Chapter 37 – : Chapter 37 Beef_1
Translator: 549690339
The next day, Mo Shan left the house, and when he returned in the evening, he was carrying a large parcel filled with wild buffalo meat.
“I went to see Old Zhao; he still had plenty left. No one was buying the meat, and he couldn’t eat it all, so I brought it all back,” he said.
Liu Ruhua then soaked the meat to remove the blood, after which she added some spicy and aromatic seasonings to marinate it.
These seasonings were picked by Liu Ruhua from the mountains and dried by herself. The drying technique was learned from a neighboring auntie, a practice common among Loose Cultivator families in Tongxian City, only, Liu Ruhua’s had a better aroma.
After marinating the wild buffalo meat overnight, Liu Ruhua put it into the stove the next day and began to cook it. After simmering for half a day, she took out the meat, emptied the pot of water, and then added fresh water and spicy seasonings. She boiled it over high heat before switching to a low heat to stew it slowly for another night and day.
It wasn’t until the evening of the third day that she finally put out the stove and lifted the lid of the pot.
Steam billowed out, the scent of meat mingling with the aroma of the seasonings, filling the entire house.
Liu Ruhua took a small knife, cut a piece of meat, sliced it thinly, placed it on a dish, set it on the table, and called out to Mo Hua, “Huar, come and taste this.”
Mo Hua picked up a pair of chopsticks, grabbed a piece, and put it in his mouth. After chewing a few times, he found it tender and flavorful, leaving a fragrant aftertaste. The slight gaminess of the meat was neutralized by the spicy flavor, creating a distinct taste.
“Mom, this is the best meat I’ve ever eaten!”
Mo Shan, too, tasted a piece and his eyes lit up as he praised his wife:
“It’s even better than what the Meal Masters at the restaurants make.”
Liu Ruhua’s eyes sparkled with a smile, but after tasting a piece herself, she still felt somewhat unsatisfied:
“The flavor is still off. The spices should be milder, and the spicy flavor stronger. We also need to use a higher heat…”
Mo Hua thought it was already delicious. In his ten or so years of life, he had never tasted such delicious meat. As for his previous life, he couldn’t quite remember.
The flavor of the wild buffalo meat was good, giving them confidence in opening a food shop. Liu Ruhua cut some of the beef from the pot, placed it into small food containers, and asked Mo Shan and Mo Hua to share some with their neighbors and friends.
Mo Shan went to distribute it among the neighbors and friends from the Monster Hunting Team.
Carrying a food container, Mo Hua first delivered a portion to Old Mr. Feng at Apricot Forest Hall as a thank you for treating his mother’s illness, and then gave another portion to Master Chen, since he had crafted the stove that cooked the beef. It was only right for him to have a taste.
Old Mr. Feng, adept in dietary health preservation and often fasting, couldn’t resist tasting a few slices of Mo Hua’s beef and couldn’t stop praising it.
As for Master Chen, there was no need to say more. He shared half of the beef with his disciples like Dazhu and kept the rest to savor slowly with his drinks.
There were a few portions left, and Mo Hua delivered them to the home of Da’hu and the others.
Da’hu and his family all shared the surname Meng. They were relatives but not biological brothers.
Originally, the Meng Family was thriving with three generations under one roof. The patriarch had three sons, and each son had a grandson for him. Those three grandsons were Da’hu, Shuanghu, and Xiaohu.
But good times didn’t last. Shuanghu’s father died hunting Monster Beasts, and his mother, who was depressed and sick, passed away not long after.
Xiaohu’s father got entangled with another female Cultivator while out doing business and never returned. Uncle Meng investigated and heard rumors that he had changed his name and started a new family or that he’d been seduced by an unscrupulous monster, his marrow extracted and turned into a Human Pill.
Either way, the man was never coming back. Xiaohu’s mother, feeling disgraced, remarried and left.
The old patriarch of the Meng Family had hoped for his descendants to prosper across generations and for one to achieve Foundation Establishment, making them a small family of some reputation in Immortal City. However, in a blink of an eye, he lost two sons. The shock made him fall ill, and he too passed away soon after.
