Another batch was first mixed with white sugar to enhance its flavor. Then, oil was poured into an iron wok and heated over low heat to extract the fragrance from various ingredients. The fragrant hot oil was added to the chili flakes in small increments, allowing the full aroma of the chilies to be released!
Once transferred into glass jars, the finely crushed chili flakes settled at the bottom in vibrant red layers, while the translucent chili oil floated on top. Just one glance was enough to imagine the mouthwatering aroma.
When Lu Zhen finally introduced the chili sauce alongside his signature spicy chicken dish on the Taoyuan Restaurant’s menu, curious customers immediately gathered around.
“Little boss, what new thing do you have for us this time?”
The neighbor uncle sniffed the air, catching the strong scent of chili from the small glass jars. Subconsciously, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
“The one on the left is fermented chili, and the one on the right is chili sauce. Both are meant to be eaten as condiments. Didn’t everyone complain that the daily supply of spicy chicken wasn’t enough? With this, you can add the same rich and spicy flavor to other dishes at home.”
Lu Zhen smiled as he explained, and as expected, the first batch of chili products was quickly snatched up amid cries of, “I’ll take a jar!” and “Me too! Me too!”
Since Lu Zhen’s production capacity was limited, even at his fastest, he could only make a few dozen portions of spicy chicken per day. Many late-arriving customers often had to leave disappointed, unable to get their share.]]
This classic and satisfying moment in the book left readers feeling delighted.
[It smells so good! Hahaha, watching the customers in the book go crazy over Lu Zhen’s chili sauce is so satisfying!]
[+111! Every time I read about people fighting over Lu Zhen’s food, I can’t help but laugh. But at the same time, I feel oddly proud of him! Our Lu Zhen is worthy of being the future God of Cooking!]
[Ahem… don’t you all think this scene looks a little familiar?]
Just as everyone was happily following the updates, a subtle comment appeared.
[Aren’t we exactly the same while chasing updates for Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ books?]
Interstellar readers: !?
[Oh no! This is bad. I’ve become a foodie in the book!]
[Damn it, now you’ve reminded me that I didn’t even manage to grab any of the Food Research Institute’s pre-order ingredients! Even the pre-sale ones haven’t arrived yet! I’m crying like a fool. Am I just as unlucky as those who couldn’t even get Lu Zhen’s chili sauce?]
[No! We refuse to be exposed! I still want to happily enjoy watching these characters go crazy over Lu Zhen’s food! Shut up and take this secret to your grave! (Covers mouth and drags away)]
Suddenly, countless interstellar readers erupted in an uproar, firmly refusing to acknowledge that they had become the very people they were laughing at in the book.
While everyone was eagerly awaiting Lu Zhen to expand his spicy chicken empire and watching the chili sauce continue to sell out, the latest plot twist in Fish Soup Noodles’ novel took an unexpected turn.
Lu Zhen closed his restaurant!
[[The system immediately stopped Lu Zhen, who was excitedly trying to increase production by working day and night.
[Scarcity makes things precious. Your handcrafted food, which cannot be mass-produced, is already incredibly valuable. That’s why customers line up every day just to get a taste.]
[Besides, a true God of Cooking must have professional dignity. You’re not an automated cooking machine. Instead of making the same dish over and over again, why not develop new recipes?]
Although Lu Zhen couldn’t fully accept or understand the system’s reasoning, it did make some sense.
Moreover, he had to ensure that by the time the tourist group arrived, the restaurant’s menu would be more diverse.
So the Taoyuan Restaurant, which had become famous during this period, soon shocked everyone because they found that the handsome and mysterious young boss had actually hung up a sign that read “Closed for further study and development of new products”!
“Oh no! What am I going to do?! I just finished the last jar of chili sauce, and now I can’t buy any more spicy chicken or chili sauce!”
“Little boss! please, I’m begging you, come back! Open up!”
“Yes, at the very least, let us stock up before you close! How can you do this to us?!”
At least tell everyone when you’ll reopen!
Lu Zhen had expected that closing the restaurant for research might cause a decline in popularity. However, to his surprise, the closure of Taoyuan Restaurant instead created a “hunger marketing” effect. The word spread like wildfire, and soon, the restaurant’s reputation soared to new heights.
Not only did its popularity not decrease, but it grew even more!
However, while outsiders were speculating about the young boss’ whereabouts, Lu Zhen received a new system task: Flourishing Floral Drinks!
In the mountains behind the restaurant, Lu Zhen used the system’s newly unlocked limited-time “greenhouse space” golden finger to cultivate a variety of floral and tea plants, including osmanthus, roses, jasmine, and tea leaves.
[Since your spicy chicken mission received such high ratings, your second mission starts on an even better foundation. I have high hopes for you, young man!]
The usually strict system was surprisingly satisfied with its host, Lu Zhen.
Lu Zhen had a pure love for nature, and most importantly, he had a steady and patient mindset, never rushing greedily for quick success.
Whether or not he had the system’s assistance, he always put his heart into his work.
“It smells amazing… If I had more seeds, I’d love to grow an entire osmanthus garden.”
Lu Zhen had taken a great liking to the osmanthus seeds given by the system.
Something about their golden color and rich, sweet fragrance seemed to melt away all worries.
Not to mention the poetic beauty of shaking an osmanthus tree and watching the golden petals rain down.
“The osmanthus flowers fall in the quiet of leisure, and the spring mountains are empty in the stillness of the night.”
