Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

A few days after the Great Cold, it was New Year's Eve.

In such a large family, there's really nothing special about celebrating New Year's Eve. Only the new clothes, firecrackers, and open flames shining in the silvery snow make things a little different.

Another year is almost here!

For some reason, I felt a sense of attachment and reluctance to leave, perhaps because of the desire to live—I was one step closer to the end of my life.

"Let us dedicate our limited lives to boundless enjoyment!" Li Qing thought to himself, trying to console himself.

Although he knew perfectly well that this hedonistic mentality was wrong, he couldn't care less as the year drew to a close.

In this world, or rather, this era, everything was perfect for Li Qing—a comfortable and leisurely life, no worries about food or drink, no fear of pollution; if he wanted multiple wives or concubines, or even a stud, there was no bigamy to speak of; he didn't have to worry about being secretly photographed and exposed, becoming the next "Brother So-and-so"; and even more worryingly, even if he committed some heinous crime, he could simply hide in the mountains or overseas, and there would be absolutely no need to worry about extradition or anything like that…

The only thing that Li Qing found worrying was that the food at this time was too simple. Watching those pure green mountain delicacies being roughly chopped into a few pieces, thrown into a large pot and boiled for a while, and then carefully having a little bit of salt added before being served made Li Qing's heart clench!

Even the young girl who had been enjoying Li Qing's cooking every day was finding it hard to stand.

It seems that self-reliance is still the best way to ensure a comfortable life!

On New Year's Eve, Li Qing was not willing to make do any longer!

He found a half-person-high old wine jar, poured in a lot of water and wine, sealed the lid, and placed it in warm water to simmer.

Then, under the watchful eye of the old man who managed the kitchen storeroom, they emptied half of the storeroom, taking all sorts of things: chicken, duck, fish, meat, wild mushrooms, wild fruits, pork trotters, and tendons. They then set up a large fire in the yard, placed wine jars filled with spring water on the shelves, and began processing the various ingredients with knives and small pots.

Strangely enough, although this gourmand had secretly learned a few tricks from a famous chef before, for some reason, as soon as he got the ingredients in his hands, before he could even think, his hands started moving with practiced ease. He himself was not surprised at all, as if it were only natural.

At that moment, he even felt that he had done a much better job than that old master chef...

"Li Qing, I'll go call Sister Hong over!" The girl, who was sitting idly tending to the firewood, suddenly stood up and said.

The "Sister Hong" she mentioned was the woman in red she had seen at the banquet a few days ago. No one knew her real name; everyone just called her Hongniang. So, in the young girl's mouth, she was naturally "Sister Hong"!

Women's feelings are always easier to form than men's. Li Qing was not surprised that the young girl and the matchmaker were so close after only meeting once—after all, they even wore the same color clothes.

"Hmm, call Zhang Daniu over too!" Li Qing was still observing the changes in the large wine jar in the middle, which was filled with more than half a vat of stuff.

"Hmm!" The girl was about to leave when she remembered something and turned back, saying, "You can't eat all the good stuff before you're done!"

"You're in such a hurry! Go quickly, go quickly! If you bother me again, the thing won't be able to get out!"

……

Before long, the girl happily led a woman covered in dust and grime, with a gruff, rough-looking man following beside her.

Along the way, the two women chattered incessantly like magpies and larks. Zhang Daniu, who was standing next to them, wisely shut his mouth, relaxed his face, and pretended to be very honest and ignorant, thus safely avoiding the two women's attention.

"It smells so good!"

Zhang Daniu's stomach rumbled, and he ignored the two people beside him, following the scent to the crescent-shaped stone gate.

His big eyes looked into the courtyard and saw a huge wine jar standing on a large bonfire, its lid tightly closed, yet still emitting wisps of steam.

A boy stood beside a huge jar, completely oblivious to the scorching heat of the raging fire, his jade-like hands constantly patting something on the jar.

No matter how much the boy pounded on it, the large wine jar remained unmoved and did not make a sound!

This left Zhang Daniu, a rough and uncultured man, somewhat bewildered.

He walked to the fire, strained his nose, and after a long while, finally confirmed that the strange fragrance was coming from the jar.

The boy ignored them, while the others, who were still watching his actions with astonishment, continued to pat the jar with their hands...

"Snapped!"

As the boy's palm struck the lid of the wine jar, a crisp sound rang out, and the once overflowing aroma instantly became barely perceptible.

Li Qing stopped again, took a few breaths slightly, and his pale face suddenly turned a strange blush, with large beads of sweat appearing on his forehead!

He looked at the jar that was half a person tall in front of him, and then at his own fair little hands—not only were the people watching around him surprised, but he himself was also puzzled!

As he placed the prepared ingredients into the large jar, a voice seemed to guide his actions. And as he placed his hand on the jar, a wondrous magic occurred—

The cool energy within his body flowed through his meridians, out through his hands, and through the thick walls of the jar, affecting the ingredients inside. He could even feel that everything inside had been shaken into fine powder!

