After putting everything away and repeatedly reminding Nasen and Sasiken about the hand pump, Li Long prepared to leave.
The old lady would not hear of it. She was already cooking.
Naren.
The meat was the dried meat Harimu had brought this time, and the noodles were the dried noodles Li Long had brought last time.
Though the old lady was getting on in years, she could still make Naren without any trouble. She cut the dried meat into small pieces and used onions.
Broadly speaking, Naren was noodles in broth with meat on top. There were two ways to make it. Some people cooked the meat separately, took it out once it was done, and cooked the noodles in the broth. They lifted the noodles onto a large platter, then laid the sliced cooked meat over them.
The family gathered around the platter to eat. Some were used to eating with their hands, though of course others used bowls and chopsticks.
It was similar to mixed noodles, with raw onions added.
Some people preferred a soupy version. They cut the meat into small pieces and boiled it with onions, then added the noodles once the meat was cooked. When it was time to eat, they served it in bowls, one for each person, or in one large platter.
With this version, though, the noodles and meat were mixed together, making it somewhat mushy.
That was good for the stomach.
Of course, it was high in sugar.
But no one thought about that at present. High blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol were still unfamiliar concepts to ordinary people.
The old lady also knew Li Long was used to bowls and chopsticks, so she served him a bowl of Naren directly.
As soon as Li Long took it,