Chương 68: Grand Opening

For the sake of Aunt Li and the others' livelihood, Song Que truly expended a great deal of mental effort. After lunch that day, without even resting, he immediately gathered all six able-bodied men—excluding Brother Hong—and rushed out of the West Gate, heading straight toward the forests of Eagle's Sorrow Ravine.

Having already surveyed the terrain through Lightning's eyes, he didn't waste any effort finding the outer edge of the forest where wild peppercorns, chili peppers, scallions, and various other herbs grew in abundance. After familiarizing Li Xin and the others with the ingredients they needed to gather, Grandee Song strolled around, supervising the fruits of these young punks' labor. Many hands make light work. Before long, they had gathered nearly half a bamboo basket full.

Seeing that it was enough, Grandee Song nodded in satisfaction and led the group triumphantly back home. He was busy the entire afternoon, teaching one person how to clean the offal and another how to stir the congee. He was so busy his feet barely touched the ground. By dusk, a pot of incredibly fragrant pork offal congee and a few plates of boiled offal finally took shape.

In this era, perhaps due to limitations in food processing techniques, people didn't know how to completely remove the foul odor from internal organs. Consequently, no one wanted to eat that stuff. It was sold dirt cheap, practically thrown away; sometimes people wouldn't even want it if it were given for free. But now, after 'MasterChef Song's' magical touch, the filth and stench completely vanished, leaving only a pot of snow-white, irresistibly aromatic offal!

Looking smugly at the group of people around him greedily inhaling the aroma, Grandee Song slowly pulled out a jug of wine, handed it to Li Xin to pour, and finally nodded, signaling that they could begin. The group, who had been waiting anxiously, practically burning with anticipation, received the command. Immediately, a cacophony of slurping, chewing, and devouring erupted as they stuffed food into their mouths and downed bowls of congee. The words "national treasure of a dish" aren't just empty talk!

Song Que wasn't surprised in the slightest that his pork offal congee could easily conquer everyone's taste buds. Raising my head to look at the bright moon, Lowering my head to think of my hometown. Feeling a slight twinge of melancholy that he could never return to his original home, 'Great Poet Song' slowly savored the specialty dish of his homeland. Brother Hong, having inhaled his food for a good while, finally slowed his pace.

Freeing up his mouth, he picked up his wine cup, took a large gulp, gave a big thumbs-up, and praised loudly:"A'Que, your culinary skills are truly this!" Song Que, acting nonchalant, smiled, nodded, and began to boast:"What's this? This is just the most ordinary appetizer on my menu! I know plenty of dishes a hundred, a thousand times better than this! It's just that the preparation is too tedious, and I'm too lazy to make them!" The group of animals, completely conquered by his cooking, believed whatever he said.

A long string of flattery and sycophancy immediately followed. Hearing it, Grandee Song felt incredibly comfortable. Of course, he, Song Que, was a man who appreciated the 'truth'! Feeling on top of the world, he tossed his homesickness to the back of his mind and enthusiastically raised his glass to drink and eat. The atmosphere at the table was incredibly lively.

Fully satisfied with food and wine, Song Que stopped Aunt Li, who was about to start cleaning up, and asked:"Aunt Li, how much of the recipe did you memorize today?" Aunt Li, having spent her life in the kitchen, was quite confident in this area. She answered without hesitation:"I remembered about 80 to 90 percent. But I still need to try cooking it once myself to see how it turns out." Hearing Aunt Li's words, Song Que nodded:"Alright, tomorrow I'll guide you through cooking it one more time to see how you do.

If you can master it, we'll open the stall in three days!"

"That shouldn't be a problem." Calculating the time, Aunt Li nodded in agreement.

"A'Que, opening a breakfast stall—aren't you afraid the Zhan family will hold a grudge against you if their business drops?" Zhong Hong, knowing the inside story, teased from the side.

"Haha, the two items don't conflict. Besides, that old man has absolutely zero goodwill toward me anyway. What can I do?" Hearing his teasing, Song Que's mouth twitched into a bitter smile. That old man was like a rock in a latrine—hard and stinky! Truly incredibly difficult to deal with! If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.... Early morning, three days later.

In front of Song Que's house, the sign for "Aunt Li's Pork Offal Congee" was officially hung up for the grand opening. There were no firecrackers, no lion dances, and no loud advertising campaigns. It just quietly began. Only Guan Yu, who had arrived early, offered a congratulatory gift and bought the first bowl to kick off sales. This kid had come over the day before yesterday, acting chummy, to demand fine wine from the Song household right when Aunt Li was testing her cooking skills.

Luckily getting to taste it once, Guan Yu had instantly fallen in love. Knowing the stall was opening today, he couldn't hold back. He brought a gift over early in the morning, gloriously becoming the stall's very first customer! After finishing his meal, he generously tossed a one-tael silver red envelope as a tip. Only then did Guan Yu look around the stall, clicking his tongue in praise.

Benefiting from Song Que's modern perspective—and his extreme aversion to filthy eateries—the stall was designed to be exceptionally clean and convenient. The chef, Aunt Li, wore a snow-white uniform, using dedicated utensils that weren't mixed with anything else. Just looking at it gave an air of professionalism. Furthermore, single-use chopsticks were provided, and the tables, chairs, and bowls were always wiped spotless.

