I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 184 – The Charm of the King of Flavors
The pot lid was lifted, dampened, and heavy with steam, and a large amount of white vapor surged, spreading a more decadent fragrance in all directions.
Many people from the Green and Sheep tribes, staring intently since the steam started rising from the large pot, couldn’t help but take a deep breath, trying to capture all the rich aroma.
Han Cheng, the Divine Child and the top chef of the Green Sparrow Tribe walked over and stood steadily on a wooden stump that was a full forty centimeters high.
Holding a spoon tied with a long stick in one hand, he stirred the soup in the pot, which was almost level with the rim, a few times. With a quick attack from the right hand holding chopsticks, he lifted a piece of sheep offal from the large spoon to check its doneness, then put it back into the spoon and pierced it with chopsticks, effortlessly piercing through.
Han Cheng nodded slightly and then asked Fire One to remove the large wood that had not burned entirely under the pot. The soup was already done, and there was no need for additional fire.
Even if the firewood was removed, the charcoal under the pot could keep the sheep offal soup simmering for a while.
Han Cheng took the pottery bowl handed over by someone nearby and scooped some of the sheep offal soup into it.
He only filled two bowls and gestured for the leaders of the Sheep and Green tribes to come and taste.
These bowls were part of the batch used by other tribes during the Joyous Celebration, now cleaned and reused to entertain them.
The leader of the Green Tribe, after taking the bowl containing some soup from Han Cheng, blew on it gently to cool it down before eagerly taking a sip. He couldn’t wait to taste the soup’s flavor, wondering if it was as delicious as the one he had previously tasted here.
“Hmm?”
After the leader of the Green Tribe took a sip of the hot soup, he made a surprised sound, looking somewhat incredulous. After savoring the taste by smacking his lips, he took another sip, widening his eyes.
He moved the almost touching bowl away from his face, stared at Han Cheng with wide eyes, and waited for the Divine Child to say something.
At this moment, the leader of the Sheep Tribe also moved his bowl away from his face and, with a similar expression to the Green Tribe leader, looked at Han Cheng, waiting to hear what the Divine Child had to say.
Shaman and the Eldest Senior Brother, who knew what the Divine Child was planning to do, watched the leaders’ reactions of the Sheep and Green tribes and couldn’t help but hold back their laughter.
The leader of the Green Tribe paused for a moment, held the bowl, and excitedly said something to the Eldest Senior Brother.
Of course, he was not praising the deliciousness of the sheep offal soup; instead, he found that this soup, like the one he cooked in his tribe, although consumable, was far less tasty than the delicious soup he had at the Joyous Celebration.
The soup was not delicious because Han Cheng did not add salt.
The leader of the Green Tribe, who had personally cooked food, did not know about adding salt to the soup because, during the Joyous Celebration, the Green Sparrow Tribe served them much-salted fish for soup, which already contained salt.
The Eldest Senior Brother waved to the leader of the Green Tribe, gesturing for him not to speak, and pointed to Han Cheng, indicating that he should watch what the Divine Child was about to do.
Han Cheng took a small jar containing finely crushed salt and tilted the salt jar toward the leaders of the Green and Sheep tribes, allowing them to see the salt inside.
The leaders of the Green and Sheep tribes, upon seeing the white substance in the jar, were amazed. Could this nearby tribe preserve snow from winter until now?!
Han Cheng moved the jar away before they could approach for a closer look. In front of everyone, he poured some salt from the jar into the spoon and then placed the spoon into the soup pot.
He stirred vigorously along the spoon handle, and more white vapor rose with this action.
After stirring for a while and feeling it was well mixed, Han Cheng stopped and turned to look at the leaders of the Green and Sheep tribes. He gestured for them to finish the soup in their bowls and handed them to him.
The two leaders looked at each other momentarily, not understanding what the childlike Divine Child meant.
It wasn’t until the Eldest Senior Brother came over, held their hands holding the bowls, and pushed them to their mouths that they suddenly understood.
Han Cheng scooped another small spoon of sheep offal soup and poured it into the bowls held by the leaders of the Green and Sheep tribes.
This time, he did not need to gesture; they automatically lifted their bowls to start tasting the soup.
The eyes of the leader of the Green Tribe lit up again. Although the taste of the soup in his bowl was different from the fish soup he had during the Joyous Celebration, it was equally delicious.
Compared to what they had just drunk, it was like heaven and earth!
After taking a sip, he couldn’t help but speed up. The bowl didn’t contain much soup, and soon it was empty.
The leader of the Green Tribe raised his head high, tilting the bowl thoroughly.
Opening his mouth, he waited until two drops of lingering soup finally fell into his mouth before putting the bowl down. He savored the excellent taste, his eyes shining as he looked at the small jar beside the Divine Child.
If he wasn’t afraid of causing misunderstandings and that his people couldn’t beat this tribe in a fight, he would rush over, snatch the small jar, and hold it in his arms.
The leader of the Sheep Tribe had a similar reaction to the leader of the Green Tribe, also staring intently at the small jar.
What was inside that jar? How could adding a bit of it make the otherwise plain soup taste so delicious?!
On the side, the members of the Green Sparrow Tribe, who had been eagerly anticipating, saw the expressions of the leaders of the Green and Sheep tribes, and their hearts felt extremely satisfied. Smiles of goodwill appeared on their faces.
This feeling of astonishing other tribes with something from their tribe was genuinely excellent, even more satisfying than seeing them enjoy the delicious sheep offal soup.
The leaders of the Green and Sheep tribes, unable to resist their curiosity, hurried to the side of the Eldest Senior Brother, eagerly inquiring about salt.
Han Cheng watched everything with a smiling face. He scooped some soup into his bowl, blew on it to cool it down, and took a sip. Frowning slightly, as expected, without star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, cinnamon, and other spices, as well as the flavorful chili oil, vinegar, and cilantro used in the future, this sheep offal soup tasted significantly less appealing.
After tasting a bit, he didn’t want to drink more. After sending these people away, he decided to save room in his stomach and cook some lamb.
He didn’t find it particularly delicious, but the people of the Green and Sheep tribes didn’t think so. Each person held a large bowl of sheep offal soup, slurping it up as if their mouths and tongues were made of stone, oblivious to the scalding temperature.