Butcher Fulang’s Noodle Shop - Chapter 1
Song Shi’an believes that he was the unluckiest person in history to travel through time.
He inherited his family’s business and prospered it. Visitors from all over the world regarded Songji Noodle House on the food street as a must-visit check-in point when traveling. Seeing that the store was about to be expanded, he was affected by the explosion of a gas tank at the crayfish shop next door.
The earthquake shook the wall and caused the entire ceiling to fall down. Boss Song had already replaced the shell with his soul before he could even shout.
He raised his bony wrist, looked at it, and sighed again.
No matter how much he sighed, it was useless and could not change the cold fact. He actually wore the body of a young person from an unknown dynasty.
A young man with a successful career in the 28th century turned into an ancient shuanger.
This shuanger was called Song Shi’an too, with “An (peace)” in his name, but he had only lived a peaceful life for a few days.
This poor child lost his mother when he was born. His father thought that it would be difficult for a grown man to raise a child. As soon as the one-year life span was over, he couldn’t wait to marry his second wife.
The stepmother was virtuous and kind-hearted for the first two or three years. After giving birth to a younger brother and a younger sister for Song Shi’an, she started to pick on Song Shi’an.
The Song family was in the restaurant business, and Song Shi’an had to help pick vegetables, wash dishes, do laundry, and eat leftovers as soon as he learned to walk.
The workload increased every year, and his stepmother never looked kindly on him.
His father took care of Song Shi’an for a while, but the stepmother shed tears in front of his father and made a fuss.
“I, Wang Jiaojiao, have given birth to a son and a daughter for you. Your late wife only gave you a shuanger. You don’t think about me at all. You only care about that late wife. There is a war outside every day, and the business of our restaurant is getting worse every day. How much polished rice and white noodles can you afford? If I had known you didn’t care at all, why would I, a young and innocent girl, marry you, a widower Song Yuchun?”
His father made a few excuses and quietly pulled down the steamed bun he planned to give to Song Shi’an.
As time went by, the biological father also became a stepfather.
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On the eighteenth day of the beautiful little shuanger’s life, Song Shi’an once again encountered bad luck. He was noticed by Jiang Yuanwai, an old man who owned a cloth business in the town.
Jiang Yuanwai was willing to give Wang Jiaojiao a betrothal gift of three hundred taels and marry Song Shi’an as his fourth concubine.
The stepmother was very persuasive; she put a sad face and shed tears in front of the whole family, “Although this child is a shuanger, it isn’t easy for them to get pregnant like a daughter. But there are many people who can’t give birth to a baby in their lifetime. If someone wants to get married, they would choose a young woman. But you have no other choice, you can hire a shuanger.”
She continued after wiping her tears, “Although Jiang Yuanwai is a little older, he knows how to love people just like your father. Since he is willing to use such a high amount of money to marry you, you just wait to get married into the Jiang family. In there, you can eat delicacies from the mountains and seas every day, wear silks and satins, and wear fine jewelry in your hair!”
The original owner was not willing and muttered, “But it’s not even appropriate for me to call him husband. At least I have to call him grandpa. …”
The stepmother snorted and ignored him. She turned to her husband, Song Yuchun, and said, “The marriage I arranged for my shuanger is so good that you can’t even find it with a lantern. He will enjoy the blessing! Do you think it’s okay? Huh?”
Song Yuchun’s mind was fixated on the three hundred taels and he could only agree.
The original owner felt disheartened and locked himself in his room. Life seemed as bitter as bitter melon, and as dreary as continuous rain during the rainy season, chilling his bones and dimming his future.
That night, he developed a high fever and couldn’t eat a grain of rice. Afterward, he went on a hunger strike in a bid to seek death.
The stepmother, annoyed by his refusal to agree to the marriage, was willing to let him suffer without caring about his life or death, and his father remained indifferent.
Following the original owner’s death, both of them took care of the body and handled it casually.
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Song Shi’an was lost in thought when he suddenly heard a noise at the courtyard door. He mustered the strength to prop up his sick body and walk to the door, where a haggard middle-aged woman grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the bed.
Aunt Liu placed her basket on the ground and looked at him, tears streaming down her face.
