Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 46: Nothing Tastes Better Than Dumplings!

Song Guo took the sugarcane, imitated Xia Ye by biting down on the outer skin with her teeth, then tore it open to reveal the white pith inside, and took a bite. Crunch! As she chewed, a burst of refreshing juice flooded her taste buds. “Delicious!” Song Guo’s eyes lit up. “Um, just chew a few times—you can’t eat the pulp!” Seeing the little girl swallow the sugarcane pulp, Xia Ye quickly reminded her. “Okay!” Song Guo took another bite—she thought this was way more fun! “We’re having dumplings for dinner!” Xia Ye pulled a handful of spring onions from the vegetable patch. After nearly half a month of foraging in the wild, his palate had grown so dull he was practically starving—he absolutely had to treat himself to a hearty meal. Song Guo followed Xia Ye into the bamboo grove to dig up a few spring bamboo shoots. They then walked halfway around the grove, gathering some mushrooms at the bases of several large trees, before returning to the kitchen in the cave dwelling. “We don’t have any fresh meat, so let’s use smoked ham instead. It’ll probably be a bit salty!” Xia Ye took a smoked ham out of a large earthenware jar, sliced off about two jin, and tossed the rest back in. Finding the stone knife too dull, he simply used his tactical axe as a kitchen knife. He chopped the smoked meat into small pieces, then went to the mountain stream to wash the spring bamboo shoots, mushrooms, scallions, ginger, and garlic. He chopped those up as well, tossed everything into a clay dish, and picked up a pair of bamboo chopsticks to begin stirring clockwise. “Huh?” Song Guo watched as Xia Ye picked up a small earthenware jar about the size of a fist, scooped out a small pinch with a stone spoon, and poured it into the meat mixture. Out of curiosity, Song Guo leaned in to take a whiff, only to have a pungent, spicy scent immediately fill her nostrils. “Achoo! Song Guo immediately sneezed several times, feeling so uncomfortable that tears nearly welled up in her eyes. “Haha, this is Sichuan pepper powder—it’s for seasoning!” Xia Ye chuckled. Speaking of seasoning, he suddenly slapped his forehead: “How could I have forgotten the soy sauce?” “So…y sauce?” Song Guo scratched her head, her little face full of confusion. There were so many things this big brother was talking about—she’d never even heard of most of them! Soon, Xia Ye brought over a clay jar sealed with yellow clay at the mouth. He carefully tapped it to break the seal, cleaned it out, and then opened it. A rich, savory aroma immediately wafted out. Two heads—one big, one small—immediately crowded around the jar’s opening, peering inside. “Not bad—no foam on top, so it hasn’t gone bad!” Xia Ye scooped out a spoonful, sniffed it, and then dabbed a bit on the tip of his tongue. Soybeans originated in China and were one of the earliest staple foods, though eating too many of them can easily lead to flatulence—but they have many byproducts. Soy sauce is made from soybeans. The process is simple: steam them, sun-dry them, let them develop a slight mold to produce mycelium, then sift them, add brine, and seal the mixture for aging in a cellar. Xia Ye’s uncle is a chef who dislikes how industrial soy sauce masks the natural flavors of ingredients. Plus, with all the additives, it’s bad for your health. So after having children, he started making his own soy sauce, vinegar, and other condiments. Having grown up surrounded by this, Xia Ye has picked up quite a bit of knowledge. While she can’t make top-tier soy sauce, her homemade versions add rich flavor to everyday meals. After all, in an era when people were even rationing salt, seasonings were simply nonexistent. The impurities had already settled, so Xia Ye scooped out two spoonfuls and poured them into the ground meat. As she stirred, the color immediately deepened, making it look much more appetizing. “Want to give it a taste?” Xia Ye held out the wooden spoon. “Yes!” Song Guo took a big bite, and her whole expression froze instantly. Then she opened her mouth wide, stuck out her tongue, and a cascade of soy sauce mixed with saliva poured