Slurping Rice Noodles
The green roots lay unremarkable, and still covered in mud.
After dinner, Bai Wu took the green roots to the river and washed them with grass stems.
After washing them clean, they used stone knives to trim away the damaged parts and remove excess roots, then pounded them whole in a stone mortar.
Night fell.
From the mountainside to the foot, hundreds of large bird nests were surrounded by fire pits with bonfires burning.
From the mountaintop, the bonfires looked like shimmering red silk.
The beastmen and sub-beastmen, weary from a day’s work, sat around the fire, chatting or playing games. Occasionally, the laughter of children could be heard, and the sound of Bai Wu’s family pounding the green roots added to the tranquility of the entire tribe.
Gradually, Bai Wu’s fire pit attracted many people.
The beastmen and sub-beastmen craned their necks, crowding around the stone mortar to see what food Bai Wu’s family could produce.
Unexpectedly, after washing and pounding, they produced a large basin of bluish-gray water, resembling muddy soup.
The muddy soup also emitted the distinctive pungent smell of green root.
It smelled rather ominous.
A moment of silence fell over the crowd.
A hesitant voice rang out, “An—is this stuff you’ve made edible?”
“Hm. Is this edible? Let’s not mess around.”
“Why eat green roots in the middle of spring? My family picked some red berries today, I’ll go get some for you!”
“How can you believe things from a dream? This doesn’t look very appetizing, let’s just forget about it.”
Bai Wu laboriously moved the green root water aside, “Green root powder is actually quite delicious after washing; you’ll see once it’s cooked.”
The crowd clearly didn’t believe him.
An interjected, “Did everyone smell that wonderful meaty aroma just now?”
“Yes, we smelled it! Was it the flower-beast meat the priest gave us? It smelled so good.”
An raised his chin slightly. “Wu made it.”
“Just because he can cook flower-beast meat doesn’t mean he can cook green root. Chuan, Mo, you can’t spoil the child too much.”
Chuan laughed, “He can. Besides, it’s still green root, it won’t hurt anyone. Wu is a sensible child, don’t worry.”
Bai Wu didn’t take the tribesmen’s words to heart at all, and said to his family, “I’ll take these green root scraps up to dry first.”
These dried green root scraps would make excellent fish bait, perfect for baiting fish.
An impatiently stood up and chased after him, saying, “I’ll go too.”
The tribesmen shook their heads. Seeing that they were done and wanted to rest, they slowly dispersed.
Chuan and Mo quickly packed their things and followed their two sons back to their nest halfway up the mountain, urging them to rest.
An nodded and squatted down beside Bai Wu, whispering, “When are you going to finish this green root? Will it smell as good as meat?”
Bai Wu stared at the basin of bluish-gray green root water, his mind drifting to the flavors of various noodles like clay pot rice noodles and pig intestine rice noodles. He nodded confidently, “It’ll taste just as good as meat!”
An slapped his knee. “Then we’ll cook a lot that day, and cook it for a long time!”
To make everyone drool!
An fell asleep with a sweet dream.
The next morning, when they woke up, the water in the wooden basin had cleared.
Bai Wu asked An to help him. They gently poured out the water, revealing a layer of bluish-gray green root starch at the bottom. Scooping it up with a spoon, they found it fine and smooth to the touch.
An examined it carefully, his eyes widening in disbelief. “This is what’s inside the green root?”
“Didn’t you watch me wash it yesterday?” Bai Wu laid the wooden basin flat, stood up, and went to the fire to get a wooden ladle. “Get me two winnowing baskets.”
“Can I just scoop it out and eat it?”
“Do I have to dry it first?”
“Why?”
The brothers’ gazes met in mid-air.
Bai Wu was speechless, then hesitated for a moment. “There’s no why. That’s how it was in my dream.”
In his past life, he’d seen others wash the powder and then dry it. How would he know why?
An let out a drawn-out “Oh,” without pressing the matter.
The two brothers scooped the green root powder into the winnowing baskets and moved them to the side to dry.
Bai Wu went down to the neighbor’s house and asked the elderly neighbor to watch over the harvest of wild mushrooms if it rained.
They went to collect them again today.
Bai Wu and the others worked for most of the day, filling their baskets with mushrooms and wild vegetables.
An said there was a kind of mushroom that was particularly delicious—fresh, fragrant, smooth, and tender—and Bai Wu decisively saved it, putting it in a winnowing basket to dry, intending to use it to make wild mushroom powder in a couple of days.
Five days passed in a flash.
The wild mushroom powder was completely dried, solidifying into hard, dry granules, like tiny pebbles.
