Capítulo 31: Uma competição de apetites

“Siss!”

As the pork slices—three parts fat to one part lean—hit the iron pot, they released a sudden burst of sizzling oil. The splatter made Erniu, who was tending the fire, shriek in alarm, while Sanya huddled behind Li’s skirts, crying out incessantly.

However, after the initial crackle, the pork slices settled in the large iron pot, beginning to render their internal fat as they curled at the edges from the intense heat rising from below. A rich, savory aroma of pork soon permeated the small kitchen.

“That’s enough, that’s enough! Erniu, take Sanya to the backyard to feed the chickens. You can come back and eat later; stop causing trouble here,” Li said, pulling Sanya out from behind her. She adjusted her clothes and gave Erniu a look of mock exasperation.

“No! Mother, I want to smell the meat!” Erniu, usually very obedient, stood his ground with a stubborn tilt of his chin, inhaling deeply to catch the scent of the cooking meat.

“I want to smell it too! I want to smell it too!” Sanya mimicked Erniu, lifting her nose high and breathing in greedily.

“You two little rascals, get out of the way!”

Li, helpless against the two little ones, let them huddle by the doorway to play. She then scooped more than half of the pot of millet and rice into the remaining ceramic basin and carried it out to the clan elder and the others waiting in the yard.

“Hiss, is this the taste of mushrooms? It really is quite fragrant!” the clan elder’s voice boomed from outside, followed by the sound of appreciative smacking lips.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s so hot! These mushrooms taste just as good as meat!” That was Sibao’s voice; he had clearly burned his tongue on the mushrooms.

It was hardly his fault. Li had barely turned her back after serving the mushroom and pork soup when the dozen or so slices of meat were devoured by the grown men. In such a competitive atmosphere, Sibao had shown great respect for the mushrooms, which he had never tasted before.

“Wow, there’s even millet rice! Brother Dashan, your family is too generous!” Wubao’s voice followed immediately. The mushrooms in the basin must have been finished, prompting him to praise the rice Li had just brought out.

Jiang Dashan and Jiang Dashu remained silent. The former didn’t know what to say, while the latter felt he couldn't waste precious time talking. This was his big brother’s food and meat, after all—he couldn't let the clan elder’s two foolish sons snatch it all. He had to fight for every bite to make up for his brother’s loss!

“Erniu, Sanya, go ahead and eat. You’re drooling into your bowls!” Li whispered to the two children after returning to the kitchen. Then, she walked to the stove and muttered, “The fourth and fifth sons of the clan elder are bottomless pits. It’s a good thing we bought so much meat this time, or your father wouldn’t have even gotten a single bite.”

Though she knew they needed the clan elder’s help, seeing her husband stuck eating only the oily broth over his rice didn't sit well with her.

“Don’t worry, Mother. Our lives will only get better from here on out!” Jiang Daniu comforted her in a low voice, then tipped the celery into the pot. After a quick stir and a dash of salt, he shoveled it out.

Truth be told, Jiang Daniu would have preferred to make double-cooked pork with this fatty meat. But there were no chili peppers here, nor any fermented black beans! Even so, the fresh celery sautéed with garlic and pork smelled so good it made his own mouth water. As he scooped it up, he slipped a glistening, curled piece of meat to Li.

“Mother, try this.”

“Mm, delicious!” Li smiled, eating the piece in one bite and narrowing her eyes with satisfaction before carrying the two plates of celery and pork outside. The only reason there were two plates was thanks to the celery; Daniu had kept a small portion of meat aside for themselves.

“Brother, Brother, I want some too!” Erniu and Sanya approached with their bowls. There were still a few meat slices left in the soup, but the two little ones knew they had to save some for their mother and eldest brother. They stared longingly at the celery and pork Daniu had just cooked, their mouths watering enough to drown a bowl of rice.

“Here, be careful not to burn yourselves. Eat quietly.” Daniu handed them the plate and, seeing Li return, went back to stoke the fire.

Only the final main dish remained: carp stewed with Chinese cabbage.

The cabbage, a primitive ancestor of modern varieties, had a thick, meaty stem that made it perfect for soups. Daniu wasn't much of a cook when it came to fish—in his past life, he had learned to prepare it, but the results were so poor he usually ended up ordering a hotpot the next day to compensate. So, the fish was left to Mother Li.

Li wasn't an expert either. Fish wasn't expensive, but it was bony and lean, so country folk didn't favor it much, and she rarely cooked it. Still, as a mother of several children, she didn't show her lack of confidence. She ladled a bit of lard into the pot, seared both sides of the carp, added water, and tossed in the washed cabbage.

“Gurgle, gurgle~”

Daniu quickly stoked the fire higher. Soon, a fishy, savory scent began to drift from the pot. Smelling it, Daniu vaguely remembered that carp were supposed to have their mud veins removed… Oh well, let it be! He would buy a cookbook later and study it slowly. In any case, they weren't likely to get much of the fish itself; it was a whole-fish dish, and they couldn't exactly divide it up. The cabbage would be their only share.

“Erniu, Sanya, come here.”

Before taking the pot off the fire, Li scooped a piece of fish into the children’s bowls and one into Daniu’s. She then flipped the damaged side of the fish to the bottom before carrying the rest out in the ceramic basin.

“Mmm, Brother, this fish is so good!”

“That’s right! It’s the first time Sanya has ever eaten fish!”

The two little ones whispered their excitement while eating. Daniu quickly pinned their chopsticks down to help them pick out the bones.

“Daniu, come eat. Let them chat for a while!” Li returned to the kitchen. With no stools left, she gestured for the children to eat standing by the stove.

Daniu was truly famished. Even without the fish and with only a few scraps of meat, he managed to eat three full bowls of millet rice, pairing it with the cabbage stewed in the fish broth, before finally rubbing his belly and setting his chopsticks down.

“Dashan, it’s settled then. Shall we head up the mountain tonight, or…?” Outside, the group had finished the fish, and the clan elder’s voice, now full and languid, drifted in.

“Tomorrow morning. If we pick them tonight, we can’t sell them anyway, and it’s… just anxious waiting,” Dashan replied. He had wanted to say it was to avoid being discovered by villagers, but fortunately, he caught himself in time.

“Right, tomorrow at the hour of the rabbit (5:00-7:00 AM), then? I’ll have Sibao and Wubao come over early to join you on the mountain, and then we’ll use my ox cart to head to the county seat,” the elder said with a tone of authority. “It’s perfect timing; the new county magistrate is quite strict, so I need to go early and ask him about the taxes after the autumn harvest.”

“Alright, it’s a deal. Tomorrow morning at the hour of the rabbit, come to our place and we’ll head up together.” Dashan finalized the verbal agreement.

After a few more pleasantries, the elder left with his two sons, who were so full they could barely bend over, walking back home with their hands behind their backs.

“Those two gluttons, they eat way too much!” Jiang Dahai couldn't help but grumble once they were out of earshot, rubbing his own distended belly.

“As if you didn't eat plenty yourself!” Dashan rolled his eyes at his brother. Seeing how fast he had been grabbing food, he’d almost wanted to flip the table if they hadn't been kin.

“Hehe, it was good.” Jiang Dashu said with a simple grin. Though he was a bit slow, it was mostly limited to his speech; he was normal in every other way, and his eating speed was certainly no slower than anyone else's.

“Good, is it? Since it was so good, take your second brother and go home. Bring your baskets back to find me tomorrow morning!” Dashan, though still a bit annoyed, couldn't help but laugh at his younger brother’s simple-mindedness and shooed them both away.