194: Amazingly delicious

In front of the stove.

Li Ming was holding a ladle, tasting the soup.

His face was filled with intoxication.

Seeing Ye Tian arrive, a look of delight appeared on his face.

"Brother, this termite mushroom paired with chicken soup is absolutely incredible! It's so fragrant I want to swallow my tongue along with it. I've never tasted such fresh soup in my life."

"Is it really that exaggerated?"

Ye Tian chuckled.

"Absolutely not exaggerated. This feeling is indescribable. If this stuff wasn't produced by us, even a stingy person like me would definitely be willing to spend a high price to eat it. It's a pity that termite mushroom is too rare around here and is seasonal. Otherwise, just based on this soup, I dare say it could make Changle Restaurant stand firm and irreplaceable."

Li Ming said with certainty.

Hearing this, Ye Tian had no doubts.

He quickly ladled a bowl for himself.

He blew on it a few times and took a small sip.

The next moment, a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

Indeed, just as Li Ming said, the old chicken, already intensely flavorful, combined with the termite mushroom to enhance the freshness, created an indescribable taste that shot straight to his head.

It could be said that it was a qualitative change resulting from the collision of foods.

Most crucially, Ye Tian once again intuitively felt a fundamental improvement.

It wasn't just a simple surge of Qi and blood.

This feeling only occurred when he drank The Old Man's Hundred Fruit Brew and his own Gold Grade Infused Liquor.

He hadn't expected that, besides the time-consuming and laborious infused liquor, the collision of ingredients cultivated by the two types of Gu insects could also yield such an effect.

Of course, it was only a slight effect; a single bowl of soup naturally wouldn't provide a huge boost.

But long-term consumption would certainly bring a considerable increase.

Furthermore, compared to liquor, this stuff was truly delicious. Enjoying it while improving—in one word: fantastic.

Nodding contentedly, Ye Tian looked at the other pots where food was stewing.

"Brother Li, how does the termite mushroom taste on its own?"

"It's also very fresh. The quality is much higher than ordinary food or termite mushrooms bought in the market, but no matter what, it's not as stunning as when paired with our chicken."

Saying this, Li Ming uncovered another pot.

"This one is stewed with ordinary free-range chicken and termite mushroom. You'll know the difference with one sip."

With that, Li Ming ladled a spoonful for Ye Tian.

Ye Tian took a sip.

He immediately understood Li Ming's point.

If termite mushroom plus ordinary chicken equals 2, then termite mushroom plus chicken raised on cockroach meat equals 5.

Compared to ordinary delicacies, both were considered top-tier.

But there was a chasm between the two. This chasm truly couldn't be solved by cooking skills; it had to be the ingredients.

With this comparison, Ye Tian felt much more settled.

His own products should be as outrageous as possible, so no one could imitate or replace them.

"Brother, after tasting our good stuff, I only cooked about ten pounds of the termite mushrooms you brought. The rest, excluding the ten pounds we sold, have been put in preservation, waiting to be used as a trump card when we open."

Ye Tian nodded: "That's good. But the freshness of termite mushroom decreases if stored too long. Brother Li, you could try refining some into termite mushroom oil. I estimate it could be preserved for a longer time, and the oil refined from our termite mushroom will definitely be much better than flavor enhancers like chicken bouillon or MSG."

Li Ming laughed wryly: "I'd like to, but I'm afraid if we refine it into oil, we won't have enough later."

"Then I'll try to look around these two days to see if I can dig up some more."

"You can still dig some up?"

Li Ming was delighted.

"It shouldn't be a big problem, but it depends on the situation."

"If you can dig some up, Little Tian, you should try to dig them out along with the soil. I've made a few Cultivation Cabinets specifically to display rare ingredients like termite mushroom. That will definitely draw attention."

"Cultivation Cabinets?"

"Yes. Nowadays, some high-end restaurants, to show freshness, sometimes serve mushrooms directly as potted landscapes. Those mushrooms grow right inside the bonsai."

"You can play it like that? That sounds interesting. Alright, if possible, I'll try my best to bring the freshest ones."

Ye Tian also imagined the scene of others watching the termite mushroom being plucked right in front of them, and his eyes lit up slightly. He nodded.

The two chatted in the kitchen.

The invited guests outside arrived one after another.

Hearing the noise, Ye Tian went out to greet them.

After waiting for about half an hour.

Everyone had arrived.

Zhao Rubing arrived the latest.

