Chapter 9: Cumin Flavor Roasted Fish

  "Yao'er?" Xia Xiao Liang murmured, only then remembering that she had adopted a fat hamster today and named it Yao'er. Could it be him?

  Carefully poking his head out of the quilt, he looked at the messy clothes wrapped around him and saw a pair of small eyes shining brightly at him, with a big mouth opening and closing to say "cool".

  Xia Xiaoliang's mouth twitched, today she was scared twice by this little fatty, it's true that uncle can bear it, but auntie can't!

  He picked up the mole spirit and tossed it out, but coincidentally Xia Mingchuan was entering the cave and saw a flying shadow coming towards him. He subconsciously caught the spirit.

  "Do you want to eat roasted mole? I remember you're afraid of mice, right?" Xia Mingchuan held onto Yao'er, looked down at the plump and oily mole, as if Xia Xiaoleng's words had instantly transformed this poor pet into food.

  "Give me that little monster, I'd rather not eat roasted hedgehog." Xia Xiao Liang said with a scornful tone, clearly disdainful of eating the little fatty.

  Xia Mingchuan returned Yao'er to Xia Xiaoleng and came to the stone bed, asking: "Is it called Yao'er?"

  "Yes, it just spoke and scared me." Xia Xiaoliang's cat ears shook slightly as if recounting its owner's fear.

  "Is it because it can talk that you got scared and threw it away?" Xia Mingchuan raised an eyebrow, obviously teasing Xia Xiaoliang for being cowardly.

  Xia Xiaoleng glared at the little monster with a fierce gaze, but unexpectedly, the little monster covered its face with its small paws. Seeing this, Xia Xiaoleng's anger dissipated instantly and she felt much better. She hugged the little monster and asked, "Little fatty, can you talk?"

  It's unclear whether the little demon was frightened or just young, but it spoke in a very soft voice: "I will. Little Liang, thank you for saving me, I'll follow you and protect you for my whole life."

  Xia Xiaoliang was amused by the little fatty's words and laughed out loud. This is the second time Xia Mingchuan has heard her joyful laughter, and his mouth also curved into a smile.

  After chatting with Xiaoyao for a while, he turned his head to look at Xiamingchuan.

  "Brother Chuan, aren't you supposed to be in closed-door training? Why have you come back?" Xia XiaoLiang called Brother Chuan for the first time, feeling that it was quite natural. She didn't know if she was being influenced by this body, but she felt like she was becoming more and more like a child.

  Xia Mingjiang then raised the roasted fish in his hand, which was a response to Xia Xiaoliang's question.

  Xiaoliang was drooling all over, but still picked at it: "Brother Chuan, always eating roasted fish, I'm tired of it!"

  "What's wrong? What do you want to eat?" Xia Mingchuan was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect Xia Xiaoleng to actually look down on his cooking skills.

  He learned the art of roasting fish by sneaking down to the human world, although he didn't know what seasonings humans used, but he did learn a lot about technique and heat control. All the cat demons on the mountain loved his cooking, but now he only cooks for Xia Xiao Liang.

  "Do we have any human seasonings here? Such as cumin, chili salt, and hot peppers?" Xia Xiao Liang didn't know if Xia Ming Chuan could understand these words. In her opinion, the fact that Xia Ming Chuan knew how to roast fish was simply a miracle.

  "This is really good, do you like it?" Xia Mingchuan nodded seriously, but these things had been treated as strange objects and placed in the mountain cave for many years, and he didn't know if they were spoiled or not.

  Who says those things taste strange, a cat demon's taste buds are different from humans.

  "Ah, I always eat it, and when I burp, it's all fishy flavor." Xia Xiao Liang didn't think there would be such things, now she can indulge in a feast!

  "It's been years since I last had it, I don't know if it's still edible." Xia Mingchuan rummaged through a small box under the stone table and pulled out bottle after bottle, all of which were white ceramic, arranging them one by one on the stone table.

