Chapter 36: The Stove
Chapter 36: The Stove
Seeing Mo Hua's smile, Master Chen and the others couldn't help but feel happy as well.
Master Chen couldn't help but praise, "You're truly remarkable, young man. I've lived for most of my life, and this is the first time I've seen a cultivator as young as you able to draw an array."
Mo Hua felt a bit embarrassed by the compliment and modestly said, "Master Chen, let's see if the stove's array actually works first."
Master Chen called out, and several sturdy apprentices carried the stove and reassembled it. They dropped a few spirit stones into it, and soon, flames ignited within.
Master Chen nodded, "It works perfectly. Aside from being a bit smaller, there's not much difference between this stove and the expensive ones used in the grand dining halls. In fact, the flames are even stronger."
Mo Hua breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Master Chen asked Da Zhu and the other disciples to deliver the stove to Mo Hua's home.
After discussing with his parents, Mo Hua finally decided to open the eatery at his home.
It was more convenient, and the nearby shops in the market were too expensive. It was a small business, and renting a shop would be costly. If they incurred losses, they would truly be ruined.
Although Mo Hua lived in an area populated mostly by poor solitary cultivators, it was close to a main road and saw a lot of foot traffic. It was also lively during festivals. As long as the food was delicious, there was no need to worry about sales.
Mo Hua's home was small, just a typical two-bedroom, one-hall residence with a small courtyard—the basic layout for a Qi Refining cultivator's home. It was fine for a family of three to live in, but it wasn't spacious enough for a dining establishment.
So, Mo Shan discussed with his neighbors and paid them a small amount of spirit stones each month to use their courtyards. Then, with the help of his friends from the demon-hunting squad, they transformed one of the courtyards into a kitchen and connected the other courtyards to it. This created a large open space in the yard where they could set up tables and chairs for customers to dine and relax.
The stove was a bit too large to fit into a storage bag, so Da Zhu and the other disciples carried it directly to Mo Hua's home. When they arrived, Mo Shan and his wife were still tidying up the courtyard, digging and building walls, making it look a bit messy.
Da Zhu and his companions didn't hesitate to help install the stove and then sat down for a cup of tea before taking their leave.
Even though Mo Hua had confidently assured them before, and they trusted his capabilities, Mo Shan and his wife still found it hard to believe that their son had actually commissioned someone to forge a stove, and now it stood right before them.
Liu Ruhua touched the stove and said, "It looks similar to the ones in the grand dining halls, just smaller. But it's clearly more sturdy and intricately crafted. It must have cost quite a few spirit stones."
"I helped Master Chen fix the array in his artifact-forging furnace, so he gave me a 50% discount. Plus, I drew the array for this stove myself, so it didn't cost too many spirit stones," Mo Hua said proudly.
Liu Ruhua and Mo Shan exchanged glances, surprised. They knew that Mo Hua had some talent in arrays, but they didn't expect that he could not only repair arrays for others but also draw them on spiritual artifacts himself.
Liu Ruhua pulled Mo Hua into her embrace and praised, "You're truly remarkable, Hua'er!"
Mo Shan also looked at his son with warm satisfaction in his eyes.
Initially, he had been worried about Mo Hua's frail body, but now, seeing his son's talent in arrays, he knew that even if Mo Hua couldn't focus on body tempering, his talent in arrays would be enough for him to make a living in the future. Moreover, he wouldn't have to risk fighting dangerous beasts like Mo Shan himself did, which was a huge relief.
"Mother, let me show you how to use the stove," Mo Hua said, taking Liu Ruhua's hand and explaining the usage of the stove, the amount of spirit stones required, and how to control the heat. These weren't difficult concepts, and Liu Ruhua understood them after just one explanation.
Soon, Liu Ruhua prepared a simple yet delicious dinner using the new stove—a pot of clear rice porridge, a few simple vegetable dishes, and soft, white steamed buns.
"You little rascal!" Mo Shan ruffled Mo Hua's hair playfully, his expression softening as he saw the smile on his wife's face, and he couldn't help but smile himself.
After the family finished their meal, Liu Ruhua asked, "Opening a diner is a good idea, but what should we sell?"
Both Mo Shan and Liu Ruhua looked at Mo Hua.
Meeting his parents' gaze, Mo Hua replied, "Beef!"
Mo Shan was taken aback for a moment before furrowing his brows. "Then where would we get beef? Meat infused with spiritual energy is expensive, we can't afford it, and there are mostly solitary cultivators around here, so we won't be able to sell beef anyway."
"Father, didn't you hunt wild oxen before? We can use that meat," Mo Hua suggested.
"Wild ox meat... it's too tough, dry, and tasteless. No one would want to eat it," Mo Shan replied.
"Then we can stew it for two days and nights," Mo Hua persisted. "Even the toughest meat should become tender after stewing for that long, and it will surely absorb the flavor of the broth."
"Stewing it for two days and nights..." Mo Shan's gaze unconsciously shifted towards the stove. "So, you forged this stove not only to let your mother cook without using spiritual power but also to stew meat, huh..."
"Mm-hmm!" Mo Hua nodded vigorously.
"Will that work?" Mo Shan asked, sounding a bit hesitant.
"It will!" Liu Ruhua's eyes lit up. "Meat infused with spiritual energy is prized for its tenderness, and it doesn't need to be stewed for too long, or it will lose its essence. But that kind of meat is expensive and not something our family can afford to eat regularly."
"Meat without spiritual energy is cheaper, but it's tough and dry, requiring long stewing times," she continued. "Ordinary solitary cultivators can afford it, but they don't have the means to stew it properly, so they rarely eat it."
"With this stove, we can cook cheap yet delicious meat. Even ordinary solitary cultivators will be able to afford a tasty meal," she concluded.
Mo Shan nodded in agreement, then added, "However, stewing for two days and nights will consume quite a few spirit stones just to fuel the stove's fire."
Mo Hua calculated with his fingers for a moment before replying, "It should take around ten spirit stones, but one batch can produce a large quantity of meat. If we sell it, we shouldn't make a loss."
"Alright, I'll try stewing a pot in the next couple of days and calculate the costs then," Liu Ruhua said.
Mo Shan nodded. "I'll go get some more wild ox meat. We've finished what we had, but Old Zhao might still have some. If this type of meat sells, we'll also have an outlet for the meat we get from hunting demonic beasts. That way, everyone's lives can improve a little."
As it was getting late, Liu Ruhua urged Mo Hua to go to bed.
As Mo Hua got up, a question suddenly popped into his mind, and he asked, "Mother, forging a stove isn't that difficult, is it? But why don't I see many solitary cultivators using them?"
"Silly child," Liu Ruhua said, caressing Mo Hua's face affectionately. "Let's not even talk about the stove's construction. If you didn't draw the array yourself and had to hire an array master, how many more spirit stones would that cost?"
"Becoming an array master is difficult. Once you become one, you naturally aspire to advance further, relying on your clan or sect. You'd want to draw higher-level arrays to earn more spirit stones. Why would you bother with us poor solitary cultivators?"
"It's not just array masters," she continued. "All cultivators are the same. When people aim high, they don't look back..."
Mo Hua's feelings were complicated, and he fell silent for a moment.
(End of Chapter)
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