"Everyone, help out so we can eat earlier," Xia Ren said with a smile.
He was quite pleased to see Jiang Wan'er and his daughters happy.
"Daddy, I'll clean these two wild chickens," Da Ya volunteered.
Er Ya, unwilling to be outdone, said, "Then I'll go make the fire."
San Ya puffed out her cheeks, her voice childish, but after thinking for a while, she still didn't know how to help: "San Ya will help too, help... help eat..."
Xia Ren, Jiang Wan'er, Da Ya, and Er Ya inside the house burst into laughter at San Ya's words.
And four-year-old San Ya didn't understand why everyone was laughing so hard, so she joined her family in laughing.
The home was small but very warm.
"Now I'll assign everyone's tasks: Niangzi, you're responsible for preparing these two wild chickens—plucking, butchering, cleaning, then chopping the chicken into small pieces, and finally blanching it in boiling water to remove blood and impurities," Xia Ren said calmly to Jiang Wan'er.
"Okay," Jiang Wan'er nodded, her voice gentle.
"Da Ya, you're responsible for removing the burrs from these chestnuts and taking out the chestnuts inside. Be careful not to hurt your hands while working."
"Er Ya, you're responsible for making the fire and preparing the ingredients. Crush the dried chilies into powder, slice the ginger, and mince the garlic."
"San Ya, you clean these shiitake mushrooms and other fungi," Xia Ren instructed his daughters one by one.
The system had provided some green onions, ginger, garlic, and salt, which was good.
The food would be even more delicious.
"Daddy, what about you?" the mischievous San Ya asked Xia Ren, tilting her small head in confusion.
Er Ya rolled her eyes at Er Ya, explaining, "Dummy, Daddy is definitely the one cooking."
San Ya was indignant, putting her hands on her hips and saying softly, "Hmph, San Ya isn't dumb, Second Sister is the dummy!"
Afterward, the family began to get busy.
The two wild chickens had a lot of fat, which could be rendered into chicken oil.
There was no oil left at home, so the rendered chicken oil would be perfect for tonight's meal.
Soon, Xia Ren rendered half a bowl of chicken oil.
He was ready to start cooking the first dish, braised chicken with chestnuts.
By this time, the ingredients were ready: one wild chicken, peeled chestnuts, ginger slices, salt, chicken oil, and clear water.
If there had been cooking wine, light soy sauce, and sugar, the taste would have been even better, but unfortunately, they didn't have them at home.
He put oil in the pot. Once the oil was hot, Xia Ren put the prepared chicken and ginger slices into the pot to stir-fry. After the chicken surface was slightly browned, he added enough hot water to cover the chicken, brought it to a boil over high heat, then reduced it to a low simmer.
When the braised chicken was almost fully cooked, Xia Ren added the pre-prepared peeled chestnuts, as well as star anise and cinnamon, into the pot to continue simmering.
As time passed, the soup gradually thickened, which also meant that the chicken and chestnuts were both cooked.
He added a little salt, scooped up some soup with an iron spoon to taste, and felt the flavor was good, so he served it. The braised chicken with chestnuts was complete.
Jiang Wan'er and the three girls smelled the aroma, their mouths watering, their eyes fixed on the large bowl of braised chicken with chestnuts.
So, Xia Ren scooped out four pieces of chicken to let them satisfy their cravings first.
"Wow, it's so delicious! San Ya has never eaten anything this good before!" San Ya tasted a bite, her face beaming with excitement, unable to stop talking even while eating.
She had never tasted such a delicacy before. Only in her dreams could she occasionally have such a wonderful dream. But now, she could actually eat it.
At this moment, she felt incredibly happy.
Jiang Wan'er, Da Ya, and San Ya also praised it profusely.
Afterward, Xia Ren continued cooking.
The second dish was shiitake mushroom chicken soup.
The third dish was roasted shiitake mushrooms.
These two dishes were cooked simultaneously.
