I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1082 - Chapter 1082 Chapter 376 The Aroma of Meat Fears Not the Deep

Chapter 1082: Chapter 376: The Aroma of Meat Fears Not the Deep Alley Chapter 1082: Chapter 376: The Aroma of Meat Fears Not the Deep Alley Yesterday’s knock on the door was due to Brother Tian cooking offal in the courtyard, and the smell was almost like boiling excrement.

After all these years, Sixth Aunt knew that Brother Tian was a truly fierce-looking but kind-hearted man. Despite the intimidating reputation of a Qingtian Gang big shot, the gang had never committed any outrages against nature or humanity. Brother Tian himself was always eager to do good deeds and put righteousness first.

When you look across the streets and docks of Chaochang, there are countless gangs, both overt and covert, but how many of those gang members could end up as well as the Qingtian Gang did?

All those gang leaders who always bragged about their loyalty were nothing but ruthless bastards who wouldn’t spit out the bones of their prey. Only after many young people who joined the gangs for the glamour and brotherhood were seriously injured or disabled did they understand this truth.

In all these years, only Boss Yun of Qingtian Gang had truly kept his sense of brotherhood in his heart. Even after the gang disbanded, he continued to take care of his former brothers.

Some of these people ended up doing very well for themselves, becoming market-place bosses, inheriting family shops as shopkeepers, or starting their trade on small boats. Even those who didn’t do so well were shoved into some restaurant or trading firm to learn a craft and a way to make a living.

If all gangs in Chaochang could act like the Qingtian Gang, then the common people would naturally not harbor any resentment towards them. Unfortunately, the gangs of Chaochang now were all engaging in malicious deeds, such as loan-sharking, forcing good people into prostitution, or running gambling dens, often leaving families broken and destroyed.

Ironically, the police only suppressed gangs like Qingtian Gang who had no strong backers, turning a blind eye to the truly influential gangs.

In such circumstances, although Brother Tian enjoyed a considerable reputation, his financial situation was anything but good, yet he still was a man of pride and arrogance.

A few days ago, the Huangfu Trade Group suffered a major defeat, leading many to speculate that Brother Tian’s investment might have gone down the drain. According to the market stall owners, Brother Tian had not shown up for several days, and combined with the stench from yesterday, Sixth Aunt surmised that Brother Tian’s family might have run out of food.

So today, after discussing it with her husband, Sixth Aunt brought over a bowl of fatty pork rice to Brother Tian’s house, drawn in by the mysterious aroma.

As everyone was talking, Brother Tian’s courtyard door suddenly opened, and a mist of fragrance billowed out, prompting everyone to involuntarily take a step back.

“What brings my neighbors to linger at Yun’s doorstep? What has happened?”

Brother Tian stepped out with a smile and asked the crowd knowingly.

While it was easy to confess a craving for delicious smells to ordinary neighbors, facing the radiant and beautiful Brother Tian made it harder to admit. Stumbling over their words, nobody wanted to be the first to reveal their thoughts. However, Sixth Aunt, as a woman, had no such qualms and, salivating, asked, “Brother Tian, what are you cooking in the courtyard that smells so rich?”

As Sixth Aunt asked, her nose twitched uncontrollably, and she even rose on tiptoes to peer inside, as if she wanted to see past Brother Tian’s shoulder to the steaming pot in the courtyard.

“Didn’t I tell you yesterday, Sixth Aunt? It’s pig offal that I’m cooking!”

Brother Tian smiled and stepped aside to let Sixth Aunt get a clearer view.

Upon hearing that offal was being cooked, everyone was incredulous and started to discuss at once.

“Brother Tian must be joking. The pigs of Chaochang have an extremely strong stench, and pig offal is even more unbearable. During famine years, we have cooked it a few times, but ended up vomiting out more than we ate!”

“That’s right, that’s right, a few months ago when we couldn’t even scrape the bottom of the pot at home, I also went to the pigsty and picked up some pig lungs. After washing them in over a dozen buckets of water, the stench was still overpowering. I couldn’t take more than two bites before I had to stop eating,” said Sixth Aunt.

It wasn’t just Brother Tian who thought of the offal; the lower classes had long since turned their attention to these cuts of meat discarded by others. No matter how they were dried, rinsed, stir-fried, or boiled, the offal’s fishy stench clung like persistent maggots, impossible to shake off.

This was the real reason why people in Chaochang didn’t eat offal. It wasn’t just that humans found it unpalatable–even animals couldn’t stand the stink of it and would retch non-stop if they ate it by mistake.

But now, as everyone smelled the fragrant broth coming from the pot in the courtyard, how could they believe that this was the same foul-smelling pig offal?

Seeing that everyone’s appetite had been whetted, Brother Tian, who had long wanted to open up the market through word of mouth from neighbors, seized the opportunity and said, “This really is pig offal. I cooked a big pot of it yesterday, how about I share some with everyone to try?”

“Oh, that would be wonderful!” said Sixth Aunt, who never cared for pretense, as she swallowed hard, “It smells so incredibly good, just perfect to take back for my man to try.”

The way she spoke of her man even when out looking for food caused a burst of laughter among the people, while Brother Tian turned to go back inside, fetched several small jars he had prepared earlier, and began ladling the meat and soup into them.

With each scoop of the big iron ladle in the pot, the aroma swept out, accompanied by the chorus of saliva-swallowing gulps from outside the door, each one a testament to the irresistible fragrance.

Brother Tian shook and rattled his ladle each time he lifted meat from the pot, making a show of the meat’s majestic appearance, soaked in brine, to etch it into the onlookers’ memories.

By the time Brother Tian leisurely filled up the jars one by one, the neighbors outside had their eyes glued to the scene.

They were so eager to get their hands on the jars that they didn’t care about the heat, reaching in to grab the meat, which resulted in howls of pain as the boiling brine and scorching meat burned their hands.

The seductive allure had been too much and, with the delicacy right before their eyes, who could bother with keeping up appearances anymore? They became like merciless iron hands, each desperate to taste this divine-smelling offal and discover its true flavor.

If there truly is such a thing as paradise on Earth, then surely it must be found in that moment after a long day of toil, when one bites into delicious food and savors it.

The broth special to Brother Tian, paired with precise control of the fire, had transformed the cleanly prepared offal into a unique experience. This unprecedented luxury made the men clutching the jars freeze in awe.

“Even the lord of the sacred lands probably eats no better than this every day,” they thought to themselves, as each one internally praised the offal within their jars. Seeing the expressions on everyone’s faces, Brother Tian knew his braised meats business was set for success!

After sending the neighbors away and closing the courtyard gate, an exuberant Brother Tian hopped and skipped towards the woodshed, eager to share the good news with his younger brother.

“In less than three days, the reputation of this braised meat will spread throughout East Market. Then, you’ll see a flock of businessmen climbing over each other to bring Boss Yun money! How about that, impressive or not!?” Brother Tian said, his head held high, to Tang Luo on the bed.

“Impressive, impressive,” Tang Luo, who could not move at all, raised an eyebrow in approval at Brother Tian, “So, are you planning to sell the recipe then?”