Chapter 98 Seafood Risotto

A soft, sweet meow pulled her back to reality.

The inkstone, and the black cat that the system had sent, had somehow appeared at the door, its golden eyes watching her quietly, its tail tip swaying gently.

It walked over gracefully, nuzzled Su Xiaonuan's leg with its head, and made a comforting purring sound in its throat.

Su Xiaonuan felt a warmth in her heart, bent down and hugged the little guy, feeling its soft, warm fur and steady heartbeat.

She gently stroked the back of the inkstone and whispered, "Thank goodness for you."

For breakfast, I simply made a bowl of plain noodles.

A clear broth, a few bright green bok choy, a perfectly fried egg, and a few drops of sesame oil.

The mild flavor soothed her stomach, which had been through a terrifying night.

After breakfast, she began preparing for her day's stall task.

The system was updated early this morning, and the light screen unfolded in my mind.

[Daily Task: Successfully sell 60 servings of 'Seafood Risotto' at the Mingyuan Street Night Market tonight. Reward: 450 Merit Points.]

Seeing that it was a night market, Su Xiaonuan breathed a sigh of relief.

The aroma of fireworks at night might help to wash away some of the bloodshed and chill left over from last night.

She opened the [Ingredients Mall] and started shopping.

Since it's a seafood risotto, the main ingredient is naturally seafood.

She selected firm prawns, plump mussels, sweet squid rings, and a few juicy clams.

Then come the side ingredients: high-quality Italian rice, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, minced garlic, parsley, lemon, and the essential saffron and white wine.

All the ingredients were delivered instantly, as fresh as if they had just been pulled from the sea or picked from the ground.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the busy preparation of ingredients.

As evening fell, Su Xiaonuan rode her upgraded and expanded food stall cart, merging into the flow of traffic heading to the Mingyuan Street night market.

Before we even reached the entrance to the night market, a white sedan next to us suddenly rolled down its window.

A young man who looked to be in his early twenties poked his head out and excitedly called out to Su Xiaonuan, "Hey! Boss! Aren't you the owner of that 'Xiaonuan Food Stall' that's been all the rage online lately?"

Su Xiaonuan turned her head to look in surprise.

She knew her stall was doing well and received many positive reviews, but "super popular"? And even online? She hadn't really paid attention.

She nodded, a soft, cute smile appearing on her face as usual: "It's me."

"Wow! It really is you!" The driver was even more excited, almost throwing the steering wheel off. "I've seen your videos so many times! I'm so envious! I can't believe I'm running into you today! Are you going to the Mingyuan Street night market?"

"right."

"Great! I'm sticking with you!" The white sedan immediately turned on its turn signal and followed closely behind Su Xiaonuan's tricycle, like a loyal guard.

When we arrived at Mingyuan Street Night Market, although it wasn't officially open yet, the streets were already packed with all kinds of stalls. The vendors were busy making final preparations, and the air was filled with the aroma of various ingredients and seasonings. The noise of people gradually grew louder.

Su Xiaonuan finally found an empty space and had just parked her silver-white stall cart when the white sedan precisely parked in the temporary parking space diagonally in front of her stall.

The driver got out of the car nimbly and then led a young woman, dressed in a sexy halter dress and with exquisite and charming makeup, out of the passenger seat.

The two walked straight toward Su Xiaonuan's stall.

"Boss, what delicious food are you selling today?" the man asked with shining eyes, his gaze sweeping over Su Xiaonuan's clean and tidy stall with its gleaming kitchen utensils.

As Su Xiaonuan took the prepared seafood out of the refrigerator, she replied softly, "We're selling seafood risotto today. It might take a little while; I need to heat up the pot first."

"No problem, no problem! We'll wait!" The man waved his hand readily, then turned to look at his female companion, his voice instantly becoming tender and affectionate, "Baby, want some seafood risotto? The owner's cooking is amazing, it's all over the internet!"

The alluring woman had a very cheerful personality. She curiously examined Su Xiaonuan and the ingredients in her hands, nodded, and eagerly exclaimed, "It smells delicious! Let's eat!"

Carrying her delicate little bag, she leaned closer and watched Su Xiaonuan skillfully check the stove fire. She couldn't help but ask, "Boss, you look so young, how come your skills are so amazing? Isn't it hard running a stall all by yourself?"

Su Xiaonuan looked up, smiled at her, revealing two small dimples: "It's okay, I like cooking, so I don't find it tiring."

Without stopping, she began chopping onions and bell peppers, her knife skills quick and steady, producing uniformly sized vegetable cubes.

The woman watched with amazement, and the two chatted back and forth, from interesting stories about setting up a stall to the recent weather, getting along very well.

The man stood to the side, watching his female companion with a smile, his eyes full of doting affection.

Soon, Su Xiaonuan's preparations were complete.

She lit the stove fire, and the blue flames licked the bottom of the thick-bottomed pan.

Pour in an appropriate amount of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and diced onion to the pan. With a sizzle, the spicy aroma bursts forth, making your mouth water.

She stir-fried the onions until they became translucent and emitted a sweet aroma, then poured all the cleaned and drained seafood into the pot.

The prawns quickly turned red and curled up, the mussels and clams opened their shells as they were heated, revealing the tender meat inside, and the squid rings became firm and bouncy.

She skillfully added some white wine, and the rising aroma of the wine carried away the last trace of fishiness from the seafood, leaving only a mellow fragrance.

Next, she poured the rinsed and drained Italian rice into the pot and stir-fried it with the seafood, ensuring that every grain of rice was evenly coated with oil.

Then, add chopped tomatoes and a pinch of precious saffron, and continue to stir-fry until the tomatoes are slightly softened and the juice seeps out, giving the rice a light golden and reddish hue.

Pour in the boiling broth, and the soup will boil instantly.

She turned the heat down to medium-low, allowing the rice to slowly absorb the flavors of the broth, without stirring it, only occasionally turning the pot to ensure even heating.

The rich, complex aroma spreads out layer by layer like invisible waves.

That's the taste of the sea, the taste of sunshine, a symphony of various spices and ingredients perfectly blended under heat.

The aroma was strong and long-lasting, easily overpowering the other budding aromas in the night market.

The diners who were originally lingering at other stalls or still looking for their target all stopped in their tracks, sniffing hard, their faces showing a look of intoxication and longing.

All eyes were immediately drawn to the source of the aroma—the petite and adorable female stall owner who was intently watching the food in the pot.