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Chapter 18 Instant Noodles, the Eternal God

"This is... food?"

Liu Shuyue looked at the instant noodles in front of her, unsure of where to start.

It looked shiny and had beautiful, enticing patterns, completely unlike any kind of relief food. But to say it was edible didn't seem quite right either.

“Yes. It’s just a little complicated to eat…you need someone to guide you,” Chen Xuan explained enthusiastically. “Of course, these are included in the bonus services of the ability transaction, and you won’t be charged extra.”

The goods arrived very quickly.

I made the call in the afternoon, and the first batch of goods arrived at Tianlu Community the next morning. The truck was loaded with two hundred boxes, totaling four thousand packages.

To store this batch of goods, he had to temporarily sacrifice the store space, filling the first floor to the brim.

"Watch closely, I'll demonstrate it first."

Chen Xuan brought out bowls, chopsticks, and hot water, and began to demonstrate his instant noodle-making skills.

The whole process was smooth and effortless.

Liu Shuyue watched intently.

She knew she wasn't just looking at a bowl of noodles... but at the fate of tens of thousands of disaster victims. She memorized every single movement the other person made, even the angle at which the seasoning was poured in.

She quickly realized that something was wrong.

As boiling water was poured into the bowl, releasing a rich aroma, Liu Shuyue couldn't help but swallow.

What is this!?
Such a complex and layered aroma, the wheat fragrance mixed with sweet, sour, salty and spicy, is simply irresistible! She is also a person who has eaten good food. From the royal banquet to the private kitchens of the governors and prefects, she has basically experienced them all. Birds and beasts and rare seafood are indeed delicious dishes, but this unassuming bowl of soup noodles in front of her has a subtle presence that can rival them!

Disciples of the sect emphasize self-discipline and guarding one's mind, not being tempted by external things. She is the same. She doesn't have high requirements for food, as long as it can fill her stomach and is not poisonous or harmful. But she also understands very well how much effort it takes to make a dish perfect in color, aroma and taste. This effort can be measured in terms of time and money.

Cooking skills require time to develop, and top-quality ingredients and spices are expensive, so dishes with complex aromas are only affordable for the very wealthy.

They were completely incompatible with the term "relief food" from the very beginning!
The disaster victims just want to survive!

Using this for disaster relief...aren't you going in the wrong direction?
"It's ready." Chen Xuan stirred the noodles with his chopsticks, then handed them to Liu Shuyue. "Here, try it and see how it tastes."

She didn't take the chopsticks, but stared straight at Chen Xuan, her eyes clearly showing reproach.

Chen Xuan looked at him for a moment, then realized what he meant and shook his head with a smile, “Don’t worry, this stuff isn’t much more expensive than a bowl of rice porridge. If you consider the recent continuous rise in grain prices in Zhangwei City, it’s actually a little cheaper than a bowl of porridge.”

"what?"

Liu Shuyue was stunned.

This stuff... is cheaper than the simplest vegetarian porridge?
"Would I lie to you? Honesty is the foundation of doing business. If instant noodles are too expensive, wouldn't I go bankrupt from just one order?" Chen Xuan shook his chopsticks again.

This time, Liu Shuyue took it over.

The phrase "Wouldn't I go bankrupt?" touched her.

That's right... No business owner would be willing to do business at a loss. Although the shop run by this man is extraordinary, he is indeed a very experienced businessman.

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

The aroma was even stronger than she had expected, the pickled cabbage was perfectly seasoned, and the lingering spiciness after swallowing the broth added another layer of complexity to the flavor. The noodles themselves might be ordinary, but the seasoning was absolutely masterful!
What kind of effort did the person who cooked the dish put in?

It seems like you're just pouring in boiling water.

If it's really as cheap as Chen Xuan said, then this bag of noodles is a miracle.

“I can’t find any fault with it…” Liu Shuyue said with emotion, “Even by the standards of a wealthy family, it can be served on the table as a staple food. It’s just that it requires extra hot water and bowls and chopsticks… and it won’t be a small number when there are many refugees.”

