Thinking of this, Mr. Clark couldn’t help but sigh. He had bought everything he needed today except for fresh vegetables. Now, he could only hope to find someone selling lotus root at the market. In previous winters, there were always people transporting lotus root from the south, but this year Frank Foster had fought his way back, occupying many areas in Hebei and Shandong. Especially the northern section of the canal had fallen into their hands. Without this waterway, it was very difficult to transport goods between the north and south, so he hadn’t seen anyone selling lotus root this year.

At that, Mr. Clark went to ask a few familiar vendors, but the answers he got left him extremely disappointed. There was simply no lotus root for sale in the entire Le’an market, all because of Frank Foster’s rebellion. This made him curse the man inwardly. He’d heard that, to suppress the rebellion, the crown prince had personally led troops, and also the illustrious Third Lady—Princess Pingyang, the crown prince’s sister—had gone along to help. He figured that Frank Foster wouldn’t be able to jump around for much longer!

Mr. Clark was just a minor figure and wasn’t much interested in such matters of state. After cursing Frank Foster a few times, he could only wander the vast market with a last bit of hope, wishing to find some vegetables other than radishes. Otherwise, he’d just have to accept punishment when he got back.

“Huh? What’s that delicious smell?” Just as Mr. Clark was aimlessly wandering the market, he suddenly caught a peculiar aroma, much like the scent of food being cooked in a kitchen. But though he often hung around the kitchen at the manor, he had never smelled anything like this before. The fragrance was especially enticing—just a whiff made his mouth water.

In fact, it wasn’t just Mr. Clark; many people nearby had also caught a whiff of this tempting aroma, and everyone wanted to find out where it was coming from. Before long, someone finally traced the scent to an inconspicuous corner of the market.

There was a rather odd little vegetable stall there. Several large baskets sat on the ground, covered with clean white cloths so that no one could see what was inside. Behind the stall squatted two honest-looking country men, who looked no different from the farmers who came early to buy vegetables. But the two of them just squatted there without calling out to customers, so no one knew what they were selling.

Behind the little stall, two tattered cloths had been strung up to form a makeshift curtain. From behind the curtain came the crisp sound of a metal ladle striking a metal wok. Mr. Clark, who was watching, was very familiar with this sound—when the cooks at the manor prepared food, you could hear it even from several courtyards away. The waves of fragrance wafting from behind the curtain confirmed that someone was indeed cooking there.

Driven by curiosity, Mr. Clark finally stepped forward and asked the two country men behind the stall, “Brothers, why are you cooking behind that curtain? This is a vegetable market, not a restaurant!”

The two country men were very polite. Hearing Mr. Clark’s question, one of them immediately stood up and gave a simple, honest smile: “Please wait a moment, sir. The dish inside will be ready soon, and you can have a taste in a bit!”

He didn’t say what the dish was, which made Mr. Clark even more curious. Just as he finished speaking, the sounds of cooking behind the curtain finally stopped. The curtain was lifted, and a sturdy country woman came out carrying a small basin. Steam rose from the basin, carrying an irresistible aroma that made Mr. Clark and the others involuntarily sniff the air.

Drawn by the smell, a crowd had already gathered around the stall. At this moment, the country man behind the stall called out loudly, “Brothers, we’re farmers from the Li family village outside the city. This time, we’ve grown a new kind of vegetable, and it tastes absolutely delicious. If you don’t believe it, my wife has just made a dish with it—everyone is welcome to try, it’s free!”

As he spoke, the country man pointed to the small basin in the woman’s hands. Inside was a strange-looking vegetable, only a few inches long, very thin, each piece crystal clear and beautiful, but no one had ever seen such a vegetable before.

“Let me try!” Mr. Clark had long since had his appetite whetted by the aroma. Without hesitation, he grabbed the chopsticks from the basin and picked up a few pieces to taste. Fragrant, crisp, and tender, with a refreshing sourness that made his mouth water—there must have been vinegar in it. After tasting it, he just wanted more.

“Delicious, absolutely delicious!” Mr. Clark praised loudly as he ate. As the purchasing manager for the Pei family’s kitchen, he had tasted all kinds of delicacies, but this was the first time he’d eaten something so delicious. He also keenly noticed that the dish itself was light and refreshing—a truly rare and excellent vegetable. But most importantly, it was the unknown cooking method that made it special. He was sure the cooks at the manor didn’t know how to make this.

There were also quite a few other purchasing managers from noble households nearby, some of whom knew Mr. Clark. Seeing even him praise the dish so highly, many people crowded forward to try it. After tasting it, they all exclaimed in admiration. Mr. Clark reacted the fastest—while others were still sampling, he tossed down the chopsticks, rushed to the front of the stall, and shouted to the country man, “How much for your vegetables? Give me ten jin!”