Chapter 44

Just past noon, groups of people emerged from the two large restaurants, still with expressions of lingering satisfaction, discussing the flavors of the two new dishes.

"Who would have thought that stones could be used to grill meat, and it tastes so good, even better than braised ribs!"

"The main thing is the sauce, which blends perfectly with the grilled meat, it's simply amazing!"

"The best dish is the Beggar's Pheasant. Not only is the meat tender, but the combination of flavors creates a whole new kind of deliciousness!"

"It's just a bit expensive, a Beggar's Pheasant costs thirty yellow crystal coins! Although it doesn't match the top-tier ingredients, it definitely has the price of high-quality ingredients!"

"Such deliciousness is worth the price! Didn't you hear the waiter explain that this dish takes more than three months to prepare..."

Almost everyone who had tasted it gave it extremely high praise, and some even lamented that once they left Hongyuan City, where could they find such delicious food!

In other places, the topic of conversation was more about the new delicacy, the buns. The soft dough and fragrant meat filling made them a great pleasure to eat. Compared to rice and flatbreads, they were just so much better! More importantly, they were cheap.

For the entire noon, the eight bun shops had almost sold out of all their prepared ingredients.

Originally, Sun Sanqiang was still worried that operating at the same time as the two large restaurants might affect his business. After all, he had invested all his savings into these eight shops.

But the facts proved that the strategy of occupying the mid-to-low-end market, as defined by Jiang Xingchen, was absolutely correct! In just one noon, the reputation of his eight shops spread, and in the minds of outsiders, it even surpassed some of the large restaurants...

As the evening approached, the two large restaurants and the bun shops welcomed a second peak.

With the New Year's song and dance preliminaries approaching, more and more people rushed to Hongyuan City to join the food tasting.

Gradually, the news spread wider. The entire city's restaurants had braised ribs, the high-end new dishes from the two large restaurants, and the buns that everyone praised... At some point, people started calling Hongyuan City the City of Delicacies, and this title gained more and more recognition, quickly spreading in all directions.

Originally, Hongyuan City was known for its abundant resources and complete goods. But during the New Year's song and dance preliminaries, the title of the City of Delicacies made people forget the city's original characteristics.

In the evening, Duke Dingbei raised a cup to drink alone in his mansion, his rugged face beaming with joy! The title of the City of Delicacies made him unable to remain calm. If the prosperity and development of his main city surpassed that of a duke, one could imagine how much Emperor Qiankun would value him, and he even had the confidence to elevate his daughter's noble status.

"A few secret recipes, a well-planned strategy, and the right timing, and this young man has created such a prosperous scene. He is truly a rare talent!"

Drinking the wine in one gulp, the duke sighed. At this moment, he felt a sense of relief that his daughter and Hongxian had met Jiang Xingchen.

At this time, almost everyone in Hongyuan City was smiling, except for those outsiders who had gone to great lengths to buy the secret recipes.

They had finally managed to secretly buy the recipes from a few restaurants, but before they could even be happy, the two large restaurants introduced new dishes, which were even better than the braised ribs.

Now, they couldn't even bring themselves to go to Duke Dingbei. They couldn't tell him, "We have already bought the recipe through illegal means from other restaurants, so please sell us the recipes for the other two dishes." If they said that, Duke Dingbei might take action directly, and the restaurants that sold them the recipes would not fare well either.

This feeling was like being wronged with no place to vent, like being hit and having no place to complain. These people felt as if they had swallowed a fly, with a lump in their throats that they couldn't spit out...

Jiang Xingchen was well aware of everything happening in Hongyuan City. When he set the plan, he had already anticipated such a scene.

However, he didn't have the time to worry about those things now. He had to hurry and help Sister Wanrou prepare the performance. As for how much money they would make, he trusted Sun Sanqiang and Mo Hongxian to handle it fairly.

He already had a drum, and since it would be performed by a man, the first thing that came to mind was the "General's Order," a drum piece that stirs the blood.

However, he had only heard it occasionally in the past and couldn't remember it. The only thing he was familiar with was the song "Men Should Be Strong." He vaguely remembered that the melody of this song had the shadow of "General's Order."

Based on the rhythm of this song, he could figure out the drum piece. With his current grasp of rhythm, it shouldn't be a problem. But there was another issue: this world had no string instruments, and he didn't know if he could make unfamiliar instruments work with it.

The most important thing was how Sister Wanrou would appear in the performance and in what form...

From noon, Jiang Xingchen began to focus on his research, working until late at night without even eating dinner.

Mei'er came over several times, wanting him to rest, but seeing his serious and focused expression, she held back and didn't call him...

