Chapter Four: The Code to Wealth (New Release—Come Take a Look!)

The process of making cold noodles was quite complicated, but it was no challenge for Li Yi. In his previous life, he had spent a long time in the Guanzhong region, not only developing a fondness for this dish but also learning directly from local master chefs for a period.

However, when he looked at the white flour at home, he was dumbfounded again. Making cold noodles required medium-gluten flour, but the flour at home was ground using old-fashioned methods, containing not only flour but also a lot of bran and impurities. With these mixed in, the utilization rate of the flour was low, and the resulting cold noodles lacked the right chewiness.

Li Yi immediately took out a fine sieve and scooped two large bowls of coarse flour from the jar to filter it. After filtering, the bran and larger particles were removed, leaving behind the medium-gluten flour suitable for cold noodles. Then, he mixed the flour with water at a ratio of 2:1, kneaded it into dough, and let it rest.

The key to making cold noodles was washing the dough—placing the rested dough in water and washing it to extract the gluten and starch. This process was time-consuming and laborious, taking Li Yi a full half hour. Afterward, he let the gluten rest for over half an hour, filtered the starch water and let it settle, then skimmed off the clear water on top.

Next, Li Yi took out a large iron tea tray, brushed it with oil, poured in the starch water, and steamed it. It took five minutes for the cold noodles to be ready, while the gluten required ten minutes. Soon, the noodle sheets came out of the steamer.

He cut the noodle sheets into long strips, tore a piece, and put it in his mouth. The texture was smooth, springy, and slightly fragrant with wheat—a single word described it perfectly: delightful! In the following time, Li Yi used all the remaining starch water to make a total of eleven sheets of noodles.

The taste of cold noodles depended partly on how well the noodle sheets were made and partly on the seasoning and accompanying dishes. The noodles themselves had no flavor; they provided the texture, while the taste and visual enjoyment came from the condiments and side dishes.

Li Yi searched the kitchen for a long time but only found aged vinegar and salt; nothing else was available. Obviously, vinegar and salt alone wouldn’t satisfy him. Luckily, he saw many dried chili peppers hanging on the wall. He immediately took some down, crushed them, and made a chili oil dressing. Chili oil was undeniably essential for cold noodles. Good chili oil was bright red and glossy, with a rich, fragrant aroma.

Whether a bowl of cold noodles was visually appealing and appetizing depended entirely on the chili oil. After preparing these, Li Yi went to the vegetable garden in the yard, picked some fresh seasonal vegetables, washed them, and used them as side dishes.

Soon, a bowl of cold noodles from Guanzhong, rich in color, aroma, and flavor, was complete. Eating cold noodles alone was obviously insufficient. Thinking of Guanzhong’s famous "Three Qin Set Meal," which included cold noodles, roujiamo (meat sandwich), and Bingfeng soda, Li Yi realized soda was a luxury he couldn’t get, and there was no meat for the sandwich, but the bread was doable.

In his hometown, the bread in Guanzhong was called "bing," so Li Yi kneaded dough again and made flatbreads. Compared to making cold noodles, baking flatbreads was much simpler. Before long, he had made over a dozen white flatbreads the size of palms.

Just as Li Yi took the last flatbread off the stove, the big yellow dog in the yard suddenly barked. Looking up, he saw his third sister and Tang Xue had returned.

Li Na had taken Tang Xue for a walk in the mountains, giving her a lot of comfort and guidance, apologizing repeatedly for her useless younger brother, and finally helping Tang Xue recover from her previous sadness. Seeing that it was nearly noon and their parents would soon return from the fields, she brought Tang Xue home to prepare lunch for their parents.

But as soon as they stepped into the yard, they sensed something unusual—a strange, enticing aroma wafted from afar, making them swallow hard.

"Xiao Xue, do you smell that? It’s so fragrant!" Tang Xue nodded instinctively and said, "It smells like the oil scent from baking flatbreads, but there’s something else mixed in too."

"Could it be Mom? Maybe she came back early, worried you might be neglected as a daughter-in-law, so she made some good food for you," Li Na said.

Hearing the words "daughter-in-law," a flicker of pain crossed Tang Xue’s eyes. At eighteen or nineteen, the prime of youth, she dreamed of wearing a fiery red wedding dress and marrying her perfect groom someday. Yet she never imagined that her ideal man would be someone like Li Yi. Thinking of this, tears welled in her eyes, but stubborn by nature, she held them back.