Lu Zhen couldn’t help but recall an old book from the ancient Blue Star his grandfather had kept hidden under his pillow.
He didn’t expect that when he finally understood the meaning of the poem, his grandfather was no longer there.
A sense of melancholy washed over him, but he quickly refocused. After carefully harvesting these new ingredients, he began developing new varieties of milk tea such as “osmanthus roasted milk tea” and “jasmine green milk tea”!]]
[Ahhh, Osmanthus roasted milk tea is here! I can’t hold back my drool anymore. Why does it even sound so fragrant and delicious?]
[And there’s Jasmine green milk tea! The name sounds so nice. What is green milk tea anyway? Is it just green-colored milk tea?”
[Everyone is talking about the new food making an appearance, but am I the only one who thinks some of the phrases from the ancient Blue Star in Fish Soup Noodles’ new book are really beautiful? “The osmanthus flowers fall in the quiet of leisure, and the spring mountains are empty in the stillness of the night.”]
[Yes, yes! Just a few short sentences, yet they paint a whole picture. The language is so concise and elegant!]
In the new book, Yu Mian had indeed, for the first time, deliberately guided Lu Zhen to introduce a lot of ancient Blue Star culture.
To be honest, in the past few books, he never dared to write too much about it.
Back then, they weren’t sure whether readers in the interstellar era could understand this culture from Earth, let alone whether they would like or accept it.
If the balance was off and the book ended up being too obscure and flopped, the consequences would be serious.
But now, after accumulating experience book by book, Yu Mian had, in a sense, earned a degree of trust from the readers, allowing for greater freedom in choosing themes.
And to be honest, Yu Mian personally wanted more readers in this once-unfamiliar interstellar era to reconnect with and rediscover the culture of his hometown through their writing.
In doing so, it’s as if he wasn’t so alone.
[Crispy Shark: Your plot arrangement is certainly great, but you might need to be mentally prepared for slightly weaker data performance.
Editor Shaxs had actually discussed the characteristics of Yu Mian’s new book, “God of Cooking”, several times while following its updates.
The new book remained a well-crafted career-oriented and cool novel with mature writing skills. The solid foundation Yu Mian had built in his previous books had not only remained but had become even more refined in “God of Cooking”.
However, compared to the previous books, which had rapid plot twists, intense conflicts, and kept readers on edge the entire time, “God of Cooking” offered a distinctly different reading experience.
There were plenty of moments in the book where the pacing could have been tighter, but Yu Mian had deliberately chosen not to go that route.
For example, why not make Lu Zhen’s cooking process and face-slapping moments more frequent and fast-paced?
Or why not speed up the growth cycle of plants, or even skip it entirely, letting the spiritual spring’s golden finger fast-forward straight to the cooking process?
The only good thing was that the new book incorporated cooking live broadcasts, providing a massive traffic boost that helped mitigate some of the effects of the slower pacing.
Editor Shaxs felt that the pacing of “God of Cooking” might actually be an attempt at a new style.
But after the book had passed its initial launch and live broadcast hype phase, entering a period of steady growth, a different kind of discussion started to emerge.
However, after the explosive period of popularity caused by the live broadcast and the launch of the book, when all data entered a stage of stable upward trend, different voices did emerge.
[Does anyone else feel like Fish Soup Noodles’ new book isn’t as exciting as the previous ones? Compared to older books like “Reborn” and “Contract Marriage”, which had super fast pacing, the numbers for this one seem just so-so. Did the skill decline?]
This comment sparked a heated debate in the comments section.
Indeed, many longtime readers who preferred the fast-paced, twist-heavy style of “Reborn” and “Contract Marriage” subconsciously felt there was some truth to the statement.
But at the same time, saying the book wasn’t good just didn’t feel right either!
[I admit the new book isn’t as intense or thrilling as before, and it actually has a bit of a relaxed vibe. Even the golden fingers, like the spiritual spring and greenhouse space, are all time-limited. But strangely enough, reading about Lu Zhen’s daily life makes me feel calm, as if I’m really following him to the foot of Taoyuan Mountain.]
[Yes, yes! I’m even thinking of skipping amusement parks for my holiday this year and instead going to some lesser-explored regions to experience the charm of those green mountains and clear waters.]
For a while, the comments section was in an uproar, with both viewpoints intertwining.
Ever since publicly recommending “God of Cooking” and following its updates every day, Lu Wei had been observing the debate closely.
But to Lu Wei, the essence of the book seemed to lie precisely in this sense of “leisure”.
In the fast-paced interstellar era, stepping into Lu Zhen’s Taoyuan Mountain felt like entering a sanctuary, a place where one could idly watch flowers bloom and fall, and calmly observe the drifting clouds.
And many of the fascinating and nostalgic elements of ancient Blue Star culture were being gently and patiently introduced to the readers through Lu Zhen’s farming life, one piece at a time.
[Reed V: If the pacing were faster, would “God of Cooking” still have the same flavor of Taoyuan Mountain?
I actually really admire Lu Zhen’s mindset, being able to quietly wait for a plant to bear its own fruit.
Over the past few days, I took advantage of the holiday to go up the mountains and cut some bamboo. I actually managed to make a tiny bamboo basket…it’s really cute.
Placing it on my office desk, I feel like I can even smell the fresh mountain air. Thanks to Teacher Fish Soup Noodles’ book for the method. [Image]]
In Lu Wei’s latest post on StarBlog, the slightly lopsided little bamboo basket in the picture immediately drew everyone’s attention.
[Wow! You actually made one following the book’s description!?]
