Chapter – 24
“ A Beast Husband with Moral Virtue”
“Lamb offal soup?”
Lu Liufeng thought to himself—another new dish.
When Mu Ling heard there was something delicious, all the little grievances he had toward Yi Yuesi instantly vanished.
He immediately grabbed a handful of dry grass and began burning it into ash.
As he worked, he thought of something and couldn’t help but glance up at the female master.
“What about the wild boar meat from yesterday?”
Jiang Xi didn’t understand what he meant, but she still said,
“Eat the wild boar meat too, and the lamb meat as well. It’s winter, the weather’s cold, so you can eat it over several days!”
Mu Ling thought to himself that the female master really wasn’t the same as the previous one.
The previous female master would never eat meat that had been kept overnight.
Perhaps because she was so picky, Jiang Xi was so thin, and many times she felt she couldn’t exert much strength.
Yi Yuesi mimicked Lu Liufeng and, just like him, separated the lamb fat.
Because the ewe was lactating, he also milked several bamboo tubes full of lamb milk.
Beastmen didn’t like drinking it, but the females in the tribe all enjoyed it.
When Jiang Xi saw the lamb milk, her eyes lit up immediately.
She could make milk soap for washing her face!
Seeing the female master looking at him with sparkling eyes, Yi Yuesi smirked proudly.
He had already decided that he would eat in the firehouse today. Seeing the other two were busy, he asked,
“Is there anything else that needs to be done?”
Jiang Xi told him to wash the vegetables and seasonings, and asked Mu Ling to make bamboo bowls, chopsticks, spatulas, and spoons.
These tasks required little skill, so she didn’t need to supervise constantly. The tables and chairs would probably be made after the meal.
Lu Liufeng had already finished processing the ingredients and now needed to let them rest and settle, so he came to help the female master cook.
Jiang Xi guided him to slice the lamb heart and liver thinly, cut the stomach and lungs into small pieces, and section the intestines.
Since she also planned to cook the lamb meat, she sliced a lot of meat as well.
The lamb meat and offal went into a pot of cold water with ginger slices to blanch.
There was a lot of lamb fat, so Jiang Xi didn’t use pork fat. She fried the lamb fat until it rendered, then added ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, tsaoko, cinnamon, bay leaves, garlic, and chili, frying until fragrant, before adding the lamb meat and offal to stir-fry.
Normally, lamb offal cooks faster than the meat, so it’s better to add them separately—cook the meat until it’s about 70–80% done before adding the offal.
But with limited conditions, she didn’t bother and added everything at once.
Every time she added a seasoning, Jiang Xi explained its purpose to Lu Liufeng:
“Ginger removes the smell.”
“Sichuan pepper is numbing, chili is spicy.”
“Tsaoko, cinnamon, bay leaves are mainly for fragrance.”
“Garlic, besides adding flavor, can enhance immunity and has some antibacterial and detoxifying effects.”
Lu Liufeng looked at her, astonished. “Detoxifying?”
Jiang Xi quickly explained, “Ah, not what you’re thinking. It just helps eliminate some harmful substances in the ingredients…”
Lu Liufeng seemed to understand a bit.
“Garlic can be added to all dishes.”
“You can use it when stir-frying vegetables or meat.”
“Ginger is mainly for meat dishes because it removes the odor.”
Lu Liufeng nodded, getting the hang of it.
“And Sichuan pepper and chili?”
Jiang Xi replied, “Vegetables usually don’t need Sichuan pepper, but you can add chili depending on taste.”
Lu Liufeng extrapolated, “So tsaoko, cinnamon, and bay leaves are usually also used in meat dishes?”
Jiang Xi nodded. Such a promising student.
“But, like the braised pig head we made yesterday, when you added potatoes this morning, it tasted great, right?”
“You can also braise vegetables in the same broth!”
Lu Liufeng learned many new cooking methods.
Outside in the courtyard, Mu Ling had been eavesdropping for a while, but he didn’t understand, so he stopped listening.
Yi Yuesi finished washing the vegetables and didn’t know what to do next, so he stood idly in the firehouse.
Seeing him messy from head to toe, Jiang Xi couldn’t help but say,
“Why don’t you take a bath first? Then when you come back, we can eat.”
Yi Yuesi’s beautiful fox-like eyes widened in disbelief.
“You actually think I’m dirty?”
Jiang Xi glanced him over but didn’t say anything.
Isn’t it obvious…?
Pouting, Yi Yuesi went to take a bath.
Lu Liufeng parted his lips slightly but ultimately said nothing.
Yi Yuesi loved cleanliness and would transform into his beast form daily to groom himself. This was probably the first time someone called him dirty.
Jiang Xi shrugged and continued teaching Lu Liufeng to cook.
Among the herdsmen, Lu Liufeng was the easiest to get along with. He was diligent and would proactively help and learn without being told.
Truly a man of virtue!
Mu Ling would ask questions even while making bowls and chopsticks—“Is this okay? How about this?”
He was enthusiastic but lacked independent thinking.
Mu Ling had already figured out how to do everything; he just didn’t like Lu Liufeng always monopolizing the female master, so he occasionally sought attention.
After stir-frying the lamb and offal, just add water and simmer, then season with salt before serving.
The salt was coarse; Jiang Xi hadn’t refined it.
Refined salt was too expensive, and with their poor household, they couldn’t afford it for now. Coarse salt would suffice—it would at least give the dish some saltiness.
Reheat the leftover braised pig head and add a few potatoes.
Make stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with meat.
As for purslane and shepherd’s purse, add them to the lamb soup when the meat is ready, using it like a hotpot.
With a smart and eager-to-learn student like Lu Liufeng, Jiang Xi only needed to guide him lightly.
For a moment, she even felt a little free.
She counted tasks for the day with her fingers.
Grapes were drained to make wine tonight.
The bamboo had been cut—tables and chairs would be made tonight.
The lamb milk and fat could be used for soap, but she wanted to add some plant oil, and if there was floral essential oil, even better.
Thinking this, Jiang Xi looked up at Lu Liufeng.
“Are you going to Hot River Valley tomorrow?”
Lu Liufeng, always attentive to the female master, turned to her and asked softly,
“Do you want me to go?”
He was giving her the choice.
Jiang Xi’s mind was focused on finding plants for oil, so she didn’t catch the underlying message. She just nodded.
“There’s enough food at home for a few days. Tomorrow we’ll go to Hot River Valley, and I’ll also go bathe in the mountains.”
In this cold weather, bathing at home wasn’t practical.
First, there was no large enough tub, and second, the water would cool too quickly. The second batch of water might not even boil by the time the first batch had cooled.
Too much hassle.
It would trouble her and the herdsmen.
Better to go to the hot spring—it’s convenient, and she could use her abilities to treat any toxic patches on her body.
Then Jiang Xi suddenly realized—even if she found plants in Hot River Valley that could be pressed for oil, extracting plant oil would take several days.
But the lamb milk couldn’t wait that long.
Oh well, she’d still go to Hot River Valley. Anything she found would be a bonus, at least it wouldn’t be wasted.
She would make the milk soap tonight. Luckily, they had honey, so she could make honey-lamb-milk soap!
