Chapter 15: Dinner Party – Braised Pork

Chapter 15: Dinner Party - Braised Pork

The sun, a giant fireball suspended high above, baked the earth, making sweat stream down. The air grew hot and sticky, and Wen Ran gasped for breath, struggling to survey his surroundings. Fortunately, he had been wearing high-top hiking boots before his arrival.

Had he been barefoot or in flat sandals, his feet might have blistered from the scorching ground. Even with boots, he felt uncomfortable; the soft soles made walking in the desert for long periods unpleasant, and his feet felt stifled.

Wen Ran could feel his feet drenched in sweat, and sand had seeped into his shoes, mixing with the moisture. It felt as if his skin was about to chafe raw.

He dreaded blisters or chafing. Blisters could easily lead to infection and pus, and with no hospitals or doctors around, that would be dangerous.

Draping an animal hide over himself to block the sun, Wen Ran took off his shoes to air his feet. Sure enough, blisters had formed from the heat.

He sighed, realizing his skin was still too tender, not yet adapted to this harsh environment.

"Wen Ran, can Dragon Blood Tree sap relieve the pain if applied to blisters?"

Lang Zhi was remarkably clever. Wen Ran had only briefly explained the sap's uses, and he had remembered it all.

Wen Ran took the sap Lang Zhi offered and applied it to his blisters. The pain did seem to lessen. He put his shoes back on, deciding to return for now and venture out again after better skin care.

Moreover, the pig heads in his storage space hadn't been fully processed last time—only singed over the fire, they still needed a thorough cleaning. He had to take advantage of daylight to handle them by the river. At night, Lang Zhi would be out hunting with the party, and it wouldn't be safe for Wen Ran and the three little ones to go to the river alone.

Lang Zhi shifted into his beast form, opened his massive wolf jaws, and gently gripped the back of Wen Ran’s collar with his sharp fangs. With a tilt of his head, he swung Wen Ran onto his back. The motion looked exaggerated but was surprisingly gentle. "Don't wear your shoes, Wen Ran. Sit on my back and let your feet air out. I run steadily; you won't fall."

Wen Ran felt a momentary dizziness, but when he opened his eyes, he was securely seated on the wolf's back. Lang Zhi's fur was long and warm, carrying a faint, sun-baked scent of fresh grass.

Wen Ran loved that smell.

***

On the way back, they were lucky enough to discover sand chives. Sand chives tasted like a blend of chives and scallions. They resembled grass but had cylindrical leaves.

Wen Ran slapped his forehead, excited by the sand chives. If sand chives grew here, could this world also have ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, green peppers, numbing peppers, and cilantro?

He calmed himself. This world couldn't be viewed through Earth's lens. It was entirely possible these things existed even in this desert region.

After digging up all the sand chives and storing them in his space, he patted Lang Zhi, signaling him to stop. Wen Ran jumped down from the wolf's back and knelt before the large wolf and three small ones. "Let me draw a few plants. Tell me if you've seen them before."

With that, Wen Ran began drawing on the sand with his finger. Lang Zhi and the three little ones watched in astonishment. "You made the plants come alive?!"

"These are by the river. I've seen them."

Lang Zhi looked at him with a complex expression. Wen Ran's drawings were so lifelike they were instantly recognizable.

Seeing Lang Zhi point to ginger, Wen Ran exclaimed excitedly, "That's ginger! Let's not go back to the den yet. Let's head to the river first and collect the ginger before returning!"

Lang Zhi, Wen Ran, and the three little ones went to the river. Sure enough, after uprooting the plants, they found ginger buried in the sand.

Wen Ran was overjoyed. He stored all the ginger in his space and told Lang Zhi and the three little ones, "With ginger, the meat won't taste gamey anymore—it'll be much more delicious. Plus, ginger is also a medicinal herb. It can warm the stomach, fight off chills, and has many other benefits. When it gets cold at night, a cup of ginger tea will warm you up right away!"

"Really?"

Mao Yuan's eyes widened in disbelief. How was it that every time he went out with Wen Ran, the desert seemed full of treasures? Even ginger buried in the sand—Wen Ran knew about it. Wen Ran was amazing!

"Really! Tonight, I'll use ginger to cook the meat. You'll taste it—it'll be much better."

***

Back at the den, Wen Ran took the ginger out of his space and set it aside to dry.

He also brought out the sand dates. These could be eaten as snacks or as a staple food.

After washing one, he popped it into his mouth. The sand date flesh wasn't very juicy; it was powdery and dry. Wen Ran drank water as he ate to avoid choking.

Sand date flesh is high in starch, making it perfect for grinding into flour.

Wen Ran removed the pits and ground the sand dates into powder with a stone. He mixed it with flour to save on flour usage. The resulting sand date flour pancakes were golden and delicious, with visible bits of sand date skin. Each bite carried the aroma of both wheat and date, making them exceptionally fragrant.

Once the sand date flour pancakes were done, he placed them on a wooden plate. Lang Zhi, who hadn't been idle, had already crafted several more wooden plates.

Lang Zhi looked up at Wen Ran and asked, "Wen Ran, can I invite Mao Shi and his sub-female to the den to eat meat?"

"Is Mao Shi's sub-female Mao Fei?"

"Yes, it's him. Last time, when you fainted from hunger, it was thanks to Mao Shi's sub-female giving you a piece of rabbit meat that you woke up and could regain your strength. Also, Captain Mao Shi has always been very kind to me. I'd like to invite them for a meal to express my gratitude."

