You said you were going to make games, how did you become the richest man without doing anything?

Chapter 585: Tasting the Food of the Hidden Mist Village Again

Zhou Zhengxiong put down the camera, a kind smile appeared on his face, and he looked at Xia Hui gently: "This child always likes to show off. Thanks to you, you really helped a lot."

Xia Hui pouted and complained while sorting the photos in the camera: "Really, you are only a generation older than me, don't act like my dad!" Her tone with a hint of coquettishness made the atmosphere in the entire cafeteria a little more relaxed.

"Ahahaha..." Tang Yin laughed dryly, but secretly observed in his heart. Sure enough, beneath Zhou Zhengxiong's seemingly easygoing appearance, it seemed that there was a hidden side to him.

In short, the accommodation issue was resolved. Tang Yin was thinking that the next time he would properly integrate into the life of the Hidden Mist Village. After all, he was now a man with a proper job, and his morning work hadn't even started yet, so he had to finish his work in the cafeteria in the afternoon.

but……

"..." Tang Yin was thinking when suddenly a strange smell entered his nostrils, making him frown.

Mrs. Chen Xiang seemed to notice his strangeness and brought a large steaming bowl with a smile: "Anyway, fill your stomach before working."

As Tang Yin took the bowl, he noticed that the smile on Mrs. Chen Xiang's face was somewhat unnatural, even a little twisted. A strong odor hit him in the face. It was more like a suffocating miasma than a stench.

"...Um, are you angry?" Tang Yin cautiously probed. He was worried that his absence from work this morning might have irritated this seemingly amiable woman.

"Oh, no, what's wrong?" Mrs. Chen Xiang's tone and expression were normal, and there was no sign of anger. But would she really let a newcomer eat such a weird thing?
Seeing Tang Yin's troubled expression, Madam Chen Xiang suddenly laughed out loud: "Ah, is this what it tastes like? This is pickled animal meat, a meat preservation technique that has existed since ancient times."

"...Yes, that's right." Tang Yin endured the shocking smell and finally understood that this was the legendary fermented animal meat food.

The term "curing" actually means "aging," an ancient process that involves fermenting food for a long time to achieve a unique flavor. While he understood the process in theory, why did the final product emit such a horrible smell? Could it be cured in a special sauce, like those aged dried fish?
As if she could see Tang Yin's confusion, Madam Chen Xiang continued to explain, "A long time ago, beef cattle were inspected and eaten directly. However, eating them like that is quite dangerous. Now they are cooked or used as soup bases."

She smiled mysteriously, "This is Kirigakure's festive dish. I saved a portion for you when I made it for the reporter. Consider it my welcome gift to you."

"..." Tang Yin looked at the dark meat in the bowl, which exuded an eerie smell, and swallowed. Now, it seemed he had no choice but to eat it. His hands were shaking slightly, and the movement of picking up the chopsticks was like a life-or-death challenge.

The marinated meat in the bowl radiated a dark sheen, a layer of glossy sauce clinging to the surface. The rich, suffocating aroma continued to surge upward, as if issuing a silent challenge to Tang Yin. This wasn't a welcome gift at all; it was clearly a cruel test for the newcomer.

Thinking back on the bizarre delicacies he had tasted, from fermented stinky dried fish to a dazzling array of exotic delicacies, nothing seemed to faze him. Eat it, who's afraid of who?

However, at this moment, a familiar voice suddenly rang in his mind. It was Wang Lina's slightly sad words from the last reincarnation: "Because I grew up eating the food of the Hidden Mist Village, I can't leave here..."

A chill ran down his spine. Could it be that eating this would turn him into a zombie? Tang Yin shook his head, secretly laughing at himself for overthinking things. No kidding, there's no way this could happen.

"--I'm starting." Tang Yin took a deep breath, picked up the bowl and chopsticks in front of him, and began to enjoy this special lunch.

The large bowl before him was filled with distinct grains of brown rice, and a mountain of sliced ​​meat was piled on top. The broth seemed light, similar to what he had eaten at Baifeng Manor, but the color of the meat made him frown—it was covered with a strange, shiny green film of oil.

Even worse, a strong stench washed over him along with the heat, as if it was about to permeate his entire being. Tang Yin gritted his teeth, gripped his chopsticks, and decided to make a quick decision. He quickly stirred the food in the bowl, shoveling the soup, rice, and meat into his mouth in one gulp.

