Jiang Yanyi was preparing five-spice braised lotus root and, after finishing the dish, she cleaned the pot and repeated the same steps.

This time, however, she added a generous amount of prickly ash pepper (Zanthoxylum) since she had an insatiable love for spicy food.

A meal without something spicy just wouldn’t cut it for her!

She made large bowls of both five-spice braised lotus root and spicy braised lotus root.

Sitting by the hearth with Qiukui, snacking and chatting, she felt that this life wasn’t much different from her old days, when she’d enjoy snacks from Zuiwei while binge-watching dramas or reading novels.

Thinking of Zuiwei, Jiang Yanyi began to drool, missing the taste of spicy duck neck!

Once the noodles in the oven dried out, both of them had eaten their fill of lotus root and weren’t in the mood for instant noodles anymore.

Jiang Yanyi put the prepared noodles into the cupboard, planning to try them the next day.

---

The following day, since Chu Yangui was still recovering from his injuries and needed proper nutrition, Jiang Yanyi prepared a peanut pork bone porridge.

The peanuts were stewed until soft, and the pork bones were tender enough to fall apart with a gentle bite.

The side dish was a plate of braised lotus root.

Chu Yangui had slept lightly the previous night and had heard all the noises from the kitchen.

This morning, as he tasted the five-spice braised lotus root along with a bowl of porridge, he found it fragrant, crisp, and delicious, with a lingering aftertaste.

Had Jiang Yanyi not forbidden him from eating spicy food due to his injuries, he would have liked to try the spicy version of the braised lotus root that had left Chu Zhong gasping for breath.

Later that afternoon, business at the shop was bustling.

One customer, seeing Qiu Kui eating lotus root, grew curious and ordered a plate.

To everyone’s surprise, the lotus root became a huge hit, forcing Jiang Yanyi, who had finally gotten a break from the kitchen, to dive back in to keep up with demand.

It was a rare day off for the military, and Li the chef, along with Headman Zhao, had come to visit her.

Chef Li and Chef Yao were old colleagues.

The two of them, one plump and one thin, often bickered amusingly in the kitchen.

Jiang Yanyi couldn’t help but laugh at their banter.

Head Zhao, on the other hand, had traveled all this way just to hear the old scholar’s storytelling.

Complaining, Chef Li said, “That old man, now that private kitchens aren’t allowed in the barracks anymore, still has people sneaking over to the cookhouse at night just to hear him retell a few episodes of pingshu storytelling. It’s made him so cocky!”

Chef Yao, patting his well-fed belly and flipping a large wok, laughed, “With how well business is going here, I’d say it’s time to open a proper restaurant.”

Chef Li, unlike the more carefree Yao, was always practical.

Shaking his head, he replied, “Better to take things one step at a time. This shop hasn’t been open that long, and I doubt she has the extra funds yet. Better to save up more.”

Opening a restaurant would cost a considerable sum.

Jiang Yanyi herself had been worried about the shop’s limitations lately.

Her store was too small, and as a result, she was losing a lot of potential customers.

In Xizhou City, her antique soup was the most famous, rivaled only by Laifu Antique Soup.

When customers couldn’t get a seat at her place, they would go to Laifu.

Both shops’ clear-broth lamb pots were equally popular, but Jiang Yanyi’s shop offered a wider variety of side dishes and appetizers.

With Feng Shuo’s poetic piece as a signature and Chef Yao’s culinary skills, paired with the old scholar’s captivating storytelling, she managed to stay one step ahead of Laifu Antique Soup.

However, this advantage didn’t pose much of a threat to Laifu’s large restaurant.

Her small shop could only accommodate so many customers, and the overflow inevitably ended up at Laifu.

Hearing this, Chef Yao suggested, “Money isn’t that hard to sort out. You could bring in investors.”

Given the current reputation of her antique soup, finding a business partner to invest wouldn’t be difficult.

But if she shared the profits with investors, she feared she would end up working tirelessly in a restaurant where others reaped the rewards.

That prospect didn’t sit well with her.

Jiang Yanyi said, “I’ll think it over carefully before making any decisions.”

For now, she had enough funds to expand her current shop or open another branch, but purchasing a full-fledged restaurant would be a stretch.

Thinking about borrowing from the Chu family, Jiang Yanyi considered the personalities of her uncles and felt that they might entangle her in endless discussions.

She could talk directly to Chu Changping, but it was likely to evolve into him sponsoring her shop, after which he would adamantly refuse to accept her repayment.

While Jiang Yanyi was still contemplating this, Chef Yao opened the cabinet to look for seasonings and happened to see the noodle cakes she had stored inside. Curious, he asked, “Boss, what is this?”

It reminded Jiang Yanyi of the instant noodles she had made last night.

She replied, “I’m trying to make noodles that you can eat just by soaking them in hot water!”

This was quite novel.

Neither Chef Yao, Chef Li, nor Aunt Guo had heard of noodles that could be eaten this way.

Even though they were busy, they couldn’t help but look over.

Jiang Yanyi grabbed two large bowls and placed the two types of noodle cakes in them.

She scooped a spoonful of solid pork fat seasoning into each bowl and poured boiling water over the noodles, ensuring it submerged them.

As the boiling water hit the solid fat, it began to melt, releasing a fragrant aroma.

Jiang Yanyi covered the bowls, saying, “You’ll be able to eat it in a little while.”

