Translator: Silavin
“Shaman, we’re back.” Yan Hua’s bright voice drifted up from the staircase.
Yan Hua had risen early that morning to train. She had been away from the Tribe for some time.
The newly selected soldiers had not yet had a chance to be trained properly. As a leader responsible for her men, she felt obliged to go and have a look. Sha Lan was the same. The two of them had risen early together and headed off to the training ground, then returned to the Yong’an Building once they were done.
“Ah… you frightened me.” Yu Ying had been startled by Yan Hua’s voice. The hand she had been reaching out snapped back immediately.
“What’s wrong?” Yan Hua looked at Yu Ying with a puzzled expression.
“What on earth is that?” Sha Lan was the first to notice the crayfish in the wooden basin.
Yu Ying patted her small chest lightly and stood up. “These are crayfish the Chieftain found along the banks of the great river. The Shaman says they can be eaten.”
Yu Ying was still a little unsettled. She had been rather frightened of the crayfish with their little claws from the start. She had just worked up the courage to reach in and grab one to have a look when she was startled by Yan Hua’s sudden voice.
“Crayfish that Father caught? I’ve never seen creatures like these before.” Yan Hua’s attention was immediately pulled toward the wooden basin.
She reached in boldly and grabbed one, as though she already knew perfectly well that the claws could pinch.
Yan Hua gripped the crayfish’s claws with practised ease and then held it up before her eyes to examine it carefully.
“Strange looking. Shaman, can they really be eaten?” Sha Lan reached in and grabbed one as well.
“Of course. We’re going to clean them now.” Su Bai raised an eyebrow slightly.
They were Totem Warriors, after all. They went for unknown creatures without a moment’s hesitation. And the girls observed carefully too. One look was all it took to identify the claws as the main weapon to watch out for.
“You two… how are you both just grabbing them like that!?” Yu Ying had broken out in goosebumps just looking.
“What’s there to worry about? Such a small thing can’t hurt me. But can they really be eaten? Are you cleaning them? Then I’ll help too.” Yan Hua was suddenly in high spirits.
She was tired after training, and discovering a new kind of creature had her curiosity running at full tilt.
“Since Xiao Yu is frightened, just watch from the side. We’ll clean them for you.” Sha Lan said with a warm smile.
“Right, let me demonstrate once more so you can all see.” Su Bai picked up a grass brush and began scrubbing a crayfish.
Yu Ying let out a quiet breath of relief from where she stood. She really was frightened, and truly could not bring herself to do it.
But even as she felt relieved, Yu Ying felt a wave of guilt. There was no other reason for it. She simply felt she was not pulling her own weight.
She thought about what would happen if the Shaman wanted to eat crayfish again some other time. If she could not even manage to clean them, how could she ever prepare them? Surely she could not go looking for Yan Hua or Sha Lan every single time the Shaman wanted crayfish. What would be the point of her then?
Yu Ying steeled herself again at that thought. She clenched her back teeth firmly, set her jaw, and stretched out her hands.
She took a slow breath and grabbed a crayfish. Then she picked up a grass brush and started scrubbing.
Still frightened, Yu Ying scrubbed a few times and put it back down.
When she had finished the whole sequence of actions, Yu Ying let out a breath and said, “I think I can do it, after all.”
That entire display left Yan Hua, Su Bai, and the others staring.
They were all thinking the same thing. [Had Xiao Yu not just been saying she was sacred a moment ago? How had she bee so decisive so quickly?]
“Don’t worry about it. If you’re really scared, you don’t have to do it. If I want to eat crayfish next time, I’ll just ask them to do it.” Su Bai had already seen through Yu Ying’s thoughts.
He knew she was worried about being useless, about not doing her job as a Shaman Priestess well enough.
“Yes.” Yu Ying felt a warmth settle in her chest.
With everyone working together, the crayfish were cleaned quickly. The veins were removed cleanly as well.
Su Bai began asking Yu Ying to prepare the seasonings. Spring onion, ginger, and garlic were essential. Chilli was a must as well. He had originally considered making them in a thirteen-spice style or a spicy style, but he had no Sichuan pepper or similar spices, and not everyone could handle heat.
That dish came to him quickly. Garlic style crayfish. More people would accept that flavour, and many people liked it.
“Peel the garlic for me. The more the better. It’ll make the crayfish taste much better in the end.” Su Bai said lightly.
He used a cleaver to press each clove flat, which made peeling them easier.
“Yes.” Yan Hua and the others answered in unison.
They all gathered around the table and began peeling clove after clove, each one looking as though she were peting with the others, afraid of falling behind.
A short while later there was a full plate piled with peeled garlic, and the kitchen was thick with the smell of it.
“Watch carefully. I’ll show you step by step how to make this. If you ever want to make it yourselves in future, you can try.” Su Bai said patiently.
“Understood.”
Yan Hua and the others straightened up at once. Every pair of eyes fixed on Su Bai’s hands. None of them wanted to miss a single thing worth learning.
Su Bai moved slowly and deliberately. He began by pouring wild boar fat into the pot.
Once the fat had melted and spread, he tipped the cleaned and drained crayfish in to fry.
When the crayfish had changed colour, he lifted them out immediately.
He ladled away the excess fat, leaving just a thin film in the pot. Then he added the minced garlic, spring onion, and ginger he had prepared earlier, and stir-fried them until fragrant.
Once the garlic was fragrant, Su Bai scooped it out and set it aside.
He then added spring onion and chilli and continued stir-frying, before finally tipping the crayfish back in.
“Xiao Yu. Is the alcohol I had asked you to prepare ready?” Su Bai turned his head to ask.
“It’s all ready.” Yu Ying brought over the cup of beer at once.
“Good. At this stage the alcohol goes in. Then the garlic we set aside goes back in as well. Let it braise for five minutes and it’s done.” Su Bai pleted the final steps in one smooth sequence.
The girls all stood watching in a daze, their eyes following every movement of his hands. They looked rather like children who had discovered something extraordinary.
When the garlic was frying, waves of fragrance had drifted out. None of them could stop themselves from breathing it in deeply. There was an immediate, deep sense of satisfaction.
Some of them were already quietly drooling, willing the crayfish to hurry up and be done.
“Shaman, why does making crayfish need alcohol? Isn’t alcohol for drinking?” Yu Ying asked, suddenly curious.
“Does anyone know the answer?” Su Bai smiled and looked around.
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