The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 19: Leveling Up

With the three girls out of the way, Li Xuanba’s pace picked up considerably. In less than half an hour, 175 Bai Ji buns, each weighing two liang, were fresh out of the oven. With the Baiji buns done, the braised pork Li Xuanba had just cooked was also ready. “Phew…” The moment he lifted the lid of the pot of braised pork, a wave of steam billowed out, and the mouthwatering aroma instantly filled the entire kitchen. Not only did it make Li Xuanba even hungrier, but it also caused Mei Hanxue and the other two girls to all peek their little heads in, staring at the bright red chunks of braised pork in the pot. “Haha! Not bad—a success on the first try!” Looking at his first creation, Li Xuanba raised his eyebrows smugly. With his intelligence, combined with the preparation methods and steps provided by the system, he’d succeeded on his first try—and he’d give himself at least a 90 out of 100. “Ding!” “System Notice: Host has crafted 1 portion of Level 1 Braised Pork, earning 1 experience point.” “System Notice: Host has crafted 175 portions of Level 1 Bai Ji Mof, earning 175 experience points.” “Ding!” “Host has advanced to Level 2. All system branches have been upgraded. Please check them yourself.” Just as Li Xuanba was basking in his triumph, a series of system notifications sounded, putting a smile on his face. He was genuinely curious to see what good things would come with this level-up! Name: Li Xuanba Gender: Male Age: 16 Identity: The World’s Greatest Hero, The World’s Most Brilliant Mind Rank: Level 2 Experience: 22/400 Status: None [Base Attributes]: Strength: 2510 Intelligence: 2000 Leadership: 0 Political: 0 Active Skill: Scouting Passive Skill: None Life Skill: Cooking Equipment: Carefree Treasure Ring, Drum-Beating Golden Hammer Mount: Wind-Chasing Ten-Thousand-Li Cloud Seeing that his stats hadn’t changed one bit after leveling up, Li Xuanba couldn’t help but look down on the system with disdain. Was he destined to be a military and political idiot for the rest of his life? After venting his contempt, Li Xuanba took a look at the Farming, Cooking, and Ranch branches that had been automatically upgraded. The Farming branch was straightforward enough: he gained two mu of land and unlocked three types of seeds—tomatoes, corn, and Li Xuanba’s favorite, chili peppers. However, the subsequent prompt left Li Xuanba feeling somewhat annoyed. It stated that planting Level 1 crops yields no experience; only Level 2 crops grant 1 point of experience, and the growth time for each crop has increased by 24 hours. The same applied to the cooking branch: preparing Level 2 dishes earned 1 experience point, while anything else earned none. As for the ranch branch, 20 mu of grassland had been added, and Zhui Feng Wanli Yun now gained 2 experience points per hour. Reading this information, Li Xuanba shook his head in exasperation, then planted the tomatoes and chili peppers anyway. Oh well, so be it—it’ll just take longer! As long as he had his favorite chili peppers, that was enough. After his moment of exasperation, Li Xuanba had Mei Hanxue and the other two women serve the braised pork, while he carried the Bai Ji bread—weighing over thirty jin—down to the first-floor dining hall. No sooner had Li Xuanba set down his Baiji buns than the three women arrived together, carrying the bright red braised meat. “Wow! It smells so good!” Captivated by the aroma of the braised meat, Li Xuanba felt even hungrier. He quickly slit the Baiji bun in half with a small knife, scooped up a spoonful of meat, placed it in the opening, and finally added some wild greens—and just like that, a roujiamo was ready. Just as Li Xuanba was about to open his mouth wide to take a bite, he noticed the eager looks on the faces of Mei Hanxue and the other two girls. He gave an awkward smile, placed the finished roujiamo back on the plate, and quickly made two more. Only then did he chuckle at the three girls and say, “One each for you—try this young master’s cooking!” “Mm-hmm,” the three women replied as they watched Li Xuanba begin making the fourth roujiamo. They reached out with their delicate hands, each taking one, and began eating it