Chapter 37: Beef

The next day, Mo Shan went out and returned in the evening carrying a large package filled with wild ox meat.

"I went to find Old Zhao. He still had a lot. No one is buying this meat, and he can't eat it all either, so I brought it all back."

Liu Ru Hua soaked the meat for a while to remove the blood, then added some spicy and fragrant seasoning to marinate it.

These seasonings were picked from the mountain by Liu Ru Hua and dried by herself. The drying method was learned from a neighbor aunt. It was a seasoning that all loose cultivator families in Tong Xian City knew how to make, but Liu Ru Hua's had a better aroma.

The wild ox meat was marinated for one evening. The next day, it was put into a stove furnace, a fire was lit, and it was cooked for half a day. Liu Ru Hua scooped out the meat, poured out the water in the pot, then added water and spicy seasoning again. First, she boiled it over a large fire, then simmered it slowly over a small fire. This way, it stewed for another night and day.

On the evening of the third day, the furnace fire was extinguished, and the pot lid was lifted.

Hot steam surged out, and the aroma of the meat mixed with the fragrance of the seasoning filled the entire house.

Liu Ru Hua took a small knife, cut out a piece of meat, sliced it thinly, put it on a plate, placed it on the table, and then beckoned to Mo Hua: "Hua'er, come and taste."

Mo Hua picked up his chopsticks, clipped a piece, put it in his mouth, and chewed several times. He only felt it was soft, tender, and flavorful, leaving a fragrance in his teeth and cheeks. The slight gamey taste was neutralized by the spicy taste, presenting a special flavor.

"Mother, this is the best meat I've ever eaten!"

Mo Shan also tasted a mouthful, his eyes lit up, and he praised his wife:

"It's even better than what those chefs in the wine house make."

Liu Ru Hua's eyebrows held a smile, and she also personally tasted a piece of meat. After thinking for a moment, she was still not completely satisfied:

"The taste is still a bit lacking. The fragrant ingredients need to be stronger, and the spicy taste needs to be heavier. The cooking time also needs to be longer..."

Mo Hua felt it was already very delicious. He had lived for more than ten years in this life and had never eaten such good meat. As for what he had eaten in another world, he couldn't remember clearly.

The wild ox meat tasted very good. With this, they had confidence in opening a food shop. Liu Ru Hua cut out some of the beef from the pot, divided and packed it into small food boxes, and asked Mo Shan and Mo Hua to share it with their street neighbors and friends.

Mo Shan took it to share with their street neighbors and also friends in the demon hunting team.

Mo Hua carried the food box and first sent a share to Old Mister Feng at Apricot Forest Hall to thank Old Mister Feng for treating his mother's illness. Then he sent a share to Master Chen, after all, the stove furnace was refined by Master Chen. Since he stewed beef, he had to let people taste it.

Old Mister Feng was skilled in nourishing health through food and didn't eat much, but when he saw the beef sent by Mo Hua, he still couldn't help but taste several slices and praised it endlessly.

Master Chen was even more enthusiastic. He divided half of the beef to Da Zhu and his fellow disciples and kept the rest for himself to enjoy slowly with wine.

There were still several portions left, which Mo Hua then sent to Da Hu's home.

Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu were all surnamed Meng and belonged to the same family, but the three were not blood brothers.

The Meng family was originally prosperous, with three generations living together. The old master had three sons, and each son had a grandson, making these three grandsons Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu.

But the good times didn't last long. Shuang Hu's father died while hunting and killing demon beasts. Shuang Hu's mother became ill with depression and also passed away not long after.

Xiao Hu's father went out to do business and got involved with other female cultivators, and never came back. Old Master Meng hired people to inquire about him. Some said he had changed his name and surname and started a new family, while others said he was seduced by an improper demon female, had his marrow sucked and soul drawn, and was refined into a human elixir.

Regardless, he never returned. Xiao Hu's mother felt disgraced and remarried.

Originally, Old Master Meng thought that his descendants would multiply for several generations and produce a Foundation Building cultivator, making the Meng family a small family of some reputation in Tong Xian City. He didn't expect that out of his three sons, two were gone in the blink of an eye. The old master was so angry and anxious that he fell ill with a heart attack and never recovered, passing away not long after.

