Just now, the smell of fried mushrooms had him drooling. 

Now that he’s eating them, they are a hundred times more delicious than he had imagined! 

The starch coating on the mushrooms was fried until golden and crispy. When he bites into it, they make a satisfying “crunch” sound, which is quite pleasant. 

The mushrooms were so tender and unbelievably juicy, with their savory flavor exploding through his mouth and hitting him right in the senses. 

The crispiness of the starch and the savory aroma of the mushrooms combined perfectly with the animal fat and salt, delivering an unmatched taste. 

Having just been fried, the hot food burned Yin He’s tongue. But he couldn’t bear to spit them out, so he puffed his cheeks while blowing air out with each bite. 

Since he couldn’t speak, he just looked at everyone with his round black eyes. 

Bai Ling and the others also began to eat. Unlike Yin He, they weren’t in a rush. They first blew on the mushrooms before taking their first bites. 

At this moment, there was an obvious surprise on their faces. 

Bai Ling swallowed the food with a “gulp” and said to Sang Hui in shock, “Father, these mushrooms are so tender inside! They’re nothing like the ones we fried before, which were bitter and dry.” 

Sang Hui nodded. “Yes, the mushroom flavor is still very strong. The ones we fried before had no mushroom flavor at all. Is this the difference between coating them with starch and not?” 

Bai Ling picked up another piece of mushroom with his chopsticks, blew on it, and happily took a bite. 

“Mmm, the starch coating on these is delicious too. Listen, it’s so crispy when you chew it,” Bai Ling purposely opened her mouth a bit, and sure enough, a satisfying crunching sound followed. 

Sang Hui couldn’t help but laugh. “You really love eating.” 

Ji Sha and Zhuo Mu, the two Beastmen, didn’t say much, but seeing them catch the falling crumbs with their hands and eat every last bit without wasting any, it was obvious they liked it too. 

Sang Hui’s family restrained themselves from eating too much. Just then, Wen Ze started frying the second pot of mushrooms. They all smelled the aroma of pepper drifting in the air. 

Bai Ling still wasn’t used to the smell. He rubbed his itchy nose and asked with a slightly red nose, “Wen Ze, did you put the thorny fruit in it?” 

“Yes.” Wen Ze, now quite skilled at frying mushrooms, replied without pausing his movements. “You should try the pepper-flavored one later, it’s very special.” 

Bai Ling was a little hesitant. “I think the original flavor is perfect. As you said, I made the mushroom strips a bit thicker, and after coating them in starch and frying, they have a texture like meat, but much more tender and without any gamey smell.” 

Thinking about this, he suddenly felt hungry again. 

Wen Ze turned his head and smiled. “There’s still plenty left, if you like it, you can have more.” 

Bai Ling replied, “Let’s keep it for later so we can all eat together.” 

He sniffed at the stone pot again. “I think I’m starting to get used to the smell; it does smell a bit good.” 

Wen Ze grinned. “Right? Once you try it, you’ll know it’s even better.” 

Bai Ling was curious about Wen Ze’s confident look. “Okay! If it’s really that good, we’ll go gather some thorny fruit ourselves.” 

Yin He loved the original fried mushrooms so much that he wanted more. But he was also curious about how good the pepper fried mushrooms could be. After weighing his options, he put down his chopsticks and waited eagerly for Wen Ze to finish frying them. 

Sang Hui’s nose had also gotten used to the smell. He took a few steps forward and asked, “Is there anything we can do to help?” 

Wen Ze thought for a moment, then took out his “family treasure pottery cauldron” from his space and asked, “Uncle, could you help me wash this pot and set it over the fire pit and stew some animal bone soup? As for the animal bones…” 

Zhuo Mu quickly said, “I’ll go get them.” 

Wen Ze smiled knowingly. “Okay.” 

Seeing that Wen Ze was preparing to cook more food, Bai Ling eagerly asked, “What about me? Can I help with something?” 

