Shopkeeper Tu, hearing that they would be leaving soon, finally remembered he had something to ask of them! Especially after returning from Old Man Li’s house and witnessing their tragic situation, he felt it was difficult to bring up the matter of purchasing the secret recipe at such a time.
Perhaps Shopkeeper Tu’s conflicted expression was too obvious, and Su Muqing, seeing his hesitant demeanor, directly asked him, "Shopkeeper Tu, is there something else you need to tell us? We’ve known each other for a while now, so please feel free to speak your mind."
Shopkeeper Tu saw that Su Muqing had noticed, and said sheepishly, "Heh, hehe, well, it’s nothing major. It’s just… I wanted to ask if the dishes you make are so delicious because of some exclusive secret recipe? My restaurant has been doing moderately well every day, and I was wondering if you could sell me one or two of your recipes, so we could have a signature dish or something. Also, those gentlemen, when they were cooking, brought out many ingredients I’ve never seen before, so I was thinking…"
So it was all about this! To be honest, Su Muqing had a pretty good impression of this shopkeeper. He was warm-hearted, helpful, and kind.
Even before knowing the true character of the little tyrant, he maintained goodwill towards outsiders like them. Such a person was worth befriending. He just wondered if he would be willing to convert his restaurant into a hot pot establishment? To be the unique one in Yong’an Town!
"Shopkeeper Tu, are you interested in opening a hot pot specialty restaurant?"
"Hot pot? What is hot pot? And what is a specialty restaurant?" Shopkeeper Tu had never heard these terms before.
In Yong’an Town, when winter arrived, there was indeed a tradition of eating warm pots, but the seasonality of eating warm pots was very important. If it were autumn or winter, business would generally be good. However, in the scorching summer heat like now, very few people ate it.
Su Muqing simply explained the concept of a specialty restaurant to him and painted a picture of how popular a well-run hot pot restaurant could be. The result was that not only Shopkeeper Tu listened with relish, but even the little tyrant beside him listened with shining eyes.
While Su Muqing was explaining, Leng Ren directly returned to the kitchen and boiled a packet of hot pot base. The firewood in the kitchen had not completely died out, so it was very convenient to boil this.
Leng Ren also added some ham sausage and other easily cooked ingredients. Finally, he cooked a large bowlful, which looked like a spicy soup.
After cooking the food, Leng Ren also prepared a dipping sauce for the two of them according to his own taste. Looking at the steaming large bowl, Leng Ren felt he had more and more potential to be a chef.
Shopkeeper Tu and Qi Xingjie, who had just finished a hearty dinner and supper, couldn't help but swallow their saliva when they heard Su Muqing describe the taste of hot pot. Why did they feel hungry again?
The two of them were imagining the unforgettable taste in their minds, according to Su Muqing’s description of its numbing, spicy, fresh, and fragrant qualities.
Suddenly, their noses twitched in unison. Could it be that Su Muqing’s description was too vivid, and they seemed to truly smell the imagined scent?
And that scent was getting closer and closer!
The two of them closed their eyes, neither willing to open them first, for fear that the aroma would dissipate as soon as they opened their eyes. But in a daze, they felt something hot and spicy placed before them.
Qi Xingjie sniffed and leaned forward, and a wave of heat instantly hit him.
"This smell is a bit familiar? Ah-choo! Ah-choo!" He was so stimulated that he sneezed several times. When he opened his eyes, he saw a basin of red food placed in front of him.
Beside it were two small coarse porcelain bowls and two pairs of chopsticks. The porcelain bowls contained things he couldn't name.
Shopkeeper Tu had already opened his eyes and was studying it. Since the restaurant didn’t have a copper basin specifically for hot pot, Leng Ren used a large coarse porcelain bowl to hold it, so it looked rather unremarkable.
"Young Master Su, is this what you call hot pot?" Shopkeeper Tu couldn't see anything special about it after looking around. Although the smell was indeed quite fragrant, wasn't it just a bowl of stew with their secret seasonings mixed in? It had nothing to do with the words "hot" or "pot"!
"This is cooked with a special hot pot base. You two can taste it while I explain. In fact, when eating hot pot, you should use a special copper basin and place a small stove underneath…"
Listening to Su Muqing's explanation, Shopkeeper Tu nodded, half-understanding. In fact, the principle of this hot pot was not much different from their warm pot. The only difference might be the base he mentioned and those complicated dipping sauces.
The two of them exchanged glances, then each picked up chopsticks. Following his instructions, they first mixed the dipping sauce and then each picked up a piece of ham sausage from the large bowl and dipped it.
The moment it entered their mouths, they knew this was a new kind of food. It was soft and springy and easy to chew. They didn't know if it was their imagination, but it tasted somewhat like meat!
They had to admit, this flavor was truly domineering! It was both numbing and spicy. Even though they were sweating profusely from eating it, their chopsticks couldn't resist reaching for more food. It truly made them want to eat more after eating!
So, for the next half hour, the two who had said they were already full, devoured the entire large bowl of food like a storm. If it weren't for their mouths being so numb from the spiciness, they might have even wanted to drink the remaining broth.
Seeing the two of them steaming hot, Leng Ren thoughtfully brought over a basin of ice. This was made from saltpeter and, due to time constraints, was pre-prepared from Su Muqing's spatial dimension.
"Where did all this ice come from?" Qi Xingjie, sticking out his burning tongue, mumbled, but the joy in his eyes was undeniable.
This sudden appearance of ice was like timely rain after a drought for the two of them! They both scooped up a piece and shoved it into their mouths.
The icy sensation touching their tongues, which were burning hot, caused a reaction that made them feel as if they heard a "sizzle" in their minds, which felt incredibly refreshing!
They were too busy trying to relieve their body heat to bother inquiring about the origin of this ice. After all, in Yong'an Town, only the town mayor and this Young Master Qi would likely have access to such things.
Su Muqing looked at the two people in front of him, constantly exhaling white mist, and felt like laughing. "This is ice we made. How did you two find the hot pot taste just now?"
"The taste is truly superb! It's just a bit of suffering to eat it in the summer heat, it's too hot. I'm afraid not many people would be willing to come in and eat it during this season!" Shopkeeper Tu first affirmed its taste but also pointed out its biggest drawback.
Qi Xingjie nodded in agreement. This stuff was indeed satisfying to eat. However, after eating it, it was no different from a sauna. His clothes were now sticking to him, soaked in sweat.