RIIDMDR chapter 30

 

Nan Xu woke up early. Since he didn’t have a cell phone in these mountains, going to bed and getting up early had become a habit. First, he watered the vegetables in the field, then he went to check on the chicks.

Two of the chicks that had hatched died within two days for unknown reasons. There were only twenty-eight left. Recently, the daytime temperatures had been getting hotter, and Nan Xu was worried that the rest wouldn’t survive either. He made sure to check on them every day. With Tingchuan’s return and attentive care, none of the remaining chicks died, and all survived. Within a few days, their fur grew thicker, creating adorable, fluffy yellow tufts.

Breakfast consisted of steamed buns, braised pork buns, and fish congee, accompanied by Nan Xu’s chili sauce and two small dishes of pickled vegetables. Ning Ju ate while praising Nan Xu profusely. He reiterated his desire to remain Nan Xu’s younger brother forever, which made Ning Sui so angry that he wanted to beat him up that morning.

“Is this the kind of food we bird tribe grow?” Ning Sui asked.

Nanxu nodded and explained how to hull rice and grind wheat into flour. Ning Sui realized that the bird tribe had tried this before but found it too troublesome. Furthermore, their stomachs could naturally digest the hulls, though the taste was slightly worse. Over time, no bird demon bothered to remove the hulls, and they reverted to their original way of eating.

Nan Xu hadn’t expected the food grown in the fields to be so versatile. For instance, fish fillets could be added to porridge, permeating every grain with their savory flavor and leaving him craving more. Then there were the steamed buns made from flour mixed with something else. They were fluffy and soft and not at all greasy. The wrappers were stained with oil and stuffed with minced meat filling, and the taste was beyond his imagination.

“I love chili! Slurp! My tongue’s on fire!” Ning Ju interrupted, his face flushed. He had no idea how much chili sauce he had consumed while no one was looking. His mouth was agape, saliva dripping from his chin, and he kept swallowing, looking quite comical.

Nan Xu said, “Don’t eat too much chili sauce at once. A child’s stomach can’t handle it.”

Ning Ju smiled and said, “It’s okay. I’m over a hundred years old. I can digest bones.”

Nan Xu said, “Sorry, I forgot you’re a hundred years old again.”

“I still have a few jars of chili sauce that I made. You can take some with you when you go back,” said Nan Xu, remembering Ning Sui’s comment about Ning Ju not eating at home.

Ning Ju was overjoyed. He had planned to leave, but he didn’t expect to be able to take some back with him. Ning Sui was also delighted to hear that. Although he couldn’t handle spicy food, he tried some of the sauce and thought it was really good. Even without vegetables, he could eat quite a bit of it. Besides, his father loved spicy food, so he would definitely like it. After breakfast, Nan Xu opened his system. While talking to Ning Sui, his brain whirred into a melodious flute tune for some reason. While pleasant, it was hard on his ears.

[Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival[mfn]The Dragon Boat Festival is a traditional Chinese holiday. It happens on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month (around June). People celebrate it by eating sticky rice dumplings (zongzi) and racing dragon boats. It mainly remembers Qu Yuan, a famous poet who drowned himself to show love for his country. People threw rice in the river to protect his body from fish, which is why eat zongzi.[/mfn]. The Dragon Boat Festival promotion begins tomorrow. Some items in the mall are half off.]

Actually, it’s already Dragon Boat Festival. Nan Xu saw the words “half-off” and his heart instantly lit up. He had just collected the 200 yuan room fee from Ning Sui the day before and was wondering what he could spend it on.

Who could resist a sale? Even the most discerning person would take a look at a guaranteed win, whether they buy or not, and then check their pockets to assess their purchasing power.

The discounted items in the mall were thoughtfully placed on the homepage, making them readily available when the page opened. Zongzi leaves were 20 silver coins per bundle, 10 jin[mfn]1 jin (斤) = 500 grams = 0.5 kg (about 1.1 pounds).[/mfn] of glutinous rice was 50 silver coins, 1 jin of red beans was 50 silver coins, and 1 jin of red dates was 60 silver coins.

After browsing the store from top to bottom, Nan Xu decided that he could afford the lowest-priced items. He bought two bundles of zongzi leaves, 10 jin of glutinous rice, and 1 jin each of red beans and red dates. He spent the 200 silver coins before they were even warm. Since he purchased items related to the Dragon Boat Festival, he received a bundle of cotton thread via email.

Thinking about the Dragon Boat Festival, he remembered that in the old days, everyone would go to the moat to watch the dragon boat races. Now, they can only do so in the mountains. Not only that, but you can’t even see the river! Making rice dumplings is a bit of a ritual, after all, and spending a little money on them is worth it!

Thus, Tingchuan witnessed Nanxu’s emotional whirlwind of daze, joy, regret, excitement, and disappointment—a textbook-level display of emotion.

Nanxu turned off the system and suddenly met Tingchuan’s inquiring gaze and grinned.

Tingchuan: “What happened?”

Nanxu rubbed his hands excitedly; his mind was still preoccupied with the thrill of spending money. “It’s okay. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival for the human race. I’ll make you some zongzi[mfn]Zongzi (粽子) is a traditional Chinese food made of glutinous (sticky) rice wrapped in bamboo or reed leaves, usually tied with string.[/mfn].”

Tingchuan: “Dragon Boat Festival?”

Nanxu briefly recounted the origins of the festival to Tingchuan. After hearing the story, Tingchuan became interested in zongzi. In fact, Nanxu thought Tingchuan would probably be interested in zongzi even without the explanation.

The glutinous rice and red beans needed to be soaked in advance. Tingchuan followed Nanxu into the warehouse to get the ingredients. The seemingly empty warehouse was like a treasure trove; every time he entered, he found something new and fresh.

