Chapter 84
At this moment, most of the people on the street were holding empty bowls, eagerly waiting next to Mr. Li’s large iron pot, starving.
Mr. Li was enjoying the attention and praise from everyone, his face showing pride.
While waiting, the crowd kept praising the food.
But with a gust of wind, strangely, their compliments started to sound odd:
“No wonder it’s Mr. Li’s duck—no, no, I mean, the spicy chicken, this flavor is so fragrant.”
“Where is this incredible smell of roasted duck coming from? No, I mean, the spicy chicken!”
“Yeah, it smells like top-quality roasted duck… Wait, no, spicy chicken! This braising sauce flavor… no, it’s the spicy powder flavor, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it!”
At first, Mr. Li was still puffing up his chest, proudly shaking his spoon, enjoying the praise.
But at some point, the people who had been gathered around him started talking while walking toward the tightly closed door of Aunt Wang’s shop across the street!
Since Aunt Wang bought the roasted duck at noon, her shop had been tightly closed, and she wasn’t doing any business, acting secretly and no one knew what she was up to.
And at this moment, the aroma of the roasted duck had slipped out through the crack at the bottom of the iron gate.
The fragrance was incredibly rich. The salty, savory taste of the braising sauce brought out the unique fresh flavor of the duck, mixed with the fruitwood aroma. It made people imagine the bubbling clay pot, the tender, delicate duck meat, and the sticky braising sauce with shimmering oil droplets floating on top…
The neighbors couldn’t hold back anymore!
Everyone held their bowls with both hands, their eyes sparkling with greed, and they unconsciously gathered around the crack in Aunt Wang’s shop door.
Some even lay flat on the ground, inhaling deeply the fragrance leaking from the door, saliva pouring onto the ground.
“Ahhh, I can’t take it anymore, this roasted duck smells so amazing!”
“Forget about the duck, just the braising sauce’s aroma—no one could make this without at least ten years of experience!”
“It’s coming from Aunt Wang’s place?! When did Aunt Wang’s cooking skills improve so much? It’s almost Michelin-star level!”
“This duck… did Aunt Wang sneakily bring it home at noon from that three-year-old little boss who sells roasted duck? Oh my god, I didn’t realize it, but this duck is so aromatic!”
Everyone had known Aunt Wang for over ten years, how could they not know her cooking?
With Aunt Wang’s natural gift for making “dark” cuisine, even after twenty more years of practice, she could never make such an incredibly fragrant roasted duck!
When combined with the roasted duck Aunt Wang had sneakily brought home at noon, wrapped in layers of paper, everyone gradually began to understand what was going on.
Eating roasted duck is all about freshness, taking it straight from the oven while it’s still steaming, with a crispy, oily skin that makes it delicious. But this roasted duck, which had been left out for half a day and casually prepared by Aunt Wang, had released such a strong fragrance.
If it smelled this good after sitting for hours, just imagine how amazing it must have been when it was freshly roasted!
Of course, there were still people who, like Aunt Wang earlier, were eating while sniffing the aroma, greedily shoveling half a bowl of rice into their mouths, and calling their family to join in:
“My dear, go call your grandparents and bring some rice over to eat.”
“Right, I need to go get my partner.”
“Tell Old Hu to stop eating that cabbage stew at home and come smell this fragrance!”
A middle-aged man in an apron sighed and spoke for everyone: “If I had known this roasted duck smelled so good, I should have stopped that little boss earlier today and bought one!”
The neighbors all felt a pang of regret.
Indeed, the little three-year-old boss had passed by on his tricycle these past few days, and besides Aunt Wang, no one had bought any duck.
Had they realized how delicious the roasted duck was earlier, they wouldn’t have ended up crouching by Aunt Wang’s door now, sniffing the air.
Those eating roasted duck now could have been them!
They silently swore to never make the same mistake again and miss the opportunity.
With the aroma of the roasted duck filling the air, it spread quickly, and soon, everyone on the street was talking about it.
Aunt Wang’s shop seemed to have become a magnet, drawing the entire street to her door. More and more people gathered around, eagerly sniffing the fragrance.
Meanwhile, just across the street, the crowd by Mr. Li’s iron pot was thinning out.
At first, he hadn’t noticed, still basking in the joy of showing off his cooking skills.
It wasn’t until he flipped the ladle beautifully that he noticed the lack of applause.
Mr. Li suddenly looked up and saw the area around him was empty. His eyes widened in shock:
“Where did all the people go?!”
Even his loyal regulars, the Wu family from the curtain shop, had already turned and were heading toward the other side of the street.
Seeing everyone walk across the street, Mr. Li grew anxious and tried to keep them: “Hey, don’t go! My spicy chicken is almost done. You can eat it in a minute…”
But it was too late.
“Mr. Li, it’s not that we don’t want to support you, but the smell from over there…” Wu Lao Liu shook his head, pointing toward Aunt Wang’s shop, “Aunt Wang’s side smells too good!”