Xia Ren added an appropriate amount of clear water to the pot, put in the blanched chicken pieces, brought it to a boil again, then reduced it to a low heat, added the remaining ginger slices, and simmered for about ten minutes.
Then, he added the shiitake mushrooms to the soup and continued to simmer for another ten minutes until the mushrooms softened.
During the cooking process, as the soup slowly simmered, the savory flavor of the chicken and the aroma of the shiitake mushrooms gradually permeated, intertwining into a wonderful symphony of flavors.
Finally, he added an appropriate amount of salt for seasoning, stirred it evenly, and then served it.
The fragrant shiitake mushroom chicken soup was finished.
Roasted shiitake mushrooms were much simpler: the cleaned shiitake mushrooms were skewered with bamboo sticks, brushed with chicken oil, and then slanted near the bonfire.
After they were cooked, the crushed dried chilies and minced garlic were filled into the concave parts of the mushrooms for a second roasting.
Soon, the aroma of the roasted shiitake mushrooms spread, accompanied by the scent of dried chilies and minced garlic, greatly increasing one's appetite.
The three dishes were each served in three large ceramic bowls.
The three girls standing by the table swallowed hard, looking at the delicious food on the table.
"Why are you all standing? Come to the table and eat," Xia Ren said, waving his hand.
But none of them came to the table. Finally, eight-year-old Da Ya replied to Xia Ren, "Daddy, you used to say that girls couldn't eat at the table."
It was only then that Xia Ren realized.
Right, this was ancient times, where the social etiquette dictated male superiority over females.
Neither girls nor women could eat at the table with men.
"That was before. From now on, our family doesn't have so many rules; everyone can eat at the table," Xia Ren said kindly to his family.
He had originally wanted to say, wash your hands before eating.
But then he thought about the drought, where there wasn't much water available for washing hands, so he didn't say anything.
"We'll listen to Daddy," Er Ya nodded and was the first to sit down.
Jiang Wan'er, Da Ya, and San Ya sat down at the table one after another.
It was already dark, and the earth was as if covered by a black cloth.
So Xia Ren had lit an oil lamp early, its faint light illuminating the room.
Both wild chickens were stewed, and there were four chicken legs alone.
Xia Ren stood up and used a pair of chopsticks to pick the four chicken legs into his family's bowls.
Niangzi Jiang Wan'er, eldest daughter Da Ya, second daughter Er Ya, and third daughter San Ya each got a chicken leg.
As for himself, Xia Ren didn't shortchange himself either; he took a chicken wing from the braised chicken with chestnuts and ate it in large bites.
The taste was quite good.
The sweet aroma of the chestnuts permeated every fiber of the chicken, the flavor was rich and layered, and the meat was tender and flavorful.
San Ya gnawed on her chicken leg, her face full of happy smiles.
"Daddy, you're too amazing!" San Ya looked at Xia Ren with adoration, feeling immense admiration for his cooking skills.
"If it's good, eat more," Xia Ren said with a calm smile.
Then he served a large bowl of shiitake mushroom chicken soup to San Ya.
Xia Ren and his family thoroughly enjoyed this dinner.
The remaining dishes were covered with bowls to be eaten for breakfast tomorrow.
Late at night.
Xia Ren was in the courtyard repairing the family's two-wheeled cart.
There were many things to bring for tomorrow's escape.
Therefore, this two-wheeled cart had to be repaired.
After all, a two-wheeled cart could carry a lot of things and save physical effort.
"Husband," Jiang Wan'er walked out of the house and said softly to Xia Ren.
Looking at Xia Ren, Jiang Wan'er felt a strong sense of security.
"Are the children asleep?" Xia Ren asked Jiang Wan'er beside him while repairing the wooden wheel.
"Yes, they're all asleep," Jiang Wan'er nodded, then her cheeks suddenly flushed, even turning red to her ears. She mustered her courage and whispered, "Husband, you've worked hard all day. When we return to the room later, let me serve you and help you rest."
