Thirty Days to Hoard: Reborn into the Frost

Chapter 87: Chapter 86: Bet

She definitely couldn’t finish so many pig trotters by herself; selling them to the stall that sold pig trotters was the practical thing to do.

After getting the recipe for the sauerkraut fish, Chen Momo immediately improved her own dish according to the five-star chef’s recipe. The recipe called for over fifty different spices and seasonings to be added to the sauerkraut fish alone. Fortunately, Chen Momo had already stockpiled a wide variety of seasonings in her spatial dimension before the apocalypse. Gathering over fifty kinds of spices wasn’t too difficult; otherwise, she truly wouldn’t have known how to scrounge them all up.

With the seasonings gathered, Chen Momo added them in and simmered the broth according to the proportions written by the chef. After hours of boiling, a pot of sauerkraut fish cooked to five-star hotel standards was finally ready.

As soon as the lid was lifted, a rich, fragrant aroma instantly assailed her senses.

”Xiao Ka, Xiao Bao, hurry and taste the sauerkraut fish!” Chen Momo called out to Chen Xiaobao and Xu Xiaoka.

Chen Xiaobao and Xu Xiaoka both ran out of their rooms. Looking at the pot of sauerkraut fish with its perfect color, aroma, and taste, Xu Xiaoka praised, ”Sister Momo, the sauerkraut fish from a five-star hotel really looks different! Even the color is so tempting!”

Chen Momo said, ”I gathered all fifty-two seasonings exactly as the recipe instructed, one by one. After adding fifty-two different spices, the color really is much more vibrant than the sauerkraut fish we were selling before.”

Xu Xiaoka eagerly offered, ”I’ll give it a taste.”

Chen Xiaobao also grabbed a pair of chopsticks. With his chubby little hands, he clumsily picked up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth.

Chen Momo stood to the side, eagerly awaiting the feedback of her two ”taste testers.”

”Mmm...” Xu Xiaoka carefully savored the sauerkraut fish. ”The taste is amazing. It’s many times more delicious than our sauerkraut fish.”

Chen Momo thought, ”With over fifty spices added, how could it not be delicious? If I sell this version at the food window, it will definitely do much better than our original recipe!”

Chen Xiaobao had also taken a bite, but his brows slightly furrowed.

Chen Momo asked with concern, ”Xiao Bao, what’s wrong?”

Xu Xiaoka chimed in, ”I read a book that said a child’s taste buds are the most sensitive. They can truly taste whether a food is good or bad. Let Xiao Bao take his time and taste it again.”

Frowning, Chen Xiaobao swallowed his first bite, then used his chopsticks to pick up a second piece of fish. He placed it in his mouth, tasted it carefully, and swallowed. His frown only deepened.

Chen Momo asked worriedly, ”What is it, Xiao Bao? Is there something wrong with the taste of this sauerkraut fish?”

Chen Xiaobao furrowed his brows and said, ”Mommy, the sauerkraut fish tastes like spices.”

”I think it’s really delicious,” Xu Xiaoka countered. Unconvinced, he continued to pick up a few more bites of fish with his chopsticks.

This time, Xu Xiaoka also realized something was off. The first bite was indeed fantastic. After all, the combined flavors of over fifty spices bursting in the mouth gave the sensation of an exquisite culinary delight. The second bite, however, was less impressive compared to the first. By the third and fourth bites... his mouth was completely overwhelmed by the taste of spices. Amidst the heavy, overpowering seasoning, the actual taste of the fish was completely lost.

With so many spices added together, let alone sauerkraut fish, even sauerkraut cabbage or sauerkraut lettuce would taste delicious.

After eating several bites in a row, Xu Xiaoka finally agreed with Chen Xiaobao. ”Sister Momo, I think Xiao Bao is right. There really is a heavy taste of spices in this. Only the first three bites are amazing, but as you keep eating, it starts to feel cloying.”

Xu Xiaoka couldn’t quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he just felt that the more he ate, the more ordinary it tasted.

