Chapter 17 ☆ Detoxification (Part 2)

She sat in the cornfield, fuming like a pufferfish, until Xie San finally reappeared, holding a pheasant. The pheasant was gray, had a long tail, and was a female.

Xie San’s body was covered in grass debris, and he was sweating. He carried the pheasant to Cheng Yaoyao and looked at her with bright eyes.

Cheng Yaoyao folded her arms, tightened her pretty face, and asked coldly, “What is this?”

Xie San mumbled, “We didn’t catch any rabbits, only this pheasant.”

Who was Cheng Yaoyao? She is the eldest daughter of the Cheng family. Many young talents spent fortunes on jewelry, furs, and limited edition luxury handbags, but none could earn Cheng Yaoyao’s smile.

And what had Xie San brought her? A gray, ugly, dirty pheasant!

“Humph, can a mere pheasant make up for your disrespect?” Cheng Yaoyao thought.

She curled her lips and continued coldly, “I hate eating pheasant the most.”

Xie San’s eyes dimmed. He said, “You need traps to catch wild rabbits. I’ll bring the tools tomorrow. You can take this pheasant back to the others.”

“Why! This is mine!” Cheng Yaoyao jumped up as if someone else were trying to take her pheasant. She was especially furious at the thought of Cheng Nuonuo and Shen Yan having it.

“Do you have any matches? I want to roast it now! I won’t leave a single feather!”

Xie San replied, “…Yes.”

Xie San often went hunting in the mountains and always carried flint and salt with him. He took the pheasant downstream, killed it, bled it, removed the internal organs, and cleaned it as Cheng Yaoyao requested.

It had been raining for days, so there were plenty of wild mushrooms by the creek. Cheng Yaoyao picked up a handful and asked Xie San to wash them, refusing to go near the creek herself. She also picked some wild ginger, wild pepper, and mint.

Cheng Yaoyao stuffed the cleaned mushrooms into the chicken’s stomach, added sliced ginger, crushed pepper, and mint with salt, and stuffed them all into the chicken. She then sealed the chicken’s stomach with a thin bamboo stick.

Cheng Yaoyao’s requests were unusual, but Xie San complied without question. When Cheng Yaoyao asked him to dig a ball of mud and smear it over the surface of the pheasant with water, he finally realized, “You want to make beggar’s chicken^[1]is a traditional Chinese dish with a unique preparation method. The dish involves a whole chicken that is marinated, stuffed, wrapped in lotus leaves, and then encased in clay or mud before being … Continue reading?”

“Yes!” Cheng Yaoyao replied excitedly, her eyes bright. “Make sure to apply the mud thickly to seal in the juices.”

Xie San understood Cheng Yaoyao’s intention and followed her instructions. The pheasant was soon encased in a thick layer of mud.

Xie San used a hatchet to dig a shallow pit in the ground, placed a few large leaves in it, buried the mud-covered pheasant, and lit a fire on top.

Authentic beggar’s chicken needs to be roasted in a deep pit for two to three hours. Since it was late, Cheng Yaoyao asked Xie San to bury it shallower so it could be ready in about half an hour.

With many mushrooms left, Cheng Yaoyao broke off some flexible twigs, removed the leaves, and began stringing the mushrooms. She expertly threaded morels, blue-headed mushrooms, and small mushrooms onto the fire for roasting.

As Cheng Yaoyao grilled the mushroom skewers, she smiled and said, “These fresh wild mushrooms, grilled in their natural flavor, are really delicious without any seasoning. Especially the morels—they’re meaty and not watery when grilled.”

Cheng Yaoyao’s temper changed quickly. At that moment, she was chatty and had completely forgotten her earlier anger.

Xie San, a taciturn man, didn’t say much, but Cheng Yaoyao enjoyed talking to him and chatted without worry.

Suddenly, a cold, deep voice broke the silence: “How can you do this?”

Cheng Yaoyao was momentarily stunned before realizing that it was Xie San who had spoken. With the fire between them, Xie San’s handsome face was partially obscured by smoke.

Cheng Yaoyao responded, “Why can’t I?”

“You’re a city girl,” Xie San said, his voice slightly hoarse. After saying this, he felt the vast difference between Cheng Yaoyao and himself.