Naturally, she sat down next to Ye Tian.

Ye Tian stared at Zhao Rubing's eyes, unable to look away.

"Little fellow, what are you looking at? Do I have flowers on my face?"

Zhao Rubing's cheeks flushed slightly from being stared at, and she couldn't help but glare at Ye Tian.

"Sister Bing, have you noticed that your complexion is exceptionally good today?"

Ye Tian spoke.

Hearing this, Zhao Rubing smiled slightly.

"Speaking of which, this should be your credit."

"Mine?"

"The skincare product you gave me that time—I tried it for the past two days, and the effect is truly astonishing. After applying it, it's like having a deep beauty treatment. I don't need to wear makeup or anything to keep my skin moist and radiant."

Zhao Rubing praised him with a smile, seemingly very satisfied with Ye Tian's gift.

Ye Tian clicked his tongue.

"What a pity."

"A pity about what?"

Zhao Rubing asked, puzzled.

"It's a pity that Sister Bing's skin is already so good and fair. If you were a bit darker or uglier, the effect would be truly immediate and obvious. Unfortunately, a great beauty like you can't experience that effect most directly."

Pfft!

Zhao Rubing pursed her lips and smiled: "When did you become such a smooth talker? But seriously, your skincare product is definitely the most effective I've ever used. It also saves me a lot of time. Even many colleagues at the Administration Bureau have been asking me what brand of skincare I've been using these past few days."

"That's great! Sister Bing, don't wait for people to ask. The skincare product will start production in the next few days. I'll send a set to each of your colleagues then."

Zhao Rubing laughed exasperatedly: "You don't miss any chance to advertise, do you?"

"Of course! If it weren't for your special status, Sister Bing, I'd want you to be the spokesperson directly. The results are absolutely top-notch."

"Alright, did you rub honey on your mouth today? You're so good with words."

Zhao Rubing laughed involuntarily.

"No honey, but I tasted something fresh."

Ye Tian chuckled and looked at the dishes in front of him.

The termite mushroom Feast was completely served.

"Come on, everyone, don't just look! Have a bowl of chicken soup and see what real freshness tastes like."

Saying this, Ye Tian lifted the lid of the soup pot.

Immediately, a refreshing aroma drifted out.

Everyone at the table couldn't help but take a deep breath. Their eyes showed anticipation.

Led by Ye Tian, they all ladled a bowl of soup for themselves.

Zhao Rubing took the soup handed to her by Ye Tian. A hint of confusion appeared in her beautiful eyes.

"Little Tian, didn't you say that plain boiled chicken was the best way to eat your chicken? Now you've switched to stewing?"

Ye Tian smiled slightly: "For chicken alone, plain boiled is indeed the best. But when paired with another ingredient, stewing becomes the true king. Sister Bing, hurry up and try it."

"Little Tian, is what you stewed with the chicken termite mushroom?"

As an old gourmand, Zhang Aiguo immediately recognized the fresh, tender mushroom floating in the bowl.

"Mhm."

"Not bad. termite mushroom is very fresh. Our hotel purchases it in large quantities as a seasonal vegetable every year, and the order rate is very high.

Your termite mushroom looks even more tender than the ones I've purchased before. This is rare, truly rare."

Saying this, Zhang Aiguo couldn't help but take a sip.

Immediately afterward, his eyes widened.

"This... Little Tian, is this really termite mushroom?"

Ye Tian was stunned: "Uncle Zhang, didn't you just recognize it yourself?"

"No, I've had chicken stewed with termite mushroom countless times, and the taste is completely different! This flavor is too amazing. Even the Super Chef we hired at our hotel definitely couldn't make this taste. It's incredible."

Saying this, Zhang Aiguo was already unwilling to talk more, and couldn't stop drinking the chicken soup, his face full of excitement.

Seeing his reaction, everyone else immediately couldn't resist and picked up the bowls in front of them.

A moment later.

A series of gasps rang out.

"Old Li, I've eaten at your place for so many years, how did I not know you had this skill? This taste is simply indescribable."

Wu Gengbiao, as Li Ming's old friend, was the first to show surprise.

Li Ming laughed heartily.

"Don't just talk about you, even I didn't know I had this skill."

"Heh, stop pretending!"

Wu Gengbiao said contemptuously.

"It really isn't about skill. Just like the chicken, today's soup relies entirely on the termite mushroom for its freshness."

"termite mushroom enhancing freshness? In my impression, termite mushroom, no matter how fresh, can't reach this level."