Thus, the main pillar of the Meng family was only the eldest son. He didn't complain about anything and raised his two brothers' children as his own. If there was food, they ate together; if there wasn't, they went hungry together. When the children made mistakes, they were beaten and scolded together.

However, as the three children gradually grew up, their appetites also increased. The already not wealthy family became even more strapped than others.

When Mo Hua sent the beef over, the Meng family was eating dinner.

Da Hu, Shuang Hu, and Xiao Hu were gnawing on steamed buns and chewing pickled vegetables. Hearing that Mo Hua had brought beef, their eyes widened, and when Mo Hua opened the food box, and the fragrance wafted out, the three of them couldn't help but drool.

Aunt Meng glared at the three children, "Before eating other people's things, first thank them!"

Shuang Hu was the first to pat his chest and say: "Mo Hua! There's no need for formalities between brothers. Later, no matter who bullies you, I'll beat them for you!"

Da Hu and Xiao Hu also said together: "Me too! Me too!"

Aunt Meng picked up her chopsticks and knocked each of the three little tigers on the head, saying crossly: "Every day you don't know how to learn good things, only how to fight. If the three of you combined had half of Mo Hua's sense, I would be burning high incense!"

After Aunt Meng finished speaking, she saw the three children looking at the meat pitifully, and her heart softened a bit. She said:

"Eat, eat. Remember to help your Uncle Mo and Aunt Liu with some things later. Don't just eat other people's food for free every day."

The three little tigers quickly nodded, then each clipped a piece of meat and put it into the bowls of Uncle Meng and Aunt Meng. Only then did they start eating the remaining meat.

As soon as the beef entered his mouth, Xiao Hu's eyes widened and he said: "This meat is too delicious!"

Da Hu and Shuang Hu stuffed their mouths with meat and nodded constantly.

Seeing that his mother's cooking was praised, Mo Hua was also very happy.

Uncle Meng and Aunt Meng tasted a mouthful of meat and kept nodding, then they clipped the remaining meat to the three boys.

Aunt Meng looked at Mo Hua with envy and said: "Your mother's cooking skills are truly good!"

Mo Hua also praised: "Aunt Meng's cooking skills are also very good!"

Aunt Meng just laughed and held Mo Hua's small hand, saying: "I really don't know how such a well-behaved and sensible child was born."

Uncle Meng tasted a mouthful of beef and said curiously: "Is this wild ox meat? It doesn't taste like it."

"It is wild ox meat, it was cooked for a long time."

"No wonder," Uncle Meng nodded, then said to Mo Hua: "I heard your family wants to open a food shop. If there's anything we can help with, just tell your uncle and aunt. We will definitely help."

"Thank you, Uncle Meng!"

After chatting for a few more sentences, Mo Hua got up to leave. Aunt Meng brought out some freshly steamed buns and some wild fruit and asked Mo Hua to take them back to eat.

"We don't have anything good at home. Take these steamed buns and fruit back to eat."

Mo Hua didn't refuse and packed the steamed buns into the food box. He gnawed on the wild fruit as he walked home.

The beef that had been stewed in the stove furnace for a long time was, as everyone who had eaten it said, very good.

Liu Ru Hua improved the cooking seasoning again, adjusted the stewing time, and also made several bowls of beef noodles for Mo Hua to taste. The soup was rich, the noodles were chewy, and the beef was fresh and fragrant. Mo Hua's eyes narrowed with happiness.

In addition, Liu Ru Hua also added some other wine drinks and snacks to sell in the food shop.

Wine was certainly indispensable, but loose cultivators were poor and used relatively poor quality grains to brew wine, so the taste was not very good. But Liu Ru Hua's self-mixed brewed wine was completely different.

She added some flowers, herbs, and fresh fruit to the brewed wine, making the alcohol content low. Coupled with the rich fragrance of different flowers and fruits, it had a slightly intoxicating sweetness and aftertaste, which Mo Hua particularly liked.

Besides beef, the food items included some pastries, fruits, pine nuts, and beef noodles, etc.

With the help of their street neighbors and friends, everything was ready, and the food shop opened for business on the first day of the month.

The food shop was originally named Mo Record Food Shop according to the street name habit, but at Mo Hua's suggestion and Mo Shan's approval, the name was finally changed to "Liu Record Food Shop".

Liu Ru Hua couldn't refuse her father and son, so she agreed.