gaosheng, a poor scholar from humble origins.
“We all think it’s delicious, but Brother Zhiyuan doesn’t. Brother Zhiyuan should look for the reason within himself. Is there something wrong with his sense of taste?” said Scholar Qian Hai.
The leading man looked at Li Zhiyuan and said gently, "We all want to eat spicy soup. If you don't like it, Brother Zhiyuan, you can go back first."
Li Zhiyuan's expression changed, and he hurriedly smiled and said, "No, no, I want to eat it too, it's just... I've been eating too much lately, so I wanted to change things up."
The man smiled and didn't say anything more.
Seeing this, the other students dared not say anything more.
Li Zhiyuan breathed a sigh of relief.
The man's name was Zheng Nian, and he was the brother-in-law of the local county magistrate.
With this identity, Zheng Nian could act with impunity in Yue'an County.
However, Zheng Nian was gentle in nature, of noble character, and never did anything evil. Moreover, he was exceptionally talented, passing the imperial examination at the age of twenty and ranking first in the examination.
It's a pity he suffered a serious illness in recent years, otherwise he would have passed the imperial examination by now.
Because of his high status and outstanding talent, Zheng Nian was the top student at their Mingyue Academy.
"We have to hurry, or we won't get to eat," Qian Hai said.
"It's a pity it's only available in the morning; it would be even better if it were available in the evening," Zheng Nian said.
Li Zhiyuan was taken aback, then suddenly had an idea: "That's easy. If Brother Zheng likes it, I'll give him the recipe right away, and he can eat it whenever he wants."
Upon hearing this, all the students were stunned.
They all know how popular this spicy soup is.
Several restaurants wanted to buy the recipe but couldn't get it. Li Zhiyuan was just an ordinary student. What merit did he have to give away the recipe so easily?
Zheng Nian looked surprised: "Brother Li, what makes you say that?"
Li Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "To be honest, the person running the stall is an acquaintance of mine. He just wants a prescription, it's just a matter of a few words."
Liu Gaosheng and the other students were shocked. Qian Hai mocked:
"Hmph, Brother Li, have you lost your mind? This prescription is worth a fortune. How could you possibly get someone's livelihood prescription with just a few words from an acquaintance?"
Liu Gaosheng: "Be careful, the wind might be too strong and you might bite your tongue."
Li Zhiyuan glanced at the two of them and sneered, "Just you wait and see. Just because you don't have the ability doesn't mean others don't."
Zheng Nian disagreed: "Why take away someone else's means of making a living when everything is fine? I don't want any recipe, I'm just expressing my feelings."
Li Zhiyuan laughed and said, "Brother Zheng, you don't need to be so polite. I gave you the recipe so that you could have fresh, hot soup anytime without having to wait up early in the morning. As long as you don't make the recipe public, it's not a means of stealing someone's livelihood."
Zheng Nian thought about it and realized that it made sense.
Li Zhiyuan continued, "Brother Zheng, don't worry, it's just a small matter, the other party won't find it difficult."
Seeing that Li Zhiyuan spoke so easily, Zheng Nian smiled and nodded, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Li."
Li Zhiyuan was secretly thrilled to receive a thank you from Zheng Nian: "It's nothing, let's go eat some spicy soup!"
Although he had already passed the imperial examination, everyone in the academy said he was lucky to have passed.
Hmph, a bunch of shady, despicable people who can't stand to see others succeed!
Previously, Zheng Nian and he were not familiar with each other at all; they weren't even nodding acquaintances.
It wasn't until he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar that he was able to attend some of Zheng Nian's small gatherings.
But he remains a marginal figure.
Once he presents this recipe to Zheng Nian, he can officially enter Zheng Nian's circle.
At that time, not only will you be able to attend gatherings among scholars, but you will also be able to attend gatherings among those who have passed the imperial examinations.
In addition, they could also make friends with the upper-class nobles of Yue'an County.
These connections were entirely beneficial to his scientific research endeavors.
Besides, given Zheng Nian's style of doing things, even if he obtained the prescription, he wouldn't make it public.
With Hu spicy soup being so popular, this recipe might sell for several hundred taels of silver.
Thinking of this, Li Zhiyuan felt a secret heat rising in his chest.
He wasn't worried at all about not being able to get the prescription, because the stall was run by the Ye family.
Fine, fine, for Zheng Nian's sake, he'll go see her himself!
When he arrives, Madam Ye will rush over crying.
She would readily offer up her secret recipe as long as you asked.
Also, I can take that piece of jade with me; that would kill two birds with one stone.
He wasn't afraid that Ye would reveal that she was his ex-wife. As long as she opened her mouth, one glare from him would shut her up.
Li Zhiyuan at least knew that asking his ex-wife for a prescription was not a respectable thing to do.
Looking at Li Zhiyuan's confident demeanor, Liu Gaosheng and Qian Hai couldn't help but snort coldly.
This time, Li Zhiyuan, that hypocrite, actually got away with it.
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