out. “It’s so salty!” Song Guo scampered on her little legs to the mountain stream and rinsed her mouth for quite a while, but she soon forgot how awful it tasted and stared at the snow-white flour, wide-eyed. “What’s this?” Watching Xia Ye add cold water and knead the flour into a ball, Song Guo found it truly magical. “Wheat flour!” As a country kid, Xia Ye’s domestic skills were top-notch; in no time, he’d rolled out one thin dumpling wrapper after another. “Wow!” Song Guo exclaimed in surprise. “Watch closely!” Using bamboo chopsticks, she picked up a spoonful of meat filling, placed it in the center of a dumpling wrapper, folded it in half, pinched the edges tightly with her thumb and index finger, cradled the dumpling in the crook of her left hand, and pressed it firmly with her right hand. A beautifully shaped dumpling was born. “I want to learn!” Song Guo couldn’t wait to try, but her technique was a disaster—either she put in too much filling and the dumpling burst, or she used too little, leaving nothing but a thin wrapper. Xia Ye recalled what it was like when she first learned to make dumplings all those years ago. Alas, though the scene remained the same, the people had changed. Add water to the stone pot, stoke the fire with wood, and light it. Once it comes to a boil, add the dumplings and stir them a few times with a long-handled wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Slurp! Song Guo stood by the stone pot, watching the dumplings bubble and swell one by one until they were plump and round. His mouth watered as the aroma of the dumplings wafted up with the steam, making his stomach growl with hunger. “Hurry up, big brother!” When the dumplings were served, Song Guo picked up her chopsticks but, being well-behaved, didn’t pick any up. “Let’s eat!” Xia Ye picked one up with his chopsticks and placed it in the little girl’s bowl. “Mmm!” Song Guo swallowed the walnut-sized dumpling in one bite, then jumped up in surprise at the heat, breathing in and out rapidly—but she couldn’t bear to spit it out. “Careful, it’s hot!” Xia Ye tasted one—it was indeed a bit salty. Song Guo didn’t think so. As soon as her teeth broke open the dumpling and she chewed a few times, the flavor of the meat filling immediately filled her taste buds. The umami of the mushrooms, the crunch of the spring bamboo shoots, and the aroma of the smoked meat—blended with various seasonings—merged perfectly to create an indescribable flavor. The little girl was entranced; she had never eaten anything so delicious. Mmm! Xiao Song Guo couldn’t stop eating; she devoured twenty-three in one go before slowing down, though her chopsticks still moved with lightning speed. “Too bad there’s no vinegar!” Xia Ye smacked his lips. He knew how to brew vinegar—it was just a bit of a hassle. He’d worry about that later, once he had his own tribe and some free time. “Vinegar?” Song Guo’s ears perked up. “Dip the dumplings in it—it’s super delicious!” Xia Ye thought of a roommate from college who actually dipped his dumplings in soy sauce and minced ginger—that was practically heresy! “Vinegar—where can I find some?” The little girl stuffed a dumpling into her mouth and asked, her words muffled. “They don’t have that in this era!” Xia Ye sighed. Ketchup, mayonnaise, doubanjiang, sweet bean sauce, and most importantly, barbecue sauce—not a single one was available. For a foodie, that was absolutely worse than death. Thankfully, he knew how to make them himself. Over a hundred dumplings ended up in the little girl’s stomach. After she finished, she lay down on the bed, her belly bulging like that of a woman eight months pregnant. “Help me up—I can still eat!” Staring at the single remaining dumpling on the plate, the little girl looked utterly reluctant. “I’ll make them for you whenever you want them in the future, but don’t eat too many at once—you’ll get indigestion!” Xia Ye poured a cup of hawthorn tea and fed it to the little girl: “Here, this will help with digestion!” “Hehe, big brother is so nice!” The little girl beamed with joy; she hadn’t been this happy since leaving the tribe. “You’re the first person in this era to ever eat dumplings!” Xia