Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
“Fried Rice? What kind of egg fried rice is this? Is the rice made from Black Chestnut Rice?”
Chen Zao's retro aluminum lunchbox looked quite rustic, lacking any sense of delicacy, which made Ren Xiao find it hard to imagine what amazing food could be inside.
Without wasting any words, Chen Zao directly opened the lid of the lunchbox.
Inside was a full box of Fried Rice that Chen Zao had just stir-fried, still steaming hot.
In the Golden Age, a box of Fried Rice made from Free-Range Eggs produced by welfare institutions and leftover rice was nothing special.
But in the apocalypse, the aroma wafting from this seemingly unimpressive scrambled egg fried rice, cooked with Canola Oil, rice fragrance, and Free-Range Eggs, had a dreamlike and enchanting scent.
Initially, when Ren Xiao saw this Fried Rice, a hint of disappointment flashed in her big, cute eyes. She thought the rice looked too ordinary, with the eggs all scrambled. Such a lack of care in using eggs likely meant they were made from low-nutrition, spoiled wild chicken eggs.
The rice grains didn’t look very plump either; although the color was light and visually appealing, it paled in comparison to Tangling's Golden Chestnut Rice.
The dishes made by Tangling's Top Chef were not only flavorful but also visually stunning, making them particularly appetizing.
However, the ordinary Fried Rice served in front of her by Chen Zao was a stark contrast to his claims of being a master chef. This left Ren Xiao feeling somewhat helpless.
Just as Ren Xiao was about to criticize Chen Zao for not meeting even one gram of golden standard for rice quality, she suddenly caught a whiff of a pure and rich aroma wafting from the lunchbox that had no hint of foul smell!
This surprised Ren Xiao.
The pure fragrance of the rice reminded her of the sweet steamed buns made from flour ground by Chen Zao.
Her mouth began to water uncontrollably.
“This rice smells so good! How come there’s not even a hint of bad smell?”
Tilting her head back, Ren Xiao asked Chen Zao in astonishment.
“I’m quite particular about food. I love researching how to eliminate bad odors from food and what ingredients pair best for optimal taste. Don’t be fooled by how this Fried Rice looks; it took me several years to perfect this level of Fried Rice. I’m just a tiny bit away from achieving perfection.”
“Impressive!”
Fooled by Chen Zao, Ren Xiao couldn't wait to taste the flavor of this fragrant Fried Rice. Just the smell alone had her struggling to contain her intense craving for delicious food.
Seeing Ren Xiao's head constantly leaning toward the lunchbox, Chen Zao deliberately teased her appetite by holding the lunchbox a bit farther away and blowing on it. "I don't know where your Black Chestnut Rice comes from, did you grow it yourself? The rice I used for this Fried Rice is sourced from the least polluted grains I found after traversing countless mountains and rivers in nature. After going through multiple processes to eliminate any foul odors, it finally releases the purest rice fragrance. As for the egg, it's even more impressive..."
Unable to hold back any longer, drool almost spilling out, Ren Xiao interrupted Chen Zao, "Stop it! I'll buy it! Just let me taste it!"
"The cost of this rice is very high; it took me a long time to prepare this portion. If you want to buy it, I'll give you a discount—1 gram of gold per serving. If you think that's too expensive, I won't sell it and will just keep it for myself."
Chen Zao's heart was truly black; he was practically deceiving everyone!
Four ounces of leftover rice, paired with two Free-Range Eggs, some chopped green onions, Canola Oil, MSG, and salt, and he dared to sell it for 1 gram of gold!
This price converted into Golden Age currency would amount to over ten thousand!
Even selling gold on the black market could fetch 10,000 yuan!
Ren Xiao was like a greedy cat caught in Chen Zao's culinary trap, unable to move forward or backward.
1 gram of gold could afford her a lavish meal in Tangling, yet now it could only buy a box of Fried Rice from Chen Zao—this was simply outrageous!
Although she was the daughter of Chief Ren, Ren Xiao's wallet wasn't so full that she could spend money without a care.
Now that she was an adult, Ren Xiao could only take home a small allowance of grams of gold each month from her family; everything else she had to earn herself.
Having just joined the Bandit Guard Army, Ren Xiao started at a low level as a Squad Leader, earning only 1 gram of gold per month along with 1 milliliter of pure low-grade Beast Oil.
Adding up all her income, her total monthly earnings barely reached grams of gold.
Due to her gluttony, Ren Xiao had never saved any money.
Whenever she had cash, her Third Brother would drag her off to Tangling to spend it all at restaurants there.
Ren Xiao had just told Chen Zao that she needed to go home to the Exchange Office to get money; in reality, she was going to advance her allowance for next month.
Recently, she had been going into the Rainforest alone to hunt because she had already spent all her allowance and salary for this month and needed to hunt for money to buy good food.
Now, having to spend 1 gram of gold to buy a portion of Fried Rice, Ren Xiaozhen felt heartbroken.
After biting her teeth several times, she finally made up her mind and said to Chen Zao, "Alright! I am willing to spend 1 gram of gold for your Fried Rice. But the condition is that it must be really delicious! If it’s not good, I won’t pay that much!"
"Don't worry, the food I, Chen Zao, make will never disappoint."
Chen Zao handed the lunchbox to Ren Xiao. Just as Ren Xiao reached out to take it, he pulled it back with a disdainful tone, saying, "Your hands are too dirty. Go wash them in the water first. We should treat food with the same respect we give to deities; we must have a respectful and sincere attitude to receive its most delicious rewards. Eating with such dirty hands will defile the delicacies I’ve prepared."
Ren Xiao was momentarily stunned by Chen Zao's pretentious culinary standards.
Obediently, she went to the stream to wash her hands clean and even washed the spoon and chopsticks from her animal skin pouch before returning to Chen Zao to receive the rice.
"Good, eat it while it's hot. The fishy smell is strongest when it's hot; it will become more pronounced as it cools down. I just made this for myself, but unexpectedly, you get to enjoy it. You’re in for a treat today."
Chen Zao finally handed the lunchbox over to Ren Xiao.
Ren Xiao brought the lunchbox close to her nose and took a deep whiff of this 1-gram gold portion of Fried Rice. The pure aroma was like a celestial cloud passing by, almost making her drool!
Although she had eaten many lavish meals and tasted various flavors of Golden Chestnut Rice, she had never encountered such a pure rice fragrance!
In this foul-smelling Rainforest, the aroma of this Fried Rice was like the enchanting fragrance of an orchid blooming in an empty valley—so pure and beautiful that Ren Xiao felt a bit reluctant to eat it!
Comment 0 Comment Count