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

Right next to this bustling hot pot restaurant, the small storefront next door, only two meters wide, looked particularly shabby at that moment.

The huge, dusty transformer box stood like a stone monument at the entrance, blocking most of the view.

The only decoration was an inconspicuous little wooden sign with the words "Lin Family Shop" written on it.

There were no flower baskets, no red carpet, and not even a single person in sight.

Only the roller shutter door remained quietly open, letting out a soft, warm light that seemed out of place in the noisy morning, as if it belonged to two different worlds.

"Oh, isn't that Old Liu's dead-end shop? It's been rented out?" A guest in the know scoffed.

"Someone actually rented it? The name, 'Lin's Shop,' sounds like it's a general store."

Zhang Dawei flicked his cigarette ash, a disdainful smile playing on his lips, and said loudly:

"What you all don't know is that there was a hothead from out of town who refused to believe in superstitions and thought that this place was a place to do business."

He was challenging me just a couple of days ago, saying that feng shui is about how you judge a person.

I bet he'll never dare leave the house again, afraid of being embarrassed!

"Hahahaha!" A burst of laughter erupted from the surrounding area.

Zhang Dawei became even more smug. He picked up the microphone, tapped it, and emitted a piercing "Hello, hello" sound. Then he cleared his throat and shouted loudly to the crowd:

"Dear neighbors and classmates! Today is the big day for the opening of our Dawei Hot Pot flagship store!"

To thank everyone, all dishes are 50% off today! Plus, every customer who enters the restaurant receives a free box of premium free-range eggs! Limited quantities available, first come, first served!

"Send eggs?"

"50% off? I have to try it!"

Passersby who were initially observing, especially the elderly who got up early to go shopping, immediately brightened up when they heard the words "free eggs".

Although it's only a little past nine o'clock, which is a bit early for hot pot, it doesn't stop everyone from taking advantage of the cheap deals.

In no time, a long queue formed in front of the hot pot restaurant, and the place was bustling with noise and excitement.

Zhang Dawei looked at the crowd in front of him and nodded in satisfaction.

He specially had someone turn on the restaurant's ventilation system, blowing the aroma of the rich, oily beef tallow broth being cooked in the kitchen out onto the street at full speed.

"call--"

A strong, spicy, and overpowering aroma of beef tallow hot pot instantly filled half the street.

This is the most typical flavor of Sichuan hot pot. It smells delicious, but it can be cloying if you smell it too much, and it can even be a bit pungent.

But in Zhang Dawei's view, this is the taste of money, this is what is called "taking the initiative".

"Smell it! Everyone smell it!" Zhang Dawei shouted into the microphone.

"This is the authentic beef tallow hot pot base! Seven pounds of oil and three pounds of water! Even the neighbor's kid is drooling!"

As he shouted, he looked defiantly at the quiet doorway next door.

"Kid, you think you can mess with me? Just this smell alone could crush your lousy shop!"

……

Separated by a wall.

Inside "Lin's Shop".

Compared to the hustle and bustle outside, this place is like another dimension.

The thick soundproof walls and deep spatial structure filtered out the sounds of gongs and drums from outside, leaving only faint muffled echoes.

The guqin melody "High Mountains and Flowing Water" flowed through the air; the volume was not loud, but it was enough to calm the mind.

Tuantuan was squatting by the winding artificial stream in the center of the shop, holding fish food in her hand, carefully feeding the red and white koi inside.

"Fish, time to eat! It's so noisy outside, aren't you scared?"

The little girl was wearing a Hanfu-style dress today, with her hair in two buns, making her look exceptionally cute and charming.

Lin Fan stood in the completely transparent open kitchen, his expression calm as still water.

He could also smell a faint, spicy buttery aroma wafting in through the ventilation vent.

"Seven catties of oil and three catties of water?"

Lin Fan shook his head, a faint sneer curling at the corner of his lips.

Using heavy oil and spice to mask the mediocrity of the ingredients is the most basic approach.

True deliciousness never needs to be shouted about, nor does it need to use such a pungent smell to forcibly "rape" the guest's sense of smell.

"It's time."

Lin Fan glanced at the clock on the wall. 9:05.

He walked to the stove.

There, a stainless steel soup pot, half a meter in diameter, stood quietly on the blazing stove.

This is the result of his days of closing the shop, and it is also the soul of the "Supreme Clear Broth Beef Brisket Noodles" that the system rewarded him with - [Centennial Old Broth].

This is not braising in the ordinary sense, but rather using beef bones, old hen, and Jinhua ham.

Combined with thirty-six kinds of rare herbal spices provided by the system, the "first soup" was simmered over low heat and then over high heat to enhance its aroma, taking three days and three nights to prepare.

For the next three days, Lin Fan stayed by the pot almost every step of the way, constantly skimming off the foam and controlling the heat until the soup became as clear as tea, yet as rich as oil.

At this moment, the large bucket was covered with a heavy stainless steel lid, but even so, a faint fragrance still stubbornly escaped through the gaps in the lid, lingering in the kitchen.

Lin Fan reached out and grasped the handle on the lid.

As the heavy lid was lifted.

"boom--!!!"

If Zhang Dawei's hotpot flavor is like a shrew shouting in the street with a megaphone...

So at this moment, the aroma emanating from this soup pot is like a powerful palm strike unleashed by a martial arts master with unparalleled inner strength in silence!

It was a white, thick column of steam, almost tangible, which, under the suction of the kitchen exhaust, did not disperse but transformed into a white dragon, rushing straight towards the shop entrance along the flue!

This aroma is so complex.

The first thing that hits your nose is the rich, meaty aroma unique to beef, the primal wildness and freshness released by the white yak brisket from the snowy plateau under high temperatures.

Next comes the richness of the bone broth, a sweet aroma resulting from the emulsification of calcium and bone marrow.

Finally, there is a faint yet extremely long-lasting herbal fragrance.

That's thirty-six spices in perfect proportions that elevate the aroma of the meat to a whole new level!

It's not spicy, not pungent, and not greasy.

It is rich, warm, and domineering, yet it nourishes silently.

The smell traveled along the doorway, past the obstructing transformer box, and directly into the noise outside!

……

outside the store.

Zhang Dawei was holding the microphone, ready to conduct the next round of the lucky draw.

"Come on everyone! Look over here! We're going to draw the third prize, and the prize is..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Dawei suddenly felt a tickle in his nose.

He subconsciously sniffed.

"What does this taste like?"

Zhang Dawei was stunned for a moment. The smell made him, a man who had worked in the catering industry all his life, feel a strong sense of hunger at that instant, and even made his mouth water.

It wasn't just him.

The leader of the waist drum team, who was energetically playing the drums, had his drumsticks still in mid-air, but his nose twitched twice in a frantic manner.

"Suck..."

"Holy crap...it smells so good!"