Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Mapo Tofu (2/2)

After that, he paid Wei Dafu no mind, grasped the lid of his pot and lifted it.

Immediately, a pillar of steam burst forth from the pot and shot into the sky—like a mushroom cloud. An overwhelmingly rich fragrance gushed out from the pot, like an erupting volcano, and threw the entire camp into chaos.

The fragrance swept through the entire camp, like a whirlwind, and caused its inhabitants to come to a standstill. The camp was quiet and the soldiers stood still as if they hadn't been fighting over food just moments ago.

They all perceived the strange but rich fragrance and licked their lips; the excessively rich fragrance had greatly stimulated their taste buds.

Bu Fang took a deep breath and, immediately, his face became flushed. Excited, he peered into his pot.

A smell that was rich, spicy, and well, albeit a little rough, escaped out of the pot and into his face. It was the smell of countless pieces of tofu that trembled in the soup — like they were perfectly cut pieces of gelatin.

It was Mapo Tofu... spicy, rough and sweet Mapo Tofu!

It looked really tasty and caused everyone who perceived its pleasant aroma to swallow their saliva. As soon as the fragrance from Bu Fang's dish permeated every nook and cranny of the camp, Wei Dafu's body stiffened. ”This fragrance enveloping the camp... what the hell is it?”

Nursing a bad premonition, Wei Dafu turned around and found all the soldiers, who had just fought over other dishes, surrounding Bu Fang and completely sealing him in a tight circle. The soldiers all had longing expressions and smacked their lips fervently.

”This aroma is really fragrant! Ah! I never perceived an aroma this rich before...”

”What kind of dish is this? It isn't something I have eaten before. Is it a new recipe researched by the army cooks?”

”This sweet and spicy... My God, it has completed aroused my appetite; I can't bear it anymore!”

...

The soldiers chatted nonstop as they stared at the Mapo Tofu with glittering eyes and longing expressions.

”Well? This pot is quite small... Could it be that this dish was made with ordinary ingredients?” The soldiers easily deduced, after all, they were familiar with the army cooks' routine, so they could tell what kind of ingredients were used from the size of the pot.

Once they heard this, disappointment sprouted on the soldiers' faces and their longing waned. After all, the dish had been made using ordinary ingredients.

Despite all that, Bu Fang maintained a composed demeanor. A dish's aroma played an important role in bringing attention to the dish. After all, the customers perceive the aroma first, and it has the ability to stimulate their appetites.

The Mapo Tofu's fragrance was sufficiently rich. There were many types of fragrant dishes, however, the soldiers needed a dish that would improve their mental states; a sweet and spicy dish was the best choice, so Bu Fang chose the Mapo Tofu.

Although the ingredients he used were normal, they still achieved the desired effect.

Bu Fang looked at the soldiers, who were initially excited but now shook their heads in regret, and smiled. He used an iron ladle to scoop the Mapo Tofu into a bowl. The piping hot bowl exuded a thick steam coupled with a rich fragrance.

Bu Fang handed the bowl to the soldier closer to him and smiled calmly. ”Here, have a taste.”

The soldier received the dish without much thought, making evident the fact that he was still curious.

Wei Dafu watched all this play out with round eyes and raged inwardly, ”Why did you take it? Where are your morals and principles? You should eat dishes made with spiritual energy ingredients to maintain optimum condition!”

The soldier anxiously stared at the bowl in his hand. The rosy and tender Mapo Tofu emanated a spicy and numbing fragrance that stimulated his taste buds and attracted his gaze.

Trembling visibly, he used a spoon and scooped up a piece of tofu. He blew at the steam emanating from the tofu and swallowed the piece—under the gazes of everyone.