Abandoned the Immortal Cultivator, returned to his hometown to farm and sing

Chapter 1369, Section 1356: Two Different Kinds of Human Experience
This is a fruit that looks like a pear, smells like a pear, but is covered in fuzz.

"That's the taste! It smells so good!" Lu Jingcheng muttered repeatedly, pointing at the ugly pear. Then he grabbed the stall owner and asked, "Shopkeeper, what is this?"

"Quinberry." The stall owner pronounced its name slowly, speaking fluent Mandarin.

None of the three understood. "Warm? Isn't it a pear?"

“Quinque pear,” the stall owner repeated, then shook his head. “It smells like a pear, but it’s not actually a pear; it’s more like a papaya. It’s also called a goose pear. The fragrance of goose pears in the tent refers to this fruit.”

Upon hearing the scent of pear blossoms in the tent, Zhang Yufei's ears immediately perked up.

As a seasoned fan of "The Legend of Zhen Huan," she immediately realized, "Is this the pear-scented incense that An Lingrong prepared?"

The stall owner immediately gave two thumbs up, providing ample emotional support, "That's right, it's that pear."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yufei immediately picked up the ugly pear—no, quince—from the box, brought it to her nose, and smelled it carefully, looking completely absorbed.

"It smells so good, no wonder An Lingrong could be so infatuated with Big Fat Orange."

I've finally seen the real thing with my own eyes, which adds another layer of sentimentality to it.

"So the pears are from Tianhan, are they a local specialty?" Zhang Yufei asked again.

The stall owner shook his head. "It's not from Tianhan, it's from Yili. We have a tradition of putting pears in our tea here. There's an old man in Qingmuchuan who drank tea with pears in it every day and lived to be over a hundred years old."

Since Qingyin Agriculture started looking for various samples in XJ, and especially after establishing an industrial base, various local specialties from XJ have been continuously sent to Tianhan, spreading very quickly.

From a broad perspective, they are all located in the five northwestern provinces, so they are relatively close. Tianhan is like a transit point.

Zhang Yufei immediately nodded, "I know, I know. Six generations under one roof. The old man is in great health. He's over a hundred years old and can still go up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots and come down to scold his grandson."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Bowen immediately lowered his head, raised his hand to cover his face, and thought to himself, "What is my daughter saying?"

The stall owner was quite happy, nodding even more frequently than Zhang Yufei. "Yes, yes, it's the old master of the Wei family in Qingmuchuan. You saw him in the short video, right?"

Ninety-nine percent of the people who come to Tianhan are drawn in by short videos; this stall owner encounters several groups of them every day.

Zhang Yufei raised her head and replied, "I saw it on the live stream."

She was quite proud.

The stall owner immediately looked delighted, "Wow, that's amazing! Then I'll have to give you a free walnut bun, sprinkled with walnuts, it'll smell delicious."

Zhang Yufei felt a little embarrassed and repeatedly declined, "Is it the kind that Grandpa Wei eats?"

"Yes, that's the kind, Ningqiang walnut bun," the stall owner replied quickly.

"Do you have osmanthus-flavored roasted milk tea? The kind where the aroma of milk, osmanthus, and tea dance together, perfect for drinking while enjoying the autumn sunset?" Zhang Yufei asked again.

"Uh..." The stall owner was in a dilemma. Roasted milk tea was easy to make; he could just buy a carton of milk from the side. Osmanthus flowers were also easy to make; he had dried osmanthus flowers on hand. But the autumn sunset... it wasn't autumn yet, and besides, it was only morning; the sunset would be at night.

Grandpa Lu Jingcheng was enjoying the conversation when he realized his granddaughter was talking nonsense again.

He quickly interjected, "Really over a hundred years old? Six generations under one roof. I've only ever heard of four generations under one roof. How many generations of grandchildren would that be?"

"It's because you helped look after my grandson." Zhang Yufei was indeed taken away, and she even counted on her fingers.

She even miscounted; her grandson was five generations removed.

But Lu Jingcheng was already very excited, "That's a centenarian, I have to meet him."

The stall owner breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "You're here for fun, right? If you go to Qingmuchuan now, you can sometimes run into the old man. He's in great shape and has a really loud voice. In the mountains, a loud voice means good health."

Tianhan has been developing tourism for so many years that it has long since developed a mature approach.

Those working in the industry receive regular training, one of the key points of which is to recommend other tourist attractions whenever possible.

You help me, I help you, a rich tourist experience that goes around in circles (×), visiting more places and spending more money ().

When Zhang Yufei heard Qingmuchuan, her eyes lit up again. "Qingmuchuan, great! Let's go eat Fu Tang Thirteen Flowers. One bite and your mouth will be filled with spring."

"Uh..." The stall owner was in a dilemma again.

Well, it's from a live stream again. The "Thirteen Flowers of Tang Dynasty" dish there isn't the authentic version. The authentic version is all meat and vegetables, no vegetables, and certainly no wild spring vegetables. Besides, where can you find the taste of spring in the middle of summer?

Okay, okay, Northerners really know how to talk, we're getting way off-topic. Let's get back to the Ugly Pear.

