Chapter 15

As the carriage moved swiftly, Jiang Xingchen lifted the cotton curtain hanging by the window and watched the scenery on the street. Although he had been to the Purple Broom Mercenary Group yesterday, his mind was entirely focused on the bounty and the pot of braised spareribs, so he paid no attention to his surroundings. When he returned, it was already late. It could be said that only now did he truly see the full view of Hongyuan City.

Leaving the area around the commoners' district, Jiang Xingchen realized how prosperous the city was, even more bustling than the scenes depicted in the "Qingming Shanghe Tu." The wide streets were crowded with pedestrians, most of whom were wealthy people dressed in cotton clothes or nobles in expensive and splendid attire. The commoners, dressed in hemp, were mostly doing odd jobs in various shops, walking close to the walls.

The buildings on both sides of the street were no longer just single-story houses; occasionally, there would be a two-story building, and in the distance, even larger structures could be seen...

After watching with great interest for a while, Jiang Xingchen could no longer bear it. He put down the curtain and leaned back against the seat, slightly adjusting his posture.

The carriage's shaking and jolting were too severe. At first, he didn't notice, but as time passed, his whole body ached and felt numb, and his buttocks seemed to have lost all sensation, becoming completely numb.

"How can the road paved with large blue stones be so bumpy? Is there no shock-absorbing spring installed in the carriage?" Jiang Xingchen frowned, turned his head, and asked the little girl who was still excited, "Mei'er! Isn't the carriage so bumpy that you feel uncomfortable?"

"No, it feels great!" The little girl's eyes sparkled, and her curiosity showed no signs of diminishing. After saying this, she continued to look out the window.

Jiang Xingchen was speechless, lamenting in his heart, "Am I too pampered, even worse than a little girl... No, I can't take it anymore!"

Feeling unable to endure it any longer, Jiang Xingchen said to the hooligan driving the carriage, "It's noon. Let's find a place to eat. Are there any restaurants around here?"

The carriage slowed down, and the hooligan driving it turned his head to answer, "Young Master Jiang, if we go another mile, we'll reach Fuyongzhai!"

"Great! Let's go to Fuyongzhai for lunch!" The carriage slowed down, and Jiang Xingchen felt much better, making a quick decision.

Mei'er put down the curtain, glanced at her brother, and did not complain about the price as she usually did. Instead, she sat quietly on one side...

At this moment, Jiang Xingchen did not know that not long ago, Fuyongzhai and Cuiyunlou had simultaneously introduced new dishes, which had ignited the taste buds of countless people in less than two months.

The first to arrive at Fuyongzhai were the owners and managers of the major restaurants in Hongyuan City. They had long wanted to taste the rich aroma that Jiang Xingchen had released from the pot the night before.

Next were the visiting noble merchants, most of whom had been spectators outside the Purple Broom Mercenary Group yesterday. Additionally, many nobles who had heard the news also rushed over.

As soon as the two largest restaurants opened for business, they were packed to the brim, with no seats available. This situation surprised many people who came to eat but couldn't find a seat, and they found it unusual. Gradually, more and more people began to wait for seats.

Soon, a rich aroma of meat spread throughout the restaurant, and those waiting for seats finally understood what was happening.

When they saw the plates of braised spareribs being served to each table and everyone buried in eating, some clever people quickly paid a deposit to reserve seats.

The news spread quickly, and when people heard that those who had eaten it said they had never tasted such excellent flavor in their lives, even more people began to head to the two restaurants.

In less than two months, the seats at the two restaurants were booked up to three days in advance, and the popularity was almost overwhelming.

Just as the owners of the two restaurants were smiling at the piles of yellow crystal coins entering the restaurants, Jiang Xingchen's carriage also arrived near Fuyongzhai.

"Young Master, we can't move forward. The street is almost blocked by carriages!" The hooligan driving the carriage turned his head and said.

"Huh?" Jiang Xingchen pulled the curtain and saw, as the hooligan said, a dense cluster of carriages, perhaps a hundred or more, almost blocking half the street.

"Is that possible!" Jiang Xingchen widened his eyes, muttering in disbelief, "Fuyongzhai's business is actually this booming?"

Ding ding ding, a young man dressed in fine clothes walked to their carriage and gently knocked on it, saying to Jiang Xingchen at the window, "The private room on the second floor, number seven, is about to be available. It costs twenty yellow crystal coins. Do you want it?"

The two hooligans driving the carriage glared at the young man but didn't dare to speak. They were tyrants in the market outside the commoners' district, but here they were nothing. Offending a noble could cost them their lives.

Jiang Xingchen stared at the young man in shock, the word "scalper" flashing in his mind.

"Do you want it? Don't make me find someone else. Many people are waiting to eat that braised spareribs! The seats for three days from now are already booked!" The young man said impatiently.

"Damn, is it really that popular? The seats for three days from now are all booked, and there are even scalpers..." A dish of braised spareribs, with ingredients not even complete, was this popular, giving Jiang Xingchen a sense of unreality.

Mei'er sat on one side, tightly pursing her lips, clearly struggling to hold back her laughter. This popularity meant they would earn more money.