Cheng Yaoyao, flipping the mushroom skewers, had her peach blossom eyes slightly narrowed by the smoke, and a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye was charming.

She said proudly, “When I was a kid, I lived in a mountain city with my grandma and dad. There were lots of mushrooms and wild game there, and I learned how to cook all of them. Not only can I roast mushrooms and beggar’s chicken, but roasting rabbit is really delicious. Especially in autumn, wild rabbits are fat and chewy, and making a cold rabbit is even better!”

Cheng Yaoyao’s description made her drool, and Xie San’s greedy look brightened his mood slightly.

In the past, fresh ingredients were available from imported supermarkets and food stalls offering flavors from around the world. But now…

At least the roasted mushrooms tasted good, Cheng Yaoyao thought optimistically, sprinkling a pinch of salt on them.

“Come, try this,” Cheng Yaoyao said, holding a skewer of mushrooms carefully to Xie San’s mouth.

The mushrooms were arranged to form a small bowl, sprinkled with a little salt, and roasted over the fire to release their juice—delicious and not to be wasted.

Cheng Yaoyao was careful not to spill the juice and said to Xie San, “This juice is so delicious. Let me know if I’m good to you or not.”

Xie San looked at the wild mushrooms on his lips, stiff and motionless.

“Eat quickly!” Cheng Yaoyao urged, unable to bear the force of her slender wrist. “Try the mushrooms first!”

Her fingers were slender, with charming pink nails. Xie San opened his mouth, and the hot mushroom fell inside. He swallowed it without chewing, not really tasting it.

Cheng Yaoyao pursed her cherry lips, looking like a child waiting for praise. “Isn’t it delicious?”

Xie San’s tongue, numb from the heat, began to detect a hint of sweetness, and he nodded slightly.

Cheng Yaoyao smiled immediately, picked up the remaining mushrooms, strung them together, and roasted them over the fire with great enthusiasm. She loved cooking, but after her grandparents passed away, she had no one worthy of her cooking.

Every year on her birthday, Cheng Yaoyao would cook a table full of dishes for herself in the huge villa, then sit alone at the table, watching the food gradually cool, lose its aroma, and eventually end up in the trash.

After coming here, she cooked to both impress Cheng Nuonuo and win people’s hearts. When she cooked for Xie San, she finally felt that joy and satisfaction again.

Was it for the favor of the future boss?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she dismissed it and focused on stringing the mushrooms.

It was inevitable to get close to the fire when grilling mushrooms. Cheng Yaoyao had delicate skin, and her hands were burned red from the heat. Seeing this, Xie San frowned and took the mushroom skewers from her. “I’ll do it. You watch the fire.”

Cheng Yaoyao moved closer to him, carefully monitoring the fire and giving instructions: “Don’t turn the button mushrooms; they’re full of juice. Bake the morels closer to the fire for a while longer, and make sure to bake the tricholoma^[2]is a genus of fungi that includes various species of mushrooms. too, or you’ll end up seeing little people dancing.”

Cheng Yaoyao’s instructions were close at hand. Amid the mixed scents of the forest, charcoal fire, and mushrooms, Xie San could detect a faint hint of peach blossoms.

The charcoal fire made their faces hot and their throats dry. Fortunately, the mushrooms cooked quickly. Cheng Yaoyao ate one and a half of the seven or eight skewers of mushrooms, leaving the rest for Xie San. He hurried to the stream for water and picked a handful of mulberries for Cheng Yaoyao.

The fire eventually burned out.

Cheng Yaoyao sat nearby, eating mulberries, while instructing Xie San to extinguish the fire and dig out the beggar’s chicken.

The mud ground had hardened from the baking, so Xie San had to use a hatchet and strike it several times before he could retrieve the beggar’s chicken. It was a black, hard mud ball emitting smoke.

Cheng Yaoyao leaned in to inspect it, but was stopped by Xie San. He smashed the mud ball with the back of his knife. As the mud cracked open, a stream of hot, white steam escaped.

When the steam dissipated, the chicken feathers and mud shell cracked apart, revealing tender, white chicken. It was placed on a large leaf, the green contrasting with the steaming, fragrant meat.

