Chapter 004 Large Meat Bowl Wine

"Master Gao?"

Before Lu Xiaomi could respond, everyone burst into laughter. It turned out that the rude and ill-tempered boy from earlier was called Master Gao, even though he was clearly not three feet tall. It was quite amusing that he had such a name.

Seeing the red-clothed boy peeking out from the east wing, Lu Xiaomi glared in annoyance, clearly displeased with everyone making fun of his name. She quickly changed the subject, "I guess it should be the 'ren' character for benevolence, right? If I may say so, he should be called a master, after all, not everyone can hunt down a tiger and a black bear."

"That's right, a master indeed."

The flattery from the crowd made the newly named "Master Gao" puff up with pride, but he didn't show any signs of anger.

Lu Xiaomi smiled secretly and quickly began to delegate tasks.

Since Feng Jian said the game was under his control and the old servant mentioned that they would be staying for a few months and would have to take care of the patient, she couldn't be polite now.

"Second brother, take Little Knife and a few others to skin and butcher the wild boar, and leave some meat for everyone to enjoy at noon! Don't touch the bear paws! And the tiger either! We'll send them into the city tomorrow, and if we meet a late-returning fur trader, we might get a good price. Aunt Liu, Sister Zhang, and Aunt Wang, please help me boil water and prepare pickled vegetables for stewing the meat!"

The cheerful and clear voice of the young girl made everyone smile. The villagers were mostly hunters and had a very straightforward and hearty nature, so there was no need for formalities.

Since the Lu family was hosting, it was only right to share the game that their own children had helped bring back. Perhaps in the future, when they hunted wild boars, they could return the favor to the Lu family.

So, everyone rushed into the courtyard. The men went to the main hall to drink water and talk about the hunting trip, while the women rolled up their sleeves to help Lu Xiaomi boil water and start a big pot of stew.

The north wind blew through the gates of the Lu family, playfully lifting the window panes of the east wing. Feng Jian slowly shifted his injured leg to a more comfortable position, listening to the laughter outside, and his expression relaxed.

In the Lu family's main hall, the charcoal in the brazier burned brightly, and almost everyone in the village crowded in. They were all familiar with each other and there was no sense of rejection.

A large pottery bowl of hot water was passed around, and everyone shared it, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere.

The rough men spoke loudly and didn't bother with soft tones, and they were all very loud, almost scaring a few children. When they heard that Gao Ren had shot a hibernating black bear with an arrow and knocked out a tiger with a few punches, they all cheered along.

There was no one better in literature, and no one better in martial arts. Lu Wutian was naturally proud and a little unwilling to accept it. His eyes rolled around Gao Ren, and he seemed to have the idea of challenging him on the spot.

Fortunately, Lu Xiaomi came in and saw her brother's expression, and she immediately took him away to chop firewood. On the other hand, she quietly slipped a few pieces of sesame candy to Gao Ren.

In Lu Xiaomi's eyes, no matter how powerful Gao Ren was, he was just a seven or eight-year-old child. Since he was a child, he must love candy. For this reason, she also took the opportunity to re-tie Gao Ren's sky-high braid. This action almost scared Liu Xiaodao and the others into dropping the water bowl. If Gao Ren turned hostile, the tiger-fighting fists might land on Lu Xiaomi, and she would be in big trouble.

But whether Gao Ren's mouth was stuck with sesame candy or he was considering the fact that the master was recuperating at the Lu family, his little fists clenched and unclenched, but he didn't raise them...

The wild boar that Gao Ren had hunted was not a young pig from the previous year, but had at least lived for over two years and was quite fat. Now it was being skinned, the meat was being cut, and the bones were being cleaned. The skin was hung up to dry, the meat was cut into lean and fat pieces, and the large bones were thrown directly into the big pot, along with large pieces of ginger, scallions, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns to make a soup. The soup bubbled up, and a large bowl of pickled vegetables, along with diced frozen tofu and a few pieces of pork belly, were added to make a lively dish.

Wooden boards as thick as a young man's arm were burning fiercely under the stove, making the women's faces red, and some even took off their coats, leaving only their shirts.

When the pork belly was cooked, it was taken out and sliced into thin and thick pieces, piling up like snowflakes in a large pottery bowl.

The Lu family's two tables were set up, and all the stools were brought out, with the neighboring families' tables and chairs joining in.

When it was time to eat, the men filled the main hall and the beds in the east and west rooms, while the women and children took over the kitchen.

The hunters with good wine shouted for their sons to bring a few jars of strong liquor, and everyone filled their large bowls. Needless to say, the first bowl was to be toasted to the tiger-slaying hero, Gao Ren.

Lu Xiaomi had wanted to stop it, as Gao Ren was only eight or nine years old, and drinking such a large bowl of strong liquor would surely make him drunk for days.

Unexpectedly, Gao Ren didn't care at all. He picked up the large bowl and drank it all in one go!

"Good!"

