Chapter 8 – Crayfish in Mala Sauce (Part 1)
Rehosted by – Kitchennovel.com
Translated Prosperousfood.com
Re-Translated and Edited by Gumihou
It’s the male lead, ah! If she seize this chance properly, she could hug his thigh well.
Shiyu immediately ran back to the house, grabbed random piece of chicken, changed her mind and switched it out for a whole drumstick instead. Then, she got Xiao Qi to send the drumstick over to the male lead.
Xiao Qi was still young, and would encounter great danger very soon. If she was able to form a connection with the male lead, this thread of fate might just rescue her in the future.
Xiao Qi stared at the golden drumstick in her hand, it was still steaming slightly and enticing her to take a bit. Gulp. However, though she was not entirely sure why big sis wanted her to give this to a complete stranger, she obediently complied.
She pushed passed the gate and saw the young man pressing a hand against his chest, clearly in pain. Pity welled up in Xiao Qi’s eyes and she stepped quickly over to him. After giving him another assessing look, she held up the drumstick to him. “Brother, you’ll feel better once you’ve eaten this.”
Lin Fan stared at the little girl that had just suddenly appeared in front of him. At first, he ignored her, but then he accidentally stared into her very bright, very clear eyes and his heart softened.
He forced himself to reach out and patted her on the head, and forced a smile, “Thank you, but you eat, ba!”
“I still have more at home.” Xiao Qi stood on tiptoe and tried to stuff the drumstick into his lips. “Elder sister is really good at cooking, it’s very delicious, try it.”
Since he had to breath, there was no way he could avoid smelling that tempting aroma. Moreover, beyond the food was the warmth of kindness shown by this little girl. He could see that this little girl was incredibly stubborn and Lin Fan decided to give in, grabbed the drumstick and took a bite.
Under the bright golden skin, the chicken flesh was like as white as translucent snow. It was clearly made with normal ingredients, but it had none of the game stink that chicken usually carried. It was incredibly tender and juicy. A few bites later, the entire chicken leg was gone.
For the first time in his life, Lin Fan felt overwhelmed by food.
He dismissed the sensation as a result of excessive hunger, that’s the only reason why a cheap, ordinary chicken could taste so delicious. Still, he wanted to show his appreciation and after some thought, he took off the jade pendant from around his neck and placed it in Xiao Qi’s hand. “Thank you for the chicken drumstick, please take this. In the future, if you encounter any trouble just look for me at the Lin family mansion. I am called Lin Fan.”
Xiao Qi grew up as a beggar, and was used to accepting whatever people gave her. She put the pendant away without a thought, her mind already on the food at home. She nodded at this mysterious brother and with a simple, “Thank you, brother.” she ran home.
Lin Fan watched as she ran into a house with a large tree in the yard. He memorized the location and began to make his way home.
He had no idea whether it was placebo effect of the good food or not, but the injuries on his body no longer hurt as much.
… read this at kitchennovel.com …
Back to Xiao Qi. As soon as the girl saw Shiyu, she tossed the jade pendant at Shiyu with a brief, “That brother gave me this,” and joined the feeding frenzy.
Shiyu gave the jade pendant a glance, thinking how much more convenient it would be to gain the male lead’s help with this thing. However, her glee lasted only until she took a closer look at the thing.
Isn’t this pendant, a little familiar?
In the original novel, didn’t Lin Fan have a jade pendant that was actually a magical item with a vast space within? Not only was the dimensional space big enough for him to train within[1], but an actual soul advisor thing lived inside too. It was only after nourishing this pendant for years with his own spiritual power that he was able to awaken the soul within, and began his journey as a great protagonist.
Now that this precious item was in her hand, how was the male lead supposed to gain power?
Shiyu’s eyes darted about as thoughts raced across her mind, then she dashed out, leaving the bunch of hungry ghosts to their meals.
Luckily, she was not too late, and Lin Fan had not gone far due to his injuries. She managed to chase him down in a flash.
