Chapter 143
As the sun gradually set behind the western mountains, the group, having failed to find a water source, could only find a place with a wide view to set up camp.
"Baby! I'm starving! Time to eat, time to eat, time to eat!"
As soon as the carriage stopped, the Ghost Doctor jumped off and ran towards the back carriage, calling out to Fan Xiaoxiao.
Fan Xiaoxiao jumped off the carriage and had Fan Shi inside hand her the basin.
"I'll do it."
Little Black had been standing silently behind her without her noticing, and the sudden noise almost startled Fan Xiaoxiao so much that she threw the wooden basin away.
"Young Master Hei, you scared me to death."
Fan Xiaoxiao stepped aside to let the other person come forward and take the wooden basin.
There was some movement from the carriage ahead, and Fan Xiaoxiao turned around to see Gu Zhongtai.
He hasn't been wearing the black gauze covering his eyes lately, and it seems he can see a little better now.
However, the poisoning condition kept fluctuating, and the Ghost Doctor tried every possible way to improve his health along the way. But this powerful figure was already weak and didn't eat much during the journey.
If she's cooking, he'll come out; if someone else is cooking, he'll just do a perfunctory job.
Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at Boss Gu's face and his not-so-thin body, wondering how he could maintain that appearance despite eating so little.
"Kid! Let's roast a pigeon!"
The Ghost Doctor rushed over, his chubby body completely blocking Fan Xiaoxiao's view.
The latter snapped out of his daze and realized that he had been staring blankly at Boss Gu for a while. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed: "Ah, um! Okay! Let's roast pigeon!"
Once the marinating process is complete, all you need to do is set up a fire and grill.
Master Lu shaved some skewers for Fan Xiaoxiao, which were perfect for stringing pigeons.
After they were strung together, the fire over there was burning brightly. Fan Xiaoxiao carefully turned the pigeons over, trying to avoid direct contact with the open flame.
After flipping through the pages for a while, Fan Xiaoxiao felt unbearably hot. She was about to roll up her sleeves when she remembered that it was against the rules here, so she awkwardly gave up the action.
Seeing her actions, Master Lu silently walked over and said, "Let me do it. You're too small to withstand this heat."
Fan Xiaoxiao's cheeks were flushed from the heat. After wiping away her sweat, she said, "Mr. Lu, aren't you afraid of the heat?"
The latter smiled and took the pigeons from in front of Fan Xiaoxiao: "I used to sit in front of the furnace often to forge iron and make things. What is this fire for roasting a few pigeons?"
"Sister Fan, don't worry. Uncle is very capable."
Xiaoyu can now speak in short, broken sentences, and her voice is no longer as unpleasant as before, regaining some of its childlike quality. However, upon closer listening, one can still detect that her voice is somewhat hoarse.
"Alright, then I'll trouble Mr. Lu with this task. I'll go chop some wild onions and prepare some dipping sauce."
Fan Xiaoxiao smiled and walked to the carriage, taking out some dogwood, wild onions, and garlic. They didn't have many chili peppers left. When they passed through Yongzhou, she specifically asked the Ghost Doctor if there were any plants that could replace chili peppers for seasoning. The Ghost Doctor had recommended dogwood to her.
Crush the dogwood berries and add them to chopped wild onions and garlic. Add a little sesame oil and soy sauce; this will be the sauce to brush on the pigeon's skin later.
After preparing this, Fan Xiaoxiao carried it to Master Lu's side. When it looked about right, she brushed the sauce onto the pigeon.
The firelight cast a crimson glow around them, and the wild pigeons the Ghost Doctor had caught must have eaten quite well. Each one was plump and fat, and under the intense heat, their skins gradually turned golden and crispy, slowly oozing oil.
The people sitting around the fire swallowed hard, the aroma of this beef unlike any they'd tasted before. It was spicy with a subtle hint of sweetness. And the firm, golden-brown skin looked incredibly crispy.