"He's a real man!"

"Yeah, a real man should eat a big piece of meat and drink a big bowl of wine!"

"Exactly! Let's have a toast!"

The hunters originally made a joke when toasting, but they didn't expect Gao Ren to be so generous. They couldn't help but cheer loudly, and any slight disdain for his young age disappeared.

The dishes on the table were simple: garlic white meat, sour cabbage and vermicelli stewed with frozen tofu, a big bone, and a cold mixed shredded cabbage.

Although the dishes were simple, each one was served in large pottery bowls, which made the table look quite impressive.

Gao Ren drank when there was wine and ate when there was meat, without any restraint, and he always spoke with a hint of arrogance.

But he had the ability, so his pride was justified, and the others didn't mind. On the contrary, they became even more lively and cheerful.

Seeing that Gao Ren didn't change his expression, Lu Xiaomi guessed that he wasn't afraid of drinking, so she felt relieved and went to the east wing.

Feng Jian was injured and needed to avoid certain foods due to his medication, so Lu Xiaomi specially made a small meal for him.

A small pot of lean meat congee was cooked soft and fragrant, served with a plate of shredded mustard greens and a plate of pickled cucumber. There was also a plate of twice-cooked pork without chili, but it smelled delicious and tempting, and a plate of cold mixed black fungus.

Although the meal was simple, the combination of meat and vegetables showed that it was carefully prepared.

Even though Feng Jian was in pain from his leg injury and feeling irritable, after eating a bowl of meat congee, he felt much more comfortable.

"Thank you, Miss Lu."

"Feng, no need to be so polite," Lu Xiaomi said. She was afraid that Yang Lao-Bo wouldn't have enough to eat, so she brought him two more pancakes and asked casually, "Feng, I'm going to the city tomorrow to sell the game. Do you need anything? I can buy it for you."

Feng Jian kept his eyes down and didn't speak, but it was Yang Lao-Bo who responded, "We left in a hurry and didn't bring any luggage. Miss, please help our master buy some clean clothes. Both Gao Ren and I are easy to please, so don't spend too much."

"That won't do," Lu Xiaomi disagreed. "It's cold here, and it's not good to be too simple in dressing. Feng Jian is injured and can't go out, but Lao-Bo and Gao Ren need to move around. They both need a sheepskin coat and sheepskin boots. Also, some Ula grass to keep their feet warm, and..."

Lu Xiaomi started to list the items she needed to buy, and the more she listed, the more items she thought of. She had a quick temper, so she left the two men and said, "I'll make a list first, or I might forget later. Lao-Bo, remember to take the dishes to the kitchen for me!"

With that, she opened the door and ran off.

Yang Lao-Bo closed the cotton door curtain and smiled, "Miss Lu is really straightforward and clever."

Feng Jian nodded and, after finishing a bowl of meat congee, instructed, "You will go to the city with her tomorrow."

"Yes, young master."

Yang Lao-Bo agreed and smiled as he finished the remaining half bowl of meat congee and the leftover dishes. Finally, he took the dishes to the kitchen.

In the kitchen of the Lu family, the women and children didn't have many formalities. There weren't enough tables and chairs, so the stove served as a dining table.

One child wanted to drink soup, another wanted to gnaw on a bone, and the women chatted, mostly about whose mother-in-law was strict, whose daughter-in-law was skillful, and even about which young man had a crush on whose daughter. When they got excited, they laughed heartily.

It was almost as if they were going to lift the roof of the kitchen, making it even livelier than the main room.

Since Xiaomi's mother left, Aunt Liu, who lived nearby, always took care of Xiaomi a little more.

Now that Xiaomi wasn't there, Aunt Liu acted as a half hostess, inviting the women, "Don't be polite, everyone, eat to your heart's content. Once it snows heavily and the mountain is completely closed off, we won't have this opportunity. I remember, Xiaomi has hidden half a jar of wine over there. If you're not afraid of getting drunk, hurry up and bring it down to have a drink."

"Haha, that's great! Let's take advantage of Xiaomi's absence and satisfy our cravings!"

In the cold north, both men and women loved their wine. When the women heard this, they were all delighted and brought out a jar of wine for each person.

Aunt Liu, with quick eyes and hands, quickly took out the last big bone from the pot and hid it in a big bowl, ready to save it for Xiaomi. The nearby child had been eyeing the bone for a while, and when he saw this, he almost cried. Aunt Liu quickly picked up a piece of pork belly and stuffed it into his mouth, and his little face immediately lit up with a smile.

At this moment, Yang Lao-Bo came in with the dishes and was inevitably caught by the gossip-loving women for a few idle chats.

Although the Lao family was only a few dozen miles from Anzhou City, it was separated by several mountain ranges and was considered remote. On ordinary days, few merchants came, let alone distinguished guests.

Today, Gao Ren, a servant of the Feng family, had shown his skills, which naturally made everyone even more curious about the identity of Feng Jian, their master.