97: Inheritance and Innovation

“Hey, Chuan Wa Zi, come in and have a seat! The Party Secretary said you’ve been busy setting up a stall lately, right? Why are you so free today?”

“Second Aunt, I’ve been busy setting up a stall, but I’m taking a couple of days off.”

“It’s good to be busy. If you’re busy when you’re young, you can enjoy life when you’re old. But you also need to balance work and rest; you can’t wear yourself out while you’re still young. Oh, have you eaten? If not, let’s eat together?”

“No, no, thank you, Second Aunt. I’ve already eaten. I came today to bring you some grilled fish. I want you to try my cooking and also give me some feedback.”

“Oh, how can you do that? Your Second Uncle said this fish isn’t cheap! Take it back, quickly, take it back! Second Aunt can’t take advantage of you like this!”

“Second Aunt, please don’t be so polite. I made many portions of grilled fish and plan to give one to everyone in the village.”

“Whoa, Chuan Wa Zi, this is too… too extravagant. So much grilled fish, this is… this is too extravagant… How about you don’t give it away? You work so hard setting up your stall, and all the money you earn is hard-earned. Let me buy one from you! Wait a moment, I’ll go get the money!”

“No, no, Second Aunt, if you do that, I won’t come to your house anymore! This fish is wholesale; it doesn’t cost much!”

“Hey, Chuan Wa Zi, you, you, why are you running away? Take the money, take the money! Oh, why are you running faster and faster! Slow down, Second Aunt can’t catch up!”

...Leaving Second Aunt’s house, Lu Chuan looked at He Jingrui, who had been holding back his laughter, and snorted, tilting his head.

Seeing this, He Jingrui immediately shut up, then got on the tricycle, placing his hand on the handlebars. After confirming Lu Chuan was seated, he twisted the handle.

The next moment, the tricycle shot out.

“Hahaha, your tricycle is still the most fun to ride!”

Feeling the strong wind on his face, He Jingrui laughed heartily, startling the geese resting by the pond, making their wings flap.

Lu Chuan counted the portions of grilled fish on the tricycle. When he saw only three portions left, he carefully recalled which households hadn’t received theirs yet.

“Hmm, only Uncle Deming’s hasn’t been delivered yet.”

He smiled contentedly and immediately directed He Jingrui to drive towards the village entrance.

A few minutes later, the tricycle slowly stopped in front of Lu Deming’s house at the village entrance.

He Jingrui watched Lu Chuan take three portions of grilled fish inside, then run out as if escaping, leaping onto the seat.

“Quick, quick, to Yinhua Mountain!”

He Jingrui’s spirits lifted as he watched Lu Deming, waving a few large red banknotes, chase out after Lu Chuan.

“Alright, sit tight! Let’s go!”

The midday sun was exceptionally dazzling.

But the two, in high spirits, did not feel hot under the gusts of wind; instead, they felt a sense of leisurely comfort and joy.

Half an hour later, the vehicle performed a nimble drift and finally stopped steadily at the foot of the mountain.

He Jingrui watched Lu Chuan drive the vehicle to a shady spot under a tree and scratched his head.

“A Chuan, is it okay not to lock it?”

Lu Chuan smiled without answering, only urging He Jingrui to quickly go up the mountain.

Once they left here, the vehicle would be recycled into storage space by the system, so there was no fear of losing it.

He Jingrui looked back every few steps, but seeing Lu Chuan walking further and further away, he put aside his worries and quickly followed.

Both of them had physiques far exceeding ordinary people, so even when they reached halfway up the mountain, they were still not out of breath.

If it weren’t for the extremely hot weather, they probably wouldn’t have even broken a single drop of sweat.

“He Jingrui, let’s split up here. Remember, if you see any plants with a pungent spicy smell, note their location, then put on gloves and pinch off some samples into your basket.”

After giving instructions, Lu Chuan parted ways with He Jingrui, each going off to find special ingredients for improving the recipe.

The dish for next week’s stall is super spicy fatty intestine noodles.

Lu Chuan possessed a vast knowledge of advanced culinary arts, and his understanding of the Eight Great Cuisines was unparalleled.

Naturally, he knew that super spicy fatty intestine noodles, while rooted in the Sichuan cuisine system, also incorporated the cooking wisdom of Shandong cuisine’s Nine-Turned Intestines, making it a true Jianghu (jianghu) delicacy that perfectly blended ingredients, technique, and emotion.

It differs from traditional Sichuan-style fatty intestines, which are braised and tend to be chewy.

It further draws on Shandong cuisine’s “four-step cooking method,” which involves blanching, boiling, stir-frying, and braising, perfectly giving the fatty intestines a more elastic, tougher, and more fragrant layered texture.

And in the recipe provided by the system, there were even more detailed processing steps.

For example, replacing cinnamon powder with sand ginger powder not only removes fishy odors but also adds an aromatic fragrance, creating a unique “bitter-fragrant aftertaste” flavor.

Through referencing the system’s recipe, Lu Chuan gained a deeper understanding of how to make super spicy fatty intestine noodles.

However, he also had his own persistence, believing that the recipe provided by the system was indeed excellent, a compendium of the wisdom and efforts of his predecessors.

But if he simply copied it, it would ultimately seem a bit rigid and lack some spirit.

Moreover, deep down, there would be a sense of regret and injustice, feeling like he was merely picking up the crumbs of his predecessors without striving for his own progress.

China’s five thousand years of history is a realistic drama where “food is the first necessity of the people.”

It is precisely because generations of chefs were not content with the status quo, and through continuous research and innovation of their predecessors’ recipes, that we have today’s splendid and diverse Eight Great Cuisines, the vibrant calling card that Chinese civilization presents to the world, and the spiritual heritage that every Chinese person is proud of.

Lu Chuan had not yet had this awareness of pioneering and innovation before. Initially, the reason he chose to improve the delicious stinky tofu recipe was merely to ensure the smooth progress of his stall mission.

But as his life gradually became more prosperous, he truly accepted and fell in love with the identity of a chef, and he now had clear goals for the pursuit and perfection of his spiritual world.

To be blessed by heaven and obtain everything he has today with the help of the system.

Then, for the rest of his life, he would firmly root himself in the culinary industry, learn from the spirit and practices of past generations, further research, improve, and innovate the recipes passed down through five thousand years of Chinese history, allowing more people to taste unforgettable delicacies.

Lu Chuan reined in his scattered thoughts, smiled faintly, and continued forward, searching for suitable targets.

With a goal in mind, there is direction in progress.

Even if there are difficulties and obstacles ahead, he still finds it sweet.

Although improving upon the recipe provided by the system is not a simple task.

But Lu Chuan was not confused; on the contrary, he was full of drive.

His goal was not simply to make super spicy fatty intestine noodles more delicious.

What he wanted to do was to make super spicy fatty intestine noodles more appealing to the general public.

Although it’s super spicy, the spiciness should have depth.

If it only became a favorite among spicy food lovers, but ignored those who can’t eat spicy food, he would feel regret just thinking about it.

Therefore, improving the recipe means focusing on the word “spicy.”

Lu Chuan wanted to make this bowl of super spicy fatty intestine noodles more layered and impactful.

Not only should it make spicy food lovers sweat profusely, forgetting all the trivialities of life.

It should also be friendly enough for people who can’t eat spicy food, allowing them to fall in love with this bowl of noodles without any reservations.