This mountain supported many hunters from the surrounding villages.
Most of them had spent their entire lives hunting and were far more experienced than Xie Pei. Although Xie Pei was skilled, he was still young, and his only weapon was an ordinary axe. Compared to those veteran hunters, he was at a disadvantage.
Because there were so many hunters, the animals in the mountains had become extremely cautious and clever. Without a bit of luck, a hunter might not even catch sight of one.
In such harsh conditions, catching any prey at all was impressive.
In fact, out of every ten trips into the mountains, Xie Pei often returned empty-handed three or four times.
Even when he did catch something, he never kept it for himself.
While his parents were alive, they made him hand over his prey so it could be sold in town for household expenses.
After their deaths, he still didn’t eat it.
Half of the money eventually ended up in Xie Hong’s hands to keep him unsuspecting, while most of the remaining half was secretly used to buy herbs that would slowly weaken Xie Hong’s body.
As a result, Xie Pei had barely tasted meat since childhood.
During New Year celebrations, his mother would stew cabbage with pork fat. A large pot of cabbage contained only a few thin slices of fatty meat, and most of those slices were placed into Xie Hong’s bowl.
Xie Pei could only enjoy the faint taste of oil left in the cabbage.
Thinking about it now, it was almost laughable.
Zhu Mingyue was actually the first person in his life who had ever offered him meat.
And Zhu Mingyue’s cooking was so delicious that he couldn’t get enough of it.
Looking up and seeing Zhu Mingyue lying lazily in his chair, Xie Pei unexpectedly felt that this little sister-in-law wasn’t as annoying as he had once thought.
Xie Pei ate most of the meal.
Even the remaining cabbage broth was completely finished by him.
Zhu Mingyue clicked his tongue in amazement.
He had always thought he had a healthy appetite, but compared to Xie Pei, he was nothing.
What impressed him even more was that after eating so much, Xie Pei still had enough energy to clean the table and wash all the dishes.
…
That night, Zhu Mingyue lay in bed feeling wonderfully full.
With a smile on his face, he drifted into a deep sleep.
When he woke naturally the next morning, the sun was already shining brightly outside.
His body felt better than it had in a long time.
Even stretching felt energetic.
He had dreamed a wonderful dream.
There were no wild beasts chasing him.
No Xu Linguang whipping him.
Instead, there was a crowd of adorable pink piglets.
They rubbed against his legs and squealed:
“Master, eat me first! I’m the tastiest!”
“No, eat me first! I exercise regularly, so I’m all lean meat!”
“Me first! Me first!”
Zhu Mingyue was delighted but pretended to remain calm.
With his hands on his hips, he shouted grandly,
“Don’t rush! Line up from biggest to smallest. I’ll eat you one at a time!”
The moment he finished speaking, a magic wand appeared in his hand.
He pointed it at a piglet.
“Ancient Dark God, transform!”
Bang!
The piglet instantly turned into a beautifully roasted suckling pig.
Drool poured from Zhu Mingyue’s mouth as he happily devoured it.
…
After waking, he smacked his lips and imagined he could still taste the meat.
A moment later, he burst out laughing at himself.
He was obviously craving meat too much.
Otherwise, why would he dream of something so ridiculous?
Maybe one day, when he had money, he should open a pig farm.
The house was quiet.
Xie Pei had probably left early again.
After washing up, Zhu Mingyue stepped outside.
The cold wind instantly covered his skin with goosebumps.
He hurried back indoors and wrapped himself tighter in his clothes.
Wandering around the house, he felt as though he had forgotten something important.
But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t remember.
Then, while heading toward the kitchen, he caught sight of something red.
He slapped his forehead.
“Oh no!”
The pig’s blood!
He had completely forgotten about it.
He had originally planned to let it sit for two hours so it could solidify.
Instead, it had sat there all night.
The blood had hardened perfectly, but a thin layer of ice covered the surface.
Since he couldn’t scrape the ice away, he heated water and placed the bowls over the steam.
Once the ice melted, he cut the blood into cubes and boiled it.
When cooked, the pig’s blood turned brown.
It no longer looked frightening, and after skimming away the foam, there was no unpleasant smell.
Considering it had been left overnight, it turned out surprisingly well.
Zhu Mingyue already knew what he wanted for lunch.
Pig’s blood and cabbage stewed with lard.
Simple, convenient, and delicious.
Since he had free time, he pulled out a large cabbage from a basket in the corner.
The cabbage was even larger than an adult’s head.
The outer leaves had turned yellow after being stored for so long, but the inner leaves remained fresh.
They had eaten an entire plate of cabbage the night before.
Even though it was just a vegetable, it tasted much sweeter than the cabbages he remembered from modern markets.
With a little oil and salt, it was already a fine dish.
If Xie Hong were still alive, there was no way they would have been allowed to eat it.
Sitting on a small stool, Zhu Mingyue peeled away the dried outer leaves.
The fresh stalks inside were so juicy that they released water with a gentle squeeze.
For some reason, he found it strangely satisfying.
Soon, the cabbage stalks were covered with fingernail marks.
Just as he was enjoying himself, he heard the front gate open.
Immediately dropping the cabbage, he ran toward the front yard.
Xie Pei had returned.
A carrying pole rested across his shoulders, with a large basket hanging from each end.
He had obviously brought back a lot of supplies.
