CFSMS -Chapter 17 Tried It, Pregnant With Cravings

The next day, Lu Wu purchased an even larger quantity of ingredients.

Her business was getting better and better. Even with a limit of two buns per customer, demand still far exceeded supply.

The key issue was that many customers came from distant places. Lu Wu couldn’t bear to let them make the trip for nothing, so the only option was to work a little harder herself.

After becoming familiar with her suppliers, she arranged for deliveries straight to her door at scheduled times, sparing herself the trouble of making the trip.

The courtyard was piled high with unprocessed ingredients as usual, and she slowly began her preparations.

The gate to her little courtyard was shut tightly while the house bustled with activity.

A large basin of flour sat before Lu Wu. She added water and kneaded it skillfully, maintaining the perfect ratio. Before long, a soft dough formed. Its surface was smooth; a finger pressed into it would leave a dent that quickly sprang back.

Proofing dough here was easy. All she had to do was place a spirit stone beneath the basin to maintain a constant temperature, saving both time and effort.

Cultivation really did improve everyday life.

Today, Lu Wu had modified two of her recipes.

The first was a beef-and-glass-noodle bun.

The glass noodles had been soaked beforehand. They were pleasantly springy and were chopped into short sections. Along with scallions and ginger, she added shiitake mushrooms to enhance the flavor.

Chunks of beef were diced into small cubes. The bright red meat hit the hot oil with a sizzle. Once it changed color, she added various seasonings. The aroma that rose from the pan was absolutely mouthwatering.

The noodles went in next. Their crystal-clear strands absorbed the sauce’s color, becoming richly flavored and irresistibly appetizing.

As for the crab roe filling, Lu Wu planned to turn it into soup dumplings.

Compared to ordinary buns, the process was far more complicated.

The most important component was aspic.

She lifted a large piece of pork skin from the water. After blanching it, she carefully scraped away every remaining hair.

Patting the slippery surface, she tossed it into a pot.

Cooking wine, salt, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, bay leaves, and cinnamon bark—none of these could be omitted. Water was added, and everything simmered over low heat until the skin became tender enough to fall apart.

As it cooked, wave after wave of aroma rose from the pot, practically blasting straight into her soul.

When she finally lifted the lid, she skimmed away the foam floating on top. What remained was a rich, milky-white broth that smelled incredible.

A gentle prod with the spatula nearly dissolved the pork skin into the soup.

She sealed it and used spirit stones to rapidly cool it down. Once the aspic had set, it looked translucent, glossy, and perfectly smooth.

The crab roe and crab meat were extracted, while prepared pork was minced into a fine paste.

This filling didn’t need to be stir-fried.

The pork paste, aspic, seasonings, crab roe, and crab meat were simply mixed together thoroughly.

The clockwise stirring motion was surprisingly exhausting. By the time she finished, Lu Wu’s shoulders were aching.

When she finally looked at the time, it was already noon.

She was so hungry she was nearly out of strength.

The remaining two fillings stayed unchanged.

The dough had also finished proofing, and Lu Wu decided that lunch would be soup dumplings.

She rolled the dough into long ropes, pinched off portions, and flattened each one into a thin wrapper.

The filling was tightly enclosed within the delicate skin. Using her fingers, she carefully pleated the tops.

Once steamed, the aspic inside would melt into broth and could easily leak out, so she deliberately refrained from overfilling them.

The water in the steamer had long since reached a rolling boil.

Lu Wu placed the dumplings inside.

She didn’t have to wait long.

About fifteen minutes later, the wrappers began turning translucent. Through the thin skin, the filling inside could be seen gently wobbling.

They were done.

The moment she lifted the lid, a fragrant cloud rushed out.

Lu Wu inhaled deeply, her eyes curving into crescents.

Her One Realm Communicator suddenly chimed.

It was a message from Old Li, politely expressing his desire to pay her a visit.

There was no need to guess.

The aroma had reeled him in again.

Chuckling, Lu Wu agreed.

“Ahem, Little Lu, what new buns are you making today?”

