mijobooks Chapter 183 This rice, it should be edible, right?
Chapter 183 This rice, it should be edible, right?
Inside the room, the old Taoist priest looked at the two items on the table with a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Withered lotus flowers, bamboo tubes.
These two things were just sitting there, looking rather inconspicuous.
The lotus flowers had withered so much that their color had faded completely, and their petals were shriveled and curled up. If it weren't for the fact that they were still in full bloom, they would look no different from the withered grass picked up by the roadside.
The bamboo tube was smooth, but it was just an ordinary bamboo tube, the kind that mountain people use to store salt.
"Did President Qin and his team come all this way just to deliver this?"
The old Taoist priest picked up the bamboo tube, shook it, and a faint rustling sound came from inside.
"What's in here?"
Li Jun leaned closer.
"It's rice."
"Rice?" The old Taoist priest was taken aback. "Why would you send rice? Our temple doesn't lack food."
He put down the bamboo tube, then picked up the lotus flower and looked at it from left to right.
"These lotus flowers... they're so withered, what good are they?"
"Master, although this lotus flower looks withered, it still has a chance to live."
Li Jun smiled and said:
"Don't you usually like to grow flowers and plants? Why don't you find a pot to plant it? This is an extraordinary lotus, it's not ordinary."
Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest looked again at the lotus flower in his hand.
He believed his apprentice's words.
If Jun'er says this thing still has a chance of survival, then it must.
"Alright."
The old Taoist priest nodded: "Let's find a bottle and see if we can keep it alive."
He carefully placed the lotus flower on the table, then opened the bamboo tube and peeked inside.
The rice grains are round and white as jade, looking no different from ordinary rice. But if you get close and smell it, you can smell a very faint fragrance, almost imperceptible.
He poured a few grains into his palm and squeezed them.
The rice grains are hard, but not as brittle as old rice; instead, they have a warm and smooth texture.
"This rice can't be planted anymore."
The old Taoist priest looked at Li Jun.
"Besides, even if it were possible to grow it, there's no space in our temple."
"You can keep it for now."
Li Jun responded and took the bamboo tube, then closed it again.
But at that moment, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.
Since this is rice, it should be edible, right?
Moreover, this kind of energy-containing substance could easily be considered spiritual rice in a novel, the kind that can increase one's cultivation level when consumed.
or……
Did you make some nourishing food for your master?
As soon as the idea popped into Li Jun's head, he thought it was feasible.
Master has only recently cultivated Qi and needs to stabilize his realm. Since this thing has energy, it must be beneficial to eat it.
He looked at the bamboo tube in his hand, then at his master.
The old Taoist priest was examining the withered lotus flower, muttering something like, "What kind of bottle should we find?"
Li Jun didn't disturb him and quietly left the room.
He took the bamboo tube and walked straight to the kitchen.
Upon arriving in the kitchen, he placed the bamboo tube on the table and opened the lid.
That faint, pleasant fragrance wafted out again.
Li Jun took a small basin and poured the rice out of the bamboo tube.
The rice grains fell into the basin with a splash, white and looking no different from ordinary rice.
But the fragrance was stronger than before.
Li Jun carried the basin to the water vat and scooped water to wash the rice.
The moment the water was poured in, the fragrance intensified.
It's very elegant and refreshing, like freshly harvested rice or morning dew in the mountains.
Li Jun stirred the water gently, and the rice grains tumbled in the water.
The rice water gradually became somewhat cloudy, but the cloudiness was not grayish-white; rather, it was a pale milky white, like thin rice soup.
He poured the rice water into another basin.
This water shouldn't be wasted; it's perfect for watering the flowers Master is growing.
Li Jun carried the basin out of the kitchen and walked to a row of flower pots in the yard.
These are Master's treasures.
All year round, regardless of wind or rain, the master would take care of them, worrying about them getting too much sun in the summer and too cold in the winter, caring for them even more than he cared for himself.
Li Jun squatted down and poured the rice water into the flowerpot little by little.
The water seeped into the soil and disappeared quickly.
After watering the last pot, he stood up, carried the empty pot back to the kitchen, and started cooking rice.
The rice cooker was placed on the table by the window in the kitchen. It wasn't very big, but it was enough to cook rice for two people.
Pour the washed rice into the pot and add an appropriate amount of water.
Put the lid on and plug it in.
I pressed the cook button.
With a beep, the rice cooker started working.
Li Jun stood by the pot, staring at the small indicator light.
The small red light was on, flashing.
A faint sound began to emanate from the pot.
The bubbling sound is the rice grains churning as the water boils.
Li Jun did not leave.
He just stood there, staring at the rice cooker.
Time passed second by second.
About ten minutes later.
suddenly.
A fragrant aroma wafted from the pot.
The fragrance was very faint.
It's very light.
But the moment Li Jun smelled it, he became completely energized.
So delicious.
It's not the kind of aroma that's created by piling on seasonings in restaurants.
It is a very pure and clean fragrance.
It smells so good that it makes your mouth water involuntarily.
Li Jun took a deep breath.
This taste...
That's too domineering.
He stared at the rice cooker, suddenly feeling a sense of anticipation.
Just then, I heard footsteps behind me.
"Jun'er? What are you doing in the kitchen?"
The old Taoist priest's voice rang out.
Li Jun turned around.
The master stood at the kitchen doorway, looking inside.
"Master, you've come at the perfect time."
Li Jun stepped aside to make room for him.
"Smell this."
The old Taoist priest walked in and sniffed.
Then, he froze.
"What...what does this taste like?"
He walked up to the rice cooker and sniffed it.
"It smells so good! Much better than the rice we usually cook!"
Li Jun smiled.
"Master, this is the rice in that bamboo tube."
The old Taoist priest was taken aback.
"That rice?"
He looked at the rice cooker, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.
"Jun'er, that rice has been sitting for so long, is it still edible?"
Li Jun thought about it.
"It should be edible."
"There must be a reason why this thing has been preserved until now."
"And smell this, if it weren't edible, would it smell so good?"
The old Taoist priest nodded after listening.
That makes sense.
He stood by the pot, smelling the increasingly strong aroma, and suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.
"When will it be better?"
Li Jun glanced at the time display on the rice cooker.
"Almost there, about twenty more minutes."
The old Taoist priest nodded, moved a small stool, and sat down by the stove.
The master and apprentice sat in the kitchen, staring at the rice cooker.
The aroma grew stronger and stronger.
It's getting thicker and thicker.
The entire kitchen was filled with that mouthwatering aroma.
The old Taoist priest couldn't help but swallow.
"Jun'er, what do you think will happen if we eat this rice?"
Li Jun thought about it.
"It should be beneficial."
"After all, this thing contains energy, which is a kind of tonic for cultivators."
The old Taoist priest nodded.
He suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, are we just going to eat rice? Let's go stir-fry some vegetables."
Li Jun slapped his forehead.
"Oh right, I almost forgot."
He stood up, tied on his apron, and began to get busy.
Wash the vegetables, chop the vegetables, start the fire, and stir-fry the vegetables.
The movements were swift and fluid, completed in one go.
The old Taoist priest sat by the stove, watching his apprentice busy at work, a smile on his face.