TATLC Chapter 9

Thanks to his knife, Lu Lin peeled the yam and chopped it skillfully, then boiled the water and put the rice into the pot.

Lu Lin hesitated for a while and sneaked back into the convenience store to pick up some good rice. The coarse texture of the rice was very unpleasant, there was sand mixed in, so it was very unpleasant for Lu Lin, who grew up eating refined grains. Lu Lin then put the chopped yam into the pot when the rice was half cooked.

Sometimes Lu Lin shook his head and smiled bitterly thinking of how modern people complained about how people had abused chemicals and fertilizers, Lu Lin thought he would rather eat clean food fertilized by chemicals than organic rough rice.

Living in this time and space was hard work, one would suffer more if he couldn’t keep his body and soul together.

Lu Lin didn’t plan to hide the convenience store for too long, he wanted to let them find out in a subtle and strategic way.

Lu Lin checked the salt bottle, there wasn’t much left. So he filled it with the fine salt in his shop, salt was cheap in modern times, but it was valuable in this time and space like in ancient Rome and Country C¹ancient china. The expression of being worth salt meant that you were competent and deserved what you earned. Engaging in illegal salt trade was a serious crime here.

Lu Lin had served porridge to Chen Xiao Mai and Chen Xiao Cai before Chen Xiao Mi returned. But only Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mai felt the pleasure, Chen Xiao Cai just sat in the corner, sulking.

The porridge smelled so good, it looked pleasing to the eye as well. But Chen Xiao Cai had said that he would not eat muddy sticks, so he chose to sit in the corner even though he desperately wanted to try the porridge.

Chen Xiao Cai would catch a glimpse of Lu Lin every now and then, hoping that Lu Lin would ask him to have some. However, Lu Lin had seen the boy actually pass by, and he decided to have some fun. He just pretended not to see that fiery gaze and he would just turn around and ask Chen Xiao Mai in a warm and gentle voice: “Do you like it?”

Chen Xiao Mai nodded and smiled: “It’s delicious!”

Chen Xiao Cai scolded his younger brother loudly inwardly: ‘Stupid Little boy! Whoever feeds you is your God? This Lu Lin is just a coward who dares not go hunting, don’t smile at him!’

“Hey, you’re back. Do you want some porridge? I left you some in the pot, help yourself.” Lu Lin smiled at Chen Xiao Mi when he saw him enter the room.

Chen Xiao Mi’s mouth was already watering when he smelled the fragrance, so he went to the kitchen and served himself some porridge. His eyes shined as he swallowed it, he was surprised to find the muddy stick so delicious. He couldn’t believe it when Lu Lin said that these muddy sticks could be very delicious if cooked properly.

Chen Xiao Mi served herself another bowl and savored every mouthful of the warm and rich porridge, the taste buds and stomach seemed to enjoy the porridge more on a cold night like this.

Chen Xiao Cai looked at his elder brother, drooling, how he wished he could have it too.

Chen Xiao Mi noticed his younger brother who was sitting in the corner: “Cai, the muddy stick feels really good, he is not lying to us.”

“Really? Does it taste good?” Chen Xiao Cai muttered.

“Do you not have yours yet?” Chen Xiao Mi looked puzzled.

Chen Xiao Cai blushed, he went to the kitchen and served himself a bowl without explaining anything.

Chen Xiao Cai almost choked when he tasted the first flavor, he exclaimed in his heart: ‘Is it really that muddy stick in my mouth? Why didn’t anyone tell me it tastes so good?  The Lu family knew this secret all along? Why haven’t they told anyone? Wait, I got it! I’ll keep it for myself too, I’ll save this muddy stick for the winter for my own family!’

Chen Xiao Cai ate some more porridge and he decided that he would dig as much as possible from the next day.

“But big brother, have you noticed anything wrong?” Chen Xiao Cai said, smacking his lips.

It had been a long time since Chen Xiao Mi had enjoyed a meal so much, he remembered the texture of the porridge and realized what his little brother was talking about, it was the rice, the rice felt very soft.

“This rice tastes like polished rice, hmm, does yam make the rice better? Does yam turn rough rice into good rice?”

Chen Xiao Cai rolled his eyes: “Is that possible?”

“It might be him, I heard that some chefs in that rich family can cook very good dishes using ordinary ingredients. But I didn’t expect a man like him to have such great cooking skills.”

The view that men are superior to women is deeply rooted, cooking is usually considered a woman’s duty. Chen Xiao Mi was quite surprised that Lu Lin would serve such a delicious meal for him.

Lu Lin’s host actually could not cook at all, Lu Lin from modern society did not cook much either, but he was generous with ingredients and seasoning materials plus he had seen many new ways of cooking compared to the villagers in that space and time.

Chen Xiao Cai pouted: “It’s savory, I’m afraid we’ll have to buy salt soon, that spendthrift!”

Chen Xiao Mi frowned upon hearing that: ‘Oil, salt, looks like I have to work harder, this partner of mine is not the frugal type.’

Chen Xiao Cai checked the salt bottle and he was surprised to see the bulging pile in the bottle, he remembered that there was very little salt left! he was even more surprised after he took a closer look, it was luxurious fine salt, not the coarse salt in the bottle!

T/N: Lu Lin is so petty lol beefing with a 8 year old smh. Let me know what you think of this chapter below^^
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