Chapter 1939: Taste Testing (Patreon)

 Chapter 1939: Taste Testing

  After all, these were novel things, and for those who weren't short on money, spending two hundred coins to try something new was a good idea.

  Da Zhuang stood in front of the jar of sunflower oil, holding a glass goblet. Then, he spoke to the approaching customers, "Everyone, come and have a look, this is the sunflower oil supplied to the palace. It's a healthy oil loved by the noble folks."

  He scooped out a spoonful from the jar and poured it into the goblet. "See it? The color, the fragrance—both are top-notch. Customers who like it can buy a small jar, try it out, and use it for cooking to enjoy the treatment of nobles."

  Xia Yan stood at the instant noodles counter, holding a piece of flatbread, a big bowl, and a kettle emitting steam. He raised his voice to address the crowd, "Everyone, take a look. This is the instant noodles that Scholar Meng ate during his exam. Why is it called 'instant noodles'? It's because it's incredibly convenient to make. Normally, when we want to eat noodles, don't we have to knead the dough, let it rise, roll it out, and then boil it for a long time in boiling water? It's fine in winter, but what about summer? Won't it be too hot in the kitchen? Hey, these instant noodles completely solve our troubles."

  As he spoke, he placed the instant noodles into the big bowl and scooped out some sauce from a nearby container. Then, he poured boiling water over it. "See it? Just like this—add the sauce, pour hot water, cover it with the lid, and wait a little while. Then, we can eat."

  The crowd widened their eyes. Many of them hadn't even heard of instant noodles before. Hearing the introduction now, they found it magical and stared in amazement.

  During the time the instant noodles were cooking, Xia Yan took out a piece of flatbread. "These instant noodles, not only can you cook and eat them with hot water, but you can also eat them raw. When you're out and about without time to heat water for sauce, no problem. Just eat it like a steamed bun."

  He broke the flatbread into pieces, watching the curious customers in front of him and offering pieces to them. "Give it a try, it's delicious even when eaten dry."

  Some customers were skeptical, so Xia Yan ate a piece himself.

  Seeing this, others followed suit and tasted it. Immediately, they exclaimed, "Mmm? Delicious, it's crispy and fragrant, makes a 'crunch' sound."

  "This stuff is really convenient."

  As he spoke, Xia Yan lifted the lid from the now-cooked instant noodles. People standing nearby took a deep breath, "It smells amazing."

  Xia Yan grabbed a small bowl from the side and scooped some into it, handing it to the crowd. "Try it."

  People tried it one by one and quickly found that it wasn't enough. They stared at the big bowl in front of them, feeling that the soup also looked delicious.

  Following that, Xia Yan demonstrated how to mix the noodles with condiments. Looking at the generosity of their County Princess, who included instructions for cooking as well, the crowd marveled.

  As more and more customers flooded in from outside, many couldn't squeeze to the front and could only watch others eat. After observing their reactions, they couldn't wait any longer. "I want to buy, give me ten pieces of flatbread."

  "Me too."

  "Young man, do you sell the sauce separately?"

  Xia Yan smiled, "For customers buying fifteen pieces of Instant Noodles, we'll include a jar of sauce as a gift. You can buy it separately as well, but the price might not be as favorable."

  "Then I'll take fifteen pieces."

  Xia Yan gestured to where Zhou Tiedong stood, "Customers who want to buy, please come this way."

  At the taste testing station for sunflower seeds, Da Niu stood there, his eloquence developed now. "These are sunflower seeds. Let's not talk about anything else. What's currently popular in the capital is this kind of snack."