CFSMS -Chapter 283 Rice Balls Can Hold Anything

The success of the beef noodles was certainly touching to Lu Wu, but when the sixth day of her food stall arrived, she found herself racking her brain once again.

The world of cuisine was vast and profound. There were so many dishes that made her mouth water that choosing between them became an impossible dilemma.

In the end, she settled the matter by drawing lots.

And the winner was—

Purple Rice Balls.

Sure, a small rice ball might seem unimpressive among so many delicacies.

But as a staple food, it was filling, attractive, highly customizable, and undeniably a fan favorite.

Lu Wu absolutely refused to admit that the real reason was that all the other dishes were too complicated and she didn’t feel like making them.

Once she had decided, preparations began.

She mixed purple rice and glutinous rice together and soaked them overnight. That way, the cooked rice would turn out softer and chewier.

As for purple rice, there was a useful little fact: it absorbed less water than regular rice, so when cooking it, slightly less water should be used than when making white rice.

Early the next morning, the aroma of steaming rice drifted from the stall.

The mixed grains released a uniquely sweet fragrance.

“Boss Lu, are you just selling plain rice today?”

The customer who asked looked somewhat disappointed. Several days of incredible food had spoiled everyone’s palate. Looking at a giant bucket of rice, he simply couldn’t get excited.

“What’s wrong with rice? Even if it were just plain rice, as long as Boss Lu made it, I’d still love it.”

One of Lu Wu’s most devoted fans immediately opened fire in her defense.

He shoved the first speaker aside and puffed out his chest.

“If you look down on rice that much, then move aside and let me be first in line.”

The customer who got pushed away stood there in a daze, feeling that something about the situation was oddly strange.

Having successfully seized the front position, the devoted customer gazed at Lu Wu with eager anticipation.

Boss Lu, I’m first today.

Ignoring the increasingly peculiar looks from her customers, Lu Wu blinked mischievously at the crowd and brought out a dazzling assortment of ingredients.

As everyone knew—

Rice balls could hold anything.

So the secret spicy strips made a triumphant return.

Alongside them came meat floss, pork tenderloin, ham, fried dough sticks, and more.

As for shredded potatoes, shredded kelp, and various garnishes, Lu Wu didn’t bother introducing them individually. They were merely supporting characters.

There were countless varieties and a rainbow of colors.

Combined with Lu Wu’s specially prepared chili sauce, the whole display seemed impressively mysterious.

Under everyone’s eager gaze, the rice finished steaming.

The lid was lifted.

A pot full of perfectly cooked rice came into view, each grain plump and distinct.

The originally translucent glutinous rice had been dyed a romantic deep crimson by the purple rice. The grains looked like precious gemstones, dazzling at first glance.

“That’s rice?”

Someone asked in astonishment as they stared at what looked more like an art piece.

Before anyone could fully appreciate it, Lu Wu plunged her rice paddle into the pot and began stirring.

The masterpiece was instantly ruined.

Several accusing glances landed on her, but Lu Wu pretended not to notice.

“Who’s first?”

The orderly queue had long since become crooked and chaotic thanks to everyone’s curiosity about the rice balls.

The moment she asked, the customers all shouted at once.

“Me! Me! I was here first!”

“Bullshit! You were behind me. Move over!”

“Brother, I can understand shoving me, but why are you grabbing my butt? That’s a little inappropriate.”

The harassed customer looked at the male cultivator behind him. Though his words were reproachful, his peach-blossom eyes lingered on the man with a strangely suggestive expression.

Sometimes, speechlessness truly was speechlessness.

The male cultivator behind him stared back with dead-fish eyes before slowly raising both hands.

“Huh?”

The peach-eyed man blinked in confusion, his moist eyes exceptionally beautiful.

He couldn’t understand it. If the other man had both hands raised, why was there still something hard poking his backside?

Could it be—

Instinctively, he looked down.

Only then did he realize that there was still some distance between them.

The object poking him wasn’t a hand at all.

It was a sword sheath.

As for the owner of that sheath…

His gaze passed over the male cultivator and landed on the woman behind him, who was currently flirting shamelessly with another woman.

He fell silent.

He had just been sexually harassed by a woman who wasn’t even interested in men.

How exactly was he supposed to seek justice for this?

“Next!”

While the customers’ absurd drama continued, Lu Wu worked nonstop serving orders.

She spread out a layer of rice.

Using a small brush, she evenly coated it with chili sauce. The glossy red oil gradually seeped into the rice, and that alone was enough to awaken everyone’s appetite.

“Meat floss, ham, and egg. Kelp, but no potatoes.”

“Boss Lu, I’m not in a hurry. You can take your time.”

The customer repeated his order anxiously.

Just moments earlier, Lu Wu had nearly reached for the bowl of shredded potatoes by mistake.

Acting as if nothing had happened, she calmly picked up a generous serving of kelp instead.

After confirming nothing was missing, she covered the fillings with another layer of rice.

A few twists of her wrist.

A gentle roll between her palms.

And a perfectly round rice ball was born.

Chubby and adorable.

Lu Wu wrapped it in oiled paper and handed it over.

The warmth of the rice ball seeped through the paper into the customer’s hands.

He peeled back the wrapper and looked at the plump purple sphere inside.

Finding a promising spot, he took a bite.

Although Lu Wu had compressed the rice firmly, the grains remained distinct.

As soon as a gap was bitten open, the fillings inside peeked out.

Unfortunately, he used a little too much force.

The pressure squeezed out some chili oil, which flowed across the glistening rice and coated it with a bright, glossy red sheen.

Just looking at it was enough to make one’s appetite soar.

The customer cautiously chewed a few bites.

The glutinous rice was wonderfully soft and sticky, holding the rice ball together without becoming tough.

Even more surprising was the texture of the purple rice.

It had a satisfying chewiness, and a faint natural sweetness lingered at the back of the tongue.

As his teeth worked through the rice, the various ingredients blended together.

The rich fragrance of the hidden chili sauce exploded across his palate.

Its savory flavor transformed the rice’s mildness, laying the foundation for everything that followed.

The addition of meat floss and other fillings elevated the entire experience.

Savory and sweet intertwined.

The gentle fragrance of rice slowly spread through the mouth.

It wasn’t flashy.

But it lingered.

One bite delivered pure satisfaction.

The customer was so immersed in eating that he didn’t even notice someone standing behind him.

“Is it good?”

The newcomer asked in a gloomy voice.

“Good. I’ve never eaten rice this delicious before.”

Without even turning around, the customer answered and took another huge bite.

Right now, nothing in the world was allowed to interrupt his meal.

“If it’s so good, then enjoy it slowly. But could you stop stepping on my foot?”

Every time he took a bite, his whole body tensed with delight.

And his heel ground harder and harder into the other man’s toes.

At this rate, by the time he finished the rice ball, the poor victim’s toes would be swollen.

Unable to eat and forced to suffer at the same time—this was simply unfair.

“Cough—cough—!”

The customer had been completely oblivious to his own stupidity.

Once it was pointed out, he immediately choked on a mouthful of rice.

He coughed violently, pounding his chest and stomping his feet.

Only after a long struggle did he finally recover.

That was close.

He had nearly choked to death.