Chapter 29

Huanbing (Ring Cake)

After leaving Xinwu County and passing through Qingchuan, an endless natural landscape unfolded before us.

As we approached Chengdu, the central city of Sichuan Province, there would be many satellite cities and fairly large towns around, which would allow us to avoid sleeping outdoors. However, Xinwu County, where I was, was one of the most remote villages in northern Sichuan.

Thus, the moment I left Qingchuan, the largest city in this area, my journey was already set to be a survival documentary.

And the highlight of any survival documentary is, of course, the food.

Anyone who has read a bit of martial arts novels would probably think of dried rations in this situation, but "dried rations" is a general term for dried food, not a specific item.

Things like cornmeal and jerky are all included in dried rations.

There is one thing, however, that fits the image of a standardized dried ration.

The thing that Tang Yingying is now forcibly taking from me and shoving into her mouth for the second time.

*Crunch crunch*

"Mr. Liu, how can this Huanbing be so sweet?"

'She’s trying to get a rise out of me? Stealing and eating someone else’s things is always sweet!'

The woman looked at me with a sly smile.

She looked like a character from a 70s comedy series, making me want to pinch her cheeks.

She had already stolen and eaten two of my emergency rations, and now she was smiling with a smug voice. That was my impression of Tang Yingying.

Why is my precious Huanbing being forced into Tang Yingying’s mouth?

Curious Tang Yingying, who seemed to be a cat in human form, had been wondering what was in my travel bag ever since we started our journey.

Why is she so curious about what’s in someone else’s bag?

So, when we took a short break earlier, I showed her the contents, which turned out to be the start of her Huanbing theft...

"That’s because sugar was added."

When I pouted in response, Tang Yingying, who was crunching on the Huanbing, clapped her hands and said happily,

"Of course! There’s sugar in it!"

*Crunch*

The Huanbing that is now disappearing into Tang Yingying’s mouth is, in this era, a kind of combat ration, or dried ration. It’s made by mixing coarse flour with salt, making a dough, and then baking it after poking a hole in the center.

The baked flour dough becomes very hard after some time, and people carry it in their travel bags or on their waists.

The size can vary; it can be made large enough to hang around the neck or tied to the back of a carriage like a spare tire.

And when needed, it’s eaten in small pieces during the journey.

It was a precious Huanbing that I and Kalian made together late into the night.

Since it would taste bland with just salt, I added a bit of sugar, which is the sugar of this era. When Tang Yingying asked for a taste, I gave it to her without thinking, and now she keeps stealing and eating it, saying it’s so delicious.

After crunching away at the second Huanbing for a while, Tang Yingying, who had been quiet while eating, finally spoke to me again.

"Mr. Liu."

"Yes, Miss Tang, no more."

"Huh? What do you mean, what do you think I am?"

'How can she say that after eating two Huanbings as big as her face!'

Her audacity left me speechless. Two Huanbings I made could feed four people.

Tang Yingying was shamelessly audacious.

"Then what is it?"

"There’s something I’m curious about."

Tang Yingying spoke hesitantly, which was uncharacteristic of her.

"What is it?"

"Zheng and I are like sisters, and she told me an interesting story. I’m curious about it."

I was curious about what Zhuge Qing had told Tang Yingying.

"What did she say?"

"Ahem, you said her eyes were like a lake. Is that true?"

"Ah, that’s it."

She must have been proud enough to tell Tang Yingying about it.

Probably because, as a flour dough with no prior experience of being praised for her appearance and often receiving negative comments about her heterochromia, my compliment left a strong impression on her.

Just like how, in my previous life, the only praise I ever received was for catching a cockroach in elementary school, the first compliment from someone can become a vivid memory.

Judging by Tang Yingying’s expression, she, like many people here, had a bias against blue eyes, and my words seemed somewhat surprising to her.

So, I decided to explain how beautiful blue eyes are.

"Yes, anything blue is clear, vast, bright, and beautiful. Whether it’s a clear lake, the sky, or the vast sea, they are all blue. So, blue is the most beautiful color in the world. It’s as if it contains the world."

"Really, to that extent!"

Tang Yingying, who doesn’t have blue eyes, blushed and looked embarrassed.

Women’s ability to empathize is something I, as a man, can’t understand.

We continued our journey in an awkward atmosphere, and after a while, Tang Yingying, who had been fanning her flushed face, finally asked again,

"Mr. Liu?"

"Yes, Miss Tang."

"Um... Can I have... one more Huanbing?"

'Oh, come on!'

I had no choice but to take another Huanbing from my travel bag and give it to her.

"Here you go!"

'Do they not eat in the Tang family?'

It’s a mystery how their daughter can eat like a laborer.

***

"Let’s rest here for today."

"Yes, Miss."

As the sun was setting, we set up camp by the road at Miss Tang’s instruction.

The preparation was simple, just lighting a fire under a big tree.

After gathering branches and starting the fire, the Tang family’s warriors dispersed.

They seemed to do this out of habit.

"Where are they going?"

