Wang Fan looked at the unfamiliar brother Hua and explained, "My products are never cheap; they are just cost-effective. The raw materials are relatively expensive, so naturally, what I sell is pricier."

Brother Hua was unaware, but Brother Gang knew it very well: "That’s right, what Brother Wang sells is not about being cheap, but about genuine quality. Wait till you taste it; even if he sells it to you at a high price, you’ll say it’s worth every penny."

"I’m really looking forward to it. What’s included in Boss Wang’s meal set?"

Wang Fan pointed in Zhuo Qianqian’s direction, "Besides a beggar chicken, there’s a bowl of rice with a serving of scallion egg sauce, plus a cup of freshly squeezed thorn pear juice."

At this moment, Zhuo Qianqian was happily juicing.

The thorn pears were golden yellow, round and chubby, with small black spikes, looking like miniature pineapples.

Eating this small fruit directly is both sour and astringent, and making it into juice... it’s still sour and astringent.

Wang Fan had already prepared the thorn pears, removing the seeds and slicing them, soaking them in a clean stainless steel basin.

The basin contained a blended sugar water solution.

Zhuo Qianqian could scoop up the mixture of water and fruit with an iron spoon from the basin and pour it into the nearby press-type juicer.

The light yellow juice flowed from the spout of the juicer into a paper cup; adding some ice cubes and sealing it made a cup of fresh thorn pear juice.

Making this certainly increased the workload for Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian, and it didn’t make much money, but seeing the expectant gaze of Grandpa Zhao, Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian couldn’t refuse.

So they simply bought more, made it into juice, and sold it as a meal set.

Brother Gang, who was very interested in any fresh food, was really hungry after fasting for half a day: "Brother Wang, give us two meal sets each."

"Okay, just a moment."

At this moment, Wang Fan was still wrapping a beggar chicken.

After pressing the chicken legs and wings together to cover the chicken head, he wrapped a layer of white mesh around the chicken.

Brother Gang pointed to that mesh and curiously asked, "What is this?"

Wang Fan replied while wrapping the chicken in lotus leaves, "That’s a layer of lard, which makes the chicken more tender and flavorful when baked."

Brother Gang gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Exquisite!"

Wang Fan wrapped the chicken with a layer of lotus leaves, then wrapped a layer of cellophane outside the lotus leaves, then wrapped another layer with lotus leaves, and finally tied it up with hemp rope. Beside him were some chickens already wrapped in lotus leaves.

After washing his hands, he opened the first layer of the multifunctional oven and took out a tray.

On the tray was a yellowish, dry oval lump of clay, and then he opened the second layer and took out another lump of clay.

He placed the two trays on the counter, which only exuded a faint earthy and wine scent, but there was no hint of meat aroma.

Wang Fan said, "Wait for five minutes."

While speaking, he placed the just-wrapped lotus leaf chicken into a large pot filled with clay.

At this time, Zhuo Qianqian came out carrying two trays: a large bowl of rice, a small dish of scallion egg sauce, and a large cup of freshly squeezed thorn pear juice.

Originally, it could have been scallion fried eggs, but that would require cooking it fresh, which isn’t as convenient as this egg sauce, which can be prepared in advance, and Zhuo Qianqian only needs to plate it.

Wang Fan didn’t use much sauce, and the cooking time was spot on; the scallions still looked vibrant green, and the eggs were golden yellow with a hint of sauce color.

The egg sauce had been simmering on low heat, and when it was brought out, the aroma of sauce mixed with the scents of scallions and eggs made brother Gang and brother Hua swallow salivatingly.

Brother Gang, being knowledgeable, asked in some surprise, "Sis-in-law, are these eggs free-range?"

Eggs from chicken farms could never have this color and aroma.

Zhuo Qianqian smiled and said, "Yes, Brother Gang, they’re all from chickens raised by local villagers. An old man delivered them to us early this morning."

Brother Gang nodded vigorously, "Looks like we’re in for a treat today. These eggs taste incredibly good."

Zhuo Qianqian chuckled, "Absolutely, I’ve already had two bowls myself. You don’t even need the beggar chicken; just the rice and eggs are delicious beyond compare."

After saying that, she pushed a tray of beggar chicken towards them, "Brother Gang, could you both serve yourselves? I really can’t get away at the moment. The beggar chicken is just about the right temperature now; you can pound it open with your fists."

She added with a mischievous smile, "A friendly reminder, don’t get too distracted by the aroma!"

Brother Gang and Brother Hua sat at a nearby table with their trays, curiously eyeing the lump of clay on it.

Brother Gang sniffed carefully and said, "This clay is mixed with yellow wine; this doesn’t come cheap. Even selling it for 90 yuan doesn’t earn much."

Brother Hua laughed, "Depends on how good it tastes."

Brother Gang didn’t say anything but gently punched the lump of clay.

The clay lump instantly shattered from the punch, with a portion sliding off the tray.

Fortunately, this kind of yellow clay becomes very solid when fired and doesn’t create dust.

Though the punch wasn’t forceful—Brother Gang didn’t use much strength—it released a burst of aroma that overwhelmed them. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The aroma wasn’t strong but very pure; it was the kind that could whet one’s appetite.

However, this bit of aroma didn’t quite meet their expectations, making Brother Gang scratch his head, a little worried for Wang Fan.

Might Brother Wang be screwing up?

For a social media personality, the biggest fear is messing up; just one mistake could mean no return, so one’s livelihood feels constantly precarious, fearing even a single mistake.

Brother Hua, however, seemed unsurprised.

"Let me tell you, beggar chicken is a specialty from our region. I’ve almost tried every one in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and never tasted what they show on TV."

Brother Gang felt he should support Wang Fan: "Don’t rush; let’s see after it’s fully unwrapped."

Talking, he had already untied the hemp rope and peeled off a layer of lotus leaf.

The lotus leaf had dried from the baking, giving off a fragrance of fire-grilled greenery, but still, there was little meat aroma, increasing Brother Gang’s concern.

Seeing the layer of cellophane beneath the lotus leaf made his heart rise a notch.

If peeling off this cellophane doesn’t release any aroma, then it’s almost certain to be a failure.

His hand slowly reached for the cellophane, and with a decisive pull, he tore it open.

Whoa!

As soon as the cellophane was lifted, Brother Gang and Brother Hua exclaimed in unison in their hearts.

Amazing!

The rich wine aroma, fresh lotus leaf fragrance, and the intense yet mellow chicken aroma, three powerful scents fused together, poured out the instant the cellophane was lifted.

They broke through the seal’s confinement, erupting unabated in all directions, striking them unaware and head-on.

For a moment, it felt as if they might be asphyxiated by the aroma!

"Wow, could it really smell that good?"