"Max, your alcohol tolerance is really good..." Eric blurted out, a sense of admiration filling his heart. He, on the other hand, got drunk just from eating sweet rice ball soup. The thought was infuriating.
"Oh, right, I have to go deliver the wine to them and drag Leo back while I'm at it. That kid has been playing too wildly lately."
"Let me go." Max interrupted. His gaze swept over Eric's now-flat stomach: "You go cook. It's so late, you must be hungry, right?"
A shy blush spread across his cheeks, and Eric nodded obediently. He handed Max a bamboo tube of berry wine and also took out an extra bottle of sweet fermented rice wine as a gift for those two "fools."
After seeing Max off, Eric carefully stored the spices and cotton fabric in the house, his heart brimming with the joy of a good harvest. Humming a tuneless song, he scooped out some wheat flour and kneaded it into a smooth, pliable dough, setting it aside to rest. Next, he took a large basin, mixed flour and water according to a ratio, and stirred until the mixture was smooth and free of lumps.
In the small iron pot, animal fat began to sizzle. Eric divided the kneaded dough into small balls, rolled them out thinly, and dropped them into the hot fat to fry.
Each piece of dough puffed up into a golden-brown, crispy cake and was scooped out onto a plate. Without a flat pan, he used the large iron pot itself to make the wrappers for the steamed rolls.
He spread a very thin layer of fat, waited for the pot to emit a bluish smoke, then ladled in a scoop of the thin batter, using his strength to swirl the heavy pot so the batter spread into a thin layer. Luckily, he was much stronger now.
The thin wrapper cooked very quickly, and he skillfully removed it with a large iron spatula.
Just as he finished the last of the wrappers, a tall figure walked over, carrying a small golden lion and several bolts of cotton fabric.
Leo seemed a little afraid of Max, his paws drawn in, not daring to make a sound. But as soon as he saw Eric, the little guy immediately became lively, leaping to the ground.
His golden tail wagged furiously like a small dog's as Leo bounced over to Eric's feet, his eyes looking greedily at the plate of food.
"I could smell the fragrance from far away. I knew you were making something delicious."
Eric pretended to be annoyed and patted the little one on the head.
"You still know the way back? I didn't even see you at noon when I went to deliver food to the Dwarves. Where did you run off to?"
Leo rubbed his head with his small paws, trying to curry favor.
"Aunt Jessica called us over to her place for lunch. I made several hundred bricks today. We're going to have a new house soon!"
Hearing this, all the irritation in Eric's heart vanished. His Leo was truly becoming more and more sensible.
He smiled and said: "Then you deserve a reward. A reward of delicious fried steamed rolls!"
"This is a return gift from the guild master." Max walked in and, with practiced ease, set down the bolts of cotton fabric.
"Max, there's berry wine in the corner, bring it out! Let's have a grand celebration tonight!" Eric called out.
The Dwarves' iron pot was so large that whenever he cooked, he would set everything up outdoors.
He took down a fish over two meters long from the wall, rinsed it with water, and put it directly into the pot to fry.
Ever since he had taught everyone how to catch fish, they would bring him fish every few days, so much that he couldn't finish it all. The fish skin was fried to a golden brown on both sides before he poured in water, added wild onions and pieces of tofu, and simmered it over a low fire to let the soup absorb the sweet flavors.
In the small pot, he sautéed garlic and chili until fragrant, then added shredded beast meat to stir-fry. Eric was now full of energy, and his wok-tossing was very professional, making Leo watch and clap his paws incessantly.
This was the first time he had made a proper stir-fry. He hadn't been interested before due to the lack of spices. Stir-fried meat... it would be perfect with some green vegetables.
At this thought, Eric couldn't help but sigh. He still vividly remembered the time he was scolded for daring to mistreat a beast cub with "weeds."
He had no choice but to swallow his tears and eat the meat. In any case, the Snow Wolves didn't suffer from constipation.
Finally, he sprinkled in fine salt and fish bone powder for seasoning, and the aroma of the stir-fried meat immediately filled the air. He then stir-fried a plate of glistening yellow eggs.
Eric spread a large steamed roll wrapper on a clean wooden board, placed a layer of crispy fried dough on top, added the stir-fried meat and eggs, then rolled it all up into a large roll, handing it to Max first.
He then hurriedly rolled a smaller one for the staring Leo.
The fish and tofu soup was also tenderly cooked. Eric ladled a bowl for each of them. Max had also brought out the berry wine.
He poured two bowls, one for Max and one for himself. Naturally, there was none for Leo.
The multi-layered steamed roll had Leo eating until he was shaking his head back and forth in utter satisfaction.
Eric ate while clinking glasses with Max, grinning foolishly: "Cheers!"
After eating and drinking his fill, he rolled onto the grass, gazing up at the endless Milky Way.
His eyes sparkled with joy but were also veiled by a dreamy haze.
Max finished the last bite of his roll and knew from Eric's appearance that he was drunk again. His alcohol tolerance was clearly so poor, yet he insisted on drinking every time.
He chuckled, a rare, fond smile, and also lay down on the grass, imitating Eric in watching the stars.
"Max..." A whisper came from beside him.
Max turned his head and met his gaze. Eric's fair cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were hazy from the drink.
"I'm so good... Max, don't you think I'm so good? Mwahahaha!"
He spoke in a wheedling tone, growing more pleased with himself as he thought about it, and then he burst into a strange laugh.
Max felt a warm current run down his spine. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, his deep, warm laughter melting into the night.
"Of course."
Eric closed his eyes in satisfaction and slowly drifted off to sleep. Seeing him sleeping so soundly, drowsiness began to creep up on Max as well.
Only Leo was left. After finishing his sumptuous dinner, the little one patted his round belly and went for a walk.
He went for a stroll by the river, but with no friends around, he didn't feel like playing.
He had gotten used to the lively atmosphere lately; being alone felt boring.