Chapter 146: What a Little Chili Pepper
Chapter 146: Chapter 146: What a Little Chili Pepper
"Whoa, this is so spicy."
"Boss Lu, are you giving these chilies away for free or something?"
"Of course I can handle spicy food, this is nothing... Okay, sorry, I lied. I can’t do it. Oh my god, it’s so spicy it’s killing me."
As the customers began to taste the river snail noodles, they finally understood what true spiciness felt like.
One bite had them drenched in sweat; a second had them seeing their ancestors.
Those bright red chilies made them realize for the first time that not just anyone could handle Boss Lu’s cuisine.
Did anyone give up?
Not a single one.
Even those who couldn’t handle spice, alternating between a mouthful of noodles and a gulp of water, couldn’t bear to put down their chopsticks.
They couldn’t help it. It was just too delicious.
The sour, crunchy, and savory flavors were simply irresistible.
The plump river snail meat was delightfully chewy, and the uniquely flavorful broth thoroughly soaked every ingredient.
Even the sour bamboo shoots, which had been looked down upon the most, had their own special, delicious flavor.
Eventually, some even got used to the pungent smell. Yet after tasting it multiple times, they still found it refreshingly new.
And compared to the powerful impact of the river snail noodles, the crab roe burgers became the saviors of those who couldn’t eat spicy food.
A soft bun holding a juicy patty.
As the patty was grilled, you could see the juices being squeezed out and sizzling. Amidst the tender, smooth texture, the umami of the crab roe was utterly addictive.
With the sauce and ingredients perfectly blended, there wasn’t a hint of fishiness—only a savory aroma that was impossible to resist.
The flavor of the crab roe burger quietly blossomed on the tongue. It wasn’t as dazzling as the river snail noodles, but it silently drew the attention of many customers.
Having learned from the cautionary tales of others, some customers who truly couldn’t handle spice had to regretfully give up on the river snail noodles and embrace the crab roe burger instead.
Slurping noodles and eating crab roe burgers by the sea.
The customers’ laughter and the curling smoke from the cooking stall painted a heartwarming scene that caught the eyes of the Sea Clan members, filling them with emotion.
Long Zhang was dressed very modestly today.
He didn’t want people to treat him differently because of his status as the Sea Clan’s Prince.
To ensure his octopus tentacles didn’t sneak out, he had tied the little guys up and confined them beneath the hem of his robes.
This made him walk a little strangely.
Waddling from side to side.
Combined with the yellow robes he’d found somewhere, Lu Wu’s first impression upon seeing him was of a little duck spirit.
"QUACK!"
Startled at being noticed, Long Zhang got so nervous that the greeting he’d intended to say came out as a quack.
’We haven’t seen each other for one night, and he’s already switched species?’
"What would you like to eat today?"
Thinking of the large pearls from yesterday, Lu Wu flashed a picture-perfect smile, her teeth gleaming dazzlingly white in the sun.
"I’ll have everything. Three orders of each."
Last night, he’d had a good talk with Qin Zhan to exchange tips. Qin Zhan had told him that when buying food from Boss Lu, you couldn’t hesitate.
Slow hands get nothing.
As long as there were no purchase limits, you had to buy enough in one go. There were too many customers; you’d never get a chance to come back for seconds on the same day.
Long Zhang trusted the new little brother he had just made.
By the way, at the ripe old age of five hundred, he was honored to have become the elder brother.
"Alrighty, just a moment."
Lu Wu gestured for Long Zhang to take a seat and wait.
The burger buns were heating up, and their milky aroma was so good you felt they’d be delicious even on their own.
Under the high heat, the patty turned an appetizing sauce-brown. Once it was slightly seared, the spatula pressed down lightly, and Long Zhang saw juices seep out from the cracks, rolling onto the griddle with a SIZZLE.
GULP!
Long Zhang swallowed hard.
City Lord Dan had hosted them warmly and prepared a lot of food for them to try.
It was very good.
But compared to Boss Lu’s cooking, it always felt like something was missing.
The two sides were supposed to continue their partnership discussions today, but he couldn’t resist and snuck out.
’Besides, I’m only here to provide the muscle. The Turtle Minister is there for all the brain work.’
