Noodles

When Lin Su walked out of his second brother's study, the setting sun was casting its golden glow over the horizon.

Xiaoyao sat on a stone stool in front, chin resting on her hands, gazing at the sunset.

From a distance, Lin Su could already see her pouting little mouth.

"What's wrong? Haven't digested the meat in your belly, or is there something else bothering you?" 

"Madam... the madam gave away all the meat..."

What?

Xiaoyao explained the situation with a considerable sense of grievance.

"All of it given away?"

"Not all, just a little left, it'll be gone tomorrow..." the girl was on the verge of tears.

"No worries!" Lin Su said, "That stuff was meant for emergencies anyway. Do you plan to eat it for the rest of your life? Besides, the food those people make isn't tasty. Let's go get something delicious!"

Xiaoyao looked up, and a familiar sparkle returned to her eyes.

Come on, girl, you've eaten a whole chicken and two lamb legs today, and your stomach is still round...

The nightlife in Haining was quite rich.

What makes it rich?

Brothel girls dancing gracefully, wealthy young men feeling sultry under the moon, beggars wandering the streets, and crowded taverns...

Several noodle shops hadn't closed yet. In fact, nighttime was the best for their business. Most people were busy during the day and only had time to buy daily necessities at night.

Well, not bad. Lin Su was rather annoyed by the curfews in feudal societies. If he had transmigrated to those special dynasties where curfews were enforced at night, half the joy of life would be lost.

Ahead was also a pawnshop. Lin Su went straight to the pawnshop, took out the golden bead, and handed it over. "Shopkeeper, can this be pawned?"

The shopkeeper carefully examined it. The golden bead had an exquisite design, and the gold quality was top-notch. His eyes lit up immediately...

"Do you want to sell it or pawn it?"

To sell meant getting rid of it completely, and the pawnshop could directly sell it.

Pawning meant temporarily overcoming difficulties. The pawned item was just collateral, and the pawnshop couldn't dispose of it freely until the agreed-upon time.

"Either way. If you like it, you can buy it directly with money."

"How much does the young master want?"

"How much will you give?"

"Three taels of silver!"

"Alright!"

The shopkeeper was surprised.

What's more surprising was that, after receiving the silver, the young man directly tore up the pawn ticket. What did that mean? It meant that this "sale" was irreversible. He couldn't redeem it even if he wanted to.

Was there something wrong with this golden bead?

The shopkeeper seized the opportunity before the young man left, rechecked the item, no problems. The gold quality was superb, and the most valuable part was not the bead itself but the hook on it. If he was not mistaken, it was polar blue crystal!

Polar blue crystal, extremely rare. This hook alone was worth at least a hundred taels of silver!

Who is this unlucky person?

Lin Su had already left the pawnshop and entered a noodle shop...

Soon, he returned home with a large bag in one hand. One bag contained rice, and the other contained flour. Xiaoyao, holding a pot and another bag, had strange items inside. She only recognized pepper and green onions, while the rest she didn't know. Some were bought from the grocery store, and some from the pharmacy...

The smell of the contents of the bag was strong, and Xiaoyao, after walking a distance, had tears streaming down her face...

But Lin Su was very happy.

Two big bags, at least a hundred and fifty catties in total. He carried one in each hand, yet it was effortless. With dual roots in literature and martial arts, his physique had undergone a great change.

What about the second aspect? The purchasing power of silver in this place was quite strong. Three taels of silver, buying this pile of stuff, even had one or two taels left!

Almost home, Lin Su suddenly noticed someone outside the door, acting furtively.

Planning for such a rundown house?

Too much...

Just as Lin Su was about to shout, the shadow knelt down, knocked three times at the main entrance of the Lin family, and then ran away.

They arrived at the door, gently pushing open the courtyard gate, producing a creaking sound.

This door needs some oil. The creaking sound always made him think of Lan Ruo Temple in "A Chinese Ghost Story."

Everyone knew about the Lin family's dilapidated state, no need for this embellishment...

Beside the door, there was a small package. Lin Su opened it, his face showing a strange expression. Inside were three black, round steamed buns.

Second brother Lin Jialiang came out from inside and, upon seeing the things at the door, widened his eyes, "Third brother, where did these come from?"

"This, someone gave it. By the way, he kowtowed three times outside!" Lin Su handed the three steamed buns to his second brother, pointing to the grass outside. The person hadn't run far; he was still hiding in the grass, thinking that no one had seen him. However, what he didn't know was that both Lin Su and Lin Jialiang were men of letters, with sharp eyes and keen senses.

Lin Jialiang raised his gaze, staring in the direction Lin Su pointed, "It's Lao He! Lao He is an honest man. Mom just gave him some meat, and he insisted on returning it... Hmm, where did these come from?"

Lin Su pointed to several large bags at his feet, on which was written Shen's Noodle and Flour Shop. Obviously, they contained rice and flour, and they couldn't have been given by Lao He.

