After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

Just then, the heavy windproof cotton curtain was lifted from the inside.

Three middle-aged men, sweating profusely from their meal and with their coats open, emerged. A gust of cold wind blew in, but instead of shivering, they let out a satisfied burp.

"Amazing! This mutton is absolutely amazing! I've never had such authentic clear broth in my life..." one of them smacked his lips, still savoring the taste.

Immediately afterwards, a clear and calm young voice came from inside the door:

"Table 3 is empty. Next player, move in."

Zhao Chengming's lips curled into a mocking sneer.

Wouldn't that make it perfectly legitimate for them to go in?

Holding the number plate, he lifted the curtain without hesitation and strode into the store.

However, just as the curtain was drawn, shutting out the wind and snow from the outside world...

Zhao Chengming's prepared barrage of sarcastic and critical remarks were all swallowed back down his throat.

He froze on the spot.

An extremely pure and clean meaty aroma, mixed with a faint hint of scallion and ginger, wafted over the warm air in the room as if it were a tangible thing!

This aroma is not overpowering, lacking the aggressive stimulation of a spicy hot pot, but rather it seems to have barbs, drilling straight into the depths of one's nasal cavity, instantly awakening the most primal and deepest appetite.

"this……"

Zhao Chengming's pupils contracted sharply, and his left foot, which had been unable to step out, was firmly planted on the threshold.

Having cooked hot pot broth for thirty years, he can tell what seasonings are in the broth just by smelling it; his nose is more sensitive than any precision instrument.

Even if you only put a single drop of flavoring in the pot, he can smell it in a second.

But no!

There's no high-tech stuff at all!

This is the purest amino acids and proteins, perfectly releasing their natural aroma at just the right high temperature!

"This is absolutely impossible!" Zhao Chengming's heart pounded wildly, and his decades of culinary knowledge were subjected to an extremely terrifying shock at this moment.

Without adding any heavy spices, without using heavy oil or spice to suppress the aroma, how could you possibly stew mutton with just water, scallions, and ginger to create such a flawless and unique fragrance?

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the overwhelming shock in his heart, and sharply scanned the store.

Upon seeing this, he was stunned once again.

From the outside, the shop doesn't look very big, and it has an inconspicuous sign. But once you lift the curtain and step inside, you'll find a completely different world inside!

This is actually a three-story building that has been completely opened up!

The lobby on the first floor is spacious and bright, and the decoration exudes a strong and elegant Chinese style.

A carved and openwork rosewood screen cleverly separates the passageway, while an antique octagonal palace lantern emits a warm yellow glow, and several elegant ink paintings and calligraphy works hang on the wall.

There's even a winding artificial stream in the middle of the ground, with crystal-clear water where several koi carp swim happily.

As you ascend the grand mahogany staircase, you can clearly see the elegant semi-enclosed private rooms on the second floor.

To be able to acquire such a large three-story building in a prime location like Jin Street, and to spend a fortune to create such a grand atmosphere... I can't even imagine their strength.

At this moment, the lobby on the first floor was packed with more than a dozen large wooden tables.

The sounds of clinking glasses and exchanging toasts could be faintly heard from the private rooms on the second floor.

Apart from the sounds of people chewing loudly and slurping noodle soup, there wasn't a single person chatting in the entire first-floor lobby!

Soon, Zhao Chengming's gaze swept across the lobby and landed on the table by the window.

Mr. Li, who wields considerable influence in the Jiangcheng building materials market and is worth hundreds of millions, is currently displaying no regard for his image, with the collar of his expensive shirt open, sleeves rolled up high, and his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat.

And sitting right across from him were two extremely familiar faces!

Mr. Chen, who's in real estate! And Mr. Qian, who's in import and export trade!

These three are all top-tier VIP customers on the third floor of Shuweitang!

When you eat at his place, you not only need the best private room, but he's also the kind of person who will frown if the waiter is even a minute late in serving the food.

But now, these three tycoons, whose combined net worth is tens or hundreds of billions, are actually crammed into the scattered seats in the lobby on the first floor!

Instead of going to the elegant private rooms on the second floor, they squeezed into the main dining area with a bunch of ordinary diners!

In front of them was an old-fashioned copper charcoal hot pot.

The broth in the pot was crystal clear; apart from a few pieces of scallion and a few slices of ginger, there wasn't a single peppercorn or star anise to be found. Only a thin, translucent layer of oil floated on the surface of the noodles.

None of the three big shots were idle; they held strainers in their hands, their eyes gleaming as they stared at the bubbling meat slices in the pot.

"Old Li, it's my turn for this! I haven't even started eating yet!" Boss Qian shouted anxiously, his glasses fogged up but he didn't bother to wipe them.

"Get lost! Most of that plate is already in your stomach. Didn't you just eat here yesterday? Why are you trying to steal it? I sent my driver to get a number this morning!" Li Dayong rudely used his chopsticks to block Mr. Qian's ladle.

While the two were bickering, Chairman Chen quickly grabbed a large piece of mutton with fat, put it in his mouth without even dipping it in sauce, and gasped from the heat, but his face showed an expression of blissful intoxication, as if his soul had been elevated.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Chengming felt a surge of absurdity and anger rising to his head.

He strode over and stood directly next to the table.

"President Li, Chairman Chen, President Qian." Zhao Chengming suppressed the anger in his heart, his voice as cold and hard as if it contained ice shards.

Upon hearing that familiar voice, the three people who were grabbing the meat were all stunned for a moment.

Li Dayong was the first to raise his head, wiping the sweat from his forehead, almost biting his tongue.

"Hey, Lao Zhao? What are you doing here?" Li Dayong chuckled dryly. "You're here for dinner too?"

"I've come to see what kind of unparalleled delicacy could make these three distinguished guests abandon the finest tripe from my Shuweitang restaurant and come here to snatch up boiled pork!" Zhao Chengming's tone was barbed, his eyes fixed on the copper pot.

"Speaking of which, why aren't the three big bosses sitting in the private rooms on the second floor? Why are they crammed into the lobby with the other customers?"

Chairman Chen swallowed the mutton in his mouth, put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and sighed.

"Old Zhao, do you think we didn't want a private room? We overslept this morning and were half an hour late leaving the house. Good heavens, all the private rooms on the second floor were taken!"

"Da Yong was incredibly lucky to even snag a seat in the lobby today!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Chengming laughed in anger. These people were all arrogant and domineering in every restaurant in Jiangcheng. Now they were actually saying such things over a private room?