He carefully examined the scattered footprints around him, unable to tell whether they belonged to wolves or leopards. Wild animals in the forest have an exceptionally keen sense of smell in winter; they can detect even the slightest hint of blood.

Fortunately, we didn't slaughter the roe deer on the spot yesterday.

After feeding the fawn and packing up his things, he quickly left with Jiang Xi.

On the way here, I was looking around and walking, and it felt like time went by pretty quickly.

On the way back, it was all about traveling. Jiang Xi calculated that it would take them at least seven or eight hours to get back.

Jiang Xi felt sorry for the deer, so she let it walk on its own whenever it could, only letting it carry the backpack.

After circling around nearly two mountains, the road back to the valley was relatively flat and easier to travel, and Jiang Xi had only been riding for an hour or two.

In winter, the days are short and it gets dark early. Despite their hurried journey, it was already completely dark when they returned to the cave.

Jiang Xi dismounted from the deer, and the two unloaded the firewood and backpacks they had collected along the way, then tied the fawn to the wooden house.

After passing through the wooden house and cave corridor on the back mountain, Yan Zheng first saw the faint light in the front hall and breathed a sigh of relief.

He heard several rapid coughs and wheezing sounds ahead, and he quickened his pace without realizing it.

When Yan Jin'an saw them return, a glimmer of life returned to his previously sickly face.

He quickly sat up: "You're back."

Yan Zheng nodded: "How are you feeling?"

"It's much better now. I told you it's an old problem. You guys were too worried."

Yan Zheng didn't speak. He first opened the steamer and saw that the yams and dried rabbit inside were gone. Only then did his expression soften slightly.

Upon entering the lobby, a warm feeling washed over her, and Jiang Xi took off her gloves, hat, and scarf.

As he untied his cloak, he said, "Since it's an old ailment, it means it hasn't been cured yet."

Then, with a mysterious look on her face, she said, "Guess what we found this time?"

The cloak was tied too tightly, and she couldn't untie it for a long time. Yan Zheng saw this and went over to untie it for her.

Yan Jing'an said with a look of disgust, "You didn't bring out some weird medicine again, did you?"

Jiang Xi gave her a look that said, "You don't appreciate my kindness," and continued, "It's ginseng, wild ginseng that's been around for decades."

The cloak opened, and she quickly took it off, then took out the ginseng from her backpack and showed it to Yan Jing'an.

Yan Jing'an asked in surprise, "Is this ginseng?"

Then, something occurred to him: "You're not talking about ginseng, are you?"

He said, "We don't have the concept of ginseng here, but there is a medicinal herb called 'ground ginseng,' which is considered a top-grade herb. Wild and aged ones are especially good, and it is said to be able to boost one's energy and spirit."

Jiang Xi understood: "Then it should be the same thing."

Yan Zheng took the kettle off the earthen stove and poured three cups of hot tea. Steam rose above the oil lamp. Listening to the two people beside him chatting, a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

Jiang Xi had been rushing back since morning, and hadn't eaten much along the way, so she was starving.

She said weakly, "I'm so hungry, I want to eat."

Yan Zheng smiled and asked her what she wanted to eat.

"Meat, I want to eat braised pork with preserved mustard greens."

Yan Zheng smiled wryly: "Your requirements are quite high. It's a pity we don't have preserved mustard greens or fresh meat."

Jiang Xi's eyes lit up when pork was mentioned.

There's no fresh meat, but there's piglets; there's no fresh meat, but there's braised pork; there's no preserved mustard greens, but there are radish greens.

Even in the original world, not every place produced preserved mustard greens. In most places in the north where preserved mustard greens were not available, mustard greens or radish greens were used instead.

Why not give it a try?

Thinking about it, she went to wash her hands.

Yan Zheng turned to Yan Jing'an and asked what he wanted to eat.

Yan Jing'an looked surprised and muttered, "You're quite agreeable today."

Yan Zheng laughed angrily: "I'm only doing this because you're a patient. It's out of humanitarian concern."

Then, impatiently, he said, "You're not going to tell me, huh? If you're not going to tell me, I'll just do whatever I want."

Yan Jing'an, fearing he might change his mind, coughed twice and said, "Stir-fried mountain scallions with wood ear mushrooms."

When you're not feeling well, you naturally don't have the appetite to eat rich, meaty foods.

**

Jiang Xi took out the previously dried radish greens and wood ear mushrooms and soaked them in hot water.

Next, take out a piece of meat from the jar and slice it thinly.

