The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 166: Good Destiny

There were three dishes in total, all made with snake meat, and the aroma was irresistible as soon as the food box was taken out.

"I, Wu, have always been a glutton. The other day I tasted the Golden Snake Soup at your esteemed restaurant, and it was truly excellent. Today I am here to make friends through food, so please, Manager Zhou, have a taste and offer your valuable advice."

Manager Zhou was surprised to find someone coming to his restaurant to have him taste the dishes, but seeing that Wu Chengyu was tall but extremely weak, and that his expression did not seem malicious.

Manager Zhou didn't think much of it. The dishes in front of him were incredibly fragrant. He casually picked up a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth.

The next second, Manager Zhou's eyes lit up. Without thinking, he ate several more spoonfuls in a row, unable to stop.

The three dishes that Wu Chengyu brought were not large in portion, and Manager Zhou finished his soup bowl in no time.

"Brother Wu, please forgive my rudeness. The deliciousness of this snake soup is far beyond my imagination. I am extremely ashamed. Compared with it, the Golden Soup Snake Soup of my Zhenxiang Restaurant is simply worlds apart. I admit defeat wholeheartedly. From this day forward, my Zhenxiang Restaurant will no longer serve Golden Soup Snake Soup."

It seems that Manager Zhou viewed Wu Chengyu as someone who was trying to cause trouble. This man was quite magnanimous; not only was he not angry, but he also readily admitted defeat, which made Wu Chengyu immediately like him.

"Haha, Manager Zhou, you've misunderstood. I don't make a living by running a restaurant. I'm not here to challenge you today. I do have another purpose, but let's try the dishes first."

The snake soup you just ate is called Taishi Five-Snake Soup. It's made with five different kinds of snakes, chicken, seafood, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and other ingredients, and it involves multiple steps, making it a top-quality snake soup.

Taishi Five-Snake Soup was invented by Jiang Hanlin of Guangdong in the late Qing Dynasty. In this day and age, even if you go to Guangdong and Guangxi, you can't find this representative dish of snake soup.

"Come, come, Manager Zhou, try this snake soup. It's different from the Taishi Five Snake Soup. This dish is called Nine Yin Xuanwu Soup, and it's a real medicinal dish."

Besides snake, there's also turtle. Both snake and turtle are highly nourishing, so I added nine yin-natured medicinal herbs to balance it out. It's not only incredibly delicious, but it also replenishes qi and blood, strengthens muscles and bones, clears meridians, dispels wind and dampness, nourishes yin and beautifies the complexion, and relieves rheumatic pain.

Without hesitation, Manager Zhou devoured the Nine Yin Black Tortoise Soup in a few bites. The taste was different from the Taishi Five Snake Soup, with a unique flavor. But most importantly, as soon as he ate it, he felt indescribably good, just completely refreshed.

Wu Chengyu struck while the iron was hot and brought out the third dish. This dish was relatively simple. It was a famous spicy snake dish in the Hunan region in later generations. First, the snake pieces were stir-fried with tea oil, ginger and garlic. Then, the sauce was simmered with dried chili powder until it thickened, resulting in a pot of bright red and spicy dish.

Unfortunately, chili peppers were unavailable in that era, so Wu Chengyu used dogwood as a substitute for seasoning and added other seasonings to enhance the flavor, thus recreating the dish.

This method was quite novel to Manager Zhou. He picked up a piece of snake meat and put it in his mouth. His face immediately turned red from the spiciness, but his eyes became even brighter. The more novel the way of eating and the more stimulating the taste, the more attractive it is to customers. As the manager, he knew this all too well.

After finishing the three dishes, Manager Zhou felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. He was in a daze for a moment before he remembered that there was someone in front of him. When he saw Wu Chengyu's slightly mocking eyes, he realized that he still did not know what the other party's intentions were.

"Brother Wu, what exactly do you want me to do with these three dishes today? Please be clear."

"If these three dishes became the signature dishes of your Zhenxianglou Restaurant, what would Manager Zhou think?"

“That would be a blessing beyond measure. These three dishes, brother, are enough to support a restaurant for generations. I have been running this restaurant for years and have some savings. If you are willing, Brother Wu, I will do anything to get them, even if it means going bankrupt. Even if it's just one dish, I'll take it.” Wu Chengyu didn’t really care about the three dishes today. Only a minority of people actually like snake soup. With the countless famous dishes from later generations and the guidance of the bamboo slips, he could create many more new dishes whenever he wanted.

"What I seek is not money. Manager Zhou, how is my current physical condition?"

Manager Zhou looked him over again before frowning and saying, "Forgive my bluntness, but Brother Wu's health is probably not good. I know a few famous doctors in Xiangyang City who can come and treat you. All expenses will be covered by me."

Wu Chengyu shook his head and said, "To be honest, I know my body best. It's riddled with holes, and no famous doctor can help me now."

These three dishes can be given to the shopkeeper today, in exchange for a favor from him.

"Manager Zhou runs a restaurant selling snake soup; he must be very familiar with all the snake catchers and hunters in Xiangyang, right?"

“That’s right. Snake catchers and hunters in Xiangyang send their catches to me as soon as they have them. I’ve known them for many years and I can even talk to them.”

"Alright, Manager Zhou, my body can't hold on much longer. The reason I traveled all the way to Xiangyang is because there is a kind of snake called the Bosqu snake in the suburbs of Xiangyang. In the world today, only the gallbladder of this snake can cure my illness."

I am currently unable to catch snakes myself, but these snakes are extremely venomous and very ferocious. Even if I hire a few snake catchers, I would have trouble protecting myself if I encountered one. Therefore, I would like to ask Manager Zhou to organize a group of snake catchers for me, prepare tools and snake medicine, and catch some snakes for me.

I have inquired and found that this type of snake is currently in Xianshan. Please tell the snake catchers, Manager Zhou, to be extra careful and not to go too deep. I don't need many for now, just a few dozen will suffice. If we don't have enough later, we'll have to go through the trouble again.

If Manager Zhou agrees, I'll give you the recipes for these three dishes right away.

Of course, there is one small condition: I need to borrow a small courtyard to stay temporarily, and the expenses incurred during this period will be paid by Manager Zhou.

Mr. Wu is now almost penniless and can only rely on Manager Zhou for help for the time being.

When he fell into the Qiantang River, the dozens of taels of silver on his waist were fortunately not washed away by the river. However, after traveling a long distance, Wu Chengyu was now penniless and needed to rely on Manager Zhou to settle down in Xiangyang City.

Upon hearing Wu Chengyu's words, Manager Zhou's eyes lit up. He was already prepared to go bankrupt to buy the formula, but who knew that Wu Chengyu's request would be this.

For Manager Zhou, whether it's a venomous snake or another ferocious beast, as long as he is well-prepared, has more manpower, and is extra careful, he can always take it down. Wu Chengyu doesn't need much; a few dozen snakes are definitely not a problem.

As for settling Wu Chengyu down first, that goes without saying. He has multiple properties in Xiangyang, and any courtyard would be enough to accommodate him.

"Is this all Brother Wu wants? No other requests?"

"If Wu can recover from his injuries, it will be a great blessing. Consider these three dishes as a way for me to establish a good relationship with Manager Zhou."

(End of this chapter)