"Hey? Xiao Jie, are you saying you've changed the recipe for your deep-fried five-spice?"

"What? Changed the recipe? Well, I must try it. I've been eating this for more than ten years, and suddenly you change the recipe. I'm curious now."

"Oh? Has Ajie finally had a breakthrough? You know how to change the recipe? But if you've skimmed on ingredients with this new recipe, don't blame this old uncle for not supporting you anymore."

Jie Ge, carrying his food box, found his old neighbors in the marketplace, ready to have them taste his newly made deep-fried five-spice.

The old neighbors heard that Jie Ge changed the recipe and were quite interested. After all, it was past the busiest time, so they gathered together.

Old Mr. Fang picked up a deep-fried five-spice, held it up to his eyes for a careful look, but couldn't see any difference. Smelling it still brought that familiar fried tofu skin fragrance.

"It looks no different, so the change must be in the filling."

Holding the small piece of deep-fried five-spice carefully, old Mr. Fang took a bite.

"Crunch..."

The crispy texture was just the same, and even though his teeth weren't in good condition, eating it was still no problem.

Old Mr. Fang was quite old, and many of his teeth were gone, but the fewer teeth he had, the more he craved hard things; this deep-fried five-spice was one of the few hard foods he could still bite into.

As the crispy skin broke, old Mr. Fang reflexively sucked in, and just then, he felt something was about to flow out of his mouth!

Even though he was quite aged, he didn't think he was at the age where he couldn't control his drool.

"What is this?"

Old Mr. Fang was puzzled but surprised; he realized what was about to flow out wasn't drool because drool wouldn't have such a savory aroma.

Feeling that once familiar sweet flavor swirling in his mouth, old Mr. Fang was a bit sentimental.

"Come, everyone, taste this. It's the flavor of the past, or wait, it actually tastes even better than before."

When old Mr. Fang said this, the old neighbors each reached out for a piece.

Once they took a bite, that rich and savory taste instantly brightened their eyes.

This taste is great!

"Oh wow, this change is impressive! Not only is it tastier, but it also feels smoother."

"There's more juice in it too, leaving a moist feeling after eating, not dry at all."

"The taste is fresher and richer; this is delicious."

"Ajie, that troublesome kid, finally ditched the old recipe. This one is much better."

"Yeah, I also think this one is tastier. The stuff inside is fun to chew, crispy, tender, and even juicy."

Old Mr. Fang patted Jie Ge's shoulder and said, "You troublesome kid, you've finally had a breakthrough. If you didn't come around, we would've stopped eating at your place."

"Ah? Why?"

Jie Ge was a bit dazed by old Mr. Fang's words, unable to understand why he would say such things. The implications were quite shocking to him.

Old Mr. Fang, feeling a bit of exasperation at his lack of progress, said, "Troublesome kid, don't you know your deep-fried five-spice has been losing its flavor?"

Jie Ge, a bit lost, replied, "But I haven't changed the ingredients. Everything is measured, so there shouldn't be a problem."

Old Mr. Fang grumbled, "Calling you a troublesome kid is right; look at how old we all are! As you age, your taste buds dull. What tasted right before tastes bland now. I've told you several times, and you didn't change! You're going to be the death of us!"

Jie Ge's mouth hung open, "Before, I thought you all just wanted me to sell more to people from the North..."

Old Mr. Fang snorted, "Thankfully, you troublesome kid finally had a breakthrough. What you made today tastes even better than what we had before."

...

Despite Jie Ge's repeated invitations, Wang Fan and Shen Teng declined.

For Wang Fan, it was just a little help, nothing that warranted a savior-like attitude.

After breakfast at the marketplace, Shen Teng took Wang Fan wandering around, not missing any of the food streets, and by noon, they arrived at a place called "Shaojiu Pei."

Having a local like Shen Teng made things easier for Wang Fan. Without asking or saying anything, wherever Shen Teng took him, he ate there.

After placing the order, Shen Teng explained to Wang Fan, "Wang Ge, 'Shaojiu Pei' in our Min Nan dialect is the transliteration of 'snacks to go with alcohol.' It's usually a place where friends gather after work to eat and chat. The dishes here have the most local flavor. I've ordered some of their specialties, and we can order more if it's not enough."

Wang Fan nodded, "It's your turf; you decide. But even eating this morning has already been quite a gain for me."

After all, Xiamen cuisine is part of the Min Cuisine, one of the Eight Major Cuisines. While Min Cuisine, in the narrow sense, refers to Fuzhou, it later developed into three branches: Fuzhou, Min Nan, and Min Xi, which is broadly defined as Min Cuisine. Xiamen cuisine naturally has unique features as part of it, leaving no room for complaints.

Soon after they sat down, the dishes started arriving one after the other. The first dish was called Doujiang Wu Yu.

In the dish was a silver fish, cut into five segments, decorated with some cilantro and paired with a small dish of golden soy sauce.

Shen Teng didn't introduce it but rather teased, "Wang Ge, can you tell how this fish was prepared?"

Wang Fan smiled, "You're trying to test me?"

"You've lived in the North for years; surely you can't be familiar with all our southern ways of cooking?"

Wang Fan picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks, "Let me taste it."

When he put the fish in his mouth, it was at room temperature, indicating it's a cold dish.

The fish was very soft, turning mushy against the tongue, with a soft and fluffy texture when chewed.

The most distinct feature of this fish dish was its freshness.

It's a dish that takes full advantage of geographic benefits; it seems freshly caught and brought to the restaurant, with its rich flavor needing no seasoning.

Wang Fan grabbed another piece, dipping it into the soy sauce before putting it in his mouth. The fresh fish flavor was enhanced with the soy sauce's saltiness and the aroma of soybeans, instantly elevating the taste to another level.

Wang Fan couldn't resist nodding. The taste was impeccable, a true case of less is more.

"This fish was probably cleaned and steamed right in the store, then cooled to create this dish, highlighting the fish's freshness. The soy sauce must be Puning Soy Sauce, with its golden hue and savory sweet flavor, paired with the incredibly fresh fish, creating a unique taste."

Shen Teng gave a thumbs-up, "Impressive, you're indeed my Wang Ge. You nailed it."

Wang Fan said, "It seems this place is one of your treasure spots. This fish is extremely fresh, not some poor substitute."

Not to mention, he's quite particular about this; places using subpar ingredients for profit, like old meat or spoiled seafood, don't count as true dining establishments in his book.

Before, he had no contact with such things, but as his fame grew, many approached him for collaboration, including those wanting to use his recipes and brand for pre-made meals. He was already averse to this idea, and after Zhuo Qianqian looked into one company using bad ingredients for traditional dishes, he decided to cut all corporate ties.

The culinary world needs a clean slate!