Jiang Xi was worried that the ginseng would spoil if left to dry for too long, so she cleaned it thoroughly, put a few pieces of nearly burnt firewood in the kiln, and then placed the ginseng on a stone slab inside to dry it slowly.

Yan Zheng picked a few wild scallions on the hillside, then remembered that Jiang Xi had said she wanted to eat meat, so he went to the front gate and took down a frozen, half-hard chicken hanging on the gatepost.

He caught this chicken by the river a couple of days ago. The chicken wasn't very lean, so we decided to cook it together tonight. We'll use half for stir-frying and the other half for soup, and add some ginseng slices.

After the radish greens were soaked, Jiang Xi first stir-fried them with star anise and wild scallions until dry. Then she took out a bowl, arranged the thinly sliced ​​braised pork on it, and then put the stir-fried radish greens on top of the pork. Finally, she put it in a steamer and steamed it. She also added three servings of yam rice to the steamer.

She then stepped down to the sidelines, serving as a support for Yan Zheng.

Yan Zheng chopped the chicken into pieces the size of mahjong tiles with a few quick strokes, took out the clay stove from the last hot pot meal, threw in a few pieces of charcoal, and deliberately placed it in the gap of the door curtain, even lifting a corner to let in some ventilation.

Place a soup pot on the clay stove, throw in half a chicken, and add two pieces of ginseng to stew together.

Heat lard in a pan, sauté wild onions until fragrant, then add chicken pieces and stir-fry until the chicken turns golden brown and fragrant. Finally, add a few dried raspberries roasted by Jiang Xi.

When fresh, these raspberries are deep red and have a mediocre taste. Eating them fresh always leaves your hands stained. Later, Jiang Xi thought of using them to color dishes. Adding a few raspberries to the dish would give the meat a reddish hue.

He added half a spoonful of honey to the pot to replace the sweetness of the braised dish, and then added a bowl of water to simmer.

When the chicken was ready, it was golden brown and glossy. Jiang Xi's braised pork with preserved mustard greens was also done. She covered the bowl with a plate and flipped it over beautifully, changing the position of the radish greens and the pork slices underneath.

Slices of meat are neatly arranged on top of the radish greens. When you poke them with chopsticks, the meat trembles slightly. It's salty and fragrant, and the radish greens, soaked in the meat juices, have a slightly bitter aroma that balances the richness of the meat.

Finally, Yan Zheng quickly stir-fried some wild scallions and wood ear mushrooms, and stir-fried potato slices, both with little oil and salt.

Lifting the lid of the peat stove, the aroma of chicken soup filled the air, overpowering the smell of braised chicken in the cave. The soup was clear and not cloudy. Yan Zheng took a wooden spoon, skimmed off the yellow chicken fat that was unique to free-range chickens, added a little salt, and ladled out two bowls, placing them in front of Jiang Xi and Yan Jing'an.

Yan Zheng, untying his apron, said, "Let's eat."

Yan Jing'an looked at the chicken soup in front of him and Jiang Xi and asked in surprise, "Why aren't you drinking the chicken soup?"

Yan Zheng glanced at him, picked up a piece of chicken, and said meaningfully, "Because I don't need any supplements."

What does this mean? Does it mean you're being insecure?

Yan Jing'an glanced at Jiang Xi out of the corner of his eye. She had been eating with her head down, but her shoulders were trembling.

He coughed twice anxiously, trying to reassure himself: "I'm not weak because I'm sick."

Yan Zheng nodded reassuringly: "Then get well soon, and let's have a match."

Yan Jing'an was excited, and his sickly appearance improved: "Okay, tell me what we should compete in."

Yan Zheng pretended to think: "Let's have a fencing competition, using wooden sticks. The loser is responsible for cooking for a month."

"Okay, let's have a competition."

Yan Zheng's furrowed brows relaxed: "Let's eat."

After the meal, Jiang Xi leaned back on the grass, supporting herself with her hands behind her back, and said, "I'm so full, it was so delicious."

After two days of eating outdoors and sleeping in the open, dinner was so lavish that she accidentally ate too much.

Yan Zheng was staring at the tangerine peel and licorice soup in the clay stove when he heard this, he said, "Get up and walk around, it will help with digestion."

Jiang Xi shook her head: "No, I've been gone for two days, I need to rest properly."

Actually, she's not exactly a typical girl from Jiangnan; she just spent a few years in the south when she was young. But sometimes when she's in a good mood, her voice will have a soft, gentle tone characteristic of southern accents.

Yan Zheng felt a little uneasy after hearing this.