He was proficient in concocting potions, and he knew how to include the herbs in his cooking. His medicinal cuisine managed to taste delicious without the taste of herbs overpowering the food ingredients.
That meant that his cooking would be delicious and nutritious.
He retrieved a small piece of white cobra meat from his pocket dimension. It would greatly improve the taste of the stew.
He placed the ingredients in a pot and heated it.
The process lasted for more than an hour.
Meanwhile, the people waited impatiently in the front hall. Some of them occasionally glanced toward the kitchen.
“That kid looks like he knows something, but I don’t think he’s a match for Master Chef Ding. His knife skills might be great, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to cooking skills.”
“I think so too. He’s so much younger. Surely he wouldn’t have the experience!”
The people talked softly among each other.
“I don’t believe that the kid can make anything special!” Han Lei smirked as he looked at the closed kitchen door.
A while later, they smelled something fragrant coming from the kitchen.
Everyone was shaken when they smelled it.
“What’s this scent? Why is it so fragrant?” Many people exclaimed.
Master Chef Ding took a deep whiff. His expression changed drastically and he stood up from his seat.
“This is so fragrant! I’ve never smelled anything so fragrant before!”
“How can this be? This is amazing!”
Everyone seemed to be intoxicated by that smell.
The smell was rich in umami but was also tinged with a light fragrance of medicinal herbs.
It was a stimulating and comfortable smell.
The chefs all stood up from their seats. They could not believe what they were currently experiencing.
The fragrance became stronger another ten minutes later.
Finally, a figure appeared from the kitchen. In his hands was a clay pot.
Everyone’s eyes were instantly transfixed on the clay pot.
That was the source of the amazing fragrance.
“Let me taste it!”
Everyone crowded around Tang Hao. Many of them had eager eyes.
The smell seemed to have hypnotized them. They could not think of anything else.
“Everyone, step aside. I’ll be the first to try!” Master Chef Ding roared as he pushed aside the crowd. They could easily see that he was excited.
“There’s no rush!” Tang Hao yelled. He brought the clay pot to a table, then got someone to bring him many small bowls and a ladle.
He lifted the lid of the clay pot.
Everyone was shocked when they saw the contents inside.
In the clay pot was a dazzling silver-colored stew. It looked like the Milky Way in the sky, and the glistening oil droplets were like countless stars.
The smell of the stew intoxicated them.
“Wow!” Everyone exclaimed in surprise. They were more and more eager to try it.
Master Chef Ding could not hold back the urge anymore. “Quick! Let me try some!” He urged.
Tang Hao used the ladle to pick out all the white cobra meat. He did not want those people to eat the most delicious thing in the pot.
Then, he ladled a bowl of stew and handed it to Master Chef Ding.
Master Chef Ding immediately shoveled a spoonful of stew into his mouth, not caring if the stew was scalding hot.
His entire body shook when the stew entered his mouth. His eyes stared unblinkingly at the bowl.
‘Oh my god!
‘What is this flavor? Why is it so delicious?
The stew also seemed to have some sort of mysterious power. He was filled with strength after he swallowed the mouthful of stew.
Master Chef Ding felt as though he was floating in the clouds.
The feeling could not be described by words.
“Unbelievable! This is unbelievable!” He exclaimed.
Then, he ate the rest of the stew as fast as he could, as though he was possessed.
Everyone instinctively swallowed a mouthful of saliva when they saw that.
The bowl of snake stew was emptied in an instant.
Master Chef Ding stuck out his tongue and licked the bowl clean.
“This is amazing! This is what you call truly delicious!”
Everyone was even more eager to try it when they heard that.
“I’ve never tasted anything so delicious before. Furthermore, the stew is packed with nutrition from the medicinal herbs. I feel warm after eating it. This is unbelievable!” Master Chef Ding smacked his lips.
Then, he turned to look at Tang Hao and felt ashamed of himself.
That kid was right. Nothing in the mortal realm could be as delicious!
He never expected that something so delicious could exist in the world.
He felt that all his effort in honing his culinary skills had gone to waste.
Tang Hao smiled when he saw that.
The flavor of the stew was enhanced by five-hundred-year-old serpent monster meat. It would have been more amazing if the stew was not delicious!
Chapter 291 - : Venturing Into the Food Business
“Quick! Let me try!”
Everyone became even more excited when they heard Master Chef Ding deliver his verdict.
Even Master Chef Ding could not stop praising it. They could imagine how delicious that snake stew was.
Tang Hao filled the bowls about halfway with the snake stew and handed them out.
The clay pot contained enough stew to feed everyone in the restaurant.
“Me first!”
“Pah! I was here before you!”
Everyone pushed and jostled to pick up a bowl. The situation was unbelievably chaotic.
Everyone who got themselves a bowl of snake stew quickly ran aside. They held the bowl close to their noses and gave it a few more deep whiffs before taking a bite.
