Monkey Wine of Flower-Fruit Mountain

"Fine." Zhang Ye shouted it out, brimming with heroic fervor. Anyone who had not seen the whole thing would have thought he was the real man here.

The moment he said that word, countless people muttered under their breaths, Fine my ass. Shameless bastard.

Song Jianjun and his son both looked disdainful. Song Shaoqing's father had been a soldier, and he himself had started out as one too. The moment they saw Zhang Ye's act, how could they not realize he was playing dirty? This guy was a complete bastard.

What the father and son despised most were petty people like this—full of righteousness in public, but hypocritical and vile behind the scenes.

Sun Yating's face darkened even further. Zhang Ye was getting more and more presumptuous, daring to threaten me. "Qin Fen, do your best. I believe in you."

"I've always been doing my best." Qin Fen shrugged helplessly. Which one of your eyes saw me slacking off?

None of us fucking believed him. Everyone looked at him strangely.

Hmph, just wait and see. Zhang Ye walked over to Wang Wei and whispered a few words. His apprentice immediately turned and entered the kitchen, carrying out a porcelain jar.

The instant the lid was lifted, a rich fragrance burst forth.

"This was originally Buddha Jumps Over the Wall that I had someone prepare early yesterday morning. It had simmered for forty hours and was meant for the boss's distinguished guests. Who would have thought it would come in handy now?"

The moment Zhang Ye said that, the surroundings erupted.

"Good heavens, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall simmered for forty hours! It smells incredible."

"Exactly. It has the fresh sweetness of seafood, the richness of chicken, and the crisp fragrance of all kinds of vegetables. You can tell it's extraordinary just from the smell."

"Nonsense. It simmered for forty hours."

"This young man is done for. They came prepared."

"I think so too. Though he lost in knife skills, as he said, the core of food is still flavor. Look at stinky tofu—it doesn't look good and doesn't smell good, but it tastes great."

"They really came prepared." Song Shaoqing shook his head.

"Despicable." Song Jianjun looked displeased and glanced at Sun Yating's father. Just like you were when you were young.

"Yating, can Qin Fen handle this? If he loses, he'll have to leave." Sun Yating's father did not think highly of Qin Fen either. There was no way to prepare something on such short notice this early in the morning.

"He Wen, is there anything we can use?"

"Brother Qin, the meat is still thawing, and today's fresh seafood hasn't been delivered yet. The ingredients we had prepared were all used by Chef Zhang. There are only some vegetables left now."

The moment He Wen said that, Sun Yating's expression turned ugly. Despicable!

Despicable. Sun Yating's father also glanced at Zhang Ye. He did this on purpose.

Shameless. Song Jianjun and his son both looked unhappy. Song Shaoqing had already figured everything out and wanted to smack Zhang Ye just looking at him.

"This is over. There aren't even enough basic ingredients."

"What a pity. His knife skills are godlike, but it's such a shame to lose because of preparation."

"Oh, I'll go take a look." Qin Fen froze for a moment, then turned and walked into the kitchen.

Zhang Ye watched him disdainfully from the side. Hmph, it's too late to look for ingredients now. Competing with my Buddha Jumps Over the Wall? Keep dreaming.

He wore a smile, certain of his victory. He lifted the wok with one hand and began stir-frying the ingredients. The moment the broth base went in, an intense fragrance rose up and stimulated everyone's senses.

Qin Fen made a round through the back kitchen but could not find any usable ingredients. He did spot a packet of brown sugar in the seasoning area. After thinking for a moment, Zhang Ye, you played the first day of the lunar month, so I'll play the fifteenth. You want to be shameless? Don't blame your brother for having no shame either.

With that thought, he took out his phone, opened WeChat, pulled up his chat with Matchmaker Yue, looked at that image, and tapped Monkey Wine.

One hundred percent. "Your current balance is 1721."

Good heavens. Qin Fen froze. Flower-Fruit Mountain's Monkey Wine was that powerful? It had actually cost him five hundred Merit, more than a five-hundred-year-old wild ginseng. What kind of wine were those monkeys brewing?

