Dinner

It was almost dark when they reached Yan Xiu's House, Yan Xiu went straight to the kitchen with Lu Hao following. Yan Xiu placed the prawn in the kitchen before he went to take a quick shower and change his clothes, Lu Hao was waiting in the kitchen.

"Little Xiu, are we having BBQ again tonight?" (LH)

"No, I'm going to make soup, fried lung, and chilli prawn." (MC)

Before everything else, Yan Xiu took a big pan and cooked some rice. He asked Lu Hao to look after it while he cooked the dishes.

First he prepared the ingredients, for the soup, meat with bones and vegetables. Lung for fried lungs and prawns for chilli prawn.

The meat with bones, or boney meat, and lung were first boiled to remove the scum and soften it. While the meat and lung boiled, Yan Xiu peeled the shells off the prawns. The prawns were big, it was at least 15cm each. There were twenty of them and there still much left.

The prawn meats then boiled to half-cooked, the shells were thrown away but the heads and abdomens with the legs attached were kept. With a little seasoning and deep fried a little, it'll become a crispy snacks.

Still waiting for the boiling to be done, Yan Xiu grind the herbs used for the flavoring. The soup used garlic, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. The chilli for prawns used shallot, chillies, and tomato. While the lung would be marinated with water mixed with salt, garlic, and asem, a paste made from fermented sour fruit.

Yan Xiu then chopped the vegetable for the soup. The radishes were sliced thickly then sliced again to four part. So did the carrots.

After boiling, the meat and lung shrunk except the prawns. The lung was then cut to strips and marinated. Yan Xiu first cooked the soup, he boiled water with the grind herbs. When the fragrance came out, he put in the vegetables and boney meat. He stirred it and add in more salt or pepper, he then let it boiled with low fire.

The lung was still marinating so Yan Xiu decided to cook the prawn next. At this time, Chen Hanchen came. He was waiting outside the door, he couldn't come in because of the seal.

The first time he came here, Chen Hanchen had vaguely felt the seal. As a hunter, he had much richer experience than the villager as he went out the village and visited big city quite a few times. He knew a few things about seals, but from what he knows, only family or clan with certain wealth and power could afford putting up a seal.

How could a family from a backwater village have a seal protecting their house? And it was even stronger than any seals he had encountered before! This was really baffling. When Yan Xiu opened the door and invited him in, Chen Hanchen felt like a foreign power covered his whole body before leaving as fast.

He wanted to asked Yan Xiu but was distracted by a good smell. It was enticing and whet his appetite, drool filled with mouth. He forgot about his question and followed Yan Xiu.

In the kitchen, Chen Hanchen and Lu Hao sat on the table, waiting impatiently for the dishes to hit the table. The rice already finished cooking, so Lu Hao brought it in and set on the table. The dishes were still cooking so, Yan Xiu deep fried the already seasoned prawns head and abdomen before serving it as the appetiser.

The deep fried red prawns head and abdomen was crispy and salty, Chen Hanchen and Lu Hao enjoyed it a lot. The taste was addicting. Lu Hao sneakily ate it with some rice.

The chilli prawn and fried lung was easy to cook. The grind mix of chilli was stir fried till fragrant then put in the boiled prawn, mix and stir fried both. The fried lung was just like the name the marinated lung was fried with oil along with the garlic.

When the dishes hit the table, Chen Hanchen and Lu Hao couldn't hold themselves back. They ate with great relish. The soup taste gentle and went down the throat easily, the vegetables and meat was soft and melt on the tongue.

The fried lung was creamy and salty, the taste churned out the more they chew. The soft and sweet prawn meat was in harmony with the spicy and tangy chilli. Chen Hanchen and Lu Hao couldn't stop eating, they stuffed their mouth without rest.

After an hour, the dishes and rice were swept clean. The three of them leaned on their sit, completely satisfied. After a small talk, Chen Hanchen and Lu Hao went home because it was already late. Before they went far, Chen Hanchen said something to Yan Xiu.

"Little Xiu, tomorrow we're going to head deeper, so make sure you prepare and conditioned your body!" (CH)

"Okay, got it!" (MC)

Seeing the two gone, Yan Xiu went inside and started cleaning up. Meanwhile, Chen Hanchen was asking Lu Hao for Yan Xiu's info. As a hunter, Chen Hanchen usually honed his skills in the hunter house, he rarely interact with the villagers, side a few exception.

"Lu Hao, did you feel anything when you enter little Xiu's house?" (CH)

"? Oh, are you talking about the seal?" (LH)

"You know about it?" (CH)

Chen Hanchen couldn't conceal his surprise, how could a villager who never leave the village like Lu Hao know about seal? Lu Hao didn't see Chen Hachen surprised look as he answered.

"Yeah. I don't know what a seal is but Yan Xiu's father made it, he said it was a protective charm." (LH)

Yan Xiu's father put it up? Anyone who could put up a seal, moreover such strong seal, was surely a person of high standing and power, but how could such a personage reside in this village? Chen Hanchen became even more curious.

"Where's Yan Xiu's father? I just realised I didn't see him when we were there." (CH)

"This.... His parents gone missing a year ago." (LH)

"... I see." (CH)

The mood went heavy, Chen Hanchen didn't continue asking and Lu Hao stayed silent. The two separate when they entered the village. Chen Hanchen felt pity toward Yan Xiu, he thought Yan Xiu's father as a strong personage since he could put up a strong seal.

If such a person when missing, he was probably got caught in an accident or attacked by someone. Yan Xiu might never be able to see his parents again. Chen Hanchen decided to not asked Yan Xiu about his parents, lest he saddened the boy.

The boy talked about, Yan Xiu, was currently checking and watering the field. He went to the garden when he was done cleaning the dishes and table. He completed the checking of the crops and livestock, then he cultivate in the field.

Yan Xiu only remembered his promise with granny Shen after he's done cultivating. The day has turned to night, he decided to go tomorrow and thought of how to supply granny Shen with green water without having to go to her place twice a day.

Cleansing his dirtied robe, Yan Xiu went to his parents room. The room was simple in design and it included a bathroom in the room. There was a double bed, a table with mirror his mama used, a wardrobe, and a big bookshelf.

Yan Xiu was always reminded of his parents when he entered the room, tears pooling in his eyes. He kept the room the same as they left it. Swiping the tears, he went to the bookshelf.

The books left here was written by his parents, everything he needed to know was written in the book. The cultivation technique, the spells, how to take care crops and livestock, and food recipe, he found all of it here. It was as if his parents purposely recorded everything they knew in case they gone missing.

The bookshelf was sealed by his papa, only a few books were available to read. The books regarding cultivation technique and introduction spell, food recipes, and agriculture. The rest was sealed.

Yan Xiu took out the recipes book, he wanted to make some food that were easy to carry and cook for the big hunt later. He searched the book for such food and he found it, sausage!

Yan Xiu smiled and noted down how to make it. Thankfully, he got all the ingredients. For the equipment, Yan Xiu remembered his papa made it for mama a long time ago. He put back the book and went to the kitchen. He chose and weight the meat and fat for making sausage, he put the meat grinder and sausage stuffer into the big ice box and checked if he had sufficient herbs.

For the wooden hanger, he could make it himself tomorrow. With all required ingredients confirmed, Yan Xiu was satisfied and went to sleep.