novelThe Little Store in the Rain
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Chapter 29: The Little Store in the Rain
Translator: OnGoingWhy Editor: Vermillion
The Golden Shumai looked as if it was made of gold. The rich fragrance—blended with a clear bamboo scent—rushed towards Bu Fang and instantly drowned him within the sea of fragrance. Its sparkling, radiant skin looked like it caught on fire. There seemed to be flames burning, but upon a closer look they would disappear.
The nine Golden Shumai were inside the purple bamboo steamer. They were so beautiful and flawless that they could be mistaken as artworks.
As the fillings were first wrapped by a thin layer of pork, both the pork and the skin were deeply welded together after steaming. The filling was a mixture of diced meat and spirit vegetables that emanated an unparalleled fragrance. The moisture of the vegetables mixed together with the fat of the Flame Boar created an aromatic soup that rippled within the shumai.
Bu Fang was eagerly looking at the Golden Shumai; his appetite was triggered by the rich fragrance. Using the purple bamboo chopsticks provided by the system, Bu Fang picked up one of the shumai. He did not immediately put it into his mouth, but first sucked out the soup inside.
The soup—that was slightly gold—was a concoction of the spirit vegetables, meat from the Flame Boar, and purple bamboo. As it entered his mouth, it instantly enveloped his taste buds and filled his mouth with a rich fragrance.
Bu Fang was absolutely delighted. After drinking the soup, he lightly took a bite of the shumai. The skin was extremely tender, and since it was mixed with the eggs of the Thunderstorm Pigeon, it contained a slight numbness. It was not strong, but when combined with the slight burning sensation from the meat of the Flame Boar, it had a unique taste.
It was so delicious that Bu Fang almost wanted to swallow his own tongue.
Soon, all nine shumai were completely eaten by Bu Fang and he was memorably licking his lips. Delicious food would always improve a person's mood.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Bu Fang was preparing to brew the Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine. The brewer's yeast was provided by the system and had already gone through the necessary fermentation process. He only needed to directly use it.
He placed the earthen jar—that had half a human's height—within the environment simulation cupboard and his job was done. He only needed to wait for three days and the Ice Heart Jade Urn Wine would be completed. Bu Fang was actually looking forward to this wine.
After he completed everything, it was already midnight. Bu Fang yawned and was ready to sleep. As a chef, he needed to have high quality sleep. He would only have a healthy body if he sleep and woke up early every day.
The next morning.
Bu Fang opened up the store for business. The weather was not good that day. Dark clouds had covered up the sky and there was no sunlight.
"It looks like it's going to rain, " Bu Fang muttered to himself as he looked at the sky while standing at the entrance.
Blackey lifted its head and glanced at him, then lay down and continued to sleep. He was so lazy that he did not want to move; it seemed that he was not going to seek shelter even if it is started to rain.
Bu Fang was surprised as well. Even though the big black dog was living the life of a pig, why was it not becoming fatter? If a pig was raised like this, it would have already doubled its size, and yet this dog still maintained its slim figure.
"I think I'll improve your diet today, " Bu Fang said as he stroked Blackey's unblemished fur.
Then Bu Fang returned to the kitchen and began to practice his culinary skills. He prepared a serving of Golden Shumai, and used the rest of the filling to cook a dish of diced meat fried with diced vegetables.
As Bu Fang carried out the aromatic dish out of the kitchen, the eyes of the big black dog were suddenly emanating an intense brightness as it stared at the bowl in his hands.
"Meat! There's meat!" The big black dog thought and eagerly stretched out its tongue.
Seeing Blackey devouring the food from the bowl, an awkward smile appeared on Bu Fang's face. He pulled a chair towards the entrance and curled up on it. As there was no warmth from the sunlight, Bu Fang was staring off into space.
Soon, Fatty Jin and his buddies arrived. As they stepped into the store, they immediately noticed the new dish on the menu, the Golden Shumai.
"Oh my, Owner Bu, is that a new dish? Shumai? Is it for breakfast?" Fatty Jin's eyes lit up and he asked Bu Fang.
"Yes." Bu Fang expressionlessly nodded, then stood up and got ready for work. The arrival of Fatty Jin signified the start of the busy day.
