Little Miss Fortune: I Will Bring Prosperity to My Tang Family!-Chapter 88: The Delicious Moo Kata

Chapter 82

The Delicious Moo Kata

The next morning,

the chubby child woke up and ran into her uncle’s room, shaking him awake until his head bobbed back and forth. By the time Tianchen woke up, his organs felt like they had melded into one. After washing their faces, they went to the kitchen where Zhang Ruo watched them with wide eyes.

"Uncle, chop some spicy peppers and garlic, and also slice some cilantro," Xiaolin instructed.

"How much do you need?"

"Hmm. Fill each small rice bowl with them,"

"Got it," Tianchen said, grabbing a basket and heading outside to gather the vegetables as his niece requested.

Meanwhile, Xiaolin asked for some firewood from the main stove, with her grandmother assisting her. The chubby child set a pan on the stove and toasted some white sesame seeds until they were fragrant. She then heated water, adding the ketchup and chili sauce she had made the day before, adjusting the proportions by taste. She seasoned it with sugar, salt, and a bit of pickled garlic juice, keeping it on a low flame while waiting for her uncle to finish chopping the peppers and garlic.

"What are you two doing up so early?" Zhang Ruo asked after watching them for a while. Seeing her granddaughter cooking something unfamiliar, she couldn’t help but inquire.

"We’re making a delicious dipping sauce, Grandmother. Today, Uncle and I are going to have something tasty at the restaurant," Xiaolin replied, her chubby cheeks forming a sweet smile.

"Is that so you little glutton? All you think about is eating, and now you’re so round," Zhang Ruo teased, pinching her granddaughter’s cheek. Xiaolin laughed happily.

"The peppers and garlic are ready, Xiaolin," Tianchen announced, handing her the bowls of chopped ingredients.

"Thank you, Uncle," Xiaolin said, pouring the peppers and garlic into the steaming pot. She used a wooden spatula to stir the mixture, tasting it to make sure it was just right.

"Mmm! It’s delicious," she exclaimed, giving some to her uncle to taste. Tianchen nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice.

"It’s really good!"

"Uncle, chop some more peppers and garlic in case anyone wants it spicier. They can add more themselves," Xiaolin instructed.

"Will do!"

The two uncle and niece busied themselves from early morning, preparing not just the dipping sauce but also gathering large heads of Chinese cabbage, morning glory, cilantro, and cabbage. Moo Kata would be best enjoyed with a variety of vegetables.

Later that morning, the carriage from the Huan household set off. Today, the twins decided to tag along since their younger sibling wasn’t home, and upon hearing about the delicious food, they hurriedly followed without even saying goodbye to their mother.

"Really, every time they come to your house, my husband and son turn into gluttons," Huan Qingqing complained to Hui Ning.

"I’m used to it, Sister Qing, hehe,"

Upon arriving at the restaurant, the children went to explore the fresh market. Xiaolin stopped by her usual pork vendor and ordered beautifully marbled cuts of pork shoulder, tenderloin, and nice pieces of pork belly.

She ordered ten jin of each because she knew the hunger of the men around her couldn’t be underestimated. If they didn’t finish the meat, she’d just take it home but she was pretty sure there’d be nothing left. Perhaps it wouldn’t even be enough for them to eat..

"Give me a jin each of liver and intestines, and three jin of pork spine as well, please,"

"Right away, little miss,

The mustached pork vendor replied with a broad smile. Xiaolin was a regular and significant customer, often ordering large quantities for the larb restaurant each morning.

After paying, their small shopping convoy returned from the market. Xiaolin decided to have the Moo Kata at the Larb restaurant because it was less hectic than the seafood restaurant. She greeted Liu Hao briefly before pulling her uncle, who doubled as her cooking assistant, into the back of the restaurant, leaving the twins and Huan Luwen to help sell food in the front.

"Uncle, please wash the pork bones and light the fire for a big pot of water. Then, could you call Uncle Tan for me? Oh, and bring me two jin each of shrimp and squid, and one jin of crispy squid," Xiaolin instructed.

"Why do you need Uncle Tan?"

"Because Uncle Tan is really good with knives! He’s the best," the chubby child exclaimed excitedly. Her uncle, who believed everything she said, ran off to follow her instructions immediately.

