And when the bright red, boiling pot of "spicy blood curd and offal stew" was brought to Yelan, the intense spicy and numbing aroma instantly occupied half the room.
Various ingredients bobbed in the red oil, with a large amount of jueyun chili and peppercorns floating on the surface.
Without hesitation, Yelan first went for the duck blood, which looked the spiciest. The moment it entered her mouth, the intense numbing and spiciness swept through her mouth like fire, yet it also carried an indescribable savory aroma that made her forehead sweat slightly, but she couldn't stop.
She took one bite after another, finding the duck blood smooth and tender and the tripe crisp and refreshing. It was truly not bad.
"Hah..." Yelan softly exhaled a breath of spicy heat. "Now this has flavor. Ningguang, won't you try some?"
Ningguang looked at the pot of fiery red spicy blood curd and offal stew, shook her head elegantly, and gently stirred her clear boiled cabbage in clear broth with a spoon, smiling. "I'll leave such a hearty indulgence for you to enjoy alone."
"I prefer this," she indicated her own soup bowl, "finding waves within the stillness."
Next, she tasted the "crab roe lions head meatballs," giving high praise to its soft, smooth, and savory blended texture. Meanwhile, Yelan became interested in the complex flavor of the "fish-flavored shredded pork"—sour, sweet, salty, spicy, and savory, all clearly layered. It was indeed wonderful.
After several rounds of drinks and tasting the five flavors of the dishes.
Ningguang set down her silver chopsticks and gently wiped the corners of her mouth with a silk handkerchief. Her gaze fell once more on the "a bite of liyue" series on the menu, lost in thought.
"Xinyue Kiosk has certainly come out with many interesting new items lately." Ningguang looked at Yelan. "What do you think?"
Yelan took another bite of the "fish-flavored shredded pork." Its complex flavors exploded in her mouth with a rich texture, which was indeed impressive.
She nodded. "The taste is unique and the techniques are exquisite. They don't seem like traditional Liyue dishes, yet they somehow fit Liyue perfectly. When did the chefs at Xinyue Kiosk gain such ingenuity?"
She also noticed the series name on the menu, and her heart stirred slightly, though she didn't show it.
Ningguang smiled. "I am curious as well."
"Shop Assistant." She called over the staff member standing nearby. "This 'a bite of liyue' series is quite innovative. I wonder which master chef in your establishment came up with it?"
Seeing the Tianquan Star herself inquiring, the Shop Assistant was overwhelmed with favor and quickly bowed to answer. "To answer Lady Ningguang, this wasn't something our chefs came up with out of thin air. It was reproduced based on a set of cooking books circulating in the streets recently called 'a bite of liyue'. The author is signed as 'Housewife Cook'. The dishes recorded in the book have detailed methods. Our Master Zhang and several head chefs studied them for a long time before successfully recreating them. We didn't expect them to be so popular!"
"'a bite of liyue'? Housewife Cook?" Ningguang repeated the names, finding them interesting. She looked at Yelan. "It sounds like a woman who has poured her life's passion into the kitchen and also deeply loves Liyue. What's this? Such a book has come out in our Liyue, and even our Miss Yelan, who manages so much intelligence, doesn't know about it?"
Her tone carried a bit of good-natured teasing.
After all, Yelan's intelligence network covered matters large and small in Liyue. For a book so popular that it even influenced the menu of a top restaurant like Xinyue Kiosk, it was somewhat rare that its author didn't seem to be on Yelan's watch list.
The dice at Yelan's fingertips paused slightly. She indeed hadn't paid much attention to the publication of cookbooks. Her recent energy had been mainly focused on The Chasm and foreign powers. As for miscellaneous books circulating among the common folk, unless they involved sensitive content (like Lovia's works), they wouldn't be specifically reported to her.
"The way of food is not my specialty." Yelan's expression remained unchanged as she responded lazily. "My reports mostly concern the safety of Liyue. Occasionally missing one or two such elegant anecdotes can be considered leaving some joy of personal discovery for Lady Ningguang."
Seeing that Yelan truly didn't seem to know much, Ningguang didn't press further, instead saying calmly, "It seems I was the one being ignorant. However, this author has truly done a good thing, enriching Liyue's dining tables."
"I'll have someone find a set for me to look at when I'm free another day." Ningguang looked at Yelan, only to see her lowering her eyes, seemingly thinking about something.
Seeing her like this, Ningguang knew she originally had no mood for such culinary trifles. But under the provocation of her earlier remark, "even our Miss Yelan... doesn't know," this intelligence officer's nature of striving for control was quietly piqued, giving rise to a bit of interest in investigating this "Housewife Cook" who had appeared out of nowhere.
She smiled softly and didn't speak to disturb her again. She simply picked up the teapot elegantly and refilled the cups for Yelan and herself, leaving her space to think.
Yelan lowered her eyelashes, and the dice at her fingertips began to spin silently again.
"Housewife Cook," huh...
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