An observed the wild mushroom powder. He noticed how hard it was after drying; it was almost hard enough to hit someone with. He pinched a little and licked it; even the wild mushroom flavor was gone. He was somewhat disappointed.
He looked at it from left to right, “Is this really edible?”
Bai Wu glanced at him and answered confidently, “Delicious!”
After answering, Bai Wu went to find his father, asking him to hunt a bird for him the next day.
He wanted to use mushroom and bird soup to cook the green root powder.
The beastmen could only transform into a few different animal forms; most wild beasts and birds were simply animals, unlike the beastmen themselves.
The bird beastmen had a natural advantage in the air, and birds were an important part of their diet.
If Bai Wu weren’t a sub-beastman with wings that weren’t strong enough, claws that weren’t sharp enough, slow at flying, and poor stamina… he would also want to go hunting every day instead of gathering.
They went out to gather in the morning, leaving under the bright sun, and returned under the glow of sunset.
Their dad, Chuan, sat by the hearth, his figure edged with gold by the sunset.
Bai Wu wiped the sweat from his face, plopped down by the hearth, and called out, “Has Father not returned yet?”
“He’s back, but he went to help Ta carry wood again.”
An interjected, “Is Ta going to build his nest?”
Every time the beastmen in the tribe reached adulthood, they would collect stones, firewood, and glue to build their own nests.
Ordinary sub-beastmen don’t need to.
When a sub-beastman is single, he lives in a nest built by his father. If he has a mate, they decorate the nest together.
Chuan said, “He’s been wanting to build a nest for a long time, he’s almost married to his mate.”
“Is it that eagle-clan mate he met at the Hundred Birds Festival this year?”
“That little sub-beastman.” Chuan smiled. “Stop talking about others, An, what about that eagle-clan beastman you knew? Why don’t you keep in touch anymore?”
An hummed twice, not answering. He propped his head up by the fire pit, looking somewhat lonely in the twilight.
Bai Wu glanced at him curiously, but didn’t speak.
Chuan didn’t press further, instead saying to Bai Wu, “Wu, your father hunted down the bird you wanted. Do you want me to pluck its feathers for you?”
“I’ll do it myself.” Bai Wu stood up. “Where did you put it?”
“It’s in the basket, it’s still breathing.”
Bai Wu approached the basket and indeed saw a gray bird trapped underneath. This bird was bigger than any duck he’d ever seen in his past life. Its beak and claws gleamed coldly, looking quite fierce.
As Bai Wu approached, the bird began to flutter and struggle.
Bai Wu stared at it, his hand hovering outside the basket for a long time unable to pull the bird out.
Chuan walked up behind him. “Go sit down, I’ll do it.”
“No need.” Bai Wu abruptly lifted the lid of the basket and reached in to grab the bird.
“Kaw—”
The bird struggled frantically, its powerful wings flapping rapidly, and its claws flailing wildly.
Bai Wu’s chin twitched back, his hair disheveled, and several feathers fell from his feathered skirt.
“Holy crap.” Bai Wu squinted, reaching for the bird’s feet.
An reached out from the side, pinned the bird down, and lifted it by its wing. “Useless!”
Bai Wu: “…”
An lifted the bird with one hand, looked it over, and then grabbed a stone knife, ready to finish it off.
Bai Wu hurriedly said, “Wait, I’ll get some salt water to collect the blood!”
“What do you need salt water for?”
Bai Wu couldn’t explain, so he simply put some salt in a bowl, added a little water, and mixed it. “You can drip the bird’s blood into it when you kill it.”
“Troublesome,” An muttered, “Come help me hold the bird’s feet.”
Chuan stood up to help. “Wu, you go rest over there, An and I will do it.”
“No need, I can do it.” Bai Wu grabbed the bird’s feet with both hands, lifted it up, and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Slit its throat to bleed it out first.”
An’s movements were very swift; he held the gray bird’s wing root with one hand and drained the blood with the other.
Bai Wu gripped the bird’s leg tightly, but the gray bird was stronger than he had imagined. He nearly used all his strength to keep it from slipping from his grasp.
After bleeding the bird, it gradually lost its strength to struggle.
The two brothers tossed the gray bird aside.
The gray bird died shortly afterward.
Chuan brought over the hot water from the large earthenware pot. “You two rest, I’ll pluck the feathers.”
Bai Wu really disliked doing these things. He smiled apologetically at his dad and went to rest.
The gray bird didn’t have many feathers left, and his dad was very efficient. He quickly plucked the feathers, removed the internal organs, and cleaned it thoroughly.
Bai Wu took the clean gray bird, placed it in the large earthenware pot, added cold water, and started a fire to cook.