The next day, before dawn, Jiang Xingchen got up and made another large drum. After the sun rose, he went directly to the duke's mansion and called Sister Wanrou to his home.

The entire piece was dominated by a man, stirring the blood and inspiring upward. The lyrics used were "Men Should Be Strong." He thought about it and decided that Sister Wanrou could only appear as a drummer.

However, this drum piece was powerful and bold, and the more vigorous the performance, the better the effect. It also required a lot of physical strength, and he was a bit worried that Sister Wanrou's body might not keep up.

When Jiang Xingchen came to her, the always worried Sister Wanrou was very happy, thinking he had already prepared the piece. But when she followed him to his home...

"Are you really going to let a man perform? Can it work... What is this thing called, a drum... You want me to hit this, but not participate in the performance... What is this piece called, 'Men Should Be Strong'... No, you have to perform with me, I can't hit it well alone..."

Seeing the strange thing Jiang Xingchen had made, Sister Wanrou became even more anxious, regretting her decision to entrust the arrangement of the performance to him. Even if she did a poor job, at least it would still be a dance and music, but what was this!

But now, it was too late to say anything. She had no choice but to practice according to Jiang Xingchen's arrangement.

For the next two days, Sister Wanrou came early in the morning and returned home in the afternoon, exhausted. Duke Dingbei was constantly worried, fearing that his daughter would be overworked.

Besides perfecting the drum piece, Jiang Xingchen also had to prepare costumes and instruct Sister Wanrou to find suitable dancers, as the original girls wouldn't do!

Not only that, he had to rush to the Seventh Legion branch to check on the progress of the doctors. He also had to teach the Zhao family how to make catgut from wild buffalo intestines, which kept him extremely busy.

During these two days, the two large restaurants and the eight bun shops became even more popular, with all the prepared ingredients sold out every day. The chefs were so busy that they had lost weight.

With more and more people coming to Hongyuan City, other restaurants also made a fortune. The braised ribs were universally welcomed, and the title of the City of Delicacies was firmly established in everyone's mind.

On the evening before the New Year's song and dance preliminaries, Jiang Xingchen came out of the Seventh Legion branch. After walking a few steps, six soldiers hurried over and called out, "Young Master Jiang!"

"Um!" Jiang Xingchen stopped, turned to look at the six soldiers who had come up to him, and asked, "Is there something you need?"

"Oh! Nothing!" The first one quickly waved his hand and said, "We just came to thank you. If it weren't for Young Master Jiang, we might have been disabled!"

Another one added, "We wanted to thank you a few days ago, but you were too busy, and we couldn't catch up with you!"

"Young Master Jiang, we are insignificant and have nothing to offer. If you need anything in the future, just say the word, and we will do anything for you, no matter what!"

Hearing their words, Jiang Xingchen recognized them as the first batch of soldiers who had used the catgut.

"My method was originally intended for the army, and treating you was my duty. There's no need for such grand promises!" Jiang Xingchen thought to himself, chuckled lightly, and was about to wave his hand to say it was no trouble.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration came to him, and he quickly changed his words, "Are you really willing to help with anything?"

"Uh!" The six soldiers were taken aback. They had come to express their gratitude, but the grand promises were to show their sincerity. They thought that as a noble, Jiang Xingchen wouldn't need their help, but he had specifically asked for it.

"Of course! Whatever Young Master Jiang orders!" The first soldier said, patting his chest. Once the words were out, there was no taking them back.

"Alright!" Jiang Xingchen smiled, "Follow me, there's still time now..."

Half a month later, a wail came from the back yard of Jiang Xingchen's house, "Young Master Jiang, please let us go! That's something only women perform, if our squad leaders find out, they'll beat us to death..."

Then, Jiang Xingchen's sinister laugh echoed, "Now you want to back out? It's too late! You said you would do anything for me!"

"Heaven..."

In the middle of the night, Jiang Xingchen lay in bed, recalling how the six soldiers went from unwilling to surprised, and finally to a burst of enthusiasm and energy, and he couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

"Mei'er! The New Year's song and dance preliminaries are starting tomorrow. Brother will perform with Sister Wanrou. Do you want to come and watch?"

"Of course! Brother said he would perform for me in the future, and tomorrow is the best chance! Besides, the drum Brother made is really great, it can get people moving!"

The little girl turned over, staring at Jiang Xingchen, and said excitedly.

"Ha ha! After the New Year's song and dance preliminaries, Brother will perform for you!"

"Great... But, Mei'er also wants to perform with Brother like Sister Wanrou!"

"That has to wait until you grow up, and your illness is cured!"

"Oh..."

Their voices grew quieter and quieter, and they gradually fell asleep!

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