Without hesitation, she placed her spoils into the basket on her back.
After the experience at lunch, Li Mai felt that one chicken was nowhere near enough for her to fully enjoy the meal. For the sake of dinner, she continued forward, searching for more pheasants.
Thus, within the dense forest of the mountains, the occasional cries of struggling pheasants could be heard.
Even the other animals in the forest became more alert, constantly watching their surroundings, afraid of being caught by a hunter.
The only one happy was the harvester of this hunt, Li Mai.
Looking at the basket on her back, now nearly full of pheasants and eggs, Li Mai set off on the return journey with satisfaction.
As soon as she reached the cave, she heard Li Qiao’s shocked exclamation,
“Wow! Eldest Sister, you actually caught so many pheasants, and even picked up so many eggs!”
She crouched beside the basket in disbelief, trying to count with both hands, but when she saw the pile of white eggs, she gave up.
There were simply too many, almost five or six times the number of pheasants.
Hearing the praise, the corners of Li Mai’s lips lifted slightly, though she said,
“Tonight we will eat bamboo fungus chicken soup. Add a few more chickens.”
Hearing the dish name, Li Qiao instinctively asked,
“How do we make this dish?”
After the experience at noon, whenever her eldest sister mentioned a new dish, she could not help but ask about the method, hoping to improve her cooking skills and make even more delicious meals.
Li Mai had the same intention and instructed,
“Kill the chicken, wash off the blood, put it into a pot of cold water, skim off the foam, then add ginger slices and bamboo fungus and simmer together.”
Hearing that there were no unfamiliar ingredients this time, Li Qiao let out a sigh of relief.
She thought to herself that this time, she would definitely be able to perfectly recreate the dish her eldest sister described.
“I will start right away!”
Full of confidence, Li Qiao began preparing dinner.
After a busy day, Li Mai suddenly found herself at a loss for what to do when she became idle.
“Rustle, rustle.”
The sound of clothes fluttering in the wind reached her ears. When she looked up, she saw the clothes she had casually hung on a tree branch at noon.
She walked over quickly and touched them. They were already completely dry, and even the dirt stains that had once been there were gone.
She knew at a glance that this was Li Qiao’s doing. Having someone so thoughtful around made it hard to feel anything but good.
Just as she was praising Li Qiao in her heart, Li Shu seemed to sense the difference in how the two of them were regarded and immediately approached, carrying something in his hand.
“Eldest Sister, try sitting on this chair and see how it feels.”
Standing while eating never seemed quite right to him.
As he spoke, Li Shu had already placed the finished chair behind Li Mai, looking at her expectantly, waiting for her approval.
Under his eager gaze, Li Mai slowly sat down, shifting slightly. The chair beneath her felt fine in every way.
Although it was somewhat rough compared to chairs from before, it served its function.
After trying it, she looked at Li Shu and nodded.
“It works.”
“That is great!”
Li Shu jumped up excitedly, clenching his fists and knocking them together. He used so much force that even the blood seeping out from the pressure could not dampen his excitement.
“Tonight we will sit on chairs while eating!”
From a distance, Li Qiao heard them and could not help but smile.
At the same time, she sped up her work.
Perhaps due to the experience she had gained from handling birds before, dealing with three pheasants was no challenge at all. She finished quickly.
Following Li Mai’s instructions step by step, she worked carefully.
First adding cold water, then placing the chicken into the pot, she watched as a layer of foam gradually floated to the surface.
She immediately realized that this was what her eldest sister had referred to and quickly skimmed it off and discarded it.
Thinking about how she had not known this before made her shiver, goosebumps rising across her body.
After recovering, Li Qiao added the ginger slices.
They had not brought much ginger up the mountain, so she reluctantly added only a few slices to remove the odor and enhance the flavor.
At the same time, an idea formed in her mind.
Considering that bamboo fungus was very fresh and cooked quickly, Li Qiao waited until the last quarter of an hour before adding it to the pot.
The moment it went in, a rich, fresh aroma rose with the steam, spreading outward.
As the person closest to the pot, Li Qiao was the first to experience the fragrance of the bamboo fungus.
As soon as she smelled it, she could not help but think of its price. She had to admit that wealthy people really knew how to eat. Even without knowing its nourishing properties, just the smell alone would make many willing to pay a high price.
Just as she was thinking this, Li Mai proved her thoughts right.
Moments ago, she had still been discussing how to make a table with Li Shu. But the instant the bamboo fungus was added, before the aroma had even spread far, Li Mai immediately put down what she was doing and moved to the iron pot.
Her eyes locked onto the bamboo fungus rising and falling in the pot, so still that she looked almost like a statue.
Left behind, Li Shu shook his head helplessly and quickly carried the newly made chair over to them.
