Instant Noodles, Forever the Greatest

"These are... food?"

Liu Shuyue examined the instant noodles before her, unsure where to begin.

They looked glossy and brightly colored, with exquisite, enticing packaging—nothing at all like relief rations. Yet if one said they were edible, they did not seem quite like food either.

"That's right. They're just a little more complicated to eat... someone needs to show you how." Chen Xuan introduced them enthusiastically. "Of course, this is included as a complimentary service with the ability transaction. I won't charge you extra."

The goods arrived very quickly.

He had made the call that afternoon, and the first shipment arrived at Tianlu Residential Area the following morning. One truck carried two hundred full cases, totaling four thousand packs.

To store the shipment, he had no choice but to temporarily sacrifice the shop space, piling the first floor to the brim.

"Watch carefully. I'll demonstrate once first."

Chen Xuan fetched bowls, chopsticks, and boiling water, then began displaying his instant noodle skills.

The entire process flowed smoothly.

Liu Shuyue watched without blinking.

She knew she was not merely watching a bowl of noodles... she was watching something upon which the fates of countless disaster victims depended. She committed every one of his movements to memory, even the angle at which he poured in the seasonings.

Before long, she realized something was off.

When the boiling water poured into the bowl and released a rich fragrance, Liu Shuyue could not help swallowing.

What was this!?

Such a complex, layered scent—wheat fragrance mixed with sourness, sweetness, saltiness, and spice—was simply irresistible! She had eaten fine food before, from imperial palace banquets to the private kitchens of provincial governors and Prefects. She had sampled all manner of birds, beasts, and rare seafood. Those were certainly delicacies, yet this unremarkable bowl of noodle soup somehow possessed an air that rivaled them!

Sect disciples emphasized restraining themselves and guarding their hearts, refusing to be tempted by worldly things. She was the same and had never demanded much from food; as long as it filled the stomach and was harmless, that was enough. But she also understood deeply how much effort it took to make a dish complete in color, aroma, and flavor. Measured another way, that effort meant time and money.

Culinary skill required years of accumulation, while premium ingredients and spices were expensive. Thus, dishes with complex aromas were invariably enjoyed only by the wealthy and powerful.

From the very beginning, they had been utterly incompatible with the term relief rations!

The disaster victims only wanted to survive!

Using something like this for disaster relief... wasn't that the wrong direction?

"They're ready." Chen Xuan stirred the noodles with his chopsticks, then handed them to Liu Shuyue. "Here, give them a try."

She did not take the chopsticks. Instead, she stared directly at Chen Xuan, clear reproach in her eyes.

After meeting her gaze for a moment, Chen Xuan understood. He smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry. This isn't much more expensive than a bowl of rice porridge. If we go by the grain prices in Zhangwei City, which have been rising continuously lately, it's actually a little cheaper than a bowl of porridge."

"Huh?"

Liu Shuyue was dumbfounded.

This thing... was cheaper than the plainest vegetable porridge?

"Why would I lie to you? Honesty is the foundation of business. If instant noodles were too expensive, wouldn't one order be enough to bankrupt me?" Chen Xuan shook the chopsticks again.

This time, Liu Shuyue accepted them.

The words wouldn't that bankrupt me moved her.

That was right... what merchant would be willing to do business at a loss? Though the shop run by the man before her was far from ordinary, he truly was an experienced businessman.

She carefully took a bite of noodles, and her eyes immediately lit up.

The savory fragrance was even more intense than she had imagined. The pickled cabbage was perfectly balanced, while the lingering heat that followed after swallowing the broth added another layer to the aftertaste. Perhaps the noodles themselves were ordinary, but the seasoning was unquestionably the work of a master!

But what effort had the cook put into it?

It seemed he had merely poured boiling water inside.

If it truly was as cheap as Chen Xuan claimed, then this packet of noodles was a miracle.

"I can't find a single flaw..." Liu Shuyue said with feeling. "Even judged by the standards of wealthy households, it could be served at the table as a staple dish. It only requires additional boiling water, bowls, and chopsticks... and once there are many refugees, that will not be a small expense either."