In this era, which severely lacked attention to food hygiene and safety, this was truly a unique sight! Moreover, the pricing wasn't high—only five copper coins for a bowl of congee. Guan Yu could guarantee this place would be packed with customers!

"Young Master Song, if your stall doesn't become booming popular, there truly is no justice in this world! I congratulate you in advance on money flowing in like water!"

"Haha, thank you, Brother Guan! I'll also trouble Brother Guan to keep an eye on this place secretly to prevent any troublemakers."

"Easy as lifting a hand! Besides, the public order on this street is the best in the entire county. No stubborn fool would dare come here to cause trouble. You can set your mind at ease, Young Master Song."

"Then I am relieved." Seeing people gradually appearing on the street, Guan Yu didn't linger. He smiled, congratulated the group one last time, cupped his hands, and took his leave.... People slowly emerging from their homes immediately noticed something different on their street today. A strange pushcart with a sign reading "Aunt Li's Pork Offal Congee" hung from its roof. Neat and orderly rows of tables and chairs were set up against the wall. Eye-catching promotional banners were hung at both ends of the street.

Truly bizarre! Curious, people approached to take a look and were quickly captivated by the aroma. A few couldn't resist and took the plunge to try a bowl. If they hadn't eaten it, it would be fine, but once they took a bite, there was no turning back! Watching those few people burying their heads and devouring their food, the remaining onlookers felt their hearts itching like they were being scratched by a cat. Several more couldn't resist and stepped forward. Just like that, business exploded.

It exploded so fast that no one quite understood what had happened!... Watching the tables begin to fill up, Song Que was in a great mood. Seeing Old Zhan setting up his stall not far away, he called over Pockmark La, who was running errands nearby, and had him fetch two bowls of congee and a plate of offal. Arranging them neatly on a tray, he slowly walked over to the Zhan family's stall.... While busy setting up her stall, Xiaoxiao felt someone standing beside her.

Looking up, she met Song Que's smiling gaze, holding a tray of food. Thinking back to her misunderstanding last time, the girl's face instantly flushed crimson. But remembering her father's repeated warnings these past few days—that this person was a notorious playboy, leaving a trail of broken hearts wherever he went—a hint of anger flared in the young girl's heart.

"Hmph, Little Brother. Do you need something?" I'm suddenly a 'brother' now? And 'little'?! But considering her age in this life was likely older than his, Song Que didn't feel conflicted and replied with a cheerful smile:"Ah, Big Sister Xiaoxiao! Today is the grand opening of my family's pork offal congee stall! I brought over a portion to invite you and Uncle Zhan to try it." Seeing he wasn't here to flirt with her, Xiaoxiao felt a slight sense of relief:"Oh! Then congratulations on your grand opening!

How much is this? Let me pay you."

"We're neighbors, what's with the money? Besides, I want to ask you to taste it and give us your feedback!"

"No! I can't accept things for free. Just tell me how much, and I'll pay!" Unexpectedly, this girl still listened to her father's warnings, immediately waving her hands in refusal. Watching her shrink back as if she wanted to run away, Song Que felt his teeth ache. With no other choice, he said:"How about this: it's not worth much anyway. Just give me ten steamed buns in exchange, and we'll call it even." Her little head began to calculate the value. A moment later, Zhan Xiaoxiao relented and nodded.

"Alright then. Let me go get the buns for you." Handing the tray to her, Song Que smiled:"Sure! Big Sister Xiaoxiao, remember to eat it while it's hot; it tastes best that way!" Carefully and warily taking the tray of food as if guarding against a plague, the girl scurried into the house like a frightened rabbit, nearly colliding with Old Zhan, who was walking out carrying a steamer basket. Stepping out the door, the first thing he saw was Song Que's face. Zhan Sheng felt his mood plummet instantly.

He glared and shouted:"You little brat! What are you doing over here again?! I'm warning you one last time: stay away from my daughter! Otherwise, don't blame this old man for being ruthless!" F ck me, this narcissism is off the charts! * Song Que inwardly cursed. But since he still needed a favor from the old man, Grandee Song suppressed the urge to flip the table:"Uncle Zhan, it's a misunderstanding! I absolutely have no intentions toward Big Sister Xiaoxiao!"

"What?! Are you saying my daughter isn't pretty enough for you?!" Hate the person, hate the things they do! No matter what Song Que said, Old Zhan found it displeasing. I didn't even do anything to offend this old fart! To this day, Grandee Song still didn't know he had been sabotaged by someone spreading rumors. His image in the hearts of this father-daughter pair was completely ruined! Luckily, Xiaoxiao ran out to explain at that moment, or else he truly couldn't guarantee he wouldn't explode.

"Father, what nonsense are you saying?! Little Brother Song's family opened a new congee stall, so he brought some over to invite us to try. I refused to accept it for free, so I went inside to get some steamed buns to exchange with him!" Saying that, she handed the tray of buns to Song Que, signaling him to leave quickly. Looking at Old Zhan, whose eyes were glaring so hard they looked like they would pop out of their sockets, Grandee Song shook his head, turned around, and walked away in frustration.

Every single encounter with this old man has been unpleasant! It's like we just can't stand the sight of each other! Is being handsome a crime?! Song Que inwardly spat at the old man's old, ugly face. I wonder if she's even his biological daughter? According to "Expert Song," from a genetic standpoint, the probability seems very low! Letting his imagination run wild, Song Que's mood improved, and he practically skipped home with a sleazy grin on his face.