Chapter 94: Prepared 2 Kinds of Food

Chapter 94: Chapter 94: Prepared 2 Kinds of Food

Yun Chi slept in his mother’s pocket. It was buttoned shut, so he couldn’t get out, and a thick coat covered it from the outside. Sensing the unpleasant smells around them, he nudged the inside of the pocket with his head.

Yun Chi was furious. His little milk teeth emerged, his small claws splayed threateningly, and his eyes narrowed into sharp slits. ’I’m going to bite these bad people for laughing at Mama!’

Feng Si slipped a hand into her pocket, her fingers discreetly soothing Little Cloud until his small body was no longer so stiff.

"It’s nothing. I’ll take care of it quickly. You don’t need to come out and help." Though she seemed to be speaking to the sub-females behind her, her soft words were actually for her own little cub.

Yun Chi was too young to understand her words, but he understood the meaning behind the pressure of his mother’s palm on his head.

And so, unwilling to hurt his mother, the little fellow conceded before even leaving the pocket. He gave a helpless little squirm, coiled his tail, and settled back down. But in the darkness, his golden eyes remained wide open, full of vigilance.

No one else knew this sub-female was carrying a cub, so they didn’t read too much into her words.

The Beihuang Warriors had trapped the entire group, including the three sub-females Mao Lin and Mao Qingqing, inside a room. A stove and ingredients had already been brought out and placed in the center.

On a long countertop, piles of food appeared to be dripping with blood. This was clearly a tactic by the Beihuang Warriors to put pressure on the sub-female Mao Yang. The raw, unprocessed meat was laid out starkly, a startling sight.

Feng Si, who had been standing among them, walked expressionlessly to the counter. She assessed the ingredients, already deciding what she would cook.

She looked up at the cold-faced Tiger Flame, who was sitting across from her. "These ingredients are too limited. I can’t showcase my culinary skills with this. I need a few other things."

Tiger Flame didn’t answer, merely turning his head and gesturing to a nearby attendant with a slight lift of his chin. His gaze was ice-cold.

The ingredients Feng Si requested were brought in shortly after. Two more countertops were added to the room, on which were laid out pork offal and honey.

These were actually excellent ingredients. The offal contained more energy than the meat, and the honey was delicious. Two of the Beastmen glanced at the fresh offal and honey on the countertops, feeling it was a shame they were about to be wasted.

Additionally, while they were fetching the ingredients, Feng Si used the excuse of having the stove moved from the kitchen. Out of sight, she secretly retrieved some almonds and soybeans from the dimensional space where she had stored them after gathering them.

Once she had finished the preliminary prep work, she turned to see everyone’s worried faces. She thought for a moment, then raised her hands and clapped once.

CLAP! The sharp sound drew everyone’s attention.

Feng Si said, "Alright, everyone, listen to me. I need your help preparing the ingredients."

Seeing Feng Si so perfectly composed, everyone was filled with admiration. They began to follow her instructions, breaking into groups to process the ingredients.

The three sub-females were left standing there, somewhat at a loss.

Mao Yang, who knew Feng Si best, sidled up to her and whispered, "Feng Si, are you really going to cook for the Beihuang Warriors?"

Feng Si stood there, perfectly poised. With her gaze lowered, she replied in a calm voice, "That’s right. Do you have any wine? If so, have it all sent over. And make Young Master Beihuang pay for it in coins."

’What time is it?! What on earth do you need wine for right now?’

Mao Yang was anxious, but when she met Feng Si’s dark, steady gaze, she answered instinctively, "I have some wine made by the Monkey Clan at home."

Mao Qingqing, who had been silent nearby, overheard their conversation.

She now understood the difference between the male beasts of the Northern and Southern Wildernesses. The ones from the north were nothing but a pack of boors. Any notion she’d had of marrying into a higher station was now dead.

Wine was a luxury that ordinary families couldn’t afford. But for a female, such things weren’t considered particularly precious.

Mao Qingqing tugged her mother over as well and whispered, "I have wine at my house too."

Feng Si nodded. "Good."

’If there’s a lot of wine, I’ll serve it to them. Alcohol can accelerate the effects of the ingredients in the food. If there’s not much, I’ll use it for cooking the meat. It will improve the flavor and also encourage them to eat more.’

’In short, alcohol is an excellent beverage for making people relax and lower their guard.’

She said to the three of them, "Have all of it sent over, however much you have."

Now the three sub-females had something to do, and they no longer stood idly by, fraught with terror.

Time was short, so Feng Si instructed them to prepare only two items.

A beverage and a dish of braised pork offal.

When she came over to the beverage station, they had already followed her instructions, grinding the soybeans and almonds with water into a slurry. Over fifty large iron barrels, each half the height of a man, were filled with the white liquid.

Next, Feng Si had them use fine cotton cloth to filter out the pulp. The resulting soy milk and bitter almond juice were heated on the stove. As soon as it began to bubble, she had the fire put out and the barrels moved aside to cool. At the same time, she sent people to fetch ice, telling them to add it to the barrels in large quantities.

The preparation for the braised pork offal on the other side was similar to a modern beef offal stew. The various cleaned organs were chopped up, placed in a pot of cold water, and brought to a boil. Afterwards, the scum was removed, and the offal was taken out and rinsed again with clean water.

Spices were scarce here, and the three sub-females had only managed to procure a few jars of wine, so it would have to be used as a seasoning.

Feng Si started by pouring pork fat into a large wok, and the sub-females at the ten other woks followed her actions.

When the fat was shimmering, she tossed in the pork offal and stir-fried it with a spatula. Once the offal had changed color, she added scallions, ginger, and salt. Then she poured the wine around the rim of the wok. After another quick stir to mix everything evenly, she added enough water to cover the ingredients. She brought it to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduced it to medium, covered the wok, and let it stew.

As the pork offal simmered, a rich aroma filled the room. The scent was so intoxicating that Shi Li and the others standing nearby could only stare at the stewing woks, their eyes glowing with ravenous hunger as they gulped down their saliva.

After a while, Shi Li saw that Feng Si had simply left the meat to stew while she and the other sub-females went off to open the honey jars. He stepped forward impatiently, practically drooling. "This meat has been stewing for a while. When can we eat?"

"It’s almost ready. You can go get your bowls," Feng Si said as she opened a jar of honey. She generously poured the entire jar into the iced soy and almond milk, then gave it a stir with a long spoon.

Shi Li shot Feng Si a satisfied look, then immediately turned and bellowed at the other warriors to go get their bowls.

Feng Si returned to the stove, removed the lid, and turned up the heat to reduce the sauce. The liquid gradually thickened. The long-simmered sinew had become gelatinous, and every piece of offal was coated in the rich gravy. As she stirred, the meaty aroma that wafted through the room was enough to make the Beast God swoon.

After Feng Si announced the food was ready, they made her taste each dish first, even though they had watched her every step of the cooking process.

Only when they saw that she suffered no ill effects did the others surge forward excitedly.

Tiger Flame sat stiffly at the head of the table. His Zebra Clan attendant, who had always acted only on direct orders, had a thought of his own for the first time. He leaned in and whispered, "Young Master, I will go and bring you some food."