The stall owner quickly interjected, explaining, "Wineberries are hard and astringent when eaten raw, but they become soft after being cooked, releasing a wonderful sweet and sour flavor and a particularly fragrant aroma."

"Moreover, it can aid digestion, relieve greasiness, and regulate qi. It is warm in nature and can be consumed by those with cold, heat, or dampness in their stomach."

As expected of Tianhan, they pay great attention to the concept of food and medicine sharing the same origin, and even introduced the properties of the food.

"If you'd like to try, I can even peel and cut it for you," the stall owner said at the end.

"No need, no need, I can do it myself. Could you please give me a fruit knife?" Zhang Bowen finally felt a sense of importance and quickly offered to do it himself.

The stall owner pulled a small knife from the side of the wooden box and handed it to Zhang Bowen with both hands.

Then he said goodbye and left to get the walnut buns.

Zhang Bowen laughed awkwardly, "So they've already prepared everything."

With a knife in one hand and an ugly pear in the other, she peeled it in circles with a swish, swish, swish.

The ugly pear has a rather thick skin, and the flesh inside is thick, coarse, and not very juicy.

Zhang Bowen secretly cut off a slice and stuffed it into his mouth; it was so sour that he frowned.

However, the ugly pear has a more intense aroma and a fragrant scent after the skin is peeled.

"The world is truly full of wonders. I never expected there to be such a strange fruit. It smells so good, but it tastes really sour and astringent, and it numbs my mouth," Zhang Bowen muttered to himself.

"XJ, you know, there's nothing that doesn't have. I wouldn't be surprised if they said there was sugarcane there. The big mushrooms are from XJ too, mushrooms growing under the desert, isn't that strange... Dad, slice them up, didn't you hear people say you have to cook them... It smells really good, I wonder if they have incense with this flavor? How do you make 'Goose Pear Tent Incense'?"

Zhang Yufei didn't stop talking either, chattering on and on.

At the same time, he didn't stop working.

She'd watched the live stream and knew what she was doing, but she still needed to make an appearance.

I roasted a few dates, and they got a little burnt, but it doesn't matter. Burnt dates can be considered a kind of medicine. I tore them open and put them in a jar.

I roasted a few longans, and this time the heat was just right. After they were roasted, I threw them into a jar, then quickly took them out, forgetting to seal the openings.

Roast a few walnuts; you don't need to put them in a jar, just let them roast slowly.

Goji berries, raisins, dried mulberries, and ginger slices were thrown into the jar handful by handful.

Rock sugar is out of the question, Grandpa has diabetes.

Finally, throw in half an ugly pear.

Wow, this jar looks like eight-treasure porridge.

A younger person is brewing tea.

Lu Jingcheng was busy eating the whole time.

I finished off a box of sesame paste-flavored wolf tooth potatoes first, and then ate most of the Jianghu-style potatoes.

Finally, a few more spiced crispy pork cracklings.

The old man had four boxes of wolf tooth potatoes in front of him, and he was eating three of them with great relish.

As for the mixed stew he made himself, Little Sweetie has become a snob, and he won't even touch it.

They even moved over to the son-in-law's side. It's not easy for the son-in-law to come out; he's been taking care of both the elderly and the young all morning.

I ate too much and too fast, and my mouth is dry and I feel a bit greasy.

I was thinking of having a cup of tea. When I looked up, I saw my granddaughter had cooked a pot of eight-treasure porridge.

"Even if you don't want money, you can't just lie around and release all the materials. Is there any water left in here?" Lu Jingcheng joked.

"Yes, there's plenty of water." Zhang Yufei realized she had gone a bit overboard with her reckless antics, so she quickly picked up the jar and poured tea into the teacup.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just right, two and a half cups, one jar is gone, and there's only half a jar of seasoning left.

"Hehe, Grandpa, have some tea." Zhang Yufei placed a full cup in front of Lu Jingcheng, picked up a full cup herself, took a sip, and said, "Mmm, delicious."

Zhang Bowen refilled the jar with water, took the remaining half cup, and downed it in one gulp. "Hey, I must say, it's pretty good."

Hearing what they all said, Lu Jingcheng also picked up his teacup and took a sip.

A sip of hot tea, an eyebrow raised, eyes lit up – it was indeed quite good.

Wolf tooth potatoes, whether spicy, numbing, or other flavors, always rely on oil, salt, and various spices.

Eating too much inevitably leaves your mouth feeling greasy and your tongue feeling numb.

This sip of tea was very strong because it was brewed.

It has a bitter and astringent taste, as well as a rich and mellow flavor.

But it is precisely this bitterness and astringency that washes away the greasiness in the mouth, and the numbness on the tongue dissipates, as if the taste buds have been reset.

Another piece of spicy potato brings back the original spicy and stimulating flavor.

Then take another sip of tea.

I've gotten used to the bitterness; it's not as strong as the first bite.

The ingredients wrapped in the tea—goji berries, dried mulberries, and raisins—have little flavor, but the ginger slices have a strong, warm, and spicy taste that's quite intoxicating.

But the sour and sweet taste of that ugly pear neutralized the savory flavor.

