Chapter 59

Chapter 59

The mule cart came to an abrupt halt.

The mule let out a short bray.

Pei Yanli calmly looked at Xiao Yu and asked, "Which way?"

Xiao Yu pointed in a direction, "Over there."

Lu Ming interjected, "Didn’t we just tell you the route?"

"I didn’t hear it," Pei Yanli confidently continued on the right path.

Lu Ming looked skeptically at Pei Yanli. The latter had always been known for his photographic memory, yet he claimed not to have heard the directions they had just given... Well, perhaps he really didn’t hear, Lu Ming thought, deciding to believe him.

The mule cart started moving again.

Minghe, Danzi, and Yutong resumed their conversation, which soon turned into singing. Their singing led to a little argument, but they arrived at the lumber mill amid their chatter.

The sight that greeted them was a vast open space neatly stacked with logs, planks, and sawdust, where several men in short brown robes were sawing wood. Nearby were several ox carts, mule carts, horse carts, and handcarts.

"Wow, so much wood!" Minghe exclaimed.

"It's all chopped down from the mountains," Danzi said.

"Look, they're sawing over there!" Yutong pointed out.

"Uncle, what are all those carts for?" Minghe asked.

Xiao Yu answered, "They're also here to haul wood."

Danzi asked, "Did they arrive before us?"

Yutong followed up, "Uncle, do we have to wait?"

"Yes, we'll line up and wait," Xiao Yu said to Pei Yanli, "Eleven, let’s queue up behind the handcart."

Pei Yanli then parked the mule cart behind the handcart.

Xiao Yu turned to lift the three children down from the mule cart, instructing, "Don't wander off too far. Just play around here, okay?"

The three children ran to a roadside bush to look for bugs.

Xiao Yu said to Pei Yanli and Lu Ming, "Eleven, Twelve, the lumber mill is busy sawing and loading wood. It might take a while before it's our turn. Why don’t you both get down and walk around, enjoy the scenery?"

Pei Yanli and Lu Ming got down from the cart.

Xiao Yu watched over the three children while observing the lumber workers.

Half an hour later, an ox cart loaded with wood planks left satisfactorily, while the mule carts, horse carts, and handcarts were still waiting.

Pei Yanli frowned impatiently.

Lu Ming said anxiously, "How long do we have to wait? This is too slow!"

Just as Xiao Yu was about to offer some reassurance, he heard Pei Yanli suggest, "I see they're short-handed with the sawing. If you help, it might speed things up."

"Okay," Lu Ming immediately volunteered.

Xiao Yu looked at Pei Yanli in surprise, "He's really going?"

"Yes."

Xiao Yu remarked, "He doesn’t seem like the type to do heavy labor."

"He has done it before." Despite Lu Ming's appearance of being pampered, he had endured hardships and fatigue during his time in the military. "He likes sawing wood."

Xiao Yu's mouth twitched slightly, "That’s quite a unique preference he has."

Shortly after the conversation, Lu Ming approached the men in short brown robes. After a brief exchange, he and one of the men sat at either end of a large saw, each holding a handle, and then began to saw vigorously.

In no time, they sawed a large, round cutting board.

Xiao Yu turned and remarked, "That's really impressive!" It looked quite professional.

"I can do that too," Pei Yanli suddenly added.

Xiao Yu wasn't sure why he said that, but complimented anyway, "You're impressive as well."

Pei Yanli felt inexplicably satisfied inside.

Minghe, Danzi, and Yutong, who were playing, turned and saw Lu Ming sawing energetically, almost sparking with effort. They stood up and shouted, "Uncle Lu is so amazing! Uncle Lu is so fast!"

This encouraged Lu Ming even more.

However, the lumber mill had an overwhelming demand for wood and planks that day, and it wasn't until noon that it was Xiao Yu's turn.

The men in short brown robes were exhausted and needed lunch to replenish their energy. They took out their boxed meals from home and glanced at Xiao Yu and the children, considering sharing some food with them. Adults can skip a meal, but children shouldn't go hungry.

Xiao Yu quickly interjected, "No, no, don't. If you don't eat well, you won't have the energy to saw wood for us later."

"But the children need to eat," a man known as Master Sun from the group said.

