Becoming the Villainess: I Dominate the Cultivation Realm with My Wok!-Chapter 146: Communal Stew

The Qian Ding Sect was bustling with activity as they renovated their estate.

Chen Muxue, looking quite messy, set up a makeshift clay stove from afar, glanced at the straw hut behind her, and felt an inexplicable sense of bleakness.

She was really silly, truly. With the money earned from the restaurant, after experiencing a torrential rain, Chen Muxue immediately spent the silver to hire people to repair the house.

But she overlooked a place for herself to stay, fortunately, the workers set up a temporary straw hut for them. Now, the five members of the Qian Ding Sect plus one cat were huddled in the hut waiting for the workers to finish renovating their residence.

If this happened in any other sect, it probably wouldn’t occur. But the Qian Ding Sect’s yard barely had two sections, what could they do?

It’s said that a hundred years ago, the scope of the Qian Ding Sect was vast, this little courtyard was just the tip of the iceberg, and then... there was no "then".

The workers brought their own big iron pot. Originally, they cooked their own meals, but after tasting a dish made by Chen Muxue, they were willing to take a pay cut just to have her provide meals.

So now, Chen Muxue was preparing to cook a large-pot dish.

The only rib had already been soaked in cold water for two hours, this way the blood could be drained, and it wouldn’t be too gamey without having to be blanched.

Fresh shiitake and white mushrooms soaked for a while in salted water before being washed clean, and oyster mushrooms torn into small pieces.

"Can you eat mushrooms like this? Won’t we get poisoned?" a resting worker asked while staring at the pristine white mushrooms.

"Right, right, can’t eat it," Chen Muxue replied casually, as she cut green and red peppers into chunks, ginger and garlic into slices, and chopped dried chili into sections.

"Is she planning to poison us?" that worker couldn’t help but turn and ask.

"I told you you’re a fool, and you still don’t believe!" another worker smacked the first on his head.

"Stop hitting him, Tie Niu’s already dull, hit him more, and he’ll be duller. Are you going to take care of him then?"

"Hahahaha!"

Tie Niu rubbed his forehead, not knowing what they were laughing at or how he was considered foolish.

In the pot, oil was heated, and the ribs fried until golden brown on both sides. Meanwhile, Chen Muxue started kneading the dough.

Ideally, it should contain mostly flour with little cornmeal, but due to cost reasons, there was more cornmeal than flour. She added an egg, and the resulting dough was golden, unexpectedly appetizing.

The ribs were for themselves, while a slab of fatty pork belly with thick slices was prepared for the workers.

"Truly generous!" Tie Niu couldn’t help but praise.

To them, the ribs had little meat, how could it compare to the satisfaction of chewing on chunks of fatty meat?

Into the pot went ginger, garlic, star anise, dried chili for aromatic frying, then ribs and pork belly to stir-fry. Soon, the meat aroma filled the air, and the workers, glancing at the sun, had lost the motivation to continue working.

With every addition of cooking wine, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce, the flavor transformed, causing everyone’s stomachs to rumble audibly.

The mushrooms were tossed in the pot, stir-fried, and then topped up with water till level with the vegetables, brought to a boil before reducing to low heat.

"It’s truly novel, cultivators are just different, even when lighting a fire it’s all elaborate," Tie Niu remarked, watching Xiao Hu focus intently on controlling the fire, unable to suppress his amazement.

Then the rested dough was pinched into small balls, rolled round, dipped in cold water, and shaped into cakes to stick to the edge of the pot, covered over low heat for twenty minutes, before adding green and red peppers before serving.

Once the lid was lifted, Chen Muxue looked up, and somehow all the workers had come down and lined up.

"Not proactive at work, first in line for meals..." Chen Muxue muttered to herself.

Were they discovered?! The workers exchanged glances, hearts pounding with apprehension.