Today, both the half-beastmen and beastmen of the tribe left early. Not only them, but Zhuo Mu and his group also returned from their hunt. 

As for the meal invitation, Wen Ze had already asked Zhuo Mu for his opinion. 

Zhuo Mu simply replied, “If you want to invite them, just go ahead.” 

Wen Ze was overjoyed, “Thank you! You don’t have to worry about the ingredients. I picked a lot of mushrooms today. I can exchange half of them for meat and eggs.” 

Although tasks like gathering firewood and fetching water were taken care of by Yin He, and cooking didn’t require Zhuo Mu’s help, Wen Ze still needed to show respect to his landlord since he was staying at his place. 

The prey caught by Zhuo Mu and his group needed to be distributed fairly. A beastman called for him to come over and manage the distribution. 

The tall man with silver hair and red eyes looked at Wen Ze and asked, “What meat do you want?” 

The meat the tribe had given him recently had all been brought back by Zhuo Mu. Wen Ze replied, “Half of it should be lean, and the other half should be fatty. We don’t have much animal oil left, so we’ll need to render some out.” 

Zhuo Mu nodded and casual, “Hmm” in response. 

With that, he turned and left. 

Afterwards, Wen Ze found Sang Hui and Bai Ling and told them about the invitation. 

Bai Ling’s eyes lit up, clearly interested. 

He still remembered the fried animal meat he had at Wen Ze’s last time. Obviously, they used the same method to make it, but he didn’t know if it was because of the heat or the cooking skills, but it wasn’t as delicious as Wen Ze’s. 

These days, every family doesn’t have much food, and going to someone else’s house for a free meal is considered very inappropriate, so Bai Ling was embarrassed to agree. 

Sang Hui smiled and politely declined, “As an elder, it’s my responsibility to teach you younger ones. You don’t need to be so polite.” 

Wen Ze still sincerely invited them, “You not only taught me valuable skills, but you also helped me sort out the poisonous mushrooms and gave me so many mushrooms that were meant for you. I’m really grateful to you both.” 

“I have already exchanged the ingredients for the dinner with other people in the tribe. You can all come to my house and eat together.” 

“Besides, don’t you want to know how to cook thorny fruits in a delicious way?” 

The last sentence really caught Sang Hui’s interest. 

Seeing this, Bai Ling smiled and persuaded Sang Hui, “Father, let’s just go. It’ll be lively for the two families to have a meal together.” 

Wen Ze was surprised for a second and thought that there were obviously three families. 

Sang Hui thought about it and smiled at Wen Ze. “Okay, I’ll go tell your Uncle Ji Sha. Thanks for your help today, Wen Ze.” 

“You just told me not to be polite, but here you are being so polite with me. It’s getting late, so let’s not thank each other anymore. I’ll hurry back to get ready, and all of you should come over soon!” 

Sang Hui and Bai Ling nodded in agreement. “Got it.” 

The sun was high in the sky, gradually moving towards the west. Wen Ze estimated it was around two or three in the afternoon. 

In his previous world, it would still be quite early for dinner. 

But now, the tools are limited, and the beastmen have a big appetite. It takes a lot of time to prepare and cook a meal. That’s why Wen Ze said it was getting late. 

Carrying the two heavy baskets on his back, he hummed a tune with excitement as he headed toward the cave. 

When he was still a good distance from the entrance of the cave, Yin He came running toward him, happily shouting, “Brother! You’re back! I heard you went mushroom picking today. How many did you pick?” 

Wen Ze smiled, “Quite a few! But I exchanged half of them for other food.” 

Yin He came to his side, grabbed the baskets, and started carrying them to the cave entrance. 

“Huh, can these green fruits be eaten?” He noticed the thorny fruits in the basket and asked. 

“We can, but they need some preparation first.” 

Yin He showed a slightly doubtful expression, having already noticed the strong smell.

“Then I’ll help you,” Yin He said, though he still felt hesitant about the thorny fruits.

“Don’t worry,” Wen Ze said. “Let’s wash the thorny fruits and mushrooms first.” 

“Okay.” 

There was a stream not far away, so the two of them walked over with the baskets. 

The thorny fruits just needed to be rinsed a few times, but the mushrooms were more troublesome. 

Wen Ze motioned for Yin He to stay by the stream to sort and wash the mushrooms, while he picked up the thorny fruits and said, “I’ll go start the fire.” 

“Okay! I’ll bring the mushrooms over once they’re washed… Oh, how come Uncle Sang Hui and the others are here?” 

Wen Ze slapped his forehead. “I can’t believe I forgot to mention it! I’m inviting them over for dinner tonight.” 

Yin He, who loved a lively atmosphere, responded excitedly, “Great! I can’t wait!” 

“Wen Ze, we’re here!” Bai Ling waved first as they approached. 

Zhuo Mu was with them. In addition to fresh animal meat, he was also carrying a basket of bird eggs. 

After a quick greeting, Wen Ze walked over to take what Zhuo Mu was holding and said in surprise, “You brought back so many bird eggs?” 

Zhuo Mu smiled slightly at his reaction. “Take your time using them.” 

Wen Ze smiled. “Okay. But I won’t need that much tonight; I’ll put some of it in the cave.” 

“Mm. Do you need me to do anything?” 

Wen Ze didn’t bother to be polite with him. “Can you build another fire pit and get some animal fat out?” 

Zhuo Mu: “Got it.” 

After hearing what they said, Sang Hui and the others took out the things they had brought. 

Wen Ze looked and saw that in addition to meat, wild vegetables, roots, and mushrooms, there was also salt and animal fat. 

