Chapter 29: Does Meat Fall from the Sky?

The bone soup was very fresh.

The natural sweetness of the kudzu root was extracted during the simmering, and without the influence of other seasonings, the natural umami flavor of the food became even more apparent.

Ye Xin Ran picked up a tofu-filled bun.

She took a bite, and the red spicy oil seeped out from the bun skin, both spicy and fragrant.

She swallowed the bite and then said, “The tofu-filled buns are a bit spicy. If you can’t eat spicy food, just have the meat-filled ones.”

“I like spicy,” Chang Sheng said after finishing the meat bun in his hand. He quickly picked up a tofu-filled bun from the plate.

Xiao Huai’an furrowed his brows.

Chang Sheng, this child, always adhered to proper etiquette. Though he was only two years older than Chang Ping, he always carried himself like an adult.

But today, as they were eating, he seemed to have become a little childish?

Chang Sheng didn’t notice the look in his second uncle’s eyes.

All of his attention was focused on the bun, and the spicy flavor mixed with the fragrance of tofu and dough spread in his mouth, constantly stimulating his tongue. It was both spicy and irresistible, making him crave another bite.

“Second uncle, try it!” Chang An shoved a meat bun into Xiao Huai’an’s hand.

Xiao Huai’an took a careless bite, but the next moment, his eyes widened in surprise.

This was the best bun he had ever eaten.

Even the lamb buns he had eaten at the frontier didn’t taste as delicious as these.

“Second uncle, it’s delicious, right?” Chang An asked, joyfully shaking his head.

“Mm!” Xiao Huai’an nodded, then reminded him, “Be polite.”

Startled, Chang An immediately sat up properly.

From then on, no one spoke, and all that could be heard were the sounds of people breathing heavily from the spiciness and the gulps of soup.

After eating four buns herself, Ye Xin Ran got up and filled a plate with four meat buns and four tofu-filled buns. She instructed, “Later, Chang An and second uncle, take these buns to the Li Zheng family. I’m going to rest in my room.”

With that, she stood up and left the kitchen.

While eating, Ye Xin Ran seemed to notice that the mist in the space had faded a bit. She was eager to go back and check if anything had changed in the space.

After locking the door behind her, she immediately entered the space.

She walked down the stairs and found that the mist in the kitchen had completely disappeared.

Even the most valuable item, the chef’s fridge was now visible.

Ye Xin Ran knew that it contained many delicious ingredients.

There was imported caviar, the largest sea cucumbers stored fresh, and the chef’s most treasured hotpot base and barbecue sauce!

Before, whenever she wanted to ask the chef for hotpot base, he would only reluctantly give her a small piece.

Now, all these items were neatly arranged in the fridge, as though they had been carefully prepared.

At this moment, Ye Xin Ran felt grateful for the chef’s stinginess. If he hadn’t been reluctant to give the ingredients away, how would she have had the chance to enjoy so many of them?

Thinking of this, she happily spun around in place.

She took a jar of the chef’s carefully prepared scallion oil, then went upstairs to check the equipment before exiting the space.

Chang An and Xiao Huai’an had already returned after delivering the buns.

Li Zheng’s daughter, Yu Feng, was still trailing behind them, holding a small basin. When she reached the door, she was out of breath. “Chang An, Grandpa said to send the little fish over to you. Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“Second uncle said we shouldn’t accept things from others!”

“Such big buns, and you gave us eight! You’re not even letting us return the courtesy? If you don’t accept, we wouldn’t dare to take it!”

Ye Xin Ran found Yu Feng very cute, and she walked over to take the basin from her hand.

“Then thank you, Yu Feng. We still have some buns at home. Would you like to have one before you leave?”

Yu Feng quickly shook her head. “No, I’ll go home to eat!”

After saying that, she quickly ran off.

“Hey, the basin…” Ye Xin Ran called out, holding the basin, but Yu Feng had already run far away.

“This child, really,” Ye Xin Ran muttered with a smile, but then she heard Xiao Huai’an ask, “I heard you helped the villagers find the kudzu root?”

“Yes!” Ye Xin Ran replied. “I found it by accident.”

“There are tigers on the Misty Deer Mountain. It’s better to avoid going there,” Xiao Huai’an said.

“Are you concerned about me?” Ye Xin Ran countered with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. But didn’t you go hunting on Misty Deer Mountain?”

Ye Xin Ran asked curiously.

Among the nearby mountains, Misty Deer Mountain was the largest and deepest, so if you wanted to hunt, it was undoubtedly the best place to go.

“Yes!” Xiao Huai’an replied while inspecting the sturdiness of the chicken pen. “I had no choice but to go into the mountains, but I don’t want you to take any risks.”

“Alright!” Ye Xin Ran replied cheerfully. “Then, the next time I want to go up the mountain, I’ll go with you.”

“Go with me for what?”

Xiao Huai’an frowned.

He looked up at Ye Xin Ran, who was standing there. She was small in stature, and even when he squatted, he wasn’t much taller than her. A woman like her wanting to go into the mountains, what if she encountered a wild beast? Wouldn’t that be courting death?

“Didn’t you ever hear this saying?” Ye Xin Ran smiled brightly. “Where there’s danger, there’s opportunity. The places where no one else goes are often the ones where you can find the best things.”

“Are you talking about medicinal herbs?” After the incident at the clinic, Xiao Huai’an was sure that Ye Xin Ran must know a little about medicine. Since she couldn’t hunt, she must be planning to go up the mountain to look for medicinal herbs.

“Yes!” Ye Xin Ran had no intention of hiding it.

“If it’s convenient, next time I want to go into the mountains with you.”

After checking the pen, Xiao Huai’an stood up and walked away. After taking a few steps, he turned back and said, “We’ll see.”

“We’ll see” meant there was hope, and Ye Xin Ran hadn’t expected him to agree immediately.

The fish Yu Feng brought over were a few small white fish, already cleaned. It looked like they were meant to be cooked, but since they had buns, they were being used as a return gift.

Ye Xin Ran smiled.

What mattered wasn’t the things themselves, but the fact that they had established a good relationship with the village’s Li Zheng. From now on, they wouldn’t have to worry about being bullied in the village without anyone to speak up for them.

After all, they were outsiders, and they needed to do something to firmly establish their presence.

Ye Xin Ran lightly salted the small fish, then heated oil in a pan over low heat. She slow-roasted the fish, allowing them to become crispy and hard, until both sides turned golden. In the end, a small dish of crispy fried fish was ready.

The smell of the fried fish wafted out, drifting on the breeze toward the lower courtyard, reaching Zhang Da Shan’s nose.

Zhang Da Shan, who had been sitting in the courtyard, had already smelled food several times that day.

In the afternoon, the scent of meat had wafted through, and now, it was the smell of fish.

He couldn’t understand why Xiao Huai’an, an exiled criminal, was living so well.

Wasn’t there anyone who would manage these things?

“Mother, when will my father come back? I want to eat meat, I want to eat fish!” Zhang Da Shan cried out.

Zhang Po Zi was putting the kudzu root she had dug into the cellar.

She was the only one in the family who went up the mountain, and she had only managed to dig about ten catties, but that would be enough for several days.

Hearing her son’s cries, Zhang Po Zi got angry. “You want to eat meat every day. Does the sky drop meat for us to eat?”