Li Na noticed Tang Xue’s unusual expression and scolded her useless younger brother silently once more before quickly changing the subject. "Xiao Xue, don’t overthink it. Let’s go inside and see what Mom made for us."

However, when they entered, they were surprised to find their mother was not in the house. Instead, Li Yi was busily working by the stove. Seeing the large bowls of strange noodles and the slightly yellowed flatbreads on the kang table, they both widened their eyes.

They knew exactly what kind of person Li Yi was. Although the Li family was modest, Li Yi was the cherished youngest son of Li Shankui and his wife. Having three elder sisters, despite the family’s limited means, Li Yi had never suffered hardship. Even during the collective farming years, he never had to work in the fields or do household chores. From childhood until now, he had never even washed a pair of socks.

As for cooking, it was always the eldest sister Li Mei’s responsibility, then passed to the second sister Li Lan after Li Mei married, and now to the third sister Li Na. Li Yi’s only job was to come home on time to eat—nothing more.

"Xiao Yi... did you make all this?" Li Na asked in surprise.

Li Yi smiled and said, "Hehe, try my skills!"

Li Na took Tang Xue’s hand and came over to the kang table for a closer look. "Xiao Yi, what exactly did you make? It looks pretty good and smells great, but I don’t know if it tastes good."

Before Li Yi could answer, Tang Xue whispered, "This looks like cold noodles from our hometown."

Li Yi nodded, "It is cold noodles."

Just then, the sound of bells rang in the yard, and Li Shankui and his wife Zhang Yuehong arrived, driving a mule cart into the yard.

Li Shankui skillfully unloaded the cart, watered and fed the livestock, while Zhang Yuehong put down the hoe, went inside to wash her hands, and prepared to help cook. Seeing the cold noodles and flatbreads on the kang table, she immediately said to Li Na, "Na Na, why didn’t you take out that piece of cured pork to fry for Xiao Xue to nourish her body?"

Li Na hurriedly replied, "Mom, today’s meal wasn’t cooked by me..."

"You child! Xiao Xue isn’t even married into our family yet, how can you let someone else cook for her?"

Before her mother finished, Li Na quickly explained, "It’s not Xiao Xue who cooked this. To be honest, this was all made by your son!"

"Xiao Yi... that can’t be..."

At that moment, Li Shankui finished settling the mule and came in. Hearing Zhang Yuehong’s words, he asked, "What are you saying?"

"Dear, Na Na said the food on this table was made by Xiao Yi!"

Li Shankui looked at the dishes on the table and was stunned for a moment. Then, frowning, he said, "Did you buy this food from outside? Don’t waste money like that again."

Li Yi smiled and said, "My dear father, take a look at what this food actually is before you speak!"

He continued, "This is called cold noodles, a specialty of Qin Province. Don’t say my pockets are emptier than my face now—even if I had money, it can’t be bought in our county!"

"Hmph!" Li Shankui looked at him with an expression that said he believed it as much as the sun rising in the west, which left Li Yi feeling awkward. He knew his own son’s nature well; the idea that he could cook such beautiful food was almost impossible, unless the world turned upside down.

Fearing an argument between father and son, Zhang Yuehong quickly intervened, "Enough, enough. Let’s just try the food and see if it tastes good!"

With her prompting, the family of five gathered at the table, each holding a large enamel bowl and began to eat.

The fiery chili fully awakened their taste buds, and the cool, smooth noodles chased away the summer heat. It was their first time eating cold noodles, and Li Shankui, Zhang Yuehong, and Li Na nearly swallowed their tongues—they were incredibly delicious.

Even Tang Xue, from Qin Province herself, thought Li Yi’s cold noodles were more authentic than many master chefs’, finishing a big bowl.

"So you’re telling me you really made this?" Li Shankui asked doubtfully.

"Yes, I made it. How does it taste?"

"Hmm, not bad."

Seeing their father’s face, which betrayed his true feelings, Li Na curled her lips and said, "What do you mean, ‘not bad’? This cold noodles... it’s absolutely delicious. With my brother’s skills, he could easily make a living selling at the county market!"

Hearing this, a light bulb went off in Li Yi’s mind. It seemed he had found the key to unlocking the door to wealth.