The moment the corn brought by Ah Bing appeared, Liu Yuan exclaimed, “Ah!” and pointed at it in surprise, saying, “This corn… isn’t this the kind of corn sold by the foreign merchants in the Mule and Horse Market?”

Wen Mingtang nodded and glanced in surprise at Liu Yuan, who didn’t even recognize grains, and said, “That is this corn!”

Liu Yuan, who couldn’t even tell garlic leaves from chives, was able to accurately recognize the “variety” of this corn not because his knowledge had suddenly improved in just a few days, but because, when he had gone to the mule and horse market earlier, he couldn’t resist the foreign merchants’ stream of exaggerated praises and, out of curiosity, bought some to try. Afterwards…

Liu Yuan pointed at the corn kernels—smaller and harder than ordinary ones, with a faint translucent sheen—and said in horror, “This corn tasted awful! Master Wen, don’t believe the nonsense those foreign merchants spout. It’s better to use our own country’s corn!”

Wen Mingtang, seeing Liu Yuan’s alarmed expression, couldn’t help but laugh: “The foreign merchants aren’t entirely talking nonsense. This corn, if boiled normally, doesn’t have the soft, sweet taste of our corn. However, it’s perfect for making popcorn!”

With that, she took a piece of butter and put it in a pot. Once the butter had melted completely and the aroma of milk filled the air, she immediately scooped a small bowl of corn kernels into the butter.

Liu Yuan curiously watched the corn kernels being poured into the butter and was about to ask Wen Mingtang if the corn was to be fried when a “pop” sound rang out. One of the corn kernels visibly burst open, revealing a white, cloud-like flower in everyone’s view.

Liu Yuan stared in disbelief: This…was this magic?

Just as he was about to speak, Wen Mingtang, the moment the first kernel of popcorn burst open, quickly grabbed the lid and slapped it on. Then, a series of crackling sounds, like firecrackers, came from the pot. As the sounds grew louder, Wen Mingtang lifted the pot and shook it back and forth over the fire.

When he finally felt it was ready, she abruptly lifted the lid. The corn kernels, which had been just a small bowl before the lid was put on, barely covering the bottom of the pot, were now completely expanded, filling the entire pot. She poured all the popcorn, which had bloomed like clouds, onto a sheet of parchment paper to cool. Then, Wen Mingtang quickly started making the second batch of popcorn.

The crowd around couldn’t resist gathering around the pile of freshly made popcorn: the popped kernels were light and fluffy, emitting a rich aroma of corn and milk.

The aroma was so enticing that Liu Yuan subconsciously swallowed, about to reach for it, when Tangyuan called out, “Liu Sicheng, wait!”

Although also tempted by the rich aroma of corn and milk, Tangyuan remembered what Wen Mingtang had said earlier. She kept a close eye on Liu Yuan, who was most likely to be tempted to try it, and protectively held onto the popcorn on the table, saying, “The popcorn isn’t ready yet; wait a bit!” While she was speaking, Wen Mingtang had already cooked the caramel in her pot. She poured the popcorn into the pot, tossed the pot to coat each kernel with caramel, and then poured it out again.

After being coated in caramel sauce, the white popcorn kernels were now smeared with a layer of golden-brown caramel syrup. The already rich aroma of corn and milk was now infused with the intense fragrance of caramel, the flavors blending and merging, creating a unique aroma of popcorn, much like the caramel milk tea from that day.

Smelling the sweet, rich aroma of popcorn in the air, Liu Yuan swallowed hard and asked Tangyuan, “Little darling, can we eat now?”

Tangyuan rolled her eyes, quickly grabbed a kernel of popcorn, and tossed it into her mouth: “Mmm, we can eat now, we can eat now!”

The freshly made popcorn was still slightly sticky with its caramel syrup on top, and the first taste was the sweet aroma of caramel. As for the texture of the popcorn itself… it was truly unexpected.

Unlike the soft, sweet texture of regular corn, this popcorn was crispy, making a “crunch” sound when bitten. But this crispness was different from ordinary crispness; it was probably due to its fluffy, cloud-like shape, making it exceptionally “fluffy.”

Tangyuan absolutely loved the taste of this sweet snack called popcorn.

Seeing Tangyuan eating, Liu Yuan immediately grabbed a handful and eagerly popped a kernel into his mouth.

The crispness, fluffiness, and sweetness of the popcorn made Liu Yuan, who had been craving it for a long time, squint his eyes in satisfaction. He ate one after another, and only when he put the last kernel in his mouth could he help but sigh, “My hands aren’t small, and I grabbed quite a handful just now, but this stuff is just too fluffy. Such a big handful was gone in no time!”

The pot of caramel popcorn that had just come out of the pot and been poured onto the parchment paper was piled high like a small mountain, but now only a few bits remained! Quick-witted Ah Bing immediately reached out and swept them all into his pocket, and then… quietly shared them with Tangyuan next to him.

Liu Yuan: “…” Did they think he couldn’t see this action?

He sighed and was about to speak when he saw Wen Mingtang, who had just finished another pot of popcorn, pour out the popcorn and start making caramel sauce!

But in addition to the sugar and water from before, Wen Mingtang had also added a small pinch of salt.

Liu Yuan was startled by this action and immediately cried out, trying to stop him: “Master Wen, you’re wrong! You’re wrong!”

“She is not wrong!” Lin Fei, who was leisurely eating a handful of popcorn and was intently watching Wen Mingtang stir-fry the syrup, said casually, “It should be sweet and salty. The sweet caramel sauce is very fragrant. If you add a little saltiness, it should taste good too!”

The world’s flavors were never black and white. How could sweet and salty flavors not coexist? It was the same principle as adding a little sugar to savory meat dishes to enhance their flavor.

Wen Mingtang, who had almost finished stir-frying the syrup, subconsciously glanced at Lin Fei and said, “Young Master Lin is right! Don’t worry! This sweet and salty flavor will definitely not lose to the sweet flavor!”

As she spoke, the popcorn coated with the sweet and salty syrup was ready! Compared to everyone else, who only took a piece to taste, Lin Fei reached out and grabbed a large handful and then ate it slowly.

The group, having already sampled the popcorn, reached for more on the table. Master Wen was right; the slightly salty, sweet flavor was actually richer than the original caramel flavor. Those who already loved it would absolutely adore this taste!

Just then, Lin Fei, who was eating the sweet and salty popcorn, asked, “Master Wen, can milk tea be made with this flavor too?”

(End of Chapter)

---