Now, only the eldest son remained as the mainstay of the Meng Family. He never complained, treating his siblings’ children as his own. They shared everything, whether feasting or going hungry together, and any mischief by the children was punished collectively.
As the three children grew, so did their appetites. The already modest household was further strained financially compared to others.
When Mo Hua brought the beef over, the Meng Family was having their evening meal.
Da’hu, Shuanghu, and Xiaohu were gnawing on steamed buns and chewing on pickles. Hearing that Mo Hua had brought beef, their eyes widened. Once Mo Hua opened the food container and the aroma wafted out, their mouths watered with envy.
Auntie Meng glared at the three children. “Before eating someone else’s food, thank them first!”
Shuanghu was the first to beat his chest and declare, “Mo Hua! There’s no need for courtesy between brothers. Whoever bullies you in the future, I’ll beat them up for you!”
Da’hu and Xiaohu also chimed in unison, “Me too! Me too!”
Auntie Meng picked up her chopsticks and knocked each of the three tiger cubs on the head, saying irritably, “You never think to learn anything good, only knowing how to fight. If you three combined had half the sense that Mo Hua has, I’d be so grateful!”
After finishing her speech, Auntie Meng saw the children looking pitifully at the meat and softened a bit, saying,
“Eat up, eat up, but remember to help your Uncle Mo and Auntie Liu with some work in the future, instead of just eating others’ food for nothing.”
The three tiger cubs quickly nodded their heads, then each picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Uncle Meng and Auntie Meng’s bowls before they started digging into the remaining meat themselves.
As the beef entered his mouth, Xiaohu’s eyes widened in surprise, “This meat is so delicious!”
Da’hu and Shuanghu, mouths full of meat, nodded vigorously.
Receiving praise for her cooking, Mo Hua was also very happy.
Uncle Meng and Auntie Meng took a bite of the meat and nodded continuously, then gave the rest of the meat to the three boys.
Auntie Meng said to Mo Hua with envy, “Your mom’s cooking skills are truly excellent!”
Mo Hua also praised, “Auntie Meng’s cooking is really good too!”
Auntie Meng then burst into laughter and, taking hold of Mo Hua’s little hand, said, “I really don’t know how such a smart and sensible child could be born.”
After tasting the beef, Uncle Meng curiously said, “Is this wild beef, it doesn’t quite taste like it.”
“It is wild beef, it’s been cooked for a very long time.”
“No wonder,” Uncle Meng nodded and then said to Mo Hua, “I’ve heard your family is opening a food shop. If there’s anything we can do to help, just tell your uncle and auntie, and we’ll definitely help.”
“Thank you, Uncle Meng!”
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Mo Hua got up to take his leave. Auntie Meng took some freshly steamed buns and some wild fruit and let Mo Hua take them home to eat.
“We don’t have much at home, but you take these buns and fruits and eat them.”
Mo Hua didn’t turn them down, packed the buns into a food box, and munched on the wild fruits on his way home.
The beef stewed for a long time on the stove was praised by everyone who tried it.
Liu Ruhua further improved her cooking seasoning, adjusted the simmering heat, and even made a few bowls of beef noodle soup for Mo Hua to taste. The soup was rich, the noodles chewy, and the beef delicious. Mo Hua was so happy that he squinted his eyes in delight.
In addition, Liu Ruhua also prepared some other drinks and snacks, offering them for sale in the food shop.
Alcohol was definitely indispensable, but the loose cultivators were poor, and the grains they used for brewing were fairly inferior, so the flavor was not very good. However, the brew Liu Ruhua prepared herself was entirely different.
The brew was infused with some herbs, fresh fruits, and lower in alcohol content, complemented by the rich aroma of different fruits. It was gently intoxicating, sweet, and had a lingering aftertaste. Mo Hua especially liked it.
Besides beef, the food also included some pastries, fruits, pine nuts, and beef noodles, among other items.
With the help of neighborhood friends, preparations were completed, and the food shop opened on the first day of the new moon.
The shop was originally going to follow the street’s naming convention and be called “Mo’s Food Shop,” but at Mo Hua’s suggestion and with Mo Shan’s approval, it was eventually renamed “Liu’s Food Shop.”
Liu Ruhua, unable to overrule father and son, had no choice but to agree.