Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Fragrant Fried Eggs

“Uncle Yun Dong, wait a second.”

Nan Feng wolfed down the noodles in front of her, even drinking every last drop of soup. Then she got up and walked over to the stove.

She instructed Yun Dong to put a dough ball into the bone-pressing device, using force to squeeze it into thin, white noodles that dropped straight into a stone pot of boiling water below.

“This thing is amazing!”

“Just put the dough in, press down, and it turns into noodles.”

“Changxia is a genius!”

As they chatted, Yun Dong and the others quickly made half a sieve of noodles.

Changxia finished her noodles but didn’t rush over to help. She was busy preparing more toppings—there was plenty of meat, bird eggs, and wild vegetables stored in the beast den.

She stir-fried a bowl of minced meat, then made some fried eggs. To make fried eggs, you crack the bird eggs, beat them well, and pour them into a pot of hot oil to fry until crispy. Eaten on their own, they’re crunchy and fragrant; soaked in the rice noodle broth, they take on a different flavor.

Wild vegetables were even simpler—just stir-fry them with some minced meat or eggs.

“Changxia, what are you doing with those bird eggs?” Nan Feng asked, adding firewood to the stove. With Yun Dong and the others busy pressing noodles, she didn’t need to help.

Changxia carried a basket of bird eggs—these had been collected from the reeds by White Lake. Gen had brought her two more baskets today.

If they didn’t finish them by lunchtime, she’d have to pickle some.

It was hot, and bird eggs would spoil quickly too.

“I’m frying some eggs for toppings. Light the stove next to you and stir-fry a bowl of minced meat and another with wild vegetables and meat,” Changxia replied.

What a bunch of big eaters!

Luckily, she’d pushed herself last night and made over a hundred pounds of dough.

Otherwise, there’d be no way to feed everyone.

Nan Feng was curious. “Changxia, how do you fry bird eggs?”

As she mentioned fried eggs, Changxia’s mouth watered and she slipped an egg into the ashes of the stove.

It wasn’t just her mouth that craved it—she missed it.

She’d always been weak, and under Gen and Su Ye’s watchful eyes, the only thing she usually ate was fruit powder porridge. So she’d have to trick Nan Feng, Nuan Chun, or the tribe’s beast cubs into sneaking her some bird eggs.

Back then.

Changxia’s den in the long summer didn’t have many tools.

The only solution she could think of was to bury the bird eggs in the hearth and eat them roasted.

At that time, roasted bird eggs were Changxia’s only salvation.

In the distance, Suye and the others all frowned in surprise. They never realized there were so many ways to eat bird eggs. Clearly, their experience was limited—they usually just boiled them. Sometimes, if they weren’t careful, they’d toss the eggs into boiling water and the eggs would crack and burst open.

“Uncle Yundong, don’t eat yet. Let me make some toppings for you. Chief, among the wild vegetables you brought, are there any scallions, ginger, or garlic? I’ve run out on my end,” Changxia asked.

Except for what she’d already planted, there was no ginger or garlic left.

As for scallions, the ones Changxia had planted earliest had just started to grow back. But she’d just picked some, so if she wanted more, she’d have to wait a couple more days.

“I’ll go check—”

Muqin glanced at Gen, who looked awkward. To males, all wild vegetables looked the same. Gen couldn’t tell ginger, scallions, or garlic apart at all.

A moment later.

Muqin found a pile of ginger and garlic, and quite a few scallions too. They were a bit wilted at the bottom. “Changxia, there’s plenty of ginger, scallions, and garlic here. Do you need them now?”

“Muqin Amu, could you wash some for me? I need them,” Changxia replied as she cracked the bird eggs. Adding chopped scallions to fried eggs made them even more fragrant. Stir-fried minced meat also needed ginger and garlic for flavor. Lately, she’d been going through a lot of these ingredients.

Once this busy period was over, she’d have to find time to walk around Bai Lake.

It would be just in time to catch the last harvest before the rainy season—gathering fresh wild greens or digging up some roots. Once the rains came, it wouldn’t be suitable anymore.

Sizzle—

Changxia finished cracking the bird eggs and beat them together.

She heated a stone pot and poured in oil. Once the oil was hot, she ladled the egg mixture in using a wooden bowl—five bowls at a time. When the eggs were fried through, she took them out and poured in more egg mixture, repeating the process.

Nearby, Nan Feng started stir-frying minced meat.

The aroma was so tempting that she kept craning her neck to look over at Changxia. The delicious smell drifted over, and even Yundong and the others, who were busy pressing rice noodles, couldn’t help but stop, curiosity getting the better of them. By now, they’d finished a whole tray of fine noodles.

There was enough for twenty or thirty people, one bowl each.

Of course, that didn’t mean everyone would be full—it was just for tasting.

“Changxia, these fried eggs smell amazing—so much better than boiled eggs!” Nan Feng said as she stir-fried the meat, her eyes fixed on the eggs in the stone pot. She swallowed, hinting that she wanted to try some.

Changxia: ╮(╯▽╰)╭

“Come here, have a taste.” Changxia broke off a small piece of fried egg and handed it to Nan Feng. Fresh out of the pot, the eggs were fragrant but extremely hot—eating them could easily burn your mouth and even cause you to overheat.

At least, Changxia didn’t dare eat them straight.

She preferred to soak the fried eggs in soup before eating them.

That way, the eggs would become softer, and the rich broth combined with the egg’s flavor was just perfect—especially with bone broth and the aroma of eggs. Delicious!

“Hiss—so hot!”

Nan Feng, unable to resist, yelped as she burned her mouth. Still, she didn’t spit it out, but swallowed it right away.

The crispy crunch, mixed with Nan Feng’s cries, echoed throughout the den.

Everyone looked at Nan Feng in disbelief—half blaming her for being greedy, half curious about the taste of the fried eggs. They’d all eaten bird eggs before, but Nan Feng’s look of enjoyment made them even more curious.

Could the same bird eggs really taste so different just by cooking them another way?

“Changxia, the freshly pressed rice noodles are ready!” Yundong called out.

Gen grabbed a stack of bowls and started filling them with noodles. Since there was plenty, he heaped each bowl high.

Muqin rolled her eyes and slapped Gen’s hand.

So greedy! With so many noodles, how would there be room for soup and toppings? Without another word, Muqin scooped out half the noodles from each bowl. “That’s too much. How are you going to add soup and toppings? Don’t you want to try Changxia’s delicious fried eggs?”

“…” Gen was speechless—he definitely wanted to eat them.

But he was still a little sad about the noodles Muqin took out. Yundong and the others felt the same. With their appetites, they could finish a big bowl of noodles in just a few bites.

Pfft!

Changxia covered her mouth and giggled.

It was rare to see the chief looking so embarrassed—it was pretty funny.

“Grandma Suye, do you and Baiqing want some more?” Muqin asked.

Grandma Suye shook her head, but seeing Baiqing’s eager look, she said, “Help Baiqing with a bowl. I’m full.”

“Amu, don’t forget my share,” Nan Feng said, swallowing hard.

She knew that if she didn’t speak up, Muqin definitely wouldn’t save her any. After all, she’d already eaten a lot that morning.

She was clearly full, but the smell made her want another bowl.

Changxia and Muqin looked at Nan Feng speechlessly—wasn’t she afraid of bursting her stomach? Still, when Changxia glanced at the little mound in the hearth, she thought that if it was roasted bird eggs, she could probably eat another one too.