Who would have thought that in the next moment, the Turtle Minister’s voice would sound right beside him.
"Your Highness, let’s share a table."
Today, the Turtle Minister’s giant turtle shell was also hidden, but he hadn’t changed out of his green clothes and hat.
He said it was his favorite color.
"Huh?"
Long Zhang was confused.
’What is the Turtle Minister doing here?’
"I snuck out. Doctor Shark is there. If something comes up that they can’t decide on, I’ll rush back."
The Turtle Minister was very calm.
The general outline was decided yesterday. The remaining details wouldn’t change the overall direction, so it was fine if he wasn’t there to watch over things.
"Ah, Minister, were you calling me?"
At the next table, Doctor Shark, who had been burying his head in his food, turned to greet them upon hearing his name.
Seeing Doctor Shark’s greasy mouth, you could tell he was thoroughly enjoying himself. And a glance at the mess on his table...
’Holy cow, he’s already stacked up a few bowls. He must have gotten here even earlier than us.’
"Weren’t we told it was fine for the Crab Maid to stay behind and hold the fort?"
Facing the reproachful gazes of his two superiors, Doctor Shark just scratched his head and chuckled sheepishly.
’I’m just a doctor, what do I know about bylaws? Instead of wasting time mincing words, I’d rather be here eating a few more bowls of river snail noodles.’
SLURP!
He took another big mouthful.
When it came to using chopsticks, Doctor Shark was exceptionally gifted; he was already quite skilled.
’The Crab Maid?’
’I guess that’s fine.’
The Turtle Minister felt slightly relieved.
"Oh, Minister, you’re just getting here? I’m already full."
From the side, the Crab Maid strolled over, holding the hem of her skirt. She wiped the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief before rubbing her bulging belly, a look of pure satisfaction on her face.
’A meeting?’
’Don’t know anything about it.’
’Anyway, no one stopped me when I came, so I figured I’d eat first and worry later.’
...
The Turtle Minister was speechless.
He was wondering, what would happen if the humans were to turn on them, given the Sea Clan’s perfunctory attitude?
If the collaboration between the two sides fell through because of this gluttony, would he, the culprit, have the face to go back and see the Dragon King and Queen Zhang?
"Culprit? What culprit?"
Even though his stomach was stuffed, Qin Zhan, a crab roe burger dangling from his mouth, was still nibbling away.
He couldn’t help it; these little burgers were just too good.
’As expected of Lu the Eighth’s secret recipe! My stomach is full, but my brain refuses to surrender.’
His body was at war with itself, and Qin Zhan chose to listen to his brain.
Besides, a Cultivator wouldn’t die from overeating anyway.
BAM!
Not far away, a Cultivator’s eyes suddenly rolled back as he collapsed to the ground, startling all the surrounding customers.
"Hey, you don’t have some pre-existing condition you’re using to try and scam Boss Lu, do you?"
The customers’ first reaction wasn’t that the food was bad and had made someone sick, but that someone was trying to frame Lu Wu.
Lu Wu, who hadn’t even had a chance to ask what was going on, could only think, ’Did my adjustments actually succeed?’
"It’s nothing, he just ate too much."
Jiang Yunhe calmly put down his chopsticks, took the man’s pulse to make a diagnosis, and announced the result.
He fed the man some medicine, and after a short while, the person woke up.
After learning what had happened, the man wasn’t the least bit panicked.
"Oh, so that’s why I felt like my body was going to explode. Turns out I just ate too much."
"Divine Doctor Jiang, that was a digestive pill you gave me, right?"
the carefree customer asked. After getting a nod in confirmation, he picked up the remaining half-bowl of river snail noodles on his table and continued slurping.
’Since it didn’t kill me, I might as well eat till I drop!’
If he dared to say he couldn’t eat anymore, the animals around him would pounce and divide up his leftovers.
Any notions of being a germaphobe, not sharing food, or leftovers being for Dahuang—all these ’afflictions’ were guaranteed to be instantly cured in the face of Boss Lu’s cuisine.
Gou Aotian: WOOF WOOF WOOF!
’Leftovers?’
’Even a dog wouldn’t eat them.’
But for Boss Lu’s leftovers, a dog would fight to eat them.