Training the Heavens

Chapter 205 This is possible

Most wild game is actually not delicious, and most of it is fishy and smelly. The reason why so many people in later generations are keen on it is nothing more than curiosity and showing off.

There are also delicious ones, such as the flying dragon from the Northeast, the shad and knife fish from the south of the Yangtze River, and the yellow sheep meat that Xu Lingjun is stewing now. The taste is far better than that of ordinary domesticated sheep, so they have become tributes since a long time ago. Yuan Mei, a famous foodie in history, praised them highly after tasting them.

Yuan Mei wrote "Suiyuan Cookbook". Naturally, his ability to appreciate food was much better than that of Qianlong and Cixi. Now the mutton was not stewed yet, but Guo Xizi and others were already drooling.

"Yellow mutton and yellow mushrooms are good things in themselves, and they don't need to be too complicated to cook. Just pay a little attention to the heat. Don't worry, it will be ready in a few minutes."

High-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking, which is actually a bit biased. Ingredients such as ginseng, abalone and shark's fin are very troublesome to handle, but they are just right for yellow mutton and yellow mushrooms.

When Guo Zizi heard this, he turned around and left. "I'll go get some hot wine. Yellow mutton can replenish qi and treat fatigue. Eat a few mouthfuls and drink some wine. Then take a nap tonight and you'll be refreshed in the morning."

The wine was quickly heated up and the yellow mutton was also stewed. As soon as the lid of the pot was opened, the aroma filled the air. Not to mention Guo Chenzi and the others, even Dahuang and Erhuang started shouting.

Xu Lingjun quickly chased them away, "Go away, your saliva is almost falling into the pot. I'll give you the bones after I finish chewing them."

Everyone quickly took out their bowls, filled one bowl each, picked up the meat, blew on it a few times, and when it cooled a little, quickly put it into their mouths. They immediately closed their eyes in comfort, "Fragrant! So fragrant! No wonder emperors in ancient times loved to eat it, this yellow mutton and yellow mushrooms are really delicious."

Xu Lingjun was not in a hurry. He took out the hard-wheat steamed bun that Li Xiuzhi had baked for him, broke it into small pieces and placed them at the bottom of the bowl. He then poured a spoonful of boiling hot mushroom and mutton soup on it, covered it with the mutton, and waited until the steamed bun was full of the soup before eating a few mouthfuls with relish. This was much more delicious than the mutton soup steamed bun in Xi'an.

After the delicious mutton soup goes into your stomach, soon a ball of heat will emerge from your body, and your whole body will feel warm from the inside out. You will feel an indescribable sense of comfort. This may be the reason why yellow mutton can be used as medicine.

"Come on, let's drink! Thanks to Lao Xu, we can finally have a good meal today." Guo Zizi picked up the wine bowl. It was not easy to eat meat to your heart's content these days.

Everyone drank wine and ate mutton, and when they were happy, they sang the little songs of Qilian Mountain. In their opinion, this was probably the most beautiful thing in life.

After finishing a full pot of food, everyone sat comfortably on the mats, touching their bulging stomachs. No one wanted to talk at this time, and they were all immersed in the satisfaction of being full and satisfied.

"This is what life is all about. If I could experience it a few times a year, I wouldn't trade it for even a god." After a long time, Guo Zizi sighed.

"There's plenty of mutton. We'll eat it tomorrow." Xu Lingjun said happily.

"Lao Xu, we understand your intentions, but you should exchange these yellow mutton and yellow mushrooms for money. You are not alone now, you have a wife to support, you can't be so extravagant." Dong Kuan advised kindly.

"Old Dong's right. Besides, Xiuzhi hasn't tasted yellow mutton yet, has she? You should bring some for her," Guo Zizi agreed. "Right, right, I'll go find some firewood and smoke the mutton. We still have a few days to go down the mountain, so we need to make sure it doesn't spoil." Haisheng rubbed his stomach, got up, and dug out some firewood suitable for smoking mutton from the pile he'd gathered that day. He set it aside and lit it.

Ordinary people couldn't afford refrigerators nowadays, so they preserved the pigs they killed in the same way. Everyone was used to it, so they quickly helped Xu Lingjun clean up and hung the mutton there to smoke and roast.

"It's not a big deal. I see a lot of gazelles around here. Maybe Dahuang and Erhuang will find them again tomorrow! If you hear steady gunshots this time, you don't have to worry about me. If something urgent happens, I'll shoot continuously and you can come over." Xu Lingjun said as he worked.

"Well, we were worried when we heard you firing a gun for the first time today. We won't do it again next time." They had all hunted before and could tell what was happening on the other side from the sound of gunfire.

In the next few days, Xu Lingjun got up every morning, helped them drive the horses to graze, and then took Dahuang and Erhuang to pick mushrooms. During this period, they encountered some wild animals every now and then.

With the help of the Five-Six-Ban gun, Xu Lingjun reaped a lot of rewards. He killed two more gazelles, a wild donkey, and several rabbits. During this period, he also encountered danger and ran into a pack of wolves. Fortunately, the Five-Six-Ban gun was very effective. Guo Zizi and others were not far away. They came over after hearing the warning gunshots.

They happened to catch the wolves right in the middle of the pack, and everyone started to grab them, killing a few of them. The wolf skins and wolf teeth were all valuable things that could be exchanged for money at the supply and marketing cooperative.

When they returned to the pasture, everyone was a little surprised to see their rosy faces. Other people would lose some weight after coming back from grazing in the mountains, so why was it the opposite for them?
After hearing this, everyone realized that Xu Lingjun had been making delicious food for them these days. How could they not be beaming with joy after eating so much meat?

Xu Lingjun also gave them some of the meat he had harvested, but they were reluctant to take it. In the end, only after Xu Lingjun insisted did they take half of it.

Back home, Xu Lingjun also stewed a pot of yellow mushrooms and yellow mutton for Li Xiuzhi. As Li Xiuzhi ate, she thought of her home, "Oh, I wonder how my parents are doing?"

"It's okay. I'll send them some money after I sell these things." Xu Lingjun had mentioned this to Li Xiuzhi last time, but she didn't agree. Firstly, Xu Lingjun was not well off at that time, and secondly, it would be inappropriate for her to subsidize her parents' home after she got married.

"Forget it. It's more important to pay back Uncle Guo and the others first. The last time they wrote to me, they said the rain was good this year, and everything should be fine by the time the wheat is harvested." Li Xiuzhi refused again.

"It's still a while, Uncle Guo isn't in a hurry. I'll pay back some this time, and then some more when I come back from the mountain next time. That should be enough." Xu Lingjun showed off his masculinity this time. "It's settled. I'll go to the post office tomorrow to send them the money."

Two months later, Xu Lingjun not only paid off his debt, but also saved some money. Unfortunately, the yellow mushroom picking season had ended. Like cordyceps, yellow mushrooms can only be picked for one or two months each year.

Li Xiuzhi felt a little regretful. "It would be great if I could grow mushrooms myself. Not only would I be able to earn money every month, but I could also help you with the work."

Xu Lingjun smiled and said, "That's possible."

(End of this chapter)