The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 15: The Fragrant Scent of Grade 1 Rice

“Xuanba, what are you doing? Boiling water to drink? But Shuangshuang is so hungry!” Li Xuanba was squinting, deep in thought, when Du Shuangshuang’s voice rang out, snapping him back to reality. Li Xuanba turned around, his eyes lighting up, and he couldn’t help but admire them inwardly—what a beautiful pair of sisters. By now, Du Xingxuan had already changed into the women’s outfit Li Xuanba had bought for her. She had somehow managed to wash the dirt off her face, and now, clad in snow-white garments that complemented her creamy complexion, she appeared flawless and breathtakingly beautiful—like a fairy who had stepped right out of a painting. Du Shuangshuang was no less stunning than Du Xingxuan. Dressed in a similar snow-white outfit, with her naturally rosy cheeks and a touch of childlike innocence still lingering, she looked just like a mischievous little sister next door. Noticing Li Xuanba eyeing both her and Du Xingxuan, Du Shuangshuang pursed her lips, glanced at Du Xingxuan, and said in a crisp, clear voice, “Brother Xuanba, isn’t Sister Xingxuan beautiful?” “Hehe! She’s pretty, and you’re pretty too—you’re both pretty.” As soon as Du Shuangshuang asked, the words “pretty” slipped out of Li Xuanba’s mouth. Seeing Du Xingxuan’s cheeks turn slightly pink, he hurriedly complimented Du Shuangshuang as well, bringing a touch of childlike innocence to the smile on the little girl’s face—a girl who had just lost her grandfather. Hearing Li Xuanba’s praise, Du Xingxuan brushed a strand of hair from her ear, lifted her chin slightly, and pointed at the earthenware pot bubbling away. “Are you going to boil the water dry?” “Oh! I forgot to put the food in,” Du Xingxuan’s reminder snapped Li Xuanba back to his senses. He hurriedly waved his right hand toward the earthenware pot and, under the astonished gazes of Du Xingxuan and Du Shuangshuang, poured in about one jin of spatial rice. “Phew…” As soon as the rice hit the boiling water, a distinctive, fresh fragrance rose up—a scent as refreshing and pleasant as the air of nature, making anyone who smelled it salivate uncontrollably. “Wow! It smells so good! Brother Xuanba, is this the immortal rice you conjured?” Du Shuangshuang swallowed hard, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Li Xuanba’s right hand. She clearly remembered Xuanba Brother saying he was an immortal. “Divine rice? Let me see.” Prompted by Du Shuangshuang’s question, Li Xuanba hurriedly checked the rice’s information. Could it be that the rice he’d grown was actually “divine rice” in this era? The rice in the spatial pocket looked quite beautiful—every grain was perfectly husked, crystal-clear, and gleaming like tiny pearls or gemstones, utterly stunning and irresistible. But as for the information… Item Name: Rice Item Category: Crops Item Tier: Level 1 Item Function: Alleviates hunger, fills the stomach “Um… this is just ordinary rice. I guess the quality is a bit better than usual!” Seeing that the rice in this space was merely a Level 1 crop, and that its sole purpose was to fill one’s stomach, Li Xuanba shook his head and pursed his lips. He had actually thought it was immortal rice, but it turned out to be nothing more than a Level 1 crop meant to fill one’s stomach. “Neigh! Just as Li Xuanba was shaking his head, the “Chasing Wind Ten Thousand Li Cloud” let out a whinny. Its eyes sparkled as it looked at Li Xuanba, its mouth opening and closing repeatedly to signal that it was hungry and wanted to eat some fragrant rice. “Hehe! I forgot about you. All right! You can have some of this fragrant rice, too,” Li Xuanba smiled at “Chasing Wind Ten Thousand Li Cloud,” patted its head, and with a wave of his hand, placed fifty jin of rice right in front of the horse. That was Chui Feng Wan Li Yun’s portion for one meal—and also its daily ration. That’s because it only eats once a day. “Neigh! Looking at the rice on the ground, which gleamed like pearls, Chui Feng