“Lin Fan—” Shiyu yelled, as she dashed in front of him. She grabbed his hand and thrust the pendant into it, her face earnest as she said, “This is too precious for the likes of us, we dare not accept it. Also, please make sure not to part with this so easily. The key to your future is inside.”
So saying, she dashed away again, not giving Lin Fan an opportunity to answer. As to what Lin Fan chose to think about her, well, that’s not her problem anymore.
Back at the house, the Beggar’s Chicken was all but devoured, except for a set of wings which everyone had set aside for her.
Xiao Wu rolled to his back and stroked his belly, “How blessed, ah!”
It was at this moment when Shiyu too felt an odd energy pulsating in her stomach. She rubbed her lower belly thoughtfully.
This was the Dantian[2] area of the meridians…
Oh, so it was hidden there!
After dinner, they all rested as the sky darkened, and later glittered with the shine of a thousand million stars. The sound of night birds and insects provided music as Shiyu rested her head against a chair near the entrance.
It was nearly impossible to see this kind of night sky in the modern era, what with all the tall office buildings and light pollution. The ingredients she used today were all naturally grown and chemical fertilizer free, though she had heard that even some common ingredients might contain spiritual energy depending on where they were grown or kept. Moreover, there were actual spiritual beasts and heavenly ingredients that would increase one’s spiritual powers too.
Within this boundless world, there were many levels of cultivation. Beyond mere human cultivation were 8 more levels. If she could increase her strength to a certain level and discover all the rare and exotic ingredients of this world, how wonderful it would be?
As she contemplated this, a thought slowly emerged in her mind. No matter how vast and unknown this world might be, as long as she could utilize her cooking skills, her heart would be at ease.
With this comforting thought in mind, she drifted off into sleep, looking forward to the next day with anticipation.
The next few days were the repeat of the last. Shiyu got up early to sell meatbuns just beyond the city gates. Ancient people were very simple, as long as they know something was good, news of it would spread and very soon Shiyu’s steamed bun business became very brisk.
The buns were sold out almost as soon as they were ready, people who ate them couldn’t get enough of it.
Shiyu had no intention of increasing the volume, that would be too troublesome for her. Moreover, though money poured in quickly, it was all gone just as fast. With their business doing so well, it was inevitable that they would soon attract some unwanted notices. This was merely a short term investment.
This was a dog eat dog world where the mighty feasted on the weak. Before the male lead gain his power, he too was beaten up on a regular basis. Beggars like them stood no chance.
It’s better to stay low key and amass wealth in the most discreet way possible.
Once the buns were sold out, Shiyu would use the time to scour the mountain side for plants she could transport to their little vegetable patch. Since the mountain side was so abundant, it only took a few trips to fill their little patch with greenery. Aside from being edible, the lush garden was a lovely feast to the eyes.
Their neighbours even traded dried chillies and a basket of crayfish for their mountain greens.
At the sight of these lively crayfish, Shiyu’s eyes brightened. Tonight’s dinner has been decided!
Although, there might not be enough…
Thus a rousing cry was heard, “Let’s go to the river. Catch more of these crayfish and we’ll feast on Mala Crayfish tonight!”
It was currently that uncertain season between spring and summer, and the paddy fields as well as small spring were filled with life. Anyone with a mind to do so could collect a small basket of crayfish with little effort.
Unfortunately, since these creatures like to bury themselves in the mud, they were thought to be dirty, difficult to clean and therefore not very popular with the current populace.
However, Shiyu was confident that once the Mala Crayfish recipe was introduced, it could become Qing Shan City’s speciality cuisine.
……..
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Notes
[1] If you are a fan of immortal (Xianxia) novels, this plot is stale and overused. There are like over a hundred copycat novels like this. One of the longest-running novels is武神空间 Wu Shen Kong Jian, with a whopping 4176 chapters.[2] Dantian is where the energy in the body is stored. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dantian This is a recurring theme in most Xianxia novels.
^_^
Translated by Gumihou from kitchennovel dot com.
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