Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

"Hey! Pig intestines again today!" A strong smell of fish wafted over, but it was a burly man in a short-sleeved shirt carrying a bucket of intestines, covered in grease.

"Brother Kui, take a large intestine back and eat it!" The burly man's voice was deafening. As he spoke, he took a large intestine from the wooden bucket and tried to stuff it into Kui Xishi's arms. Having heard that Zhang Fei had also sold pork back in the day, Li Xingzhi looked at the burly man in front of him and even wondered if he had some connection with that reckless Zhang Fei.

Kui Xishi looked at the large intestine that the big man was shoving at him and tried to avoid it.

Li Xingzhi's eyes lit up when he saw the large intestine. After the big man had walked away, he asked Wei Xishi, "Uncle Wei, it seems like he can't sell his large intestine."

Kui Xishi gave Li Xingzhi a strange look, and then explained, "This pig intestine is really smelly. Normally, if it weren't for the unbearable hunger, Tu Dalang wouldn't be able to give it away. But it would be a real waste to throw it away, so he always takes it home to eat himself, and sometimes he uses it to feed the livestock."

"Oh, if I had a way to clean that stuff, would anyone eat it?"

"I don't know if anyone will eat it, but I doubt many people will," Kui Dalang replied after glancing at Li Xingzhi.

I thought for a moment and then said, "Uncle Wei, could you get me a large intestine? I'll clean it tonight and show it to you tomorrow."

Kui Dalang glanced at Li Xingzhi again, then nodded and said, "That's fine. Anyway, Tu Dalang can't eat that much, he's probably worried about it."

If it were the old Xiao Yazi saying this to Wei Dalang, he would have laughed it off and ignored it. But ever since Li Xingzhi took over this body, he brought with him the air of a modern person, including his confidence, which made Wei Xishi unconsciously nod in agreement. However, Wei Xishi himself probably didn't even realize these changes.

Kui Xishi lived in Ping'an Ward, just a few turns away. Changsha wasn't very big then, and Tu Dalang also lived in this ward. Hearing Kui Dalang asking for pig intestines, he immediately grabbed the largest one and handed it to Kui Dalang. Li Xingzhi noticed a slight frown on Kui Xishi's brow and quickly stepped forward, taking the stinking pig intestine. Tu Dalang glanced at Li Xingzhi but said nothing. Kui Dalang exchanged a few more polite words with Tu Dalang before leaving with his two short men.

Back at the small temple, they first turned the large intestine inside out and washed it clean, then removed the lymph nodes. Next, they used the small bag of flour left by the senior monk, along with some vinegar from Uncle Wei, to repeatedly scrub the large intestine. Finally, they rinsed it repeatedly with clean water until it was clean.

The next day, Li Xingzhi returned to Wei Xishi's small shop with the large intestine. He borrowed some money from Uncle Wei and bought some spices from the pharmacy. He made a spice packet based on his own unique braising recipe, combining it with the Thirteen Spices available in the market, from his previous life. He then put the spice packet into a large earthenware pot and simmered it for an hour. This braising spice was truly extraordinary, attracting many people to the still-simmering packet. Although they didn't get to eat the food they wanted, many people drawn by the aroma bought pancakes from Uncle Wei's stall, making Wei Xishi's eyes narrow with delight.

"I knew I hadn't misjudged this kid," Wei Xishi thought to himself.

Li Xingzhi cut the large intestine into several large sections and placed them in a large earthenware pot. He then simmered it for half an hour, until the salty and savory flavors were fully infused into the broth, making the intestines chewy yet easy to eat. By this time, people were already waiting nearby. Li Xingzhi used a bamboo tube to give each person a tube of braised intestines, three copper coins per tube. They ate with their mouths full of broth and oil, smacking their lips in delight. Before long, the intestines were sold out, leaving only a pot of braising liquid to stimulate the senses of smell for passersby.

Without much trouble, Li Xingzhi used the money from selling the large intestines to go to Tu Dalang's place and bought several catties of large intestines at a price of one copper coin per catty.

This stuff is cheap and tastes good, but it's too troublesome to prepare. Even in later generations, most hotels couldn't handle it properly, not because they didn't know the method, but because they didn't have the time. Many restaurants used alkali, or even industrial alkali, to process it. While this method produced intestines that tasted good and cooked easily, all the nutrients were lost, and it could even be harmful to the body.

They'd been selling intestines for two months, and the money owed to Wei Xishi had been paid off. The only thing that hadn't changed was that Li Xingzhi and Xiao Gou Dan were still living in the dilapidated temple. After all, although they'd saved some money selling intestines, it wasn't enough to live in the city for even a few days, let alone buy a house.

A dilapidated temple is not safe after all. Accustomed to the bright lights of later generations, Li Xingzhi was always afraid at night, since there were many wild animals at this time, and he could often hear wolves howling.