  Xia Xiaoleng heard that it had been several years at this time, and almost fell from the stone bed, several years! Not a few months!

  With a thrilling heart, Xia Xiao Liang opened bottle after bottle, first smelling and then tasting a little. The flavor was good, unexpectedly, the seasoning that had been sealed in the bottles for many years not only didn't go bad, but also became more mellow and fragrant.

  Xia Mingchuan looked at Xia Xiaoleng tasting these seasonings as if he had seen a ghost. He had also eaten them before, the flavor was strong and easy to choke on. This time, he was forced by Xia Xiaoleng to put a little in his mouth, and the flavor was indeed good, no longer so pungent.

  "How about that?" Xia Xiao Liang narrowed her eyes, and the olive green pupils emitted a faint light, she could already imagine how fragrant the fish would be when roasted with these seasonings!

  Without waiting for Xia Xiao Liang's instructions, Xia Ming Chuan took the cumin she handed over and came to the grill. It is unknown how he produced a live fish jumping around, and with a "pa" sound, it was stunned by him and strung on a wooden stick.

  As for that roasted one, let others have it cheaply then.

  Xia Xiaoleng saw Xia Mingchuan skillfully pull out a dagger from his waist, cut even patterns on the fish's body, sprinkle salt and cumin on top, and then place it on the grill, slowly flipping it over.

  As time passed, Xia Mingchuan's hands moved faster and faster, and the roasted fish almost became a shadow. From time to time, Xia Mingchuan pinched some cumin powder and sprinkled it on top, the fragrance of the roasted fish and the grassy aroma of cumin combined together, filling the entire cave.

  Xia Xiaoliang hugged the drooling Yao'er and crouched beside Xia Mingchuan, watching him roast fish with a dashing demeanor. What a little cutie and a little fool!

  When Xia Xiao Liang and Yao Er were drooling together, Xia Ming Chuan finally stopped his hands and took the roasted fish off the fire. "Let's eat later, it's hot." Xia Ming Chuan leaned the roasted fish aside and took another fish to continue his previous action.

  Wait, that's not Xia Xiaoliang's style. She reached out and pulled off a piece of fish meat and stuffed it into her mouth. Although it was scalding hot, the fish meat melted in her mouth as soon as it entered, leaving a lingering aftertaste of cumin flavor that left her very satisfied.

  Half a time later, Xia Xiao Liang and Xia Ming Chuan hugged their bellies with satisfaction and smiled at each other, even the little monster also hugged its round belly and laughed foolishly.

  "Get some rest early, tomorrow morning I'll take you to your adoptive father's place to check your meridians and find a suitable qigong method for you." Xia Mingchuan indulgently ruffled Xia Xiaoliang's hair, occasionally pinching her sensitive cat ears, watching her expression that was both enjoyable and annoyed, it was really interesting.

  The next morning, Xia Mingchuan rushed into the cave and woke up Xia Xiaoliang from her dream. He brought her and her new pet mole spirit to another cave not far from their residence on the east side of the mountain.

  Although it is also a mountain cave, it is obviously much more magnificent here.

  The ground is covered with a dark green woolen carpet, and on the left side of the cave entrance there is a stone table with four stone stools. On the right side, there is a row of ancient wooden bookshelves made from unknown trees, with many strange stones placed on top.

  Going inside, behind the stone table was a red wood carved seven-color phoenix four-screen screen, and behind the screen was a bed with a suite of screens. At this time, on the bed sat a tall figure, and on the wooden table on the bed were all kinds of fruits and vegetables.

  Xia Xiaoliang stood still, and looking further in, there was a two-meter-long, thousand-year-old red sandalwood bed with intricate carvings of hundreds of children, each one carved to perfection. On both sides of the bed were placed some flowers, making the air inside the cave fresh and clean.

  "Xiao Liang, you learned the Blood Vessel Chart in just two days. You're truly a natural genius!"