Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Boiled Chili Water

“Boiled chili water!!!”

Chang Xia gave Milu a thumbs-up—only a true badass would dare face life so head-on. The Lion Tribe was seriously hardcore!

She had heard of boiling ginger in water to ward off the cold.

But drinking water boiled with chili peppers?

That was a first. She’d heard of chewing dried chili peppers to keep warm, but boiling them in water was something new.

“Eating them raw is too dry and too spicy. Boiling them in water works even better. During the cold season, it’s rare for anyone in the Lion Tribe to freeze to death,” Milu said proudly.

The cold season in the Twilight Forest was truly terrifying.

Every year, some beastfolk would freeze to death, especially the weaker ones. If the harvest was poor, a single cold season could wipe out half the tribe, or they might die from wild beast attacks.

“Milu, next time you can remind your tribe to boil ginger in water to keep warm,” Changxia suggested after thinking for a moment. “Or use chili peppers to make hotpot, and add some Sichuan peppercorns.”

The climate in the Heavenly Lion Tribe’s territory was unpredictable, while the Earth Tribe’s land was humid and hot all year round. Both tribes ate a lot of chili peppers, which helped expel dampness from the body.

The Bear Tribe traded for chili peppers with the Lion Tribe, probably because they also understood the benefits of eating spicy food.

“Ginger—” Milu hesitated, looking confused.

“Yellow root,” Maple Leaf explained.

“Yellow root, I call it ginger, or just ‘jiang’.” Changxia took out a piece of old ginger and handed it to Milu to see.

At the same time, she showed her other spices: Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, star anise, and so on.

She displayed each one for Milu to recognize.

The two chiefs from the riverside, Xifeng and his companion, were both generous and straightforward.

Changxia didn’t mind teaching Milu a bit more. Later, she would have Chenrong pass this knowledge on to Jie from the Bear Tribe.

“These peppercorns... The Heavenly Lion Tribe has quite a lot of them. I remember the Earth Tribe has even more, and theirs are more fragrant and a different color than ours. We usually use them to make sachets to repel insects and snakes,” Milu explained as she picked up a few peppercorns.

At the same time, she carefully memorized the spices Changxia mentioned.

Beastfolk would always gather and store some strong-smelling spices. Besides sending them to the wizard hall on Mount Kana, they’d use them to stew meat or make sachets to ward off poisonous creatures.

Never underestimate the ingenuity of intelligent life.

The beastfolk had survived in the Twilight Forest for thousands of years, naturally developing their own unique survival strategies.

Changxia tilted her head, thinking.

Maybe what the Earth Tribe had wasn’t Sichuan peppercorns, but black pepper?

The thought made her suddenly excited.

But, first things first.

She had to prepare lunch. Besides cold rabbit, Changxia wanted to try making stuffed pancakes. Unlike the usual fruit flour pancakes, the dough for stuffed pancakes needed to be firmer and fermented. While Chenrong and the others were still out fishing and hunting chickens, she asked Maple Leaf and Nan Feng to help knead the dough. With their strength, the dough would be more elastic.

Seeing this, Milu asked to learn as well.

She kept asking why the fruit flour dough needed to be so firm.

Every beastfolk in the Twilight Forest had eaten fruit flour dough. In fact, fruit flour dough was a staple from birth to death.

That’s why—

When Changxia found new ways to use white fruit, Suye and the others were so excited.

After all, white fruit was incredibly precious to the beastfolk—nothing else could compare.

“Changxia, you’re amazing!” Milu exclaimed in shock.

When she learned that fruit flour could be made into pancakes, noodles, and thin sheets, each delicious in its own way, Milu looked at Changxia with newfound respect.

She couldn’t help but marvel that Changxia was truly worthy of the shaman’s favor.

Such talent was rare.

Changxia replied modestly, “Don’t praise me. I was weak and sickly as a child, so I spent most of my time resting in the beast den. With nothing else to do, I just tinkered around by myself. Really, it’s only because the shaman and the tribe were so tolerant and let me do as I pleased.”

Without their protection, Changxia wouldn’t be where she was today.

As they chatted and kneaded the dough, they quickly filled several bowls.

Changxia carefully covered the dough with fruit flour sacks to let it ferment.

Just then, footsteps sounded in the courtyard outside the cave dwelling.

Changxia peeked out and saw Chenrong returning from White Lake with Lili, Jie, and the others.

Their baskets were filled with cleaned fish and chickens, and even the wild rabbits had been skinned and prepped. Changxia smiled at Chenrong—he was always so reliable.

“For the fish, I’m planning to make spicy boiled fish and pickled fish stew. Both are spicy, but the pickled fish will be stewed with pickled greens, and the other will have chili peppers,” Changxia said, glancing at the fish laid on leaves in the basket. She had everything planned out.

She’d skip fish balls this time.

The main theme for lunch was chili peppers—every dish would have them.

Fish balls tasted best in a clear broth.

“Don’t forget my spicy chicken,” Nuanchun called out.

Spicy chicken was so delicious that Nuanchun had been craving it ever since she first tasted it.

Changxia smiled, “Don’t worry, I’ll make it for you.” Maple Leaf and Nan Feng had already chopped the chili peppers. The other spices—ginger, garlic, and so on—were also ready and washed, just waiting for Chenrong and the others to come back so they could start cooking.

“Stir-fried chili pork, cold rabbit...”

Nan Feng swallowed hard, eyes glued to the chicken, fish, and rabbit in Chenrong’s basket, just waiting for Changxia to start cooking.

Meanwhile, Gen was showing Xifeng and the riverside chief around the cave dwelling.

The three of them craned their necks to look toward the kitchen, eyes full of anticipation.

“Chenrong, can you bring up a jar of pickled greens from the cellar? I think the pickling jar is on the left side against the wall, weighed down with a rock...”

Changxia had started pickling those greens back when she was still living in the beast den.

At that time, the tribe had brought her lots of wild vegetables.

Not wanting to waste them, Changxia had pickled some on a whim.

Actually, the best time to pickle greens was during the cold season.

But a year ago, Changxia’s health hadn’t fully recovered, and Muqin and the others wouldn’t let her tire herself out. Only when she started to get better did they stop keeping such a close eye on her.

Furthermore, now that Changxia is married, the tribe can no longer treat her like a beast cub. They have to learn to let go and allow Changxia to grow on her own. At most, the tribe members can watch from behind and offer help when necessary.

Li Li, Jie, and the others helped carry the vine baskets into the kitchen. Changxia started heating up the wok, getting ready to stir-fry the dishes. Maple Leaf, South Wind, and the others assisted with prep work, while Honeydew sat by the stove, tending the fire.

Muqin came over and happened to see this scene. Rolling up her sleeves, she asked if she could help. Changxia didn’t stand on ceremony and asked Muqin to help with the stir-frying. When it came to controlling the heat, Muqin was actually a bit better than Changxia, though she was still not quite as skilled with seasoning.

Maybe, after Muqin gets used to things for a while longer, she might even surpass Changxia.

Changxia started making stuffed pancakes. Since it was her first time making them, she didn’t dare give random instructions. On the other hand, with stir-frying, as long as Changxia handled the seasoning, Muqin and Nuanchun could take care of the rest, which saved Changxia a lot of time.

Gradually, the kitchen filled with mouthwatering aromas, making Gen and the others restless in the living room.

Just then, the rain stopped.

The courtyard outside the cave dwelling was paved with snowflake stone tiles, with drainage ditches on both sides. There was no standing water, so Gen and the others stepped out of the living room to look around the courtyard.

But anyone with eyes could tell they were really just staring in the direction of the kitchen.