A Bite of Douluo Continent

"If...you give me a copper soul coin, I'll tell you." The little beggar was a little scared, but he still mustered up his courage to speak.

"Oh? Deal!" A mere copper soul coin was nothing to He Yuefeng. He patted his pockets, then generously stuffed a silver soul coin into the little beggar's hand. "Speak!"

He didn't have any bronze soul coins on him at all; the lowest he could have had was silver soul coins.

"Thank you, thank you, sir." The little beggar's hands trembled as he accepted the silver soul coins and quickly said, "Hanshi is on Morning Star Street, right across from the Starlight Auction House."

"Wait!" He Yuefeng raised an eyebrow. "I know that place. Isn't that where Yueyao Tower is located?"

"Yes, Yueyao Tower was sold to Hanshi a while ago, so Hanshi is there now," the little beggar explained, afraid that Walter wouldn't believe him.

I see, that makes sense now.

A look of understanding flashed in He Yuefeng's eyes. No wonder he had never heard of this shop before. It turned out to be a recent opening, located on the site of the former Yueyao Tower.

How can a newly opened restaurant dominate the food review charts?

He Yuefeng said he was becoming increasingly interested in the restaurant called Hanshi.

Without further hesitation, he walked out of the bookstore, turned around, and strode quickly toward the direction of Hanshi (Cold Food Festival).

The little beggar darted through the crowd, quickly retreating to a corner. He reached into his pocket and touched the cold soul coins inside, finally letting out a sigh of relief.

The little beggar wandered the streets, and he knew all sorts of gossip, big and small. He had heard about the Cold Food Festival many times before, and this morning he heard many people talking about the Cold Food Festival and the food review, asking around about where the Cold Food Festival was. The clever boy immediately realized that this was his opportunity.

A copper soul coin is nothing to nobles, but for him, it can buy four large white steamed buns, enough to feed him for two days.

I'm so grateful to that restaurant called Hanshi.

The little beggar thought to himself, a happy smile spreading across his face.

Chapter 164 Incompatible Cups and Flames

Wow, there are so many people.

As he approached the entrance to the Cold Food Festival, He Yuefeng couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.

At this moment, the area in front of the door was filled with waiting diners, and the long queue stretched almost from one side of Morning Star Street to the Starlight Auction House on the other side, and then meandered back.

He Yuefeng thought he had arrived early enough, but he didn't expect there to still be so many diners waiting at the door.

However, upon closer reflection, it seems quite reasonable. Food reviews have a significant influence in Star Luo City. The new issue was just released today, and there are quite a few diners like myself who are shocked by the rating of Han Shi and want to find out more.

Soon, the shop door opened, and He Yuefeng glanced at the girl in the fitted maid outfit from afar, and couldn't help but be stunned.

Isn't this Qin Yue?

After Yueyaolou was sold to Hanshi, did Qin Yue still work at Hanshi?

However, this thought only flashed through He Yuefeng's mind. As the Cold Food Festival opened, diners rushed in and found seats. He Yuefeng hurriedly followed the flow of people into the store.

Stepping inside Hanshi Restaurant, He Yuefeng was immediately struck by the restaurant's decor.

It's true that the people of the Star Luo Empire love ornate decorations and a noble and luxurious style, but being in such an environment for a long time inevitably gives people a feeling of oppression and burden, and can lead to a sense of aesthetic fatigue.

The refreshing style of Hanshi Festival brings a unique and novel experience to everyone, and entering it makes one feel relaxed.

This unique style and dining experience are undoubtedly a perfect match.

Qin Yue quickly stepped forward. "Hello, would you like hot pot or other dishes?"

“Uh…” He Yuefeng was speechless for a moment. He hadn’t read the food reviews carefully yet, and he was a little puzzled by Qin Yue’s question, “What’s the difference between hot pot and other dishes?”

"Hot pot is a special way of eating. If you choose to eat hot pot, you need to dine on the second floor. Of course, you can also order other dishes on the second floor." Qin Yue had a friendly smile on her face. "If you don't want to eat hot pot, you can dine on the first floor."

"I see," He Yuefeng said, understanding. After a moment's thought, he said, "Then I'll go upstairs. It's my first time here, and I want to try the food that got a perfect score on the food review."

Qin Yue was not surprised by He Yuefeng's answer; many of the previous diners had made the same choice.

"The second floor is over there. Please go up, my sister will greet you upstairs." Pointing to the stairs leading from the first floor to the second floor, Qin Yue nodded politely and then began to inquire about the next customer.

Does Qin Yue have an older sister?

He Yuefeng, who was not familiar with the Qin family's situation, had some doubts.

As they walked up the stairs to the second floor, a girl dressed in the same black and white fitted maid outfit as Qin Yue, and with a nearly identical appearance, approached He Yuefeng. "Hello, please come this way if you're eating hot pot..."

He Yuefeng didn't answer. He didn't even notice Qin Yao. He looked around at the decorations with suspicion and doubt. He almost thought he had stepped into another world.

Is this a bamboo forest?

How could a bamboo grove be inside a building?

A lot of questions popped into his mind, and he stood there somewhat dazed.

Qin Yao smiled slightly. Almost every diner who came to the second floor for the first time had a similar reaction to He Yuefeng, so she was already used to it.

After waiting a short while, Qin Yao spoke again, "This guest?"

"Huh?" He Yuefeng finally came to his senses and looked at Qin Yao. "Where should I sit?"

"Please follow me." Qin Yao turned and walked towards an empty table. He Yuefeng followed behind her, curiously looking at the other seats.

He Yuefeng couldn't help but feel lucky to have gotten the last empty table on the second floor.

