I'm the Culinary God

Wild rabbit? This definitely has to be braised!

Just this morning, I was thinking about getting Dundun some meat he hadn't tried before. I never expected Second Uncle to snag a wild rabbit.

Lin Xu said to Chen Meiliang, "Second Uncle, wild rabbit is best braised. How about I cook it? I don't have much to do this afternoon anyway."

"Alright, I'll send it over to your uncle's place later. You can prepare it when you get there. I wasn't planning on drinking today, but this rabbit calls for a couple of drinks with your dad tonight."

Second Uncle was living quite freely now.

Apart from eating and drinking, he just strolled around the reservoir.

But his luck was truly something else. Just yesterday, after setting his nets, he caught a black fish weighing several pounds, and today, while wandering aimlessly, he caught a wild rabbit.

Add to that the fish and shrimp he usually caught.

He's practically a full-time hunter.

This interruption put a stop to Lin Xu and Shen Baobao's lovey-dovey moments.

With such an adorable bunny waiting to be braised and fruit vinegar to be made, kisses would naturally have to wait.

After loading the foraged berries into the car, Lin Xu changed into a T-shirt and drove Shen Baobao to the farmhouse restaurant.

Upon arrival, the wild rabbit had already been delivered.

It was locked in the cage that had previously held the big goose.

And Dundun, who had been with Lin Xu's mother at the ticket office, had taken off his little sweater because he wasn't in an air-conditioned room. He was now circling the iron cage.

Clearly, the little fellow had found new prey.

In the nearby restaurant, several local villagers were having Chen Meijuan weigh the mountain goods they had gathered, one by one.

The mountain goods sold at the scenic area were primarily supplied by these villagers.

Seeing that her mother-in-law was busy, Shen Baobao hurried over to help.

Lin Xu yelled to Dundun, who was lingering near the cage, "Don't get too close! Be careful it doesn't bite you. A bite from this thing can really hurt."

With that, he took the foraged berries to the kitchen. He planned to wash them and get ready to make fruit vinegar before dealing with the wild rabbit.

「In the kitchen.」

His uncle, Shi Wenming, was holding a ledger and calculating the day's earnings.

Seeing Lin Xu come in, he smiled and said, "Today's earnings actually broke ten thousand! If business stays this good, our restaurant will need to hire a couple more people."

Currently, only Uncle Shi Wenming managed the restaurant. His second aunt would help when she wasn't busy, but today she had to supervise Shi Molli with her homework, so she couldn't come over.

Lin Xu said, "If you need to hire people, then hire them. Don't overwork yourself."

As they were speaking, Shi Wenming noticed the foraged berries Lin Xu had brought. "Oh, these fruits look great! Did you pick them from the mountain behind the village?"

"Yes, Yueyue and I just picked some. She enjoys fruit vinegar, so I'm planning to make a batch. It's healthy, much better than drinking sodas."

"Exactly, fruit vinegar is definitely good stuff. They say it softens blood vessels and all that. Your second aunt used to drink it too when she had time."

Lin Xu put the foraged berries into a basin, rinsed them with fresh water, removed any bad ones, and then placed the clean berries in a bamboo basket to air dry.

When making fruit vinegar, the fruit surfaces must be free of untreated water; otherwise, it can easily spoil.

That's why the fruit surfaces need to be dried as thoroughly as possible.

Only then will the resulting fruit vinegar not spoil or go bad.

He placed the bamboo basket in front of a fan to speed up the evaporation of moisture from the berries' surfaces.

As he was busying himself with the berries, Shi Wenming asked, "Are you preparing that rabbit for tonight?"

"Yes, Second Uncle said he'd have a few drinks with you all tonight."

"Then let me butcher the rabbit for you. I'm quite familiar with this."

Lin Xu had been wondering how to deal with the rabbit. So, when his uncle volunteered, he didn't refuse, saying, "In that case, thanks, Uncle."

"We're family, no need for such formalities. I just enjoy skinning rabbits; it's surprisingly therapeutic."

Therapeutic? Uncle, your interests are certainly... unique, huh.

After Lin Xu finished with the berries, he left the kitchen, intending to watch the rabbit being processed. However, he saw that Shi Wenming was already done.

His uncle was now striding towards the kitchen, holding the cleaned rabbit.

Whoa! It was over before I even had a chance to watch. That was incredibly fast, wasn't it?

Just as he was about to offer some praise, Shi Wenming himself remarked, "I'm a bit rusty since I haven't done this in a while. Normally, I'd have that rabbit skinned in under five seconds."

Lin Xu: ???????

I never would have guessed Uncle was such highly sought-after talent at rabbit farms!

Just as he was about to follow his uncle into the kitchen to start preparing the wild rabbit, he saw Dundun nearby, staring in horror at Shi Wenming's retreating back.

Clearly, the butchering process had left a psychological scar on the little fellow.

Lin Xu walked over and picked up Dundun.

Only then did the little fellow seem to snap out of it.

"MEOW!"

He pointed a paw at the rabbit skin draped over the cage, looking utterly terrified.

Lin Xu said with a smile, "Don't worry, don't worry. This is just to get you a tasty treat. I'll give you a rabbit leg to try later so you can have a good taste."

But Dundun still looked very scared.

He pointed at the rabbit skin, then at his own fur.

Evidently, the little fellow realized he wasn't all that different from the rabbit.

So now he wore an expression as if the cat grieved for the rabbit's demise.

Lin Xu scratched under his chin, then pressed his forehead against the little fellow's head and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, my good boy. You're my precious, and I won't let anyone hurt you."

Such an intelligent little cat; I can't even dote on you enough, how could I ever bear to hurt you?