With the chairs, the three of them had even greater appetites this time.
After a long simmer, the pheasant meat had become tender to the point of falling off the bone. With only ginger and salt as seasoning, its natural freshness was highlighted.
Combined with the distinct umami of the bamboo fungus, the pot of chicken soup became a perfect fusion of flavors.
Li Mai only needed to lightly suck at the meat, and it slipped off the bone straight into her mouth.
There was no need to chew. With a gentle movement of her tongue, the meat melted and flowed down her throat.
The bamboo fungus was even more remarkable. Despite being stewed, it retained a crisp texture.
As she chewed, Li Mai could even feel a slight crunch between her teeth.
Its dense, net-like structure had absorbed the rich broth, bursting with flavor in every bite.
Each mouthful released juice, and the sensation of it filling her mouth made her eyes widen repeatedly in amazement.
This time, Li Mai truly ate her fill of both meat and bamboo fungus.
With the chairs, it was also convenient for them to lean back afterward, savoring the lingering taste.
Even Li Shu could not resist praising it. He sighed,
“This pot of chicken soup is really delicious!”
“No wonder those wealthy families are willing to pay fifty coins for a jin. If I had money, I would like to eat this too.”
Li Qiao smacked her lips and could not help but praise it aloud.
Li Shu almost choked at those words, coughing repeatedly.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
Thinking about how much bamboo fungus he had just eaten, it felt as though he had thrown away money.
Staring at the now empty pot in disbelief, he asked,
“One jin of bamboo fungus is worth fifty coins?”
“Of course. That is what mother said before. Fresh bamboo fungus is fifty coins per jin. The women in the village loved going into the bamboo grove to look for it.”
“How did I not know that?”
“You do not go picking mushrooms, how would you know?” Li Qiao said, lifting her chin proudly.
Li Mai did not participate in their discussion. After swallowing the lingering taste in her mouth, she said,
“There are still three pheasants left. Let’s make bamboo fungus chicken soup again tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay!” Li Qiao responded excitedly.
Although Li Shu did not say anything, and even showed a hint of bitterness on his face, there was a trace of secret joy in his heart.
He glanced in the direction of their old home, though it was hidden by the mountains.
He thought, since they did not know when they would be able to return, enjoying something expensive now should be acceptable.
After finishing dinner, it was already late. They quickly moved the fire to a new spot.
Inside the cave, Li Shu and Li Mai worked on making a table, cutting and shaping wood with tools, the sounds loud and constant.
Nearby, Li Qiao was making new clothes for her eldest sister.
The state of the clothes she had washed at noon still lingered in her mind. In just a few days, they had already developed many tears.
Those clothes had likely been worn for a long time. Even if patched, they would still easily tear again when brushing against branches in the mountains.
Thus, the best solution was to use the new fabric to make fresh clothes.
She did not know where her eldest sister had obtained the material, but it felt very sturdy to the touch.
After cutting the fabric, Li Qiao glanced at the two working together and could not help but interrupt,
“Eldest Sister, stop for a moment. Let me measure you to see how big to make the clothes.”
The sudden voice made both of them pause and look toward her.
“Making clothes?” Li Mai asked.
“Of course! Eldest Sister, many of your clothes are already too damaged, they will not last much longer. I need to hurry and make you a few new ones. Come, let me measure!”
As she spoke, Li Qiao walked over with a large piece of fabric, comparing it against Li Mai’s figure.
Hearing this, Li Mai looked down at her clothes. Indeed, there were many torn spots.
Even at the tears, bits of dry twigs and leaves were still caught.
Without needing to think, she knew how they had gotten there.
Facing Li Qiao’s request, she slowly stood up, looking at the large piece of fabric in confusion. She did not understand how a piece of cloth could become a set of clothing, and her curious gaze lingered on Li Qiao.
Immersed in the excitement of making clothes, Li Qiao did not notice Li Mai’s gaze at all.
After measuring, she quickly returned to her place and began cutting.
For a time, the atmosphere inside the cave was especially harmonious.
Early the next morning, the three of them woke up almost at the same time.
Li Mai and Li Shu continued the work they had not finished the previous night, while Li Qiao began preparing breakfast, dough soup.
With so many eggs, she naturally wanted to make full use of them.
However, with so many eggs, she also had another idea in mind.
As soon as breakfast ended, she quickly took out the worn-out fabric and old clothes from the cave, spreading them at the bottom of a bamboo basket to create a warm environment.
Then, she placed all the usable eggs evenly inside the basket.
When Li Mai entered the cave and saw this scene, she could not help but connect it to what had happened the previous night. Her brows furrowed.
“You made me clothes just to store eggs?”