"We won't eat!" the three children said understandingly.

Master Sun was slightly taken aback.

Xiao Yu suddenly noticed a large piece of mutton hanging from a tree branch and asked, "Whose mutton is that?"

Master Sun turned and glanced, "It's mine. I bought it at the market this morning, planning to make dumplings for dinner tonight."

"That's too much mutton for one meal of dumplings, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's more than needed," Master Sun replied. "The butcher insisted on giving it to me, saying it was freshly slaughtered. He was very enthusiastic, so I took it. If there's any leftover, I'll eat it tomorrow."

"But it won't be fresh anymore. How about selling the leftover to me?" Xiao Yu suggested.

Master Sun curiously asked, "What will you do with it?"

"I'll make something for the children to eat," Xiao Yu said.

"Right now?"

"Yes," Xiao Yu nodded.

Master Sun looked around and said, "There's no pot, no stove, no seasonings here. How will you make food?"

"As long as there's fire, water, and a cutting board, that's enough," Xiao Yu replied.

Master Sun looked skeptical.

"Sell me some of the mutton," Xiao Yu requested.

Seeing the young man's confident demeanor, Master Sun almost involuntarily offered, "I also have flour and green onions. Do you want those too?"

Xiao Yu expressed his delight, "Yes, sell me some of those as well."

Master Sun, curious about cooking without any utensils, gave some flour, green onions, and mutton to Xiao Yu. He then joined other men in short brown robes to eat and watch Xiao Yu work.

Pei Yanli and Lu Ming were also curious.

The three children silently observed.

Unruffled, Xiao Yu chose an empty spot, dug a pit, gathered some clean, dry wood, and lit a fire.

"At this time, setting up a pot for boiling mutton soup would be good," Master Sun suggested.

The other men in short brown robes nodded.

Xiao Yu didn't respond. Instead, he fetched clean water, rinsed the wood shavings off the brand new cutting board, dried it, sprinkled a layer of flour, and then poured a heap of flour on it.

He made a small well in the flour, poured in water, and slowly kneaded it into a soft dough, setting it aside to rest.

"Well, young man, you really know how to cook," Master Sun remarked.

"A man who can cook is a good man!" Danzi declared.

Master Sun chuckled, "Good thing I know a bit too."

Lu Ming added, "I can cook as well."

Pei Yanli said, "I can chop vegetables, that counts as cooking."

Xiao Yu ignored their banter, pulling out a small knife to finely chop the washed mutton and green onions. He then took out a small bottle from his pocket.

"What's that?" Master Sun asked, intrigued.

Xiao Yu replied, "Fine salt."

"You carry that with you?"

"Salt is the king of flavors, of course, I carry it," Xiao Yu sprinkled a bit of salt into the mutton and onions, mixing them evenly. The soft dough had become even softer; without using a rolling pin, he just flipped it in his hands a couple of times, turning it into a large, round flatbread.

Master Sun and the others watched, eyes wide.

Lu Ming couldn't help but exclaim, "Impressive."

The three children kept praising, "Little Uncle is amazing!"

A large, round flatbread was laid on the cutting board, topped evenly with the mutton and green onions, covered with another large flatbread. The edges were pinched and sealed to form a basin-sized mutton and green onion pie.

Xiao Yu dusted both sides of the pie with flour, turned, and removed the nearly burnt-out wood from the pit. He pushed some of the ash to the side and then tossed the raw pie into the pit.

Master Sun and the others exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!"

Minghe said, "Little Uncle, the pie is getting dirty!"

"We can't eat it now!" Danzi said.

Yu Tongtong looked a bit sad.

"It's not dirty," Xiao Yu reassured, squatting down and using a stick to cover the mutton and green onion pie completely with the nearby ash containing embers.

Lu Ming asked, "Can we still eat this?"

Pei Yanli interjected, "Yes, we can."

But everyone remained skeptical.

Master Sun and the others finished their lunch, set aside their lunch boxes, rested for a bit, and then resumed sawing.

After a while, hearing Xiao Yu say, "It should be about ready," they all stopped and stretched their necks to see.

Xiao Yu brushed away the ash.

The mutton and green onion pie was covered in ash, looking very gray.

"It's still dirty," Yu Tongtong complained.

