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

"Really?" A hint of doubt flashed in Ruyan's eyes.

"Really, really, what's our relationship? Why would I lie to you?"

Hearing this, Ruyan took two steps forward and saw that the red oil was floating on top, the water spinach was bright green, the rice noodles were snow-white, and the dried bean curd was fried to a golden brown.

Especially the tiger-skin pig's feet, trembling precariously, were incredibly tempting.

"I trust you."

This looks delicious.

She leaned closer to the bowl and took a deep breath.

The next moment, she was thrown back as if she had been electrocuted.

"The stench is coming from this snail rice noodle soup, don't try to trick me into eating it!!!"

Oh my god, she felt like she had just stuck her nose into the garbage can.

Of course, besides the stench, she also smelled a strange fragrance.

The fragrance can't mask the stench.

I don't know what Madam Shen was thinking, making this kind of thing to eat.

Just outrageous!

Having been exposed, Peony could only give an awkward smile.

"This snail rice noodle was originally quite fragrant, but I don't know what Madam Shen added, it suddenly turned stinky. I figured that with Madam Shen's excellent cooking skills, it couldn't be bad, so I brought it back for you to try."

Ruyan's eyes flickered, and she immediately knew what Mudan was thinking.

She said with a sly grin, "How about this, we'll wake everyone up and let them all try this snail rice noodle soup. Since it's made by Madam Shen, even if it smells bad, it must be something special!"

Ruyan acted immediately, grabbing a gong and starting to bang it repeatedly.

Soon, the girls came out one by one.

"What's up? I'm still half asleep~"

"What's that smell? Did someone not wash their feet?"

"What's gone bad!"

"..."

Peony glanced helplessly at Ruyan, but ultimately took charge of the situation:

"Madam Shen has already set up her stall; she's selling snail rice noodles. I bought a bowl specifically so we can all try it!"

"Luosifen? Is that rice noodles?"

"Let me see, let me see!"

"No, could you please get rid of this swill smell first...?"

The girls got excited, after all, they had eaten their fill of the pastries that Shen Qing had improved yesterday.

Those pastries were fragrant and sweet, but not greasy at all; they were absolutely delicious.

Therefore, they were all filled with curiosity and anticipation for the snail rice noodles that Shen Qing was going to sell at his stall today.

Ruyan laughed from the side, "Try it, try it! This snail rice noodle soup is delicious, you guys have to try it!"

A group of girls crowded around the table, placing the bowl of snail rice noodles in the center.

"Why does it smell even worse?"

"No, it's the snail rice noodles!"

"Oh my god, how can snail rice noodles smell bad?"

"..."

The girls suddenly sprang into action, just like Ruyan had done moments before.

Okay, no one fell for it.

Peony and Ruyan exchanged a glance.

Finally, Peony spoke up: "The snail rice noodles that Madam Shen sells are indeed very unique. How about this, I'll make a bet: whoever has the courage to try a bite will have this pure gold hairpin in my hair."

A gold hairpin, it's worth a lot of money, it's impossible not to be tempted.

In the past, the girls would have rushed to eat this.

If they could get a gold hairpin, they'd be willing to eat anything, even excrement, let alone this stinky stuff.

The main problem was that life was so hard back then that we couldn't save any money at all. Everyone's goal was to save enough money to buy their freedom as soon as possible.

But things are different now; the girls are living a very comfortable life at the Water Moon Pavilion.

Tao Wanrong took excellent care of these girls.

They not only have savings, but also gain the respect and admiration of others, especially literary figures who fawn over them.

Therefore, they had no reason to do things they didn't want to do for a gold hairpin.

The group remained silent for a long time.

After a while, one of the girls said, "If all else fails, let's put this snail rice noodle soup in the backyard and give it to the beggar at the gate."

"Such a smelly thing, Madam Shen will definitely not be able to sell it. Why don't we go and help Madam Shen attract some business?"

"It will save us from passing the buck here."

These words immediately won the approval of the girls.

Peony nodded in agreement: "That's right. We can't eat it, maybe because we don't know how to appreciate it. This snail rice noodle dish must be a new dish that Madam Shen has researched. We can't let Madam Shen down."

"When we go out later, let's each use our strengths. Those who can sing can sing, and those who can dance can dance. A bowl of snail rice noodles is only fifty coins. Even if those customers don't like to eat it, they'll still get a great deal just by watching our singing and dancing."

You should know that you can't even see a girl at Shuiyue Tower without money.

If they go out to attract customers, they're sure to draw in quite a few people.

After the decision was made, the girls went back to pack their things. They had just gotten up, and many of them hadn't even had time to wash their faces yet.

Peony then carried the bowl of snail rice noodles to the back door.

There is a stone stool at the back door of Shuiyue Tower. On weekdays, they would put the leftover food and snacks from the tower on the stone stool to avoid waste and to fill the stomachs of those who couldn't afford to eat.

This can also be considered as their help to the poor.

A full bowl of snail rice noodles was placed directly on a stone stool.

No sooner had he put the bowl down than a little beggar ran out, snatched it from his hand, picked up his chopsticks, and began to stuff himself with food.

The little beggar's eyes were bright, as if he couldn't smell the stench of the snail rice noodles at all.

Peony, a little curious, couldn't help but ask, "What does this snail rice noodle soup taste like?"

The little beggar didn't even have time to speak; he just kept stuffing food into his mouth.

Tofu skin, soft-boiled eggs, pig's feet, rice noodles—he had never eaten anything so delicious in his life.

It's food fit for gods.

"Say something! What does it taste like?"

The little beggar kept slurping up the noodles, and before long, the large bowl of snail rice noodles was empty.

He tilted his head back and drank the soup in the bowl clean.

Finally, he gave a thumbs up and said only one word.

"fragrant!"

This stuff was so delicious, so delicious that he couldn't describe it; the only word on his mind was "fragrant."

"Can't you smell this scent?" Peony frowned.

The little beggar thought for a moment and said, "It did smell a bit at first, and I thought it had gone bad, but I was too hungry to care whether it was bad or not."

"But it tasted incredibly delicious, and the more you ate, the more delicious it became."

"Towards the end, I even found the smell strangely delicious."

At this point, the little beggar couldn't help but look up and ask, "Sister, can I still eat this kind of powder in the future? I'll do anything for you, as long as I can eat this powder!"

Peony's lips twitched; she was quite pleased with the little beggar's meal.

She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Could it be that Madam Shen's snail rice noodles really taste delicious...?"

"Madam Shen?" the little beggar suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"What kind of snail rice noodles is this? Was it made by Madam Shen?"

Peony was taken aback: "You know Madam Shen?"

"I don't know him, but I've heard of him." The little beggar's eyes gleamed, his lips curled up, and his face showed obvious excitement.

This is an incredible opportunity! It's like a windfall falling into his lap!