Jiang Tou'er blinked his sharp little eyes, his gaze constantly shifting between the large radish and the round, egg-like things.
As his interest grew, he squatted down, moved closer, and repeatedly reached out to touch this one and poke that one. His expression was such that he wished he could whisk all these items away and claim them as his own when no one was looking.
His engrossed fascination was so blatant and oblivious, as if the people around him were mere decorations.
Qi He thought, "I can't let Grandpa Jiang continue. Otherwise, he might get a sudden impulse and take away all the things we risked the rain to get."
Considering this possibility, Qi He grinned and pulled Nianzi over. Together, they implored to taste the large radish as soon as possible.
The two young boys clamored together, their voices louder than several women combined. It was difficult for Jiang Tou'er to remain indifferent.
Just then, he was about to draw his saber to cut the radish.
No one considered if using a saber for a radish was overkill. They all shared a common thought: to quickly divide and eat the radish.
For them, food was only truly reassuring when it was in their stomachs.
The large radish had already been thoroughly washed clean by the rain. Meng Qingping, understanding the situation, placed the large radish on a clean wooden board. It looked very appealing, with its green skin.
It wasn't just the children; even Meng Qingping longed to taste it.
Along their journey, let alone fruits, even clean drinking water had been a luxury for them.
Now, faced with a juicy, large radish, it held more allure for them than a watermelon with its green rind and red flesh. They could hear the Meng clan members around them swallowing in anticipation.
Jiang Tou'er had already estimated the large radish to weigh about three to four pounds. Each of those round, egg-like things weighed over half a pound. Even the smaller ones were the size of eggs.
Fu Xin Ci thought, "These small ones are a lingering effect of my presence. With this troublesome weather, if we could have roasted potatoes, it would be the greatest joy for my grandson and me."
She never imagined that roasted potatoes could be so tempting.
Jiang Tou'er was unaware of Fu Xin Ci's intentions. He was still contemplating how to cut the potato-like things after he finished dividing the radish.
As he was pondering how to proceed (how many pieces to cut), he saw Fu Yatou holding a branch. She found a spot where the fire wasn't too intense, raked aside the embers, and buried those egg-sized potatoes.
"Fu Yatou, what are you doing?" Jiang Tou'er, surprised by the little girl's action, immediately asked.
"Grandpa Jiang, these small potatoes taste good when roasted," Fu Xin Ci generously told Jiang Tou'er the method of eating the small potatoes.
"These things called potatoes can be roasted?"
"Grandpa Jiang, these things can not only be roasted but also boiled, stewed, stir-fried... as long as there's a pot and oil, there are many delicious ways to prepare them."
After speaking, Fu Xin Ci glanced guiltily at the large iron pot that the officers had "borrowed" from a yamen they had passed. She immediately quieted down, fearing that the old man might get a sudden idea and ask her to cook with that large pot. With her small arms and legs, she couldn't handle it.
Fortunately, Jiang Tou'er's mind was still buzzing with the various ways potatoes could be cooked, and he couldn't think of too much at once.
"Grandpa Jiang, Grandpa Jiang, it's time to divide the radish," Qi He, seeing that Jiang Tou'er seemed to be lost in thought again, hurriedly urged him.
"Hmph, you brat, all you think about is eating all day," Jiang Tou'er feigned anger at being interrupted.
"Heh heh, Grandpa Jiang, look, so many people are watching you. If you don't cut the radish soon, my and Brother Nianzi's craving bugs will jump out and bite you."
Nianzi: He initially wanted to retort, thinking he didn't have any craving bugs. But considering his friendship with Qi He, he didn't defend himself. True brothers share hardships.
At this moment, Jiang Tou'er's mind finally caught up. He decided to follow Qi Yatou's suggestion and eat the large radish first, then wait for Fu Yatou's potatoes to be roasted before he tasted the novelty.
He refused to admit that his eyes were solely focused on food; he could only say that the things these children had gathered were too appealing.
"Everyone stay put, I'm about to cut the radish."
Fu Xin Ci thought, "Does cutting a radish require a sense of ritual?"
But before she could think further, she heard a crisp "crack" sound, and a fresh aroma emanated from where the radish was cut.
"Hmm, this smells so good," Qi He felt he was truly starving, otherwise, he wouldn't have smelled a fresh fragrance, not the spicy scent of radish.
Jiang Tou'er's expression froze even more. Looking at the juice seeping from the cut surface of the radish, an idea immediately formed in his mind. He cut half the radish into more than ten pieces, then, not forgetting, picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. He then cradled the remaining half radish and walked away.
He just left, leaving Qi He and the others with a bewildered back.
Mmm, crisp and crunchy, without any spiciness. If not for a faint radish scent remaining, he would have thought he was eating some kind of fresh fruit.
"Mmm, crunch." Jiang Tou'er quickly finished the piece of radish. He then proceeded to take large bites out of the remaining half.
Qi He and the others watched his suggestive back with a sense of frustration. The Qi Shan brothers were better off; despite their discomfort, they dared not show it.
Fu Xin Ci didn't have a strong reaction either. After all, she had plenty of food in her space. She didn't care about a radish.
But Qi He did care! However, his caring was useless. That half large radish had already been taken by Jiang Tou'er and would soon disappear without a trace.
Fortunately, Qi He didn't lose his head and divided the radish pieces left by Jiang Tou'er according to the number of people. Finally, he reminded everyone, "Eat quickly, or who knows which ancestor will come over again."
"Mmm."
Everyone answered in unison and moved their mouths to the radish.
"Crunch."
"Crunch."
"Mmm..."
In each other's eyes, everyone saw a flicker of light. Yu'er even mumbled, "This is the first time I've eaten such a delicious radish."
"Mmm, me too," Qi Ren and Yu'er felt the same.
Ke'er also nodded like a pecking chick, her eating motions never stopping.
Fu Xin Ci thought, "I didn't expect the radish grown with my wood-element ability to taste so delicious. Now I'm even more excited about the taste of potatoes."
Meng Qingping's peripheral vision swept past Jiang Tou'er, then landed on the Meng clan members. Seeing their gazes also shift from Jiang Tou'er, he quickly whispered to Luo'er and Ke'er, "You two, hurry up and eat."
The two children, experienced, didn't reply and chewed with large mouthfuls.
Qi He and Nianzi exchanged a look and moved back a bit, positioning themselves in front of the two children.
This caused a lanky man in his twenties and a resentful old woman to immediately stop in their tracks.