The Female Supporting Role Shows Out

Although Lin Dan deliberately made extra for dinner, nobody seemed to be full. It was mainly because the three brawny men had a big appetite and finished the wraps too quickly. They had annoyed the others by finishing three wraps when they had only finished one.

Lin Dan still ate very little and her cough would worsen as soon as night fell. She retreated in the carriage after taking medicine. Everyone consciously made light movements, for fear of disturbing her rest.

The three brawny men found a place with a good view to sit down and watch the night for the fleet. They seem to have long been accustomed to this kind of lifestyle, as they were still very energetic while the others were getting extremely sleepy.

"This explains why that Old Shen was so reluctant to part with Manager Lin, and even said that everything tastes bland when Manager Lin fell ill." Luo Tietou lay flat on the ground and patted his tummy. “That three treasure spring rolls were too damn good, but unfortunately it was not enough to fill me up."

"Don’t tell me you’re hungry again?" Zhao Liu fiddled with the bonfire with a wooden stick.

"Yeah, I'm hungry," Luo Tie turned over and murmured, "I wonder what we are having for breakfast tomorrow. I’m still craving for the wraps."

Zhao Liu quietly swallowed his saliva as he recalled the taste of the wraps. He also wanted to eat the wraps that tasted so fresh, he knew he will not get tired of it even if he was given the same dish every day for three months.

"Stop talking and sleep soon. I will watch the night." The handsome man said in a deep voice.

As their leader always stood by his word, Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou did not object to it and soon fell asleep. After a while, someone’s stomach growled in the dark night, but fortunately, everyone was asleep, and no one heard that.

The next day, Lin Dan was already feeling better than yesterday and got up before dawn to make breakfast for everyone. Since the manager was up, nobody dared to continue sleeping and got up one after another to fetch water and start a fire.

"You stayed up all night?" Lin Dan was slightly surprised when he saw the handsome man sitting by the fire.

The man nodded and opened his mouth, but said nothing.

Lin Dan saw his hesitation and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." The man hesitated for a moment, and finally could not help asking, "What are we having for breakfast?"

Lin Dan smiled and replied, "I made a pot of white rice porridge, noodles, and a few side dishes. Feel free to eat porridge or noodles, whichever you like."

The man nodded and stopped talking. The two brawny men who were lying beside him woke up and muttered, "Manager Lin, why didn't you make wraps? Would white rice porridge taste better than wraps?"

Lin Dan smiled and shook her head. "No matter how delicious it is, you can't possibly eat the same food every day. We have to change up the menu for every meal."

Shaoyao came over and said with a grin, "Master, the noodles and the porridge are ready, you may stir fry the vegetables now." After finishing her speech, she looked at Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou and sneered, "You really don’t know how fortunate you are! My master can cook without repeating her menu for hundreds of days. We can’t even get enough of trying all of her dishes, and yet you’re complaining?”

"Nonono, we’re not complaining at all. We will eat whatever she makes." With a glare from their leader, the two brawny men dared not continue, but they were starting to miss the wraps they had last night even more. They thought, “How good can white rice porridge and noodles taste? It’s impossible that it will beat that three treasure spring rolls!”

But soon, Manager Lin had proven herself with her superb culinary skills that simple dishes such as porridge and noodles could also become delicacies. She took out some lard that was sealed in the jar and chopped it up before putting it in the wok and stir-fried them. She then diced the blanched Chinese mahogany added them into the wok as well. When the juice of the Chinese mahogany and the grease of the lard combined, it produced a thick broth and filling the air with a unique fragrance with every boiling bubble. After the lard had turned soft and smooth and the aroma of the Chinese mahogany was stirred up, Lin Dan quickly added soy sauce, salt, pepper, and other seasonings, before frying it several times and removed it from the flame.

"It smells delicious!" Shaoyao and Dujuan took the earthenware that was filled with the dish and sniffed while holding it.

Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou, who initially did not have any intention to have noodles, were already having difficulties keeping their mouths from watering.

Lin Dan felt that the food was insufficient and went on to steam a large bowl of salted fish before making some cold kalimeris indica. She also took out some pickled vegetables from the jar and plate them one by one, before moving on to making the hand-made noodles. When the noodles were cooked, and the porridge was almost ready as well. Everyone got their utensils ready and was eagerly waiting for the meal.

"Alright, let’s eat soon and be on our way." Lin Dan washed her hands and rolled down her sleeves slowly.

The three brawny men were fighters indeed. In the blink of an eye, they picked up three bowls of hot noodles and stirred it evenly in the stir-fried Chinese mahogany before slurping it clean. The Chinese mahogany and lard were food ingredients with a rich flavor, which could create an even strong aroma after combining the two ingredients. When the freshness and tenderness of the Chinese mahogany were combined with the burnt and chewy lard, an exquisite taste was created. The noodles are also made with a springy texture with the broth of the stir-fried Chinese mahogany fully absorbed into each strand of noodle. With only one bite, the soft, springy, and salty taste of the noodles had instantly won over the hearts of the three men.

“It's delicious, so delicious!” The eyes of the three men brightened, and their speed of eating noodles kept increasing. Since they were eating fast, the others naturally could not afford to take their own sweet time and sped up as well. Soon, what was left was the sound of burping ringing in the air.