"Sigh! Lying all the time isn’t amusing,"

Xiaolin muttered to herself, shaking her head. She then grabbed some garlic, pepper, and cilantro roots, pounding them as she waited for her uncle to return. Before long, Huan Tan’s tall figure appeared, and Tianchen took the pork bones and pot to the back of the kitchen to prepare them as instructed.

"What’s going on?" Huan Tan asked, looking at the chubby child standing on a small wooden stool, her hands busy with the fragrant ingredients she had just pounded.

"I need your help to slice the pork. Can you do it?"

"Of course. I used to prepare it myself all the time," Huan Tan replied, rolling up his sleeves and grabbing the basket of pork as Xiaolin directed.

After setting the pot to boil the pork bone broth, the uncle-niece duo moved to the back of the kitchen to wash vegetables. Xiaolin emphasized cleanliness, especially with leafy vegetables like lettuce and cabbage, which required separating the leaves, soaking them in salted water for about fifteen minutes, and then rinsing them again before cutting.

Cilantro and morning glory also needed thorough washing. Xiaolin loved adding plenty of celery to her Moo Kata or sukiyaki for its aroma, but since she didn’t have any, she would settle for cilantro.

"Xiaolin, your blonde friends are here. Go welcome them, I’ll help Uncle Chen with the vegetables," Huan Luwen called out as he ran to the back of the restaurant to offer his help.

"Thank you," Xiaolin replied, wiping her hands clean before heading out to greet her guests. She saw the two blonde men sitting with her father and grandfather.

"Xiaolin is here," Tianrong announced when he saw his daughter approaching.

"Xiaolin, we tried making the butter you asked for and managed to make about one jin. How do you find it?" Noel asked.

"That’s enough for now. Today, we’ll just do a trial run. But if I open the restaurant, will you be able to make more for me?"

"We can, but probably not more than two jin. However, if your business does well, next year I can arrange for the ship’s captain to bring dairy cows,"

"I understand. And what about the cheese?"

Hearing her question, the two men quickly brought out a box containing a large wheel of cheese. Xiaolin’s eyes lit up at the sight of the beautiful, flawless cheese wheel. Though she had limited experience with cheese, she believed others would enjoy it if they had a chance to try.

"It’s very beautiful, and the color is perfect,"

"Yes, we put a lot of effort into it, but people here don’t seem interested. We have plenty in stock," Carlson said, noticing the excitement in the chubby child’s eyes.

"Great. Please wait a moment, I’m still preparing,"

"Do you need more help, dear? I can help," Tianrong offered, genuinely wanting to help his daughter, not because he was greedy at all.

"If you could peel the shrimp, prepare the squid and the crispy squid, please,"

"Then I’ll help too," Hui Song declared, walking briskly to the back of the restaurant without waiting for his granddaughter’s response. He had been smelling the fragrant soup for a while now.

"Master Carlson and Master Noel, please wait a bit longer. It will be ready soon. Father, could you bring back six stoves? Three for tom yum pots and three flat-bottomed pans. And please light the charcoal,"

"Yes, little miss," Tianrong responded, bending down to hug and kiss his daughter. The sight of her small mouth chattering away was endearing to him.

Xiaolin observed the twins helping Liu Hao with customers before returning to the kitchen to direct the men, who were now insisting she not lift a finger.

The hungry men worked quickly, their mouths watering from the aroma of the pork bone broth. Before long, everyone gathered around the table, eager to start eating.

Xiaolin stood on a chair to demonstrate how to eat since the stove was taller than her. She added vegetables to the pot of broth, followed by the glass noodles her uncle had just fetched. Next, she took a small dish of butter, adding it to the flat-bottomed pan until the delicious aroma filled the air, even catching the attention of customers eating grilled chicken.

"Wow, that smells amazing, Xiaolin,"

Tianchen, ever the glutton, watched as her small hands placed shelled shrimp into the pan. Once cooked, she flipped them over and cracked an egg into the pan, sprinkling shredded cheese on top.

"For the soup pot, you can add pork, squid, and shrimp. But don’t add everything at once. Just enough to eat, and then add more as needed. This way, the pork stays tender," she advised, preventing the group from dumping everything into the pot. Although she had marinated the pork, it hadn’t been long enough to achieve perfect tenderness.

