Chapter 213: Continued

Xie Juanhan usually boils the fish soy sauce once before using it.

Xie Juanhan stood in front of the flat-topped stove, his apron cinching his waist, making his figure appear tall and slender.

The furry creatures stared at his back, then quickly shifted their gaze to the small Mithril pot in his hand.

The pot was placed on the stove, the fire was lit, Xie Juanhan's hands moved smoothly and effortlessly.

He put the finest fish soy sauce into the pot, added Demon Bird oil to enhance the aroma and richness, added spices to extract a complex flavor, added Orange Sweet Shoot to bring out the sweetness of the plant, and then added mushrooms to infuse it with a unique mushroom aroma.

When the fish soy sauce is cooked in this way, a single drop placed on a clean white porcelain plate will reveal an enticing golden-red base.

Xie Juanhan glanced at it with satisfaction, then poured it over the steamed Demonic Sea Urchin custard while it was still hot.

The steamed egg custard was instantly covered with a pool of rich and savory sauce, the aroma of which made the stomachs of everyone present rumble.

"Alright," Xie Juanhan said, "We can prepare dinner now."

The furry creatures ran silently to fetch their golden food bowls, waiting to be fed.

Soon, the two dragons and the furry creatures were eating using their own utensils.

Xie Juanhan scooped a spoonful of tender bird egg custard and piled it on top of the distinct, oily rice.

He ate the steamed egg custard first, then the rice. After swallowing the food, he couldn't help but exclaim, "So fresh and sweet!"

Telingewei pushed the steamed egg custard on the table toward him.

Xie Juanhan used the back of his hand to push the steamed egg custard away. "No need, I can't eat that much. I just think these bird eggs are quite delicious, and they're quite high in fat."

Xie Juanhan thought for a moment, "I'll make some mayonnaise later."

"Mayonnaise?"

Xie Juanhan: "A sauce similar to Lilith's cream sauce, which can be used to spread on bread or as a dip for fried potatoes and fried bird nuggets."

As Xie Juanhan and the others chatted in the kitchen, the furry creatures outside, who were intently eating, suddenly perked up their ears.

It seemed they hadn't finished the food on their plates; their hearts were already set on the mayonnaise Xie Juanhan had mentioned.

Xie Juanhan: "It's very simple. We can make some after we finish eating."

Before Telingewei could even respond, the furry creatures outside interrupted, "Awooo!"

Xie Juanhan turned to the outside. "Then you guys come over and help later."

After dinner, the furry creatures brought a rag and helped wipe the table.

They look incredibly well-behaved.

Xie Juanhan laid out the ingredients needed to make mayonnaise: lemon, salt, powdered sugar, raw egg yolks, and refined pumpkin seed oil.

The ingredients, each in its own container, looked beautiful on the table covered with a linen tablecloth.

The furry creatures stared intently at Xie Juanhan and Telingewei.

Telingewei whisked the egg yolks until raw, Xie Juanhan dripped pumpkin seed oil into them, one drop at a time.

Telingewei lived up to his strong arm muscles, whipping the egg yolk quickly, lightly, and steadily until it was emulsified.

"Perfect." Xie Juanhan poured the last bit of pumpkin seed oil into the sauce. "Shall I do it?"

Telingewei: "No need."

Xie Juanhan: "Then I'll bake some more bread."

Bread is one of their staple foods, and they usually make a lot of bread and store it in cupboards.

The cabinet surface is inlaid with protective magic, preventing insects and moisture, which is very convenient.

Xie Juanhan cut the bread and put it in the oven to bake.

By the time their mayonnaise was ready, the bread in the oven had also baked to a crisp and fragrant perfection.

Despite having a hearty dinner not long ago, the aroma of the food has made everyone's mouths water again.

Xie Juanhan took out small pieces of toast, spread them with a thick layer of mayonnaise, and distributed them to the little ones. He also stuffed a piece into the mouths of Telingewei and himself.

Soon, everyone was crunching away on mayonnaise-spilled toast, their expressions one of blissful contentment and tranquility.

Xie Juanhan hadn't had these special snacks in a long time. Holding the toast in his fingers, he asked, "How is it? Delicious, right?"

The furry creatures cheered loudly, "Awooo!"

Xie Juanhan turned to Telingewei: "It's been so long since we've had white birds. Shall we catch one tomorrow and make fried bird pieces?"

Xie Juanhan has been working with noodles and pasta for many years, and the batter he makes is thin, crispy, and crunchy.

Large chunks of marinated bird meat are coated in batter and deep-fried until crispy and fragrant on the outside, and tender and juicy on the inside. It's delicious even on its own.

If you dip it in Spicy Clam powder and other sauces, the taste is...

The furry creatures are about to start drooling again.

Telingewei nodded in agreement.

Xie Juanhan said to Harper and the others, "Don't go out to patrol the forest tomorrow morning. How about we go look for the white bird together after breakfast?"

The furry creatures naturally had no objections. "Aww!"

Xie Juanhan kept his word, and the next evening, his family enjoyed a delicious meal of fried white bird.

