Eating Meat
An raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Bai Wu’s slender waist, barely concealing the outline of her abs, his face full of disbelief.
Bai Wu let his brother scrutinize him. “Really, I can make tons of delicious food.”
“When did you learn to make it? In your dreams?”
“Pretty much.”
Wasn’t what happened in his past life almost like a dream?
An scoffed. “I don’t believe you.”
“Bring it back and try it, then you’ll know,” Bai Wu said, looking at An with sincere eyes. “Brother.”
An shuddered, goosebumps rising on his arms. He pushed him away. “Don’t call me. Calling me always brings trouble.”
“Just try it. Even if you can’t get it, you won’t lose anything, right?”
“Xilin is too far. We’d have to carry the green root back, it’s so heavy,” An said. “I’ll just dig half a basket for you here. Anyway, nobody else eats this stuff except you.”
“Half a basket is too little. It’ll only make a tiny bit of food. How can that be enough for our whole family?”
An remained unmoved. “Dad’s health isn’t good. Don’t cause trouble for others.”
Bai Wu glared. “Don’t underestimate me!”
There was plenty of food in this forest. The sub-beastmen ventured deeper into the forest, gradually dispersing. They would regroup when they returned in the afternoon.
Bai Wu followed behind An, listlessly searching for something edible.
An didn’t go to Xilin with him; he knew he wouldn’t get many green roots by himself.
The sun rose high, soon reaching its zenith.
An pulled Bai Wu to a large tree and stopped to rest. “Didn’t you find some green roots? Aren’t you happy?”
Bai Wu lazily looked up. “Can’t I be tired?”
“Such a fuss.”
An, though saying this, still took some fruit from his basket for him to eat.
The tribe only ate two meals a day. If they were hungry at noon, they had to grab something from their baskets to tide them over; they didn’t return to the tribe.
Bai Wu and the others worked until the sun was setting in the afternoon when they were almost at the top of the mountain before their baskets were nearly full.
Most of the baskets contained green roots—most of which An had dug up.
Bai Wu, having achieved his goal, hummed a song on the way back.
The green roots were buried deep and numerous, making digging with a stone knife very inconvenient. An, as the main force, was exhausted and didn’t even want to talk to Bai Wu. The two rejoined the main group and flew back to the tribe, heading towards their respective nests.
Bai Wu looked down from the air and immediately saw his dad sitting in front of his nest, preparing vegetables.
The soft evening light cast a warm yellow hue on his dad’s handsome face, even giving the two large bird nests behind him an artistic feel.
Bai Wu transformed back into human form, tugging at his feathered skirt and calling out, “Dad!”
Chuan looked up with a delighted smile spreading across his face. He walked over, took the basket from Bai Wu’s back, and peered inside. “How did you gather so much today?”
“I want to make some food with green roots,” Bai Wu said, putting down the basket and rotating his aching arms. He plopped down in front of the fire. “Last night I dreamt of a dish made with green roots, and it was incredibly delicious!”
An picked out the green roots from the basket and said, “He’s so silly but he won’t admit it. He can actually believe his dreams?”
Bai Wu snorted, stretched out his legs, and said shamelessly, “Anyway, I’m going to try it.”
An rolled his eyes and ignored him. The two brothers rested by the fire while Chuan cooked.
Bai Wu squinted at the fire, thinking about his past life.
In his past life, he was a civil servant who died in a natural disaster while on official business. When he awoke, he was in this world.
He must have been reincarnated into this world. As a child, his soul was incomplete, and his intelligence was always low.
His family raised him carefully, thinking he would also die young. They didn’t even give him a name, simply calling him Xiao Wu.
He was the fifth among his cousins.
After regaining consciousness, he named himself Wu, a homonym for “five” in Chinese. The character Wu originally meant lush weeds, and he hoped he could also live vibrantly in this world.
Although his family found the sound strange, they eventually respected his wishes at his insistence.