It leaves only a warm feeling, comforting you from your esophagus to your stomach, and then from your stomach to your limbs and bones—in short, it's all about comfort.

"These locals really know how to eat! No wonder there are so many tea stalls here where they fry potatoes. These two are a perfect match." Lu Jingcheng pointed to the table and praised the food.

“Grandpa, you’re wrong. This isn’t fried potatoes, it’s called wolf tooth potatoes. And this isn’t a tea stall, it’s called pot tea. That’s how people drank tea in ancient times. They didn’t steep it, they boiled it.” Zhang Yufei ate a bite of potato and a sip of tea, and hurriedly corrected her grandfather’s mistake.

She really talks a lot.

“Yes, yes, yes, the ancients were really capable.” Lu Jingcheng chuckled in agreement, then picked up two more crisp whistles.

Zhang Bowen noticed it too, and happily poked at the mixed stew, slurping his tea.

They finally got to eat, beaming with joy.

It turned out that the grandfather and grandson were both grabbing the box in front of the old man, while no one touched their own box.

Seeing that the other boxes were almost finished, he still held them up like an idiot, saying, "There's still some left, come and eat this. It's sour and spicy, and it's really good. It's been so long and it's not so bad. The pickled vegetables are also quite delicious. But don't eat that grass-like thing that comes with it, it has a fishy smell."

As a result, the grandfather and grandson both pursed their lips, showing no intention of offering any of their picks, and continued to fight for the last two crisp whistles.

Zhang Bowen stood awkwardly for two seconds, holding the box, before realizing what was happening, "Is yours better than mine?"

“Yeah, right.” Zhang Yufei actually admitted it, and then immediately betrayed her grandfather, “That was something my grandfather messed up, it doesn’t taste good at all.”

After saying that, she stood up and didn't try to take it from her grandfather anymore. "I'll go buy a few more boxes. What flavor do you want, Grandpa?"

“This is from the Jianghu.” Lu Jingcheng pointed to the empty box in front of him; he really liked this. “You can choose the rest, Grandpa will pay.”

"No need," Zhang Yufei waved her hand. "How could I let you spend your money?"

He casually pocketed her dad's phone.

Zhang Bowen held up the box of mixed stew and asked, "Dad, how about we eat this first?"

Lu Jingcheng pursed his lips, picked up the last half of the crumb, slowly put it in his mouth, poured himself another cup of tea, and drank it down with relish.

I am so relieved.

Helpless, Zhang Bowen took back the box and continued poking at his hodgepodge, muttering as he ate, "It's so delicious, but I don't want to eat any of it..."

This muttering continued until Zhang Yufei returned carrying five boxes.

"Grandpa, your 'street spirit' is something else! Here we have traditional Sichuan flavor, traditional Guizhou flavor, and even an oyster sauce seafood flavor. And this last one is creamy baked cheese flavor. I see they also sell roasted pepper and preserved egg flavor, yogurt and mint flavor, and tea-infused Sichuan pepper flavor over there..."

"Wow, so many flavors?" Lu Jingcheng exclaimed in surprise. "Why is there a cream one? Is it Western food?"

"Yeah, it's a fusion of East and West. There are so many flavors, dozens of kinds." Zhang Yufei muttered to herself, poking a cheese-stuffed potato with its "wolf tooth" shape, which could even be stretched into cheese.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, have a taste. It's great! They used mozzarella cheese, they really went all out. The French white sauce is also really good."

Despite being a poor student, Zhang Yufei is quite the expert when it comes to food.

Zhang Bowen took the opportunity to sneak a bite of the old man's "Jianghu flavor," put it in his mouth, and almost cried.

This is the real wolf tooth potato! That mixed stew wouldn't even be eaten by a dog.

The three members are a grandfather, grandmother, and grandson.

Right here at this tea stall.

On one side, there's sizzling hot oil and leaping chili peppers; on the other, there's a bubbling earthenware pot filled with the aroma of tea.

One fast, one slow; one noisy, one quiet.

Accompanied by two kinds of everyday life.

I soaked in it all morning.

Zhang Yufei is like a butterfly, constantly going out and bringing back all sorts of flavors.

Each time is different; there's always something new, an endless variety.

I've never heard of wolf tooth potatoes having so many flavors.

Because it wasn't originally there.

But this is in Tianhan.

Tianhan is not the birthplace of wolf tooth potatoes, so there are no concerns or preconceived notions.

Since we're already located near Jiweilou, let's go all out with innovation!

Ever since they got their hands on this batch of Autumn Goose No. 16, Chef Xu and his team of chefs have been treating it like a game, and their creativity has been on full display.

They quickly devised hundreds of flavors, and then selected the best-tasting ones, keeping more than sixty of them.

He then taught it to the various stall owners.

It was put out today.

Tourists from all over and local foodies are both happy and troubled.

Zhang Yufei and the other two drank a lot of tea, their tongues went numb, and their bellies were round and full.

I tried very hard to taste less than half of the flavors.

I couldn't eat anymore.

He slumped in the chair, clutching his stomach and panting heavily...

(End of this chapter)