Wen Ze replied, “Can you help me slice the meat?” 

Bai Ling asked, “Sure! Should I slice it thin or thick?” 

Wen Ze measured with his fingers and said, “Thinner is better.” 

Bai Ling puffed out his chest with confidence. “Got it!” 

Fetching water, lighting the fire, deboning the meat, and slicing it… everyone quickly became busy again. 

About ten minutes later, Wen Ze finally finished frying the large batch of pepper mushrooms. 

He stretched his shoulders and saw that everyone was working smoothly. He walked to the chopping board and started cutting the cleaned vegetables. 

Then, he rinsed the stone pot several times with hot water before turning around and calling out, 

“Uncle Sang Hui, the stone pot is ready. You can pour the stewed bone soup into it now.” 

Sang Hui replied, “Alright!” 

Ji Sha stepped forward and offered to take over the task. “Let me do it.” 

The pot was very hot, but Ji Sha’s beast form was a bear, with tough skin and strong muscles, so it was no problem for him at all. 

After the bone soup was poured in, Wen Ze sprinkled some scallions into the pot and stirred it with a wooden spoon. 

The firewood in the stove crackled, and the bone soup in the stone pot had started to show a light white color. 

Yin He came over and asked curiously, “Brother, are we drinking bone soup tonight?” 

“No,” Wen Ze said with a smile, “This is the base for the soup. Tonight, we’re having mushroom hotpot.” 

Yin He asked, “What’s that?” 

Wen Ze didn’t explain that much and put the cleaned mushrooms, sun-dried sweet fruits, and a suitable amount of salt into the pot. 

Then, he neatly arranged the sliced vegetables in a wooden bowl. He also asked others to help pick the freshly picked green wild vegetables, wash them, and put them in another wooden bowl. 

Finally, he took out a few clay bowls, added some chopped scallions and salt to each, and then scooped some of the cooked mushroom soup into them. 

Just then, Bai Ling and Sang Hui had finished slicing the meat. Wen Ze clapped his hands and said energetically, “Come on, come on, it’s almost time to eat! Everyone, just sit by the stove and I’ll teach you how to eat.” 

Everyone was curious and moved some stone stools to sit around the stove. 

Wen Ze picked up a pair of clean chopsticks, picked up several pieces of meat, and put them in the pot to cook. 

“Your knife skills are great, the slices are thin and even,” he said, admiring them. 

Sang Hui and Bai Ling were a bit embarrassed by the compliments and smiled shyly. 

Yin He watched the bone soup in the stone pot turn a milky white, with fresh mushrooms floating in it. As the pot heated, steam rose, and the soup began to bubble enticingly. 

“Brother, can we eat once the meat is cooked?” 

“Yes,” Wen Ze explained, “This is the mushroom soup base. Later, if you want to eat something, just dip it in the soup. I’ve already prepared some mushroom soup for everyone, so you can try it first.” 

Hearing this, everyone took their bowls and blew on the soup to cool it before tasting it. 

“Ah, fresh mushroom soup is so delicious.” Bai Ling’s brows relaxed, his face softening in satisfaction. 

Wen Ze picked up his own clay bowl and said, “Put the cooked vegetables and meat into your own bowls and eat with the dipping sauce. In addition to the scallions and salt, I also prepared some sour and sweet fruits. You can add them according to your taste.” 

Zhuo Mu glanced at the crushed pepper fruit nearby and asked, “Can we add this to the sauce as well?” 

“Yes, you can try it,” Wen Ze replied. 

Wen Ze first poured a little into his own bowl without stirring it. The fire pit was still burning, so he fried some animal oil, scooped it with a wooden spoon, and poured it on the chopped pepper. 

The hot oil sizzled as it hit the ingredients in the bowl. 

Right after that, the smell of Sichuan pepper and the aroma of scallions followed. 

Just the smell alone was enough to make Wen Ze eager to dig in. 

