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Chapter 179: Laba Rice Noodles

Early morning, the villagers of Wangjia Village once again rode their solar cars to plant sorghum.

The nearest neighboring villages, such as Zongjia Village, Zhangjia Village, and Lijia Village, had already received the divine miracle of rain from the Dragon King and could now plant their fields. Although the villagers didn't yet have public buses, the cement roads were already under construction, and their spirits were soaring. They shouldered their hoes and set off cheerfully for their own farmlands.

The Militia, which usually drilled early every morning, was unexpectedly late today. Cheng Xu had delayed their assembly time by an hour, telling them to rest well and train when refreshed.

Li Daoxuan also woke up early, as usual, holding a giant braised pork bun. He took a bite of the bun and a sip of soybean milk.

Gao Family Village's old Village Chief was lounging in his woven bamboo chair, holding a picture book of the "Stories of the Yang Family Generals" in his hands, reading it with great amusement.

“This book is good, truly good, hehe...” The Village Chief’s eyes crinkled with laughter. “Magnificent, absolutely magnificent!”

When he was young, the old man often traveled to the county town, where he heard storytellers recount tales of the Yang Family Generals. He even snuck glances at opera performances from beneath the stage, but without money for a tip, he was too embarrassed to get a closer look.

As a result, his knowledge of the Yang Family Generals' stories was fragmented, never forming a complete narrative.

Now that he had his own picture book to read, the story suddenly became coherent, and he devoured it with endless delight.

However, his stomach rumbled loudly, seeming to protest.

Just then, a shout echoed from nearby: “Rice noodles for sale! A rare southern delicacy, rice noodles! Hehe, anyone want to try? Just five copper coins a bowl!”

The Village Chief paused, surprised.

Li Daoxuan was equally taken aback.

Someone was selling this in Gao Family Village now?

Li Daoxuan looked in the direction of the voice. It was Gao Laba! Just a few days ago, Daoist Ma Tianzheng had taught Gao Laba the technique for making southern rice noodles. Li Daoxuan had even watched the commotion then, but the rice soaking stage took too long, and he disliked watching "slow, unchanging processes," so he'd shifted his attention. He hadn't expected it to already be on sale.

Gao Laba was like a quintessential street vendor, carrying a small shoulder pole, weaving through the nine halls and eighteen courtyards of the Gao Family main fortress. He shouted, “Rice noodles for sale!”

The Village Chief called out, “Laba, is that you selling rice noodles? Come, come, come over here.”

Gao Laba didn't see anyone, but he recognized the Village Chief's voice. He turned left and right through the passageways, and in a flash, he was before the old Village Chief. He lowered his shoulder pole, placed it in front of the Village Chief, and cheerfully asked, “Village Chief, would you like a bowl?”

The Village Chief chuckled, “I’ll have a bowl. I was so engrossed in my book, I couldn’t be bothered to cook for myself. Let’s see what your rice noodles taste like, then.”

Surprisingly, inside Gao Laba’s small carrying basket was a large ceramic pot. He lifted the lid, and inside were freshly cooked, steaming hot rice noodles. He scooped out a bowl, sprinkled a few grains of salt into it, and handed it to the Village Chief.

The Village Chief slurped a mouthful, and his expression immediately brightened. “Oh? This is surprisingly delicious!”

Gao Laba chuckled, “Daoist Ma taught me. He said southerners invented it, and they have many ingenious ways of preparing rice, which we northerners don’t know.”

The Village Chief was very satisfied with the taste of the rice noodles. He mentally calculated, “This stuff is only five copper coins a bowl. If I eat one every day until I die of old age, it won’t cost much. Why should I bother cooking for myself every day? With these old arms and legs, and no wife to help, cooking alone is truly exhausting.”

The Village Chief declared, “Laba, from now on, bring me a bowl every morning.”

Gao Laba was overjoyed. “You got it!”

It was an excellent start. Gao Laba's spirits soared. He picked up his shoulder pole and wandered enthusiastically through the fortress, selling dozens of bowls in no time. After all, the main fortress was home to the “old villagers,” who were all rich beyond desire. Eating a rare delicacy for five copper coins was no burden at all for them.

Even Gao Sanwa had a bowl, slurping it enthusiastically, clearly enjoying it immensely.

Gao Laba's opening day was a resounding success. The rice noodles in his ceramic pot sold out completely, boosting his confidence greatly. He secretly plotted, “Tomorrow, I’ll prepare more rice noodles and earn even more money.”

However...

If he prepared too many rice noodles and couldn't sell them quickly enough, they'd get soggy and turn into a mush. What then?

Gao Laba had no choice but to find Ma Tianzheng and shared his recent dilemma.

Ma Tianzheng laughed. “You should open a shop. Wait for customers to come in and say they want to eat, then cook them a bowl right there on the spot. That’s how all the rice noodle shops in the south do it.”

Gao Laba suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is! But where would I get a shop? Building a house is expensive.”

Ma Tianzheng pointed to the “Gao Family Commercial District” on the hillside. “There was a whole cluster of colorful plastic houses there, all empty. Isn’t that the Heavenly Lord’s great market? There are still many empty rooms. Go ask the Saintess, and see if you can receive the Heavenly Lord’s grace to rent an empty room for your use.”

Seeing this scene, Li Daoxuan was secretly pleased. “Excellent, a good start. Gao Family Village is playing with fire here; those plastic houses will cause problems if someone starts a fire. I need to make sure Gao Laba builds his own stove for cooking.”

Soon, Li Daoxuan’s orders were relayed through Gao Yiye.

Gao Laba was granted a special policy: the first three months were rent-free, rent would begin in the fourth month, a symbolic fifty copper coins per month, to be gradually increased later.

Li Daoxuan had expected that building a stove would be a hassle for this fellow, but it turned out to be no problem at all.

Most ancients lived in wooden houses, which were even less resistant to fire than the hard plastic houses.

Therefore, from a young age, the ancients had mastered the knack of setting up stoves indoors. They gathered some mud and stones, and quickly constructed a simple stove. No matter how much fire was stoked within this stove, not a single bit of the plastic house would be burned.

After some preparations, the second storefront in the “Gao Family Commercial District,” “Laba Rice Noodles,” officially opened. It was situated right next to the “Gao Family Village Bookstore,” managed by San Shier.

Villagers who bought picture books from the bookstore would then take their books, walk to the adjacent rice noodle shop, and while reading, they would call out to Gao Laba, “Boss, give me a bowl of rice noodles.”

Gao Laba would respond with a cheerful “You got it!” He’d grab a handful of rice noodles, toss them into a pot, and within minutes, they'd be cooked and scooped out. He’d sprinkle a few grains of salt, and serve them to the customer.

The customer, turning the pages of their picture book with their left hand, picked up chopsticks with their right, and slurped the rice noodles into their mouth. Ah, what pure bliss!