Similar Yet Different Spiritual Springs - One Bowl of Freshness

The moment the soup touched his lips, Ding Baozhen paused.

It's so light, too light.

The broth is as light as mist, flowing smoothly down the tongue and into the throat without any resistance.

Despite being a broth that embodies the essence of many things, its taste is as light as the finest spring water he had ever drunk.

While being light, it is also incredibly refreshing, as if it were spring water that had just been drawn from the mountains and was still chilly.

In the blink of an eye, the soup filled my entire mouth.

The next moment, Ding Baozhen's expression suddenly changed!

"...Ugh!"

Like a refreshing mountain breeze, carrying an intense sweetness, it blew towards him, instantly enveloping his taste buds in an unparalleled refreshing and savory flavor!

The sweetness of the top-quality spring water, combined with the natural sweetness of the yam and bamboo shoots, brings out the clean and fresh sweetness of the pigeon meat to its fullest.

Ding Baozhen closed his eyes, and he seemed to see a peerless swordsman standing atop Mount Huangshan.

A mountain breeze blew by, and the swordsman moved. He casually swung his sword, and in an instant, the world changed color!

This is a sword strike of unparalleled skill. This sword strike is called "Umami".

Just as the savory flavor of the broth was about to overwhelm all the senses, a cool, refreshing tea aroma quietly emerged, bringing everything back to balance.

The peerless swordsman sheathed his sword, and his body no longer possessed any of its piercing sharpness.

At this moment, he no longer resembled a swordsman, but a transcendent hermit living in the mountains and forests, completely integrated with nature.

Everything fell silent. The hermit disappeared into the forest, leaving only the misty green mountains in the imagined scene.

"call……"

Ding Baozhen exhaled softly and opened her eyes.

To his surprise, he found that his body had become incredibly light, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. The fatigue from days of paperwork melted away instantly, like ice and snow meeting the spring sunshine.

Ding Baozhen's appetite was completely aroused, and he couldn't wait to pick up a piece of pigeon meat and put it in his mouth.

The pigeon meat is tender yet still elastic, with its fibers absorbing the essence of the broth, releasing delicious juices with every bite.

What's even more remarkable is that the pigeon meat doesn't have any of the greasiness that meat should have, and it still retains a fresh and sweet taste!

In the blink of an eye, he finished the soup in one gulp, leaving not a single piece of pigeon meat or side dish.

Ding Baozhen let out a long, satisfied sigh, his eyes filled with approval as he looked at Luo Qinzhu.

"Chef Luo, this 'Spirit Spring Delight' is even better than the one I tasted years ago!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Qinzhu felt a great weight lifted from her heart.

She forcefully suppressed her excitement: "You...you flatter me. I am far from being as good as my father."

On the other side, Prefect Zhao looked like he hadn't had enough, having already finished his small bowl of soup.

He asked with a hint of curiosity:

"Chef Luo, ordinary meat broth tends to become a bit heavy and greasy when simmered for too long. Your broth is clearly meat broth, yet it's clear and not cloudy, fresh and not greasy. How did you manage to do that?"

Before Luo Qinzhu could speak, Ding Baozhen replied with a smile:

"Coincidentally, I had the same question when I ate this dish years ago. Later, I specifically asked around and found out the reason."

"There are three reasons. First, the head chef of Baiweilou has a unique culinary skill that can blend different flavors and eliminate impurities."

"Secondly, top-grade Huangshan Maofeng tea is added when stewing the soup. The tea has a refreshing and sweet taste, which can break down the oil and make the soup clear."

"Thirdly, the water used for stewing the soup is spring water that slowly flows from between the stalactites of Huangshan Mountain. This water gathers the essence of heaven and earth and is the best water for brewing tea. It combines 'clear, lively, light, sweet and cool' qualities, and the stewed soup is naturally sweet and refreshing, and incomparable."

Prefect Zhao nodded in sudden realization: "I see... no wonder this dish is called 'A Bowl of Delicious Spring Water'."

"However..."

Ding Baozhen's gaze fell on Luo Qinzhu, his eyes full of inquiry.