“Poor child…”
Song Shi’an somehow knew that, according to old customs, an unmarried shuanger couldn’t be buried in the ancestral grave after the original owner’s death. To avoid trouble, his father and stepmother had wrapped the body in a reed mat and buried it in a shallow grave.
Thanks to their careless handling, he was able to crawl out after regaining his breath, and he happened to encounter Aunt Liu, who had come to mourn after receiving the news.
“If I had known that you suffered so much, my aunt would have taken you under my care… It’s my fault…”
Song Shi’an understood that Aunt Liu was genuinely sorry for him, and her tears revealed the pain of her broken heart.
She arranged him to live in the vacant old Liu family house and took care of him daily for the past two days, truly acting as his savior.
“Aunt, I’m fine.”
Song Shi’an gently patted Aunt Liu’s back to console her.
She felt that the child was sensible, and her tears began to flow even more intensely. She and her deceased sister had no one to support them, so their children suffered.
After consoling her for a while, Aunt Liu wiped her tears and lifted the cover on the basket.
Four gray flatbreads, a small bag of flour, a handful of crispy wild mustard greens, and ten eggs.
“The doctor said that your stomach and intestines have healed in the past two days, and you can start eating now.” Aunt Liu spoke as she handed the gray flour cake to Song Shi’an with a kind and caring expression.
“Eat quickly, eat quickly, look at your thin face…”
Unlike the original owner, who wished for death, Song Shi’an was genuinely hungry. He expressed his gratitude sincerely and took a bite of the large cake.
However, after just one bite, he froze. ‘This is too, too hard.’
“Eat quickly. After you finish eating, Auntie will boil an egg for you to replenish your appetite,” Aunt Liu urged with a sincere look, causing Song Shi’an’s cheeks to ache.
As a seasoned chef with twenty years of experience, he could tell that this pancake had not risen, the flour wasn’t of high quality, and it was as hard as a tooth breaker.
However, he appreciated Aunt Liu’s efforts, especially considering her modest background and the demands of her mother-in-law.
“What’s wrong? You should eat something no matter what,” Aunt Liu insisted, worried that her nephew might still be contemplating ending his life.
So, Song Shi’an shook his head and put the pancake aside.
As a top chef, his pursuit of delicious food was deeply ingrained.
Although his current circumstances were far from ideal, he decided that he should prioritize nourishing his body, regain his former profession to earn money, and enjoy a life of financial freedom while savoring delicious food from around the world.
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Aunt Liu couldn’t resist his determination, so she helped him. She ignited a fire and boiled hot water in a large iron pot.
Song Shi’an cracked two eggs and skillfully beat the golden egg liquid with quick movements of his chopsticks. Once the water was boiling, he poured the egg mixture into it neatly and signaled for Aunt Liu to remove it from the stove.
In the clear hot water, large golden egg blossoms quickly solidified, resembling fluffy clouds. Aunt Liu was amazed by the sight and assumed that her brother-in-law’s family’s restaurant had given Song Shi’an good cooking skills.
Little did she know that Wang Jiaojiao, fearing that Song Shi’an might inherit the family business, had prevented the original owner from undertaking any slightly technical work.
Song Shi’an chopped the wild vegetables and sliced the flatbread into strips about a finger’s width and length. He added these to the pot along with a handful of flour, stirring the hot water evenly. He also included all the coarse salt particles from the bottom of the earthen pot. The result was a steaming hot egg soup with bread.
Song Shi’an ladled a large bowl for Aunt Liu, who tried to refuse but ended up sipping from the big bowl anyway.
Despite the absence of seasonings, the fresh eggs had distinct strands like golden chrysanthemums, the wild vegetables were refreshing, and the flatbreads became softer and more delicious when soaked in the thick egg soup.
Their hungry stomachs consumed the large bowl of soup and bread, causing beads of sweat to form on the tip of their noses and foreheads, bringing immense comfort.
“An’er, you have such excellent cooking skills. Auntie feels reassured,” Aunt Liu said while eating and drinking. She had tears in her eyes. “With your skills, why worry about finding a good husband?”
Song Shi’an coughed a bit. He had just reassured himself, now ten years younger, and made a profit. His aunt was eager to set him up with anyone. He was a grown man; why should he seek out in-laws?
“I simply want to live a peaceful life, working with my own hands,” he replied, searching for reasons. “If I were to marry a heartless husband like my father, someone who flirts with other women and mistreats children, how could I endure such a life?”
