Chapter 233: Chapter 233

Shepherd’s purse, known as the king of wild vegetables, can be prepared in many ways.

It can be stir-fried, cooked with tofu, or even chopped up to make dumplings. Pei Shu’er prefers making dumplings.

Seeing this, others also started picking shepherd’s purse. They thought of boiling it anyway, as it’s an additional dish.

They gathered quite a lot of shepherd’s purse, a total of ten baskets full.

While Pei Shu’er was pondering whether to use rabbit meat, fish, or wild boar meat, she suddenly heard a rustling sound behind her.

She turned around and saw two long, large boar snouts.

"Hey, there’s a wild boar!"

Pei Shu’er’s eyes lit up and she immediately chased after the wild boar.

The two large wild boars were likely foraging for food.

The place was teeming with soldiers, and under Yan Huan Yu’s command, one of the large wild boars was caught in a net.

The other boar had already run out of the encirclement, but Pei Shu’er took out a tranquilizer gun and shot it in the neck.

After all, Yan Huan Yu had seen it before, and she hadn’t planned on hiding it from him.

The others were surprised to see Pei Shu’er and looked at the firearm in her hand with envy, but not much surprise.

Obviously, this item in the Ming Dynasty, though rare, wasn’t astounding.

The two wild boars were carried back to the camp amidst much excitement.

This was their biggest haul ever; in previous years, even if they went to the mountains to pick mushrooms, they would only gather a tiny bit, not enough to eat.

The issue wasn’t a lack of mushrooms, but their lack of knowledge about the varieties. Get full chapters from NovєlFіre.net

As for wild boars, seeing them was a rarity, let alone catching one.

Everyone couldn’t help but look at Pei Shu’er.

They remembered that the last time they went fishing, it was the same. On usual days, they couldn’t catch anything, and the fish were small.

But once they fished with Pei Shu’er, they found the fish much easier to catch and significantly larger.

Just like those wild boars now, they were easier to capture, especially since Pei Shu’er discovered them.

They wondered if without Pei Shu’er, would they have only picked a few mushrooms after going up the mountain this time?

The group happily returned to the camp, and Pei Shu’er found that the previously gathered mushrooms had already been cleaned.

She said to the few people who went mushroom picking with her, "Let’s check the mushrooms again. If you’re uncertain about any, bring them to me. Mushrooms are not to be taken lightly."

Unbeknownst to many, modern times have taught that during mushroom season, people die from eating the wrong ones every year.

After screening, several poisonous mushrooms were identified. Only then did Pei Shu’er slice the cleaned ones and boiled them in water, with the Fire Head Army managing the heat.

This process removes 90% of the mushrooms’ toxins.

After changing the water, Pei Shu’er chopped them up again and added green peppers.

She initially didn’t want to stir-fry, but Zhang Feng smiled and said, "We usually only make soup using mushrooms, never fry them."

Pei Shu’er nodded, "Alright, you arrange for people to kill the wild boar, and then separate the meat. Turn the meat near the bones into ribs, and mince the combination of lean and fatty parts for dumplings."

Upon hearing they would have dumplings, everyone’s eyes, whether from the north or south, lit up.

This meant that every dumpling would have meat inside.

Of course, there could end up being vegetarian dumplings too...

But that was fine, at least everyone’s meals could be improved.

After saying this, Pei Shu’er remembered something and smiled, "Oh yes, when slaughtering the pig, place a basin under its neck with some salt and water. We can collect pig blood to make blood delicacy."

Everyone was taken aback by this suggestion, having no idea what it was.

Pei Shu’er chuckled, "Don’t worry, trust me."

After saying this, Pei Shu’er didn’t speak again, just chopped garlic and dried chilies on the cutting board, preparing to sauté mushrooms.

Everyone gathered around, curious about this unfamiliar method of cooking mushrooms. Once the aroma wafted out, they couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

When this dish of mushrooms was done, it looked colorful and quite appetizing.

It was just enough for those who picked mushrooms to share.

As water boiled in a large pot, the wild boar was slaughtered. The commotion even attracted some commanders and soldiers.

Some brought in cleaned pig blood and offal, and Pei Shu’er poured wine into the offal, scrubbed with a bit of choisya, and washed them several times, repeating the marinating process.

Spareribs were also brought in and were boiled by Zhang Feng.

However, the minced meat wasn’t done yet. Pei Shu’er went to check and cut the meat suitable for dumplings.

The minced meat and shepherd’s purse were mixed with a few eggs and stirred with added salt, making the dumpling filling.

The Fire Head Army was quick at wrapping dumplings, and those among the soldiers who couldn’t wrap dumplings were taught by Pei Shu’er to join in.

If you want to eat, you have to work. It’s not right if only a few people are working with so many to feed.

She wasn’t pampering them.

While others wrapped dumplings, Pei Shu’er began making the blood delicacy. According to her plan, the blood delicacy would be done by the time the dumplings were ready.

The offal was blanched and then chopped.

In reality, there wasn’t much offal from two wild boars, just enough for everyone.

When Pei Shu’er was about to put the offal into the pot, Zhang Feng grabbed her arm. He hesitated, "This offal might not be edible, right?"

Pei Shu’er smiled, "It’s edible, don’t worry. I guarantee you’ll want more after trying it."

The disdain on others’ faces was clear, but Pei Shu’er didn’t blame them.

How similar this was to her first experience eating offal.

She chopped the offal, put it in the pot along with the pig’s blood.

Everyone looked disgusted. Some even moved aside in an attempt to distance themselves from the dish.

Cooking offal is akin to cooking something foul, some thought.

Just then, the pot began to boil again, and the soldiers brought over the wrapped dumplings.

Pei Shu’er began cooking the dumplings while preparing the sauce, adding soy sauce, chili oil, a bit of scallion, and essential vinegar.

Soon, the dumplings were ready.

The food for General Zhao was prepared and just about to be delivered when they noticed General Zhao entering the Fire Head Army’s kitchen.

General Zhao wore a stern expression as he scanned the kitchen like an inspection—truly an overseeing leader.

The kitchen’s lively atmosphere suddenly quieted. Zhang Feng cleared his throat and said with a smile, "General, you’re just in time. This is the wild game Pei Shu’er hunted on the mountain."

In other words, it wasn’t because they weren’t willing to include him; it was just that being outside their military camp, they couldn’t manage it.

Besides, Zhang Feng felt that General Zhao wouldn’t compete for food.

After all, everyone knew General Zhao wasn’t interested in gourmet food and only ate to fill his stomach.

No matter how delightful the food was before, General Zhao wouldn’t spare it a glance.

As for fermented tofu, that was purely for getting down the rice.