"Chef Luo's 'Spirit Spring Delight' seems... a little different from the one I had years ago?"

Luo Qinzhu bowed slightly: "Reporting to you, sir, due to some reasons, the shop does not have enough Huangshan Maofeng tea available at the moment, so other ingredients were used as a substitute."

"I see, you did a great job!" Ding Baozhen exclaimed. "This new ingredient not only completely neutralized the heavy flavor of the broth, but also added more layers of sweetness to the soup... What a brilliant idea!"

"No... this isn't just my achievement." Luo Qinzhu shook her head. "The substitute ingredients were discovered by another chef at Baiweilou, and he also came up with the idea. If you really think about it, his contribution is greater than mine."

"Is that so?" Ding Baozhen was somewhat surprised, yet also excited. "Who is that chef? I want to see him!"

"Please wait a moment, I'll call him up right away." Luo Qinzhu bowed and withdrew.

Soon, led by Luo Qinzhu, a chef entered the private room.

Upon seeing the chef's appearance, Ding Baozhen was speechless:

"—It's you!"

Nan Xu cupped his hands and smiled, "Lord Ding, it's been a long time."

On the other side, Prefect Zhao also looked surprised.

"It's you... Weren't you just a ninth-rank official?"

"In my opinion, a chef's skill lies in his craft, not in his rank," Nan Xu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

"Hahaha... Great! That makes sense!" Upon hearing this, Ding Baozhen couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh.

He looked at Nan Xu, his eyes full of admiration: "I remember, your name is Nan Xu, right? Could you explain to me how you modified this dish?"

"Of course." Nan Xu nodded. "I used a type of Huangshan Yunwu tea instead of Huangshan Maofeng."

"This Huangshan Cloud and Mist Tea is a wild tea I picked on the mountain a few days ago when I was hiking. This tea has a cool and sweet taste, and a unique fragrance and cool flavor."

"Huangshan Cloud and Mist?" Ding Baozhen's expression showed interest. "If I remember correctly, this tea is the predecessor of Huangshan Maofeng, but... without multiple selection and cultivation processes, its flavor is probably slightly inferior to Huangshan Maofeng, right?"

"Can the flavor of this tea alone really mask the greasiness of the pigeon meat?"

Nan Xu laughed: "Lord Ding, you only know one side of the story. Although Huangshan Yunwu is the predecessor of Huangshan Maofeng, it tastes different from Maofeng, and it is not a inferior substitute for Maofeng."

"Because it grows at a higher altitude and is harvested later, it accumulates more nutrients, and its aroma is even more intense than that of Mao Feng tea."

"Therefore, using it to reduce the greasiness of pigeon meat is perfectly fine."

"I see... It seems I was ignorant." Ding Baozhen stroked his beard and exclaimed.

Then, he asked curiously, "So, the aroma of the Huangshan mist is quite strong, wouldn't it overpower the flavor of the meat broth? How did you manage to solve that?"

Nan Xu nodded and said, "That's right... so I added another ingredient."

As he spoke, he took something out of his food bag.

"This is...?" Ding Baozhen raised an eyebrow.

"It's Wenzheng Mountain bamboo shoots," Nanxu replied.

Like the Huangshan Cloud and Mist Tea he had previously collected, these Wenzheng Mountain bamboo shoots were also specially gathered by him while he was traveling through the mountains.

Wenzhengshan bamboo shoots, produced in Wenzhengshan Mountain near Shexian County, are known for their thick, crisp, juicy, sweet, and fiberless texture, making them a famous "tribute bamboo shoot".

He certainly wouldn't let such excellent ingredients slip by, and on his way back he made a special detour to gather them to his heart's content.

Nan Xu explained in detail: "The bamboo shoots from Wenzheng Mountain have a delicate aroma, which, when incorporated into the soup, can perfectly alleviate the overpowering fragrance of the Yunwu tea. Their unique sweet and slightly savory flavor can further enhance the umami of the pigeon meat."

"So that's how it is!" Ding Baozhen exclaimed in sudden realization. "No wonder the broth tasted sweeter and more complex; it's because of the bamboo shoots from Wenzheng Mountain!"