Of course, what worried Li Xingzhi most wasn't wild animals, but people. If they encountered someone with ill intentions, the two children would be in trouble. That's why Li Xingzhi was extremely careful when selling intestines, never daring to sell too much, stopping only when he was satisfied, afraid of attracting attention, and even less daring to sell anything else. He didn't even dare to carry much money, keeping most of it with the bearded man.

Kui Xishi is trustworthy in many ways, and besides him, Li Xingzhi and Xiao Gou Dan have no one else they can trust.

However, I haven't gained much else in these two months; my experience is almost gone.

Li Xingzhi first arrived here in September, the ninth month of the lunar calendar. Now it's November, and the Beginning of Winter is just a few days away. Although Tanzhou is in the subtropical zone, the winds are already biting cold, and it's uncertain when it will snow.

Although the Gregorian calendar is commonly used in later generations, it must be said that the lunar calendar is much more accurate than the Gregorian calendar in terms of climate prediction.

Several days later, on November 22nd, it began to snow. Based on his experience from later generations, it would snow soon.

Li Xingzhi specially bought some warm clothes, including a quilt, and also gathered extra hay and firewood, as if preparing for a rainy day. Sure enough, the next day, heavy snow began to fall, and Li Xingzhi no longer went out to sell intestines.

The small temple was still dilapidated, but after Li Xingzhi cleaned and tidied it up, it looked quite nice. Li Xingzhi had also blocked the temple's main entrance with something, preventing the cold wind from getting in.

The two hid behind the Buddha statue, tending a fire with two pots of soup simmering on it. The aroma and steam filled the small temple, and the bright red fire made the temple glow, warming everyone's hearts. Li Xingzhi and Xiao Gou Dan were living a good life.

"Brother Ya Zi, I wish we had a house someday. Just a small house with a big fire burning inside, and I still want to sleep with you, Brother Ya Zi. It would be so warm!"

Looking into the puppy's clear, hopeful eyes, Li Xingzhi was deeply moved. Such a small hope made Li Xingzhi, who came from the future, feel ashamed!

Although his later life was filled with many disappointments, he lived in a large house with lights at the touch of a finger, hot water at the flick of a tap, and air conditioning that warmed the entire house—things unimaginable to people of that era. Yet, he was always calculating and nitpicking. Even when buying a cell phone, he would be picky, complaining about insufficient features, a poor appearance, and that it wasn't a cheap Apple. Little did he know that even in his later life, he was far happier than many others—he had loving parents, friends who listened to his troubles, brothers who would fight to the death for him, and a girl who, though heartbroken and disappointed, still loved him. Yet, he was still unsatisfied! In the end, he disappointed his parents. He didn't know what would happen to his friends and relatives after he was gone, especially his parents, because he was their only son!

Li Xingzhi patted the little dog Egg's head, then, feeling it wasn't enough, pinched Egg's cheeks again, and said with a smile, "There will be a house, maybe not even next year." Li Xingzhi tried hard not to let the tears well up in his eyes. "Maybe it will be tomorrow," Li Xingzhi thought to himself, looking at the attribute panel.

Li Xingzhi was unsure whether the system was modified by him using a game editor or was an earlier version. If he modified it, then there was nothing in this world that he would be afraid of. However, even if he didn't modify it with a game editor, it was enough for him to establish himself in this world. Perhaps one day he could even use this to go back!

Li Xingzhi added a few more pieces of firewood, and the fire grew bigger and bigger, making a constant "crackling" sound, which made the small temple even more peaceful and tranquil. The little dog, Dan, seemed to be a bit sleepy, leaning against Li Xingzhi, his eyes half-closed, glancing at the pottery pot on the fire every now and then.

"If you want to sleep, go to sleep first. These two jars will take another half an hour to arrive," Li Xingzhi said softly.

"Brother Ya Zi, remember to call me when you order some soup," said Little Dog Egg, glancing at the two cans of soup.

Both pots of soup were meticulously prepared by Li Xingzhi. He had prepared a considerable amount of ingredients, ensuring that the resulting dish would be at least a level four dish, just enough to reset his experience points to zero. Thinking about how soon he would be able to officially activate the system, Li Xingzhi felt a surge of emotions. He was determined to keep a close eye on these two pots of soup.

The puppy, Egg, had already fallen asleep nestled against Li Xingzhi.

Li Xingzhi continued to stare at the two pots of soup. Time passed slowly, and he had never felt time drag on so long. It was as if a clock was ticking inside his head, each tick representing a second. Li Xingzhi had lost count of how many times the clock had ticked. He vaguely thought he was counting along with the ticking, but every time he tried to remember how many times he had counted, he couldn't quite recall.

As time slowly passed, the world seemed to grow quieter and quieter. The sound of snowflakes falling outside, the sound of branches breaking under the weight of the snow, the occasional roar of wild animals, the crackling of the fire burning inside the house, the breathing of the little dog Egg, and his own increasingly rapid heartbeat all reached Li Xingzhi's ears without missing a beat. Li Xingzhi felt uneasy; he had a feeling that tonight would not be so peaceful!