Chapter 16 - Hot and Sour Soup (1)

In the small town, the woman with the wok on her back appeared again!

In such a small town, gossip spread the fastest. Many people knew that this woman, who seemed to be not very smart, was the leader of the Heavenly Cauldron Sect. She even threatened to close the only restaurant in town.

Although the passersby seemed to be doing their own things, Chen Muxue could feel the occasional gazes.

It was a simple stall with two clay pots and many medium-sized pots. At a glance, there were fried golden beans, maroon fried peanuts, green onions, and crushed coriander. All kinds of colors formed a harmonious picture.

A large pot of clear sweet potato vermicelli was soaked in water. There were two clay pots, one with boiling water and the other with chicken soup. The fresh fragrance floated out for a few miles.

"What are they doing?" a passerby asked curiously.

Ordinary people were still a little afraid of cultivators. After all, although the immortal cultivation world and the imperial court had special people to control cultivators, no one wanted to "seek justice" after being injured.

"Keep it steady, Xiaohu." As Chen Muxue spoke, she made five bowls of noodles. It was almost time for lunch. Since everyone was hesitating, she would first take care of her own needs.

They shouldn't underestimate the power of food! 

It was worth mentioning that after eating the hot and sour noodles with the mysterious plant a few days ago, Xiaohu had entered level three of Qi Refining Stage in one go. In addition to these few days of practice, he could already control ordinary flames quite well.

Of course, his spiritual energy was not enough to support this stall. Chen Muxue only asked him to watch the size of the fire, and the firewood he burned was one that cost her ten wens.

Not to mention the new clay pot, she had spent a whole tael of silver on sweet potato powder and other things of all sizes!

Now, the Heavenly Cauldron Sect only had six taels of silver in their savings!

Since Xiaohu already had a spiritual root, Chen Muxue didn't dare to let the passersby eat the food she made with her wok. The noodles at the back were also made separately.

She took out a bowl and first added some garlic water. This water was made with mashed garlic and water. It had a strong garlic fragrance but was not spicy.

She then added vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and a little white sugar that could soften the spiciness. She also added white pepper powder, which could bring a suitable spiciness to the soup.

Two big spoonfuls of the delicious chicken soup were poured into the bowl. Immediately, a slightly pungent salty fragrance spread out!

"It smells so good! Is she cooking noodles?" A passerby rubbed his rumbling stomach. "I don't care. I'll go buy a bowl and try it."

Just as the cooked vermicelli was poured into the soup bowl, a passerby came to Chen Muxue. "What's the price of this noodle, Sect Master?"

Chen Muxue smiled. "You don't have to be so formal. It's eight wens for a bowl of vermicelli noodles." 

"Eight wens!" The ears of those who were listening perked up immediately as they exclaimed.

The waiter, who was observing in secret, laughed awkwardly. "Eight wens? She's really daring. The recipe for the radish last time cost fifty taels. It seems that cultivators really don't care about the common people, right?"

"A bowl of plain noodles, cream, and noodles cost eight wens? Although I've never eaten something called vermicelli, it's not as delicious as meat!" 

The passersby couldn't help but compare. "A plate of pig's head meat in the restaurant is only ten wen!"

The passerby who had asked for the price could back off now, but he was rather thin-skinned and had already asked for the price. For a moment, he was in a dilemma.

Chen Muxue smiled again. She poured a small spoonful of chili oil and a large spoonful of meat sauce onto the soup. A rich, fresh, and spicy taste burst out!

The chili oil was fried with star anise, cinnamon, fragrant leaves, and wild pepper. When poured out, white sesame seeds were placed at the bottom of the bowl. No matter what kind of soup was added with such chili oil, it would be extremely fresh and spicy.

As for meat sauce, the meat provided by Chen Muxue was even better. It was 30% fat and 70% lean meat. After being chopped carefully, it was fried with scallions, ginger, and garlic until it was fragrant. Then, bean paste and soybean paste were added. Even if it was used alone to mix noodles, it was still fragrant.

Among them, Chen Muxue had to travel through the streets and go to the countryside to buy bean paste and soybean paste from farmers. It had to be said that it was true that experts were among the common folk. It was just that in ancient times, there were not many farmers with a business mind. Even if they made something new, they would not think of selling it on a large scale.

A full spoonful of meat sauce was spread on the vermicelli, and the bright spicy oil on the tempting soup constantly emitted a fragrance that made people drool unconsciously.

The passerby, who was cowering a little just now, began to touch his wallet when he saw such a tempting meat sauce. 'A bowl of meat noodles in the restaurant cost seven wen, but compared to this bowl of noodles in front of me, it could only be said to be boiled with salt water and oil.' 

Just as he was about to pay, Chen Muxue placed the bowl of noodles on the temporary table beside him. "Come, Xiaohua, are you hungry? Eat first."

"Thank you," Xiaohua said softly, but she was not in a hurry to eat. Instead, she ran to the side and scooped a spoonful of fried soybeans into the bowl. Then, she went to the big pot next to her and scooped a spoonful of small pieces of pickled radish.

This time, the pickled radish was even spicier with pickled peppers. Xiaohua mixed the ingredients well first, then picked up some vermicelli with her chopsticks.

The crystal clear vermicelli was wrapped in red oil and rich ingredients, and the soup flowed back into the bowl with the red oil.

The sound of someone swallowing their saliva was heard.

The passerby standing in front of the stall was a little embarrassed. At this moment, he had already taken out the money, but he could only hold it tightly in his hand, not wanting others to notice his embarrassment.

He really wanted to turn around and leave, but the food was too fragrant!

He was fond of spicy food and had eaten countless soup noodles. Every time he added chili oil, he always felt that the taste was not so full. There was a sense of separation between soup and oil.

As for this whatever vermicelli, with just a glance, it was obvious that the fragrant spicy oil was an important part of the soup. When he smelled it again, his mouth could not help but drool. 

He wanted to eat it! He really wanted to eat it!

When Chen Muxue saw that he was hesitating, she did not make things difficult for him and sold him the next bowl. "You can add these small bits once. It's free."

Chen Muxue had calculated that when the soup and the vermicelli were added, the amount of small ingredients that could be added in a bowl would not be too exaggerated. As such, they would not lose money even if they added it for free.

"This pickled radish is also included?" When the passerby saw the pickled radishes, he was a little surprised. After all, who hadn't heard of the pickled radish that was sold for fifty taels in the restaurant a few days ago?

Although he didn't buy it from the restaurant, the restaurant had launched the same style of pickled radish yesterday, so he went to join in on the fun.

However, the food in the restaurant yesterday was not that amazing. The radish was too sour and a little bitter, and it did not look as bright as the one in front of him.

He heard some people in the restaurant talking about it. They were the people who had eaten this girl's pickled radish that day. They said that the pickled radish in the restaurant was somewhat like a copycat.

He didn't expect to be able to eat authentic food today, and it was free! At the thought of this, the passerby hurriedly added a large spoon of pickled radish into the bowl.

Because the spicy taste of the pickled peppers blended harmoniously with the sweet and sour juice, it whetted one's appetite just by smelling it!

"How is it? Is it good?" A passerby directly went to the table and asked.

"Wu Wu Wu Wu Wu Wu Wu Wu Wu Wu!"

The passerby who was eating didn't even raise his head as he ate. He didn't have the time to care about people at all!

When the waiter saw the man add the radishes and eat them in such an exaggerated way, he quickly wiped his saliva and said, "This is bad! We have to let the manager know right away!"