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Qing Mengzhu gave a thumbs up. "Yes, that's exactly the word I wanted to use, a very harmonious aroma. I originally thought that these ingredients would all look jarring together."

Zhou Yan: "Originally, there would be, but I soaked this fish maw in chicken fat. Chicken fat is mellow and delicious, and it's also animal fat. Soaking it like this instantly eliminates the sharp fishy smell, turning it into a fragrance. The fragrance then softens the taste of the lotus seeds, making the lotus seeds taste harmonious as well."

Qing Pingdun: "There's so much more to this than meets the eye?"

Zhou Yan: "Yes. Originally, the aroma would be harmonious after reaching this stage, but to make the lotus seed's umami flavor stand out is beyond my skill. It's mainly because the lotus seeds from the Mengzhu family are of high quality."

Qing Mengzhu tasted it carefully. "The lotus seeds have a very fresh aroma, as if they are still in the pond. They don't feel like they've been cooked into a dish at all."

Zhou Yan: "Yes, it's all about that refreshing aroma."

After the three finished the soup, they went to try the confit duck.

The moment Qing Mengzhu tasted the confit duck, she sensed something was wrong.

Compared to the confit duck I've had before, this confit duck was especially fragrant, with a particularly strong aftertaste. It was both fresh and flavorful, and the more you savored the whole piece of duck, the more flavorful it became, but it wasn't the kind of saltiness that comes from salt and sauce.

Zhou Yan looked at Qing Mengzhu's expression and wanted to explain.

Qing Mengzhu raised a hand to stop him, indicating that she needed another piece to savor.

Zhou Yan patiently waited for him to eat a piece.

After finishing his second piece of confit duck, Qing Mengzhu said, "Did you add fried mushroom oil to the oil you used to marinate the duck?"

Zhou Yan: "You could tell?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I tasted a hint of termite mushroom and cloud mushroom, a very subtle flavor, but it made the duck meat's flavor more complex."

Zhou Yan: "That's right! It brings a wonderful flavor to the duck meat without overpowering it. The whole dish still tastes like duck, but with a unique twist."

Qing Mengzhu exclaimed, "Your trip up the mountain to pick mushrooms really paid off!"

Zhou Yan turned to look at Qing Pingdun: "How are you feeling?"

Qing Pingdun has already started eating the ham and truffle rolls. "They're incredibly delicious and high-class. I can't really describe it, but most people could never make a dish like this."

Qing Mengzhu summarized for him. "The food was very well prepared."

Zhou Yan: "Haha, thank you for the compliment."

After tasting the food, Qing Pingdun continued delivering packages. Zhou Yan shared the extra portion of vegetables he had brought with the Dharma Protector and Guard, and then made a request. "I'd like to pick some vegetables from your garden. Also, do you have any mushroom oil or dried mushrooms? Could you spare some for me?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I have them all, I'll go pack them for you."

Qing Mengzhu couldn't eat all the mushrooms she picked, so she washed some and fried them into mushroom oil, while the rest she piled up on the roof to dry.

The mushrooms are still drying on the rooftop; you can just go and get them if you need them.

Qing Mengzhu told Zhou Yan to go to the rooftop and get as many dried mushrooms as he wanted, while he went to repackage the mushroom oil.

After frying the mushrooms, he gave some to Ming Chunxi and Zhao Hexi, and now there was only one large jar left at home. He could only give a little to Zhou Yan.

Soon, Zhou Yan returned home with the ingredients he had taken from Qing Mengzhu's house.

Qing Mengzhu sat at home processing the seeds of Gastrodia elata.

He scanned the package of Gastrodia elata seeds with the Mall Assistant and found that the quality of the seeds he bought was "Good Grade+", that they were new seeds from that year, and that the variety was also Gastrodia elata. The seller had not sent the wrong seeds.

It's a bit of a pity that the Interstellar Mall doesn't sell Gastrodia elata seeds, otherwise he could buy them directly from the mall and get higher quality seeds.

To ensure the germination rate of the Gastrodia elata, Qing Mengzhu cut some leaves from the Luring Grass, mashed them into a paste, and then soaked the Gastrodia elata seeds in it.

After soaking the seeds of Gastrodia elata for a day, he put them into a flowerpot containing pre-mixed nutrient soil.