Bai Wu sat by the fire, his hand supporting his chin, and his consciousness gradually fading.
“Wu?”
“Huh?” Bai Wu felt someone touch him. He jolted awake, wiped his mouth, and turned to see his tall father standing behind him carrying a piece of meat. “Father?”
His father asked, “Are you very tired today?”
Bai Wu’s wings ached terribly from flying for so long, but he was too embarrassed to admit it. “I’m alright. Father, did you go to the priest?”
The priest lived on a mountain south of their tribe, and this month their tribe offered him sacrifices.
Although it was called offering sacrifices, the priest actually returned the favor almost daily.
Bai Wu had forgotten the exact appearance of that tall, aloof young priest, but he had a good impression of him.
“I went and came back.” Mo handed him the piece of meat. “The priest gave you some to nourish your body.”
“Huh?” Bai Wu only then noticed the large piece of meat his father was carrying, his eyes lighting up. “For us?”
How long had it been since he’d eaten a purely meat dish!
Roasted meat, stewed meat, stir-fried meat, braised meat, fried meat… No, just thinking about it made his mouth water.
Bai Wu sniffed, took the piece of meat with one hand, and instantly lost his balance. His legs buckled, and he almost fell to the ground from the weight.
So heavy! The priest is being too generous with the meat!
He quickly reached out with his other hand, barely managing to steady the piece of meat. “Father, why is the priest giving us so much meat?”
Mo said, “So you can eat more and grow stronger.”
Bai Wu was touched, but also puzzled. “The priest still remembers me?”
The priest wasn’t just for their tribe; he governed nine nearby bird beastman tribes. How could the priest still remember him?
An, standing nearby, said, “The priest is exceptionally wise. What’s so strange about him remembering you? Besides, who else has been like you, foolish for over a decade?”
“…” Bai Wu gritted his teeth, almost getting into another fight with his brother, but his father shoved them both away.
Bai Wu snorted, then thought, as a minor beastman, he didn’t have anything that anyone could take advantage of. The priest was probably just kind-hearted.
His thoughts shifted, and he put the matter aside, focusing intently on the meat before him.
The meat was entirely red with finely distributed fat, somewhat resembling marbled beef.
Bai Wu swallowed hard, already imagining how delicious it would be once cooked.
He turned to Chuan and called out, “Dad, may I cook this meat?”
Chuan stopped what he was doing and asked, “Do you know how?”
“I’ll know once I try it.”
The freshly taken-out piece of meat was quickly rinsed and shrunk.
Bai Wu used a stone knife to cut it into several pieces, his mind rapidly flashing through various cooking methods such as frying, stir-frying, steaming, and deep-frying. Finally, he asked, “Dad, what about the jam I asked you to make a few days ago?”
Chuan put down what he was doing. “It’s in the nest. I’ll go get it for you.”
An jumped up. “I’ll go!”
An turned and ran back to the nest.
A moment later, he returned carrying a small earthenware jar.
The small earthenware jar was only the size of a football, entirely black, and sealed with clay.
Bai Wu knocked off the clay seal and then peeled back the dried leaves covering it.
The brown jam inside emitted a sweet and sour aroma. Bai Wu swallowed hard, his stomach rumbling.
An leaned closer. “What does this jam you made taste like?”
Bai Wu picked up a little with his chopsticks. “Want to try some?”
An stared at the jam on the chopstick tip for a moment, then unceremoniously swished away a bit with the tip of his tongue. His face instantly contorted. “So sour!”
“Really?” Bai Wu also scooped up a little and put it in his mouth.
The sour and salty taste spread in his mouth, followed by a hint of sweetness. Bai Wu squinted his eyes. “It’s alright.”
An smacked his lips, unusually not offering a rebuttal.
Bai Wu handed the jar to his two fathers.
After tasting it, Chuan commented, “You can’t eat much at once.”
Bai Wu said, “This can’t be eaten as a meal; it’s just a seasoning like salt. Next time you cook, add some to the dishes; it’ll taste better.”
