Chapter 64: The Irresistible Aroma!

Back at the shed, Ming Dai and her group were still buzzing with excitement. They decided to leave the harvested grain for sorting later. Right now, the field rats needed to be dealt with first—they would cook them today to nourish everyone.

Looking at the grayish-yellow field rats, Ming Dai hesitated. “Sister Dalian, how do we eat these?”

Huang Dalian chuckled as she looked at the pile on the ground. “We stir-fry them! You have to stir-fry them on high heat; otherwise, they’ll have a strong earthy smell.”

Ming Dai nodded. “Then I’ll leave this part to you. I don’t know how to handle them.”

Huang Dalian nudged the heap of rats with her foot. “I’ll take care of it. You young ones don’t know how to skin them. The skin on field rats is thinner than regular rats, so it’s not easy to peel. Since we have so many people, should we just cook all of them?”

If Aunt Huang were here, she would definitely scold her daughter-in-law for being wasteful.

But Ming Dai readily agreed. They had only cleared out one small mountain today. According to Huang Dalian, there was another mountain near the farmland, which was even bigger. That meant there were probably even more field rats there.

“Alright! You handle that, and I’ll go find some old ginger and garlic. I think I have some chili peppers, too.”

Huang Dalian grinned. It was lucky that Xiao Ming, the educated youth, was the one cooking today. If it were her mother-in-law, they would probably just be drinking field rat soup!

Forget about stir-frying!

While Huang Dalian and Liu Guoqiang took the field rats to the river for cleaning, Ming Dai scooped out the right amount of mixed grains, rinsed them with water from the bucket, and started cooking dry rice.

Now that they were eating two meals of dry rice a day, it no longer felt like a luxury!

Meanwhile, Zhou Sinian grabbed two pieces of steamed cornbread from the storage area. Chewing on one, he casually tended the fire.

Ming Dai found three pieces of old ginger and four or five heads of garlic and began preparing them.

By the river, Liu Guoqiang wielded a machete, swiftly chopping off the field rats’ heads, paws, and tails before tossing them to Huang Dalian for skinning and gutting.

With a pair of scissors, Huang Dalian slit open the rats’ bellies, removed the entrails, then skillfully separated the skin from the meat on the limbs. She pulled downward along the spine, peeling off the skin in one smooth motion.

By the time they finished processing all the rats, it was nearly the end of the workday.

The two of them rushed back, exhausted but grinning widely as they carried a large basket full of fresh rat meat.

Meanwhile, Ming Dai had already finished steaming the dry rice, keeping it warm in a clay pot. She had also chopped up a big bowl of radishes, ready to stew along with the meat.

As soon as the rat meat arrived, Ming Dai had Zhou Sinian split each one in half along the spine. The rats were already small; if they were chopped into tiny pieces, there wouldn’t be much meat left—just bones.

Besides, serving them as halves ensured that everyone got a fair share.

She heated up the large wok again, scooped out a generous spoonful of lard, and let it melt.

This time, Huang Dalian had no complaints about using so much fat—field rats needed to be stir-fried to bring out their full flavor!

Once the oil was hot, Ming Dai tossed in a handful of Sichuan peppercorns, three star anise, and two pieces of cinnamon bark. After a quick stir, she added the chopped rat meat.

“Sizzle—!!”

The sound of meat hitting hot oil filled the air, and steam billowed from the wok.

Ming Dai grabbed the spatula and began flipping the meat, stirring it until the sizzling sound softened. Then she added the sliced old ginger and garlic cloves. Since she knew the people here weren’t used to spicy food, she only sprinkled in a small handful of dried chilies.

After a few more stirs, the rich, spicy aroma filled the air. Zhou Sinian craned his neck over the wok, watching eagerly as the once-pink rat meat turned a golden brown.

Ming Dai then took out a bottle of soy sauce from her supplies and poured in a full bowl’s worth. After mixing it evenly, she added water until the meat was fully submerged.

“Zhou Sinian, crank up the fire and let it simmer!”

Zhou Sinian obediently grabbed more firewood, tossing it into the stove. While waiting, he absentmindedly roasted some chestnuts over the open flames, his mouth watering at the bubbling sound of the stewing rat meat.

