"I'm quite ordinary, let's talk about money.
"Tong, Tong, Miss Tong, I, I, I have something, um, Uncle Zhong said the food is excellent, asked me to thank you," turning around, he saw the girl behind him with a smiling face, Cheng Mo's face turned red instantly, the usual indifference disappeared into thin air, awkwardly greeting without knowing what he was saying.
"Oh, Uncle Zhong—"
"Yes, yes, it's Uncle Zhong. He asked me to thank you," Cheng Mo explained anxiously, but his voice became smaller and smaller.
"How does he want to thank me?" Watching the usually cool and composed young man, now showing a mix of disbelief, embarrassment, and confusion, Xiangbei decided not to tease him anymore, "I'm going back to the cabin to get some things to wash my hands. Why don't you wait for me on the deck?"
"Okay, okay, I'll wait for you over there," Cheng Mo said, escaping to the bow like a fleeing bird, taking a deep breath, slowly recovering his usual composure.
Xiangbei brought a few new bamboo tubes, caustic soda, and a small bag of sulfur. Sitting in front of the stove, he slowly melted the chicken fat. In lukewarm water, he gently added a few pieces of caustic soda. A large amount of white foam rolled violently and then disappeared. He used a small bowl of hot water to dissolve some sulfur powder and then fished out the chicken fat residue. Taking the pot off the fire, he stirred the melted fat while slowly adding the caustic soda solution. After adding all of it, he scooped out a small spoon of sulfur water and slowly poured it in. Finishing these steps, he looked up at Cheng Mo, who had been watching her operations with wide eyes and curiosity, still stirring at a steady pace, and asked, "You mentioned earlier how Uncle Zhong wants to thank me for the delicious food I made for him?"
"Well, it's like this. Your food is not only delicious, but this method is also clever. I want to use it in our future business. Is that possible? This is a token of gratitude for the meals you've personally made these past few days. Also, I'd like to seek your permission to teach this skill to us," Cheng Mo explained calmly, handing over the wooden box he held.
"Your words really make me feel relieved," mumbled Xiangbei in her heart, taking the wooden box, opening it to reveal a pile of warm and delicate pearls that shimmered almost dazzlingly in the sunlight—pearls of seawater in gold, pink, translucent white, and deep purple, each with a diameter exceeding two centimeters. "These are too precious. What I made is just a simple food using local ingredients. It's not worth such rare thanks. If you like it, just replicate it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me." Xiangbei closed the wooden lid and handed it back.
"It's not just a token of gratitude. Uncle Zhong manages the Fuhai Building Restaurant in the town, and he wants to use this method to create some new dishes. So, he also wants to buy your recipe." Cheng Mo did not take it but further expressed his thoughts.
"Ah, you run a restaurant. In that case, I have more ideas. We are mountain medicine farmers and hunters. In addition to ingredients, I can make various flavored condiments and special foods. Every month, we can send some to your restaurant. If you like them, you can buy them. Today's food is a thank you for Uncle Zhong's lifesaving favor. He can use it however he wants. Moreover, these ocean pearls are too precious. Even one is far more valuable than what I made, let alone a whole box. I won't accept them," Xiangbei pushed the wooden box back to Cheng Mo again.
"Miss Tong, what delicious thing are you making again?" Just as the two were persisting, Cheng Zhong appeared at the right moment, seemingly not noticing the conversation between the two, only curiously examining what Xiangbei was stirring continuously in her hands.