If we had been any later, we probably wouldn't have had any hot pot left.

"Sir, there is a menu in the drawer under your table. I will serve you your food as soon as you have ordered."

"Okay, I'll take a look first, you go ahead and do your work." He Yuefeng nodded with a smile, and took out a thick menu from the drawer as Qin Yao instructed, and placed it aside.

Instead of opening the menu immediately, he flipped through the food guide he had brought.

He was in a rush on the way and didn't have time to properly read the food reviews for the Cold Food Festival.

Ten minutes passed before He Yuefeng slowly closed the food review app, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Wonderful.

The food reviews in this culinary guide provided extremely detailed descriptions of every dish served during the Cold Food Festival. The hot pot review, in particular, was co-authored by more than twenty reviewers, resulting in a lengthy food review of over ten thousand words that made He Yuefeng's mouth water.

In addition, the other delicacies are equally mouthwatering.

After putting down the food tasting tool, He Yuefeng picked up the menu and prepared to order.

He had already roughly decided what to order.

The first page of the menu listed the prices of all the other dishes besides hot pot. He Yuefeng raised his eyebrows after just one glance.

This price is so expensive!

However, his brows soon relaxed.

Although it's expensive, the price isn't a huge burden for him.

If the food here is as good as the reviews say, then it's definitely worth the price.

Summoning Qin Yao, He Yuefeng asked, "Your shop doesn't allow food waste, right?"

This was clearly stated on the first page of the menu, so He Yuefeng wanted to clarify.

"Yes, all food in our store is subject to waste; otherwise, you will be blacklisted by our store."

He Yuefeng nodded, then asked, "What is this 'Blazing Flame Cup'? Why isn't it on any food reviews, yet it's so expensive?"

This was the second point that intrigued He Yuefeng.

All the other foods were included in the food review, but this one was not, which seemed rather out of place.

Qin Yao was somewhat amused and exasperated. She had been asked this question more than once today. "Sir, 'Bai Zhan Lie Yan' is a type of wine in our shop. The boss just launched this wine today, and the food tasting week ended yesterday."

Ah this...

He Yuefeng was speechless.

"Mr. He, I guarantee that if 'Blazing Flames' had been released a few days earlier, it would definitely have been featured in the food review." A voice came from a nearby table. He Yuefeng subconsciously turned his head and was immediately shocked to see the speaker, "Editor-in-Chief Mu Liufeng?"

He had attended a chamber of commerce meeting last year, where the editor-in-chief of the food review was invited as a special guest. The two had exchanged a few words, and when they met again, He Yuefeng recognized him immediately.

At this moment, Mu Liufeng's face already showed a hint of drunkenness, and he raised the wine glass in his hand to gesture towards He Yuefeng.

Gazing at the wine, which was fiery red with a hint of gold, like a flickering flame, He Yuefeng couldn't help but swallow hard.

Is this the Flaming Wine in the Cup? Just by looking at it, you can tell it's a rare and exquisite wine.

With the editor-in-chief of the food review personally endorsing it, He Yuefeng naturally believed it. After a moment's thought, he quickly decided what he wanted to order.

"Give me a bucket of 'Bai Zhan Lie Yan' (a type of hot pot), a spicy broth, a basket of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and a serving of shrimp paste..." After ordering some hot pot ingredients, He Yuefeng put down the menu. "That's all for now."

"Okay, please wait a moment." After quickly writing down the dishes He Yuefeng ordered, Qin Yao nodded and turned to go downstairs.

Chapter 165 The Cold Food Festival: A Series of Surprises

Watching Qin Yao walk downstairs, He Yuefeng looked around in his seat and quickly found a self-service dipping sauce station with various sauces. His eyes lit up.

As described in the food review, the most unique aspect of hot pot is the distinctive dipping sauce that you make yourself, as well as the ingredients that you cook yourself.

These simple steps allow diners to experience the joy and satisfaction of cooking their own food.

He Yuefeng grew up in a wealthy merchant family, where everything was done by servants. He had never cooked for himself before, so this gave him a unique feeling.

He stood up from his seat, walked to the dipping sauce station, and, imitating the other diners, picked up a dish from the neatly stacked clean dipping saucer on the side before walking to the station.

Identifying the dozens of different dipping sauces on the condiment station was a difficult task for He Yuefeng, but fortunately, each sauce had a clear label, which was very helpful for a culinary novice like him.

He Yuefeng, who doesn't like greasy food, hesitated for a moment before choosing dry dipping sauce.

He recalled the recipe for the dry dipping sauce in his mind, and with somewhat clumsy hands, he took the serving spoon from the dipping sauce container and carefully added dried chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorns, crushed peanuts, raw soybeans, white sesame seeds, salt, star anise powder, fennel seeds, cinnamon, MSG, and other seasonings.

After all the dipping sauces were added, He Yuefeng slowly stirred the sauce with chopsticks, then dipped a little bit into it and tasted it.

The first sensation upon tasting it was a numbing spiciness on the tip of his tongue, followed by a multitude of unique aromas from various spices that filled his mouth and nose, making He Yuefeng grin involuntarily.

He said the dipping sauce he made himself tasted pretty good and he was very satisfied.

He returned to his seat with the dipping sauce. In the short time that He Yuefeng was preparing the sauce, Qin Yao had already brought a delicate little steamer to him. "Little steamed buns, please enjoy."

Is this what xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) are?

He Yuefeng stared wide-eyed at the ten plump, round steamed buns in the small steamer that looked somewhat like dumplings. Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Um... these steamed buns should come with a vinegar dish, right?"