Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

"One thousand portions???"

Xin Heng was dumbfounded. Each serving sold for 500 taels of silver, and even if a thousand servings were sold, the total revenue would only be 500,000 taels.

The initial estimate for building the palace is 700,000 taels of silver.

"I only have a limited amount of spices for making hot pot broth, at most a thousand portions," Shen Qing said honestly.

"What spices? We'll go find them for you!"

"The spices that are lacking are hard to find anywhere in the world, and I obtained them by chance."

Upon hearing this, Xin Heng immediately deflated.

Yan Wenli, who was standing next to him, said, "How about this, raise the price of the hot pot to six hundred taels per serving. I'll see if I can squeeze some more money out of other places, and you can also reduce the budget a bit more."

In this way, a thousand hot pots would cost six hundred thousand taels of silver.

Five hundred taels of silver were to be given to Shen Qing.

Compared to 600,000 taels of silver, 500 taels is negligible.

"Okay, let me see where we can save some money." Xin Heng nodded.

"Then it's settled. Just let me know how much you want to sell it for," Shen Qing concluded.

Selling a hot pot for a sky-high price of six hundred taels of silver is no easy feat.

Needless to say, a lot of preparations will need to be made beforehand.

She was too lazy to get involved in these things; she just wanted to make delicious food in a simple way.

After discussing these matters, Shen Qing returned to the courtyard.

It's time for her favorite part.

Open the system and begin the settlement process.

[Ding—Congratulations, host, for completing today's stall task. Purchase limit increased to 400 items]

[Successfully unlocked a new flavor for spicy snacks - garlic flavor]

That is, two hundred servings of spicy flavor and two hundred servings of garlic flavor.

One night passed.

The next day, Shen Qing got up a little earlier than the day before.

She's planning to try a different way of making spicy snacks.

First, the flour is made into gluten dough, and then it is made into spicy strips.

This method makes the food more chewy and flavorful.

She didn't have time to make the gluten dough during the competition, and she also got up late yesterday, so there wasn't enough time.

Therefore, she is going to make spicy strips properly today.

Shen Qing took a large basin, poured in a lot of flour, added a little salt, and kneaded the dough with warm water.

Before long, a smooth dough has taken shape.

While the dough was resting, Shen Qing chopped some ginger slices, scallion segments, onions, and of course, most importantly, minced garlic.

After setting the ingredients aside, Shen Qing began preparing to wash her face.

Washing the dough is a magical step; it's the process by which the dough transforms into gluten.

Shen Qing poured water into a large basin, then put in the risen dough, and kneaded and washed it repeatedly, just like washing clothes.

Gradually, the water in the basin turned white, like milk.

Change the water and continue rubbing and washing, little by little, until the water in the basin becomes clear.

Before long, a pale yellow, elastic dough appeared in Shen Qing's hand.

The next step is to prepare the blank.

Squeeze the water out of the washed wet gluten, then roll it out into a thin sheet and cut it into strips about one finger wide.

Next, Shen Qing boiled a pot of water and put the prepared gluten into the pot.

Once all the gluten had floated to the surface and gradually expanded in size, Shen Qing scooped it out and rinsed it in cold water.

With this first step, the gluten is considered ready.

Next comes the preparation of the sauce.

Heat oil in a wok, add the chopped scallions, ginger, and other ingredients, and fry over low heat until golden brown before removing.

At this point, add the chopped garlic, and instantly, a rich garlic aroma will emerge.

The aroma of garlic filled the air. At this moment, Shen Qing poured in the compound spice powder and chili powder provided by the system and quickly stirred them in the pot.

An even more potent aroma wafted out.

Quickly pour the sauce from the pot into a small bowl and drizzle in soy sauce to enhance the flavor.

Then pour the garlic sauce into the gluten strips and mix well by hand.

During the mixing process, each strand of gluten acts like a sponge, greedily absorbing the sauce.

The entire basin was a tempting red color, with a glossy, oily surface and tiny bits of minced garlic and spices clinging to the crevices.

The garlic flavor is ready. Cover it and let it sit for a while to allow the spicy strips to soften naturally, making them more chewy and bouncy.

As for the spicy flavor, the method is the same, except that garlic is not added during the sauce-making stage.

With everything prepared, Shen Qing set off.

It was right next to the food competition. When Shen Qing arrived, the place was already packed with diners.

"She's here! She's here! Madam Shen is here!!!"

"Madam Shen is finally here! Time to eat those spicy, numbing snacks again!"

"The taste of spicy strips, tsk tsk tsk, just thinking about it makes my mouth water."

"Madam Shen, could you buy two servings today? I really want to eat two servings in one go!"

"..."

Almost instantly, Shen Qing was surrounded by the crowd, with diners pushing forward as if afraid they wouldn't get a turn.

"Everyone, line up." Shen Qing's voice was indifferent.

Suddenly, I miss the diners in Ping'an County. Those regulars have long since developed a tacit understanding with her, and they always queue up in advance.

Unlike now, she also has to maintain order.

The diners were so eager to buy that they didn't listen to Shen Qing's words and kept pushing forward, afraid of missing out.

"Everyone line up in front of me. First come, first served. Those who squeeze in don't count," Shen Qing said patiently.

Just then, a loud voice rang out: "I'm in the front! I'm number one! I'm number one!!!"

Looking down, I realized it was the same kid from before.

Taking advantage of his small size, the little boy weaved through the crowd and eventually reached the front.

Upon hearing Shen Qing's voice in line, he immediately shouted.

Shen Qing then said, "This young master is number one. We have a new garlic flavor today; you can try it."

"Can we buy two of them?" the kid asked, blinking his eyes with a clever look.

He ate two servings yesterday; one serving definitely wouldn't be enough.

Moreover, he wanted to show off his spicy snacks to his friends today.

"Hmm..." Shen Qing nodded. "Yes, the first person can buy two, but everyone else can only buy one."

"As for those who don't queue, they don't have the right to buy."

This time, all the diners who were nearby understood.

"Good heavens, line up, line up!"

"Losing first place is such a blow! I should have shouted it out earlier!"

"Hurry up, hurry up, or you'll miss your turn!"

"..."

Almost instantly, the line formed perfectly.

The crowd managed to resist the urge to push forward.

They were all eagerly waiting in the back.

Everyone lined up, and those diners who were pushing forward stopped pushing and hurriedly ran to the back of the line.

Shen Qing felt much better. She set up her stall and displayed both flavors of spicy strips.

"Today's spicy strips are different from yesterday's. There are both spicy and garlic flavors. You can buy them together. They're still 30 coins a serving."