Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Radish Fritters

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Chang Xia was the first to pick up a piece of crispy pork crackling with her chopsticks, blowing on it to cool it down.

Then, right in front of everyone, she took a big bite.

Crispy, tender, and chewy—these fried pork cracklings were irresistible. With every bite, you could taste the rich aroma of pork crackling, quail eggs, and fruit flour all mingling together.

The intense fragrance slid over the tongue, down the throat, and finally settled warmly in the stomach.

*Gurgle!*

Nan Feng, who was closest, couldn’t just swallow her saliva—her stomach betrayed her with a loud rumble.

“They’re done frying,” Chang Xia announced.

As soon as she spoke, Mu Qin and Nan Feng didn’t wait for her to say more. They quickly used wooden chopsticks to pick up some crackling from the stone pot. Remembering Su Ye was beside them, they placed the pieces into a wooden bowl and handed it to her first.

Su Ye didn’t stand on ceremony. She took the bowl, picked up a piece with her chopsticks, and popped it into her mouth.

The hot, freshly fried pork crackling was absolutely delicious.

Aside from being a bit oily, it had no other faults.

After all, it had just come out of the pot and hadn’t been drained.

“Delicious!” Su Ye didn’t bother with fancy words—she just nodded in approval.

Beside her, Kong Shan quickly caught on, following Mu Qin and Nan Feng’s lead to help themselves.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the sounds of people blowing on hot food and chewing.

Even though it was scalding, no one could bear to stop eating. It was just like eating Sichuan hotpot—so hot and spicy, but you just couldn’t stop.

*Hiss! Hiss!*

The others hopped from foot to foot, blowing on their food to cool it.

“Kong Shan, don’t just eat—take these down to the cellar,” Chang Xia said, handing him a big bowl of crackling to bring to Chen Rong and the others. Fried food might be a bit much, but Chang Xia wanted Chen Rong to try it.

After all, she’d promised to take care of Chen Rong.

“Okay!” Kong Shan replied, happily carrying the bowl to the cellar as he ate.

He’d overheard Nan Feng say that lunch would be “pig-killing stew.”

Gen had already chopped up the pig’s head, and Chang Xia started by stewing it. Later, she’d add pork belly and intestines.

It sounded like a hodgepodge, but with Chang Xia cooking, Kong Shan knew it would be something to look forward to.

Everyone in the tribe agreed—Chang Xia’s food was never bad.

While the others ate, Chang Xia added water to the stone pot, then put in the chopped pig’s head and some slices of ginger. The pork belly and intestines would go in after the pig’s head had boiled a few times. Since the head had bones, it would take longer to become tender.

For this dish, the pork belly was cut into big chunks, with plenty of fat.

The small intestines were cut into half-finger lengths, and the large intestines could be added too. But Chang Xia wanted to stir-fry the large intestines with pickled radish instead. She’d pickled the radish back when she was still in the beast den, and by now, it should be just right.

The tribe called radishes “white roots,” and there were plenty growing wild near the settlement.

Like cabbage, they grew everywhere without being planted.

By this season, fresh radishes and cabbages were gone, so the ones Chang Xia pickled were from last year’s harvest.

They were a bit wilted, but still crisp and sweet.

One radish could weigh over ten catties—a true king among radishes.

“Nan Feng, go to the storeroom and bring me five radishes,” Chang Xia said.

There were still two heads of cabbage in the kitchen. She had Mu Qin help wash and drain them, planning to add them to the stew later. As for the radishes, she wanted to make radish fritters. Since she’d just rendered lard, she wanted to make the most of it. Besides, the radishes and cabbages wouldn’t last much longer—if they didn’t eat them soon, they’d spoil.

In contrast, the yams had been stored well and could last a while longer.

“Are you going to stew the radish with bones?” Nan Feng asked excitedly.

She’d had radish stewed with pork ribs and marrow bones before, and although she wasn’t a huge fan of radish, she liked it in those dishes.

Chang Xia glanced at the radishes Nan Feng brought over—they looked even more wilted than a few days ago.

“No, not soup. I’m making radish fritters. Wash the radishes and shred them,” Chang Xia replied, while skimming the blood foam from the simmering pig’s head in the pot. After skimming, she added some cold water and a few pieces of sour fruit.

“Radish fritters? Like fish balls?”

“I want fish balls now…”

The kitchen erupted in chatter.

“Sort of,” Chang Xia said. “If you want fish balls, Nan Feng will have to catch fish from the pond by White Lake. We don’t have enough at home—I need to save some to cook for Chen Rong.”

“Forget it, let’s just have the pig-killing stew for lunch. Fish balls can wait,” Su Ye said, shaking her head.

There was already plenty to eat—no need to be wasteful.

At that, everyone dropped the idea.

Nan Feng quickly washed the radishes and handed them to Mu Qin to shred.

When it came to knife skills, Nan Feng couldn’t compare to Mu Qin.

Mu Qin took the radishes and, with a few swift strokes, shredded all five.

“Chang Xia, the radish is shredded—what’s next?” Nan Feng asked, holding the basin.

Chang Xia glanced at the shredded radish and replied, “Add salt and mix it well. Let it marinate for a while. Mu Qin, chop some scallions. Once the radish is marinated, squeeze out the water, add scallions, quail eggs, a bit of fruit flour, shrimp powder, and salt. Mix it all together, shape into balls, and fry until golden.”

“It’s really not easy to eat well,” Su Ye sighed.

Mu Qin agreed, “It sounds complicated.”

Nan Feng stayed quiet, carefully memorizing Chang Xia’s instructions. When it came to memory, she wasn’t afraid of anyone—but when it came to actually doing things, she struggled a bit.

And so, after some discussion—

Muqin decided to help Changxia skim off the blood foam, leaving the task of making radish balls to her instead.

Gen had already gone down to the cellar and seemed to be enjoying himself, tireless as ever.

From time to time, the sound of boiling water in the stone pot echoed from the kitchen. Changxia finished marinating the shredded radish and rolled it into little balls. Nan Feng helped heat the oil; once it was hot enough, they could fry the radish balls.

Meanwhile, Changxia asked Muqin to put the pork belly into the stone pot to stew. The pork intestines and cabbage were saved for last—the intestines shouldn’t be cooked too long, or they’d get tough. In the traditional “pig slaughter dish,” the best part of the pork intestines is their tenderness; the more tender, the crisper and more refreshing they taste.

Gurgle, gurgle—

Once the pork belly changed color in the pot, the pork intestines were added.

At the same time, the radish balls were ready and golden.

Since they were having the pig slaughter dish for lunch, they didn’t make barbecue. Su Ye helped fry a whole sieve of fruit flour pancakes.

By now, a rich aroma filled the entire kitchen.

The few people working in the cellar couldn’t resist wanting to come up, but were held back by Chen Rong, who wouldn’t let them leave. They could only stare longingly at the door to the storage room above, looking utterly pitiful.