Zhang Aiguo also couldn't help but interject.

"It's probably because the termite mushroom Little Tian picked is fresh enough, and also because the quality of our chicken is so high. The combination of the two resulted in this. It really has nothing to do with my cooking skills."

Although he was belittling himself, Li Ming spoke very happily.

After all, having these two irreplaceable ingredients was far more important than his own cooking skills.

"This termite mushroom was picked by Little Tian? Amazing!"

Zhang Aiguo was slightly surprised, then shook his head with some disappointment.

"What a pity. The source of the ingredients is uncertain, so it can't be replicated. Otherwise, a dish with this flavor, if placed in my hotels, would definitely be snapped up by crowds, even if sold for several thousand per serving."

"Uncle Zhang, if you really want it, it's not impossible to replicate."

Hearing that price, Ye Tian's eyes rolled slightly, and he spoke.

Zhang Aiguo's spirits lifted.

"Little Tian, do you have a solution?"

"It's still under experimentation for now, but what's certain is that this flavor is the result of the collision between our chicken and the termite mushroom. In other words, even without the termite mushroom, the chicken alone is not far off. Uncle Zhang, you can try making soup with ordinary termite mushroom when you get the chance."

Zhang Aiguo gave a wry smile: "Little Tian, I don't disagree with your statement, but my palate is naturally quite picky. After drinking your chicken soup, I'm afraid I'll find it hard to appreciate ordinary chicken soup."

"Haha, Uncle Zhang, if you really like it that much, then wait a few days and see if I can get more termite mushroom."

"Is termite mushroom something you can just get whenever you want?"

Zhang Aiguo asked, puzzled.

"That's why it requires time for experimentation."

"Little Ye, when did you start experimenting with termite mushroom?"

The Old Man, having finished the chicken soup in his bowl with a look of enjoyment, couldn't help but ask.

"It was a coincidence, Old Man. You know I also like studying insects. Before, a Master Worker at the landfill dug up a termite nest, and I wanted to observe their habits, so I moved them to the Woodshed in the courtyard and fed them cockroach meat.

Who knew they actually settled down there, and the Termites raised on cockroach meat were even larger than ordinary ants.

It rained last night, and when I wandered over there again, I suddenly found quite a few termite mushrooms growing near the Woodshed, which is what everyone is eating now."

"There's such a thing? termite mushroom is indeed symbiotic with Termites. That means the extraordinary taste of the termite mushroom that Little Zhang noticed might not be due to its freshness, but rather because of the high quality of the Termites?"

"It has to be The Old Man—straight to the point! Exactly, I had that conjecture. That ant nest is quite large, so I'm thinking about relying on that termite nest to try artificially cultivating termite mushroom."

"That's a good idea. I actually researched this before, and I can confirm it's feasible. However, the balance between temperature, humidity, and the Termites is very difficult to grasp. Therefore, even if it succeeds, the required investment cost is huge, which is why no one truly pursues it."

"Old Man, did you forget? If we want to do it, we have the conditions. Didn't we talk about the high temperature issue caused by the Cockroaches before? This afternoon, I already told the Construction Team about building the workshop underground and presented a plan. At that time, the greenhouse temperature will be controllable, and humidity—meaning water—can also be controlled. As for the Termites..."

"For others, it might be difficult to control. But I found that the ants I raised with cockroach meat have become dependent on it. If we guide them appropriately, having them choose their nesting locations based on our needs doesn't seem like a hard task."

The Old Man's eyes lit up.

"Good boy! You've combined all this! And seriously, it's well-founded and truly achievable. Take me to see it when we go back tonight. If you can really guide the Termites to build nests as you say, achieving mass production of termite mushroom using the environment of your Breeding Farm shouldn't be difficult. Breaking the seasonal constraint might even be possible."

As if he had discovered a new toy, The Old Man instantly became excited.

"Heh heh, alright. With The Old Man helping with the analysis, I feel even more confident."

Ye Tian chuckled.

Everyone listening to the conversation between the grandfather and grandson also had shining eyes.

They couldn't help but feel even more admiration.

No wonder people say technology is the primary productive force.

Look at this grandfather and grandson—in the time it took to eat a meal, they seemed to have solved a cultivation problem.

Moreover, it was a problem closely related to the work and lives of several people at the table.

Among them, besides Li Ming and Zhang Aiguo, who were in the catering industry, Zhao Rubing was the most pleasantly surprised.