Chapter 12

Xie Juanhan waved a hand to show it was all right. "I'm good at controlling rainwater."

Telingewei nodded and said nothing more.

Xie Juanhan placed the down feathers beside the dry grass he had gathered, and the little ones carried their down over in their mouths as well.

They cleverly dragged over firewood to weigh down the light feathers.

Telingewei glanced at them.

They hadn't been nearly this eager when working in the cave.

Xie Juanhan had already marinated the small fish, but the batter had to be mixed fresh.

Spring was breeding season for birds.

There were plenty of bird eggs in the wild, and Xie Juanhan had gathered quite a few of all sizes and put them in a basket.

He took out a small basketful, washed them clean, and mixed the batter on the spot.

Telingewei watched him mix the batter without blinking, then went over to help stir.

Xie Juanhan said, "Just mix it together."

Telingewei asked, "Should I put the fish in?"

"Not yet. The fish go in another basin. When it's time to fry them, put them on the mold."

Xie Juanhan had made a long-handled wooden mold especially for the task.

To fry the little fish cakes, he used the round mold to scoop up batter, spread the small fish over it, and put the whole thing in the oil.

Telingewei and the fluffballs watched him deftly ladle batter into the mold, then take marinated fish from another basin.

The fish had released a little moisture while marinating and weren't very dry.

Xie Juanhan picked up the fish one by one.

The instant he picked each one up, a thin shell of ice formed on its surface.

With a deft flick of his wrist, he left the fish's surface completely dry.

Placed on the mold this way, the fish didn't dilute the batter at all, much less contaminate it with bloody liquid.

Once the oil was hot, Xie Juanhan lowered the long-handled mold filled with batter and fish into the pot.

The pot was deep enough to resemble a little lake.

After frying in the oil for a while, the batter in the wooden mold slowly turned golden and rose to the surface, floating amid fine little bubbles like nimble fish.

The little ones stood on their hind legs and watched, their furry faces full of wonder.

Telingewei's nose twitched, and a puzzled look appeared on his face.

Xie Juanhan saw what he was thinking at a glance. "I blended the oil. Half is old oil that's been used for frying, and half is fresh oil that hasn't. Food tastes better fried this way."

In their line of work, chefs called oil that had been used for frying dirty oil, and oil that hadn't been used clean oil.

A half-and-half mixture of dirty and clean oil made the tastiest fried food: crisp, fragrant, and golden, without the taste of raw oil.

The little ones didn't understand. They simply cried out in admiration, tilting up their little heads and looking at Xie Juanhan with sparkling eyes.

Telingewei nodded. "I see. I've fried things before, but the oil got very cloudy after one use and couldn't be reused."

"The oil has to be treated. You have to scoop out the fried bits, filter it well, and then store it. Otherwise, it'll go bad."

"I've tried filtering it through a fine sieve, but I could never get it completely clean."

"Ordinary methods won't work. You have to bind the impurities and remove them, using something like beaten egg."

Xie Juanhan turned to look at the basket of eggs and gestured as he explained, "Take two bird eggs, beat them, pour them into the oil, and stir. The egg will bind the impurities together. Take out the fried egg, and the oil will be clear."

Telingewei said, "I understand."

Seeing his expression, Xie Juanhan smiled. "I'll clean the oil later and show you. Are you interested in cooking?"

"Mm." Telingewei nodded. "I like cooking."

"Chirp?!!"

Several of the little ones raised their heads at once, as though their furry foreheads were covered in question marks.

Xie Juanhan was baffled.

From the information the little ones conveyed, he could only get a general sense that Telingewei wasn't much of a cook.

A local dragon who liked cooking but wasn't good at it?

Xie Juanhan took another look at Telingewei, then looked away and continued frying the little fish cakes.

The fish cakes in the oil had turned golden. Xie Juanhan used long chopsticks to lift them out one by one and placed them on a simple rattan rack beside the pot to drain.

The little ones stretched their necks, but Xie Juanhan still hadn't said they could eat, and they called softly in impatience.

Xie Juanhan reassured them. "Wait a little longer. They need to be fried again."

Telingewei asked, "Why?"

He really did seem to love cooking.

It would take some effort to explain, so Xie Juanhan picked up a drained fish cake with his chopsticks and offered it to Telingewei. "Because if they're only fried once, they'll be limp and full of oil."

Telingewei still didn't understand.

"Try it and you'll see," Xie Juanhan said.

To be fair, Xie Juanhan also gave each of the little ones a fish cake that had only been fried once.

The little ones opened their mouths and took them without hesitation, while Telingewei took a gentle bite.

"How is it?" Xie Juanhan asked them.

The freshly fried fish cakes were actually quite tasty, soft and full of the aroma of fish and batter.

Telingewei hesitated.

He didn't think they needed any further preparation.