When he had the time, it seemed he needed to talk with the Great Sage.

Holding the Monkey Wine and brown sugar, Qin Fen smiled. Trying to scheme against this Four-Haves Newcomer? You don't know whether you're dead or alive.

He poured out a little Monkey Wine, and the entire back kitchen was immediately filled with a sweet, fresh fruity fragrance. There was also a faint scent of alcohol. Taking a gentle sniff, the wine did not intoxicate people, yet people became intoxicated on their own.

Qin Fen naturally understood that wealth should not be flaunted. So, he poured a little into a bottle and put the porcelain flask away in his storage locker.

Carrying the two items out of the kitchen, he saw Zhang Ye smiling smugly at him from afar. Zhang Ye was about to plate his dish. Adjusting the sauce in his hand, Zhang Ye gently poured it over Maitreya Buddha. An extremely rich fragrance instantly wafted out, deep and mellow. It truly deserved to be called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall simmered for forty hours.

"It smells so good. It looks excellent. After the sauce was poured over it, the Buddha statue looks as though it has been coated in gold paint."

"A master indeed. Not only are his knife skills good, the flavor should be fantastic too."

"Ah, what a pity for that young chef."

"Qin Fen, I'm already finished. What about you?" Zhang Ye chuckled. Even if you make it in time, you've already lost, let alone when you haven't even started.

"Me? I'll be done right away."

With that, Qin Fen immediately heated the wok, melted and mixed the brown sugar, and added a little lard. He quickly removed it from the heat and poured the syrup into a bowl.

Heh, so it was this kind of corner-cutting method. Zhang Ye looked disdainful. He placed the tofu in front of everyone. "Everyone, please have a taste. This is my Buddha's Radiant Illumination."

"Good, what a Buddha's Radiant Illumination. Delicious."

"The flavor is so rich. This is my first time eating Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. I'd only heard of it before."

Watching everyone take a spoonful of his dish and praise it endlessly, Zhang Ye revealed a victorious smile. "I don't think there's any need to judge this anymore, right?"

"Hold on. Who said I wasn't finished yet?" The moment Qin Fen spoke, the two elderly men immediately stopped. To be honest, this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was indeed rich and full-bodied, but it was not as though they had never eaten it before. That intense flavor could not move them; it was merely ordinary.

Qin Fen took out the bottle in his hand. The instant he opened it, a fresh scent like a mountain breeze forcefully scattered Zhang Ye's heavy aroma.

"It smells wonderful. Such a fresh scent, like being in the middle of mountains and rivers."

"Yes, so fresh and clean, carrying a trace of natural sweetness. It feels very pleasant."

"This is?" Song Jianjun looked at Qin Fen strangely. That natural flavor was exactly like the bean sprouts, only stronger and with an even more lingering sweetness.

Qin Fen poured a tiny amount of Monkey Wine into the syrup, then gently drizzled it over the tofu. Strands of syrup fell one by one, spreading along the dragon's patterns and filling each golden scale. Very soon, a golden-red flying dragon appeared before everyone, riding clouds and breathing mist, vivid and lifelike.

"I'm done too. Taste my Dragon Returns to the Sea!"

The two elderly men immediately rushed over. Looking at the tofu, they could hardly bring themselves to start. It had been carved far too exquisitely.

"Please." Qin Fen gestured with his hand.

The two carefully scooped a spoonful from the edge and placed it in their mouths. A sweet, fresh flavor instantly filled their mouths. Combined with the coolness of the tofu, it brought that taste to its fullest, unlike Zhang Ye's abundant broth, which had ruined the tofu's naturally cool flavor.

The utterly natural fruity fragrance immediately spread through their mouths, as though they were riding clouds and mist. Amid that fresh sweetness was the sweetness of brown sugar, mixed with a faint aroma of wine.

"Good, what a Dragon Returns to the Sea. **, once it encounters wind and clouds, it becomes a dragon!"

PS: Thank you, Ma Ziche, Guxin, and Xiaoshuojiali Kan for your rewards. Thank you all for your support. If you can, please give me some votes.