Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Hot and Sour Glass Noodle Soup and Roujiamo

Yu An marveled at the difference in how the Cloud Beasts treated her versus how they treated Ao Wu.

Whenever some of the Cloud Beasts passed Ao Wu, they looked like they wanted to take a wide detour. But when they encountered her, they’d get all bashful and shyly nuzzle up against her.

She let out a chuckle, earning a resentful glare from Ao Wu.

Yu An planned to travel slowly, making detours through Mo Yan’s hometown, as well as the lands of the Tiger Clan and the Merfolk Clan, so they could all make a trip home.

According to her plan and route, the first stop would be Mo Yan’s hometown, Mofeng City. Along the way, they would have to pass through an unfamiliar city—Quan City.

Five days later, they reached the outskirts of Quan City, where Yu An decided they would stop to rest for a while.

The Zaizai in her belly was already a month old, and Mo Yan and the others treated her like a fragile porcelain doll, not letting her do a thing.

Yu An didn’t think it was a big deal. She had plenty of energy, and the little snake Zaizai was very well-behaved, not bothering her no matter what she did.

Quan City was named for a Divine Spring. Legend had it that a long, long time ago, the water that bubbled from the Divine Spring could cure any illness, but the spring had long since run dry.

The younger Beastmen scoffed at the tales of the Divine Spring’s powers; only some of the elders still insisted on passing down its stories.

Quan City was quite lively, its streets more or less the same as Han Ling City’s. Yu An led the Zaizais on a tour, while Mo Yan and Feng Xuan went ahead to rent a courtyard for them to stay in.

They weren’t planning on a long stay, so they only rented it for ten days. The space had issued another quest, and Yu An wanted to complete it here.

Still, not wanting to shortchange Yu An and the Zaizais, they made sure to pick a place with a nice environment.

Yu An took the Zaizais for a stroll. The three little ones were so eye-catching that they had a one-hundred-percent head-turn rate wherever they went.

Beastmen were known for their bold approach to courtship, and quite a few males were getting restless. Han Li and the other two men quickly noticed.

They simultaneously unleashed their spiritual power. The wave of Advanced Spiritual Power instantly suppressed the males’ restless urges, leaving them with all the desire but none of the nerve.

They wanted to go chat up the little female, but they just didn’t dare.

Yu An also went to see the Divine Spring. It was just a small, dried-up pool with a rock beside it, on which were carved the two words "Divine Spring."

There wasn’t much to see. They took a quick look and left, finding the little trinkets sold by the street vendors far more captivating.

The group returned laden with their purchases. ’Tonight, we’ll get a good rest, and tomorrow, we’ll start the new quest!’

The new quest was related to sweet potatoes and required sweet potato vermicelli. Making the vermicelli from scratch was too time-consuming, so it was too late to start now.

Fortunately, while they were on the road, the men had nothing to do in the space and had diligently made a large batch of sweet potato and potato vermicelli.

[Sell three hundred servings of hot and sour noodle soup daily for seven days.]

With a brand-new cart for the hot and sour noodle soup ready, Yu An first made a batch at home for everyone to try.

First, she prepared the sauce. She placed chopped scallions, minced garlic, and chili powder in a bowl, then poured sizzling hot oil over them to release their fragrance. Next, she added vinegar, sugar, and other seasonings, stirring until well-combined before setting it aside.

The sweet potato vermicelli was soaked in water until soft. Once the water in the pot was boiling, she added the vermicelli and some green vegetables.

Just before they were done cooking, she ladled a few spoonfuls of the hot broth into the bowl of sauce, then poured the vermicelli and vegetables in as well.

Yu An also fried some peanuts and added sliced tofu skin. And just like that, a sour, spicy, and appetizing bowl of hot and sour noodle soup was ready!

The hot and sour noodle soup alone wasn’t quite filling enough, so Yu An thought of its perfect partner—roujiamo, a kind of meat-stuffed flatbread.

The meat for the roujiamo was pork belly. After it was cut, she blanched it with scallions and ginger to remove any gaminess. In a separate pot, she caramelized some sugar, then added the pork, along with spices and seasonings, letting it all simmer on low heat.

While the meat was stewing, it was time to make the buns. Mo Yan had already prepared the dough, which only needed to proof for a little while.

Kneading the dough, rolling it out, pressing it into flatbreads... her movements were as smooth as flowing water. All the while, Mo Yan stood beside her, still taking notes.