"The bowls and chopsticks are also included as complimentary service. This shop will cover all of it." Chen Xuan had prepared for this long ago. Disposable plastic bowls and bamboo chopsticks were extremely cheap, barely accounting for a fraction of the cost. "The boiling water will need to be prepared in advance, though. I saw several large pots outside the refugee camp. Why not use those to boil water?"

Fuel was also a resource.

Fortunately, he had looked over the local surroundings. There were vast forests outside the city, and it was early autumn now, so there was no shortage of firewood.

"No problem." Liu Shuyue had thought of the same thing. "I'll ask Shen Fang to lend them to us."

"One more thing: though this food is cheap, it isn't unlimited." Chen Xuan added, "Each person can only eat one pack per day. That way, it will last longer. As for how to distribute it and how to instruct them to fetch water and prepare the noodles, you'll have to put in more effort."

"This is what I should be doing. I'll arrange for people to move the food immediately." Liu Shuyue stood up eagerly and prepared to leave the room on the second floor. Halfway there, she turned back and gave Chen Xuan a deep bow.

"Sir, your righteousness is admirable. On behalf of the disaster-stricken people of Qingzhou, I thank you."

Watching the young woman's hurried departing figure, Chen Xuan could not help scratching his head.

It felt strange for an immortal cultivator to call him sir.

Forget it. She could call him whatever she liked.

There were still several more truckloads of goods to receive.

"Prefect, terrible news! Terrible news!"

Shen Fang was still eating breakfast in his residence when County Lieutenant Tang's urgent shouts came from outside.

"Why are you shouting and making such a fuss? Where is your decorum?" When he entered the room, Shen Fang set down his bowl and chopsticks in displeasure, rebuking him in a low voice. "Have those refugees finally snapped and begun rioting?"

For the Prefect of Zhang Wei, this was also the most likely danger the city could face. The city lay far from the border, its walls were low, and Qingzhou's army would still need several days to arrive. If a mob truly besieged the city, it would be quite troublesome.

Fortunately, an immortal master was stationed within the city.

Although the immortal master sympathized greatly with the refugees, she should also understand which mattered more. The refugees were people, but the citizens of Zhang Wei were people too—and in terms of numbers, there were more residents within the city.

If it truly came to that, he did not believe the immortal master would stand by without acting.

"Huh? No, that's not it." The County Lieutenant quickly waved his hands.

"Not a riot? Then what are you so anxious about?"

"The refugees... the refugees have something else to eat now!"

Shen Fang was slightly taken aback. "Has some household started handing out relief?"

At a time like this, wealthy families and grain merchants were all watching grain prices rise. Who would release grain so easily? Wouldn't that be throwing money away for nothing?

"It doesn't seem to be from within the city. I asked around, and no one has opened such a channel." The County Lieutenant spoke in one breath. "Right now, not a single one of those eight thousand people is starving. Yesterday at noon, every one of them ate their fill, and they weren't even fighting over relief porridge anymore! I went to take a look in the west, and the scene was downright eerie. A camp of several thousand people was chatting and laughing. No one was crying, shouting, or fighting. The atmosphere was completely different from two days ago!"

"Are you sure?" Shen Fang frowned.

Of course he knew the refugees' situation. The relief porridge distributed each day was actually only enough for two or three thousand people. From the beginning, Zhang Wei had been unable to provide for so many displaced people gathering here. To fight over the limited rations, arguments, conflicts, and even killings constantly erupted in the camp.

As long as one climbed the city wall at night and listened closely, one could hear mournful crying and resentful wails drifting faintly from beyond the city. Hunger and death constantly tormented those pitiful people, while negative emotions kept breeding, like floodwaters battering a riverbank—there would always come a moment when they erupted.

As more and more refugees gathered, the food shortage would only widen faster... it could be said that he had already foreseen these people turning into a violent mob, willing to do anything to survive.

"It's absolutely true!" The County Lieutenant nodded repeatedly. "They already had food yesterday, but today they're like completely different people! If you don't believe me, you can come take a look with me later!"

Yesterday? Had something changed yesterday?

Shen Fang suddenly remembered that the immortal master had borrowed several large pots from him yesterday.