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Chapter 31
They arrived at the collection point.
Jiang Tiantian saw another small light truck parked outside the gate and figured they were probably alternating between two vehicles for deliveries.
Once again, she chose not to sell the matsutake mushrooms today.
She was still savoring last night’s matsutake feast and planned to have another one tonight.
At the collection point, many villagers who had just come down from the mountains were lined up, waiting to weigh their goods.
Thanks to San Ya’s enthusiastic promotion, Mop had become the newest rising star in Chajia Village. Villagers eager to follow in his footsteps had already started queuing up to book their turn.
Mop listened, panting excitedly as offers flew in from the crowd—beef heart, beef stomach, beef liver, beef lungs, beef intestines, large and small…
Such is the unpredictability of a dog’s life. Big intestines wrapped around small intestines, and as the saying goes, “Whoever feeds me is my master.”
A foodie’s world is truly easy to understand.
Jiang Tiantian watched the scene unfold with amusement but didn’t interfere. She took a step back, blending into the crowd, hiding her contributions and achievements.
Eventually, the chaotic queue came to a halt when San Ya produced a “Mop’s Schedule” list.
Oh boy~
If Cha Jiuzhang knew his dog son was not only self-sufficient but also contributing to the village’s economy, he might just shed a tear of pride.
—-
Jiang Tiantian waved to everyone and walked home.
Mop, like a victorious general returning from battle, strutted through the village with his tail held high, basking in the villagers’ admiring gazes as he followed behind her.
However, the moment they reached the next intersection, he revealed his true colors.
Grabbing onto Jiang Tiantian’s sleeve, he refused to let go and stubbornly dragged her toward the village slaughterhouse’s meat stall.
Jiang Tiantian stared at the massive, deflated, balloon-like white lump of meat in front of her, horrified. “Mop, what the heck is this?”
Mop: “Woof woof~”
The old stall owner chuckled. “Hahaha~ Jiuzhang’s wife, you don’t recognize this, do you?”
“This is beef tripe. It looks like this before it’s processed, still filled with undigested grass.”
“Take it home, cut it open, empty the contents, and scrub it clean with salt—then it’s ready to eat.”
Mop: “Woof woof~”
Jiang Tiantian: “?”
So… it’s a stuffed stomach, full of grass.
Alright, she finally remembered her promise from this morning—to give Mop an extra meal if he behaved well.
She hadn’t expected this dog to have such a good memory.
Forcing a smile, she gritted her teeth and said to the stall owner, “I’ll buy it.”
In the end, Jiang Tiantian carried a large basket of wild grapes in one hand, a… um, “organic” beef tripe in the other, and a backpack full of matsutake mushrooms on her back.
Shoulders slumped, she trailed behind Mop, who led the way home in triumph.
Whatever, why argue with a dog?
Besides, she still needed to make money by selling stories about his scandalous private life.
And there was no way he could finish that giant beef tripe all by himself.
Might as well have matsutake hotpot tonight—beef tripe in hotpot? Sounds delicious!
—-
The family gathered in the courtyard.
Jiang Tiantian brought out Grandpa Cha’s traditional medicine stove, placing a bubbling clay pot on top. One by one, everyone started sweating as they enjoyed their meal.
The rich chicken broth formed a perfect base, enhanced by her specially prepared dipping sauces. Each bite was fresh, fragrant, spicy, and mouthwatering.
Mop, off to the side, happily gnawed on his boiled beef heart and tripe.
Every now and then, he barked twice at the family, just to remind them of his presence.
Tonight, Mop felt like he had reached the peak of his dog life.
Because—being loved means being praised!
Every time a family member walked into the house, he ran over, tail wagging furiously.
If they didn’t immediately get the hint, he circled around them persistently until Jiang Tiantian explained.
Once they caught on and expressed surprise, delight, and admiration for his latest skills, he would finally walk away, satisfied.
“Our Mop is amazing!”
“Mop, you’re incredible!”
“Mop, you’ve really made it.”
“Mop, you’re so capable now!”
“Mop, Grandma is so proud of you!”
