On South Market Avenue, the crowd thrummed with activity.
Madam Rong's quirky metaphor amused everyone around.
Some slapped their thighs and shouted, others jokingly urged, "What kind of pancake is this, better than the one Old Rong snatched for his wife? It must be delicious! Mr. Chen, don't be stingy, let us all have a taste of those pancakes!"
"Yeah, let us all try it! We'll even exchange it for some of our side dishes with you."
"Right, I'll trade you these shepherd's purse for the pancake, but let's be clear, if the pancake isn't good, I won't give up my greens."
"Get out of here, you can't part with a handful of wild greens? So stingy, why don't you scrape the dust from between the bricks under your feet and sprinkle it on the fields?" Madam Rong Fourth scolded with hands on hips, bringing another round of laughter.
Chen Xu stood at the street corner, maintaining his composure as he distributed the chicken egg pancakes piece by piece, more and more people tasted the pancakes, resulting in a chorus of exclamations.
"It's really good, darn it! This scholar really knows how to cook!"
"Didn't the scholar say? The five flavors in the cauldron are like something about life, life what?"
"The five flavors of life, oh my, it smells great!"
...
[Like +1]
[Like +1]
...
One 'like' after another popped up, finally easing the tension in Chen Xu's heart.
The first battle was a success, fantastic!
[Fireworks Value: 30]
When the total Fireworks Value reached 30, Chen Xu also received his third round of Qi Blood +1.
And that's not all, both sides of South Market Avenue were lined with numerous vendors.
Chen Xu didn't need to go far, just by conducting "egg pancake exchanges" at the street corner, he could find twenty to thirty people willing to trade.
Everyone provided five 'likes', and before long, Chen Xu's total 'likes' had surged past 100 in one go.
Every increase of 10 likes would add +1 Qi Blood, and in this short time his Qi Blood had increased by 8 points, and soon, new notifications appeared.
[Total likes reached 100, Essence Element Pass unlocked, Divine Soul Pass unlocked.]
[Attribute monitoring activated.]
On the street, Chen Xu couldn't closely examine his specific attributes.
He simply felt a warmth surging throughout his body, gradually feeling as if even his breath seemed to be exhaling heat.
There was a sensation of expansion in his body, and the wounds on his right leg itched and ached, as if a hundred thousand ants were crawling, arching, gnawing, and biting there.
Darn it!
Chen Xu nearly cursed out loud in the street.
Yet, seeing the likes still increasing, he forcefully restrained the impulse to shout, fearing it would disrupt the currently fervent atmosphere among the people.
Chen Xu knew well that the reason he was able to receive so many likes today wasn't solely because his chicken egg pancakes tasted exceptionally good.
Perhaps they were tasty, but were they really so good as to leave everyone praising them constantly?
Not quite, not quite.
The reason people liked them so enthusiastically was mainly due to the sense of contrast and novelty.
After all, which scholar would bring their homemade cuisine out on the street to exchange with vendors for ingredients?
Moreover, this initial exchange, with the support of 'maxims of the sages', naturally piqued their enthusiasm.
But such things can happen once or twice, but it's hard to sustain repeatedly.
Doing it a few more times won't be that easy.
Chen Xu certainly needed to put in more effort, sparing more thought.
Opportunities must not be missed; lost opportunities may never return. Chen Xu was determined to seize today's successful start and strive for a faster, more vigorous pace in his initial accumulation!
Darn it——
But the pain was too intense, too discomforting.
Chen Xu struggled to maintain control over his expression, nearly using all his energy to suppress the pain, so much so that he failed to notice a young man in a gray outfit and cap, watching him with a smirk while peeking over.
Moments later, the lad dressed as a servant slipped out from the crowd and dashed into the teahouse on the street's second floor.
Sitting by the window was a young scholar in a suit of lake silk robes.
The servant approached with a playful grin, whispering a report, "Sir, that fellow must have gone crazy, actually selling those egg pancakes he made to the stinky commoners, and when the commoners praised the taste, he looked as foolishly happy as a child..."
"Shut up!"
The servant was startled, immediately meeting a livid face.
"That's my schoolmate, my friend, whom you belittle so lightly. Do you look down on him? Or do you look down on me, your own master?"
Lin Qi got up in anger, flinging his sleeves as he left.
Chen Xu returned fully loaded, with a total of 183 points among 'likes' and Fireworks Value.
Eventually, some of the likes were given by passersby on the street, and some came from the vendors behind.
Not everyone actually got to taste Chen Xu's egg pancakes, some only tasted a bite, and some merely watched from afar.
But whether driven by herd mentality or curiosity, even those who just smelled the aroma couldn't help but mutter a few words: "It does smell nice, it's really something. Hey, this scholar must have lost his mind…"
Indeed, there were those who praised the aroma of the pancakes while secretly gossiping behind Chen Xu's back.
Not everyone gave him the maximum five likes, likewise, though the pancakes were distributed, some vendors clearly ate but pretended they didn't, or stubbornly stated they didn't taste good.
In short, they were unwilling to offer items from their stalls in exchange for Chen Xu.
Amidst the bustling crowd, Chen Xu didn't bother with such trivialities.
His initial proposal to exchange food for ingredients wasn't born out of stinginess, or to gain profit. He merely didn't want people to automatically assume his offerings should be given away for free.
This impression of gratuity mustn't be allowed, or else it'd be easy for others to underestimate and breed ill intentions.
There was also a small episode where, passing a lamb vendor, Chen Xu saw the vendor snatch a piece of pancake from someone's hand, tasting it with a peevish remark, "Hah, tastes terrible!"
The neighboring vendor sneered at him, "It's clearly tasty, Black Old Six, don't you dare claim it tastes bad just because you can't bear to part with some mutton for Mr. Chen?"
Black Old Six chuckled dryly, "A mere piece of pancake in exchange for my mutton? You're generous. Why don't you give away your whole stall instead?"
The pig seller next door generously handed Chen Xu a meaty pork bone, thumping his chest, "So that Mr. Chen knows, those of us on South Market Street aren't all petty, only this Black Old Six is stingy!
If you have more delicious food next time, come exchange it with my store. Folks in the community call me Zhao Yiliang, never skimping or short-changing my weight. Unlike some black-hearted people..."
Zhao Yiliang pointed directly at Black Old Six, who wasn't to be outdone.
The two argued back and forth, leaving Chen Xu behind as they bickered loudly.
Walking past the meat stall, Chen Xu found Black Old Six's mutton even more musty and gamey than Zhao Yiliang's pork.
A white lamb's head dangled upside down on a shiny iron hook, its repugnant bloody scent coming straight at him, mingled with an unspeakable stench and nauseating sensation.
Strangely enough, Chen Xu only took a glance at this lamb's head, yet its appearance seemed imprinted in his mind.
The blood-red eye sockets, bulging pupils, and what appeared to be tear-like dry traces at the corners of its eyes... every detail was vividly clear.
Even the swarm of flies hovering by the lamb's eyes seemed to have flown into Chen Xu's mind, refusing to be forgotten.
Bzzz bzzz bzzz——
The sound of decay accompanied him.
What was so intriguing about a single lamb's head?
Returning home, Chen Xu forced himself to dispel the discomfort in his mind and summoned the Food Cauldron Celestial Book.
He couldn't wait to see, after unlocking the Essence Element Pass and Divine Soul Pass, what new changes the Food Cauldron Celestial Book would reveal?