"Bowls and chopsticks are also included as a complimentary service; we'll cover them all." Chen Xuan was prepared, since disposable plastic bowls and bamboo chopsticks are extremely cheap, barely covering any cost. "However, we need to prepare boiling water in advance. I saw a few large pots in front of the disaster relief camp; why don't we use those to boil water?"

Fuel is a resource, after all. Fortunately, he had surveyed the local area and found large forests outside the city. It was early autumn, so he wouldn't have trouble getting firewood.

“No problem.” Liu Shuyue had the same idea. “I’ll go ask Shen Fang to borrow it.”

"One more thing, although this stuff is cheap, it's not unlimited," Chen Xuan added. "Each person can only eat one pack a day, so they can last longer. As for how to distribute it and how to guide them on how to get water and eat the noodles, that's something you'll have to work on."

"This is what I should do. I'll go and arrange for someone to move the food." Liu Shuyue stood up with great interest, preparing to leave the room on the second floor. She turned back halfway and bowed deeply to Chen Xuan.

“Sir, you are very righteous. On behalf of the people of Qingzhou who suffered from the disaster, I would like to express my gratitude to you.”

Watching the girl's hurried departure, Chen Xuan couldn't help but scratch his head.

It always felt a bit odd that a cultivator addressed himself as "Master".

Fine, let her call me whatever she wants.

We still have several more truckloads of goods to receive.

……

……

"My lord, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!"

Shen Fang was having breakfast in his residence when he heard Tang Juncheng's urgent shouts coming from outside.

"What kind of behavior is this, shouting and yelling?" Seeing him enter the room, Shen Fang put down his chopsticks and said in a stern voice, "Those disaster victims couldn't help but start rioting?"

For Prefect Zhangwei, this was also the most likely danger the city would face. The city was far from the border, its walls were low, and the Qingzhou army would take several days to arrive; if it were besieged by a mob, it would be quite troublesome.

Fortunately, there was a celestial master in charge of the city.

Although the immortal master felt great sympathy for the refugees, she should also know what was more important. Refugees were people, and the people of Zhangwei were also people; in terms of numbers, the city's residents were far greater.

If it really comes to that, he doesn't believe the immortal master won't intervene.

"Oh? No, not at all." The prefect quickly waved his hand.

Not a riot? "Then why are you in such a hurry?"

"The disaster victims...the disaster victims have something else to eat!"

Shen Fang was slightly taken aback. "Has anyone received relief?"

At this juncture, both major grain traders and producers are eyeing rising grain prices. Who would easily release their grain? Wouldn't that be throwing money away?

"It doesn't seem like it was released from the city. I asked around, and no one opened that channel," the prefect said in one breath. "The current situation is that none of those eight thousand or so people are starving. Everyone had a full meal yesterday at noon, and they weren't even fighting over the relief porridge! I went to the west side for a look, and the scene there was simply bizarre. The camp of several thousand people was filled with laughter and conversation, and no one was crying, shouting, or fighting. It was completely different from the atmosphere two days ago!"

"Are you sure?" Shen Fang frowned.

He knew the situation of these refugees, of course. The relief porridge distributed each day was only enough for two or three thousand people. Zhang Wei could not afford to feed so many refugees who had gathered from the beginning. In order to fight for this limited food, disputes, conflicts, and even murders would break out in the camp at any time.

If you climb the city walls at night and listen carefully, you can hear the faint cries and lamentations coming from outside the city. Hunger and death are constantly tormenting these poor people, and negative emotions are growing like a flood crashing against a dam, which will eventually burst forth.

As more and more refugees arrive, the food shortage will only worsen... It's fair to say he foresaw that these people would turn into thugs and do anything to survive.

“Absolutely true!” The prefect nodded repeatedly. “They all had food yesterday, and today they seem like a completely different group! If you don’t believe me, you can come with me to take a look later!”

Yesterday? What happened yesterday?

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

(End of this chapter)