I Can See Your Combat Power
Chapter 1083 - Chapter 1083 Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven Petty

Chapter 1083: Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven: Petty Schemes Chapter 1083: Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven: Petty Schemes “Sell the recipe? No, no, no,” Brother Tian smiled with narrowed eyes. “I’m going to sell the business! The merchants of Chaochang are as cunning as monkeys. It won’t be long before they realize the true value of this scent-removing formula, and then all they have to do is wait for the money to roll in!”

People in different positions see different views.

Residents of the East Market Alley could only think of Brother Tian’s ability to remove the stink from pig offal, while some small traders would think about how to get their hands on this scent-removing recipe or collaborate with Brother Tian to tap into an untapped market and make a fortune.

However, those standing in higher positions would consider whether this liquid could also be used on other spiritual beasts and birds of prey.

It is known that the stronger the beast, the stronger the scent they carry. In the past, pharmacists’ secret recipes for removing scents were extremely costly; often, the herbs were even more expensive than the meat.

This kind of liquid was mostly found in the kitchens of noble families, who were the only ones who could afford the expense of removing the odors from spiritual beasts and birds of prey.

After all, why would such a precious liquid be used on pig offal when the gentry and nobility wouldn’t consume such lowly food?

With Brother Tian’s deliberate propaganda, the entire East Market knew he had a secret recipe for removing the foul smell from pig offal, as well as that exquisitely delicious braised meat.

That day, as Brother Tian was cooking meat in the courtyard, someone knocked on the gate. Upon opening it, there stood the crafty-eyed, chubby knife-hand.

Recognizing his own subordinate, Brother Tian rolled his eyes, turned, and walked away, disdainfully saying, “Not staying put in the kitchen as you should, slacking off, are you?”

“It’s Fat Liu who sent me!” The chubby knife-hand slipped into the courtyard nimbly, closing the gate behind him and spoke with an air of righteousness, “Yesterday, Fat Liu heard that you had a secret scent-removing recipe, Brother Tian. Early this morning, he called me to the kitchen alone, saying since I have a good relationship with you, I should find a way to coax the recipe out of you. If I succeed, he’ll give me a hefty reward, nine hundred gold a month, bah!”

Turning back with a flattering face, the chubby man moved with the agility of a meatball, quickly rolling up beside Brother Tian and said, “That idiot didn’t think about the relationship between Xiao Dao and Brother Tian. Offering a measly three hundred gold, he wants me to betray Brother Tian–pure daydreaming!”

Brother Tian, stirring the meat in the pot, remained utterly unmoved. His focused gaze was fixed on the pot as if he hadn’t heard a word from the chubby cook.

Seeing that Brother Tian was not impressed, the chubby knife-hand let out an embarrassed laugh, snorted, and then said, “Brother Tian, is that the divine meat in the pot? Wasn’t it said that its scent would overpower the entire East Market? Why can’t I catch a whiff of it?”

Upon closer inspection of the pot, he realized there was no fragrance because all the steam rising from it had been collected into Brother Tian’s sleeves. The chubby man’s eyes flickered, and he understood why rumors claimed that the aroma could envelop the entire East Market.

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Thumbs up, the chubby chef praised Brother Tian, who was stirring the minced meat energetically, “Brilliant! Brother Tian, your skill is simply too brilliant, concentrating the savory aroma during the cooking and then releasing it all at once when it’s served. Wouldn’t the meat’s fragrance spread far and wide, drifting for miles? If someone smells this, any other food they eat will taste so bland in comparison! Brilliant, truly brilliant!”

“Go fetch some Clear Water!”

Brother Tian was used to Fat Liu’s flattery and, without any change in expression, he didn’t forget to order him around. Fat Liu was not the least bit bothered. He carried a basin and ran to the shed where the water jar was, ready to scoop some water. But as he lifted the lid, he heard a crunching noise from within the shed. Startled, he dropped the basin into the jar and screamed, “What demon is this? Come out this instant, I have seen you!”

“What are you yelling about!” Brother Tian, hearing the commotion, said irritably, “There’s no demon in there, it’s the sick one. Don’t disturb them. Bring the water over quickly!”

“Oh? Oh!” Realizing he had made a fool of himself, Fat Liu’s face turned red. He picked up the basin from the jar, scooped up some water, and hurried back to Brother Tian’s side. He watched as Brother Tian took out the spices from one pot and put them into another. Using a large sieve, he drained the remnants of the spices from the original pot and added the remaining half-pot of broth topped up with Clear Water and new spices to cook again.

These two pots of broth were essential to ensuring the flavor, and Fat Liu, who had mastered the three main aspects of cooking, couldn’t help but praise Brother Tian’s cooking methods again, “Such finesse, truly scrupulous! Based on your culinary skill, Brother Tian, if you decided to open a restaurant, wouldn’t customers be flocking in? In my opinion, even the chefs at Wealth God Building in Zhongzhou aren’t necessarily better, right?”

As Brother Tian, who was adeptly transferring the meat to another pot of broth, ignored Fat Liu’s flattery, he held his head in exasperation and said, “Enough already. Stop brown-nosing. Spill it, what mischief have you been up to now?”

“Look at what you’re saying! I always play by the rules; I’ve never been up to mischief! I just haven’t seen you in a while and missed you, Brother Tian, so I came to check in on you!”

The plump face looked completely honest, like an innocent and harmless chubby kid. But with the many years they had spent together, even by observing with just his toes, Brother Tian could tell this guy was always up to something.

Brother Tian rolled his eyes, “So you just missed your big brother, huh? Well, you’ve seen enough now, so you should head back to the inn’s kitchen. But going back like this, people will definitely see through your act. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll give you a beating, so you go back injured and say you were caught trying to steal the secret recipe and that we’ve had a falling out. Manager Liu won’t suspect you then!”

As he spoke, Brother Tian put down his iron ladle and cracked his knuckles with a “crack crack” sound, looking ready to administer a beating.

Fat Liu, seeing Brother Tian’s gestures, waved his hands frantically and pleaded, “Wait, wait! Don’t hit me! After Manager Liu talked to me this morning, I went back to the kitchen and discussed with a few other chefs. With Brother Tian’s secret recipe, what are we still doing here? We might as well quit and work with you. After all, if you’re going to do food business, you’ll need a few helpers, won’t you?”

While speaking, Fat Liu approached with a sycophantic smile, “Although I don’t have other skills, I’m pretty good at chopping and washing vegetables. I’ll be perfect to assist you, just perfect!”

“Can’t you do something substantial for once? If all the head cooks quit, can Yunlai Inn even continue to operate?” Upon hearing his words, Brother Tian frowned and scolded, “When Qingtian Gang disbanded, if it weren’t for Manager Liu taking you in, do you think you could maintain such plumpness? Now you’re stirring up the cooks to quit at the first sign of trouble. Who would dare to hire you in the future!”

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