The next day, the quantity of Lu Wu’s purchases increased significantly again.
Her business was getting better and better, to the point where even with a limit of two buns per person, demand still outstripped supply.
The key issue was the many diners from out of town; Lu Wu couldn’t bear to let them make a trip for nothing, so she could only tire herself out a bit more.
After getting familiar with her suppliers, she arranged for them to deliver directly to her door at a set time, so Lu Wu no longer had to run the errands herself.
In the courtyard, unprocessed ingredients were piled high. As usual, she began to prepare them slowly.
The gate to Lu Wu’s small courtyard was shut tight, while inside the house, she was bustling with feverish activity.
Under Lu Wu’s hands, a large basin of flour was mixed with water. The ratio was perfect. After the soft dough formed, its surface was smooth. When pressed, it left a dent that quickly bounced back.
Proofing dough here was easy. Placing a spirit stone under the basin provided constant temperature, saving time and effort.
As expected, Cultivation really did change one’s life.
Today, Lu Wu had changed her recipes. The first was a Beef and Glass Noodles Bun.
The glass noodles, soaked in advance, were very elastic to the touch. They were chopped into small segments, and besides scallions and ginger, she also used shiitake mushrooms to enhance the umami flavor.
A large piece of beef was diced into small granules. The bright red beef was tossed into the wok, and as the hot oil sizzled, it changed color. Then, various seasonings were added, and the aroma was simply mouthwatering.
Next, she added the glass noodles. The translucent strands soaked up the color of the sauce, becoming flavorful and incredibly appetizing.
As for the crab roe, Lu Wu decided to make soup dumplings.
Compared to ordinary buns, this process was much more complex.
The most crucial component was the aspic.
Lu Wu lifted a large piece of pork skin from the water. After soaking it in hot water, she scraped the bristles off the skin.
Lu Wu patted the slippery surface of the pork skin before placing it in a pot.
Cooking wine, salt, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, bay leaves, and cinnamon—not a single one could be omitted. She added water and let it simmer over low heat until the pork skin was tender and falling apart.
During the cooking process, waves of fragrance wafted out, rushing straight to the heavens.
When she lifted the lid, she skimmed off the foam from the top, leaving behind a rich, white, and fragrant broth in the pot.
With a gentle poke of the spatula, the pork skin nearly melted into the broth.
Lu Wu sealed it and used a spirit stone to cool it down quickly. The finished pork aspic was translucent, glistening, and oily at a glance.
She picked out the crab roe and crab meat, and the prepared pork was ground into a paste.
This time, the filling didn’t need to be cooked. It was mixed directly with the pork paste, aspic, and seasonings.
Stirring clockwise was exhausting; Lu Wu’s shoulders were aching.
By the time all this was done, she looked at the time and saw it was already noon.
She was so hungry she was about to lose all her strength. Lu Wu didn’t change the fillings for the other two types of buns.
The dough was also just about proofed. Lu Wu decided to have soup dumplings for lunch.
She rolled the dough into a long cylinder, pinched off individual portions, and rolled them out thin.
The soup dumpling filling was tightly wrapped in a thin layer of dough, with pleats pinched at the top by her fingers.
When soup dumplings are steamed, the aspic inside melts and can easily leak, so Lu Wu didn’t overfill them.
The water in the pot was already boiling. Lu Wu placed the prepared soup dumplings into the steamer.
She didn’t have to wait long. About a quarter of an hour later, she could see the skins of the buns in the steamer turning translucent, the filling inside gently wobbling.
They were cooked through.
The moment the steamer lid was lifted, a fragrant aroma rushed to greet her.
Lu Wu took a deep breath, her eyes curving into crescents.
The Universal Realm Communicator beeped a few times. It was a message from Old Man Li, stating his intention to come over for a visit.
Needless to say, the aroma from her place had hooked Old Man Li again.
She chuckled and agreed.
“Ahem, Little Lu, what new buns do you have today?”
At the kitchen doorway, the old man, with his hands behind his back, seemed to have been blown in by a gust of wind, appearing with incredible speed.
