"Song Qi, is there anything you want to eat? I'll make it for you," Shen Moxi asked as she looked through the things in the system.
"I'm not picky. I'll eat whatever you make." Song Qi shook his head.
"Let's make shredded potatoes, braised pork, tomato soup, and some rice." Shen Moxi rubbed her chin and thought for a moment.
She bought two large potatoes and three tomatoes from the system and had Song Qi help wash them. She went to rinse the rice and put it on to cook before coming back to prepare the dishes.
With a man and a woman working together, the work felt lighter. Song Qi washed the vegetables and even thoughtfully peeled the potatoes.
"I'll shred the potatoes. Peel and chop the scallions, ginger, and garlic." Shen Moxi took the knife and quickly sliced the potatoes, then cut them into shreds. That kind of speed wasn't something one could develop in just a year or two.
Watching her, Song Qi couldn't help marveling. Was there anything this girl couldn't do?
Before long, the potatoes were shredded. She soaked them in water, then went to cut the pork belly. She would cook the two dishes first, then make the soup.
After cutting the pork belly, she washed it and blanched it in the wok, then rinsed it again and set it in a basket to drain. She heated oil in the wok, added the scallions, ginger, and garlic, and stir-fried them until fragrant before adding the pork belly and frying it until its aroma rose.
Seeing that they were missing some of the other seasonings, she simply bought them all from the system and had Song Qi open them.
She poured in appropriate amounts of cooking wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and rock sugar, then added enough warm water to cover the meat. She had Song Qi add more firewood to bring it to a boil over high heat. Once it boiled, they pulled out a few pieces of firewood and extinguished them, leaving the meat to simmer over low heat for about forty-five minutes.
Shen Moxi took out that alarm clock to keep track of the time and stirred the pork a few times as it cooked. When the time was finally up and the sauce had thickened, she took it out of the wok.
"Mmm, that smells so good." Shen Moxi held it in front of her nose and sniffed, then picked up a piece with her chopsticks, blew on it, and held it to Song Qi's lips. "Try it. Is it good?"
Song Qi ate it without standing on ceremony and chewed slowly. The flavor was a revelation, and he nodded appreciatively. "Yes, it's delicious. I never knew meat could taste this good."
Shen Moxi chuckled, set the braised pork aside, and started stir-frying the shredded potatoes, making them hot and sour. Then she cut the tomatoes and beat some eggs. All that remained was to make the tomato and egg soup.
By the time everything was ready, it was completely dark, and Shen Moxi's stomach had already protested its hunger many times. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Finally done. Time to eat."
"Take the dishes to the table. I'll check on the rice." Shen Moxi ladled the soup into a large basin and set it on the board.
"All right." Song Qi nodded and carried the dishes over.
The rice was ready too. Shen Moxi took another large basin, filled it with rice, and carried it to the dining table. Then she fetched four bowls and sets of chopsticks. After setting them out, she knocked on Song Yongjun's bedroom door. "Auntie Shan, dinner's ready."
"Coming!" Hearing the reply from inside, Shen Moxi went into the courtyard to wash her hands and face. Only then did she feel refreshed.
"Girl, do you still need to head out early tomorrow?" Huang Yushan looked at the two of them.
"Yes, we're going out again. We're planning to learn more out there, then open our own shop once we've earned some money and make money for ourselves." Shen Moxi nodded.
"Open your own shop?" Song Yongjun also raised his head to look at her.
"Yes. Being your own boss is better than working for someone else. We've thought it over. Once we earn a bit more, we'll add that to the money my dad gave me and rent a storefront to sell clothes. I happen to have a friend in that business, so I can learn from her and the others." Shen Moxi lied without batting an eyelid.
"But... what if you lose money running your own business?" Huang Yushan asked worriedly.
"It's fine, Auntie Shan. I'll get all the stock from her, and if it doesn't sell, I can return it to her. I won't be stuck with it, so don't worry," Shen Moxi reassured her.
"Mm, that's good. All right, let's eat. The girl's worked hard all evening." Song Yongjun stopped Huang Yushan from asking more questions.
Song Qi listened without chiming in and just kept eating. Talking more means eating several fewer pieces of meat. By the time you finish talking, I'll already be full...
Huang Yushan looked at the plate of braised pork, her heart aching at the expense. How long could that much meat have lasted them? But she didn't let it show. Moxi had bought it, so she could eat it however she wanted.
"Mmm, this braised pork is delicious. Not greasy at all, just right. Girl, your cooking is incredible." Song Yongjun was particularly pleased after taking a bite. He got up, went into his room, brought out his treasured fine liquor, and poured himself a cup.
"I learned all this from the others back when I was in school. Once you've made it often enough, you get the hang of it. If you like it, I'll make it for you more often." Shen Moxi scratched her head sheepishly.
"Yes, this really is good. You could even open a restaurant." Huang Yushan took a bite of the shredded potatoes and was very pleased too.
"Sure. We'll open a little restaurant in the future too and make lots of money." Shen Moxi nodded.
Tonight's meal was the most satisfying Song Yongjun had ever had, so he drank too much. Huang Yushan helped him off to rest, while Song Qi went to wash the dishes and told Shen Moxi to rest in their room.
Once in the bedroom, Shen Moxi thought about the styles of clothing they would sell at the stall tomorrow. She took out paper and a pen and designed two matching top-and-bottom sets, then two new dresses. The men's clothes would still be yesterday's styles. Once everything was ready, she put the designs in the workshop to be made, then bought thirty pairs of leggings and men's and women's leather shoes from the system.
Then she looked at the farm and ranch, feeling a little blue. Having to grow crops and raise livestock without being able to use any of it herself, only selling it through the system for a little money, really was infuriating.
"Xiao Tao, can I really not use anything from the farm and ranch myself?" Shen Moxi sighed.
"Master, you need to spend twenty thousand points to unlock shared use," Xiao Tao's mechanical voice drifted over.
"What??" The moment Shen Moxi heard that, she wanted to squash Xiao Tao flat.
"You heard correctly, Master. Twenty thousand points will let you share them. That's already the minimum requirement." Xiao Tao sighed helplessly.
Shen Moxi was furious. Another twenty thousand points! Did she have to hunt down more things for Song Qi to auction off??
"Master, there's something else I should tell you. Those twenty thousand points won't count toward that upgrade. They're a separate expenditure," Xiao Tao added, twisting the knife.
"Oh my God, just let me die for a bit." Shen Moxi sprawled on the kang and covered her eyes with her hands. She wanted some peace and quiet...
Just then, Song Qi opened the door and came in. Seeing Shen Moxi looking as though she had nothing left to live for, he walked over with a smile and patted her hand. "What's wrong?"
Shen Moxi lowered her hands, looked at him, and sat up. "Brother Song, how many good things do you still have?"
"What is it? Are we running short of money?" Song Qi sat down beside her.
"No." Shen Moxi told him about the farm and ranch.
"So that's it. That's easy. I still have plenty of good things-martial arts manuals, all kinds of weapons, and treasures. What do you want to auction off?" Song Qi stroked her head.
"Martial arts manuals? Can I cultivate?" Shen Moxi's eyes instantly widened at that.
"No. There's no spiritual energy here." Song Qi shook his head.
"Ah, all right. Then give me the martial arts manuals. They're no use anyway, so let's see how much they'll fetch at auction." Shen Moxi sighed. What a pity.