He smiled and shook his head. “Uncle, I said I’m treating, why are you still bringing your own ingredients?” 

Sang Hui also smiled and said, “These things won’t stay fresh if left at home overnight, so I brought them for everyone to eat together.” 

Bai Ling also added, “Yes, it’s already wonderful to be able to eat your food. Let me give you a hand too! Just tell me if there’s anything I can do.” 

Ji Sha, who was standing behind Sang Hui, also said sincerely, “Then I’ll go chop some wood.” 

Wen Ze couldn’t help but feel touched. He stopped refusing and said, “Okay, let’s prepare together and try to have dinner as soon as possible!” 

The stone stove and the firepit made from stacked firewood were both burning fiercely. 

Wen Ze assigned tasks to everyone: Yin He was to fetch water, Bai Ling would wash the vegetables, and Sang Hui would help him chop the vegetables. 

Ji Sha was in charge of chopping wood, and Zhuo Mu would render the animal fat in a stone pot. 

Everyone got busy. 

Wen Ze placed a flat stone slab on the stove. 

After cleaning it with water, he sliced open some thorny fruit, took out the shells, and spread them on the stone slab. 

Then, he grabbed a pair of long chopsticks, carefully watched the heat, and flipped the fruit skins from time to time. 

Soon, the roasted fruit skins changed color, releasing a strong peppery smell. Wen Ze couldn’t help but swallow. 

As the smell intensified, his nose began to sting, and he sneezed several times. 

The wind blew, and the others weren’t spared either. 

Bai Ling sneezed so hard his nose turned red. 

He frowned and asked, “Wen Ze, are you making poison? My nose is almost numb, and my eyes are so sore.” 

Wen Ze explained with a smile, “It’s not poison, it’s because I roasted too much at once, so it chokes me. I won’t put that much in when we eat it.” 

Even the cautious Sang Hui couldn’t help but wonder at this moment, “Can this thing really make food taste better?” 

Surprisingly, the one with the highest tolerance was actually Ji Sha, the bear beastman. 

His straight nose twitched, and he said quietly, “It seems alright to me.” 

Wen Ze felt that there was no point in explaining further and that it would be better for them to taste it themselves, so he focused on his work. 

The roasted thorny fruit skins were crushed into pieces with a stone and set aside for later use. 

Then, he took out the cloth bag filled with starch and poured some into a wooden bowl. 

He cracked several bird eggs into the bowl, added an appropriate amount of salt, and stirred everything carefully. 

The mushrooms that were picked had already been cleaned by Bai Ling. Following Wen Ze’s instructions, he tore the bigger mushrooms with thick stems into strips about the size of a finger and salted them to draw out the moisture. 

After mixing the starch, Wen Ze turned around and saw that Zhuo Mu had finished making the animal oil. So he asked him, “Can you help me lift the stone pot up?” 

Zhuo Mu: “Okay.” 

The stone pot with animal oil wasn’t large, but it was heavy. Zhuo Mu put a cloth under it, carried it, and set it down without even batting an eye. 

Since the others didn’t know what Wen Ze was about to do, they stepped aside and watched curiously. 

The animal oil in the stone pot was heated. Wen Ze dipped his chopsticks in to check the heat, then asked Zhuo Mu to step back a little. 

“I’m going to fry the mushrooms, be careful of splashes.” 

Bai Ling, who was watching, raised an eyebrow. They had fried mushrooms at home before, but they came out tough and dry, and if overcooked, they turned bitter and didn’t taste very good. 

Could it be that the starch would make a difference? 

After speaking, Wen Ze took a handful of mushrooms, coated them in starch, and dropped them into the pot. 

“Splash,” the pot immediately bubbled up, and the starch-coated mushrooms quickly turned golden. 

He stirred the mushrooms to make sure they were cooked evenly. Then, he scooped them out and placed them in a large strainer to drain the oil. 

Under the strainer, there was another bowl, so there was no worry about the animal oil being wasted. 

Then, Wen Ze repeated the process, frying over and over again. 

The smell from the pot, both inside and out, started off light but soon became intense. 

With the smells of oil, mushrooms, bird eggs, and a strange smell—probably from the fried starch—it mixed together perfectly, each one blending with the others. 

The smell was so rich and irresistible that it stimulated everyone’s taste and senses. Their eyes changed as they took in the smell. 

Yin He stared intently at the pot, the sound of him swallowing echoed in the quiet cave. 

“Brother, this smells amazing! So this is how you use starch!” He held back his urge to say “Let me try it!” 

Just by looking at the color and smelling the food, Sang Hui knew that it was a very delicious dish. 

He said in surprise, “Before, when Bai Ling told me you were making starch, I thought the process seemed too complicated. But now, seeing how useful starch is, it’s worth the extra effort.” 

Bai Ling also looked over frequently. He was getting really excited while waiting. 

The two other beastmen appeared calm, but their eyes were slightly shining. 

Wen Ze smiled and fried the mushrooms skillfully. After one pot was done, he increased the heat and fried them again. 

“Everyone take this first pot with the original flavor and try it. I’ll fry the rest.” 

Seeing that they were embarrassed, Wen Ze urged them: “Hurry up, eat it while it’s hot. It’s delicious.” 

The first to respond was Yin He, who excitedly called out and handed some to Wen Ze, saying, “Brother, you should eat these first!” 

He then set the rest aside, grabbed a fried mushroom, blew on it casually, and put it in his mouth. 

“Hmm!!!” He was shocked. 

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