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

So fresh! Absolutely so fresh!

An indescribable, layered, and extremely domineering umami flavor exploded on his tongue, rushing straight to the top of his head!

Zhao Chengming closed his eyes, deeply enjoying the endless aftertaste in his mouth.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, his hands trembling slightly.

A layer of hot tears had somehow welled up in those bloodshot eyes.

He held the small white porcelain bowl tightly, and his hands, which had been chopping vegetables for decades, began to tremble violently uncontrollably.

"Clatter."

A single, scalding tear fell onto the stainless steel countertop and shattered into several pieces.

"Old man..."

Zhao Chengming's voice was hoarse, with a hint of sob in it.

"Back then you said I was impetuous and had a bad temper, and that I could only rely on hot pot with butter to make a living, and that I could never make a truly calm and delicious clear broth."

He suddenly raised his head, letting tears stream down his face, but his eyes blazed with an intensely fervent light.

But today, I succeeded!

Become!

And it was even more perfect than he had expected! The quality of this soup was absolutely at the peak of his culinary career, even surpassing that of his father who taught him the craft!

He turned to look out the window, his gaze piercing through the wind and snow, fixed on the direction of Jin Street, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Lin Fan... you're just boiling mutton in plain water because the mutton itself is of high quality. If the ingredients are top-notch, even a three-year-old could make it taste good boiled in water! That's called being born with a silver spoon in your mouth, it's called taking shortcuts!"

"Snapped!"

Zhao Chengming slammed the white porcelain bowl down on the stainless steel table, making a crisp, resounding sound.

"But Zhao Chengming's matsutake mushroom broth hot pot base is a masterpiece of human ingenuity!"

"Didn't you complain that my butter was too greasy? Don't these rich people like to go back to simplicity?"

"Okay! Today it's on!"

Zhao Chengming ripped off his chef's uniform, pushed open the door, and strode out.

Outside the door, Lao Xu and the head chef were already so tempted by the exotic aroma wafting from the crack in the door that they could hardly stand still.

Seeing the boss come out, the two quickly went to greet him.

"Mr. Zhao, this...this smell is amazing! I was practically floating on air when I smelled it outside!" Old Xu swallowed hard, his face full of shock.

Zhao Chengming's eyes were sharp, and his voice boomed: "Old Xu, Head Chef! Immediately notify the front-of-house and kitchen staff that we're launching new dishes at Shuweitang today!"

"New arrivals?!"

Upon hearing this, Lao Xu, the head chef, and the lobby manager were all stunned, their shock instantly turning into astonishment.

"Yes! Add a brand new signature hot pot base!" Zhao Chengming waved his hand. "The name will be 'Premium Three Delicacies Matsutake Golden Broth Hot Pot'! Put it in the most prominent position on the menu, replacing the old signature butter hot pot!"

"Mr. Zhao! This is absolutely unacceptable!"

The head chef was the first to react, and he was so anxious that he kept slapping his thigh, his face turning pale.

"Our Shuweitang brand has been around for a full hundred years! Starting with your great-grandfather, we've been promoting 'authentic Sichuan and Chongqing hot pot' and 'heavy oil, heavy spice, and heavy beef tallow'!"

"What customers appreciate most is our rich, authentic chili oil flavor!"

"Yes, Mr. Zhao!" The lobby manager panicked and quickly ran forward to dissuade him.

"Since our restaurant opened, all the hot pot bases on the menu have been spicy broth!"

"Now that winter is approaching, it's the peak season for business. For you to suddenly put a clear broth hot pot base on your signboard at this crucial time... this is practically shooting yourself in the foot!"

Old Xu, sweating profusely, pleaded earnestly, "Mr. Zhao, please listen to my advice. I know you can't swallow this insult. But have you considered what our competitors and customers will think if we suddenly serve clear broth?"

"If word gets out that our century-old establishment is copying some young upstart, our reputation at Shuweitang will be completely ruined, and we won't be able to recover it!"

"President Zhao, please reconsider!"

"Yes, Mr. Zhao, we can make money just as well with spicy hot pot broth. There's no need to get involved in this mess!"

Several supervisors nearby also gathered around, offering their opinions and advice.

In their view, it is tantamount to commercial suicide for a century-old restaurant that specializes in spicy hot pot to suddenly switch to promoting clear broth!

"Shut up, all of you!"

Zhao Chengming suddenly let out a furious shout, instantly silencing all the noise.

"Does Lin Fan even deserve to let Zhao Chengming plagiarize him?!"

Zhao Chengming pointed to the small kitchen behind him: "The highest level of hot pot is never about using chili peppers and beef tallow to cover up the flaws of the ingredients, but about using a pot of excellent broth to bring out the true freshness of the top-quality ingredients!"

"Our butter is certainly our signature dish, but this golden broth is our Zhao family's secret weapon, a specialty that has been served at state banquets!"

"In the face of absolute flavor, all rumors are utter garbage! Today, I'm going to show everyone in Jiangcheng what real clear broth base is!"

Zhao Chengming turned his head and stared intently at Lao Xu: "Lao Xu, the third floor of Shuweitang will be closed to the public at noon today! Clear out the largest table on the third floor, 'Shu Han Pavilion'!"

"Bring out all those cloisonné copper charcoal hot pots that are the signature dishes of our Shuweitang restaurant, and polish them until they shine!"

"Then, you personally lead a team, carrying my business cards and gold-embossed invitations, to deliver them to General Manager Li, Chairman Chen, General Manager Qian, and Chairman Zhang!"

"Let me tell you, my restaurant, Shuweitang, is launching a new dish today. I, Zhao Chengming, have personally cooked it. I urge all of you, my esteemed customers, to grace us with your presence and sample my 'Premium Golden Broth'!"

Seeing the boss's do-or-die attitude, Lao Xu knew that further persuasion was useless.

Moreover, the aroma he had just smelled had truly stirred his heart, even though he had been in the catering industry for over a decade.

"Yes, Mr. Zhao, I'll get right on it!" Old Xu gritted his teeth, turned around, and jogged off to prepare the invitations.

……

10:30 a.m.

Jiangcheng, Ming Shi Tea House, Top Floor VIP Room.

The private room was very warm, and the aroma of tea filled the air.

Li Dayong, Chairman Chen, and several others were sitting around the tea table at this moment.

They had just finished eating and drinking at Lin's shop and were now comfortably leaning back in their armchairs, digesting their food, their faces all bearing a sense of spiritual fulfillment.

Li Dayong picked up his teacup, took a satisfying sip, leaned back in his chair, and chuckled, "How was it, Mr. Zhang? I wasn't joking, was I? The clear broth mutton at Lin's Shop is absolutely amazing, isn't it?"

"I'm convinced, I'm truly convinced this time!" Mr. Zhang patted his round belly, his face full of lingering satisfaction.

"I initially thought that queuing outside in the freezing cold was a joke, but the moment I tasted that mutton, it was so delicious I wanted to swallow my tongue!"

"I've never tasted such pure meat flavor in my life. Boss Lin's cooking is divine!"

"That's right! If I weren't so full, I would have loved to drink the whole pot of soup." Mr. Wang nodded repeatedly and sighed.

"However... the mutton is delicious, but the rules are too torturous. You have to get up early to reserve a seat."

"After eating at Lin's Shop once, I can't stomach any of the other restaurants in Jiangcheng now."

……