Before he came here, he was used to adding Sichuan pepper powder to his cooking every day. 

He never thought that after so many days without tasting that flavor, he would miss it so much. 

And as for this dipping sauce, if it had a bit of savory soy sauce added, it would surely taste even better. 

Soy sauce was the seasoning he used more often than Sichuan pepper powder. 

He remembered that there was a plant in the wild that was similar to beans. If he had the chance, he would go out and see if he could make some soy sauce. 

Everyone else smelled it too and exclaimed, “It smells so good!” 

“With hot oil, it tastes completely different!” 

“So it can be done like this?” Ji Sha asked. “I’ll try some too.” 

Sang Hui stopped Wen Ze from getting up. “Sit down and eat; I’ll get the oil ready for him.” 

In the end, Wen Ze, Ji Sha, Zhuo Mu, and Yin He all added the crushed pepper to their dipping sauces, then poured the hot oil over it. 

Sang Hui and Bai Ling didn’t add any—they wanted to try Ji Sha’s first, and if it was good, they’d add some. 

The meat in the pot was ready. Wen Ze urged everyone to eat quickly, so it wouldn’t become tough from overcooking. 

In addition to the mushroom hotpot, the two bowls of fried mushrooms that had been prepared earlier were also placed on a stone slab next to the stove. 

Wen Ze had already noticed that Yin He frequently looked at the fried mushrooms and said with a smile, “If you want to eat, just go ahead.” 

The young man’s eyes brightened, and he nodded in agreement. With his chopsticks, he picked up a piece of pepper fried mushroom and put it in his mouth. 

As he chewed with a “crunching” sound, he widened his eyes and kept nodding at Wen Ze. 

After swallowing, he said loudly, “Brother, this taste is really amazing! My mouth feels numb, and my tongue doesn’t even feel like my own! Hahaha!” 

Wen Ze asked, “Is it good?” 

“Well, I didn’t really taste it the first time. I’ll eat some more.” 

Wen Ze couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay.” He called on the others, “Would you like to try it too?” 

No one refused, including Bai Ling, who also picked up a piece. 

After tasting it, Bai Ling’s eyes gradually lit up, and he gave high praise: “I thought the original flavor was already good, but after adding the pepper, the taste is even richer. Especially when you chew the crushed pepper, there’s a sudden crispness between your teeth—such a unique texture! It’s delicious, really delicious! I’m going to add some of this to my dipping sauce too!” 

“Father, is the tribe going to organize a gathering tomorrow? If not, how about the two of us head to the top of Changping Mountain and bring back two baskets of thorny fruit? We can fry more of these flavorful mushrooms when we get back!” 

Sang Hui couldn’t help but laugh. “We haven’t finished this meal yet, and you’re already thinking about the next one. The mushrooms after the rain will last for a while, and we still need to gather more. It’s a good idea to also pick some of this thorny fruit on the way.” 

Bai Ling nodded repeatedly. “Mhm, mhm!” 

Ji Sha, who accepted it the best in his family, ate several pieces before speaking. “After living for so many years, I never knew thorny fruit could be eaten like this. I think the more I add, the better it gets.” 

Wen Ze then said, “I was worried at first that everyone might not be used to it, so I didn’t put so much. You can adjust the amount when you make it yourself.” 

Zhuo Mu, who was sitting next to him, also said, “It’s really good.” 

Sang Hui honestly said, “I’m still a bit uncomfortable with this.” 

Wen Ze reassured him, “It’s okay, some people also don’t like it. You can eat it with the original flavor.” 

No matter how delicious the fried mushrooms were, they could only be considered “appetizers.” Everyone, without exception, then reached for the meat in the mushroom hotpot. 

---

Thank you so much for reading! 🌸 If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee on my Ko-Fi page. ☕💖 Your support means everything! 😊✨

https://ko-fi.com/xiaocaojade