Xiao Yu gently tapped the pie, dislodging a lot of the ash. After a few more taps, the yellow and white surface of the pie became visible.

"It's clean now!" Danzi exclaimed.

Minghe and Yu Tongtong's eyes widened in amazement.

Lu Ming let out a sound of surprise.

Master Sun and the others remarked, "It really is edible."

Xiao Yu continued tapping the pie several times, then used clean, dried grass to sweep it off. Finally, he placed the mutton and green onion pie on the cutting board and cut it into sections with a knife. The aroma of the dough mixed with meat juice burst out like fireworks, instantly enveloping the area.

Master Sun and others, smelling it, couldn't help exclaiming, "That smells amazing!"

Lu Ming swallowed reflexively.

The three children clamored to eat.

Xiao Yu asked with a smile, "Isn’t it dirty?"

Minghe licked his lips, "Let me take a bite, and I'll know if it's dirty or not!"

"Look at you, so eager," Xiao Yu handed two pieces to Pei Yanli and Lu Ming, "Be careful, the juice is going to drip."

Pei Yanli and Lu Ming quickly took them.

Xiao Yu then gave each of the three children a piece and took one for himself.

They were already hungry and bit eagerly into the pies. The crust was crisp, and the unseasoned mutton and green onions retained their natural sweetness, enhanced by the salt sprinkled by Xiao Yu. The layers of flavor were distinct and well-balanced, filling their mouths with the moist aroma of dough, meat, and sweetness.

"This is so delicious!" Yu Tongtong exclaimed.

Minghe and Danzi were too busy eating to speak, jumping with joy.

Pei Yanli nodded in satisfaction.

Lu Ming gave a thumbs up, "Not a speck of dirt."

Xiao Yu, chewing his mutton, explained, "Wood ash is inherently clean. You might not know, but many people use wood ash for washing vegetables or dressing wounds; it's very clean. Of course, this doesn’t mean you can eat wood ash raw. That’s why I sprinkled a thin layer of flour on the flatbread. Once baked, a gentle tap makes both the ash and flour fall off, leaving no residue, so it’s safe to eat."

So that's how it is!

Everyone suddenly understood and marveled at Xiao Yu's extensive knowledge.

Master Sun and the others had already eaten, but the aroma was so enticing that their stomachs growled again, and they couldn't help but stare at the cutting board, saliva secreting wildly.

They knew Xiao Yu and the group had just enough pie to be half-full, so they felt awkward asking for some. However, they admired talented people who could create such delicacies under scarce conditions, considering it the epitome of talent.

Thus, the wood they sawed for Xiao Yu was smooth and precise, sparing him the need for further polishing.

After loading the wood, Xiao Yu and his group expressed their gratitude.

Master Sun said, "We'll continue with the remaining sizes. You don’t need to come so early tomorrow; arriving near noon should be fine, we should be almost done by then."

"Alright."

Pei Yanli led the children, driving the mule cart.

Xiao Yu and Lu Ming walked alongside, keeping watch.

Back at the pig farm, the foreman, seeing the wood Xiao Yu brought back, praised repeatedly, "Master Sun and his team really put their heart into this. It's very well done."

Xiao Yu said, "We need to go back for more wood tomorrow."

"Then you'll be hauling for several days."

"Yes." Xiao Yu turned and expressed his gratitude to Pei Yanli and Lu Ming.

They accepted his thanks and then left to continue their own tasks.

The next day, nearing noon, Xiao Yu planned to call Zhang Wu to help with the wood, but to his surprise, Pei Yanli and Lu Ming showed up again. He asked in astonishment, "You're going again?"

"Yes," Pei Yanli nodded, offering no explanation.

Indeed.

He was that kind of person - reserved but very kind-hearted.

Xiao Yu nodded in acknowledgment.

The group arrived at the lumberyard again and took their place at the end of the queue.

As they stopped the mule cart, Master Sun, holding a large leg of lamb in one hand and a bunch of green onions in the other, rushed towards Xiao Yu like a large eagle spreading its wings, exclaiming, "Young master! Young master! Look, I bought more lamb, green onions, flour, and even prepared dry firewood!"

Xiao Yu, puzzled, asked, "And then?"