As the stew entered their mouths and their stomachs, they felt as though their entire body was floating.
“This is amazing!”
“I can’t believe there’s something so delicious in this world!”
Everyone exclaimed in admiration and surprise.
Han Lei and the others were dumbfounded when they saw the scene.
They had never seen people fighting over food at that scale before. It was as though everyone was possessed.
“Gulp!” Han Lei swallowed a mouthful of saliva when he smelled the fragrance of the stew. He wanted to try it, but his ego did not allow him to admit that he was wrong!
Ling Wei was also looking at the scene, dumbfounded.
She thought that Tang Hao would make a fool of himself. She did not expect that he could cook something more delicious than the master chef would. At that moment, she was utterly convinced.
Even the chefs from Imperial Kitchen were fighting over the stew!
She turned her gaze to the clay pot. The stew was gradually decreasing.
If she did not take her share, there might not be any left for her.
She quickly walked over, then handed an empty bowl to Tang Hao. She was blushing intensely at that moment.
Tang Hao glanced at her and took the bowl from her hands. Instead of filling the bowl with stew, he placed the bowl on the table, topped up the bowl of white cobra meat with stew, then handed that to her.
Ling Wei looked at the bowl of silver stew in her hands. The amazing scent of the stew had excited her.
She scooped up a spoonful, gently blew to cool it, then sipped a little.
As the stew entered her mouth, her eyes opened wide.
‘Oh my god! This taste…’
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Ling Wei was born in a wealthy family, and she was pampered from a young age. She had eaten a lot of delicious food, but she had never tasted anything as delicious.
She quickly shoved a few more spoon
fuls of stew into her mouth.
Soon, she felt a current of warmth originating from her stomach. It was incredibly comfortable and filled her with energy.
“Wow! This is truly incredible!” She exclaimed.
Then, she scooped up some snake meat with her spoon and looked at it closely.
She was usually not fond of snake meat or other wild game. However, the piece of meat in front of her was crystal clear and even had a warm sheen on it. It did not look like snake meat at all.
She sniffed it, then placed it in her mouth.
The snake meat melted as soon as it entered her mouth. It turned into a stream of flavor and gushed into her stomach.
She felt as though she was floating among the clouds. There were no words to describe her current feelings.
She closed her eyes to fully enjoy that sensation. When she opened them again, she stared incredulously at Tang Hao.
“What… meat is this? Is it really snake meat?”
She had tried snake meat several times before and she remembered how it tasted. It was totally different from what she tasted now!
It was a flavor out of this world. The snake meat she tasted before was garbage compared to this.
“It’s really snake meat!” Tang Hao said with a smile.
Ling Wei was surprised and she did not completely believe it.
However, she did not care for that anymore. She finished the stew and polished the bowl.
She felt a little dejected after finishing that bowl of stew.
Everything she would eat in the future would be tasteless compared to that bowl of stew she just ate.
She pondered for a while, then her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Do you have a recipe for the stew? If you can sell me that, it’ll be wildly popular with the general public.”
She had found the business potential of the stew.
Even without the snake meat, the medicinal herb prescription itself was already a big business opportunity. Prepacked herb mixes of the stew would fly off the shelves.
Tang Hao was surprised. He had never thought of commercializing his cooking.
“It’s fine if you don’t want to sell it to me. We can collaborate. You supply the recipe, and I supply the finances and manpower,” Ling Wei said excitedly.
“Well…” Tang Hao pondered the issue for a while. He thought that it was quite possible. He had never thought of venturing into the food industry, and exploring the market would have been a lot easier if he collaborated with Tai An Group.
He remembered that Yu Lin Group had a food business.
If he had his own food company, that would make it easier to topple Yu Lin Group!
“Alright!” Tang Hao agreed immediately.
Ling Wei nearly cheered out loud in excitement.
“I’ll prepare the proposal. We can discuss the details about the collaboration after that,” Ling Wei said.
“Alright! We can discuss this further!” Tang Hao said.
Everyone had a taste of the snake stew. Tang Hao took the last bowl.
“Oh, Little Brother, you’re too amazing! Who is your master? I’ve never tasted something as delicious as this before in my life!”
Master Chef Ding and the other chef crowded excitedly around Tang Hao.
Tang Hao discussed culinary techniques with the chefs and cooked with them. He made a few more dishes and ate them with Ling Wei.
Meanwhile, Han Lei and the others left quietly without eating.
After dinner, Ling Wei sent him back home.
It was already nine o’clock at night when he reached home.
He realized that he had stayed in Provincial City for almost two weeks. He needed to return to Westridge District to tend to his plantation.
Without dawdling, he quickly got in his car, fetched Han Yutong, and returned to Westridge District.
On the way there, he gave a call to Sis Xiangyi.
He arrived at Westridge District in three hours. He sent Han Yutong back to her house before returning to his.