Cooking bird soup was very simple: bring the water to a boil, skim off the foam, and then simmer over low heat.
Bai Wu was incredibly patient with this kind of work.
After the bird soup had simmered until fragrant, he added the cleaned dried mushrooms, and finally the bird blood.
Dried mushrooms were more flavorful than fresh mushrooms, and the aroma intensified after they were added.
An sniffed, “Wu, you’re really talented at this. I think your soup is the most fragrant in the whole tribe.”
Bai Wu smiled smugly, “Right? When it comes to food, I’m not bragging, but I’m definitely way ahead of everyone else.”
“Your standards are also way higher than others. I wonder if your beastman will be able to meet your standards in the future.”
Bai Wu was taken aback, “Why are we talking about beastmen again? Can’t I just not have a beastman?”
Chuan patted his back and laughed, “Sub-beastmen will eventually have to find beastmen. You’ll understand later.”
An said, “He’s still a child. What beastman is he looking for? We’ll talk about it later.”
The two quickly changed the subject, and Bai Wu didn’t want to go back.
He stood up. “I’ll go get the powder sieve.”
The powder sieve was a little contraption Bai Wu had made in the last couple of days. It was a hollowed-out log with several round holes drilled in the bottom. When needed, you put the prepared green root powder mixed with water inside, then press it down with a wooden pestle. The powder would then leak through the holes and fall into boiling water, forming strands of powder.
An and Chuan watched as Bai Wu with an almost reverent air, prepared a bowl of perfectly mixed green root powder and poured it into the sieve.
The green root powder leaked through the holes and into the bird soup, appearing translucent.
The two men were filled with curiosity.
An asked, “Is it ready to eat like this?”
“Almost, it’ll be ready when it’s cooked.”
Bai Wu looked at the various lengths and thicknesses of the noodles at the bottom, then at the remaining green root noodles in the sieve, and sighed inwardly. It seemed his attempt hadn’t been very successful.
He’d have to make it a couple more times.
Bai Wu looked up at the dark blue sky. “It’s getting dark. Why aren’t Father and the others back yet?”
“Soon,” Chuan said. “They can’t fly with the wood on their backs; they’ll probably walk back.”
Bai Wu said, “Then I’ll boil a few more bird eggs.”
Bai Wu not only boiled the bird eggs but also blanched some wild vegetables.
After boiling the bird eggs, he peeled them in cold water and cut them in half.
The yolks were just set. The orange-red yolks contrasted sharply with the white egg whites, making them look extremely beautiful.
For the blanched wild vegetables, Bai Wu deliberately added a little oil to the boiling water; after blanching, the vegetables remained bright green and firm.
The white mustard greens and rice noodles were served.
The bird broth was golden, the egg yolk orange, the egg white translucent, the wild vegetables emerald green, the bird blood brown, and the rice noodles a semi-transparent bluish-gray. They were swaying as they were placed into a large black earthenware bowl. It was a vibrant tapestry of colors.
An had never seen such food before, and for a moment, he couldn’t bear to eat it.
Just then, their father, Mo, returned.
His cousin, Ta, followed him back.
Before Ta even got close, he sniffed and asked loudly, “What are you making? It smells so good!”
Bai Wu replied, “The green root noodles you saw the other day.”
Ta leaned closer to look at the bowl on the bank. “No way, there’s no green root in it!”
Chuan smiled and picked up a translucent noodle. “I’m not lying to you, this is green root noodles. Want to try some?”
Ta sniffed. “Then I’ll try what this green root noodles taste like.”
Bai Wu snorted. “Didn’t you say a few days ago you’d rather die than eat it?”
“Well, it didn’t kill you, so I can try some.” Ta ruffled Bai Wu’s hair. “I pick so many wild fruits for you every year, are you still holding a grudge?”
Before Bai Wu’s soul returned to his body, his intelligence was only that of a four or five-year-old. He loved wild fruits, and Ta and the other older children fed him a lot every year.
Bai Wu grinned at Ta, but still took a new bowl, poured out a bowl of noodles, and shared one of the two egg pieces from its own bowl with him.
Ta patted his shoulder, his face full of gratitude, “Good brother!”
Bai Wu nudged him, “Get off me, I’ll mix some bird meat.”
The bird meat in the broth was almost tender. Bai Wu scooped it out, shredded it, added citrus jam and salt, and mixed it well with chopsticks.
Ta had never seen bird meat prepared like this before. Seeing the dark brown bird meat in the bowl, he looked doubtful, “Can this stuff even taste good?”