"Then invite them over."

Wen Ran had a good impression of Mao Fei, the sub-female. Last time, he had even spoken up for Wen Ran in front of the chief. Besides, he remembered that Mao Fei's belly was already quite large—looking about seven or eight months pregnant. It was perfect timing, as Wen Ran had newly prepared food to help nourish him.

Lang Zhi hesitated for a moment before adding, "Can I tell Mao Shi about the method for preserving lard-preserved meat?"

"I have no objections. It's up to you."

Wen Ran was happy and appreciative that Lang Zhi sought his opinion.

Although he was the one cooking, the meat was still hunted by Lang Zhi. Without Lang Zhi's hunting, he wouldn't have been able to earn gold coins. In a way, they were like partners working together for mutual benefit. As for whether the food preservation method could be shared, he didn't mind at all.

Since they were having company over, they needed to prepare more dishes.

Wen Ran chopped more scallions and ginger and took out the piece of fatty meat. It wasn't excessively fatty—about 30% lean and 70% fat.

He planned to make braised pork and had even bought a bag of rock sugar specifically for it. He added chili peppers to the braised pork, making it fragrant and spicy. When the braised pork was ready, the three little ones circled the stove, mouths watering.

Wen Ran noticed that beastmen generally preferred meat, but eating too much could make them feel greasy, especially in hot weather. A pot of flower tea would be perfect.

He took out the freshly picked rose petals and added all the leftover rock sugar from making the braised pork to brew a pot of rose tea.

It was sweet, refreshing, and helped cut through the greasiness while beautifying the skin. Since arriving in this godforsaken desert, Wen Ran had become increasingly concerned about his appearance. Who knew how hard it was to recover from sunburn, and how easily sunspots could form?

After brewing the tea, he poured it into a bucket. Wen Ran then prepared four pig heads, placing them in a large iron pot to stew. He wasn't sure if the beastmen would like the sand date flour pancakes, and he worried they might not be filling enough. To be safe, Wen Ran stewed more pig head meat and stir-fried a plate of pork offal. Lang Zhi and Mao Shi would be going out to hunt later—they needed to eat their fill to have energy.

Tonight's dinner consisted of braised pork, stewed pig head meat, sand date flour pancakes, stir-fried pork offal, and rose tea—roughly four dishes and one soup.

Wen Ran asked Lang Zhi to invite the guests over. The two dens weren't far apart, and soon Mao Shi arrived with two strips of meat. Knowing that Lang Zhi's den had many mouths to feed and not much meat to go around, he brought his own meat to avoid burdening them. As the Hunting Captain, he received more meat than others, though not as much as the chief or the shaman.

Seeing the two strips of meat, Wen Ran was moved. Not all beastmen in this world were as savage as Cat Tooth and Hu Lai—there were still decent folks.

There were no tables or chairs in the den, so the food was placed directly on the ground, and everyone sat around it.

Wen Ran watched as Mao Shi, Mao Fei, and Lang Zhi reached out with their hands to eat, hissing at the heat. He asked them to wait, then went to the woodpile to fetch some thin branches and taught them how to use chopsticks.

"Wen Ran, do people in your tribe use chopsticks to eat meat? Chopsticks feel so awkward—my fingers don't seem to know how to grip properly," Mao Fei said, talking animatedly as he awkwardly attempted to pick up braised pork with chopsticks.

"Yes, you'll get used to it with practice. Chopsticks are clean, hygienic, and keep your hands from getting burned."

"Your tribe is so advanced, even more so than the main city, Wanxiang City."

"Is Wanxiang City also a tribe?"

"That's the largest main city in the beast world. Didn't you know?"

Mao Fei looked at Wen Ran with some surprise; even their remote Sand Cat Tribe knew about the Beast World's central city, Wanxiang City.

"The sacrificial temple in Wanxiang City is where the shaman communicates with the Beast God. It's a place every beastperson in the Beast World dreams of visiting in their lifetime."

Wen Ran rubbed his nose, sheepishly. "Sorry, I've forgotten some things."

Mao Fei gave him a sympathetic look. "It's okay, it's okay. Maybe it's better not to remember, so you won't dwell on it."

Mao Fei served a piece of braised pork for Mao Shi. "Mao Shi, try this meat—it's so delicious!"

Lang Zhi also served a piece of braised pork for Wen Ran, who looked at him in surprise. Behind Lang Zhi, his fluffy wolf tail lifted slightly, curling upward.

Wen Ran recalled a book he'd once read about wolves. It said that when a wolf raises its tail and curls it upward, it's a sign of a high-ranking dominant wolf asserting dominance over a submissive, lower-ranking wolf.

Was he lower-ranking? Was he submissive?

His mouth twitched. Clearly, you can't apply standard animal behavior to the beastpeople of this world.

Still, the fluffy tail swishing gently behind Lang Zhi brought a slight coolness, which felt refreshing after all the sweating from cooking.

In return, Wen Ran served a piece of braised pork for Lang Zhi. Lang Zhi's wolf-like eyes brightened slightly, looking as adorable as a big dog. Wen Ran couldn't resist reaching out to touch his wolf ears—the fluffy texture was wonderful.

Since arriving here, Wen Ran often felt like a full-time caretaker, feeding four fluffy creatures. It was surprisingly therapeutic.

Lang Zhi's body stiffened slightly, and his big tail swished with even more energy behind him.