Chapter 107: The Imperial Consort Emerges from the Bath

Many companies have been acquired by Alibaba—AutoNavi, Xiami, TianTianDongTing, Youku, and UC—yet none have achieved particularly stellar results. If they manage to develop steadily after the acquisition, it is already considered a success, and some products have even vanished from the market entirely.

In contrast, look at Tencent. By taking stakes in JD.com and supporting Meituan, Didi, 58.com, and Pinduoduo, each one is developing better than the last. They can just sit back and rake in the profits; it is truly delightful.

"If Alibaba has any real advantages, I’d bet on finance and logistics. Many users have credit services through Alipay. After all, when it’s tied to money, user stickiness is bound to be high."

"Logistics is Jack Ma's forte. Alibaba's future goal is to integrate all logistics platforms. After all, the man is a martial arts fan—could he resist the urge to play the role of the Martial Arts Alliance Leader?"

Leaving Tencent in the evening, I found no good projects. Honestly, investing is quite difficult; running all over the country to meet all sorts of eccentric entrepreneurs, and if you're unlucky, you waste months of effort for nothing.

Zhuang Chen became even more determined in his belief in being a wealthy, idle loafer. He wasn't Superman—why spend all day thinking about saving the world?

Old Tan, knowing that this man in front of him was more affectionate toward fine food than beautiful women, volunteered: "There’s a great restaurant in Foshan. The chef has excellent skills, especially with sashimi—it’s absolutely unique. Shall we go try it?"

Zhuang Chen laughed heartily. The young man had a bright future. What were they waiting for? Let’s go!

Driving straight to Foshan, they arrived at a private kitchen restaurant. The chef, surnamed Jin, was a veteran master who had once worked at the Guangzhou Restaurant. There is a popular saying: "Eat in Guangzhou, cook in Fengcheng." Shunde is home to a vast number of chefs, elites, and masters.

UNESCO has even designated Shunde a "City of Gastronomy," making it the sixth city in the world to receive such an honor. Chen Xiaoqing’s team once produced a program called "Flavorful Shunde."

Old Tan was well-acquainted with the chef. After a few words upon sitting down and receiving a satisfying reply, he returned to Zhuang Chen’s side and said, "Master Jin’s skills are world-class. Today, it’s not just sashimi; there are other surprises, too."

Zhuang Chen smiled without a word. Seeing Old Tan’s mysterious air, he guessed something special had been prepared in advance to host him.

Master Jin had his apprentice place a teppanyaki grill on the table and took a large tray of ingredients from a low-temperature cabinet. Zhuang Chen’s eyes lit up: "Could these be hard clams?"

"Rudong hard clams!" Master Jin laughed. "I heard you are a gourmet. Old Tan traveled all the way from Rudong to bring this box of clams. Since such a distinguished guest has come, and the ingredients are so rare, teppanyaki is the most suitable method."

Seeing Zhuang Chen smile, Old Tan felt a sense of relief—the flattery had hit the mark. He feigned a casual tone: "Living by the sea, you rely on the sea. Rudong has been famous for seafood since ancient times. There is a local legend about a golden bull appearing at sunrise, and the most famous delicacy is, of course, the hard clam, known as the 'First Freshness under Heaven'."

Zhuang Chen carefully examined the unassuming shells. Old Tan was right; legend has it that after Emperor Qianlong tasted these clams, he wrote "The First Freshness under Heaven" in his own hand. An even earlier reference comes from the "Qiantapo Poem" written by Emperor Wu of Liang, Xiao Yan, in which he compared the hard clam to a mystical, ethereal, and transcendent creature.

Hard clams are not unique to Rudong; they are produced in Guangdong, Guangxi, Liaoning, and Fujian as well. But looking across the country, the most delicious ones are undoubtedly from Rudong.

While Guangdong and Guangxi produce large quantities, their shells and meat are thin. Liaoning clams have thick shells but thin meat. Only the Rudong hard clam has both a thick shell and plump meat, offering the best flavor.