"I bought them!"

"Where did you get the money?"

"Today, in the tavern, a fox demon sister gave me a golden bead..." he recounted the situation verbatim.

Lin Jialiang's eyes widened, looking at Lin Su in utter surprise. After a while, he shook his head gently, "Little brother, either don't accept this golden bead, after all, the paths of humans and demons are different, and a gentleman should keep himself clean. Others shouldn't say anything about it. Or, if you decide to keep it, then hide it properly. It's still a kind gesture after all. Accepting and selling, it's not the conduct of a gentleman."

"I also want to keep it, but Xiaoyao is starving, and we need some rice and flour..."

Xiaoyao looked at the Third Young Master with her big round eyes, thinking in her heart, 'Brother is really good. He doesn't have any thoughts of making someone else bear the blame.'

The empty kitchen was finally lit up again. Xiaoyao, who stood a bit taller than the stove, jumped up to wash the pot, displaying skillful movements. Lin Su rolled up his sleeves and opened the flour bag. Meanwhile, Lin Jialiang's voice came from outside, "Little brother, come out. A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen. It's not a place for you."

"I'll teach Xiaoyao."

This time, Xiaoyao didn't want to be the familiar scapegoat. She objected—brother, I can do it, no need for your teaching.

"What can you make?"

"Steamed buns!"

"The ones Lao He made just now?"

"Yes!"

"Let's forget about that... I'll make something I like to eat."

Lin Jialiang stretched his neck outside, intending to pull the Third Brother out of the kitchen and sternly instruct him on the ways of literati and gentlemen. However, he resisted the urge. Although it was theoretically reasonable for the second brother to instruct the third brother, the third brother had shown too many miraculous things today, making him lack confidence in front of the third brother. Forget it, letting a scholar enter the kitchen wasn't such a serious matter. Let him play around.

A fragrance wafted in the wind...

It was coming from the kitchen...

Just a whiff, and Lin Jialiang felt a strong appetite...

Soon, Lin Su brought out a large bowl with thread-like substances, garnished with bits of green onions.

"What is this..." Lin Jialiang took the bowl and observed.

"Noodles!"

"Noodles? Made from flour? How does one pull them into such shapes one by one? It doesn't make sense." Lin Jialiang didn't understand.

Pull them one by one? Why don't you try pulling them for me... Wait, is there no such thing as noodles in this world?

After asking around, there really wasn't. Here, the only use for flour was to knead it into a ball and steam it into 'that'... Oh, no, steam it into steamed buns!

In the eyes of the common people, flour was for filling the stomach, not for embroidery. No matter what shape it was made into, it would end up in the stomach and then become 'that'...

In the world of food, they were all terminators.

Lin Su, the proponent of process theory, felt quite lonely.

Oh well, Lin Su was too lazy to search for "the great life principles of noodles being shaped into strands" from the classics directly. He just pushed his second brother towards the main hall. "Take this bowl of noodles to Mother!"

Filial piety was integrated into daily life. This fragrant bowl of noodles should naturally be given to Mother.

"I'll do it!" A person walked over from the moonlit night. It was Yulou.

"Let's do it together!"

Lin's mother was already planning to rest. During this time, she hadn't rested properly. As for dinner, she automatically ignored it. When she was the madam of the Marquis's mansion, she had three meals a day. After falling from the clouds to the dust, meals were no longer regular. When hungry, prepare some food; when not so hungry, why waste food?

Today, she ate half a leg of lamb. If she had the habit of keeping a diary, this would be worth recording. She had eaten lamb legs; how could she possibly have dinner again?

Indeed, she was a bit hungry, but once she fell asleep, she wouldn't feel hungry anymore.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Mother, Third Brother made some fresh food and wants Mother to taste it."

The door opened, and Lin's mother took the bowl from Yulou, looking at the noodles in the same perplexity as Lin Jialiang. But when she sniffed it at her nose, she felt her stomach suddenly start to move.

"It's quite fresh, so white, so fragrant..." She picked up a strand of noodles, sending it into her mouth, and her eyes suddenly brightened.

After eating half a bowl, she gave the rest to Xiaotao. Xiaotao, after a taste, wasn't so reserved anymore. The frequency of her chopsticks noticeably increased, and sweat appeared on her forehead. Not a drop of soup was left.

"Didn't expect that flour, when made like this, would be so delicious. You say, is this Third Young Master's idea?"

"This was made by Third Brother himself."

"Made it himself? This rascal! A gentleman should stay away from the kitchen, how can a great poet and scholar like him be so demeaning? What's wrong with you as the second brother? Why didn't you stop him? If this spreads, wouldn't it tarnish our reputation?"

A round of scolding left Lin Jialiang's face alternating between red and white. I did try to stop him, but I couldn't...

"Xiaotao, go and tell them. I said, from now on, Third Young Master is not allowed to step into the kitchen."

"Yes, Madam!"