Yu An valued her life. After confirming that the other four men truly possessed not a single ounce of culinary talent, she had assigned them every task except the actual cooking.

’Having those four in the kitchen would be a death sentence!’

The small flatbreads puffed up as they cooked on the griddle until they were lightly golden on both sides, at which point they were ready to be taken off the heat.

By then, the meat was also perfectly stewed. The tender, marbled pork belly was scooped onto a cutting board, finely chopped with green peppers, stuffed into a flatbread, and drizzled with a bit of the rich broth...

The three little ones, holding their own roujiamo made without green peppers, were devouring them with such focus they simply couldn’t stop!

"The hot and sour noodle soup is... is yummy too, but it’s so spicy!"

Da Hu slurped his noodles, his lips turning red from the heat.

Both the hot and sour noodle soup and the roujiamo were intensely flavorful dishes. Their aroma drifted out on the wind, causing every passing Beastman to stop and sniff the air.

"What is that smell? It’s incredible!"

"Did the city’s delicatessen come out with something new? No, that can’t be it. Their cooked food is always bland and tasteless; you’re better off eating raw meat!"

"It doesn’t smell like it’s from the deli. The scent is coming from another direction."

Besides, the food sold at the delicatessen never had such a rich and powerful aroma.

The fragrance wafted in all directions. The Beastmen, with their keen noses, sniffed the air this way and that until they finally pinpointed the source of the scent.

A large crowd of Beastmen gathered at the gate of a small courtyard, practically drooling with craving, but they felt it would be impolite to intrude.

’But it smells so, so good! They would gladly pay a high price for whatever food was giving off that scent!’

Just as they were waging an internal battle, debating whether or not to knock on the gate and ask, it swung open.

The Beastmen instinctively took a step back, but to their surprise, Yu An, who had opened the gate, simply smiled.

"Good morning, everyone. We’re new to Quan City. This afternoon, we’ll be selling hot and sour noodle soup and roujiamo. We hope you’ll come by and give it a try."

One Beastman mustered his courage and asked, "Miss, what are this hot and sour noodle soup and roujiamo you speak of? We followed an incredibly fragrant aroma to find this place."

"That’s right," Yu An said with a nod. "That aroma is coming from the hot and sour noodle soup and the roujiamo."

The Beastmen were instantly ecstatic!

’They had never eaten it before, but if it smelled this good, there was no way it could taste bad!’

They had their pride and couldn’t bring themselves to beg for food, but if they could obtain it by purchasing it, then that was another matter entirely!

Seeing how friendly Yu An was, some Beastmen asked her where she would be selling and for how much. Yu An answered all their questions.

Upon learning that the quantity would be limited and that she would only be selling for a few days, the Beastmen decided it didn’t matter if the food was delicious or not. They would buy it first and ask questions later!

Yu An had expected a crowd, but when she arrived at her designated spot to set up the stall, she realized she had still underestimated the Beastmen’s frenzy.

She had asked around while shopping earlier and learned that the rules for setting up a stall in Quan City were the same as in Han Ling City—you had to pay a certain fee to secure a spot.

Unlike in Han Ling City, however, here in Quan City, money could talk and speed up the process.

Feng Xuan had already taken care of it the day before. Anticipating a long queue, he had specifically chosen a wide, open area.

The residents of Han Ling City had learned to form a proper line under the guidance of the Beastmen from the Giant Stone Tribe and Qingyan Tribe, but things in Quan City were a chaotic mess.

Yu An had Feng Xuan and the others go down to maintain order, and it took quite a while before a proper line was formed.

The first Beastman in line was the same one who had asked her questions earlier. He seemed unsure what to order, so Yu An explained, "One bowl of hot and sour noodle soup and one roujiamo makes for a perfectly filling meal. How many servings would you like?"

The Beastman hesitated for a moment when he saw the price, then ordered one of each to try.

Yu An cooked the noodles while Mo Yan griddled the flatbreads. The two worked in perfect sync, and soon, the first order was ready.

The Beastman breathed in the fragrant aroma, too impatient to wait until he got home. He simply found a nearby spot to sit and dig in.

He had already decided: ’If this only smells good but tastes terrible, I’ll be sure to tell everyone so they don’t waste their money.’

’After all, a single serving isn’t cheap,’ he thought, feeling the sting in his wallet.