"Twenty yellow crystal coins, that's a thousand yuan, just for a queue ticket to eat... " Strange thoughts flashed through Jiang Xingchen's mind, and after a moment of contemplation, he took out twenty yellow crystal coins and bought the seat reserved by the young man.

First, he couldn't bear the jolting anymore, and second, he wanted to experience the food in this world.

After instructing the two hooligans to park the carriage, Jiang Xingchen and his group entered Fuyongzhai.

Fuyongzhai covered at least a thousand square meters, with two floors. The first floor alone had over a hundred tables, and the noise was deafening. Over a hundred waiters were weaving through the crowd, their calls echoing continuously. As soon as Jiang Xingchen and his group entered, they felt a wave of warm air carrying a rich meat aroma. Mei'er couldn't help but sniff the air lightly.

"Brother will make it for you when we get home, I promise it will be even more fragrant!" Jiang Xingchen gently patted Mei'er's little head.

Mei'er's face turned slightly red, and she bit her lower lip, nodding lightly, her nose making a soft sound.

Soon, a waiter with a smile on his face came to greet them. After checking the reservation in Jiang Xingchen's hand, he immediately led them upstairs.

Jiang Xingchen didn't notice that as they went upstairs, the owner of Fuyongzhai had already seen him.

In the private room, Jiang Xingchen invited the two hooligans to sit down, which made them feel somewhat flattered.

The waiter quickly brought a bamboo board with the menu written on it. Jiang Xingchen took it and looked at it, but he was somewhat dumbfounded. At this moment, he remembered that he didn't recognize many of the vegetables in this world!

After some thought, Jiang Xingchen handed the bamboo board back to the waiter and said, "Two servings of braised spareribs, four of the best dishes, preferably vegetables, four bowls of rice, and a pot of good wine!"

"Got it! Young Master, please wait a moment, it will be ready soon!" After the waiter left, Jiang Xingchen looked around and thought to himself, "There's not even tea to drink while waiting for the dishes... or maybe they don't have the custom of drinking tea in this world!"

Fortunately, the kitchen of Fuyongzhai was quick, and the dishes were soon served.

Jiang Xingchen raised his hand and invited everyone to start eating, picking up a piece of sparerib and putting it in his mouth.

"Hmm! The flavor is strong, but the meat is a bit tough!" Jiang Xingchen frowned, "Didn't I tell them to boil it with a strong fire, skim off the scum, add wine, and then simmer it slowly in a pot of hot water?"

He shook his head slightly and picked up a piece of vegetable.

"Is this stir-fried? Why is it so watery? Don't they know how to use hot oil in a hot pan?" He thought they knew how to use scallions to flavor the pan, so the stir-fried dishes should be good, but now, they had no texture at all.

"Rice! Is this steamed or boiled? It feels like it was just scooped out of water, and it's still a bit uncooked!"

He took another sip of the wine, which had a soft, mild taste, around twenty degrees.

Putting down his chopsticks, Jiang Xingchen thought for a moment, recalling the stove in his kitchen at home. He realized the problem. The stoves here were large pots with small stove mouths and chimneys, and there were no bellows to increase the fire, so the heat was not strong enough. Yesterday, he had set up a small stove in the yard specifically for the braised spareribs.

"Not enough heat, not enough steam! No wonder there are no buns or steamed buns in this world..."

While Jiang Xingchen was deep in thought, the two hooligans were not idle.

At first, they were careful to control their eating, afraid that their appearance would be unseemly and that Jiang Xingchen would be upset.

But later, seeing that Jiang Xingchen didn't care, they gradually became more relaxed, and their speed of picking up food increased.

By the end, they almost had their faces in the plates. The braised spareribs were absolutely the most delicious thing they had ever tasted.

Mei'er watched from the side, slightly puffing out her cheeks. She also loved the braised spareribs and wanted to pick up her chopsticks to compete with the two, but she glanced at Jiang Xingchen and then calmed down, eating slowly.

"Brother is a noble, I have to take care of his face and not argue with you! Anyway, brother will make even better food for me at home..." The little girl glanced at the two and thought to herself.

After a short while, Jiang Xingchen looked up and saw that the plates on the table were almost empty, and he couldn't help but look at Mei'er.

"What are you looking at me for! It was those two hooligans who ate it!" Mei'er raised her eyebrows, about to burst out.

Fortunately, Jiang Xingchen reacted quickly and saw that Mei'er still had some rice in her bowl. He turned his head and looked at the two hooligans in surprise.

The two hooligans blushed, realizing that Jiang Xingchen wasn't ignoring them but was deep in thought and hadn't noticed them.

Seeing their expressions, Jiang Xingchen understood what had happened. He raised his hand and patted Mei'er's head to comfort her, intending to call the waiter to order more dishes.

But before he could call, the waiter knocked and entered, holding a plate with a small cup of water on it.

"Young Master Jiang! This is a gift from our owner, water from the Cloud Mist leaves, rich in vital energy! He says it's to thank you... Also, your bill has already been paid by the owner!"

Jiang Xingchen didn't speak. As soon as the waiter entered, he smelled a fragrant aroma, and the vague sensitivity in his mind was activated again.