Sulyeon picked up another piece of mushroom, blew on it, and put it into her mouth, biting down happily.
"Mm, even the fried starch coating is super good. Listen, it is crunchy when you chew it." Sulyeon deliberately opened her mouth a bit wider, and the crisp crackling sound could indeed be heard.
Immo could not help but laugh. "You are eating very happily."
Leeho and Minho, the two beastmen, did not comment much, but from the way they caught the falling bits of starch crumbs in their hands and then ate them without wasting anything, it was clear they liked it too.
Immo and her family held back and did not eat too much.
Just then, Hayoon started frying the second batch of mushrooms, and they all smelled the peppery aroma drifting through the air.
Sulyeon still was not used to the smell.
She rubbed her itchy nose and asked with a slightly red tip of her nose, "Hayoon, did you put Spelon berries in it?"
"Yes." Hayoon was already quite skilled at frying mushrooms now and did not stop her hands as she answered. "Later you can try this peppery version. It is very special."
Sulyeon looked a little resistant. "I think the original flavor is already very good. Like you said, I tore the mushroom strips thicker, and after coating them in starch and frying, the texture feels like meat, but much more tender, and there is no gamey smell at all."
As she spoke, she made herself even hungrier and swallowed her saliva.
Hayoon turned to glance at her and smiled. "Isn't there still a lot left? If you like it, eat more."
Sulyeon shook her head. "I will save it for everyone to eat together later."
She sniffed toward the stone pot again. "I feel like I am getting used to the smell. It actually smells kind of nice now."
Hayoon said, "Right? You will understand after you try it later. The peppery version is even more fragrant."
Sulyeon became curious after seeing Hayoon's confident expression. "Alright. If it really is that delicious, we will also go gather Spelon berries."
Haeun loved the original fried mushrooms so much that he wanted to eat more, but he was also curious about the peppery version.
After thinking for a moment, he put down his chopsticks and stared eagerly at Hayoon, waiting for her to finish frying.
Immo's nose had also adapted by now. He stepped forward and asked, "Is there anything else we can help with?"
Hayoon thought for a moment and took out her ceramic pot from her storage space. She asked him, "Auntie, can you help me wash this pot and set it over the fire pit? I want to stew some beast bone soup. As for the bones…"
Minho naturally continued, "I will prepare them."
Hayoon smiled knowingly. "Alright."
Seeing that Hayoon was about to make another dish, Sulyeon eagerly asked, "Then what about me? Let me help too."
Hayoon said, "Then help cut the stripped beast meat into slices?"
Sulyeon said, "Alright! Do you have any requirement for thickness?"
Hayoon pinched her fingers to show a gap. "The thinner, the better."
Sulyeon straightened her chest confidently. "Got it!"
Fetching water, lighting fires, deboning, cutting meat.
Everyone got busy again.
About ten minutes later, Hayoon finally finished frying the large basin of peppery mushrooms.
She rolled her shoulders and saw that everyone was working well on their tasks, so she walked to the makeshift cutting board and started slicing the cleaned mushroom stems.
Then she quickly washed the stone pot several times with hot water and called out.
"Auntie, the stone pot is ready. You can pour the bone broth in now."
Immo said, "Alright!"
Leeho took over immediately. "I will do it."
The ceramic pot was very hot, but his beast form was a bear, with thick skin and strong resistance, so it was no problem for him at all.
After the bone broth was poured in, Hayoon sprinkled in a handful of mushroom stems and stirred it with a wooden ladle.
The firewood in the stove crackled loudly, and the bone broth in the stone pot had already turned a faint milky white.
Haeun leaned over curiously and asked, "Sis, are we just drinking bone soup tonight?"
"No," Hayoon said with a smile. "This is just the base. Tonight we are eating a mushroom hot pot."
Haeun asked, "What is that?"
Hayoon did not explain immediately.
Instead, she added washed mushrooms, dried sweet fruits, and a proper amount of salt into the pot.
After that, she chopped the stems into thin slices with a clack-clack sound and neatly arranged them in a wooden bowl.
She also asked others to help pick the freshly gathered green wild vegetables, washed them, and placed them into another bowl.
Finally, she took out several ceramic bowls.
Into each bowl she added some crushed mushroom stems and salt, then scooped in a little of the cooked mushroom broth.
Just then, Sulyeon and Immo finished slicing the meat.
Hayoon clapped her hands and said loudly, "Alright, it is ready to eat! Everyone sit by the stove. I will show you how to eat it."
Everyone was curious and quickly brought stone stools to sit around the stove.
Hayoon picked up clean chopsticks and put several slices of meat into the pot to cook.
"Your knife skills are amazing. The slices are so thin and even."
Immo and Sulyeon felt a little shy at the praise and smiled brightly.
Haeun looked at the milky white bone broth in the stone pot and the delicious mushrooms floating inside.
As it heated, steam rose and the soup bubbled invitingly.
"Sis, can we eat the meat once it is cooked?"
"Yes." Hayoon explained, "This is the mushroom hot pot base. You just put whatever you want to eat in and cook it. I already served the mushroom broth, you can try it first."
Everyone nodded and held their bowls, blowing on them before drinking.