Chapter 86: Guan Dong Shan Zhen's Signature Hot Pot: A Single Pot of Fresh Aroma that Astonishes the County Town

"Director Zhang, this time besides bringing some mountain goods, I also have an idea I'd like your guidance on."

Lu Qingshan's voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it instantly revived Zhang Jianguo.

"Oh? Tell me then." Zhang Jianguo waved his hand, indicating they should go to the office for a detailed discussion.

In the office, Lu Qingshan set down his backpack and got straight to the point: "I've been wandering the mountains lately and found that Guandong Mountain has plenty of mushrooms and wild produce, with a full variety, but unfortunately they're not harvested at scale, wasting good stuff."

Zhang Jianguo rested his chin on his hand, his eyes urging him to continue.

"I've been thinking, we could pair Guandong Mountain's mushroom mountain goods with a medicinal broth to make a 'Guan Dong Shan Zhen Herbal Medicine Hot Pot'—fresh and tasty, also health‑nourishing, far more fragrant than plain stir‑fry."

Lu Qingshan took several packets of carefully prepared dried herbs from his backpack and placed them on the table.

"Herbal hot pot?" Zhang Jianguo's eyebrows twitched slightly, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"Exactly," Lu Qingshan opened a packet of herbs, and the fragrance instantly rose to his nose. "I've been refining this herb ratio for several days—nourishing yin, supplementing yang, dispelling cold and dampness. Paired with fresh mountain mushrooms, the taste will surely satisfy you."

"Sounds good, but..." Zhang Jianguo said, showing slight hesitation.

Lu Qingshan understood immediately: "Director Zhang, the hot‑pot method isn't hard; I can demonstrate it right now. If you taste it and are satisfied, we can cooperate long‑term—I guarantee a steady supply of the freshest mountain goods."

"That's a great idea!"

Zhang Jianguo's eyes lit up; he rose at once and called the head chef of the back kitchen, Wang Gang.

Wang Gang, a man in his forties and a veteran chef, had been in charge of the kitchen at a state‑run restaurant for twenty years. Upon seeing Lu Qingshan, he cheerfully greeted, "Brother Lu! What good stuff have you brought us this time?"

"Chef Wang, today I've brought a new gadget and would like you to help test it out."

Lu Qingshan smiled and nodded, skipping the small talk.

The group moved to the back kitchen, and Lu Qingshan took out the herbs one by one: "This astragalus and angelica form the base, yielding a soup that's sweet but not greasy; goji berries and red dates enhance color and flavor; sliced yam provides a smooth, refreshing foundation; plus wild dandelion and honeysuckle to clear heat…"

Wang Gang became increasingly engrossed as he listened, nodding continuously, his hands moving in step with Lu Qingshan's explanation, growing more deft.

"Brother Qing Shan, is this herb ratio an ancestral formula or something you devised yourself?" Wang Gang asked while preparing the cookware.

Lu Qingshan smiled, "It's an old mountain recipe; I added a bit of my own ideas."

"Impressive, truly impressive!" Wang Gang gave a thumbs‑up. "I've stood at this stove for twenty years, and this is the first time I've seen such a meticulous herbal cuisine formula."

A fire was lit under the copper pot; the herbs simmered over low heat, and Lu Qingshan instructed on temperature control: "You must master the heat—too high makes the herbs bitter, too low and the flavor never develops."

"These morels should be sliced thin; they only need three seconds in the broth; the hazelnut mushrooms must be cleaned of soil, but don't soak too long or they'll lose freshness; the enoki mushrooms are tender and can be simmered a bit longer…"

Wang Gang watched intently, nodding from time to time: "Excellent, this handling method is truly refined."

Soon, a distinctive aroma rose from the pot, shifting from light to rich, layered clearly—both the fresh scent of herbs and the savory aroma of mushrooms, with a hint of wild mountain freshness.

Zhang Jianguo leaned close to the pot and inhaled deeply: "So fragrant! Just smelling this makes me want to eat it!"