Chen Momo said, ”This is a five-star chef’s recipe, though. Logically, it should be more popular with customers. Tomorrow, I’ll take this version of the sauerkraut fish to the window and give it a try!”

Thus, the next day, Chen Momo implemented the improved method for her sauerkraut fish, strictly following the standards of a five-star hotel. After all, a five-star hotel’s head chef should understand the market far better than a simple housewife like her.

Jiang Yunhai, Song Chuhuan, Yi Ronghao, and Ouyang Feng—the four young men arrived at the cafeteria bright and early.

Ouyang Feng gossiped, ”Did you guys know? I heard that the cafeteria’s Ramen Beauty and the Sauerkraut Fish Beauty are having a showdown!”

Song Chuhuan said excitedly, ”Now that’s thrilling! I heard that Zhang Wanwan, who runs the Japanese ramen window, used to be the head of a hundred Japanese restaurants nationwide! I bet the Sauerkraut Fish Beauty will lose.”

Ouyang Feng slowly sipped his coffee and drawled, ”In terms of skill, the Sauerkraut Fish Beauty really isn’t a match for the Ramen Beauty. I also bet the Sauerkraut Fish Beauty will lose.”

Jiang Yunhai, who had been harboring a secret crush on Chen Momo, was instantly displeased. He grumbled, ”Nothing is clear yet, and you guys are already guessing who will win or lose. Since when did you become such know-it-alls? The diners are the judges. I believe the Sauerkraut Fish Beauty will win.”

The three of them had made their stances clear; only Yi Ronghao was left.

”Rong Hao, what about you?” Ouyang Feng asked curiously.

Yi Ronghao calmly glanced at Chen Momo, who was busy at Window 52, and then at Zhang Wanwan, who was busy at Window 66. He said lightly, ”It’s hard to say right now. Let’s wait and see. However, I believe the Sauerkraut Fish Beauty won’t admit defeat so easily.”

Ouyang Feng clamored, ”Whoa, does that mean you’re supporting the Sauerkraut Fish Beauty?”

Yi Ronghao nodded. ”You could say that.”

Although Yi Ronghao hadn’t interacted much with Chen Momo, he just felt a natural fondness for her. Perhaps it was because she gave off the vibe of a sweet girl next door. However, unlike a typical girl next door, Chen Momo also seemed like a person full of stories. Especially those eyes of hers—they revealed a tenacity, as if she would never, ever yield.

Song Chuhuan smiled faintly. ”Alright, then let’s make a bet. Ouyang Feng and I bet that the Ramen Beauty will win in half a month, while Yun Hai and Rong Hao bet on the Sauerkraut Fish Beauty.”

Jiang Yunhai asked, ”And what happens if we win? Or if we lose?”

”The losers will pay the winners a hundred thousand base credits each,” Song Chuhuan replied.

Jiang Yunhai drew in a sharp breath of cold air.

A hundred thousand credits was nothing to the Jiang Yunhai of the past. Before the apocalypse, the Jiang Family had been one of the four most illustrious and prominent families in Han City. Even while he was still in college, Jiang Yunhai had possessed his own luxury cars and mansions. He spent money lavishly and was entirely accustomed to the life of a wealthy young master. Let alone a hundred thousand, even if it were a million or ten million, he wouldn’t bat an eye at spending it.

But after the apocalypse hit, Jiang Yunhai’s living conditions plummeted drastically. He went from a wealthy young master who threw money around like dirt to a pathetic ”parasite” who relied on his good buddies to survive.

Yet even so, Jiang Yunhai still maintained absolute confidence in himself. He believed the apocalypse would soon pass and the Jiang Family would swiftly return to their former glory.

Right now, however, he still needed to practice some restraint. A hundred thousand base credits—that was an amount he simply couldn’t produce at the moment. It was a massive sum of money.

But Jiang Yunhai believed Chen Momo would win, so he was willing to bet! Even if he lost, he would accept his defeat gracefully. At worst, he could just borrow the hundred thousand base credits from his good bro, Yi Ronghao, first! But after the apocalyptic reshuffling of the world, a hundred thousand base credits was by no means a small figure.