Flames danced in the wood-fired stove, licking the bottom of the pot, while wisps of cooking smoke rose through the tranquil mountain woods.
Chen Shi'an handled the cooking, moving methodically between the three stoves.
The girl sat curled up on a little stool before the stove, warming her small outstretched hands and staring unblinkingly at the two sweet potatoes roasting among the glowing coals.
Fat Cat had jumped onto the stovetop and was pacing back and forth impatiently.
The large iron pot on the stove was the liveliest of all. Taro Chicken bubbled in plenty of broth, the taro soaking up the juices until it was soft enough to yield the sweetness of mountain spring water with a press of the tongue. The chicken had the firm texture of birds raised roaming the mountains, every fiber steeped in the rich flavor of broad bean chili paste. A local had given them that paste, sun-cured the previous summer. Broad beans and chilies had fermented together in an earthenware crock through the hottest days of summer until their flavors were inseparable.
Rice and Salted Pork Belly steamed in another pot. The pork belly had been sliced paper-thin and laid over preserved mustard shoots and salted greens, its fat slowly seeping down into them. Chen Shi'an lifted the lid, releasing thick white steam laden with fragrance, then deftly inverted the large bowl onto a plate. At the sight of that glossy, reddish, irresistibly fragrant pork belly, Lin Meng Qiu's stomach began to growl.
A holiday meal naturally had to include fish. Pickled Vegetable Fish was simmering in another pot, flavored with aged sour radish from the crock, pickled vegetables, and pickled ginger. The grass carp Chen Shi'an had deboned and sliced rolled in the sour, spicy broth. Finally, he scattered in a handful