There are two flavors: one is cheese mayonnaise, and the other is golden garlic Spicy Clam powder.

The furry creatures ate until their mouths were sticky, and they even crunched away at the bones.

Xie Juanhan, while eating bird wings, still craved more. "Actually, there's a kind of fried bird chunks coated in cheese and Spicy Clam powder with golden sand; that should be delicious too."

"Chirp?"

"It's not real sand; it's salted egg yolk that's been crushed, stir-fried to release its sandy texture, and then coated onto the fried bird pieces."

"Meow?"

"Those salty eggs from the Star Market won't work. They just have a lot of salt in them, and the yolks don't run oily, so they can't be made into golden custard."

"Chirp, chirp chirp?"

"How do you do it? Salted egg yolks can't be made well in a short time; they need to be pickled for more than a month."

Xie Juanhan vividly described the various salted egg yolk delicacies he had eaten.

From Jinsha spare ribs to Jinsha fried chicken and then to Jinsha tofu soup, the allure was so strong that even Telingewei's eyes revealed longing.

Seeing Telingewei's expression, Xie Juanhan paused and said, "It seems like we could really pickle some salted bird eggs. We've collected so many bird eggs this time; we can't possibly eat them all in a short time."

The furry creatures urged, "Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan: "Not today, it'll have to be tomorrow. The best way to pickle salted bird eggs is to dig out some fine yellow mud from the outside and coat them with it; that'll make the salted eggs the most fragrant."

Before Xie Juanhan accidentally entered the magical world, he had already come into contact with many quick and easy ways to pickle salted eggs, such as the cooked pickling method, the brine method, and the coarse salt pickling method for egg yolks. As a dragon who prefers traditional methods, he still likes the salt mud method the most.

Xie Juanhan meticulously described the steps for pickling salted eggs to the children. "... Use good quality yellow mud, mix coarse salt and stir-fried spices into it, then coat the eggs with a thick layer of salt mud and place them in a cool, ventilated place to pickle. After pickling for more than a month, take them out and steam them. The yolks inside the salted eggs will be oily. Once cut and placed on a plate, the oil will drip all over the plate."

The furry creatures looked on with longing.

"When you're ready to eat it, remove the egg whites, keeping only the salted egg yolks. Crush them into a fine powder with a spoon, then stir-fry them in a pan—"

"The salted egg yolks transformed from powdery to a flowing, sandy consistency, bubbling up in the pot with dense, tiny bubbles, releasing an aroma so enticing it could knock you over."

"These salted egg yolks can not only be stir-fried into a sandy texture for cooking, but they're also delicious in desserts. Haxi, what's with that expression? It's true, the salty and savory egg yolks combined with powdered sugar don't taste strange at all; instead, they make the dessert sweeter, more fragrant, and more layered..."

Habei's mouth was already glistening with drool, and upon hearing this, he suddenly cried out loudly, "Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan paused, then reached out and poked Habei's soft belly. "Really?"

Habei shouted loudly, "Chirp!"

The other Companion Beast chimed in, saying that Habei was the best at finding food, "Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan patted Habei's belly. "I remember now, you were the one who took me to find spice leaves, weren't you?"

Habei: "Chirp!"

For the first time, Habei offered to lead the way, Xie Juanhan, along with Telingewei and his family, followed Habei early the next morning, intending to dig for yellow mud.

The soil in the Magic Forest is mostly dark and fertile humus, with occasional grayish-brown silt at the bottom of rivers or streams. Xie Juanhan had never actually seen yellow mud before.

He even doubted whether there was actually any yellow clay in the area.

Habei, a small animal, ran ahead, darting through the thorn bushes, and led the whole family directly from the ground to the underground.

Xie Juanhan bent down and squeezed through the narrow cave. "Is there yellow mud at the bottom?"

Habei, full of confidence, shouted, "Chirp!"

Telingewei reached out and took Xie Juanhan's hand, applying slight pressure to indicate that he could trust Habei.

Xie Juanhan wasn't disbelieving; he was just purely curious.

Habei actually managed to find such a strange place.

Habei loudly proclaimed that it had previously searched for delicious underground mushrooms in this area. "Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan nodded understandingly. "That makes sense then."

Habei isn't usually considered particularly clever, but now that it's looking for ingredients, it navigates the complex underground cave system without getting lost at all.

After wandering around for who knows how long, Habei gestured that they were almost there. "Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan followed them around and found themselves on a cliff near the foothills where the Pixie lived.

They were standing in the tunnel at the bottom of the cliff, watching a sliver of light coming from the cave entrance.

A small pile of yellow mud had collapsed on the opposite side of the cave entrance.

The yellow mud was covered with weeds and shrubs, and only through the gaps in the vegetation could one see a hint of yellow.

Xie Juanhan took a deep breath, looked at the sky, then at the opposite cliff. "Why don't we go down the ground? If we go down the ground, we'll be there in no time."

Why go through all that trouble underground, circling until the sun is already setting?

Habei happily declared, "It doesn't know the way on the ground!" "Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan rubbed his head, realizing he shouldn't have trusted his little fool too much.