Fortunately, "Little Pig" was raised in the Southwest Mountain Area, where bugs, snakes, and rodents abound; otherwise, Yezi alone would not have been able to find enough food to feed it.
Master Shan Yin created a small kitchen especially so the children staying over had a place to cook.
In the temple’s kitchen, Xiao Xian was leaning over the stove. She wasn’t tall enough, and she had her reasons for complaining about Yezi - she hadn’t grown any taller for a while now. Although a seven-year-old girl isn’t that tall, watching Yezi, who she was with every day, shoot up in height made her feel unbalanced.
She broke a few thin sticks of firewood and stuffed them into the stove, and it took her several tries to spark a flame.
She hadn’t brought lunch with her today and was so hungry that once the fire was lit, she hurriedly washed rice and put it in the pot. She thought a bit and realized that the "sugarcane seedling" in her space hadn’t grown for a while either.
"Could it be that the sugarcane seedling and I are both hitting a bottleneck?" Xiao Xian wondered. It seemed very possible; after swallowing that tin car, she had sent several "iron tools" into the space, but the effects were much less significant. The "sugarcane seedling" seemed as if it had developed an eating disorder.
The washed rice and water were poured into the pot together. At that time, there were neither pressure cookers nor rice cookers, and Xiao Xian cooked rice based on her memories of Sister-in-law Lian’s cooking, unsure if she had added enough water.
"You didn’t add enough water, and you shouldn’t use wet firewood to start a fire; it will smoke and make your eyes water," said Master Shan Yin, who had gone to distribute lunch to the children boarding at the school, leaving Taozhi temporarily unattended, so Yezi was left in charge.
Compared to Xiao Xian’s mediocre cooking skills, Yezi was much more proficient. Miao families were unlike Han families; they didn’t have the same preference for boys over girls, so whenever there was a chance, Yezi’s mother would tie Yezi by the stove to cook.
Xiao Xian’s face turned red upon hearing Yezi and then she took over the control, "Easy for you to say, why don’t you try it."
Yezi chuckled a few times but didn’t refuse. Using matches, he lit dry firewood and stuffed it into the stove chamber, and the flames came up immediately. He then washed his hands and added two bowls of water to the pot, only covering it with a lid after the water exceeded his finger by one section.
"Zhu Xiaoxian, this is how you cook! Girls from the Han Clan are just lazy, can’t even do this bit of work," Yezi, who had lived only twelve years and had encountered two Han Clan women (not counting the Great Wizard, as Yezi didn’t know Red Locust Great Wizard was a Han Clan woman)—Zhu Xiaoxian, fiery as red chili, and "Taozi", so petite yet would wet her pants the moment she got upset. Both were tough characters to deal with, yet Yezi, who ’had the itch’ as he learned from his uncle Yibar, always enjoyed mingling with the two girls.
"Stop nagging, I’m already frustrated," Xiao Xian also knew she was facing a problem, but there was no one around to advise her now. Xiao Xian glared, shaking Little Taozhi in her arms. The little infant girl giggled with fluttering eyes, a stark change from being decades old to now just a baby.
A sudden realization struck Xiao Xian; indeed, speaking of old women, the Great Wizard of Dongnan Miao Village was an ideal source of advice. However, having last ruined her precious Dragon Suppressing Bell and declined her apprenticeship offer, it was uncertain if she harbored any resentment.
The aroma of rice soon wafted from the pot. Impatient, Yezi quickly removed the lid just as the pot was opened, and the steam from the rice billowed out, making his eyes water.
Just moments ago, the rice which Yezi mocked had transformed completely after being cooked.
The water in the pot had dried up completely, and Yezi had controlled the heat exceptionally well; each grain of rice was distinct, plump and glistening, more appealing than pearls, and the sweet aroma of the cooked rice made people’s mouths water. Some children who hadn’t eaten yet gathered around the stove, creating a lively scene. The kids all brought their own meals, which, after a morning, had become cold and hard, nothing compared to fresh rice. Amid the bustling chatter of the children gathered around the stove, the scene was very lively.
"I told you didn’t I? Even though it doesn’t look appealing, it tastes great. Give me a bowl, but save the rest for Master Shan Yin and Taozhi," Xiao Xian wasn’t shy about ordering Yezi around.
Yezi’s family ate their own rice, and although he hadn’t tasted the rice in the pot yet, just the sight of it looked far superior to what was cultivated in the Miao Village’s rice fields. Yezi didn’t believe that Zhu Xiaoxian could produce such rice, nor did he believe that it could come from Ge Village.
After a satisfying meal, Xiao Xian inquired about the recent whereabouts of the Red Locust Great Wizard from Yezi. Listening, he mentioned that after the Great Wizard had recovered and gotten out of bed, she had been frequently going into the woods as Mama said she was retraining her gu.
Hearing that Xiao Xian wanted to visit the Great Wizard, Yezi was somewhat skeptical. Just recently, Xiao Xian had been avoiding the Great Wizard, and now she suddenly wanted to seek her out. However, Yezi wouldn’t voice this; if she wanted to go, then so be it. It was actually a chance for him to accompany Xiao Xian after school, and secretly, he was quite pleased.
After school, Yezi led Xiao Xian to the Great Wizard’s house but found no one there. Confidently patting his chest, Yezi guaranteed that the Great Wizard must be in the old forest of Black Mountain. Thinking that this morning her grandfather had gone down the mountain with the village chief and there was nobody at home, Xiao Xian decided to follow Yezi deep into Black Mountain.
In the mountain, there were many mosquitoes, and getting stung would be troublesome. Before setting off, they first stopped at Yezi’s house. Yezi found a set of thick cloth clothes from his childhood for Xiao Xian, tied the cuffs and ankles tightly, and then sprinkled a mixture of foul-smelling chili water and garlic water for insect protection on them.
"Little Pig" had recently increased its food intake, and Yezi intended to find some food to bring back during his trip up the mountain to find the Great Wizard. He went to the livestock shed and grabbed a few hollowed bamboo tubes, hanging them over his shoulder, saying they were convenient for catching bugs, snakes, mice, and ants to feed "Little Pig." After everything was prepared, Yezi grabbed a sharpened machete and tucked it into his waist, and then took Xiao Xian towards the back of the mountain. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket at QiDian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)