Chapter 35: Braised Meat (Part I)

On the way back, Qiyue noticed a very common type of grass. It was non-toxic, long, thin, and flexible, with a cylindrical surface that reminded her of the rubber bands she played with as a child. She decided to call it "tough-grass." Qiyue thought she might be able to weave herself a pair of straw sandals, or perhaps a mat; as the weather grew hotter, it would certainly be more comfortable to lie on than animal hide.

She was a woman of action, but the stone hoe she had wasn't very efficient, and the lack of a knife was truly inconvenient. Recalling that Feng Yu's beak was sharp, she figured it could easily snip this grass, so she had little Chi peck off three or four stems—enough for a pair of sandals for now. She would let Feng Yu harvest more later; after all, one shouldn't waste a beastman’s claws.

Carrying the stems, she headed back with Chi. She had been quite lucky on this trip, encountering neither large predators nor aggressive animals. In truth, this was because Feng Yu’s beast form was a rank higher than the average beastman, and his protective aura naturally carried his scent, causing most beasts to give them a wide berth.

Back at the stream, Feng Yu was already processing their catch.

Seeing him, Chi chirped, "Father, Mother brought back a lot of grass!"

"Huh? Grass?" Feng Yu paused, looking at the mother and child in bewilderment.

"It’s nothing, Chi just doesn't recognize it. I picked some vegetables. Also, when you have time, help me harvest some of this tough-grass," Qiyue said with a smile.

Qiyue didn't realize how much of an impact that expression had on Feng Yu. How beautiful! How warm! Feng Yu felt as if the world had become more vibrant and colorful, with Qiyue seemingly surrounded by a seven-colored halo.

"Yes! Alright. I caught four beasts; see if this is enough?" Feng Yu gestured to the four carcasses on the ground: a large-antlered deer already skinned, two wild oxen, and a wild goat.

Qiyue thought for a moment and said, "Let's prepare these first. We’ll roast the deer to medium-rare, so we can just reheat it slightly when we eat. Slice the goat meat and store it in Chi’s storage space; I’ll make a soup base, and we can use it for hot pot later. As for the two oxen and the innards of all the animals, we’ll braise them. We’ll roast the ribs and braise the pork belly."

"Braise? Pork belly? Can you eat the innards?" Feng Yu looked at his newly acquired mate with confusion. She was indeed young—he was already thirty-three this year, a full fourteen years her senior.

"Braising is a cooking method. I happened to find some soy-fruit today, otherwise I couldn't do it. Just watch me in a little while. The 'pork belly' is the fatty, layered meat on the flanks. Braising is just another way of cooking. Of course, innards are edible, and they actually taste better, they’re just more troublesome to clean than the meat. Oh, right, let’s braise the innards from yesterday’s pig as well. And keep these intestines; once they're cleaned, I’ll save them. When there's time, I’ll make sausages for you all," Qiyue said, lost in her own planning.

"Save the antlers from these four for me; I have a use for them. Also, the heads are edible too—chop them into pieces and we’ll boil them. Don't throw away the bones either; chop them into sections and we’ll make bone broth, so you don't need to trim them too cleanly." Qiyue knew that in this world, beastmen only kept the meat and hides, throwing away everything else. It was such a waste.

"The way you talk, what exactly is left of the whole animal?" Feng Yu chuckled as he looked at Qiyue’s adorable face, then pointed between the legs of the deer and asked, "Can this be eaten too?"

Qiyue’s face turned bright red instantly. She whispered, "Yes, it can. It helps strengthen the kidneys for males, but you are not allowed to eat it!" With that, she ran toward the stream, leaving behind Feng Yu’s hearty laughter. She realized then that she had been teased.

Though Qiyue forbade him from eating it, when she wasn't looking, Feng Yu secretly cleaned those parts and mixed them into the pile of sliced meat.

Qiyue had Chi bring out all the pottery she had commissioned. She washed them one by one and turned them upside down on large leaves to air dry, placing a small stone under the rim of each jar.

Qiyue began to process the deer’s innards. "By the way, carry some pottery jars with you from now on. Next time you kill prey, while the body is still warm and the blood hasn't congealed, collect the blood."

"What do you need blood for? We usually just take a few sips from the wound after a kill and be done with it." Feng Yu thought this little female’s ideas were truly unique. She utilized every part of the prey—could it be that the five years she spent being provided for by the tribe had led to her being starved? Otherwise, why would she be so reluctant to throw away the parts everyone else discarded? Thinking of this, he felt a pang of discomfort. He vowed that his mate would never suffer or go hungry again.

"There’s a lot of nutrition in the blood. We can make blood tofu or blood sausage." Seeing Feng Yu’s confused expression, she didn't elaborate further. "I’ll make it for you later, and you’ll see."

Feng Yu was very satisfied to hear this and grinned foolishly, interpreting her words as: Qiyue will make even more delicious food to feed me in the future.

Feng Yu finished butchering the four carcasses, laying them out on four animal hides. The bones were chopped, the ribs were divided into sections per Qiyue’s request, and the belly meat was set aside. Afterward, he began slicing the goat meat and roasting the deer meat and ribs.

By the time he finished roasting the deer, Qiyue had finished cleaning the innards. Together, they built two stoves and set up the two clay pots she had commissioned.

Qiyue directed Feng Yu to blanch the meat to be braised in the large pot to remove the foam. The blanched meat was set on a hide, as it would be stewed later. She then began to render the fat in a smaller clay pot.

Once the fat was rendered, she scooped the cracklings into a small jar and had Feng Yu pour the oil into a storage vessel—since he was a fire-element beastman, he wasn't afraid of the heat.

"It smells so good! Mother, is there something delicious to eat?" A soft chirping came from Qiyue’s hair. The little creature hadn't made a sound since they returned, having fallen asleep, but now he was awakened by the aroma of the cracklings.

"Cracklings are quite tasty. Feng Yu, try some first and see if it's okay for Chi," Qiyue said, using a large wooden spoon she had Hu Yue make for her back at the Lu Yu tribe to scoop some cracklings and hold them to Feng Yu’s lips.

Feng Yu took them into his mouth, closed his eyes, and savored the taste. *So fragrant! Yue fed me!*