After about three minutes of steaming, Jiang Yanyi lifted the lid. Both noodle cakes had softened.

She used chopsticks to stir the seasoning in the broth, and droplets of oil floated to the surface.

Since the noodle cakes hadn’t been pressed by industrial machinery, they were not curled but straight like regular noodles.

However, the texture wasn’t too different. The fried ones had a slightly better texture than the non-fried ones.

The seasoning packet used nutmeg instead of chili, which was somewhat disappointing for Jiang Yanyi, but the flavor was still acceptable.

Chefs Li and Yao were experts in the culinary field.

Seeing noodles that could be eaten just by soaking them in hot water for the first time was indeed a novelty.

They picked up wooden chopsticks to try a piece, exchanging glances before falling silent.

Jiang Yanyi hadn’t felt the failure was significant, but seeing their expressions made her ask, “What’s wrong?”

Chef Li didn’t respond right away.

Instead, he took an unsoaked noodle cake from the cabinet, held it to his nose to sniff, and then broke off a small piece to taste.

He asked Jiang Yanyi, “Can your noodle cakes be eaten dry as well?”

Jiang Yanyi nodded. “Yes, you can eat them dry. They’re steamed, but the flavor might not be as good as when they’re soaked.”

Chef Yao exclaimed, “Boss, I’ve lived more than half my life and have never seen such noodle cakes!”

Compared to Chef Yao’s excitement, Chef Li remained more reserved.

After all, he had worked in the military and had seen many storms; he had a commanding presence, managing over a hundred people under him.

Chef Li remained silent, and Jiang Yanyi felt a little anxious.

After a moment, he nodded in approval. “Your noodle cakes are interesting. Being able to eat them dry or soak them in water is convenient.”

Jiang Yanyi thought to herself, “They’re called instant noodles for a reason; they should be convenient!”

She explained, “I saw that the soldiers at a watchtower on the outskirts of the city were chewing on cold buckwheat cakes and learned they might not have a hot meal for ten days or half a month. So, I tried to make these noodle cakes.”

Having tasted her instant noodles, Chef Li knew they were made from fine flour and shook his head. “With the current war in the south, the supply of grain is scarce. The soldiers in the camp are eating buckwheat porridge, so using such fine flour to make noodles for the entire army is impossible. But I can report this to the general in the camp and see what they say. If it’s feasible, I’ll come back to buy this recipe from you.”

Since it would help the military, Jiang Yanyi didn’t think about money. “You don’t need to pay for it; I can just tell you directly.”

Chef Li frowned and said sternly, “You girl, you need to be clear about public and private matters. Do you think the military lacks a few coins to buy your recipe? I really don’t know how you managed to start a shop with your personality!”

Feeling a bit embarrassed from his reprimand, Jiang Yanyi was relieved when Chef Yao chimed in, “Alright, Old Li, the boss has a generous personality. She’s not like you, always grumbling and nitpicking about everything!”

Chef Li glared angrily, “This is my apprentice! If I don’t teach her, I’m afraid she’ll run into someone like you, who uses their age as an excuse to be lazy!”

“Hey, you old fool, why are you scolding me now?”

…

The two went back and forth with their banter.

Jiang Yanyi tried to mediate but couldn’t, so she let the two old stubborn men continue their antics.

That day, Chef Li took a few noodle cakes and some seasoning back to the military camp, asking Jiang Yanyi to wait for news.

Before the news from the military camp arrived, a merchant caravan happened to come to the shop for a meal.

They accidentally saw Jiang Yanyi soaking noodles in hot water and exclaimed in amazement.

They ordered a bowl of noodles, and after tasting it, they realized it tasted quite good.

The merchant caravan traveled south and north, often finding themselves without a place to stay.

Occasionally, the inns they stayed at did not meet their expectations for food, so they quickly decided to buy more noodle cakes from Jiang Yanyi to take on the road—convenient and easy.

In later times, instant noodles were promoted as not containing preservatives, but that was mainly because the low moisture content of the noodle cakes prevented bacterial growth, and they were produced in sterile conditions, which allowed for long shelf life.

Since there were no vacuum-sealed bags, Jiang Yanyi was unsure how long her homemade instant noodles would last.

She could only remind the merchants buying the noodle cakes, “If you find that these noodles have gone bad, you can’t eat them.”

The wealthy merchant laughed, “What a joke from the shopkeeper! We aren’t fools.”

Jiang Yanyi felt a bit embarrassed.

In an era without any concept of food shelf life, people determined whether food was edible by looking for color changes and smelling it.

During famines, wars, and food shortages, no one was particular about such things; after all, people even fought over tree bark and grass roots.

She sealed the noodle cakes in oil paper and put the solidified pork fat seasoning in a lidded bamboo tube to prevent damage while traveling.

Over the next few days, the craze for instant noodles far exceeded Jiang Yanyi’s expectations.

Almost any traveler on the road was willing to buy a piece of noodle cake.

Since she could only sell the seasoning one bamboo tube at a time, it remained unaffected; many discovered that using a scoop of the seasoning oil for cooking or in their own noodle dishes was also quite delicious.

Suddenly, both the noodle cakes and the seasoning oil were in high demand.

Jiang Yanyi felt like she had opened the door to a new world—every bit counts; she could easily start mass production of noodle cakes or sell her own sauce for mixed rice dishes.