"Ah, they’re probably going to catch something for dinner."

I had noticed that Tang Yingying and the warriors had very light baggage, and it seemed they relied on local provisions for meals.

I had prepared quite a few things, but it seemed their martial arts skills made it easy for them.

My travel bag was supposed to be full of books, but since reading classical Chinese gives me a headache, it was filled with cooking ingredients and tools, emergency rations like Huanbing, a wok, a kitchen knife, salt, and a few spices.

I thought I should show off my cooking skills for dinner, but after a short wait, the Tang family’s warriors returned with a deer that was just right for a meal, looking very pleased.

"Miss, we caught a deer."

Tang Yingying made a face of disgust at the sight of the deer and said naturally,

"Well, I don’t like the smell of meat, so I’ll just eat Huanbing. Everyone, enjoy your meal."

I slowly turned my head to look at Tang Yingying. She smiled at me, as if the Huanbing was hers.

She now spoke as if it belonged to her.

I shook my head and gave her another Huanbing, then sat down next to the warriors who were preparing the deer.

As a guest, I could have just sat there, but since we were all familiar, it would be more natural to help out and blend in.

If I just stood there or folded my arms, it would be awkward.

Being perceptive like me is the key to not going hungry wherever you go.

If you’re not perceptive like Tang Yingying, you might end up with your cheeks pinched.

While looking for something to help with, the Tang family’s warriors said proudly,

"Sir, you are very lucky. You will get to taste the best meat that only the Tang family can provide."

The proud words of the Tang family’s warriors.

'Oh! Do they have their own special cooking methods, like survival experts?'

In my previous life, I watched many survival experts on YouTube, and each had their own unique survival cooking methods, which looked very delicious.

Thinking of this, I moved closer with an expectant look and sat down.

Then, a Tang family warrior took out his dagger and carefully began to peel the skin off the deer’s leg.

'Hmm?'

Something felt off.

Usually, when slaughtering an animal, you should bleed it out by cutting the throat, but he was peeling the skin first.

I thought he might be doing it the Mongolian way, peeling the skin and placing the animal on top, but after peeling a bit of the leg skin, he started slicing thin pieces.

With each slice, blood dripped from the deer’s leg.

'What is he doing?'

Feeling something was strange, I noticed the deer’s tail twitch.

'Is it rigor mortis?'

But the tail kept moving, so I looked at the deer’s face.

The deer’s eyes were rolling.

"Ah!"

Surprised by the movement of the deer’s eyes, I sat back, and the Tang family’s warriors laughed at me.

"How is it? The freshest and best meat you can only taste with the Tang family’s paralyzing poison."

Only then did I understand why she said the smell was a problem.

In the market here, freshly caught meat is considered the best, and often, chickens are slaughtered on the spot. It seems this is an extension of that thinking.

After all, the freshest meat comes from a living animal.

Regardless of the smell.

I couldn’t eat the bloody, gamey deer meat, so I sat next to Tang Yingying and asked while munching on Huanbing,

"Do the Tang family always eat such bloody meat?"

"No, only when we’re outside. The best meat is always freshly caught, but I don’t like the smell."

I immediately checked my travel bag.

How many Huanbings were left?

We would probably need them for sleeping outdoors.

But the clueless Tang Yingying, noticing my action, said in a slightly embarrassed voice,

"Ahem, since I got to eat Huanbing, can I make some soup for you?"

'She has a domestic side, despite her appearance?'

By "soup," she meant a broth.

She looked far from domestic, but it was surprising that she was offering to cook.

Since it was getting cold, a warm broth sounded good, so I nodded.

"That would be very nice."

She borrowed my wok and went to the water’s edge, where she seemed to be catching something.

After a while, she put the wok on the fire and started boiling something.

*Boil boil*

In the dim light, something seemed to be bubbling up, and a fishy smell rose from the broth.

"Something smells a bit unusual?"

"My Stone Soup is very tasty, everyone says so. I’m sure you’ll like it."

After boiling for a while, Tang Yingying seasoned the broth with salt and ladled it into the bowl I handed her.

It smelled like seaweed soup.

*Slurp*

I stirred it with a spoon and took a bite, finding a subtle taste.

"How is it? Is it good? It’s good, right?"

She was insisting it was good.

I just nodded.

Then, I bit into a piece of Huanbing and tried to scoop another spoonful of the warm broth.

But something solid was stuck to the spoon. It seemed to be what she had caught earlier.

I put it in my mouth and chewed.

*Crunch*

The sound of corn kernels bursting in my mouth.

"Ouch! My teeth! My jaw!"

I immediately clutched my jaw and rolled on the ground.

Tang Yingying’s surprised voice echoed.

"Oh my! Why did you eat a stone?"

"What? A stone? Why did you put a stone in the food?"

"Is this your first time trying Stone Soup?"

"Huh? Ouch..."

"It’s called Stone Soup because you boil moss-covered stones from the water. ..."

I had heard that they eat everything except the table, but I didn’t expect such a variety of foods.