Su Wei took two pieces of split, dry birch from the iron rack beside him.
The wood still carried the scent of resin.
He set the wood over the embers.
A few minutes later.
Orange-yellow flames caught on the bark, crackling.
Waves of heat spread through the living room again.
Pale blue text flashed before him once more.
[Life Module LV2 active.] [Host detected within home environment.] [Stamina recovery speed increased by 15%, mental fatigue recovery speed increased by 15%.]
Su Wei let out a long breath.
His tense muscles slowly relaxed.
That was the power of the Life Module: as long as he was inside the cabin, the effect activated automatically.
Unfortunately, its range currently seemed limited to the cabin.
Still, it was more than enough.
And now, he needed to replenish his energy.
He was starving and needed a big meal.
Besides, he had already made over ten thousand dollars today. It was time to treat himself to a good meal.
The kitchen was on the right side of the cabin. Su Wei walked in.
He turned on the faucet, and ice-cold water rushed out.
Thankfully, his parents had spent a great deal of money getting the cabin's water and electricity set up.
Otherwise, out here in the wilderness, that would have been a problem too.
After washing his hands.
He opened the old double-door refrigerator.
A piece of beef brisket lay at the bottom of the freezer.
He had bought it on an earlier trip to town.
All the venison had been sold, so this was a good chance to eat something else.
Su Wei tore open the packaging.
The brisket was good quality, with a fine-looking pattern of red meat and white fat.
He took out the chef's knife he was used to handling.
The honing steel swept quickly across the blade.
Scrape, scrape.
The blade gleamed.
Su Wei held the beef steady and brought the knife down.
The knife made a faint sound as it sliced through the beef.
The brisket was cut into two-centimeter cubes.
He tossed the cubes into cold water to soak out the blood.
Next came the vegetables.
He pulled three potatoes, still covered in dirt, from a wicker basket.
He had bought those on an earlier trip to town too.
The peeler spun swiftly.
Long strips of brown peel fell into the trash can.
Golden-yellow flesh emerged.
Su Wei cut the potatoes into rolling wedges, then chopped half an onion and two carrots.
The ingredients were ready.
He rummaged through the depths of the cupboard and found an old spice tin.
There were patches of rust on its surface, and an illegible trademark was printed on the lid.
He opened the lid.
A pungent, spicy aroma hit him.
There were a few dried bay leaves, a small bottle of crushed rosemary, and half a tin of black peppercorns.
They were all basic seasonings.
But here, they were the best seasonings available.
As a person of Chinese descent, he could adapt to the local food.
But he was still Huaxian to the bone, and he preferred Chinese food.
It was like an underlying logic implanted in his genes.
Su Wei set the black cast-iron stewpot on the stove.
He lit the burner.
Blue flames licked the bottom of the pot.
Drawing on his memory, Su Wei found a brown earthenware jar on the bottom shelf of the wooden cabinet beside him.
He opened it to find white lard inside.
It had been rendered by the original owner's mother.
Unfortunately, neither of them could use it anymore.
He scooped out a spoonful of lard.
The white fat quickly melted in the hot pot, giving off wisps of smoke.
Su Wei poured in the drained brisket.
Sizzle!
The sound of spluttering oil filled the kitchen.
The aromas of meat and fat spread through the air.
Su Wei stir-fried it quickly.
The surface of the beef quickly contracted and changed color, its edges turning golden brown.
That locked in the juices.
He added the chopped onion.
The onion softened in the heat, releasing its sweetness.
Next came two heaping spoonfuls of tomato paste.
The red paste released red oil as it cooked, and its sweet-and-sour aroma cut through the greasiness.
He added hot water.
The water covered the ingredients.
Su Wei tossed in two bay leaves and sprinkled in freshly ground black pepper.
He put the heavy lid on the pot.
He turned the heat down low.
The rest was up to time.
Su Wei leaned against the counter, listening to the bubbling from the pot.
The sound made him feel at ease.
It was a quiet, comfortable feeling.
At some point, Cotton Candy had grown tired of playing.
Carrying the slobber-covered yellow ball in its mouth, it wandered to the kitchen doorway.
Its little nose twitched.
It had clearly been drawn by the aroma.
It sat on the floor, tilted its head, and watched Su Wei.
Su Wei ignored it.