"Gulu~Gulu~"

Although the exotic fragrance had faded, the stomachs of the group, which had been whetted by the memory, began to churn, and even the two women were not immune.

Even the usually bold and unrestrained matchmaker had a few blushes on her face, which made Zhang Daniu, who was standing next to her, stare in amazement!

"Today we not only witnessed the Li brothers' incredible skills, but even the usually bold and unrestrained Hongniang showed some girlish side. If the old brothers knew, wouldn't they be shocked?!"

However, Zhang Daniu, who appeared honest and simple but was secretly lewd, could only keep these thoughts to himself and enjoy them in private.

"Come on, come on, let's eat dumplings first!"

The exotic aroma had faded, but it still whetted their appetites, making it hard to eat. The group looked at the hundred or so delicate, snow-white crescent-shaped dumplings they had scooped out of the large bowl beside them, and for a moment, they couldn't care less about anything else. They rolled up their sleeves and began to devour them! They didn't care at all, even though the soup was overflowing!

Several people were munching on the white, tender dumplings, their mouths full of oily broth, completely forgetting what was in the large jar next to them. Even Li Qing ate his fill.

Ouch! My stomach!

Zhang Daniu, clutching his round belly, became quite fond of dumplings; they were practically stuck in his throat.

He ate over a hundred dumplings with generous fillings all by himself, which made Li Qing have to boil another large bowl of dumplings.

The girl's lips were bright red, her face was covered in sweat, and she gently rubbed her lower abdomen. Looking at the large wine jar still burning on the fire next to her, she punched Li Qing and said, "You're so bad!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized something was wrong. Looking at the quiet, feigning-foolish ox and the blushing, annoyed look from the matchmaker beside him, he tightened his grip a bit.

Li Qing smiled but remained silent.

He could only admit to himself that he did it on purpose.

To avoid upsetting the girl, Li Qing quickly stood up and pretended to walk around the large wine jar again and again until everyone was getting impatient, then he said, "It's done!"

By this time, the fire below had died down, leaving only the glowing, phosphorus-free embers, which illuminated the faces of the group in the darkening sky.

"What's this called?" the girl asked curiously.

“It used to be called ‘Fu Shou Quan’, but later it had another name—” As he spoke, Li Qing slammed his hand on the top cover!

"puff!"

With a soft click, the lid broke open from the middle and slid down, instantly releasing a wonderful aroma!

“‘The aroma of meat wafts through the neighborhood when the pot is opened, and even Buddha would abandon his meditation and jump over the wall to come!’ This dish is called ‘Buddha Jumps Over the Wall’!” Before he finished speaking, Li Qing suddenly noticed that everyone was looking at him strangely.

"Wow! You little rascal, you're actually making fun of me, a monk!"

A strange cry rang out, and Li Qing turned his head to see that three figures had appeared in the courtyard at some point. Besides the uninvited young master Wang, there was also the monk and the wandering man he had met the other day!

Young Master Wang knew that the monk was of extremely high status, but the others did not.

Then Hongniang stood up and slapped Li Qing twice. For some reason, she couldn't stand the monk and said in a strange voice, "The Buddha didn't come, but there is a bald donkey. I think we should change it to 'The bald donkey came because he smelled the fragrance and rode over the wall'!"

The monk wasn't shy at all, nor did he argue with the matchmaker. He took a deep breath through his nose, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Li Dalang's cooking skills are getting better and better!" he said, taking out a large bowl from his bosom and walking closer to fill it with water.

"Huh?" the head monk exclaimed in surprise.

Li Qing also stepped forward and discovered that amidst the fragrant mist in the jar, there were many fairy mushrooms and exotic herbs growing together, like a wonderful realm within the jar!

"this--"

Li Qing was also extremely surprised.

He clearly felt that when he struck the altar, his internal energy shattered everything inside into dust.

"Brother Li is indeed a remarkable person! His skill is almost like the Dao!" The young master Wang, who had initially thought it was a huge mistake when he saw Li Qing cooking the soup himself, was suddenly amazed by his extraordinary skill!

The others also showed surprise, and their gazes towards Li Qing changed.

Before anyone could react, the head monk decisively plunged the large ladle into the jar. Instantly, the celestial realm within the jar collapsed like an illusion, leaving only a large jar of clear water. The originally rich and lingering fragrance was also instantly dispersed by the wind...

Everyone felt a sense of loss and deep regret.

Just as the senior monk ladled out a bowl, the burly, bare-chested man next to him, who had been silent, pulled out a large, dark, and cold bowl from somewhere and also filled it with a bowl of clear soup.

With their beautiful dream shattered, no one cared about anything else. One by one, they went up to fill a bowl and savored the most wonderful taste in the world...

----

Wow! That's three thousand this time!