Aunt Liu seemed moved by his words, hesitated for a moment, and refrained from persuading him further. She left after handing Song Shi’an a substantial sum of money, insisting that he accept it.
Song Shi’an looked at his aunt’s weathered eyes and calloused hands, then at the old and new coins. He felt a pang of sadness but accepted the money nonetheless.
“Aunt, I’m borrowing this from you. Thank you for taking care of me these days. I’ll repay you when I start making money,” he said, as his aunt left with teary eyes.
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After she was gone, Song Shi’an took advantage of the newfound energy from his meal to explore his surroundings within the house.
This was a typical triple courtyard in the southern style, but it had been abandoned for a long time. Two of the trees in the yard were half dead, and their species couldn’t be identified at the moment. There were several wooden shelves and a dilapidated wooden cart lying on the side. Some of the banners were rotting.
After repairs were completed, you could plant loofahs, cucumbers, pumpkins, kidney beans, gourds, as well as some cabbage and eggplants on the flat ground. This should allow you to achieve self-sufficiency in vegetables.
Outside the main house, Aunt Liu had neatly stacked two loads of firewood in the firewood room. There wasn’t even a mouse in the food room. Some unused furniture and tools were scattered around in the west wing, and they needed to be cleaned up to see if any of them could be used.
Song Shi’an selected an abandoned chicken coop with a triangular top, took a hundred coins and placed them in his pocket. He carefully concealed the rest in a safe spot on the cold stove, then picked up the basket Aunt Liu had left and left the house.
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As he walked toward the sun, he couldn’t help but think.
Living independently won’t be easy from now on. The total expenses for firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauces, vinegar, tea, a change of clothes, and repairs for the damaged roof and windows of the house will add up to a significant amount.
His body was still quite weak, and he found himself panting after walking just a few steps. Judging from the shadow behind him, he was afraid that his current height was disappointing. He needed to consume more high-protein nutritional supplements to compensate for it.
Taking good care of his health and making more money was the most urgent thing.
There was an older sister selling chickens on the street corner, and the clucking sounds were particularly sweet. Song Shi’an inquired about the prices.
When the older sister noticed his fair and handsome appearance, she spoke softly with a smile on her lips. The red diamond mark on his forehead was particularly beautiful, making her to talk more gently with Song Shi’an.
“A rooster costs fifty cents, a hen costs sixty cents, and a chick costs two cents. My hens are great, they lay at least one egg a day!”
Song Shi’an didn’t rush to haggle with the older sister and continued the conversation.
He complimented her craftsmanship in weaving chicken cages, praised her plump cheeks, and suggested that she seemed like a lucky person. After chatting for a while, the cheerful older sister lowered the price on her own initiative, “Give me ninety cents for two hens.”
Song Shi’an paid for the hens, and after the older sister tied the wings and legs, he squatted next to them, playfully teasing the fluffy chicks.
The chirping little furballs were adorable.
Seeing how thin Song Shi’an appeared, the older sister couldn’t help but grab a few chicks and put them in his basket after placing the hens inside.
“Chickens are easy to feed. You can give them whole grain leftovers, vegetable and fruit scraps, and they’ll even eat earthworms and insects from the ground. I’m afraid a strong wind could blow you away! You’d need to stew dozens of chickens to raise you well!”
The two hens clucked and clucked, ‘Don’t stew us, we can lay eggs!’
Song Shi’an smiled, realizing that with limited funds, he couldn’t kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.
After he’d paid, his arms were empty, and he thanked the older sister profusely before asking, “Sister, do you know where pig offal is sold?”
He believed that these items were more affordable than meat and provided good nutrition. However, the older sister was taken aback, “Who eats that stuff?”
It wasn’t surprising that the older sister was puzzled. In this area, cooking techniques were not as advanced, seasonings and spices were scarce. The pungent smell of pig offal, which often carried a fishy odor, made it unappealing to most people, even when they were extremely hungry.
After some consideration, the older sister thought the young man was asking for a different reason.
Seeing her meaningful smile at Song Shi’an and said, “I understand what you are asking. Unmarried people are often shy. If you head down the street and turn left, then take a right at the end, the doorway with a lot of young people is the Butcher Xu’s house!”