Chapter 234: Chapter 234

General Zhao nodded and then walked in, surveying the kitchen and noticing the chaos.

Upon seeing the dumplings cooked by Pei Shu’er, he merely gave them a casual glance before looking away.

How clever Pei Shu’er was, smiling as she ladled a bowl of dumplings and added some sauce, placing it on the table next to General Zhao.

She handed the chopsticks to General Zhao.

"General, try these dumplings to see if they suit your taste."

General Zhao dipped into the sauce, took a reserved bite, and then stopped.

Everyone sighed, indeed, General Zhao was not one for enjoying food.

Even Pei Shu’er’s cooking didn’t work.

Of course, maybe the dumplings weren’t done right.

In a corner unseen by others, General Zhao’s eyes lit up.

He began to slowly chew the dumplings in his mouth, as if chewing too quickly would not allow him to savor their deliciousness.

The dumpling skin was flexible and chewy, not the soggy kind.

As for the filling, it was truly the essence of dumplings.

There wasn’t a hint of the gamey taste of wild boar; the shepherd’s purse and egg wrapped together made the filling more compact and flavorful.

Moreover, it lacked the greasiness of regular meat dumplings, carrying a freshness from the wild vegetables instead.

No matter how many you eat, you wouldn’t tire of them.

The fragrance lingered on the lips, making it impossible to stop eating.

The flavor of the sauce was also excellent, perfectly blending with the dumplings, complementing each other nicely.

Everyone watched General Zhao in silence, too afraid to even breathe loudly.

Yet General Zhao ate the dumplings quickly; in no time, he’d finished a bowl.

Zhang Feng swiftly filled another bowl for General Zhao.

It wasn’t until General Zhao ate up to the third bowl of dumplings that everyone noticed something unusual.

Soon, the third bowl was also empty.

Pei Shu’er brought out another pot of dumplings, but this time, she ladled a bowl of duck’s blood and entrails soup and placed it in front of General Zhao.

Upon seeing Pei Shu’er’s action, everyone couldn’t help but gasp.

This... how could she?

It’s like giving General Zhao something utterly disgusting to eat.

Even Zhang Feng’s expression changed; he thought Pei Shu’er had served the wrong dish and raised his hand to take the bowl away.

General Zhao looked at the strange, richly colored dish brimming with various ingredients, slightly intrigued.

If these dumplings could be made this delicious, then perhaps this vividly colored dish was good as well.

So, General Zhao picked up a piece of pork blood.

Commander Zhang breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it was just pork blood. If it had been intestines, he wouldn’t dare imagine...

General Zhao put the pork blood into his mouth, eyes widening slightly.

The bite-tender texture shattered instantly, the inside infused with soup, offering a fresh, spicy flavor he had never tasted before.

Even though the spice made him gasp, General Zhao couldn’t stop.

This time, he picked up some pig intestines, and Zhang Feng couldn’t bear to watch, quietly slipping out.

It wasn’t made by him; it wasn’t made by him.

General Zhao devoured the pig intestines, squinting his eyes in satisfaction.

Delicious, chewy, with a resilience that let you sense the crunch as you bit down, different from the pork blood texture.

Everyone was waiting for General Zhao to explode in anger, but that never happened.

General Zhao seemed unfazed by the supposed stench, quickly finishing the entire bowl of duck’s blood and entrails soup.

Everyone now believed that General Zhao was not picky with food.

After all, he managed to stomach something so supposedly foul...

General Zhao rubbed his stomach, feeling quite full, but Pei Shu’er then brought over a colorful bowl of mushrooms.

He remarked, "These mushrooms, they wouldn’t be poisonous, would they?"

Pei Shu’er’s mouth twitched, "Rest assured, General Zhao, these mushrooms are definitely non-toxic. Others were also wary earlier, so they tested them on some animals."

Feeling stuffed, General Zhao’s curiosity still got the better of him, compelling him to try a bite of the mushrooms.

His chopsticks couldn’t stop.

The mushrooms’ earthy savor, with a hint of garlic, was tender and refreshing in texture.

After finishing a bowl of mushrooms, General Zhao simply couldn’t eat anymore.

He felt so full that he might burst.

He supported himself against the wall to stand.

"You all continue eating, I’m going back to my tent now."

Halfway out, he paused and pointed at the dishes.

"Leave a portion of these for me, I want to eat them tomorrow."

At these words, everyone fell silent for a moment, then exchanged glances.

Did they mishear? General Zhao actually said he wanted to eat more; he wasn’t put off by the duck’s blood and entrails soup?

Only after General Zhao left did Zhang Feng curiously eye the soup.

He thought, although General Zhao wasn’t one to indulge in eating, that didn’t mean he lacked taste.

If he ate so much, there must be a reason.

Thinking this, Zhang Feng picked up some chopsticks and grabbed a piece of pork blood. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novelꞁire.net

He widened his eyes, surprised that the cooked pork blood had such a texture, without any gamey or unpleasant taste, instead rather tender, crumbling with a bite.

Paired with the soup, the flavor was truly sensational.

Then he tried the pig intestines, and after one bite, he couldn’t stop.

What kind of being is Pei Shu’er, capable of making the often despised pig intestines taste so odorless?

Chewy yet crisp, and absorbing the delicious broth.

Even the pig lungs were delicious.

Pei Shu’er set aside the pig liver specifically, intending to fry it for those close to her later.

After all, boiled pig liver didn’t taste good.

Others couldn’t see Zhang Feng’s expression, and he pretended it was unappetizing while indulging all by himself.

Until Pei Shu’er said, "Commander Zhang, let everyone eat now."

Only then did Zhang Feng snap out of the culinary spell, realizing he’d eaten an entire bowl of duck’s blood and entrails soup...

Others had finally noticed something wrong, quickly rushing over to see Zhang Feng with a frown.

They asked, "Is this duck’s blood and entrails soup tasty?"

Zhang Feng shook his head, "I think you all might not like it."

After saying this, he took another bite.

At this point, even a fool would understand.

They hurriedly began eating the duck’s blood soup, and to their surprise, it wasn’t stinky!

They had been deceived by the soup’s ingredients.

They were also deceived by General Zhao and Zhang Feng!

These two ate all by themselves, leaving less for everyone else.

But given the high status of the two, no one dared to complain.

Pei Shu’er ate some dumplings, which tasted fine, though not as good as those made with pure pork.

The duck’s blood soup also tasted great, with a bit more texture than pure pork, offering a better mouthfeel.

As for the mushrooms, they were just how she liked them, tender and crisp.

She stopped at being 80% full.

Just as she was about to say her goodbyes, she noticed everyone had stopped eating to look at someone outside the kitchen.

Curious, Pei Shu’er glanced out to see Tang Zan standing there, silhouetted by the light.

Even from this distance, Pei Shu’er could sense the chill emanating from him.

"Pei Shu’er, so you are here."