Several food boxes were stacked on a small table outside the door, with the slips of paper on top left by Wen Mingtang.

The enticing aroma had already filled the room, and now, with the door open and only the food boxes separating them, the smell was even more overwhelming, seemingly penetrating every nostril.

Liu Yuan’s stomach growled even louder. Rubbing his belly, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Smelling this, I know it’s a new dish! I wonder what this Sān Zhī Mèn Guō is?”

Bai Zhu, who was about to enter the room with a food box, casually lifted the lid and glanced inside, saying, “It’s in a clay pot, so it must be another big dish with both meat and vegetables! But judging from the smell, it’s probably not spicy!”

Of course, this “not spicy” was only in their opinion; Lin Shaoqing’s portion was specifically marked as spicy, suggesting it was intentionally made spicy.

Master Wen’s dishes always excelled in color, aroma, and flavor! Lifting the lid, the casserole revealed chicken wings, shrimp, meatballs, and other ingredients neatly arranged in a thick, reddish-brown sauce, garnished with cilantro and scallions. The unique beauty of this potted dish filled the air immediately.

However, being extremely hungry, they only glanced at it briefly before eagerly picking up our chopsticks to dig in!

The chicken wings were all meaty mid-wings, scored on both sides to allow for better marinating. Aside from basic marinating, no further processing was done; they were braised together with all the other ingredients.

The hallmark of braised food is tenderness! Chicken is inherently delicious; a bite reveals incredibly tender flesh beneath the smooth skin. But it’s more than just tenderness; the uniquely blended “three-sauce” flavor has permeated every part of the dish, creating an astonishingly rich and aromatic broth! It tasted salty with a hint of sweetness, and the “reddish-brown” sauce had no spiciness whatsoever, only a rich, savory aroma—clearly, it was made to cater to their tastes.

“It uses a sauce called sweet bean sauce made by Master Wen,” Wei Fu said after a couple of bites, discerning the sauce flavor. “When I ate those multigrain pancakes before, I liked this sweet bean sauce, so I specifically asked Master Wen for some to take home and eat for a while, and it tasted just like this!”

Of course, the sauce was rich and fragrant, with a complex flavor profile, clearly not just sweet bean sauce but a blend of several sauces.

Although the same sauce was used throughout, each ingredient brought its own distinct flavor.

The chicken wings were tender, the shrimp sweet and firm, and the meatballs, made from pork, released bursts of savory juice with every bite, all the ingredients mingling with that unique sauce aroma, filling every corner of the mouth.

Delicious food had never been limited to meat—there were vegetarian dishes too. The onions were fragrant, the lotus root crisp, and the green and red peppers refreshing and cutting through the greasiness. But among them, Liu Yuan thought the potatoes were the best.

“Master Wen’s big pot, with both meat and vegetables, always contained delightful surprises,” Liu Yuan said, quickly picking up a piece of potato and biting into it.

The potato was golden brown and slightly charred, with a crispy texture and a unique caramelized aroma! Despite its charred exterior, the inside was incredibly soft and delicate. This powdery, chewy texture, accentuated by the crispy exterior, made each bite irresistible!

“Just like the soft, glutinous rice cakes in Ròu Xiè Bāo,” Bai Zhu looked at Liu Yuan, who was picking up a potato to eat, and couldn’t help sighing, “the tofu in Duòjiāo Yútóu and Dòufu Bāo that had absorbed all the broth, the chewy pulled noodles in Dàpán Jī—likewise, the potatoes in this Sān Zhī Mèng Guō can also be called the essence of the dish!”

“Master Wen’s skill has cured so many people of their aversion to rice cakes, tofu, noodles, and potatoes.” Wei Fu picked up a piece of potato, put it in his mouth, nodded, and sighed. “People should eat both meat and vegetables and not be picky eaters!”

But everyone had their own preferences: it was impossible to “enjoy every kind of food equally”!

“If there had been more cooks like Master Wen who could turn dishes I normally refused to eat into the very ‘soul’ of a meal, I would have eaten every kind of dish!” Liu Yuan casually poured the rice he had already taken a few bites from into the clay pot, then simply abandoned his chopsticks and used a spoon to press the rice into the broth; with that rich sauce, he kept lifting mouthful after mouthful to his lips. “Master Wen’s evening meal had really been on my mind all afternoon—I was nearly starving!”

The pot full of Sān Zhī Mèn Guō was indeed a large portion, but for the Dali Temple staff who had been busy all afternoon, there wasn’t even a single potato left!

Halfway through the evening meal, the Dali Temple staff, burping contentedly, got up and left the kitchen one after another.

After clearing out a few tables and delivering the evening meal ordered by Yú Jìjiǔ next door, it was time for Wen Mingtang and the others to eat their evening meal!

The chefs could finally rest now!

However, for the Dali Temple staff, after the meal, the work to be done after nightfall had just begun!

Because stewing pots were prone to burning if cooked for too long, Wen Mingtang only prepared the ingredients and did not put them on the stove. After the braised dishes were cooked and served at the table, Ah Bing and Tangyuan, who had secretly slipped out of the kitchen courtyard to watch the commotion while cooking, returned. They excitedly told Wen Mingtang, “Master Wen, many shackled criminals have been taken to prison! The bailiffs said that the two bearded men you and Lady Liang encountered last time are also in there…”

Hearing “bearded men,” Wen Mingtang’s heart skipped a beat, but before she could ask, Tangyuan said, “However, the men the bailiffs pointed out to us didn’t include those bearded men. We asked and found out that the beards were fake, just glued to their faces as a disguise! No wonder we couldn’t find them!”

Wen Mingtang suddenly understood: “I see!”

After mentioning the bearded men, Tangyuan added, “The bailiffs said that Liu Sicheng and his men went to arrest the Yang family mother and son. The young ladies can move around freely now; they should be able to go home to see their families after today!”

Tangyuan was right, and the young ladies were overjoyed!

Although the people from the Dali Temple had rescued them from the pit where they were buried alive, their refusal to let them go back was also to catch the criminals! They understood this, but after so long, they really missed their families!

Although they couldn’t go home yet, they could move around the entire Dali Temple! Several young women hurriedly ran out of the almost moldy courtyard. Watching the criminals being escorted to the prison over the course of a single meal, Miss Chang thought of her family, whom she hadn’t seen for months, and couldn’t help but shed tears. She opened her mouth, about to speak, when she heard a voice that was all too familiar coming from the end of the corridor.

“Let me go! Let me go!” The voice was hysterical. Someone was sitting on the ground, being “dragged” towards them by several constables. “I’m not a criminal. Why are you arresting me?”

Hearing this familiar voice, Miss Chang instinctively shuddered and almost subconsciously looked up towards the end of the corridor!

While throwing a tantrum, Mother Yang was also taking advantage of a lull in her wailing to peek at her surroundings. Coincidentally, her glance met Miss Chang’s, and both exclaimed almost simultaneously, “It’s you!”

(End of Chapter)