And so, Mr. Li’s last loyal customer left.
Stunned, Mr. Li put down his spatula, his face filled with shock and despair.
He looked at the tightly shut door of Aunt Wang’s shop, where the fragrance was leaking through a small crack.
Then, he glanced down at the spicy chicken in his hand—his lifelong masterpiece—and realized it no longer had anyone’s attention.
“What nonsense! The fragrance can’t be as good as they say…”
Mr. Li took off his mask, his eyes full of disbelief as he took a deep breath.
In the next moment, he shuddered and almost fell to the ground.
“Holy…”
How could it smell this good?!
The aroma of the roasted duck was stronger than any he’d smelled at any restaurant. There were no complex seasonings, just simple braising sauce and the natural aroma of the duck, yet it filled the air, spreading for miles…
“No, it’s impossible,” Mr. Li muttered, still in disbelief, looking over at Aunt Wang’s shop. “Aunt Wang couldn’t possibly have such culinary skills. She… she must have used some trick!”
The more Mr. Li thought about it, the more he convinced himself.
He and Aunt Wang had been neighbors and rivals for over ten years. He knew all too well what her cooking skills were like.
Besides, from his years of experience as a chef, it was impossible for a three-year-old child to make such delicious roasted duck. Could that kid really be a genius?
Mr. Li angrily reasoned:
“Aunt Wang must have secretly brought in help. That’s the only explanation.”
Perhaps she had hired a Michelin three-star chef to cook behind that door, which would explain the incredible fragrance.
Otherwise, why would she keep her door shut tight, hiding whatever was inside?
There was definitely something fishy going on!
The more he thought about it, the more sure he became.
Looking at the crowd outside Aunt Wang’s shop and the emptiness around his own iron pot, Mr. Li could no longer hold back.
He slammed the spatula down, pushed through the crowd, and stormed toward Aunt Wang’s shop, his face dark with anger as he shouted:
“Aunt Wang! Today, I, Li Daqiang, will expose your shameless lies to the neighbors!”
Lies? What lies?
The neighbors exchanged confused glances.
Only Wu Lao Liu seemed to realize something was wrong: “Mr. Li, don’t be impulsive…”
But it was too late.
As old neighbors, Mr. Li knew exactly where the gap in Aunt Wang’s iron gate was. The crowd watched as he crouched down, lifted one side of the gate, and then—
Boom!
The iron gate of the small shop was forcefully rolled up by Mr. Li.
The fragrance, which had previously only leaked through a small crack, was enough to make people linger and become addicted.
As Mr. Li lifted the iron gate, the strong aroma that had been sealed inside, almost tangible, rushed out like a flood!
The few people closest to the door, upon smelling the fragrance, almost fainted:
“Holy crap, why does it smell so good?”
“Help me, I’m dizzy…”
“It’s too fragrant, it’s like walking down the street and getting punched in the face.”
Everyone was immersed in the delicious scent, trembling all over.
Even Mr. Li, who had been so determined to expose Aunt Wang’s lies, was suddenly overwhelmed by the unexpected aroma and hurriedly collapsed to the ground.
It took a long time before everyone could focus and look inside the shop.
And so, the scene inside Aunt Wang’s shop was revealed—
Aunt Wang, her son, and her daughter-in-law were all gathered around a clay pot, each holding a bowl of rice.
The rice was drenched in thick braising sauce, each grain glossy and sticky with the rich sauce.
Moreover, Aunt Wang had just picked up a piece of roasted duck with her chopsticks. The crispy red skin, now soaked in the braising sauce, had softened and become chewy, while the delicate, tender duck meat reflected the bright light. The roasted duck wobbled on her chopsticks, with sauce dripping down.
Everyone stared intently at the piece of roasted duck, unable to resist swallowing their saliva.
Their eyes glowed green with hunger, like wolves who hadn’t eaten meat for days, their gazes fierce and predatory…
Aunt Wang’s family was stunned, looking out at the hundreds of eager, hungry eyes outside the shop.
The air grew still.
*
Meanwhile, on the same street, at Sister Huang’s Mahjong parlor.
“Lady Huo,” Sister Huang smiled, presenting a fruit platter, “These are some fruits we’ve prepared at home, please try some.”
The woman known as Lady Huo was well-preserved, looking no older than forty. She wore a pair of emerald earrings, and a jade bracelet hung casually on her wrist, exuding an air of aristocracy.
Ten years ago, after her husband passed away, she took control of the Huo Group. Though most of the power had since been handed over to her eldest son, Huo Ye, Lady Huo still carried herself with the authority of someone in high office, commanding respect without needing to raise her voice.
Lady Huo gave a soft “hmm.”
Having been at the top for so long, her appetite and desires had long been satisfied beyond measure.
At this moment, nothing seemed to pique her interest anymore.
And then, just then, a whiff of roasted duck aroma slowly wafted through the door crack…
So will Lady Huo also use or smack another scooter rider off to get Jian Yulan’s roasted duck?