Ignoring Lu Wu’s teasing gaze, he stared eagerly at the soup dumplings, saliva uncontrollably pooling in his mouth.
Why were these buns so beautiful? Old Man Li’s eyes were glued to them.
“These are Crab Roe Soup Dumplings. Be careful when you eat them, Old Man Li. They’re hot. Take small bites; the soup inside spills easily.”
Lu Wu placed the buns on a plate and handed it to Old Man Li.
Looking at the soup dumplings with their thin skins and ample filling, Old Man Li carefully lifted one by its pleated top and held it up to the sunlight.
Fine rays of sunlight fell on the bun. Through the light, he could see the melted filling gently swaying with his movements.
The whole thing looked like a fine piece of craftsmanship, crystal clear.
After being held for a moment, the skin clearly began to strain under the weight and started to sag.
Old Man Li couldn’t wait any longer and took a bite.
He ate it the same way as before—all in one go.
But the charm of a soup dumpling lies in that unexpected moment when your teeth bite down, the thin skin tears, and the soup bursts out.
Inexperienced, Old Man Li naturally fell for the trap.
“Ouch!”
Old Man Li cried out, covering his mouth. Soup had splattered onto the front of his clothes.
Although his new clothes were stained, Old Man Li didn’t care in the slightest, his eyes filled with relish and enjoyment.
The advantage of eating it in one bite was that the entire fragrance of the soup dumpling was locked within his mouth.
The crabs Lu Wu used were of the highest quality. After proper handling, the original umami of the ingredients was preserved.
This umami was fully activated by the high heat, then carried by the broth from the melted aspic, forming a warm current that slid down Old Man Li’s throat in an instant.
The flavor was so exquisite that Old Man Li couldn’t bear to part his lips, afraid the essence would escape.
Seeing Old Man Li’s difficult yet blissful eating posture, Lu Wu was as sly as a little fox.
She was much more experienced. Biting a small hole, she slowly sipped the soup from within.
The soup dumplings surpassed all other flavors, becoming number one in Lu Wu’s heart.
After finishing one, Lu Wu wiped her mouth.
Truly delicious!
Having been made a fool of in front of a junior, Old Man Li could no longer maintain a serious face.
Looking at the remaining buns in the steamer, Old Man Li’s eyes darted about conspicuously, clearly hinting at something.
Lu Wu understood in a second.
“This whole steamer is for you.”
She had made quite a few, and since cultivators had large appetites, Lu Wu was very generous.
“Little Lu, don’t you worry. I won’t let you down.”
Pushing Lu Wu aside to handle it himself, Old Man Li said something Lu Wu didn’t understand.
Taking some to eat and some to go, Old Man Li finally returned home, patting his bulging belly.
He opened the Universal Realm Communicator to contact the sect members.
“You all did very well last night. The opportunity for reward based on merit has arrived.”
“The top three contributors in the operation will each receive two buns. I must declare beforehand that they are a new variety. I have tasted them, and am now pregnant.”
“The other sect members who did not receive a reward, remember to go line up early today.”
He sucked in his bulging stomach, then looked at the six remaining soup dumplings in his hand with great reluctance.
He felt he could still stuff a few more in.
But the sect members had performed too well; he had to give them a reward.
In a residence in Xiaohe Town, the moment he saw Old Man Li’s message, Lou Xiaotian broke into a smug smile.
For no other reason than that he was ranked third among the top three.
First place went to some prodigy who hid their real name, using the codename “Vow to Kill Big Yellow.” Second place was Furong from Baihua House.
Those two were ruthless characters. Lou Xiaotian couldn’t compete with them, so he could only snatch third place.
Just last night, in coordination with the two siblings from the Hidden Spirit Sect who had turned informant, they had found the remaining evil sect members and completely eradicated them from Xiaohe Town.
From this day forward, Xiaohe Town would be as pure and clean as Boss Lu’s buns.
They, this group of guardians, would continue to move like shadows in the night, vowing to defend Boss Lu’s safety to the death.
And it was all for this very moment.