Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Stop scolding all the time, it ruins the mood
Ningning did not rush.
She kept stirring the mash while answering calmly, explaining which herbs removed the fishy smell, which leaves protected the fish from burning, how scraping the dark membrane inside the belly made the taste lighter.
She spoke slowly, step by step, like someone teaching children their ABC’s.
Xiaoli and Nala added a few words here and there too, proudly repeating what they had just learned, afraid they might forget.
The more they spoke, the brighter their faces became.
It was clear they were enjoying this.
For once, they were not just following orders.
They understood what they were doing.
The circle around them grew tighter.
Even a few younger girls squeezed in between shoulders, standing on their toes to peek into the pots.
The atmosphere gradually turned lively.
"So noisy over nothing."
Dana’s voice carried clearly from the other side.
She stood with her arms crossed, lips pressed into a thin line, eyes dark with displeasure.
Her pots were still boiling loudly, the water cloudy, fish rolling and breaking apart inside.
The smell drifting from her side was the same as always.
A strong fishy odor, that Ningning felt was too nauseating.
But now, compared to Ningning’s side, the difference felt almost embarrassing.
Several women instinctively stepped away from her fire without even realizing it.
Dana noticed.
Of course she noticed.
Her face stiffened slightly from irritation.
"What are you all crowding over there for?" she said louder, irritation seeping into every word. "It’s just fish. Do you think it will turn into meat because she touched it?"
The murmurs quieted slightly.
But no one moved back.
Dana laughed coldly.
"Using so many herbs, wasting so much time, acting all clever... when the males are hungry, do you think they’ll wait for you to play tricks? Food is food. As long as it fills the stomach, that’s enough."
She shot Ningning a look.
"And some people just like showing off. Pretending they know better than everyone else."
The jab was obvious.
A few women shifted awkwardly.
Xiaoli frowned.
But Ningning didn’t react.
She simply lifted the lid of the pot and let the steam escape.
A fresh wave of fragrance spread instantly.
The steam rolled outward in soft white curls and drifted through the cooking ground before anyone could stop it, carrying with it the warm sweetness of yam and potatoes and the clean savoury scent of fish steeped with herbs.
It was not overpowering, yet it clung stubbornly to the air, slipping into noses and settling in the chest like something comforting and familiar.
The women who had been pretending not to look finally gave up the act altogether and shuffled closer, their feet moving of their own accord, eyes fixed on the pot as though something precious laid inside.
Dana’s expression darkened further when she saw that not a single person stepped back to her side.
"What are you all staring at?" she snapped. "Do you have no work left to do?"
Before anyone else could speak, Xiaoli straightened and wiped her damp hands on her skirt. The timidness she usually carried when facing Dana had lessened without her even noticing.
Perhaps it was because she had just learned something new, or perhaps it was because the smell from the pot had given her more confidence than she expected.
"Dana, just mind your own pot." she said, not loudly, but firmly. "If yours is good, people will eat it. If hers is good, they’ll eat hers. Why are you worrying about us?"
Nala nodded quickly beside her. "That’s right. We only came to learn. No one touched your share."
A few of the older women murmured their agreement. One even added, "Stop scolding all the time. It ruins the mood."
Dana had clearly not expected them to talk back. For a moment she simply stood there, stunned, her mouth opening and closing before any words came out.
In the past, when she spoke sharply, everyone would lower their heads. Now they were answering her one after another.
All because of one human female.
Her nails dug into her palms.
Ningning noticed the exchange but did not interfere. She simply continued working as though none of it concerned her, adjusting the firewood and checking the progress of the fish with the tip of her chopstick substitute.
Arguing would only waste time. Food spoke louder than mouths ever could.
As the pots continued to steam, the smell traveled farther than the cooking ground.
It slipped past the stone paths, through the gaps between huts, and eventually reached the open clearing where the males were resting after training.
At first it was only one or two who lifted their heads.
Then three.
Then more.
"Do you smell that?" someone asked, sniffing the air suspiciously.
"That’s not Dana’s or any female cooking," another replied immediately. "Hers always smells like boiled river water."
A ripple of laughter spread.
Word traveled quickly from mouth to mouth, faster than any runner.
"I heard the human female is also cooking today. They seem to be having a competition."
"I also heard she’s teaching the others something new."
They nodded in agreement. They could tell the difference.
Curiosity rose like sparks in dry grass.
Soon the clearing grew restless.
Even those who usually paid no attention to cooking began glancing toward the women’s side of the settlement.
After all, food meant strength, and strength meant survival.
No male would ignore something that might fill his stomach better.
Naturally, their feet carried them closer.
Among the gathering crowd stood Weijie.
He had originally come only to check on the preparations and leave, but somehow he ended up surrounded by several males from both his own tribe and the visiting bear tribe.
Ayres stood nearby as well, arms folded across his broad chest, his tall figure impossible to miss even in a crowd.
"So the plumpy female is Weijie’s mate? I thought he was going to choose Una. Different tastes I see.." A brown skinned male name Ivar, with a scar across his back.
He stared at the fire, they had soon gathered around.
"Maybe he likes them on the plump side. She is beautiful." a lighter skin man, Lang, with slender features second, agreeing to what Ivar had said.