Chapter 174 - 162: The Ultimate Pure Spiciness

Chapter 174: Chapter 162: The Ultimate Pure Spiciness

Fortunately, they hadn’t discovered the true potential of this mudflat. Otherwise, like in other provinces, they would have relied solely on experience without any scientific guidance. After just two or three years of aquaculture, all the key metrics for the entire mudflat would have become abnormal. They would have had to spend a fortune and a ton of effort to restore it, with no guarantee it could even be returned to its original state.

Joy appeared on the faces of Huang Yan and the others as they watched Professor Yu nod repeatedly. The data was sound, so the next step was to negotiate a partnership with Xu Family Village. Once the negotiations were complete, they could establish the project, apply for funding, and officially enter the research phase.

"Satisfied?" Professor Yu’s friend, who had at some point stepped away from the computer, asked with a mischievous grin.

"Satisfied? I’m very satisfied. Extremely satisfied. Couldn’t be more satisfied!" Professor Yu placed the thick analysis report on the coffee table. After declaring his satisfaction fourfold, he asked curiously, "A mudflat this huge... your university hasn’t seen its potential all these years? You just let it sit there, untouched?"

"How could we not see it? We’ve brought it up for discussion countless times, but every time it was either a lack of funding or a lack of personnel." Professor Yu’s friend sighed. "Besides, our university already has a contracted mudflat. It’s not in Qianhai Town, but in the neighboring Hailan Town. It’s not large—just over a hundred mu—so each professor only gets about three or four mu. It’s a bit on the small side, but it’s enough to conduct research."

With that, Professor Yu’s friend seemed to feel the topic had become a bit too heavy and quickly changed the subject. "Did you get the invitation from the Fisheries Bureau yesterday? To join them for a casual dinner tonight?"

"Yes," Professor Yu nodded. "I figured I’d come over to get the report, have a little chat, and then it would be about time."

「Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, 2:30 PM.」

After checking that everything was in order at Store No. 2, Xu An locked up and returned to Store No. 1. The moment he stepped inside, he heard a RUSTLING sound from the kitchen, accompanied by a rich, wafting aroma.

’What’s this? Did we not clean up properly? Maybe some of the braised food fell on the floor without anyone noticing, and now it’s attracted mice?’

It’s difficult for restaurants to completely avoid mice and cockroaches. But Xu An required all ingredients to be sealed tightly—even produce like potatoes had to be bagged and tied shut. Thanks to this, plus the weekly pest control operations, Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant hadn’t seen a single mouse or cockroach since its grand opening.

’Looks like that perfect record ends today.’

Xu An tiptoed toward the kitchen. The closer he got, the richer the aroma became, and he could also hear a clear chewing sound. SMACK, SMACK, SMACK...

Just as Xu An reached the kitchen doorway, he heard a man muttering from within, "Both of these flavors seem pretty good. I just wonder if the customers will accept them, and if they’ll sell well."

’That voice... sounds like Zhang Dezhen? It’s two-thirty, way past quitting time. What’s he still doing in the kitchen?’ To confirm his suspicion, Xu An carefully peeked inside. Sure enough, he saw the figure of Zhang Dezhen.

"Master Zhang, it’s time to clock out!" Xu An called out in a normal voice. But Zhang Dezhen didn’t seem to hear him and gave no reaction.

"Master Zhang, you should head home!" Xu An prompted again, raising his voice. Zhang Dezhen still gave no reaction.

"Master Zhang!" This time, Xu An not only raised his voice but also walked up behind Zhang Dezhen and tapped him on the back. "Time to..."

Zhang Dezhen jolted violently, then leaped to the side, hugging his arms tightly to his chest with his eyes squeezed shut. He let out an earth-shattering scream—"AAAAAAAAH!"

In that instant, all sorts of folk superstitions flooded Zhang Dezhen’s mind—tales about the three protective flames on a person’s shoulders, or warnings to never respond when someone calls your name from behind. His scream grew even more blood-curdling.

The piercing shriek nearly burst Xu An’s eardrums. However, as Zhang Dezhen leaped aside, the objects his body had been obscuring came into view.

There were two plates of braised food. From their color, he could tell they were two different marinades. However, their aromas had mingled, so Xu An couldn’t distinguish the individual flavors by smell alone. The one thing he could be sure of was that neither contained chili peppers, or if they did, the amount was negligible.

Zhang Dezhen’s screaming finally subsided, but his eyes remained squeezed shut. He began muttering, "You can’t see me, you can’t see me..."

Xu An shook his head. He picked up a pair of disposable chopsticks, tore open the plastic wrapper, and with a SNAP, broke them apart. After rubbing them together to smooth away any splinters, he reached directly for the darker-colored braised dish on the left.

The large intestines had been simmered and soaked for so long that the braising liquid had completely permeated the meat. The pressure from his teeth and tongue squeezed out the juices, and with every chew, he could feel the rich, mellow liquid flooding his mouth. His taste buds detected the faint sour, spicy, and savory notes of bean paste, the richness of sesame paste, and the fragrance of garlic...

’This plate is a soy-sauce-based flavor.’

The moment he swallowed the last piece of intestine, Xu An’s chopsticks reached for the other, lighter-colored dish. The mushroom on the plate looked dry and shriveled, but as his chopsticks lifted it, it unexpectedly SQUIRTED out juices with a SIZZLE. When it entered his mouth, a medley of flavors—sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy—erupted on his tongue. ’The myriad flavors of life... this must be it.’

’This one is a five-spice flavor.’

The sounds of Xu An eating finally seemed to penetrate Zhang Dezhen’s fear. He cautiously cracked open his eyes. When he saw it was his boss standing before him, not some bizarre creature from a ghost story, he heaved a sigh of relief, and his expression returned to normal. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Boss, these are two new flavors I just developed," Zhang Dezhen said, sidling up to Xu An. "People here in Hai City don’t really eat much spicy food, and our regular flavor has always been the bestseller. So, I developed two new ones. This one is soy-sauce-flavored, and this one is five-spice. Boss, please try them both and tell me what you think."

Xu An nodded, his chopsticks darting out again to deliver two more pieces to his mouth. They were just as delicious as the first.

"They’re fantastic," Xu An said, looking at the anxious Zhang Dezhen. He didn’t hold back his praise. "These two flavors will absolutely have a market." He gave the cook a big thumbs-up.

"Heh heh." A bit embarrassed by the direct praise, Zhang Dezhen unconsciously scratched his head. He looked at Xu An with anticipation. "So, Boss, should we make a batch of both tomorrow and see how they sell?"

"We can," Xu An nodded, his chopsticks already moving to bring two more pieces to his mouth. ’This stuff is incredible,’ he thought, ’the more you eat, the more you want!’

’The shop already offered regular and spicy-numbing flavors. With the new five-spice and soy-sauce options, they now had four flavors, which should satisfy the vast majority of customers. Still, Xu An felt they were a bit too common. Forget chain stores like Zhou Baiya—even the average street stall offered these same flavors. There was no real gimmick, nothing to make them stand out!’

Just then, a single chili seed that had been mixed in with the bean paste landed between Xu An’s teeth. As he chewed, his molars ground down hard on the tiny seed, and a burst of fiery heat exploded in his mouth. However, the lone seed was overwhelmingly outnumbered, and the sensation vanished without a trace in less than a second.

’But Xu An’s brain and tongue had precisely captured that fleeting sensation. It was heat—an ultimate, pure, unadulterated spiciness!’