Cheng Yaoyao carefully removed the bamboo skewer, and the wild mushrooms inside the chicken emitted a spicy, delicious aroma, with mushroom juice flowing out.

“It smells so good!” Cheng Yaoyao had made beggar’s chicken several times with free-range chickens raised in the villa, but it never had such a delicious, natural aroma.

Xie San didn’t speak, but his eyes lit up.

When the chicken stopped smoking, Cheng Yaoyao reached out to tear it apart. She almost jumped from the heat, holding her fingertips and tearing up, “It’s so hot…”

Xie San reached out and tore off a chicken leg. With his thicker skin, he didn’t feel the heat. He wrapped the chicken leg in leaves and handed it to Cheng Yaoyao.

Cheng Yaoyao stared at the plump chicken skin and frowned. “I don’t want to eat the skin.”

“…” Xie San removed the chicken skin. The pheasant had been laying eggs during the spring and summer, making the legs very plump. Oil flowed from Xie San’s hand, revealing tender, juicy meat inside.

Xie San ate the chicken skin, which was greasy and delicious, sliding down his throat and making him crave more. He then handed the chicken leg to Cheng Yaoyao.

Cheng Yaoyao took it, pursed her lips slightly, and blew on the chicken leg.

Xie San had already finished a piece, but Cheng Yaoyao was still blowing on it. He tore his eyes away from her rosy lips, cleared his throat, and said, “It’s not hot anymore.”

Cheng Yaoyao replied, “It’s still hot. Grandma said, I have a cat’s tongue, and I’m most afraid of hot food.”

Xie San’s patience, built over twenty years, was tested again. He closed his eyes, took the chicken leg, and quickly tore it into several pieces of tender meat, placing them in the leaves and handing them back to Cheng Yaoyao.

The greasy chicken thigh meat on the leaves quickly cooled. Cheng Yaoyao picked up a piece, examined it like a picky cat, and then put it in her mouth.

Finally, she puffed up her cheeks and started chewing. “Great! The meat is so tender. It’s a pity there’s no wine. Beggar’s chicken with green plum wine would relieve the greasiness perfectly.”

Xie San didn’t need wine; he already thought the pheasant was the best he’d ever tasted. The ginger removed the fishy smell, the pepper enhanced the flavor, and a bit of salt brought out the taste. The seasonings seeped into the chicken soup, which was locked in the meat. The chicken was plump and tender, with none of the dryness of ordinary pheasants. The mushrooms inside absorbed the chicken soup, making it so delicious that one could savor every bite.

Cheng Yaoyao ate a chicken leg and some chicken breasts. She watched Xie San with a smile as he ate.

Xie San ate quickly, but his manners were not unattractive. His lips were greasy, and a rare hint of joy in his eyebrows showed his appreciation for the food.

After finishing the last chicken wing, Xie San suddenly noticed Cheng Yaoyao’s gaze, and his wheat-colored face turned red. He was afraid she would dislike his eating manners.

Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, “Isn’t the beggar’s chicken I made delicious? You ate it all. This is the highest compliment to my cooking skills.”

“Indeed… it’s delicious,” Xie San said quietly and seriously.

Cheng Yaoyao was very happy. Xie San’s seriousness was quite amusing.

With greasy hands after eating, they went to wash up together. Cheng Yaoyao had recently been bitten by a snake and was hesitant to go near the stream.

Xie San said, “Snakes like to hide in the grass near the water. You shouldn’t have kicked the grass earlier.”

He pointed to a bare, pebbled bank by the stream and said, “There shouldn’t be any snakes here.”

“You promise?” Cheng Yaoyao asked cautiously.

Xie San squatted down beside her. “I promise.”

Cheng Yaoyao was reassured and stretched her hands into the stream. The oil on her hands thickened in the cold water, making it hard to wash off. Cheng Yaoyao frowned when Xie San handed her a bunch of crushed soapberry leaves.

These leaves, common in the countryside, produce foam when rubbed and can remove grease. Cheng Yaoyao used the leaves to clean her hands, then washed her face. Afterward, she picked up a handful of mint leaves, crushed them, and enjoyed the cool mint fragrance left on her hands.

Xie San also washed his hands and used a large leaf to scoop water to extinguish the charcoal fire. In the dry summer, sparks could be dangerous in the forest and fields.