He and Sis Xiangyi spent a long and intimate time in bed. They had missed each other’s presence.
He lazed in bed with Sis Xiangyi the next day, only getting out of bed at noon. After having a quick brunch, he sent Sis Xiangyi to the factory, then went to Dragonrock Village.
He made his grandparents a pot of snake stew while at their house.
He used more ingredients this time, and the taste was better. Grandpa exclaimed in amazement as he ate the stew.
“Lil Hao, since when did you become such a good cook?”
“Is this really snake meat? I’ve had snake before, but it’s totally different!” Grandpa exclaimed as he ate the stew.
“I can’t possibly keep this to myself! Lil Hao, give some to the neighbors and your First Uncle. We’re already old and we can’t eat so much,” Grandma said.
“Alright!’
Tang Hao did what he was told. He distributed the rest of the stew to the villagers.
After that, he went into the mountain to tend to his plantation. He harvested a batch of ginseng and lingzhi, then planted a new batch.
Chapter 292 - An Incident At the Clothing Factory
After planting the ginseng and lingzhi seedlings, Tang Hao went around the area to look for a clearing. He portioned it out and laid a leyline gathering formation in the soil.
Tang Hao had never forgotten about the Flower of Youth he found in the mountains near Dirtclod Village.
The Pill of Everlasting Beauty was a wondrous item. Tang Hao waited eagerly for the day he could make another one.
However, the tree that bore the Flower of Youth grew in poor conditions, and he dared not move it. He had laid a leyline gathering formation at its original location, hoping to improve the tree’s health before transplanting it.
After the transplantation, he could tend to the plant at the same time he tended to his ginseng and lingzhi plantation.
With the leyline gathering formation, the plot of land will eventually be ready for the transplantation.
After doing all that, Tang Hao left the mountains.
He left Dragonrock Village and traveled to Tang Village.
As he neared, he noticed trucks transporting sand into the village. Construction of the plantation had begun.
There was a commotion when his car arrived.
The village elder came to greet him. They went to the construction site.
The specifications of the plantation at Tang Village was the same as that of Dragonrock Village, except that it was a few times bigger.
As demand for the healthcare products grew, so did the demand for rare medicinal herbs. The plantation at Tang Village had to be bigger.
They went around the construction site once, then Tang Hao chatted with the village elder before leaving.
He returned to the company. Liu Yan briefly updated him about the latest happenings.
The weight-loss tea was as popular as ever. Supply could never catch up with demand. With the increase in production, the product was being distributed to other provinces.
A month had passed since Bingji Beauty Cream was launched, and its sales figures had almost caught up to the weight-loss tea. The high price did not deter consumer enthusiasm for the product.
On the other hand, Bingji Beauty Cream sold for only a few hundred yuan. It was not considered expensive among women’s beauty products especially considering that certain name-brand products regularly sold for thousands of yuan.
The beauty cream worked wonders for its price tag. It was a cheap and effective product.
“President Tang, the product has a lot more market potential. If only it’s not limited by its production capacity,” Liu Yan said, a little frustrated.
“What’s the rush? The figures are already quite excellent. Don’t forget that this company has only been around for a little more than three months. It’s already amazing that we’re doing so well,” Tang Hao said with a smile.
“That’s
true!” Liu Yan smiled.
She thought for a while and continued, “Our next step is to increase our output. We can still fit several more production lines in the newly-acquired factories. All you have to do is to approve of the expansion.
“When the Tang Village plantation is ready, we should expand the plantation at Dragonrock Village too. That should provide us with enough raw materials for the foreseeable future.
“Also, the company needs to expand. We’ll have to hire more people.”
“Alright!” Tang Hao nodded.
“Right, Sis Yan, when do you think we should launch our next product?”
Liu Yan was surprised. “Not for the near future. Right, President Tang, what is the next product going to be?”
“An aphrodisiac,” Tang Hao said.
“Oh, that! I’ve heard from President Liu that the effects are miraculous, and it’s definitely better than Viagra. There should be a big market for that as well,” Liu Yan said.
“However, the aphrodisiac potion is a different market from our previous two products, which target females. It doesn’t seem appropriate to launch an aphrodisiac all of a sudden.
“How about this. We should start a subsidiary company to market male-targeted products. That should be more appropriate.
“New company, new factories, oh, and new plantations too. What do you think of that, President Tang?”
Tang Hao thought for a while and nodded. “That’s a good idea. I’ll meet up with Big Bro Liu and the rest to discuss how we should run the subsidiary company.”
After the discussion, Tang Hao attended to some company matters, then left the building and crossed the road.
“Oh, Lil Tang, long time no see! You must be having fun in Provincial City, right?” Liu Dajun said jokingly when they met.
Tang Hao smiled. “I’m here to talk about serious business with you, Big Bro Liu.” Then, he explained the suggestion about the subsidiary company to him.
The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799 Page 131
