Upon hearing Ye Lan's treat, everyone in Dorm 7 began to cheer loudly. The students of Dorm 7 hadn't expected Ye Lan, despite being a work-study student, to be so well-off.
After the get-together meal with everyone in Dorm 7, Ye Lan went alone to a quiet grove in the back hills of Notting College, where he began to ponder how to make money.
At present, on Douluo Continent, the efficacy of whale glue in extending a Soul Master's absorption age limit has not yet been discovered. However, whale glue is not something ordinary people can afford; a piece of hundred-year whale glue costs dozens of golden soul coins, and thousand-year whale glue costs over a hundred golden soul coins.
As for ten-thousand-year whale glue, that is something one can only hope to encounter. As a top-grade aphrodisiac, it is mostly monopolized by the great nobles of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Whale glue can enhance physical fitness, but what Ye Lan values most at the moment is its accompanying effect of increasing cultivation speed. Although not much, for Ye Lan, who has innate Soul Power of level three, it is no small boost.
Ye Lan relies on Director Su's financial support each month, receiving one golden soul coin, but even with that, purchasing whale glue is extremely difficult.
The most obvious way to make money is through soul dueling, but Ye Lan does not possess the corresponding strength.
Before long, Ye Lan recalled a delicacy from his previous life—candied hawthorn. Candied hawthorn is sweet and sour, and extremely appetizing. There is no such food on Douluo Continent, and its absence means it would be unique.
The value of uniqueness means that a common item from his previous life could be endowed with extremely high scarcity value. Ye Lan planned to use candied hawthorn to open up the taste buds of Soul Masters on Douluo Continent. Ye Lan did not intend to sell candied hawthorn at a low price but rather to take a high-end route.
Firstly, commoners don't have much money; only Soul Master families and nobles do. Secondly, if he only sold them for ten copper soul coins, Ye Lan would never be able to gather enough funds to purchase whale glue.
Thus, once Ye Lan thought of a method, he no longer worried about golden soul coins. He returned to his dormitory and began his daily meditation.
A few days later, Ye Lan's first weekly day off arrived. Ye Lan did not go to Notting City with his dorm mates to play, but instead went to the trade market near the college.
In the market, Ye Lan tasted several sweet and sour, brightly colored fruits. Ye Lan had never eaten these fruits in his previous life, but he found that these delicious wild fruits were more suitable for making candied hawthorn than hawthorns.
After several rounds of bargaining, Ye Lan purchased several wild fruits suitable for making candied hawthorn, as well as the necessary sugar, honey, clay pots, and other utensils.
Ye Lan carried a large pile of ingredients to a secluded grove behind the college.
Then, Ye Lan picked up a few pieces of dry wood, piled them into a bonfire shape, and used the purchased tinder to start a fire. After Ye Lan adjusted the fire to an appropriate size, he placed a brown clay pot on top.
He then poured white granulated sugar, honey, and stream water into the pot in a one-to-one-to-one ratio.
Before long, when the sugar turned a tea color.
Ye Lan moved most of the firewood away, leaving only enough flame to keep the sugar from solidifying. Then, he dipped both sides of the skewered red, yellow, and blue wild fruits into the sugar syrup. The wild fruits immediately became coated in an amber-colored sugar shell, appearing crystal clear.
After the wild fruits were coated with the sugar syrup, the candied hawthorn was immediately placed into a container filled with cold mountain spring water nearby.
Before long, Ye Lan had used up all the sugar syrup in the clay pot. Strings of candied hawthorn floated in the mountain spring water.
Ye Lan took a string of red candied hawthorn from the mountain spring water. Looking at the crystal-clear candied hawthorn, Ye Lan praised inwardly: "Not bad!" The fresh wild fruits were solidified in an amber-colored sugar coating. Ye Lan couldn't wait and took a bite; it was sweet and sour, with a crispy texture. When his teeth bit down, the wild fruit burst with juice, making it extremely delicious.
Compared to the candied hawthorn made with hawthorn in his previous life, this red wild fruit candied hawthorn was more convenient to eat, as it didn't require spitting out seeds.
With the crispy sugar coating and juicy wild fruits, Ye Lan finished this string of candied hawthorn in no time.
Ye Lan felt satisfied and relieved; his money pouch now had a source! If Ye Lan, who had experienced the era of taste bud explosions in his previous life, found it delicious, how much more so would the local people of Douluo Continent, where good food is scarce?
Afterward, Ye Lan prepared one hundred strings of candied hawthorn. He divided them into ten portions and placed them into the beautiful gift boxes he had bought.
As the saying goes, people rely on clothes, and food also emphasizes appearance. No matter how delicious food is, if it doesn't look good, it won't sell for a high price.
After tidying up, Ye Lan also changed into the brocade clothes and jade shoes he had bought at the clothing store. The white base color was paired with blue and gold patterns, intricate yet simple.
Looking at his reflection in the water, Ye Lan carefully examined himself. What a handsome young man, with dark blue hair and sword-like eyebrows and star-like eyes. His unformed features carried a hint of innocence and cuteness, and his skin was fair with a rosy glow, earning him the title of a young official.
Ye Lan left his gaze satisfied, then returned to the dormitory with ten portions of candied hawthorn.
After placing nine portions of candied hawthorn into the cabinet, he took one portion of candied hawthorn to the second floor of the college cafeteria.
It wasn't mealtime yet, only the kitchen on the second floor was busy preparing dishes. A few days ago, Ye Lan had learned that the person in charge of the second-floor cafeteria was Director Su, the sixty-year-old elder who had been present during the college's enrollment.
Ye Lan walked towards Director Su with the gift box of candied hawthorn. Director Su looked at Ye Lan in front of him, and for a moment, he didn't recognize the person in his eyes. It was only from his dark blue hair that he recognized Ye Lan. With a surprised tone, he asked, "Ye Lan, is there something you need me for?"
"Director Su, please try this," Ye Lan handed over the candied hawthorn.
Director Su took the gift box and curiously picked up a string of candied hawthorn from it. Looking at the unfamiliar food, he bit into it suspiciously.
Then, with a crisp sound, as the pulp burst between his teeth, a large amount of sweet and sour juice erupted. Just as the sourness was about to overpower the sweetness, it was neutralized by the sweetness of the sugar coating. Director Su felt the complex changes in his taste buds and for a moment, he only focused on biting into the candied hawthorn, mouthful after mouthful.
It wasn't until he finished the candied hawthorn in his hand that Director Su recovered from the delicious food. He excitedly asked Ye Lan, "What is this? How is it made?"
Ye Lan, unhurriedly and with a serious expression, began to explain the origin of candied hawthorn: "This is candied hawthorn. My ancestors used to be imperial chefs for the Star Luo Empire royal family. This is a recipe passed down, a secret of my family that is not to be taught to outsiders."
Ye Lan directly invoked the Star Luo Empire royal family to enhance the value of candied hawthorn, as Director Su couldn't possibly verify it with the Star Luo royal family.
"Indeed, such a delicacy, I imagine, could only be enjoyed by emperors! Ye Lan, what do you intend to do with this box of delicacies?" Director Su directly addressed Ye Lan as 'little friend,' showing an intention to draw closer.
Ye Lan understood the change in his address and wasted no more words, getting straight to the point: "Director Su, I have always relied on the help of Great Soul Master Su Yuntao. However, I don't want to always depend on Great Soul Master Su Yuntao, so I wish to make a living with candied hawthorn."