RIIDMDR chapter 31

 

Too clumsy to try it himself, yet waiting to laugh at others—Nan Xu didn’t find anything wrong with this side of Tingchuan at all. He had always been cold and distant on the surface but, in truth, full of mischievous bad taste.

Of course, Nan Xu didn’t reveal Tingchuan’s thoughts. He continued wrapping the zongzi, glancing distractedly at Ning Sui. Ning Sui had been trying enthusiastically, but unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. He finally managed to avoid making a mess of glutinous rice like Ning Ju, but he stumbled repeatedly during the final sealing process. Ning Ju stood by and kept coaching him, making him sweat profusely.

After leisurely watching the commotion, Tingchuan examined the zongzi Nan Xu had wrapped. Their round heads were adorable. The innkeeper was truly multitalented.

“Help me string together ten of the same filling over there,” Nanxu instructed.

This little task was simple, and Tingchuan tied them together without much effort. Nanxu continued wrapping and adding various fillings until all the leaves were used up—about a hundred in total.

He brought out two bamboo baskets, one large and one small, and divided the zongzi into two portions. He explained how to eat them. Besides giving a portion to the bird tribe, Nanxu asked Ning Sui to take a basket to the dog tribe in the valley.

He also brought out several jars of pickled vegetables and chili sauce for Ningsui to take home. Ningsui looked at the overflowing basket and felt a deep sense of gratitude. The human race was truly warm and generous.

Although Nan Xu said they were all gifts, Ning Sui felt embarrassed to accept them. The innkeeper was kind, but the Bird Tribe was not one to seek out cheap things. They immediately paid for the pickled vegetables and chili sauce. They said they would accept the rice dumplings as a gift and return something fresh later to thank Nan Xu.

After seeing Ning Sui and Ning Ju off, Tingchuan looked at the empty jars and baskets on the bamboo table with a gloomy gaze.

Nan Xu coughed softly, took out the five hundred silver coins that Ning Sui had insisted on paying with, and said, “It’s okay. We’ll buy more ingredients and make more. Even if I forget something, I’ll never forget your zongzi.”

He added that Ning Sui wasn’t the kind of person who would not pay. He had done the favor and accepted the money. How wonderful!

The innkeeper had coaxed him into doing this, and since Tingchuan wasn’t petty, he no longer minded working for someone else.

Nan Xu spent another two hundred silver coins to buy all the ingredients. The next morning, he made zongzi for breakfast.

He cooked a few of each filling. The fragrance of the steamed zongzi leaves permeated the glutinous rice. As soon as Tingchuan opened them, he was greeted by this unique aroma.

He took the first one filled with red dates. The sweet aroma of red dates emanated from it, and the juice tinged the glutinous rice pink. The zongzi was soft and glutinous yet not sticky, and the sweetness seemed to coat his teeth.

Nan Xu observed Tingchuan’s expression as he chewed carefully and asked, “How is it?”

Tingchuan nodded, swallowed, and said, “The taste is unique—sweet but not greasy, and different from regular rice.”

Nan Xu then searched through the bamboo basket, found a salted pork rice dumpling, and handed it to Tingchuan, “Try this one.”

Seeing Nan Xu’s anxious expression, Tingchuan hesitated for a moment before accepting the package and untying the cotton string.

The meat dumplings were filled with tempting pork belly, and the aroma emanated even before the leaves were removed. The glutinous rice, stained brown by the meat sauce, offered a new flavor.

Both Nan Xu and Tingchuan had tried them and asked the age-old question, “Which is better: a salty or sweet dumpling?”

Tingchuan chose the red date dumpling without hesitation.

Nan Xu raised his eyebrows slightly. He hadn’t expected Tingchuan, a four- or five-thousand-year-old fox demon, to have a sweet tooth.

“What a shame. There’s no salted egg yolk. Otherwise, perhaps the salty dumpling would have been more effective,” Nan Xu lamented.

“After we finish, come with me to the chicken coop behind the house to see if there’s anything we can improve,” Nan Xu said.

He made some improvements gradually, but the system wasn’t reminding him to finish the task. Nan Xu had no choice but to call in outside help.

Tingchuan had just finished eating the rice dumplings that Nan Xu had made that morning, so he couldn’t refuse. He nodded. “Okay,” he said.

The two of them savored the rice dumplings in the courtyard. On a patch of sand behind the house, the two wild boar brothers—two demons—were wielding hoes and working the fields. Zhuang Wu was right. Their wild boar clan had sold cabbages for nearly a hundred years. Farming work was no stranger to them.

“Brother, I saw the bird demon leave with two baskets of food. I wonder what kind of delicious food was in them,” said Zhuang Wu, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Zhuang Si had overheard something about it when he went to the yard to get a hoe. He replied, “It seemed to be something called zongzi. I heard it’s eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival.”

“What is the Dragon Boat Festival?” Zhuang Wu asked.

Zhuang Si shook his head and a look of confusion crossed his honest face. “I’ve never heard of it. Could it be some kind of hidden demon festival? Like the 5,000-year-old birthday that the turtles celebrate for their ancestors?”

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Wu saw some truth in it and said longingly, “Then that zongzi must be even better than spiritual fruit.”

Zhuang Si’s thoughts fluttered, and then he sighed. He couldn’t do it anymore. If he continued, he would lose his little bamboo hut and be thrown into the mountain array again. It would be a disaster.