—-
Each compliment earned a soft little “Awoo~” from Mop.
Translation: “You’re absolutely right!”
His smug expression made Jiang Tiantian shiver.
She had a strong suspicion that if they didn’t praise him enough tonight, Mop wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Zuo Mingyan, however, insisted, “Smart kids need lots of encouragement.”
Jiang Tiantian: “!”
Fine, she was sure of it now—she was definitely going to be the strict parent in this household.
Even Cha Jiuzhang, the last to return home, uncharacteristically indulged Mop for a while.
A benevolent father, a filial dog!
—-
Zuo Mingyan put down her chopsticks, patted her stomach, and sighed for the 101st time, “Tiantian, how does your brain come up with so many creative recipes?”
She was now a devoted fan of Jiang Tiantian’s cooking. Anyone who disagreed would have to deal with her personally.
“Mom, I just learned from books.”
“This is my first time trying hotpot—what do you think?”
What else could she say?
If books could contain knowledge and beauty, surely they could contain a few cookbooks too.
Cha Jiuzhang, cheeks full, chewed forcefully and glanced at her.
He had realized something—this little girl rarely told the full truth.
But…
She was so mischievously cute.
He really wanted to rua her!
Cha Jizu nodded in agreement. “Reading is always useful.”
Then he turned to Cha Jiuzhang.
“By the way, Jiuzhang, don’t you think it’s time you improved your cooking skills? Tiantian works hard reading all the time—you should make more delicious food to nourish her.”
Jiang Tiantian snuck a glance at his reaction and secretly gave Grandpa a mental thumbs-up.
She once had a female friend who was both a successful musician and a dating expert.
One time, she asked her, “How do you always have such an effortless grasp on relationships? And why do all your ex-boyfriends still miss you after breaking up?”
She remembered her friend, holding a thin lady’s cigarette between her fingers, exhaling a puff of smoke, and laughing:
“Women, no matter how strong and successful they are outside, should always let their boyfriends take charge in relationships—let him cook, let him wash the dishes, let him do the laundry, let him earn money… The more a man invests in you, the harder it is for him to let you go.”
Jiang Tiantian: “……”
She had no idea if this was true, but it sounded brilliant!
Biggest takeaway? Duly noted!
Cha Jiuzhang saw her eyes darting around mischievously and chuckled before nodding.
“Got it. I’ll do my best.”
Raising a foodie meant one thing—food.
Having roamed the world for years, he refused to believe he couldn’t master a single culinary skill.
Jiang Tiantian grinned, biting her lips to hide her laughter.
Seeing the great mood at the table, she seized the moment.
“Grandpa, I want to build a bread oven in the yard—can I?”
Jiang Tiantian felt that searching for materials and filming on her own was too slow and exhausting.
She needed to mobilize the entire village—both adults and children—to help her discover interesting things and come up with fun ideas.
As the saying goes: “If you eat from someone’s hand, you owe them; if you take from someone’s hand, you feel obliged.”
Visiting the neighbors’ homes naturally required bringing gifts.
But what kind of gifts would be simple to make and still presentable?
Of course, all sorts of little sweet treats!
She planned to build a bread kiln to bake various small breads and cookies, then use them to “bribe” the villagers into helping her earn gold coins as part-time workers.
Cha Jizu was puzzled. “A bread kiln? What is that?”
“Uh…” How should she explain it?
Jiang Tiantian thought for a while before slowly saying:
“It’s a small heat-retaining oven made from mud. You first burn firewood inside until it turns to embers, then use the thick earthen walls’ residual heat to bake food.”
“It can be used for roasting meat, baking cookies, and even drying herbs or fruits…”
“The materials are simple—clay, fine sand, stones, dried rice stalks, and discarded glass bottles…”
Jiang Tiantian roughly described the appearance, working principle, and construction process of the bread kiln.
Cha Chengye listened from the side, pondered for a few seconds, then turned to Cha Jiuzhang.
“Jiuzhang, isn’t this your area of expertise? You and Tiantian can figure it out together. Just tell us what needs to be done when the time comes.”
His expertise?