The Mountain of Ice and Fire

The jazz knights crowding the windows on the third floor facing the street were all drawn to the noodles.

They had never seen such refined noodles.

Not only had they never seen them, but they had never even heard of them.

The Westerling noodles caused a stir as soon as they were served.

These were all wealthy people who had eaten noodles and could afford to eat noodles.

But these noodles, all the same size and so delicate, were unlike anything they had ever seen.

The noodles they had eaten before were of different sizes and lengths, mostly in clumps, and some were as thick as palms. Their most distinctive features were their coarseness and primitiveness. Moreover, no matter what noble was eating them, the noodles were always served with soup.

Things are valued for their rarity!

These noodles, which no one had ever seen, heard of, or tasted before, dispelled the purely complimentary intentions of the guests as soon as they were served in the Earl's establishment.

No one could resist the allure of these exquisite and aesthetically pleasing noodles!

As the noodles were served, pairs of highly polished chopsticks were handed to the guests.

The guests' attention shifted from the noodles to the chopsticks.

There were inscriptions on the chopsticks, with brightly colored paint filling the characters. The meaning of the words explained why the chopsticks were designed with a round bottom and a square top.

Because of the square shape of the upper part of the chopsticks, they would not roll whether placed on the table or on the bowl. When hosting a banquet, the chopsticks would remain as steady as a rock.

The guests nodded in agreement after reading the explanation.

Of course, the connotation of these chopsticks from the East, representing Chinese civilization, went far beyond stability.

First of all, these chopsticks, though simple with their round bottom and square top, were very particular.

The shape alone, with its round bottom and square top, had been finalized after a long period of historical development.

Firstly, the square shape of the chopsticks evolved from round and hexagonal shapes, making it easier to grip the chopsticks firmly when picking up food without slipping, and making it easier to eat noodles.

The round bottom and square top also provided artisans with artistic possibilities for inscribing poems, carving characters, and sculpting flowers on the chopsticks, laying the foundation for the production of exquisite craftsmanship. The four sides of the square chopsticks could be engraved on one side, two sides, or all four sides.

The design of the chopsticks with one end square and one end round originated from the Chinese concept of a round heaven and a square earth. Since the chopsticks symbolized heaven and earth, holding heaven and earth in the palm of one's hand embodied the Eastern philosophical idea that humans, as the most intelligent of all things, should control the destiny of the human race.

Secondly, why were the simplest and most versatile eating utensils of the Eastern Chinese people called chopsticks?

The Chinese character for chopsticks (筷子) is a homophone for happiness (快乐); 子 is an honorific suffix for people in ancient Chinese culture. Chopsticks mean to be happy and courteous.

Of course, the cultural heritage and connotation of chopsticks are not limited to these points.

The text on the special chopsticks designed by the Mountain for this noodle shop did not provide a more detailed explanation to the Western nobles, who were semi-pastoral and semi-agricultural. Compared to the civilized connotations of chopsticks and refined noodles, these nobles were limited by the general trend of the historical era, and they would not understand even if it was explained to them. It was enough to tell them that the square design of the square chopsticks made it easy to place the chopsticks without rolling, reflecting stability, and making it easier to eat noodles.

After all, a university engineering student from the era of electronic technology civilization, facing a group of so-called Western nobles in a semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral civilization, easily crushed them in terms of civilization level! It was enough to mention just one of the many advantages!

Great skill appears artless, a heavy sword has no edge!

As the noodles were brought to the tables on the second and first floors, the guests on the third floor had already finished their noodles. When the guests asked for a second bowl, they were told that because the production of noodles was not easy and the fine grinding of wheat was time-consuming and laborious, the production quantity of noodles was not high. One bowl per person today was already the best they could do, and no knight could have a second bowl. If they wanted to eat more, they would have to come back tomorrow.

This was the true high-end manifestation of refined food culture. Being able to eat a bowl and having the prestige to come to the Earl's noodle shop was already a rare honor in itself.