"The dipping sauce I made isn’t very spicy. If you prefer it hotter, you can add more chili and garlic. Also, be sure not to use the chopsticks that handled raw meat to eat the cooked meat," she reminded them.

No sooner had she finished speaking than the previously composed men began grabbing plates of meat to add to the pot. Some started grilling shrimp with butter, mimicking her earlier demonstration.

Her uncle wasted no time, grabbing the cooked vegetables to eat first, his eyes fixed on the cooking pork, barely blinking. Xiaolin sighed, holding her chopsticks in mid-air, relieved they hadn’t devoured the shrimp with butter she had prepared, otherwise there’d be nothing left for her to eat.

"Hurry and eat, Xiaolin," Liu Hao said, quickly grabbing some pork for his chubby niece. Xiaolin looked at her Uncle Hao as if he were a deity.

"There, my good Uncle Hao," she exclaimed, taking the pork, blowing on it to cool it down, dipping it in the sauce, and savoring the bite. The tender, juicy pork with the flavorful dipping sauce made her feel like she was floating.

"Uncle, try this," Xiaolin said, placing several butter-grilled shrimps onto Liu Hao’s plate. Ching Lang, watching from the side, looked sad until Xiaolin noticed and added shrimp to his plate as well.

"Brother Lang, pass your plate," she instructed. Ching Lang beamed and quickly handed over his plate, which Xiaolin filled with more shrimp. She then felt a tug on her sleeve.

"Xiaolin, give me some too," Tianchen said, holding out his plate with a hopeful look. Xiaolin shared the shrimp with him as well. Seeing only five shrimp left in the pan, she quickly added them to her own plate before anyone else could ask. She then added butter to the pan and started grilling pork shoulder slices.

Sizzle! Poof!

"Careful, the oil is splattering," Xiaolin warned, rubbing her arm where a bit of oil had splashed. She continued grilling the pork.

"Sit down, Xiaolin. I’ll handle this," Liu Hao scolded gently, taking over the grilling. Tianchen, meanwhile, filled Xiaolin’s plate with cooked vegetables and pork from the broth pot.

"This is delicious, Xiaolin, especially the butter-grilled shrimp with cheese," Noel exclaimed excitedly. He hadn’t realized cheese could be used this way.

"If you like it, eat lots,"

"Open the restaurant! I will support you!" Hui Song declared loudly, even with his mouth full of pork.

"Then, Grandfather, you’ll have to help me manage the restaurant," Xiaolin replied, laughing as she observed how none of them retained any semblance of their usual decorum.

"Absolutely, I’m ready,"

Xiaolin sat back and enjoyed the meal without needing to grill her own food, thanks to the two handsome men diligently serving her. Occasionally, Ching Lang also tried to offer food, though it was a bit challenging as he was seated next to Liu Hao. Everyone else was too engrossed in eating to speak much, continuously refilling the pot with pork and other meats.

"What are they eating? It smells amazing," a customer’s voice rang out from the restaurant, though the gluttons at the large table only heard the sizzle of grilling pork.

"Yeah, the aroma is so enticing, I can hardly finish my grilled chicken,"

"I want some of that too."

"Are you crazy? They must be cooking that for themselves. Otherwise, they would have recommended it when we entered."

Customers at several tables whispered amongst themselves, eyes fixed on the large group happily eating together. They were so captivated by the sight and smell that they forgot about their own meals. Even new patrons who had just walked in were inhaling the delicious aroma, their stomachs growling audibly.

"What smells so good? Xiaolin, do you have a new dish for sale?" Zhou Ming entered with his trusted aide. Hearing the familiar voice, Tianrong quickly stood up to greet them.

"Governor, are you here for a meal?"

"I came to check on the market’s progress, but now I’m more interested in what you all are eating. Hahahaha"

"In that case, please join us over here. Your aide is welcome too,"

The diners quickly shuffled their chairs to make room, adding two more seats for the new guests. Tianchen hurriedly prepared plates and chopsticks for them. Tianrong ensured the esteemed guests were well taken care of, but as soon as Zhou Ming and his aide tasted the delicious food, all formalities were forgotten. They dove into the grilled pork with abandon, joining the chaotic scramble for food.

Xiaolin watched the scene unfold with a weary sigh. She was beginning to understand her grandmother’s frustration with constantly feeding these gluttonous folks. SIGH!

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