“Then don’t eat it.” Bai Wu deftly placed a large ball of the mixed meat on each of his fathers’ plates, letting An do it himself, then urged, “Father, Dad, try this noodle soup.”
Bai Wu’s face was full of anticipation. Hearing this, the two fathers picked up their chopsticks and took a bite.
Upon tasting it, both of them were amazed.
Mo suddenly reached out and took the bowl of noodles from Ta’s hand, which he hadn’t yet eaten. “Don’t eat it yet.”
Ta looked bewildered. “Huh?”
Mo said, “Give this bowl to the priest to try, and I’ll share it with you.”
Bai Wu chuckled.
An, standing nearby, laughed even louder.
Ta grumbled and withdrew his hand. “The priest probably already finished dinner; he can’t possibly eat anymore.”
“A bowl of noodles isn’t much,” Mo said. “Even if he can’t finish it, it’s good to try it.”
Bai Wu remembered the piece of meat the priest had given him a few days ago and didn’t object, only saying, “Father, you can take it to the priest after you finish eating; it won’t take long anyway.”
Mo nodded.
Bai Wu put a spoonful of seasoned bird’s meat in the priest’s bowl of noodles, covered it with a plate, and placed it aside. Then he took out another bowl, put a spoonful of noodles in each of their own mouths, and shared it with Ta.
This was the first bowl of noodles Bai Wu had eaten since coming to this world. This bowl of noodles didn’t disappoint after all his long preparation and waiting.
The broth simmered in the earthenware pot was fragrant and rich, infusing the bird’s meat with its savory flavor.
The sifted noodles fully absorbed the bird broth. They were smooth, creamy, and chewy, bouncy in his mouth.
With a slurp, he felt his mouth and nose fill with the aroma of the noodles.
It smelled so good.
He remembered his past life. After getting off work one morning, braving the scorching sun, he went to the nearby old-fashioned noodle shop for noodles.
The air conditioner was blasting overhead, and the owner was clanging and banging away in the kitchen, cooking noodles, the aroma filling the entire place.
He would blow on the piping hot noodles to cool them down, take a bite, chew on a side dish, and sip a soda; the long summer days would slowly pass by like this.
Bai Wu’s eyes were a little red.
He lowered his head, blowing on the steam from the noodles to hide the unnaturalness on his face.
The taste of this powder was unlike anything they had ever eaten before; apart from Bai Wu, none of them had ever tasted anything so delicious.
“This is amazing! You can actually make such a delicious dish from dried, hard green roots!” Ta took a big bite of the noodles and then stuffed a piece of shredded meat into his mouth. “I’m going to dig up some green roots after the hunt tomorrow.”
An said, “We’re going to Xilin to dig for green roots, don’t try to take it from us.”
“An,” Mo gave his son a warning look; there was no such thing as hoarding food in the tribe.
Ta didn’t care, “How many green roots are there in Xilin? People from other tribes have already been there. I’m going to a forest you’re unfamiliar with; there are not only green roots there, but also lots of edible mushrooms.”
“You’re just bragging. Where are there any unfamiliar forests near the tribe?”
“I didn’t say nearby. Our bird-beastmen have such powerful wings, we can fly to far-off places. You know Deer Mountain, right? There’s a forest there with lots of green roots and mushrooms, and no sub-beastmen have gone there yet. I’m going to dig there.”
Sub-beastmen are much weaker than beastmen, and their flying ability is also much worse. There are many places beastmen can go, but sub-beastmen can’t.
Bai Wu had only heard of the place Ta mentioned, but had never been there.
It’s too far. A sub-beastman couldn’t possibly fly there in one go. It would probably take half a day to fly there, and with bad luck, they might not be able to return until the next day.
Bai Wu was filled with curiosity about the place. “Are there really so many green roots and mushrooms there?”
“Of course. It’s a place practically untouched. There are so many mushrooms you’d need baskets to hold them all. Last time I went hunting there, I even found a lot of rotten mushrooms on the ground. What a pity.”
Bai Wu doubted his charade. “Then why don’t you pick some up?”
Ta chuckled twice. “I was originally planning to take Yu there for a visit.”
Yu was a sub-beastman from the Eagle Clan, his current partner.
Bai Wu immediately understood. So this guy had discovered such a treasure trove and planned to take his partner there for a date.
Bai Wu smiled, revealing a set of pretty white teeth. “Are you taking Yu tomorrow? Can we come too?”
Ta was reluctant. “Aren’t you going to Xilin?”
“You said there’s nothing good in Xilin.” Bai Wu’s gaze fell on the bowl he was holding, his chin slightly raised. “Besides, even if there is good food, so what? You guys don’t know how to cook it.”