At the kitchen doorway, Old Li appeared with astonishing speed, as if carried by a gust of wind.

Ignoring Lu Wu’s teasing gaze, he stared longingly at the soup dumplings, saliva uncontrollably gathering in his mouth.

How could buns be this beautiful?

Old Li was completely transfixed.

“These are crab roe soup dumplings. Take your time eating them, Grandpa Li. They’re very hot. Bite a small hole first, otherwise the soup inside will spill.”

Lu Wu arranged the dumplings on a plate and handed it over.

Looking at the thin-skinned, generously filled dumplings, Old Li carefully lifted one by its pleated top and held it up to the sunlight.

Fragments of sunlight shone through the wrapper.

Through the translucent skin, he could see the melted filling gently swaying with his movements.

The entire dumpling resembled a delicate work of art, crystal-clear and exquisite.

After dangling for a while, however, the wrapper was clearly beginning to struggle under the weight.

It started sagging.

Unable to resist any longer, Old Li took a bite.

Unfortunately, he used the same strategy as before—

One bite. Straight down.

But the beauty of a soup dumpling lies in that moment of surprise when teeth pierce the delicate wrapper and the scalding broth bursts forth unexpectedly.

Naturally, the inexperienced Old Li fell victim.

“Ouch!”

He cried out, clutching his mouth.

Drops of soup had even splattered onto his clothes.

Despite staining his new outfit, Old Li couldn’t care less.

His eyes were filled only with appreciation and enjoyment.

The advantage of swallowing it all at once was that every bit of flavor remained trapped within his mouth.

The crabs Lu Wu used were all top-quality.

After careful preparation, the ingredients retained their natural freshness.

The high heat fully awakened those flavors, which then merged with the rich broth formed by the melted aspic.

The warm stream slid straight down Old Li’s throat.

The taste was so wonderful that he barely dared part his lips, as though he feared the flavor might escape.

Watching him struggle, Lu Wu grinned like a crafty little fox.

Unlike him, she had experience.

She bit a tiny opening and slowly sipped the broth inside.

For Lu Wu, the soup dumpling had surpassed every other flavor.

It had become her absolute favorite.

After finishing one, she wiped her mouth.

Excellent.

Being laughed at by a junior, Old Li could no longer maintain his dignified expression.

His eyes kept darting toward the remaining dumplings in the steamer.

The hint couldn’t have been more obvious.

Lu Wu understood instantly.

“This whole basket is for you.”

She had made plenty, and cultivators had enormous appetites, so she was very generous.

“Little Lu, don’t worry. I won’t disappoint you.”

Squeezing her aside and taking over personally, Old Li uttered a mysterious sentence Lu Wu couldn’t understand.

After eating and packing away extras, Old Li finally returned home patting his bulging stomach.

He opened the One Realm Communicator and contacted the sect members.

“Last night’s performance was excellent. The time has come to reward merit.”

“The top three contributors in the operation will each receive two buns. Let me state in advance: they’re a brand-new variety.”

“Already tried. Already pregnant.”

“Everyone else who didn’t receive rewards should remember to line up early today.”

He attached a picture of his swollen stomach.

Then he looked at the six remaining soup dumplings in his hand with great reluctance.

Honestly, he felt he could still squeeze in a few more.

But the members had performed too well.

Rewards had to be given.

Inside a residence in River Town, Lou Xiaotian grinned smugly the moment he saw Old Li’s message.

No reason other than the fact that he had ranked exactly third.

First place belonged to a certain genius who hid his identity and used the codename “Swear to Kill Da Huang.”

Second place belonged to Miss Furong from the Hundred Flowers House.

Those two were monsters.

Lou Xiaotian couldn’t compete with them, so he settled for third.

The previous night, working together with the brother and sister who had defected from the Hidden Spirit Sect, they tracked down the remaining cult members and completely eradicated them from River Town.

From this day onward, River Town would be just like Boss Lu’s buns—

Clean, pure, and spotless.

As for them, these guardians would continue walking unseen through the night, protecting Boss Lu’s safety with their lives.

And all of it—Was for this very moment.