When Fatty Jin and his buddies saw the freshly made Golden Shumai, they were all stunned. The rich fragrance made them eager to taste the dish.
Without a doubt, Bu Fang's dishes were the finest.
Fatty Jin's mouth was covered with oil as he gobbled down the dish. The others whose cultivation levels had not reached third grade Battle-Maniac could only watch while drooling.
"Owner Bu's culinary skills is truly superb! This Golden Shumai is simply too delicious! It really suits my taste! Haha!" After finishing the shumai, Fatty Jin wanted to order another serving but was heartlessly rejected by Bu Fang.
Each serving of shumai cost ten crystals, but that was nothing for the prosperous Fatty Jin. However, as the quantity of the serving barely filled up his stomach, he ordered other dishes as well.
After a while, Fatty Jin and his buddies left Fang Fang's Little Store feeling satisfied. It was their greatest happiness to be able to enjoy this taste every day.
After Fatty Jin and his buddies left, a petite figure slowly arrived while rubbing her eyes.
"Smelly boss, I am not late, right?" Ouyang Xiaoyi said with a yawn.
The sound of thunder could be heard from a distance.
Just as Ouyang Xiaoyi entered the store, it started to rain outside. The continuous raindrops formed a curtain of rain in the sky, concealing the heaven and earth.
"No, you're late, " Bu Fang earnestly said.
Ouyang Xiaoyi rolled her eyes in response, then stuck her tongue out and made a face at Bu Fang.
"Smelly boss! I brought enough money today, I want to eat breakfast!" Ouyang Xiaoyi triumphantly said as she took out a sachet and waved it in front of Bu Fang. The sound of crystals colliding could be heard from within the sachet.
Bu Fang expressionlessly glanced at the sachet. There was a smiling pig's head sewn on it; it was definitely her style.
"Oh. There's a new dish today, but your cultivation level isn't high enough. Otherwise, you would be able to taste it, " Bu Fang simply said.
Ouyang Xiaoyi's expression froze and she felt as if an invisible arrow had pierced into her chest."It hurts!"
"I will definitely work hard for the sake of food!" Ouyang Xiaoyi declared while pouting.
"Oh, I am sure that your grandfather would definitely be glad to hear that, " Bu Fang expressionlessly said.
Glad? As if! If the elderly Ouyang knew that she was going to train hard just to eat good food, he might just vomit a few liters of blood.
While the two of them were bickering, a figure appeared within the rain.
With an oil-paper umbrella in hand and wearing a white robe, he looked gentle and refined with a smile on his face.
The third prince slowly stepped into Fang Fang's Little Store and closed his oil-paper umbrella. He gave the umbrella a little shake to get rid of the water and leaned it on a wall near the entrance.
Bu Fang curiously looked at the third prince. The third prince seemed a little different that day. Even though he still gave off a gentle and refined feeling, there was a slight bone-chilling coldness hidden in his refinement.
Ji Chengxue stepped into Fang Fang Little's Store, but did not greet Bu Fang. He found a seat on his own and sat down.
Ouyang Xiaoyi and Bu Fang were both puzzled.
Shortly, the disarrayed sound of footsteps came from the alleyway, along with the sound of rain landing on bamboo hats.
From a short distance away, four figures were slowly walking toward Fang Fang's Little Store from the entrance of the alleyway.
The rain gradually became heavier and raindrops created splashes on the ground. The fog became thicker and the entire world seemed to be unreal at that moment. It was as if the rain had suddenly become silent.
As the four figures stepped into Fang Fang's Little Store, a gust of rain and cold immediately invaded the space and the warm ambience instantly changed into a freezing atmosphere.
Ouyang Xiaoyi shuddered and cowered toward Bu Fang's direction, while curiously staring at the four people with her large eyes.
The four of them found separate seats and sat down. They did not speak with Bu Fang either as they imperceptibly surrounded Ji Chengxue.
A raindrop dripped down from one of the bamboo hats and suddenly burst open as it hit the ground; it was like a sudden thunderclap had occurred within the quiet store.
Then, four rays of dazzling white lights suddenly appeared—like a short-lived flower—as they rushed towards Ji Chengxue's position.
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