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

Unlike yesterday, a spicy flavor has been added today.

After processing the pork bones as before, Shen Qing began to refine the spices.

The biggest difference between the spicy and numbing flavor and the soy sauce flavor is the addition of a numbing sensation.

Shen Qing heated the pot, poured in oil, and added cinnamon and star anise over low heat. After the aroma was released, he added dried chili peppers, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorn powder, fennel seeds, and other spices.

Soon, an irresistible aroma wafted out, and one could tell from the smell that it was both numbing and spicy.

Then add fermented soybean paste and yellow soybean paste, stir-fry until fragrant, and then pour in Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, etc.

When the aroma fills the air, pour boiling water into the pot.

With a sizzle, the broth turned a deep red and glistening, making one's mouth water.

Shen Qing then added the bones to stew, and instructed Qiu Kui to watch the fire and the time before he could free up his hands.

The aroma of spicy food wafted over the outer walls and into Zhao Wan's village.

"I've never smelled this before!" Her nose twitched, and she knew it was something special.

He took off running towards Shen Qing's house.

Old Chen, the gatekeeper, was already used to seeing Zhao Wan and let her in directly.

Zhao Wan jogged along, skipping around like a little butterfly.

"Sister Shen!" she called out, "Is there new food again?"

Shen Qing saw Zhao Wan running over from afar and smiled slightly: "It's still braised pork ribs, just a new flavor."

"What flavor?"

"Spicy".

"This smells so strange, yet it's also quite captivating," Zhao Wan couldn't help but say.

Sichuan peppercorns and numbing peppercorns were not common in this dynasty, and very few people had ever eaten them.

Therefore, Zhao Wan was unable to describe the smell for a moment, only finding it novel and fascinating.

Shen Qing was quite generous: "You can try the first batch that comes out of the pot today."

After so many days, Zhao Wan could be considered her friend.

Zhao Wan was overjoyed and grabbed Shen Qing's arm, saying, "Thank you so much, Sister Shen! I'm so honored!"

The pot was bubbling away, steam was rising continuously, and the aroma of meat gradually spread, mixed with the smell of Sichuan peppercorns.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Shen Qing opened the pot lid. The bones in the pot had already been stewed into a dark reddish-brown color, a bright, translucent red.

"It needs to soak for a while longer." Shen Qing put the lid back on the pot.

Zhao Wan silently swallowed her saliva and waited expectantly.

God knows how much she craved it; the smell was just too delicious for her.

After a while, Shen Qing opened the pot lid, scooped out a piece of meat, put it in a bowl, and handed the bowl to Zhao Wan.

"Try it, but be careful, it's hot."

Zhao Wan had long since forgotten everything else, staring fascinated at the braised pork ribs in her bowl.

An extremely domineering smell rushed straight to the face, like an invisible punch that hit one's face hard.

Cough cough--

She couldn't help but cough and moved the bowl a little further away.

But the overpowering flavor was so tempting that she couldn't resist taking the bowl back.

Gently touch it with your tongue.

Zhao Wan was completely stunned.

What is this? Why is it so strange?

"I... why do I feel like my tongue is twitching on its own?" Zhao Wan was completely confused, smacking her lips repeatedly, trying to figure out what kind of taste it was.

Shen Qing smiled but didn't say anything, looking at Zhao Wan with great interest.

Zhao Wan couldn't resist taking a bite of the meat.

The spicy flavor immediately pierced the tip of the tongue, followed by a tingling sensation rising from the back of the tongue, like countless fine needles dancing on the tip.

Zhao Wan's eyes widened.

The next moment, the numbing sensation subsided, and the rich aroma of the sauce emerged, followed by the fresh fragrance of the meat, creating an extremely complex flavor in the mouth.

As I swallowed it, I felt a line of fire fall straight down my throat into my stomach.

"Hiss~"

"Hiss~"

"How wonderful, how fragrant!"

"Sister Shen, your business must be booming today! This spicy braised pork ribs are absolutely amazing and incredibly fragrant!"

Zhao Wan couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. Although she couldn't describe the magical feeling, it made her feel incredibly refreshed.

That's great!

After finishing one, she couldn't resist eating another.

He licked his fingers before saying, "Sister Shen, give me three more, I want to take them with me."

Needless to say, it was given to the rest of the Zhao family as usual.

Shen Qing also favored the spicy braised pork ribs, and she pushed her cart out to set up her stall as before.

As soon as she arrived at the academy gate, she saw many diners waiting, all of whom were regulars from the Ghost Market.

I looked towards the academy and heard the sound of students reading aloud coming from inside.

Perhaps it's not time for the students to eat or rest yet, Shen Qing thought to himself.

"Today, in addition to the savory sauce flavor, we've added a spicy version of braised pork ribs. Everyone should give it a try."

Most of the diners at the Ghost Market were already used to Shen Qing's cooking, not to mention the customers who had also tried the crispy fried chicken.

Therefore, once the spicy flavor was announced, these people were filled with anticipation and rushed to buy and try it.

"Hiss~ This smell..."

"How strange, I've never eaten bones like this before."

"It smells so good! It smells amazing!"

"..."

The diners were initially stunned and confused, but then they were amazed and full of praise.

Then, like a glutton, they gnawed on the bones.

Before long, the sound of reading in the academy stopped.

Shen Qing subconsciously waited for the scholars to come out and buy braised pork ribs, and she was also worried about Li Shun.

It's unclear whether Li Shun successfully deceived the Master.

But after waiting for a long time, not a single scholar came.

Just as she was wondering, a robust man appeared before her; it was Zhou Wentong.

"It smells so good! Why does it smell different today?"

"We have a new flavor, spicy," a helpful customer nearby replied.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wentong's eyes lit up: "Spicy? I'd better try it!"

"Madam Shen, I want one savory and one spicy!" he shouted.

Seeing Zhou Wentong like this, Shen Qing was already used to it. While deftly picking out the bones, she casually asked, "Why don't we see any other students today?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wentong's face immediately fell.

"And you're telling me? I never expected that after I got home yesterday, Li Shun would secretly go out to buy bones behind the teacher's back."

"That would have been fine, but I couldn't hide it from the teacher. I got covered in oil from eating and was caught by the teacher."

"Li Shun has now been sent home by the teacher."

"Speaking of which, the Master is really something, it's just a bone."

Zhou Wentong paused to speak, thinking that he would go home later to find his father and beg him to help Li Shun.

After all, studying is not easy. After years of hard work, being expelled from the academy like this might mean that one won't even be able to participate in the imperial examinations.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing froze instantly, even stopping the action of picking up the bones.