The master once said that the freshness of a hard clam surpasses any artificial seasoning. People in Rudong like to add them to almost any dish to enhance the flavor. Even local housewives, when making simple vegetable soup, often add hard clams to balance the taste, making the soup as rich and creamy as milk.

Master Jin tested the temperature with his hand and explained: "The greatest advantage of teppanyaki hard clams is that it enhances the atmosphere of the banquet, allowing people to hear the sound and smell the aroma. The disadvantage is that iron plates conduct heat quickly and dissipate it just as fast, preventing even heating and failing to sterilize the clams properly."

Seeing the master’s confidence, there was naturally no need to worry about such issues. He took the deshelled, sand-free clam meat and added salt, pepper, minced ginger, scallions, sesame oil, and aged Rudong rice wine to remove any fishy odor.

After mixing it well, he took a sheet of aluminum foil, placed a base of onions, added the clam mixture, topped it with red and green peppers for color, drizzled it with sesame oil, and finally sealed the foil package tightly.

By this time, the iron plate was glowing red. He placed the foil package on it, and as a sizzling sound erupted, the foil began to puff up, slowly forming a hemisphere.

After about two or three minutes, he used a fruit knife to slice open the foil. The clams inside were boiling, and a wave of fresh, fragrant aroma hit them instantly. He then used a spoon to stir them, ensuring the heat was distributed evenly.

Zhuang Chen nodded in approval: "By sealing the clams between two layers of foil—the teppanyaki grill below and steam heating above—you’ve cleverly solved the traditional problem of rapid heat loss and inadequate sterilization, especially since high-temperature steam is so effective at killing bacteria."

"Because they are sealed, each clam puffs up when cooked, fully retaining its moisture and elasticity. It’s delicious, nutritious, and very creative."

He picked up a piece, put it in his mouth, and couldn't help but squint his eyes. It was like a mountain spring—clear water flowing over blue stones, cleansing the taste buds on his tongue. How could one word like "fresh" even begin to describe it?

Master Jin smiled and signaled for his apprentice to bring out the soup. A milky-white broth, fragrant and rich, was served. "For thousands of years, at banquets hosted by the people of Fencha in Rudong, braised bamboo razor clams have always been served as the first dish, hence the name 'Razor Clam Leader'."

"When locals host guests during the first lunar month, if they have these four dishes—bamboo razor clams, shad, spring bamboo shoots, and flash-fried shrimp—it is considered the most seasonal banquet."

Zhuang Chen picked up a piece. Its shape resembled a bamboo tube, the shell like two pieces of bamboo, with a light brownish hue, about two to three inches long.

The meat was like white jade, plump but not greasy, with a unique, fresh taste. Since the Qing Dynasty, bamboo razor clams have been listed as a tribute, and this famous dish even appears in the banquets of the Jia household in *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

Curious, he asked: "The local dried razor clams, which haven't been rehydrated, are as hard as stone. Why are these so soft and smooth?"

"You must wash the dried razor clams, soak them in clean water for about 12 hours, then boil them, remove the clams, and save the original broth. Never pour it away."

"Strip away the 'nose' and outer membrane of the dried clam, slice the body into two, remove any mud or debris, wash again, and separate the nose, the wrapping, and the body."

"Soak them in an 8% alkaline solution to rehydrate them. This usually takes 8 to 12 hours, allowing the dried clams to return to the appearance of fresh ones. It’s as if you are waking them up, which is why it’s called 'waking the razor clam'."

"Sauté the razor clam slices in lard, set them aside, then take an ounce and a half of pork, cut into strips the thickness of a chopstick and two inches long. Take about half a catty of medium-sized hard clams, split them, wash them, and sauté them separately."

"Pour the original broth into a pot, add the razor clams, pork strips, and hard clams all at once. Add a little ginger, scallions, yellow wine, and other seasonings, and braise over low heat until the soup turns milky white."

Zhuang Chen saw the clam meat, tender as jade, shimmering in the soup. It was incredibly tempting. He praised: "Like hot spring water washing away the fat; it’s truly a 'Concubine Emerging from the Bath'!"