Mr. Jing chuckled slyly and said with an air of mystery, "Take a bite. TSK TSK, this flavor—it’s divine, sothing an immortal wouldn’t trade!"
Jing Shu was astonished. At ho, they lacked nothing. Whether it was creatures of the sky, treasures of the sea, or common ats from the land, they had access to it all. What on earth could make Mr. Jing describe sothing as "divine"?
With one bite, Jing Shu crunched into the crispy pancake. The at filling inside burst with juices. First, a rich and flavorful soybean sauce invaded her taste buds. Then ca the aty aroma, tender but not dry, with a lingering, fragrant, and soft texture. And that wasn’t all—the filling included ordinary Silver Teeth stir-fried with chives. At that mont, mixed with the at, the fresh scent of the bean sprouts and the unique piquancy of the chives combined to create sothing...
The taste was simply subli!
Though it was reminiscent of a roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), the roujiamo typically emphasized stewed pork bathed in gravy, interspersed with fat, and its bun was baked to a crispy golden-brown. What Jing Shu held in her hand more closely resembled a pan-fried pancake that puffed up with air, creating a significant flavor difference.
This at wasn’t stewed pork; it was more fibrous and had a satisfying chewiness.
In short, the pancake in her hand possessed richer, more complex layers of flavor and was unforgettably delicious.
"This is so delicious!"
Mr. Jing nodded in approval, wiping saliva from the corner of his mouth—he had already eaten five of the large pancakes himself. "How about it? Delicious, right? I didn’t lie to you, did I?"
Jing Shu devoured it in a few bites, but still, she asked wistfully, "What kind of at is this?"
"Donkey at Fire Burning. The pancake itself is a type of ’huoshao’ called Fire Burning, and the at inside is donkey at."
There’s a saying: "Dragon at in heaven, donkey at on earth."
Jing Shu was genuinely surprised. "There’s still donkey at, even in the apocalypse?"
What a miscalculation! If only I had known how delicious Donkey at Fire Burning was before the apocalypse, I would’ve raised a donkey no matter what. Now that I’ve tasted it, I can’t get it out of my mind—it’s just too scrumptious, she thought.
"That’s nothing. The family in House Number Three had a donkey farm before the apocalypse. They mainly produced donkey milk and donkey-hide gelatin, and occasionally sold Donkey at Fire Burning, hotpot, and the like. My heavens, you have no idea! Once you enter their RV, it’s filled with donkey by-products—rows upon rows of donkey at... and a line of Donkey Whip Wine! TSK TSK, the aroma alone... The gentleman there was so hospitable; he wanted to pour a glass, but I declined..."
Mr. Jing was quite envious of the Donkey Whip Wine, but then he considered his age and decided against it. He didn’t want to experience a ’second spring’ as inexplicably as his teeth had. Though there were various benefits, such as improving immunity and extending life, the kidney-strengthening effect was too potent. Drinking it could have serious consequences.
"A donkey farm? No wonder they’re thriving so well in this post-apocalyptic world. Donkeys are a rare treasure. Grandpa, how many donkeys does that family still have?" Jing Shu couldn’t help but start scheming.
If only I could raise a donkey...
"Who knows? But I heard the reason they joined the Food Departnt on this migration is because they need to entrust their donkeys to the breeding farm to assist with transportation. Shu’er, donkeys are valuable. From what I gather, donkey at is now an exceptionally nourishing food. It’s not for sale for Virtual Coin, but it can be traded for other equally precious foods. However, the donkeys themselves—they absolutely will not trade."
"That’s true. In these tis, a monopoly is the most profitable, and food is incredibly precious. This donkey at is certainly worth trading for, not selling. When Dad gets back, I’ll ask him how many donkeys they’re raising and then we can make plans," Jing Shu said.
"COUGH, COUGH. You see, I accidentally ate a bit too much just now... and I shalessly got one for you. Since it’s about giving and receiving, we need to give them sothing in return. Let’s also get a few Donkey at Fire Burnings for your grandmother, your aunt, and your parents," Mr. Jing suggested, stifling a cough.
Jing Shu nodded. "Okay."
"What should we trade? Fried rice is tasty, but it’s not very valuable. Offering too few buns or dumplings wouldn’t be right either. If we use a piece of smoked ham... it pains to even think about it. Ay. I can tell that gentleman is a connoisseur," Mr. Jing mused, stooping slightly as he pondered.
"They likely don’t lack milk and milk powder since they have donkey milk, which is very nourishing, and items like donkey-hide gelatin. Honey is a luxury in today’s market, but the upper class still has plenty. Ordinary things truly won’t impress them," he reasoned.
Mr. Jing nodded thoughtfully. "Our family has plenty of good things, but I’m wondering, is there sothing that’s not particularly valuable to us but might be exceptionally rare and desirable to them?"
Jing Shu chuckled at Mr. Jing’s comically frugal deanor.
"What are you laughing at? They’re also trading sothing they have in abundance—donkey at—to others. We should do the sa. Think about it; we treasure our at and seafood too," he said.
Jing Shu did give it so thought; she considered it carefully. Among their food supplies, besides at and seafood, was there sothing her family had in abundance that would be rare to donkey breeders...
"Ideally, it should be sothing nourishing. That gentleman, I reckon, knows even more about healthy living than I do," Mr. Jing added.
I wonder how old this ’gentleman’ Mr. Jing ntioned is, Jing Shu mused, her curiosity piqued. Mr. Jing himself is nearly ninety.
"Lotus Root Starch, Grandpa. Third Aunt has been busy making Lotus Root Starch lately, using lotus roots from the pond. There are too many, and if they aren’t processed, they’ll beco too large and difficult to transport. So, she’s using an ancient, purely manual thod to make Lotus Root Starch," Jing Shu suggested.
"A hundred pounds of lotus root only yields a few pounds of starch, but it’s the concentrated essence! When preparing it, you only need to add a tiny bit to cold water, then stir in boiling water, and it transforms into a large bowl of thick, translucent paste. Take a bite, TSK TSK, it’s delicious! The key is that this pure Lotus Root Starch has nurous health benefits."
"An expert can tell if there are additives just by looking at the color and taking a taste. Here, take this. They’ll definitely recognize the quality and authenticity of this Lotus Root Starch," Jing Shu assured him.
In fact, besides the lotus roots from the villa’s pond, Jing Shu had secretly taken out half of the lotus roots from her spatial storage as well. Except for those used to make honeyed lotus root, Third Aunt turned the rest into Lotus Root Starch. They ended up with about a hundred pounds of it, enough to last them for several years. The Lotus Root Starch was indeed delicious, and Jing Shu’s family enjoyed it for breakfast—a large bowl of it accompanied by various side dishes.
Jing Shu took two small glass jars and filled them with the Lotus Root Starch that had been air-drying in the RV’s corridor. She then pressed a pattern onto the powder in each jar with a stamp before sealing the lids, giving them an elegant, high-end appearance.
"Two hundred grams of Lotus Root Starch requires at least ten pounds of lotus root to produce. It’s valuable, right? Okay, go on, Grandpa. Bring back a few more Fire Burnings for lunch. I love them," Jing Shu said. She was already eagerly anticipating her Donkey at Fire Burning, feeling an itch to go with Mr. Jing to see the situation for herself and find out if there were any other rare treasures. However, before she could even have lunch, visitors arrived. It was Wu You’ai’s ntor, who ca with his customized trailer; he had clearly co for their scheduled eting.
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