Chapter 37: Beef
Chapter 37: Beef
The next day, Mo Shan went out, and when he returned in the evening, he had a large package on his back filled with wild beef.
"I went to find Old Zhao, and he still had a lot left. No one is buying this meat, and he can't eat it all, so I brought it all back."
Liu Ruhua then soaked the meat in water to remove the blood, and then marinated it with spicy and fragrant seasonings.
These spices were picked and sun-dried by Liu Ruhua herself, a method she learned from her neighbor's aunt. It was a common practice among the independent cultivator families in Tongxian City, but the fragrance of the spices made by Liu Ruhua was superior.
The wild beef was marinated overnight, and the next day it was placed in the stove and cooked over a fire. After half a day of boiling, Liu Ruhua took out the meat, poured out the water, and then added more water and spicy seasonings. She first boiled it over a high flame and then simmered it slowly over low heat for another night and day.
It was only on the third evening that she turned off the stove and lifted the lid.
Steam billowed out, filling the entire house with the aroma of meat and spices.
Liu Ruhua took a small knife and cut off a piece of meat, slicing it into thin pieces and placing them on a plate on the table. Then she waved to Mo Hua, "Hua'er, come and taste this."
Mo Hua picked up his chopsticks, took a piece, and chewed it slowly. The meat was tender and flavorful, leaving a pleasant taste in his mouth even after swallowing. Any hint of gaminess was neutralized by the spicy flavors, creating a unique taste.
"Mother, this is the best meat I've ever eaten!"
Mo Shan also took a bite and his eyes lit up as he praised his wife, "It's even better than the dishes made by the chefs in the restaurants."
Liu Ruhua smiled and tasted a piece herself. After a moment's thought, she still felt something was lacking, "The spices should be milder, and the spicy flavor should be stronger. The heat should also be higher..."
Mo Hua thought it was delicious. In his current life, he was only about ten years old, and he had never tasted such delicious meat. As for his past life, he couldn't quite remember.
The wild beef tasted excellent, and this gave them the confidence to open a restaurant. Liu Ruhua cut some of the beef from the pot, packed it into small containers, and asked Mo Shan and Mo Hua to distribute it to their neighbors and friends.
Mo Shan shared it with their neighbors and his friends from the demon-hunting team.
Mo Hua, on the other hand, first brought a container to Master Feng of Xinglin Pavilion to thank him for treating his mother. Then he took another portion to Master Chen, after all, the stove they used was refined by Master Chen, and he should taste the beef cooked in his stove.
Master Feng, an expert in dietary nutrition, usually practiced intermittent fasting. But when he saw the beef Mo Hua brought, he couldn't help but taste a few slices and couldn't stop praising it.
As for Master Chen, he, of course, had to try it. He divided the beef into two portions, one for his disciples like Da Zhu to taste, and the other he kept for himself to enjoy slowly with wine.
Mo Hua also delivered some to the homes of Da Hu and the others.
Da Hu and the others were all surnamed Meng, and they were a family, but the three of them were not actually brothers by blood.
The Meng family used to be prosperous, with three generations living under one roof. The grandfather had three sons, and each son gave him a grandson: Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu.
However, their good fortune didn't last. Shuang Hu's father died while hunting a demon beast, and his mother, unable to cope with the grief, fell ill and passed away soon after.
As for Xiao Hu's father, he started an affair with a female cultivator during one of his business trips and never returned. Some said he had changed his name and started a new family, while others claimed he had been bewitched by a seductive demoness who drained his marrow and refined him into a pill.
Regardless, he was gone. Xiao Hu's mother, feeling ashamed, remarried.
The Meng family's grandfather had originally hoped that his descendants would prosper for generations and produce a foundation-building cultivator, making their family somewhat renowned in Tongxian City. Unfortunately, two of his three sons were gone in the blink of an eye. The old man fell ill from the grief and anger, and he too passed away not long after.
This left only the eldest son as the family's pillar. He never complained, treating his brothers' children as his own. When there was food, they ate together, and when there was none, they went hungry together. If the children made a mistake, they were disciplined together.
Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu were munching on steamed buns and pickled vegetables. Upon hearing that Mo Hua had brought beef, their eyes widened with anticipation. As Mo Hua opened the food container, the aroma escaping from within caused the three boys to drool in unison.
Meng Da-ayi (Aunt Meng)
shot the boys a stern glance. "Before you eat other people's food, remember to thank them!"
Shuang Hu was the first to respond, pounding his chest proudly. "Mo Hua! Brothers don't hide things from each other. From now on, if anyone bullies you, I'll beat them up for you!"
Da Hu and Xiao Hu chimed in together, "Me too! Me too!"
Meng Da-ayi picked up her chopsticks and gently tapped each of the three boys on their heads. "All you know is how to fight. If the three of you could be half as well-behaved as Mo Hua, I'd burn the best incense in gratitude!"
Seeing the disappointed looks on the boys' faces as they gazed longingly at the meat, Meng Da-ayi's heart softened a little. "Go on, eat. But remember, you have to help Uncle Mo and Aunt Liu with chores from now on. Don't always expect handouts."
The three boys nodded eagerly, then each took a piece of meat and placed it in Meng Da-shu's (Uncle Meng's)
and Meng Da-ayi's bowls before digging into the remaining meat themselves.
As soon as Xiao Hu took a bite of the beef, his eyes widened in delight. "This meat is amazing!"
Da Hu and Shuang Hu, their mouths already full, nodded vigorously in agreement.
Mo Hua was delighted that his mother's cooking was receiving such high praise.
Meng Da-shu and Meng Da-ayi each tasted a piece of the beef and nodded their approval, then proceeded to add more meat to the boys' bowls.
Meng Da-ayi, filled with admiration, turned to Liu Ruhua and exclaimed, "Your cooking skills are truly remarkable!"
Mo Hua proudly boasted, "Aunt Meng's cooking is great, too!"
Meng Da-ayi laughed and pulled Mo Hua's hand affectionately. "I really don't know how such a well-behaved and thoughtful child like you was born."
Meng Da-shu took a bite of the beef and asked curiously, "Is this wild beef? It doesn't taste like it, though."
"Yes, it's wild beef. It's been simmered for a long time," Mo Hua replied.
"No wonder," Meng Da-shu nodded in understanding, then turned to Mo Hua and said, "I heard your family is planning to open a restaurant. If there's anything we can help with, just let your uncle and aunt here know. We'll be glad to lend a hand."
"Thank you, Uncle Meng!" Mo Hua replied gratefully.
After some more friendly chatter, Mo Hua bid them farewell. Meng Da-ayi insisted that he take some freshly steamed buns and wild fruits for the road.
"We don't have much, but please take these buns and fruits with you," she said.
Mo Hua graciously accepted, packing the buns into his food container and munching on the wild fruits as he walked home.
Everyone who tasted the beef, slow-cooked for hours in the stove, had nothing but praise for it.
Liu Ruhua further refined the dish by adjusting the seasoning and cooking time. She even made several bowls of beef noodles for Mo Hua to sample. The broth was rich and flavorful, the noodles chewy, and the beef tender and aromatic, bringing a smile to Mo Hua's face.
In addition, Liu Ruhua prepared various side dishes, alcoholic drinks, and snacks to be sold at the restaurant.
Alcohol was a must-have, but most solitary cultivator families were poor, so the grains used for brewing tended to be of lower quality, resulting in mediocre-tasting liquor. However, the wine that Liu Ruhua brewed herself was in a league of its own.
She infused the wine with flowers, fruits, and herbs, creating a low-alcohol beverage with a delicate bouquet of fragrances. The sweet and slightly intoxicating taste, coupled with a lingering aftertaste, made it Mo Hua's favorite.
In addition to the beef, the menu also included cakes, fruits, pine nuts, and beef noodles.
With the help of their neighbors and friends, all the preparations were eventually completed, and the restaurant opened its doors on the first day of the new month.
Following the street's naming convention, the restaurant was initially supposed to be called "Mo Family Restaurant." However, at Mo Hua's suggestion and with Mo Shan's agreement, the name was changed to "Liu Family Restaurant" to honor Liu Ruhua's culinary prowess.
Unable to resist the father and son's request, Liu Ruhua reluctantly agreed.
(End of Chapter)
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