in small bites. “Mmm! Delicious!” After just one bite, the three women’s eyes lit up. Du Shuangshuang murmured to Li Xuanba as she ate, giving him a thumbs-up. “Let me try one!” Seeing the three women begin to devour their roujiamo with full concentration, Li Xuanba opened his mouth wide, and half a roujiamo vanished in an instant. “Huh? Not bad at all! Fragrant!” The word “fragrant” perfectly captures the flavor of the roujiamo Li Xuanba had made. First, the pork inside was stewed until it fell apart, and combined with various seasonings, the aroma filled his mouth. Second, the flour used for the Baiji buns was grown in Li Xuanba’s spatial realm—not only was it snow-white, but it also had a sweet and delicious flavor. Combined with his skill in making these buns, he could probably polish off an entire large bowl of them even if he were eating them plain. Given Li Xuanba’s appetite, he could devour a roujiamo in two bites—taking no more than 20 seconds. With just this basket of Bai Ji buns and that large bowl of braised pork, he had devoured half of it in less than half an hour, leaving Mei Hanxue and the other two women—who had each eaten only one roujiamo—staring at him in utter astonishment. Li Xuanba was tucking in heartily when his sharp eyes spotted several beggars standing outside the Plum Blossom Restaurant. These beggars were equally ragged and unkempt. They watched Li Xuanba eating but didn’t come in to beg for food; they simply stood outside, staring longingly at him as he gorged himself, their throats bobbing as they swallowed their saliva over and over. Seeing these young beggars, Li Xuanba felt a twinge of pity. He beckoned to them, “I still have some food here. Come on in and eat!” As far as Li Xuanba was concerned, if he had only a tiny bit of food, he wouldn’t give any to others; and even if he had food but not enough to go around, he still wouldn’t share it. After all, he needed to eat his fill and live well—to simply keep on living. But at this moment, he had more than enough, so he should let these beggars—who didn’t want to disturb his meal—have a hearty meal, because he himself had experienced life as a beggar when he was a child. Hearing Li Xuanba’s words, Mei Hanxue and the other two women, who had been staring at him in a daze, snapped back to their senses. Looking at the few beggar children hesitating outside, they all spoke up in gentle voices to welcome them in. “Come on in, all of you! There’s plenty to eat.” “Come on over! Brother Xuanba’s roujiamo is so delicious!” “Come on over—there’s food here.” “Gulp!” Hearing the calls from Li Xuanba and the others, the street urchins, unable to suppress their hunger, timidly made their way inside. They all bowed in unison to Mei Hanxue. “Thank you, Sister Mei.” “You’re welcome! This is our new boss, Young Master Li. He made these roujiamo himself—go ahead and eat!” Hearing the little beggars’ thanks, Mei Hanxue smiled sweetly, took the roujiamo Li Xuanba handed her, and began distributing them to the children. “Mmm! Upon receiving the delicious roujiamo, the little beggars began devouring it in big bites. They ate so eagerly that some even started to choke. Fortunately, Du Xingxuan and Du Shuangshuang brought over some lukewarm water for them to drink, preventing them from choking. “Eat slowly, eat slowly. There’s plenty more—don’t rush,” seeing the little beggar choking, Li Xuanba didn’t even have time to eat his own roujiamo. With his massive hands, imbued with the power of the Four Symbols, he gently patted the little beggars on the back, speaking in a soft, gentle voice—a far cry from the imposing aura of the “Number One Hero Under Heaven”! “Thank you, Master,” the little beggars said, their timidity finally melting away as they realized how gently Li Xuanba was treating them. “You’re welcome!” Li Xuanba gave a faint smile as he watched the young beggars eat the roujiamo he’d made for them. He felt a mix of satisfaction and heartache—after all, he’d gone through the same struggles when he was a child. Each of these young beggars ate three roujiamo, their little bellies bulging with food, before they left the Plum Blossom Restaurant, filled with gratitude, carrying the roujiamo that Li Xuanba had given them!