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

Almost in the blink of an eye, Grandpa Yan had already opened the second serving of stinky tofu and started eating.

Everyone present looked at each other, dumbfounded, their eyes filled with shock.

Qin Muzhi frowned, vaguely sensing something. He picked up the stinky tofu on the table, took a piece, and put it in his mouth.

click-

The outer shell is extremely crispy, while the tofu inside is incredibly tender. Combined with the flavor of the chili oil sauce, it's indescribably delicious.

His eyes lit up, and he ate quickly, bite by bite, but his manners were very elegant.

"You two are serious?!" Zhong Li exclaimed in shock. "Mu Zhi? Were you bribed by Yan Shu??"

"How come you two are eating this smelly stuff so deliciously? Is that right?"

The two completely ignored Zhong Li, eating stinky tofu as if they were savoring some unparalleled delicacy.

A bold guess emerged in Zhong Li's mind.

Could this stinky tofu really be delicious?

Never mind, he had to give it a try; these two didn't seem to be acting.

Zhong Li picked up the stinky tofu, brought it to his nose and sniffed it. Goodness, it still smelled awful.

It has an indescribable stench, like over-fermented sauerkraut, strong and pungent, with a strong sense of aggression.

But as he kept smelling, he suddenly noticed a fragrance, a fragrance that seemed to sink to the bottom, and a freshness that he couldn't quite describe.

Zhong Li tentatively touched the piece of stinky tofu in his hand with the tip of his tongue.

It didn't smell as bad as I had imagined; instead, it had the aroma of chili oil and the spiciness of garlic.

"It's alright..." he muttered to himself, his tongue swirling in his mouth.

After a long pause, he finally mustered the courage to take a bite.

"It smells so good! It's so tender! It's so delicious!!!" The taste made him exclaim in surprise, and he even jumped up on the spot.

It's amazing! There are such amazing things in the world!

That's great!

It's as wonderful as the Four Delicacies Soup!!

After praising him, he buried his head in his food and started eating, completely ignoring the stares of those around him.

"Is it really that delicious??"

"These three...are they real??"

"Is this thing called stinky tofu really edible?"

"..."

Other celebrities and scholars couldn't help but discuss it amongst themselves.

With such strange food and such a strange scene, no one could resist their curiosity.

Once curiosity is piqued, it's hard to resist; everyone wants to give it a try.

The first to be unable to resist was the seal engraving master Han Tanzi.

Han Tanzi possessed exquisite seal carving skills and was also well-versed in poetry and literature. He was an expert in connoisseurship, erudite and fond of antiquity, and held a very high position among this group of famous scholars and literati.

Seeing how much Old Master Yan and the others were enjoying their meal, he couldn't resist joining in.

"I'd like to taste what this thing is like!"

This sentence immediately attracted everyone's attention, except for Old Master Yan, Zhong Li, and Qin Muzhi, who were enjoying their meal.

He took a small bite directly.

"How is it? Is it delicious?" someone next to them couldn't help but ask.

Han Tanzi simply closed his eyes and continued chewing, looking completely satisfied.

After a long while, he couldn't help but recite:

"Oil paper half-transparent with rouge color, golden armor draped over her body, garlic-cloth robe, do not laugh at her rough and unrefined appearance, for within lies ice and snow, aloof and proud."

After reciting a poem, he took another big bite.

He then bowed deeply to Old Master Yan: "This stinky tofu is truly a refined delicacy. I only saw the surface and almost missed this delicious food. Thank you, Old Master Yan, for letting us witness this delicacy."

"I suppose Grandpa Yan was trying to tell us that we shouldn't judge things by appearances. Some things that look unpleasant may have good things hidden inside, but the prerequisite is that you have the courage to take the bite."

There is a subtle flavor in the stench; truly elegant, so very elegant!

Grandpa Yan looked up from the oil paper package, his face full of questions.

???

What is this person saying? What do you mean by "unbearable" and "courageous"?

"You're welcome, you're welcome." He didn't care to investigate further, waved his hand, and continued to bury his head in the oil paper package.

Seeing this, the others could no longer contain their curiosity and all began to taste the stinky tofu.

Immediately afterwards, poems praising stinky tofu appeared one after another.

"Everyone says this thing smells bad, but I alone find my mouth watering at the smell."

"Have you not seen the stench rising from the peach orchard, causing passersby to cover their noses and flee? I, however, have come seeking out the stench, for the most pungent place is where the fragrance lies."

"Don't say this stuff smells terrible, once you taste it you'll know it's surprisingly delicious... Hey? Don't take mine, get out of the way!"

"This is mine!"

"..."

Yan Xian bought three servings of stinky tofu per person, but each serving only contained eight small pieces. Since it was the first time these people had tasted something so wonderful and delicious, they all stuffed it into their mouths like gluttons.

At first, they were reciting poems and composing couplets, which was very elegant. But later, they started scrambling to get their hands on the stinky tofu and became completely engrossed in it.

......

Shen Qing successfully sold out two hundred servings of stinky tofu and packed up to go home.

[Ding—Congratulations, host, on successfully completing today's stall-setting task! The ingredient purchase limit has been increased to 400 servings. Keep up the good work!]

Shen Qing was used to it. He raised his hand and bought four hundred portions of ingredients, waiting to set up his stall tomorrow.

One night passed.

The next day, Shen Qing pushed his cart out to set up his stall again.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Zhiweixuan, she saw that some diners were already queuing up.

However, the length of the queue was simply impossible to match when selling the Four Beauties Soup.

Yesterday, only a small number of diners tried the stinky tofu; the vast majority of customers remained hesitant and did not dare to try it.

But driven by curiosity and a desire to see what would happen, many people still came to the entrance of Zhiweixuan.

County Magistrate Li Duan was queuing in the crowd at that moment.

He came not to eat it himself, but to buy it for Wu Cixin and Li Mengmeng.

My daughter is fussing about wanting something delicious, and my wife can't get out of bed this early in the morning; she's too lazy to go out.

Only he can buy it.

Not long after, Zhiweixuan opened its doors, and that strong stench wafted out again.

Li Duan frowned, completely bewildered.

Can you really eat something that smells so bad?

It smells awful!

"Ugh~ It stinks... No, it smells amazing!!"

"It's so delicious! It's just as good as the Four Delicacies Soup!"

"A smell that's both pungent and fragrant, yet also pungent—it's truly addictive!"

"..."

Looking at the reactions of those around him, Li Duan frowned even more, his face full of incomprehension.

He even felt like he was sick, coming to queue up so early in the morning for something smelly.

The procession continued forward when suddenly, a commotion arose.

Thump thump thump—clang clang—

It was the sound of gongs and drums.

Li Duan turned his head and saw a group of people, each with an extraordinary air about them.

He recognized the man in the lead; it was none other than Old Master Yan.