Bai Wu said enthusiastically, “Dad, let’s not cook anything else tonight, let’s just eat this meat.”
“Sure? Let’s try your cooking today.” Chuan put away the ingredients he had prepared earlier. “How do you want to prepare the meat? I’ll help you.”
“No need, you all rest a bit, just watch me.”
Being able to eat meat soon, Bai Wu’s wing roots no longer hurt, and his hands and feet weren’t tired anymore.
He deftly poked a few holes in the meat, marinated it with jam, and then found an earthenware pot.
Earthenware pots are too easy to crack.
Bai Wu didn’t dare to fry the meat directly in oil, so he first poured a little water into the earthenware pot, melted the animal fat in it, and brought it to a boil. Then he simmered it over low heat, and then added a few pieces of meat coated with jam to cook.
Unlike his dad’s stewed meat, he stood beside the pot while the meat cooked, turning it over with chopsticks as soon as it changed color.
Each piece of meat was picked up and placed on a plate as soon as it was cooked.
Bai Wu poked the meat with his chopsticks and happily announced, “It’s done!”
The family’s eyes all fell on the pieces of meat.
The meat on the plate was a thick, brownish color. When pressed with chopsticks, it bounced back, looking extremely tender, completely different from the tough, chewy pieces.
The meat was still steaming, and a rich aroma wafted out, making everyone’s Adam’s apples bob.
An peered out from the side, “Is it ready to eat?”
Bai Wu’s eyebrows practically flew up, and he slightly raised his chin, “Try it.”
Chuan smiled, brought over bowls, and placed a piece of meat in each person’s bowl.
An eagerly used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth—he usually didn’t like using those sticks but the meat was too hot today.
With a slight bite, the tender, hot juices flooded his mouth. Before he could even spit it out, the aroma of the meat and the sauce had already fully released from the soft pieces.
So hot! So fragrant!
An had never eaten such tender meat before!
And never such flavorful meat!
So meat wasn’t just fatty and chewy; it could also be tender and juicy!
An’s eyes widened, and he ate a few more bites.
The unassuming sour fruit when made into jam has an indescribable tangy aroma. Added to meat, it perfectly eliminates the greasiness and fishiness, making the meat incredibly delicious.
An didn’t know why either. He finished such a large piece of meat in just a few bites.
Looking at his empty chopsticks, he rubbed his stomach, still wanting more, and looked at the others.
Chuan met his gaze, smiled, and placed the remaining meat in his bowl for him.
An quickly raised his hand to stop him, “Dad, you eat it.”
He turned to Bai Wu amidst his busyness, “Bai Wu, could you make some more meat?”
Half the meat was left hanging nearby. If it wasn’t finished tonight, it would be smoked by the fire to make smoked meat.
Bai Wu, biting into the meat in his bowl, beamed with pride. “Didn’t you just doubt my cooking skills?”
“If you can’t cook, who can?” An grabbed Bai Wu’s shoulders and pushed him towards the fire. “Such good meat, it’s a waste to let it go bad. Come on, you cook, I’ll help you tend the fire.”
Bai Wu, pressed against the fire, shouted, “After you eat the meat I cook, remember to pound the green root powder for me!”
An patted his chest, assuring him, “Leave it to me, whatever you say goes!”
Bai Wu carefully finished the meat in his bowl, then took the pot and cooked the rest.
The fresh meat coated in a tangy and salty sauce provided a perfect stimulation to his taste buds.
They had originally thought this large piece of meat would last two or three meals, but it was all gone in one sitting.
Bai Wu rubbed his stomach, feeling full and warm all over. He was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open.
Chuan patted his forehead and asked softly with a smile, “How do you make green root powder? Let your father help you.”
“Just wash it clean and pound it,” Bai Wu said, forcing himself to stay awake. “We need two large wooden basins, and we also need to use a winnowing basket to filter it.”