Chapter 77: 0.1% of Haitian Flavors’ Shares

To make a great dish, all the ingredients must be absolutely perfect.

The quality of the rice wine, a key ingredient, wasn’t up to par, which downgraded this dish from "excellent" to merely "good."

Li Xiao rubbed his chin. Since he had received tips on brewing rice wine from the system, he figured he could find some time to brew his own.

After all, many dishes actually used rice wine.

Rather than searching everywhere for good rice wine, it was better to just make it himself.

Although the high heat had evaporated most of the alcohol, and this particular rice wine wasn’t very strong to begin with...

...considering he had to drive later, he only took a small taste before quickly putting down his chopsticks.

His phone screen lit up. Li Xiao tilted his head and saw it was another message from Zhou Shishi.

After reading it, he smiled knowingly.

’This assistant is just perfect. She always gives me timely reminders at crucial moments.’

He reminded the viewers on camera:

"Oh, right. This Pine Needle Crab cooked in wine uses rice wine as an ingredient, after all."

"Even though the alcohol content of the rice wine is low, if you eat too much of it, there’s still a risk of a DUI. So, please don’t drive after eating this."

Livestream Chat:

"No way, you can get a DUI from eating crab?"

"To the person above, you’d better believe it. Last time I ate Drunken Goose, I ran into a checkpoint and blew a 25. Luckily, after the traffic cop learned why, he had me do a blood test, and the level dropped to 18. Otherwise, I would’ve been in deep trouble."

"I’m a retired traffic cop, let me give everyone a heads-up. Fermented grain, custard pies, Huoxiang Zhengqi water, and even fermented bean curd all contain alcohol. Definitely don’t eat them before driving."

...

While watching the others feast heartily and chatting with the viewers, the oven timer soon let out a crisp DING DING DING.

Li Xiao walked quickly to the oven. He carefully opened it, and a faint white mist immediately billowed out.

As the oven door slowly opened, a rich aroma wafted out, making Li Xiao feel as if he had been transported to a seaside fishing village.

This fragrance wasn’t just the smell of crab; it was the succulent juices of the Pine Needle Crab itself intertwined with the unique flavor produced by the salt-baking process.

Salt-baking, this unique cooking method, not only preserved the original flavor of the Pine Needle Crab but also made it increasingly tender and juicy during the baking process.

It was a magical fusion of Pine Needle Crab and sea salt, an irresistible delicacy.

A rich aroma assaulted the senses. The sea salt crust had formed a golden-brown layer under the high heat, completely sealing the deliciousness of the Pine Needle Crab beneath it.

This hard sea salt crust protected the tenderness of the crab meat, allowing it to fully retain its original flavor under the high temperature.

Li Xiao had already put on heat-resistant oven mitts and carefully took out the baking pan.

Nearby, Huang Zhiyuan had already taken out a bamboo heat-proof mat and placed it on the table.

"Brother Li, put it here."

The baking pan, radiating immense heat, was set down steadily, and everyone let out a sigh of relief.

The originally loose sea salt had absorbed moisture and then been subjected to high heat, causing its surface to form a light golden crust.

Smelling the aroma constantly wafting from the sea salt, Zhou Yu grew impatient and tried to break apart the surface crust with his hands.

However, he forgot that this pan of sea salt had just come out of a 220-degree oven.

Li Xiao jumped when he saw him reach out and quickly raised a hand to stop him, but he was half a beat too slow.

The moment Zhou Yu’s fingers touched the sea salt, he realized his mistake as the intense heat instantly burned them.

Seeing Zhou Yu grimacing in pain, Li Xiao couldn’t help but feel a bit helpless.

"What’s your hurry? It’s so hot, how could you use your hands?"

"Quick, go run it under the faucet to cool it down."

Zhao Shanshan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at her boyfriend’s recklessness, but she still hurried to turn on the faucet for him, letting the cool water soothe his fingers.

Seeing Zhou Yu’s miserable state, Li Xiao shook his head and reminded the viewers on camera:

"This is a perfect example of what not to do."

"Anything coming out of the oven is extremely hot. Please, never touch it directly with your hands."

"Especially for those of you with children at home, you must keep a close eye on them."

"If a child gets burned, that would be terrible."

As he spoke, Li Xiao took out a cleaver and gently tapped the back of the blade against the pale yellow crust of salt.

The metal back of the knife collided with the caked sea salt, making a faint, crisp sound.

It was a prelude to deliciousness, building anticipation.

Once the caked sea salt was cleared away, the bright red crab legs were faintly visible underneath.

Using his chopsticks, Li Xiao carefully picked out the salt-encased crab legs one by one.

By the time all the crab legs were out, Zhou Yu had returned to the table.

Afraid the kid would repeat his mistake, Li Xiao quickly handed him a pair of chopsticks and a bowl.

"You’re a grown man, how can you still be so reckless?"

"You need to be more careful next time."

With Zhou Yu’s girlfriend right there, Li Xiao just gave a light, brief reminder and left it at that.

His attention quickly returned to the crab legs in front of him.

"Careful, they’re hot."

After that quick warning, he was the first to pick up a crab leg.

With a gentle twist of his fingers, the shell and crab meat separated smoothly.

He popped the tender crab meat into his mouth, and his taste buds instantly seemed to dance.

The meat of the Pine Needle Crab was delicate, with a natural, fresh sweetness, and the unique seasoning from the salt-baking process enhanced it considerably.

The saltiness carried a faint taste of the sea, like a culinary adventure.

Li Xiao savored it, feeling the distinct layers of flavor in every bite.

The unique technique of salt-baking both locked in the crab’s freshness and released a profound flavor in his mouth.

This was not a simple dish but a magical symphony with sea salt, awakening the palate’s unique perception of deliciousness.

The aroma of the cooking wine, along with the fragrance of Sichuan peppercorns and star anise, gave the overall flavor more complexity.

He swallowed the crab meat in his mouth, and just as expected, the system notification arrived.

[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 15th Food Guide entry.]

[The unlocked Food Guide entry is: Salt-baked Pine Needle Crab.]

[This dish’s score: 88 [Good]]

[As the dish’s score is Good, reward x3.]

[Congratulations! You have received a cash reward: 400,000.]

[Congratulations! You have received a reward: One-thousandth of the shares in Haitian Flavors.]

[Congratulations! You have received a reward: Charisma +1.]

...

Seeing the system notifications, Li Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly.

He wasn’t surprised that the Salt-baked Pine Needle Crab only received a score of 88.

What did surprise him was the reward he received this time.

’One-thousandth of Haitian Flavors’ shares???’

In his past life and this one, he’d never been very interested in stocks.

In his opinion, the stock market in Xia Country was so unpredictable that it was basically the same as gambling.

If he had spare cash to play the stock market, he might as well take it to Ao Island to play baccarat; his chances of winning would probably be higher.

But since the stocks were a gift from the system, he wasn’t too opposed to it.

Out of curiosity, Li Xiao opened his phone’s browser while still eating a crab leg to search for information on this so-called Haitian Flavors.

Soon, the relevant information appeared before his eyes.

Then, he blinked. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and that he’d counted an extra zero.

But after he carefully counted it again, he sucked in a sharp breath.

’Units, tens, hundreds, thousands... 210 billion?!?’

GULP. He swallowed hard.

This so-called Haitian Flavors had a total market capitalization of 210 billion.

The system had just rewarded him with one-thousandth of the shares. That meant he had received stocks worth 210 million!!