Zhu Mingyue hurried over to help him carry everything inside.
Only then did he notice that it wasn’t even noon yet.
Feeling guilty, he said,
“I forgot to make breakfast. What do you want to eat? I’ll cook it.”
Xie Pei shook his head.
“No need. I’ve already eaten.”
Then he tossed a small cloth bag toward him.
Zhu Mingyue caught it automatically.
The bag felt soft and warm.
Opening it, his eyes widened.
“Steamed buns?”
“Mm. Eat them.”
After buying grain in town, Xie Pei had seen someone selling buns.
A lot of people were lining up to buy them.
After checking his remaining coins, he bought four buns.
He ate two while they were still hot on the way home and saved the other two for Zhu Mingyue.
Holding the buns, Zhu Mingyue wanted to ask why.
But he couldn’t find the words.
Even if he asked, Xie Pei probably wouldn’t know how to explain it.
Maybe he simply wasn’t used to eating alone.
That was the only explanation Zhu Mingyue could think of.
While Xie Pei unpacked the supplies, Zhu Mingyue bit into a bun and watched his thin back.
“Xie Pei, how much did these buns cost?”
“Two copper coins each.”
“How much is a pound of flour?”
“Twenty-eight copper coins.”
The buns were made from mixed flour.
The moment he tasted them, Zhu Mingyue could tell that at least twenty percent coarse flour had been added.
One pound of fine flour could make around thirty buns.
With coarse flour mixed in, even more could be made.
The filling was shredded radish.
There was a slight soybean oil fragrance, but very little had been used.
The filling cost almost nothing.
After some quick calculations, Zhu Mingyue realized the profit margin was excellent.
A bold idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
He could sell buns too.
Both cabbage buns and pork buns.
The cabbage buns could contain lard and be sold for two coins each.
The pork buns could be mixed with radish to reduce costs and sold for three coins each.
If they sold out, they would make a good profit.
The idea sounded great.
But first, he needed Xie Pei’s permission.
Everything in this house belonged to Xie Pei.
The pork was hunted by him.
The flour was purchased with his money.
Without Xie Pei’s approval, nothing could happen.
…
Zhu Mingyue knew they couldn’t continue like this forever.
Even with meat and vegetables now, the supplies would eventually run out.
Spring planting season will arrive soon.
The fields would be planted, but crops would take months to grow.
What would they eat in the meantime?
Would they simply wait for the rice to ripen?
Or rely entirely on Xie Pei’s hunting?
As a member of the household now, Zhu Mingyue didn’t want to be supported forever.
He wanted to contribute.
But bringing up business immediately might make Xie Pei refuse.
So he decided to move slowly.
“Do you think this bun tastes good?”
“It’s good.”
Xie Pei answered without hesitation.
Then he added,
“But not as good as last night’s meat.”
Zhu Mingyue was speechless.
Fine.
He understood.
Xie Pei still wanted more meat.
Ignoring the obvious hint, Zhu Mingyue smiled.
“How about I make pork buns for lunch?”
Without thinking much about it, Xie Pei pulled out a bag of flour from one of the baskets.
“Use the fine flour.”
So… that meant yes?
Zhu Mingyue happily accepted the flour.
There was about two pounds of it.
He planned to make ten buns as a test.
If Xie Pei liked them, he would bring up his business idea.
The buns Xie Pei bought were made without yeast, making them dense and firm.
Zhu Mingyue wanted to do better.
Without yeast, he planned to use liquor to help the dough ferment.
After measuring out a few hundred grams of flour, he began kneading the dough.
Normally, dough only needed a little over an hour to rise.
But winter temperatures made that impossible.
Waiting all day wasn’t an option.
Then he had an idea.
He asked Xie Pei to start cooking the pig’s blood and cabbage stew.
Meanwhile, he placed the dough near the stove so the heat would help it rise faster.
…
A quarter of an hour later, Xie Pei sat perfectly straight in front of the stove.
A wooden board rested on his lap.
And on top of the board sat the dough.
While tending the fire, he also had to keep ash from drifting onto it.
The serious expression on his face made the scene look ridiculous.
Zhu Mingyue had to pretend to cough several times to hide his laughter.
Eventually, the cabbage stew was ready and the dough had risen nicely.
Zhu Mingyue minced pork and mixed it with cabbage to create the filling.
Since it was for their own meal, he didn’t hold back on ingredients.
Ten wrappers used up all the filling perfectly.
After shaping the buns, he let them rise again.
The second rise was extremely important.
He remembered several failed attempts in his previous life that had taught him that lesson.
Fortunately, experience had made him better.
After another short rest, the buns went into the steamer over high heat.
…
While waiting, they enjoyed bowls of pig’s blood and cabbage stew.
Xie Pei had never eaten pig’s blood before.
Encouraged by Zhu Mingyue, he reluctantly took a bite.
At first, his face showed clear doubt.
But as he continued eating, his expression slowly changed.
The pig’s blood was tender, smooth, and flavorful.
There wasn’t even a trace of bloodiness.
When he was young, he had eaten cabbage cooked with tofu a few times.
The texture was somewhat similar.
But the pig’s blood tasted much better to him.
Seeing his reaction, Zhu Mingyue secretly felt proud.
Look at that.
You’re lucky to eat food made by me.
And you dared to look down on pig’s blood?
Other people would be grateful just to get a taste.