"You'll know when you taste it later," Lu Qingshan said calmly, though inwardly he was pleased—this was a formula he had learned in a high‑end hot‑pot restaurant while delivering food in his past life, now adapted with ingredients found in the mountains.

When the broth was ready, Lu Qingshan added the various properly prepared mushrooms one by one, and the pot instantly churned into a kaleidoscopic scene.

"Give it a try." Lu Qingshan ladled a small bowl for each of them.

Zhang Jianguo couldn't wait, sipping a mouthful of broth; his eyes widened instantly: "Excellent! Fresh! The broth is sweet with a hint of freshness, endless aftertaste!" He then picked a slice of morel, chewed lightly, and a burst of aroma filled his mouth: "This hot pot is unbeatable! It even surpasses the famous restaurants I've eaten at in Shenyang!"

Wang Gang also took a sip, his eyebrows lifting: "This flavor, this flavor…"

He said "this flavor" twice, yet could find no suitable word, and finally could only give a thumbs‑up.

At that moment, Zhang Jianguo's eyes flicked; he went to the office, picked up the phone, and dialed: "Hello, Old Chen? It's me, Jianguo. I've got something good today; come over quickly to try it… Right, it's for entertaining the provincial leaders… Okay, I'll wait for you!"

Soon, a tall, stern‑looking middle‑aged man hurried into the back kitchen—it was County Public Security Bureau Criminal Police Captain Chen Zhiguo.

"What good thing is this, making it so mysterious?" Chen Zhiguo said as he entered, the aroma reaching him, his previously tense face relaxing a bit.

"You'll know when you taste it!" Zhang Jianguo warmly invited him to sit and ladled a bowl for him.

After tasting, Chen Zhiguo's brows eased: "Great broth, great dishes! The flavor truly is unique." He looked up at Lu Qingshan: "Qing Shan, is this your handiwork?"

"It's the mountain folk's rustic method, with a bit of my own ideas," Lu Qingshan replied modestly.

"Not simple!" Chen Zhiguo added more appreciation for Lu Qingshan, "Such skill shouldn't be buried."

Zhang Jianguo slapped his thigh: "That's the point! Old Chen, I've been wanting to discuss a long‑term partnership with Brother Qing Shan. He supplies premium mountain goods, and our state‑run restaurant can exclusively launch this 'Guan Dong Shan Zhen Herbal Medicine Hot Pot.' What do you think?"

Chen Zhiguo set down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth: "Good idea. Here's what we can do—Jianguo, you bring some real cash, pay a deposit to Lu Qingshan, so he can go back and organize the villagers to collect mountain goods, achieving scale."

"That proposal sounds good!" Zhang Jianguo's eyes lit up; he immediately pulled cash from a drawer, counted one‑hundred and fifty yuan, and solemnly handed it to Lu Qingshan: "This is the deposit; from now on we'll purchase monthly at preferential prices."

Lu Qingshan took the money, calculating in his mind: one‑hundred and fifty yuan is enough for the villagers to work for several months.

He stored the cash carefully: "Director Zhang, rest assured—I will guarantee quality and quantity, and won't disappoint you."

"Brother Qing Shan, you must teach us this skill!" Wang Gang leaned in, "If this hot pot could be supplied year‑round at our restaurant, it would be truly outstanding!"

"No problem," Lu Qingshan nodded, "I'll write down the recipe and method; the back kitchen will master it at once."

Everyone gathered around the hot pot and ate for a while; even several back‑kitchen masters took turns tasting, each giving a thumbs‑up.

Wang Gang even tugged Lu Qingshan, insisting on recording every detail of the hot pot.

"Brother Qing Shan, if this hot pot were opened in the city, it would make a fortune!" a young assistant chef exclaimed.

Lu Qingshan smiled without replying. He knew that current policies weren't fully relaxed, individual businesses were just starting, and the timing wasn't right.

