“Outrageous. Useless fools. I’ll go ask myself. Let’s see who dares to deny me face.”
Xiao Wanyu’s identity naturally would not allow her to dine in the main hall with the crowd. Her face darkened in anger, and without sparing another glance at the waiter, she turned and headed straight for the private rooms upstairs.
Neither Ji Yuanyi nor the guards from the Princess’s residence showed any intent to stop her. In fact, from the moment they entered the restaurant, Ji Yuanyi’s face had already revealed his disgust. Clearly, he too was unwilling to eat in a noisy hall full of people.
Of course, considering his status and concern for his image, Ji Yuanyi would never say such a thing out loud. But he knew Xiao Wanyu’s temper well. Even if he said nothing, she would definitely act on her own—and indeed, the spoiled princess couldn’t bear it any longer and was about to make a scene.
“Wait—guest! Guest, please don’t! You can’t go up there!” the waiter cried out, trying to stop her in panic.
But before he could get close, he was shoved to the ground by one of Xiao Wanyu’s guards and glared at fiercely.
The waiter shuddered in fear, not daring to say another word, terrified that speaking further might cost him his life.
“Young Master, you truly must be a divine being! Hotpot—this eating style—I’ve never heard of it! And those things like chili, tomatoes, potatoes… I’ve never seen any of them either. Where did you even find such crops? Not even the Western Regions have them!”
Inside the restaurant, Zhou De—dressed like a shopkeeper—stood beside Qin Yan, who wore a waiter’s uniform. Looking at the packed restaurant and the guests gathered outside, Zhou De couldn’t help but feel more and more admiration for Qin Yan.
Originally, Zhou De thought Qin Yan’s decision to buy this restaurant was a foolish one. After all, the previous owner had been driven out of business by the neighboring Tianxiang Restaurant. Unless Qin Yan hired one of the most famous chefs in the Great Phoenix Empire, it would be impossible to compete. The cost would have been too high to be worth it.
Qin Yan had invented a new style of dining called “hotpot,” which didn’t even require chefs. All that was needed was a copper pot placed on a charcoal fire, along with Qin Yan’s unique secret hotpot broth. Fresh ingredients were then served raw and dipped directly into the boiling pot to cook and eat.
This method not only eliminated the need for a famous chef but also gave customers a completely different experience. The taste was also exceptional—unlike any traditional dish. The spicy pot, in particular, was shocking at first. The initial burn on the tongue made one think they were poisoned, but after the heat passed, it created an intense craving that instantly awakened the appetite.
Within just a few days, hotpot spread rapidly across every street and alley in the Capital. Guests poured in without end. It truly felt like the restaurant’s doorstep was about to be trampled flat.
Only then did Zhou De finally understand what Qin Yan meant by “differentiated competition.” He now realized why Qin Yan had been so confident in opening up shop right next to Tianxiang Restaurant.
“It’s a blessing from the heavens,” Qin Yan said with a slight smile.
Qin Yan was a transmigrator.
At the time of his transmigration, he had been hiking outdoors, and among the supplies he carried were chili peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, and other modern vegetables. When he fell off a cliff and transmigrated into the Great Phoenix Empire, all the items he had brought with him also arrived in this world.
During his three years in the Princess’s residence, Qin Yan handled almost all internal affairs himself. Even the imperial estates under Xiao Wanyu’s name were managed by him. While overseeing the estates, Qin Yan used his position to secretly cultivate the vegetables he had brought with him from the modern world.
Originally, it was just a trial. He hadn’t held much hope. But unexpectedly, it worked. Over three years, he had used the money earned from writing books to purchase large tracts of farmland and estates. He then cultivated these modern vegetables on them, all in preparation to someday use them to build wealth.
When he decided to venture into the food business, the first thing that came to mind was hotpot. This dining method hadn’t existed in the Great Phoenix Empire before his arrival—especially since the empire didn’t even have chili peppers, the core ingredient for hotpot.
Only with Qin Yan’s arrival and the introduction of chilies did it become possible to recreate the flavor of modern hotpot in this ancient world.
Before leaving the Princess’s residence, he had already commissioned large quantities of hotpot tableware and furniture based on his memories from the modern era. Once he bought the restaurant, he simply replaced all the equipment and was ready to open.
Following modern business practices, after opening, Qin Yan first hired a few fake customers to stir buzz and draw real patrons. After all, not everyone could handle spicy food right away.
To his surprise, the people of the Great Phoenix Empire had an astonishing ability to adapt to new things. Hotpot was quickly embraced and even became a sensation, attracting massive crowds.
In fact, Qin Yan had anticipated this. After three years in the empire, he was very familiar with the local cuisine—mostly bland and watery, hard to swallow. Frankly, even the royal banquets didn’t taste as good as a stir-fried dish from a Jiangxi diner back in his old world.
So this flavor-packed hotpot that exploded the taste buds was destined to spark a culinary revolution in the empire. Its success was only natural.
“I believe it. Young Master, you must be a divine being. These gifts must be from heaven.”
“Young Master, now that hotpot has taken over the Capital, at this rate, its fame will spread far and wide. If we follow this exact model and expand to other provinces in the Great Phoenix Empire, it won’t be long before ‘Hai Li Lao’ restaurants open across the entire empire!”
Zhou De was full of excitement. Just the thought of opening restaurants without needing chefs thrilled him. All they needed were good locations. Earning money would be as easy as printing it—it was exhilarating just thinking about it.
“Exactly. It’s way faster than making money from writing books,” Qin Yan said with a small nod.
“Uh… I’m just worried other restaurants will copy us, like how people pirated our books,” Zhou De said with a frown, clearly concerned. After all, their book-selling business had once been profitable too, until other publishers started pirating their titles, disrupting their entire market.