Sulyeon especially loved both the spicy pepper flavor and the sweet and sour fruit sauce.
She mixed a lot of mashed fruit into her bowl, creating a tangy, numbing, spicy aroma that made her mouth water.
She stacked meat slices and mushrooms together, dipped them into the crushed green herb powder and fruit sauce, then put them into her mouth.
It felt like tiny dancers were moving on her tongue.
The wonderful flavor made her shake her head in delight.
"Hah, hah." She had added a bit too much of the Spelon Berry powder, so she kept breathing out while giving a thumbs-up. "Hayoon, this way of eating is amazing! In the past, when we ate mushroom stew with meat at home, I would feel full after a few bites. Now I somehow feel even hungrier the more I eat."
All the dishes today were especially loved by Inhae, who ate with puffed cheeks and kept nodding in agreement.
Hayoon smiled and said, "When food is too delicious, it can make you feel like you can never get enough."
Immo laughed at Sulyeon and sighed, "Good thing we brought our own ingredients today, otherwise it wouldn't be enough for Sulyeon alone."
Sulyeon's face turned red. "Mom! I was just saying it. I wouldn't really eat everything!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Immo tried the spicy pepper mushrooms and the dipping sauce made by Leeho.
She could accept the Spelon Berry flavor, but she did not particularly like it.
In the end, she only added the crushed herb to her bowl, squeezed in some sweet and sour fruit juice, and even imitated Hayoon by pouring in a little hot oil.
"As expected, after pouring hot oil over the crushed herb, the flavor becomes even more fragrant." Immo praised while continuing to eat the meat.
Hayoon said, "This is very useful. Didn't everyone help me dig up a lot before? I picked some of them and planted them over there in the field. I also plan to plant the Spelon Berry saplings there."
Everyone looked over.
Sulyeon muttered, "There are so many herb stalks and Spelon Berry on the mountain. If you want to eat them, just go pick them."
Hayoon knew the people of this tribe did not really have the concept of farming, and she smiled. "If we grow them ourselves, it will be more convenient to harvest."
Sulyeon said, "But farming sounds like a lot of trouble."
Hayoon replied, "Yes, it has its own advantages and disadvantages."
Immo understood what she meant and nodded. "Actually, if we have the energy, planting some is fine. Do you need us to help you plant them?"
Hayoon said, "No need. It's just a few small seedlings. I can finish planting them quickly."
Everyone continued eating while chatting.
Immo brought the conversation back to Hayoon's cooking. "This mushroom hotpot method is really convenient. It is quick to prepare, and the taste is so good. We can eat it more often when we go back."
Sulyeon eagerly agreed, almost raising both hands. "Yes, yes!"
Minho who is sat beside Hayoon and did not say much.
But he ate very seriously, moving his chopsticks faster than usual, with a thin layer of sweat on his nose.
Since the pot had to be kept heated, whenever the firewood in the pit was about to burn out, he would take the initiative to add more wood.
When the water got low, he would scoop more in.
Hayoon silently evaluated him in her mind: always noticing what needs to be done. Not bad.
The six of them ate from the time the sun tilted westward until it sank below the horizon.
By the end, the sub-beastmen like Hayoon had already put down their chopsticks from being too full, while the beastmen were still "fighting on."
Especially Haeun. Despite being much younger than the others, his stomach seemed bottomless.
Hayoon watched him eat and worried he might burst his stomach.
In the end, over a hundred pounds of beast meat, large amounts of tubers, fresh wild vegetables, and two big basins of fried mushrooms were completely finished.
Hayoon brought over cooled boiled water and poured a large bowl for each of them so they could drink and help digest the food.
Sulyeon burped awkwardly and said, "This meal was so satisfying. Hayoon, thank you for treating us."
Immo also said, "Yes. We also learned how to make starch, fry mushrooms, and cook mushroom hotpot. I don't even know how to thank you. We'll give you half of the mushrooms we collected today."
Hayoon quickly waved her hands. "Really no need. You also said there are a lot of mushrooms in the wild now. I will go pick more later, so don't be so polite with me."
Immo and the others smiled and agreed easily. "Alright. If you ever need anything in the future, just come find us."
Hayoon replied, "Mm."
After resting for a while, everyone worked together to clean up the stove area and wash the bowls and chopsticks.
What would have taken one person a long time was quickly finished when divided among everyone.
Just as Immo and the others were preparing to say their goodbyes, a group of sub-beastmen walked over from a distance and the one who leading them was Yeonhwa.
"Hayoon, we are here," Yeonhwa called out, she waving her hand and said, "Aunt Immo, you are here too?"
Immo replied, "Yes, Hayoon invited us for dinner today."
Sulyeon was quite familiar with Yeonhwa and quickly ran over excitedly.
"You have no idea how delicious Hayoon's cooking is! I ate so much I can barely walk!"
The others had sharp noses and sniffed the air.
"I smell mushrooms and beast oil."
"And beast meat and wild vegetables? That strong scent at the end… is that Spelon Berry?"
They had all seen Hayoon picking Spelon berries earlier today.
Sulyeon said excitedly, "It is Spelon Berry! Come, come, let me tell you…"
She e grabbed Yeonhwa and vividly described everything, making everyone swallow their saliva hard just listening.