Wanli Yun nuzzled Li Xuanba’s shoulder, then lowered its head and began devouring the fragrant food in big mouthfuls. After feeding Zhui Feng Wan Li Yun, Li Xuanba noticed that the rice in the earthenware pot had become a bit mushy. He took out the roasted wild rabbit left over from lunch, tore the still-warm rabbit meat into strips, tossed it into the pot, and turned it into a meat porridge. “Gurgle, gurgle!” Once the rabbit meat was added to the pot, the aroma in the air grew even more enticing, making Du Xingxuan—who had been hungry all day—unable to resist swallowing hard. Seeing this, Li Xuanba gave a faint smile. He asked Du Shuangshuang to fetch the old bowls from the temple, washed them, and served a bowl of rabbit meat porridge to each of them. “The porridge is a bit hot, so take your time eating it!” “Thank you, Brother Xuanba!” “Thank you!” Taking the rabbit meat congee Li Xuanba handed them, the two girls thanked him and, ignoring the burning sensation on their tongues, began sipping the congee in small mouthfuls. After taking two sips of the porridge, Du Xingxuan noticed that Li Xuanba was simply sitting there with a faint smile on his face. Her face flushed involuntarily, and she asked, “Li Xuanba, aren’t you… aren’t you going to have any?” “Haha! You guys go ahead and eat! I’ll make some more in a bit.” This pot of meat congee was made with just one jin of rice and half a rabbit—even if he ate it all himself, it would barely fill him up. He might as well make a bigger meal later so he could really get his fill. “Oh,” Li Xuanba’s words made Du Xingxuan realize what he meant—she had heard about Li Xuanba’s astonishing appetite. After the two women had enjoyed their rare, fragrant dinner, Li Xuanba urged them to go to one of the other rooms in the temple to sleep, leaving him outside to keep watch through the night. Li Xuanba wasn’t lonely, though—not counting the late Du Hongzhuang, he had Zhui Feng Wanli Yun keeping him company. While preparing the meal, Li Xuanba took the opportunity to reheat the leftover, slightly cooled rabbit meat on the grill, treating himself to a bit more meat. Looking at his current 27 experience points, Li Xuanba grew excited, wondering what he would gain after leveling up. He hoped it would significantly boost his currently zero Command and Political stats! Only after cooking a full six pots of rice did Li Xuanba let out a satisfied belch. Filled with anticipation for tomorrow, he settled comfortably against Zhui Feng Wan Li Yun and drifted off to sleep. “Brother Xuanba, wake up—the sun’s already shining on your backside,” Li Xuanba was dreaming of romantic moments with Mei Hanxue under the moonlight and amidst the blossoms and snow when Du Shuangshuang’s voice reached his ears, causing him to open his eyes groggily. “Ah…” After standing up, Li Xuanba let out a big yawn, then tapped Du Shuangshuang’s little head and teased with a smile, “A girl shouldn’t say ‘butt’—it makes you seem ill-mannered.” “Oh,” Du Shuangshuang stuck out her tongue at Li Xuanba’s remark, then blinked her big eyes a couple of times, looking utterly adorable. After making another batch of meat porridge and rice, Li Xuanba led Du Xingxuan and Du Shuangshuang to the coffin shop, preparing to lay Du Hongzhuang to rest. After all, if they didn’t bury him soon, his body would likely start to stink. Before leaving, Li Xuanba directly stored Zhui Feng Wanli Yun in his spatial pasture. Since this was the Tang Dynasty, horse management regulations were very strict, and private individuals simply couldn’t keep horses at will; it was best not to draw too much attention to himself. Upon being stored in the Spatial Pasture, “Chasing Wind Ten Thousand Li Cloud” offered no resistance; seemingly realizing the benefits of this space, he instead let out a long, loud neigh, his eyes gleaming with excitement. Looking at the experience bar that had appeared above “Chasing Wind Ten Thousand Li Cloud’s” head, Li Xuanba chuckled and shook his head. It seemed this system was indeed the “Xiaoyao System”!