"Wang Ge, leave it to me now that we're in Xiamen. I've eaten my way through all the big and small restaurants and food streets here. The places I'm taking you must be the most authentic ones."

The next morning, Shen Teng found Wang Fan, ready to take him on a proper tour of Xiamen.

Wang Fan laughed and said, "You're not taking me to those top-notch restaurants, are you?"

Shen Teng shook his head immediately and said, "How could I? Don't I know you well? Rest assured, today I'm taking you to taste the most authentic Min Nan cuisine."

In terms of skill, the chefs of those big hotels and high-end restaurants are certainly top-notch, but once these restaurants got too upscale, the food somewhat lost its grounding, using such high-end ingredients and being handled so meticulously that some of the authentic flavors are unconsciously lost.

Instead, those small street eateries use fresh, common ingredients without skimping on them. That's what gives their dishes a more local characteristic and better matches Wang Fan's original intent.

Shen Teng quickly drove to a market, parked the car, and pointed at the market, saying, "Breakfast must be eaten at the market. The breakfast here is the most down-to-earth."

Leading the way, Shen Teng took Wang Fan inside. Wang Fan looked around with interest, noticing that the people coming and going were mostly locals, filled with a lazy, everyday vibe.

"Wang Ge, I'm telling you, the Bashi fried wu xiang here is incredibly delicious. I've been eating it since I was a kid and never get tired of it."

As Shen Teng spoke, he pointed happily at a shop in the distance, "There it is, Ajie's Fried Wu Xiang at Bashi."

Wang Fan looked up to see a not-so-large storefront with an owner seated at a table preparing something, which should be the ingredients for the fried wu xiang.

The two soon approached, and the owner, a man in his forties, greeted Shen Teng warmly, "Hey, isn't it Xiao Teng? You haven't come to eat in a while. Where have you been?"

Shen Teng grew up eating at this shop, and the owner has been working here for twenty years, from a handsome young man to a middle-aged uncle, so he was naturally very familiar with Shen Teng.

Grinning, Shen Teng said, "Ajie, don't say I, as a younger brother, don't look out for you. See this friend of mine here? You better bring out your best craft for him to taste. If my buddy gives even a little guidance, the line outside your door could reach Fuzhou."

"What?"

Ajie glanced at Wang Fan with some surprise. He looked like a youngster, at most as handsome as Ajie was when he was young, but didn't seem particularly special.

Could he be a famous food critic or a promoter for Meituan and Takeaway?

Wang Fan chuckled helplessly and said, "Ajie, don't listen to him. He loves to joke around."

Ajie laughed and said, "No worries, no worries. Since Xiao Teng is here, I naturally have to personally serve up something special. Back then, he took good care of my business. Just a moment, and I'll make something for you now."

He didn't forget to say to Shen Teng, "Why don't you come in and lend a hand? Let your friend wander around a bit."

Shen Teng looked at Wang Fan. It didn't matter to him whether to help out or not; he just wanted to see if Wang Fan wanted to wander around on his own.

Wang Fan nodded and said, "Then you go help, and I'll take a look around myself."

Looking at the lively market exuding a feeling of everyday life, he indeed wanted to wander by himself and see if there were any fresh, uniquely flavored spices available.

Shen Teng said, "Okay, come back in about ten minutes. It's best right out of the fryer."

Taking a leisurely stroll, Wang Fan walked into the market, while Ajie quickly pulled Shen Teng aside and whispered, "Who is this friend of yours? Can he really help my business?"

Shen Teng was a bit surprised, "Ajie, surely you're not taking this seriously? Wasn't your business pretty good before?"

Ajie sighed, "That was before. Look at now. There used to be lines outside my door early on, and now there's barely anyone."

Shen Teng whispered, "Did you change your recipe or use some bad meat?"

Ajie spat, "What are you saying, you rascal? Am I that kind of person? I haven't changed my recipe or ingredients. It's just that now the trendy internet-famous stores are attracting all the customers away. Aside from regulars like you, it's been ages since I've seen fresh faces."

Shen Teng chuckled, "You know what they say, when you're sleepy, life gives you a pillow. Ajie, I'm telling you, just bring out your finest fried wu xiang later, and then humbly ask my buddy here for guidance. As long as he says something, I guarantee your business will get even better than before."

Ajie, full of suspicion, said, "What's the story with this friend of yours? From what you're saying, he seems to know a thing or two about cooking?"

Shen Teng proudly replied, "Don't worry about his status. Just trust me. I'll talk to him later too."

Ajie, filled with confusion, looked at Shen Teng's mysterious grin with growing annoyance, but right now, he indeed needed help from others. He could only suppress his doubts for the time being. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

His shop had a great location and never lacked customers in the past. But in the past six months, with trendy internet-famous stores on the rise, his business had been declining. He spent all his time thinking about how to revitalize his shop again, with no time left even for online browsing to relax. He didn't really know who Wang Fan was.

But helping Ajie wasn't just because it was a place Shen Teng grew up eating at. It was mainly because he valued Ajie's character. He was a truly kind person who would give food to kids who couldn't afford it and didn't mind if they paid him back later. He never compromised on ingredients over the years, which Shen Teng figured might partly explain his worsening business.

Because if you use good ingredients, you have to charge more. If you don't, you lose money. For the same items, why wouldn't people buy the cheaper ones?

But Wang Fan was also someone who cared a lot about ingredients, and Shen Teng didn't believe Wang Ge would leave such a sincerely-operated small shop to struggle.

When the pair finished making the fried wu xiang, Wang Fan strolled back over, looking like he'd found some good stuff.

Wang Fan carried a bag holding several bottles of Xiamen-specific seasonings he picked out.

However, he also noticed that Xiamen didn't use a lot of spices, primarily using pepper, curry, star anise, fennel, Sichuan pepper, galangal, cinnamon, these five spices. And most households just bought ready-mixed five-spice powder, rarely proportioning spices themselves when cooking.

Shen Teng called, "Wang Ge is back, just in time, the fried wu xiang just came out. Try it, and give Ajie some feedback."