But all of this is in his plan; it's only a matter of time.

As they were about to leave, Chen Zhiguo pulled Lu Qingshan aside: "Qing Shan, I see you have many ideas; if you ever need help, just come to me."

"Thank you, Captain Chen," Lu Qingshan nodded gratefully. He hadn't expected that the prison guard who had been relatively fair to him in his past life would become his benefactor in this life.

On the road back to the village, Lu Qingshan leaned against the hard seat of the bus, watching the forest rush past outside the window, his mind full of grand thoughts.

This is just the beginning; the road ahead is still long.

Once the homestead land is built, he'll put cultivation and aquaculture on the agenda; the future will only get better.

The bus jolted along the road from the county seat to the town, yet Lu Qingshan felt no discomfort.

The carriage entered the village entrance, and from afar he saw a group of people waiting.

Zhao Tiezhu rode ahead, and upon seeing Lu Qingshan, he immediately lunged forward: "Brother Qing Shan! How's it going?"

Lu Qingshan said nothing, just pulled the bundle of money from his pocket and flashed it before everyone.

"Done!" Zhao Tiezhu grinned like a child.

"Everyone, this is our first cooperative payment: seventy yuan, plus the advance of one hundred fifty yuan!" Lu Qingshan waved the money in his hand, counted it, then distributed it to each person who went into the mountain with him according to the previously agreed ratio.

"Brother Qing Shan, how much is this share?" Zhao Er Zhuang stared at the money in his hand, a little disbelieving.

"Ten yuan. You worked a day; that's your wages. The remaining money will buy some tools for us to keep in reserve."

Zhao Er Zhuang swallowed, ten yuan, more than his father earned in two months working in the production team.

"Brother Qing Shan, this money came too easily, right?" Zhao Fei couldn't help but say, "We just went into the mountain, made a round, collected a few things, and earned this much?"

"Easy?" Lu Qingshan retorted, "Do you know why our goods can sell for this price? Because we know the trade, we know when to harvest, how to harvest, and how to process after harvesting. These are skills, our unique secret techniques."

The others listened, nodded one after another, and a few more notes of pride appeared on their happy faces.

"Tomorrow, we'll go into the mountain again; this time not only to collect medicinal herbs and mushrooms, but also to see if there are suitable wild animal cubs to prepare to tame."

Lu Qingshan looked around at everyone, "Director Zhang said that for long-term cooperation, we need a steady supply."

"Brother Qing Shan, don't worry, we'll definitely do as you say!" Liu Fugui pounded his chest in assurance.

Lu Qingshan stood at the village entrance, watching the smiling faces of the crowd, feeling a solidity he had never felt before.

He turned toward the forest, the spring breeze brushed by, the whole mountain covered in fresh green. This great mountain had nurtured several generations of them, and today, he finally found a way to let it truly realize its value.

"Qing Shan!" a crisp voice called from the village, Lin Yue'e holding Xiao Xue stood not far away, waving at him.

Lu Qingshan's expression softened, and he strode toward his wife and daughter. Xiao Xue broke free from her mother's arms and rushed to her father: "Dad, you're back!"

"I'm back," Lu Qingshan scooped up his daughter, kissed her little face, "Dad has brought you good news."

Lin Yue'e looked at her husband with a face full of spring breeze, eyes full of expectation: "Done?"

Lu Qingshan nodded, whispered a few words into her ear. Lin Yue'e was first surprised, then her eyebrows lifted in delight: "Really? This much?"

"Absolutely true," Lu Qingshan laughed, "Our good days have only just begun."

As the sunset set, Jin Hu spun joyfully in the courtyard, as if feeling his owner's good mood.

Lu Qingshan stood in the courtyard, gazing at the distant mountains, already holding a larger blueprint in his heart.

This mountain‑herb hot pot was only the first step of his plan.

When the time is right, he will make the whole Shanwan village prosperous, so that everyone can enjoy good lives.