After finishing their fragrant fried fish cakes, the little ones were still vigorously licking the oil from around their mouths.

They looked as though they were craving more.

Well, asking them had been pointless.

Seeing their reactions, Xie Juanhan said, "Wait a moment. I'll heat the oil and fry them again. Once you've tried both kinds, you'll know the difference."

Telingewei didn't object.

The little ones were so excited they practically wanted to wag their tails. "Chirp, chirp!"

After watching for a while, Telingewei asked, "Do you need me to breathe some fire?"

Xie Juanhan didn't get a chance to object.

The little ones all looked up at once. "Chirp?!"

Several anxious little ones rushed over at once, seized Telingewei's trouser legs in their mouths, and dragged him backward. "Chirp!!!"

Xie Juanhan: "???"

Telingewei looked down at his Companion Beasts and frowned slightly. "I have excellent control over my Dragon Flame. I won't burn it."

The little ones refused to let go and kept dragging Telingewei backward with all their might. "Chirp!"

This guy had probably been a kitchen disaster before.

Xie Juanhan glanced at Telingewei and said tactfully, "Not for now. It'll be hard for you to get the heat just the way I want it."

Telingewei could only give up with regret.

Without giving Telingewei a chance to show what he could do, Xie Juanhan hurriedly raised the oil temperature and put the fish cakes back in for a second fry.

The fish cakes were still a little grayish-white before they went into the pot.

In just a few breaths, they quickly turned a brilliant gold in the pot, giving off a rich aroma.

The little ones' eyes widened as they sniffed and sniffed.

Unable to control their paws, they also stepped back and forth on the spot.

Xie Juanhan said, "Wait a moment. They're hot."

Xie Juanhan gave the first fish cake to Telingewei, who was least bothered by the heat, then handed them out to the little ones one by one.

"Blow on them before you eat," Xie Juanhan said.

No sooner had he spoken than Telingewei and all eight little ones bit down at once.

A crisp crunch sounded.

In spring, the roe-bearing fish were plump and delicious.

Xie Juanhan had fried the fish cakes thoroughly, so even the bones carried the aroma of oil.

When Telingewei and the little ones took a bite, the crisp fragrance of the batter, the toasted aroma of the roe, and the tender fish flesh all burst in their mouths at once.

Not to mention the seasoning Xie Juanhan had sprinkled into the batter, a spice blend similar to pepper salt.

Telingewei's pupils and the little ones' all widened at once.

If it had been just one little one's pupils widening, it wouldn't have been very noticeable.

But with eight little ones and Telingewei, there was no ignoring it.

Xie Juanhan turned his head and smiled faintly around the fish cake in his mouth.

Telingewei was a cool guy with striking features, but Xie Juanhan's smile made his ears heat up instantly.

"It does seem that biting into it doesn't fill your mouth with oil anymore." Telingewei turned his head and waited for his pupils to return to normal before saying, "Speaking of which, what do you plan to do with the down feathers you collected?"

"Make them into a quilt or clothes?" Xie Juanhan went along as though he hadn't noticed Telingewei changing the subject. "It would be too wasteful to stuff them into the roof as padding."

"Is there a tailor you want to find?"

Xie Juanhan looked at him and slowly smiled. "What brilliant suggestion do you have?"

==========Author's note:==========

See you tomorrow!

Thanks to Gulingjingguai Xiaoyatou for the grenade; thanks to Dalang Luobo (*2), Quantang0 Zhiliangcha, Sun Shifu, Nanzhi, Yuexia Qingfeng Lai, Tangyuan Hui Faguang, Celistine, and Xuezhi for the landmines.

Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Telingewei recommended a fairy tailor to Xie Juanhan.

Xie Juanhan said, "A fairy tailor?"

Telingewei nodded. "The fairies are very skilled. Legend says they once gathered sunset clouds and wove them into cloth, and also cut spring river water to make a dress."

That magical?

Xie Juanhan looked at the Companion Beasts.

The little ones were listening intently. When they noticed Xie Juanhan's questioning gaze, they nodded their little heads repeatedly, confirming that it was true.

Xie Juanhan grew interested. "Where do the fairies live? When I have time, I'll ask them to make me a set of bedding."

"Just west of the Magic Forest. They're very timid, so if you want to visit, you have to send word in advance."

As he spoke, Telingewei snapped his fingers, signaling the little ones to come over.

The little ones were busy gnawing on their fried fish cakes.

When they heard Telingewei snap his fingers, they didn't even look up.

Telingewei looked down at them. "One silver coin."

The little ones showed little interest. "Chirp."

Telingewei said, "A gold coin."

The little one closest to him immediately raised its head and signaled for him to pay the gold coin first. "Chirp!"

Telingewei took out a gold coin engraved with a little fish and held it out.

Before he could bring it to the little one's mouth, it sprang up and, with an "aah-um," caught the gold coin between its small white teeth.