After gathering the ingredients to make zongzi, Nan Xu realized that, since he already had the sweet kind, he should make the salty kind, too. He bought some pork belly, cut it up, marinated it, and covered the basket with a densely meshed bamboo lid.

Now, it would be a true competition between the salty and sweet zongzi!

The wild boar demon brothers’ house was almost finished. The bamboo hut looked very much like a real one. As for the kitchen, they had to buy iron pots outside the mountain. They simply followed Nan Xu’s example and built a small earthenware stove. They cooked their meals in clay pots, which were convenient and easy to use.

I’ve heard that boar demons usually build their homes in caves in the mountains, so this was their first time living in a bamboo hut. After two days of hard work, the two brothers finally created this place. After running around all day, they suddenly felt like settling down; they were still a little unaccustomed to it.

“Boss, what are we going to do tomorrow?” The younger boar demon was naive. For the past two days, he had been sitting there, smelling the food aroma wafting from the nearby inn and feeling exhausted from eating and drinking. However, the spiritual contract had been signed, and with Tingchuan, the fox demon, still in control, he didn’t dare entertain any evil thoughts. He just wanted to perform well, hoping that, when in a good mood, the master would allow him to go to the inn for a fresh meal.

Demons don’t get hungry as easily as humans do, but gluttons won’t stop just because they’re hungry, and demons have such long lifespans that going without food and water for a year or two doesn’t matter.

The eldest wild boar demon was also working and listening to his younger brother’s conversation with Nan Xu. He was much more attentive than his younger brother. He had spent the past two days in Zhuyu Mountain and had noticed changes in his body. Most notably, the old injuries he had sustained from years of wandering had begun to heal.

Even in the Changning Mountains, which were once occupied by leopard-hunting demons who possessed the greatest spiritual power, he had never seen such changes.

No wonder Zhuyu Mountain is the most mysterious place in demon legends.

But then there was a problem. The first time he and his brother, Zhuang Wu, entered the mountains, they got lost and spent a long time there. They didn’t feel the same sense of nourishment as they did now. It seemed as if all of this had only started after they arrived near this inn.

Could this boss have set up an ancient spirit-gathering formation on this main peak?

How could he have such extraordinary abilities?!

Zhuang Si was shocked by his own conjecture. He looked at Nan Xu with such admiration and awe that he almost forgot what his brother and boss had just said.

Nan Xu finished assigning tasks to Zhuang Wu for the next few days and was about to leave. As he turned around, his eyes accidentally met Zhuang Si’s. Zhuang Si had remained silent, and Nan Xu was stunned for a moment.

What was that expression on his face? Why did he look like he was about to offer himself up?

“Don’t worry, Boss! We two brothers grew a lot of cabbage in the mountains, so we have plenty of experience,” Zhuang Wu said confidently.

Nan Xu looked away, avoiding Zhuang Si’s gaze. Of the two wild boar demons, Zhuang Wu was much purer of heart than his brother and more willing to engage in conversation. As for Zhuang Si, beneath his honest and simple exterior, he always harbored sinister intent.

Back in the yard, Tingchuan said, “The wild boar demon’s house will be finished in two days at most. Don’t let them fool you.”

Nanxu laughed at this. Tingchuan must be worried that the two wild boar demons will be lazy.

“Well, I just went to see them. They said they could start working tomorrow. I asked them to plow the sandy land and plant watermelons,” Nanxu said.

Hearing that they weren’t going to be idle, Tingchuan said nothing more.

After lunch, Ning Sui said he wanted to take Ning Ju back home. Nan Xu thought for a moment and said, “Wait a moment, then. I’ll make some rice dumplings for you to take home.”

The Bird Tribe lived near Zhuyu Mountain, so good neighborly relations were crucial. In the human world, Nan Xu had seen people give rice dumplings to their neighbors during the Dragon Boat Festival. It seemed like a custom. Since Ning Sui was there, Nan Xu decided to give him some, saving him the trouble of figuring out how to do it himself.

Ning Sui didn’t know what the Dragon Boat Festival was, but after Nan Xu briefly explained it to him, he realized it was a human festival and decided not to rush to leave.

Nan Xu had Tingchuan clear the dishes while he carried out the prepared ingredients and set out a bamboo table. After boiling the leaves, Nan Xu added soaked glutinous rice and various fillings, finally wrapping it all tightly. A plump, triangular zongzi was formed.

Three heads gathered around the bamboo table, watching Nan Xu as he worked. It was truly miraculous how he could create such a beautiful thing with just the flick of a finger.

Ning Ju tried to make one himself, but his hands were too small. As soon as he put the glutinous rice into the leaves that Nan Xu had rolled for him, the rice dumpling broke open at the bottom and fell onto the table.

Ning Ju repeatedly scooped the fallen glutinous rice back into the rice dumplings. He kept doing so until the white rice was nearly blackened by his plate.

“Stop wasting things,” Ning Sui said to his younger brother.

Ning Ju felt frustrated. It had seemed so easy when he watched Brother Nan do it.

That look made Ning Sui, his dear older brother, feel a little sorry. “Your hands are too small. Let me help you.”

He’d been watching for so long that his hands were actually itching. But he was too embarrassed to say anything because of his age. Now, he had a good excuse to play around.

As he spoke, he took the zong leaves and glutinous rice from his brother’s hands. Then he looked at Tingchuan with sympathy and asked, “Do you want to try it, too?”

He seemed eager to give it a try, as did his aloof fox demon brother.

Tingchuan shook his head, his expression impassive. “No.”

Nan Xu’s fingers flicked as he glanced in Tingchuan’s direction. He felt the man’s eyes were unfathomable, as if he were waiting for a joke.

Nan Xu: …