—
Back in the Taifeng Mountains, Ning Sui carried a basket and his younger brother, Ning Ju, on his back as he entered the territory of the golden eagles.

As soon as Ning Sui’s mother saw her two sons return, she immediately embraced the younger one and asked about his well-being. “My dear, are you tired from the journey? Did you suffer much in the mountains? Were the human innkeepers welcoming?”

She asked so many questions that Ning Ju didn’t know which one to answer first. Ning Sui couldn’t help but say, “I carried you the whole way without flapping my wings once. How could I be tired? The innkeepers in the mountains were so welcoming, and their sea fish was especially delicious. I couldn’t put down my chopsticks while eating. It was truly embarrassing.”

Ning Ju shouted. He retorted, “It’s not shameful at all. Brother Nan doesn’t dislike me.”

The woman was astonished. “Is it really that delicious? How can someone living in the mountains cook food from the sea?”

Before Ning Sui could respond, Ning Ju spoke up: “Brother Nan is amazing. He can cook anything.”

Ning Sui groaned but had to admit, “Maybe humans know more about food. Oh, by the way, Mom, this is what the shop owner gave us. He said it’s called zongzi.”

“And that chili sauce—it’s delicious!” Ning Ju exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, the woman walked over to the basket. The first thing she saw was a string of oddly shaped, dark green things. Each one was full and about the size of a fist. They were quite intriguing. The pots themselves were uniquely shaped as well.

Ning Sui explained how to prepare them, then took them to the kitchen and steamed them himself. When they were ready, he removed them and placed them in the basket.

The family gathered around the dining table and imitated Ning Sui and Ning Ju, unwrapping the leaves and eating. The dumplings were delicious: soft, glutinous, and richly flavored with a hint of sweetness. Ning Jian ate several in a row. Then, remembering his ancestors, he took most of the dumplings from the basket, packed them separately, and asked Ning Sui to deliver them to the Baifeng clan. Ning Ju nearly burst into tears when he saw that most of his zongzi were about to be shared in the blink of an eye.

Ning Sui hadn’t rested since returning. Before taking on the task of delivering the zongzi, he took on another task. He had never taken such matters seriously before, and traveling from the Golden Eagle tribe to the White Phoenix tribe was just a matter of going from one mountain to another.

—

With the advice of Tingchuan’s advisor, Nan Xu not only fenced the chicken coop, but also wove bamboo baskets, lined them with hay, and placed them inside. He also covered the roof with layers of large leaves to prevent leaks.

“That’s about it!” Nan Xu said with a sigh. He dusted off his hands and looked at the luxurious chicken coop before him. However, when he opened the system, he was surprised to see that it wasn’t satisfied, even after all this. Could these chicks eventually transform into phoenixes? Could they be the system’s own children?

“Any suggestions?” Nan Xu asked Tingchuan.

Tingchuan sat lazily on a chair not far away, having been brought in at some point. He rubbed his chin and said, “Chickens like to stay in trees. Why don’t you plant another tree?”

Nan Xu:?

He looked up at the mountain in the distance and considered transplanting a tree. But then he shook his head. No, no, no—he was raising broiler chickens! How could he let them fly around?

Since that approach wasn’t working, Nan Xu came up with another idea. He made a small simulated tree out of branches and placed it inside the fence where the animals could roam.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was sturdy.

[Side Quest 3 Rewards Issued: A Sheep.]

Nan Xu heard the system notification chime in his head, and fatigue washed over him. Finally, it was done!

However, when Nan Xu saw the reward list, he was stunned: Sheep?

A living sheep?

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to be happy or overwhelmed. After all, he had only taken a mattress and some sweet potatoes out of the warehouse. Pulling out a sheep was a big deal.

Nan Xu’s gaze fell on Tingchuan, who also felt a little distressed upon seeing this. “Still not satisfied? Should I put another blanket in the chicken coop?”

Nan Xu: …

Nan Xu’s eyes were mixed. Had Tingchuan already started coming up with such a bad idea? He stared at the system’s reminder with a certain mischievous interest. He wanted to see Tingchuan’s surprised expression.

Although the rest of the story was difficult to explain, Tingchuan had never asked about it, even after so many times.

“Alright, let’s do this!” Nan Xu said.

He picked up the various tools on the ground and headed toward the courtyard. Tingchuan followed him, dragging his stool, as if liberated.

The two wild boar demon brothers, who were working hard in the fields, observed this scene. Zhuang Wu couldn’t help but exclaim, “Our master must be a formidable demon! Look! That fox demon is forced to follow behind!”

Zhuang Si nodded in agreement.

They had previously misjudged Tingchuan, thinking he was a tough guy, and Nanxu, thinking he was a weakling. Now, it seemed that someone who could command such a powerful fox demon might possess even greater abilities.

Unaware of the brothers’ thoughts, Nanxu returned to the yard, placed his tools under the eaves, and headed straight for the house without washing his hands.

This behavior was unusual, and Tingchuan didn’t rush to sleep. He simply watched Nanxu’s back disappear into the house. Perhaps he had gone into the storeroom?

Tingchuan’s curiosity grew stronger.

Soon, Nan Xu emerged from the house, holding a rein in his hand.

The moment he stepped out of the main hall, Tingchuan heard a clear “Mee!” (likely referring to a wailing sound).