"Auntie, it smells so good! Little Bao is so hungry."
The children were the first to be unable to resist, smacking their lips and staring longingly at the roasted pigeons.
Fan Xiaoxiao patted the little dumpling's back, somewhat amused and exasperated: "It's not that Auntie smells good! It's the roasted pigeon that smells good! Wait a little longer! It'll be ready soon."
"Oh," Xiao Bao replied with his head down, propping his chin up as he continued to gaze longingly at the pigeons.
Fan Xiaoxiao shook her head helplessly, but to be fair, the pigeon was incredibly fragrant; even she found it irresistibly tempting. The aroma, a blend of spiciness and sweetness, seemed delicious just to smell it.
"Baby! Can we eat now? I'm so hungry!"
As if he hadn't heard Xiao Bao's question, the Ghost Doctor couldn't help but ask another question.
Fan Xiaoxiao patiently brushed on the sauce again and again: "Wait a little longer, this pigeon is big, it needs to be roasted for a while longer so that the flavor can penetrate inside."
"It's a pity there's no wine."
Xiao Hei stared for a while, then suddenly blurted out this. Gu Zhongtai, who was resting with his eyes half-closed, opened his eyes slightly upon hearing this, seemingly glancing at Xiao Hei.
The Ghost Doctor scratched his chin. Actually, they were in Yongzhou that day, weren't they...?
"There is wine, but the taste is just so-so."
Fan Xiaoxiao handed the bowl of wine to Fan Shi, who was standing nearby, and then got up and walked towards the carriage. She had bought the wine herself that day. She hadn't originally planned to spend the money, but for some reason, she thought of Gu Zhongtai's face, and his extremely pale face as he soaked in the bathtub.
So when she walked out of that alley, she had a large bag of yeast and a jar of wine in her hands.
The Ghost Doctor smelled the wine and smacked his lips, saying it was just so-so.
After buying the wine, she felt embarrassed to give it directly to Gu Chongtai, so it remained untouched in a corner of the carriage area. Unexpectedly, Xiao Hei brought up the matter of drinking today, so she took this opportunity to give it to him.
Soon Fan Xiaoxiao returned with the wine. In front of the campfire, Ghost Doctor and Xiao Hei were doing something furtively with their backs to her.
Fan Xiaoxiao peeked over curiously, only to find that the group of people were actually dismantling pigeons behind her back. Little Black, who had just been talking about wanting to drink, was now spitting out hot sobs.
"Hey! Why are you already distributing the pigeons?! Didn't you say we'd wait a little while?!"
"I...I let the baby taste a leg! The baby said it was edible!"
Xiao Bao was clearly surprised to find himself sold; his eyes widened in disbelief, and he looked slightly aggrieved.
"Yes, Grandpa Fatty forced it into my mouth!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Fan Xiaoxiao glared at the Ghost Doctor, causing the latter's plump body to tremble.
Trembling, she pointed at Gu Zhongtai and whispered in his ear, "That kid ate it too! Kid, he can really eat a lot!"
Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at Gu Zhongtai, who subconsciously hid the half-eaten leg in his hand.
This action made her both amused and exasperated. After handing over the wine, she said, "Alright, alright! Hurry up and eat! It won't taste good if it gets cold!"
Everyone cheered and began their delicious meal. Gu Zhongtai looked at the wine in his hand, blinked, and a slight smile unconsciously appeared on his lips. He didn't know how to describe this feeling, but the feeling of being favored was truly wonderful.
The meal was quickly finished, and everyone sat contentedly around the fire, savoring the pigeon. The aroma still lingered in the air when Xiao Bao stretched out his arms and lay down on the grass: "So delicious! I wish we could eat this every day!"
"Haha, there aren't that many pigeons!"
The group laughed and joked, unaware that the fragrance wasn't just appealing to humans. Some animals also found the aroma very attractive.
For example, wolves.
(End of this chapter)
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