Chapter 24 - Transmigration: The Farm Life of a “Fool”

Translator's Note:

Hello, I hope you've all been doing well.

Here you go, and I wish you a good read.

And, as I said before, if you wish to read ahead, you can head over to my Patreon to get early access to all the translated chapters.

Cooking

 

 

After washing his face, Xu Ran rolled up his sleeves and got to work preparing lunch. The idea of "a gentleman stays away from the kitchen"* didn't apply in the countryside—here, nearly every child learned how to cook.

 

[T/N: The expression "君子遠庖廚" (jūnzǐ yuǎn páo chú) refers to a classical Chinese saying that means "a gentleman stays away from the kitchen." The idea behind this saying comes from Confucian teachings, which emphasize that a gentleman (君子), or a person of high moral standing, should not concern himself with mundane or messy tasks like cooking, leaving such work to others.]

 

Xu Ran, having grown up in such an environment, was no exception. He poured some coarse rice into a pot, then quickly peeled a few potatoes with a knife and added them in. He asked Dahu to tend the fire, while the other children washed more potatoes.

 

Potatoes were not only filling but easy to grow. Xu Ran felt there was potential to develop their use further. For today's lunch, he planned to experiment with different potato dishes.

 

He also took out the wood ear mushrooms he had gathered and planned to stir-fry them with potatoes. But since they looked dark and unappealing, none of the children seemed interested. Xu Ran sighed—this really was a world that judged everything by appearances.

 

Wood ear mushrooms were best when stir-fried with meat, but since this wasn't his home, Xu Ran didn't dare cut into anyone's cured meat. He soaked the mushrooms for later, deciding to wait until everyone returned before preparing them.

 

There were plenty of potatoes, so Xu Ran made several different dishes. In the past few days, Dahu had also brought back some zhe'ergen, and with Wu Mei's pickled radishes, they had a decent spread. By noon, they had five or six dishes ready, all waiting on the final stir-fry of mushrooms and meat.

 

When the others returned from their work at midday, the moment they stepped into the yard, they were greeted by the delicious aroma of cooking.

 

Everyone hurried to wash up. Liu Tong, who finished first, entered the kitchen, surprised to see Xu Ran busy at the stove. He hadn't expected Xu Ran to be able to cook, and a look of delight filled his eyes.

 

"Ah Ran, what are you making? It smells amazing out in the yard," Liu Tong asked as he entered, seeing Xu Ran washing the wok, with several plates of unfamiliar food beside him.

 

"You're back. Potatoes," Xu Ran replied with a smile.

 

Though Xu Ran still didn't talk much, his words were clear, and people could understand him easily. He was also diligently taking the medicine prescribed by Doctor Liu. Xu Ran estimated that by the time their house was built, he could make a show of having fully "recovered."

 

"Potatoes? What are those? Are they edible? I've never heard of them before," Liu Tong asked, gazing at the sliced yellow pieces on the plates with curiosity.

 

"They're edible," Xu Ran affirmed.

 

Recently, Xu Ran had been experimenting with all kinds of strange foods, so Liu Tong wasn't too surprised anymore—just amazed that everything Xu Ran touched seemed to turn into something edible.

 

Soon, Wu Mei and the others finished washing up and joined them in the kitchen. They saw not only the various potato dishes Xu Ran had made—fried potato slices, shredded potatoes, and potato salad—but also something dark and unappealing.

 

"Xu Ran, what's this? It's all black—can we really eat it?" Wu Lan asked, holding up a piece of wood ear mushroom.

 

Xu Ran nodded. "Black wood ear. It's edible. Stir-fried with meat."

 

"How unusual! You really are different from the rest of us, having had an education," Wu Lan praised him, though there was a hint of regret in his voice. Xu Ran didn't seem to mind.

 

When Wu Mei heard that the wood ear mushrooms were meant to be stir-fried with meat, he immediately went to cut some meat.

 

Seeing that all the other dishes were ready except for the wood ear mushrooms, he understood Xu Ran's hesitation—it wasn't his home, so he felt it was inappropriate to take their meat. Fortunately, they still had some cured pork, and it wouldn't hurt to eat a little on occasion.

 

Wu Mei cut the cured meat, washed it in the hot water Xu Ran had prepared, and deftly sliced it before handing it to Xu Ran to stir-fry.

 

In his past life, Xu Ran had been a "proud bachelor"* from a rural area, so stir-frying dishes was no challenge for him.

 

[T/N: The phrase "單身貴族" (dānshēn guìzú) is used humorously to refer to someone who is single but still takes pride in their lifestyle, especially emphasizing independence and self-sufficiency. The expression literally translates to "single aristocrat" or "single noble," implying that, although single, the person lives comfortably or skillfully manages daily tasks like cooking.]

 

The stove fire hadn't gone out, so Xu Ran worked quickly. Once the wood ear mushrooms and pork were ready, all the dishes were placed on the table. When Liu Tong lifted the pot's lid, he discovered that Xu Ran had added potatoes to the rice as well.

 

Liu Tong didn't comment—he let the coarse rice go to the children, while the adults would eat the potatoes themselves.

 

As they ate, Xu Ran received much praise again. The potatoes, boiled with the rice, were sweet and filling. Even the stir-fried wood ear mushrooms and pork were a hit—they had never tasted anything like it before.

 

"Ah Ran, where did you find these potatoes? We've never seen them before," Liu Tong asked, realizing they hadn't asked where Xu Ran had gotten the food from.

 

As soon as Liu Tong spoke, all eyes turned to Xu Ran. Without hiding anything, Xu Ran replied, "On the mountain. I dug them up."

 

The mention of the mountain made Liu Tong's face darken. "Ah Ran, the mountain is dangerous. Don't go alone anymore."

 

"Yes, it's true," Wu Mei chimed in. "Though these are wonderful, the mountain is full of dangers. You're not familiar with the area. It's best not to go alone."

 

Xu Ran nodded. "I know. I won't do it again."

 

Satisfied with Xu Ran's promise, Liu Tong continued eating, though he still felt a bit uneasy.

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