When he was preparing this potting soil, he tapped the soil with hazel mushrooms for quite a while.

Theoretically, there are already hazel mushroom spores in the soil. As long as the soil and the seeds of Gastrodia elata are transported to the mountains and buried in the forest, the hazel mushrooms will grow.

Gastrodia elata and hazel mushroom have a symbiotic relationship.

The mature hazel mushrooms decompose trees, providing nutrients for the gastrodia elata, allowing it to continue growing after sprouting.

Qing Mengzhu didn't know if this planting method would be effective, so he could only try bringing the flowerpots to his own mountain and finding a suitable place to spread the soil, along with the gastrodia elata and hazel mushrooms inside, in the fertile forest.

The Qing Mengzhu family owned two mountains, which have been abandoned for many years. The mountains are covered with all sorts of messy weeds and shrubs, making it difficult to even climb them.

He didn't go to a very high place; he just rode his bike down the mountain, then climbed a little to a shady spot and planted the gastrodia elata.

Planting the plant in a low location also makes subsequent management easier.

If it's planted too high up, climbing the mountain is too tiring, so he probably won't come over much, let alone manage it.

Standing on the hillside, Qing Mengzhu looked at the messy trees and felt a headache coming on.

Developing the two mountains around the house is a big challenge, so it seems we should just plant bamboo here first.

Plant it in a large flowerpot first, and once it takes root, move it to the mountain.

Qing Mengzhu counted down the days.

Every day when he went to the backyard to turn over and dry the fermented fertilizer, he noticed that it was darker and finer than it had been a few days before. Gradually, it looked like sifted chocolate sauce.

He uses the Mall Assistant to scan the fermentation process every day as he turns the leaves over to check their progress.

On the tenth day, when he went to check the clothes again, the Mall Assistant scanned them and the description had changed.

Yesterday, the Mall Assistant identified it as "fertilizer," but today it has changed to "primary fermented fertilizer."

Qing Mengzhu had been using the Interstellar Mall for some time now. When he last saw the "Primary Fermented Fertilizer" label, he didn't really think much of it or have any particular thoughts about it.

Upon closer inspection, he was almost certain that in addition to "primary fermented fertilizer," there were definitely fertilizers such as "intermediate fermented fertilizer" and "high-grade fermented fertilizer" on it.

I just don't know what's needed to ferment that kind of fertilizer, and what effect it will have on crops after fermentation.

He continued reading. Although this fermented fertilizer was still "basic fermented fertilizer," its quality was no longer "Fine Grade- " but "Fine Grade+". The price offered by the Interstellar Mall had also changed from 4.17 Star Coins per kilogram to 9.55 Star Coins per kilogram.

It seems that fermentation with better materials is indeed effective; I can try even better materials next time.

No, not just the ingredients, next time we can try buying higher-grade baking powder from the Interstellar Mall.

Qing Mengzhu composed herself and immediately decided to sell.

His account balance is 352.24 Star Coins, which is 9646.76 star Star Coins short of 9999 Star Coins. He only needs to sell 1011 kilograms of fertilizer to reach that amount.

Fertilizer is very useful in planting, and he was reluctant to sell more than a pound of it, so he sold 1011 pounds of fertilizer.

After the light emanating from the Interstellar Mall disappeared, the two compost bins in front of Qing Mengzhu were instantly emptied, and the third compost bin also had less fertilizer.

He didn't even bother checking the condition of the fertilizer; he immediately went to check his account balance.

The account has gained 9655.05 Star Coins, which, combined with the original 352.24 Star Coins, now totals 10007.29 Star Coins.

Without blinking, he quickly returned to his shopping cart, intending to buy the bamboo worth 9999 Star Coins that he had added to his cart.

He checked on it when he got up in the morning, and the bamboo was still the same; the price hadn't gone up or down, and it hadn't been sold.

It's still waiting for him!

Qing Mengzhu chose bamboo and then confirmed the purchase.

Instantly, his account balance returned to 8.29, and the bamboo stalk was back in his personal center.

His heart was pounding. Just as he was about to check his personal center, the Interstellar Mall suddenly gave him a notification: "Congratulations! Your spending has reached 10,000 Star Coins. The system has gifted you a treasure chest. Please check your personal center."

Qing Mengzhu glanced at it and then ignored it.