Free Web NovelThe morning sky was hazy, making one worry if another heavy snow would suddenly fall.
Qingmu Camp was still busy, with soldiers occupied with various post-war matters. The pristine white ground quickly became covered with all sorts of messy footprints and wheel tracks.
The mess hall was even livelier. Cooking utensils had been moved to an open space, and fresh vegetables and ingredients were constantly being transported in by large and small carts, as everyone busily prepared to make dumplings.
The arrival of an Ice Cube made everyone busy put down their work and greet her loudly.
Li Mo hadn't fully recovered and had come over using a combined technique with Huang Donglai.
"Isn't the Qianlong Ranking about to be released again?"
"Counting the days, it really is. Li Shaoxia this time is like a Heavenly God descending. To be a match for ten thousand at this age, which young Prodigy could achieve such a feat?"
"In my opinion, before Li Shaoxia, our current Crown Prince might not even be worthy of being called the number one Prodigy."
"To be fair, indeed. After all, the Crown Prince's status is there. If Yantian Sect doesn't rank him first, Your Majesty's face would be lost. It's hard to say if there's any foul play."
"Why do you think the action of Huang Shaoxia carrying Li Shaoxia is so practiced?"
"Because he... is good at it?"
Before long,
Li Mo and Huang Donglai arrived at the kitchen, where all the generals were busy, equally bustling. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Wu Lang was wielding his thick-backed golden ringed saber to chop vegetables, while the nearby garrison general, who must have practiced the martial art of deflecting force, was engaged in receiving, transforming, and releasing with the dough.
It was Uncle Qu, with his white hair, who was the most down-to-earth, mixing dumpling filling.
"Uncle Qu, are you not going to dye your hair back?"
Li Mo disengaged the combined technique and asked casually.
Looking at his grizzled hair, it made Qu Sheng's profound and steady demeanor appear much more approachable.
It easily reminded one of a middle-aged family pillar, toiling and rushing for life, aging quickly.
"No more trouble."
Qu Sheng squinted seriously, his hands never stopping: "I'm researching something very important."
"Oh?"
Li Mo immediately became solemn. The word 'important' rarely came out of Qu Sheng's mouth.
"Furthermore, I've already used my signature martial arts, one 'Falling Cloud Palm' and one 'Golden Silk Cloud-Cutting Saber', but I still can't take it down."
"Take down what?"
"The dumpling filling."
Qu Sheng brought over a plate of dumpling filling.
Li Mo: "..."
This pork endured too much unnecessary suffering.
"Too much cabbage, and the pork is too fatty. Dumpling filling is best with a mix of lean and fat, finely chopped..."
Chef Li couldn't do it himself now, but he still offered technical guidance.
"This is also a skill, and it takes a lot of effort."
"Why did Commander think of mixing dumpling filling himself today?"
"When I left home, my family ate in town, and we had pork and green onion dumplings. Later, I ate them many times, but I never tasted that flavor again, never had it again."
Qu Sheng reminisced about the taste of that plate of dumplings.
But after all, he hadn't been home for thirty or Forty years, so he might not even remember the shape of the dumplings clearly, let alone the taste.
"How about trying this? This is an ancestral secret recipe; I usually don't tell anyone."
"Oh?"
Qu Sheng took the ancestral dumpling filling recipe given by Li Mo and excitedly began to study it, as if he had obtained some profound Secret Manual.
And in Li Mo's mind, a prompt sounded:
【Congratulations, Host, for successfully investing in Qu Sheng and helping him find the taste of his hometown.】
【Investment Feedback: Homeward Arrow.】
【Homeward Arrow】: "Write a name on the arrow's tail, and it will be sent to the person you are thinking of, provided that person is still alive."
Li Mo was stunned.
Commander Qu should have been able to provide normal investment feedback.
How come there was no feedback after defending Qingmu City?
Tianming Divine Eye activated, and Li Mo looked at Qu Sheng, who was flipping through the dumpling filling recipe.
【Name: Qu Sheng】
【Age: 52】
【Bone Structure: Golden Beam Jade Bone (Acquired Alteration)】
【Realm: Outer Scenery Third Heaven.】
【Destiny: Black】
【Evaluation: Born with a common body, ordinary Aptitude, a life of toil and hardship, born into suffering, fortunately dying in peace.】
【Recent Encounter: Burning his lifespan, overdrawing his Outer Scenery, left with a strong longing for home, hoping to hold on until Zhennan King returns, then resign and return to his hometown to settle down.】
Li Mo instantly understood why he hadn't received feedback from Qu Sheng.
Because he hadn't changed the other party's fate.
Qu Sheng would still die in the defense of Qingmu City, just a little earlier or later, and Qu Sheng obviously didn't successfully wait for Zhennan King, eventually dying in a foreign land.
"Li Shaoxia, does this look right?"
A newly prepared basin of dumpling filling was brought before him.
"Yes."
Li Mo's furrowed brows relaxed, and he nodded.
Xiao Li, the Genius, pondered for a moment, then suggested:
"How can eating dumplings be without a little something extra? Let's put something inside when we wrap them."
"That's true, for good luck. What should we put in?"
"Let's put some money in."
Huang Donglai excitedly pointed to his missing front tooth. He had only eaten dumplings once in his life, but he ate so fiercely that his front tooth chipped on a copper coin.
After that, he became very cautious.
"Alright."
Li Mo had just that intention.
Bang--
Several wooden boxes heavily hit the ground. Li Mo didn't have time to count the money from the investment feedback, so he just stuffed it all into the boxes, about fifty or sixty of them.
"What is this?"
"Banknotes."
"?"
The mess hall fell silent for a moment. Wu Lang picked up a banknote, and it clearly stated one thousand taels.
Three boxes, all of them. He wouldn't dare burn paper money for his ancestors like this.
Huang Donglai, however, was used to it and shook his head:
"Brother Li, how can banknotes be boiled in a pot? It's better to exchange them for copper coins or silver bits."
"Good point."
"Hmm, and the key is that there are tens of thousands of people, so many dumplings, even more banknotes might not be enough to distribute..."
"That's not necessarily true."
"??"
So, thumb-sized golden beans were made and wrapped into the dumpling filling.
"Cough, Donglai, help me for a moment."
"What's wrong?"
Huang Donglai didn't know why he was being called again, so he put down his work and went over.
Xiao Li glanced at Qu Sheng and saw that our Qingmu Commander-in-Chief was carrying the wrapped dumplings out to cool in the snow, before he pulled something from his sleeve.
"Wrap this into a dumpling, and remember to make a mark so it doesn't get lost when boiled."
"What is this?"
"A supreme treasure pill."
"Hiss..."
Huang Donglai did a tactical lean back.
A supreme treasure pill, this priceless item, you're using it to ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) make dumplings?
Truly amazing.
"I'm making these dumplings precisely for this pill."
Li Mo patted his shoulder, signaling the steady Brother Donglai not to make a fuss.
Then he went to the other cooks and took out his special grilled Soul sauce.
Today's Winter Solstice celebration feast would be barbecue with dumplings.
He was just teaching the recipe.
Suddenly, footsteps came from outside, but the scene was too lively, and too many people were coming and going, making it unclear.
"Li Shaoxia, look." The cook beside him gestured with his mouth.
"Why are you suddenly twisting your mouth...?"
Li Mo was puzzled, but he instinctively turned his head.
"..."
It was the Ice Cube, coming from the ice and snow.
She was about to enter the kitchen!
Xiao Li's face changed drastically!!