Not every knight or wealthy celebrity was qualified to taste noodles here. There were many, many people who could come up with a silver stag, but those who were qualified to enter the Earl's noodle shop, in addition to the silver stag, were either noble, wealthy, or celebrities who had made outstanding contributions in some field.

As for others, they would not be received even if they came with money!

If these knights and lords had eaten delicacies they had never seen or tasted before in other restaurants, they would have certainly eaten their fill and enjoyed themselves to the fullest. But in Earl Odes' noodle shop, no one dared to be presumptuous.

If they wanted to eat the unique noodles again, there was no other way but to come again tomorrow. If they wanted to spend money to buy these noodles and cook them at home, sorry, regardless of whether Clegane Village could produce a large quantity of refined noodles, they would not be sold.

An hour later, the guests left. Earl Odes saw the guests off and returned to the store to watch the shop assistants count the income. Today was a great harvest, because in addition to the noodle money of one silver stag per person, many people had also given generous gifts. Some super-rich people gave congratulatory gifts of one hundred gold dragons each. After counting the accounts for half an hour, Earl Odes and Ser Gregor each received hundreds of gold dragons.

The Earl's eyes narrowed with laughter, and the little girl Rosamund Lannister was also running up and down the noodle shop, jumping and bouncing. The chefs, helpers, apprentices, and servants who came from Clegane Village, including the original hotel owner, were all beaming with joy.

Because after the accounts were cleared, everyone cleaned up and could close the door to rest. And the time was just noon, and the noodle shop was closed for the day.

The unit price of a bowl of noodles was high, and they were only sold to nobles and wealthy people. The food also sold a sense of sophistication - a level of superiority: not only were they eating unique gourmet noodles, but they were also strongly satisfying the vanity of the guests. And the profit was several times higher than selling vegetables and wine in the past.

The chefs and workers were happy because the working hours were greatly shortened, and Earl Odes was even happier because he was sure that many nobles would bring their families to eat these noodles tomorrow. This unique noodle delicacy not only broadened the knowledge of the nobles and the wealthy, but also became a bragging point for them when they went out to socialize. Anyone who had not eaten it would be looked down upon.

The noodle sales tomorrow, one bowl per person, would inevitably increase by more than double.

Before long, the reputation of Earl Odes' noodle shop in Lannisport would spread out and travel along the trade routes to many island nations in the Great Sea, and to the nine free trade city-states across the Narrow Sea. A month later, they could start selling a small amount of noodles at high prices through trade routes, slowly gaining a greater reputation step by step. Two months later, they could open a second noodle shop in King's Landing. A different kind of flowing gold mine would be born from this.

"Master Alex!" Earl Odes said with a smile.

"Yes, my lord!"

Alex was the wife of Black Stone, the banner bearer of the Mountain's cavalry, and the master chef sent by the Mountain to Earl Odes' noodle shop.

"I will send Gnar Lannister, the head of the family guards, to escort you back to the new Clegane Village. There is plenty of time, and you can return at your leisure before evening without delaying tomorrow's noodle business."

"Yes, my lord."

"Please go back and tell Lord Gregor, but it is best to tell Lady Jeyne, that our harvest today is very good. The income of several hundred gold dragons belonging to Ser Gregor will temporarily be kept by me in violation of the agreement and will not be sent to Clegane Keep today. I will send the money to Ser Gregor's hands immediately after Duke Tywin leaves Clegane Village."

"Yes, my lord!"

"Please tell Lady Jeyne privately that if Duke Tywin knows that our noodle shop is very profitable, I am afraid he will increase our taxes. The Duke has always liked to do this. Our noodle shop is very profitable, but it is just starting, and it is appropriate to keep a low profile as much as possible."

"Yes, my lord!"

Earl Odes hoped to keep a low profile and make a fortune quietly, but his little calculations confirmed what Duke Tywin said when criticizing Ser Kevan: Kevan and Odes are both smart and intelligent, loyal and responsible, but they have a low vision, a narrow mind, and a small pattern.

Thank you 'Bird Who Likes to Wake Up Early' for the small reward, thank you. Open the book page and see a small reward, pleasing to the eye, cool.