The girl smiled and nodded: "Got it, Uncle Mike."
He bent down again to check the heat: "Don't let the wind blow too hard, keep it simmering gently to bring out the flavor... don't add salt too early to the mushroom soup, or it might turn bitter."
Just as he finished speaking, a noise arose from the side.
A group of children gathered around the pot, pointing and talking, when a chubby boy secretly stretched out a wooden spoon, scooped a mouthful of steaming soup, and as soon as it neared his mouth, he let out a scream: "Hot, hot, hot, hot!"
Mike lifted him aside with one hand and patted his head: "Thinking of sneaking a drink before it's fully cooked?"
The boy nodded repeatedly, scared, and ran back into the crowd, causing a round of laughter.
"The kids are almost crazed with greed," a village woman laughed, "it's no wonder, we didn't have so many pots last year."
At this moment, far away on a slope, Felan quietly stood watching all this.