As the aroma of the field mouse meat began to spread, the sound of the bell signaling the end of work rang out.

Everyone rushed toward them in a swarm, with the people from Liujiwan leading the charge.

The newly arrived educated youths had already heard about the field mouse meat, but they were still reluctant to eat something like a rodent. Because of this, they lagged behind.

However, by the time they arrived and caught a whiff of the overpowering fragrance, they suddenly felt that maybe mouse meat wasn’t so bad after all.

Ming Dai lifted the lid of the pot and looked at the glistening red-braised field mouse meat and the thick, rich broth with satisfaction.

She tossed in some radishes, stirred them evenly, and called out to Huang Dalian outside, “Sister Dalian, it’ll take a little while longer. Tell everyone to wait.”

Huang Dalian responded with a cheerful laugh, “Don’t worry. As long as they’re getting meat, they’d wait all night if they had to!”

Ming Dai sighed—poverty truly forced people into desperate situations.

Before long, a crowd had gathered around them, including both people from Liujiwan and others from nearby villages who had come to see the commotion.

Everyone was drooling as they inhaled the overwhelmingly delicious aroma in the air. The sound of stomachs growling echoed through the area.

When Huang Dalian announced that it would still be a little while before they could eat, no one objected. Instead, they went to wash their hands, retrieved their bowls and chopsticks, and sat outside chatting, unwilling to leave for even a short rest.

The outsiders from other villages felt a pang of disappointment. They had hoped to shamelessly snag a piece of meat, but to their dismay, the food wasn’t even ready yet.

Afraid that their own villages might finish dinner and leave nothing for them, they reluctantly left.

Another half hour passed, and the sky had turned completely dark.

Ming Dai switched on her flashlight and lifted the lid of the pot. Instantly, the fragrance burst forth. Those waiting immediately stood up, their eyes fixed on the pot inside the shed.

Ming Dai gave the dish a final stir. The large chunks of radish had absorbed the rich broth and were now so soft that they would fall apart with the slightest touch.

She nodded at Huang Dalian outside, who immediately banged on the iron basin in her hands.

“Line up! Time to eat!!”

Whoosh!

In an instant, a perfectly orderly line formed.

Huang Dalian swore she had never seen this group of people follow rules so obediently before!

Zhou Sinian, who had been waiting anxiously on the side, couldn’t hold back any longer. He rushed to the stove and stretched out his big food bowl.

Ming Dai picked out the biggest piece of field mouse meat for him and filled half of his bowl with radish slices. As for the mixed grain rice, she didn’t serve him any—he didn’t like it. Instead, she would heat up some red date steamed buns for him later.

Standing nearby, Liu Laifu and Liu Laifa swallowed their saliva. They had no objections at all to Ming Dai serving Zhou Sinian first.

Are you kidding? His wife had already said that they owed today’s feast entirely to this lunatic!

The crowd, who had thought their hunger had reached its peak, suddenly found their stomachs roaring even louder, playing a full-blown symphony of hunger.

A bowl of steaming rice, topped with several large, sauce-drenched radish slices, and crowned with half a field mouse.

Oh, my!

Who could have imagined such a meal in the past?

Catching a field mouse was rare enough—if someone was lucky enough to get one, it was usually roasted as a small treat for the children. Who would ever have the luxury of stir-frying it with so much oil?

It wasn’t just the villagers—even the educated youths were completely entranced by the aroma!

Outside, Huang Dalian lit a bonfire, and everyone gathered around it, eating their meals.

Each person carefully gnawed at their field mouse meat, savoring every bit. With just a light press, the tender meat slid right off the bones, filling their mouths with a burst of spicy, savory deliciousness.

Ming Dai heated up six red date steamed buns—one for herself and five for Zhou Sinian.

Watching Zhou Sinian slurp and suck the field mouse bones clean, Ming Dai finally mustered the courage to take a bite herself.

The texture was a bit dry, and the taste was somewhat like chicken. Since the mice had built up fat for the winter, the meat was relatively rich, but it still carried a slight gamey flavor.

She then tried the radish and found it much more to her liking. The spiciness had mellowed, leaving behind a mild sweetness. Unlike the crisp freshness of pickled radishes, this one was infused with a deep, meaty richness that balanced out the greasiness perfectly. It was surprisingly good.