As Lin Dan was still ill and had a poor appetite, she stopped eating only after having a bowl of porridge.

The handsome man lifted his head to look at her and asked with a look of concern, "Are you still feeling unwell?"

"I'm feeling much better, but I'm just a little tired. I’m going to take a rest in the carriage, don’t mind me, go ahead and help yourselves with the food."

The man looked at her carefully and noticed that her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were clear. He was relieved to know that her illness did not seem to have deteriorated. Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou who were sitting next to him gobbled three bowls of noodles in a row before slowing down. Although they were more than half-full, they decided to scoop another bowl of porridge to clear their palate.

Sure enough, the white rice porridge was just a plain porridge that did not taste anything special. The two men took some pickled vegetables and mixed them into the porridge water, before eating it slowly. But they were shocked – this pickled vegetable that was made with chopped water celery was mixed with some bitters, sesame, and fennel and created a crispy, sour and salty taste that was subtly rich in flavor. However, when it is paired with the lightly sweetened white rice porridge, its strong taste was immediately reduced and replaced with a sweet fragrance. With just one sip of the porridge, they felt as though the pores all over their bodies had loosened up, and their guts felt extremely comfortable.

Another dish that was made to go with the porridge was the steamed salted fish with fermented soybean. They wondered what secret recipe Manager Lin had followed, but the salted fish that originally came with a slightly hard texture became soft and tender. A rich flavor broth slowly seeped from the fish and was mixed with the fragrance of the fermented soybean, which made their mouth water. The fish meat also had a springy texture which made it more delicious as they chew it in their mouths.

As the salted fish had a strong flavor, the bland white rice porridge was a perfect match. If one were to have some white porridge with a piece of salted fish, they would be able to taste the sweetness of rice as well as the fragrance of the salty fish.

Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou could not stop eating and finally wiped their mouths after having two bowls of white rice porridge. Seeing that his subordinates were frantically going for seconds, the handsome man seized the chance as well. He seemed to be an elegant man, but he quickly scooped up a bowl of porridge and added a great number of various pickles before finishing the remaining salted fish. Feeling unsatisfied, he poured the salted fish soup and the fermented soybean into a bowl of noodles and finished it all at once.

Xiao-zhu was dumbfounded at the three men’s actions, as he did not expect the three men to have such a gigantic appetite. He was relieved that they did not agree to protect them all the way to the capital, or they would finish all their food.

"Darn it, it feels really good to enjoy life like this!" When they had finished their breakfast, Zhao Liu and Luo Tietou lay on a large rock and rubbed their stomachs, looking very satisfied.

"We will set off after a short break and try to arrive at the capital in two days’ time." The handsome man still was standing tall and his abdomen looked thin and flat, as though he had not eaten anything earlier.

"Okay!" As the two brawny men agreed, they saw one of Manager Lin's servants running out of the forest holding two hares and a hazel hen. She said happily, "Manager, we caught some animals from the traps we set last night, looks like we have some meat for lunch."

"What did we get?" Lin Dan pulled open the curtain and chuckled, "Great, let's have braised rabbit and stir-fried hazel hen for lunch later. The hazel hen meat is very tender, it is known as the ‘Dragon Meat in Heaven’ and tastes delicious regardless of the cooking method. We only need to chop up the chicken, ginger, pickled pepper, and pickled vegetables and stir fry them in the wok before simmering it in half a bowl of water to produce a dish. This method of stir-frying the chicken makes the meat taste fresh and tender. The chopped bones also produce a thick and creamy bone marrow and can blend completely with the hot and sour soup. Its already gives a rich flavor without having to thicken it, and is very delicious when eaten with white rice."

Those who had just eaten their meals were starting to drool as they heard what she said, wishing that time could pass quickly and that lunch would come in the next moment.

"Lock up the animals and let’s continue with our journey." Lin Dan looked at the three brawny men and said tenderly, "We shall part here. Thank you for taking care of us along the way."

"Don’t mention it." Zhao Liu quickly swallowed his mouthful of saliva and smiled.

"Farewell." The handsome man rode on his horse and cupped his hands.

Luo Tietou took off his boots and looked at it, it seemed as though some pebbles went into his boots. But he was staring at the hares and hazel hen suspiciously from the corner of his eye, it was unknown what he was thinking at that moment.

Lin Dan gave them a bow before saying goodbye and left slowly.

Luo Tietou slowly put on his boots and rode on his steed. He put on a worried look and said, "Boss, shall we escort Manager Lin a little further? There are dense forests ahead, bandits may appear, and it can be dangerous for them. Her servants are all southerners who are short and thin, how are they able to protect the five big carriages?"

"Tietou is right, Manager Lin is a kind and vulnerable woman. Since we have completed our mission, it won’t hurt to escort them further." Zhao Liu quickly agreed.

The handsome man turned his horse's around and looked at the fleet. He thought for a moment and said, "Let’s follow up."

The three of them whipped their horses and quickly caught up to them. They told Manager Lin about their intentions through the curtain. Manager Lin was very grateful, but Xiao-zhu was glaring hard at the three of them. He thought, “Isn’t it obvious that these three free-loaders are here to have free lunch seeing that we’ve caught the hares and hazel hen?”