Ye teased her. Now that they were safe, the exhaustion that had built up over the past few days began to set in. After a quick wash, the two of them crawled into bed. Late at night, Xia Ye heard sobbing and discovered that the little girl clinging to him was having a nightmare. It made sense—a four- or five-year-old girl traveling alone must have endured a great deal of hardship. A sound sleep all night! Early in the morning, Xia Ye opened his eyes and was just about to stretch when he suddenly froze and looked over at his side. The little girl was gone! “Did she leave?” When he spotted the small bundle in the corner of the room and the stone hammer, Xia Ye’s furrowed brow relaxed. A gentle breeze blew, causing the bamboo grove to sway. Xia Ye stepped out of the cave dwelling and took a deep breath; a wave of damp air flooded his nostrils. As he stretched his arms and legs, he scanned the area for any sign of the little girl. “Surely she didn’t go digging for spring bamboo shoots or picking mushrooms just because she wanted more dumplings, did she?” Xia Ye didn’t find the little girl in the bamboo grove. When he emerged, he saw a “cub” crouching between the ridges of the strawberry patch, slowly crawling forward. “Huh?” Puzzled, Xia Ye crept quietly toward it. “Let’s see where you run!” Xiao Song Guo, wrapped in a little black bear pelt, was crouched on the ground, carefully parting the strawberry leaves, plucking the caterpillars off them, and tossing them into a small bamboo tube. Behind her lay piles of pulled weeds. The morning light was gradually breaking, and warm sunlight streamed down, bathing Song Guo in a golden glow. A smile played at the corners of Xia Ye’s mouth as he watched that tiny figure; his heart swelled with doting affection and joy. She was a sensible little girl who knew she shouldn’t take things for granted, so she had come to the vegetable patch first thing in the morning to pull weeds and remove pests. “Stop catching them—it’s time for breakfast!” Xia Ye called out. “Big brother?” Song Guo turned her head and wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, still clutching a handful of grass in her hand. “Now that the bugs are gone, these strawberries are sure to taste even better!” Xia Ye praised. It was early spring, and the temperature was low; the heavy morning dew had already dampened the bearskin, and the little girl’s nearly worn-through animal-skin boots and pant legs were already soaked through. “Hehe!” Xiao Song Guo blushed. “Come on, let’s have bird eggs and hand-pulled pancakes for breakfast—with ham, too!” Xia Ye crouched down and wiped the dirt off Little Song Guo’s face. “Oye！” Song Guo cheered, “I want to eat ten!” “No problem!” Xia Ye didn’t plan on going home today because he had some preparations to make. Although it wasn’t yet strawberry season, he couldn’t wait any longer—the Blood Survival Trial was about to begin. By the time he returned, even if the field mice hadn’t ravaged them, the strawberries would have rotted in the ground. “Candied strawberries? What are those?” Song Guo asked as she picked strawberries while carrying her basket. “A snack even better than candied hawthorn!” With brown sugar on hand, she could naturally make all sorts of sweets—and those candied treats would definitely make the women’s mouths water so much they’d want to swallow their tongues. But she wasn’t going to sell them! “Huh?” Song Guo’s mouth immediately began to water. Candied hawthorn on a stick was the most delicious snack she’d ever had—and those candied strawberries were actually even better? You’ve got to be kidding me! With the promise of delicious food, she was full of energy. Wrapped in her little black bear fur, Little Song Guo worked quickly and never once complained of tiredness. Xia Ye had to劝 her several times—not even child laborers are exploited this much. “Why don’t you take a break?” Xia Yexin felt sorry for herself. “No!” Little Song Guo wanted to eat the candied fruit as soon as possible. Watching the little girl drink water because she was thirsty, Xia Ye suddenly realized there was another kind of snack he could make—and strawberries were the perfect ingredient!