...What does this feel like?
His taste buds were stimulated by an unprecedented sensation, and a unique tactile sensation permeated his teeth and tongue. A strong sour and salty taste exploded in his mouth, accompanied by the distinctly delicious flavor of animal protein. However, all this deliciousness was overshadowed by the lingering stench. If Tang Yin hadn't constantly reminded himself, "This is delicious," he would have rushed outside to vomit.

He suppressed his body's instinctive rejection, using his willpower to suppress the urge to vomit, and forced himself to swallow the mouthful of food. Fortunately, the aftertaste was lighter than he had imagined, but when the stench gradually dissipated, it was replaced by a strong smell of beast.

Tang Yin gazed at the remaining food in the bowl, lost in thought. In a sense, the taste of this pickled animal meat was indeed full of passion and surprise, like an endless gustatory adventure.

"Oh, you eat so heartily." Mrs. Chen Xiang looked at him with a smile, a hint of approval in her eyes.

Tang Yin put down his bowl and chopsticks and said casually, "You'll just have to get used to it."

"Yeah, yeah, I understand," Mrs. Chen Xiang nodded meaningfully, "I thought so too when I first arrived at the Hidden Mist Village. But now I just want to eat a little more." There was a hint of mystery in her tone, as if hinting at something.

Tang Yin looked at the green film of oil remaining at the bottom of the bowl, and a sense of inexplicable unease welled up in his heart. Perhaps the secret of the Hidden Mist Village lay hidden in this seemingly ordinary food.

As expected, once you can swallow the first bite, the rest becomes much easier. As Tang Yin ate, he felt the warmth of the pickled animal meat spread throughout his body. While the taste was definitely not delicious, he had to admit that it did have an indescribable nourishing effect, like some mysterious wild tonic.

"Is that so, is that so..." Tang Yin kept muttering to himself like a mantra, as if this could dispel the lingering strange taste in his mouth. Finally, after a lot of hard work, he finally cleared the bowl of food.

"Burp——" A sudden burp broke the silence.

"I'm full." Tang Yin put down his bowl and chopsticks and wiped the corner of his mouth.

Mrs. Chen Xiang took the empty bowl away and said calmly, "It's just a simple meal."

Just like that, Tang Yin officially ate the food of Kirigakure. This simple action meant that he had become a true Kirigakure villager—or to be more precise, a Huangquan person.

However, Tang Yin didn't care much about it. Who cares? Even if he was eliminated, he could always start over. As long as there was a way forward, he could keep moving forward. This thought made him feel strangely relieved. The rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables soon filled the kitchen. Mrs. Chen Xiang was preparing dinner. She assigned Tang Yin a simple task: repair the broken dishes.

When Tang Yin saw the pile of tableware that needed repair, he was stunned. The lack of supplies in Wuyin Village was far beyond his imagination. Even the tableware was recycled from Baifeng Manor.

"...Isn't this too much?" He couldn't help but sigh in a low voice.

Tang Yin carefully unpacked the broken pieces of tableware wrapped in old newspapers and began sorting them into their respective categories, like a delicate jigsaw puzzle. While this task was quite interesting, it was certainly a significant amount of work. Several cardboard boxes lay before him, filled with broken tableware awaiting repair.

"Can all of them really be used?" Tang Yin thought while working, and in the end he could only comfort himself and just be prepared.

He noticed that the adhesive used for the repair was super glue from a dollar store, presumably sourced from a nearby town.

"You can buy a tube of super glue for one dollar, which is more cost-effective than buying a bowl." Mrs. Chen Xiang walked up to him and said with a smile.

Tang Yin felt a pang of sadness. This level of frugality was truly tragic. The perfect blend of modern cheap goods and pre-modern poverty made the Hidden Mist Village seem even more mysterious and contradictory.

As he was concentrating on repairing the tableware, he suddenly discovered an interesting detail - most of the tableware was engraved with a strange pattern that seemed familiar.

"What kind of mark is this?" Tang Yin turned his head and looked at the back of Mrs. Chen Xiang who was busy behind the counter.

Mrs. Chen Xiang paused slightly, her tone carrying a hint of inexplicable emotion: "...Ah, this is the family crest of the family responsible for managing the water field."

It really was the Qin Zhi family's... Tang Yin stroked the pattern on the tableware thoughtfully, a sense of unease crossing his heart. Perhaps the story behind this family crest was more complicated than he had imagined.

Tang Yin stared at the cutlery in his hands, secretly thinking that it would be best not to mention the Qin family directly. After all, judging from Madam Chen Xiang's subtle tone just now, the Qin family probably wasn't something worth remembering for her.

Sunlight slanted in through the cafeteria's glass windows, casting tiny specks of light on the family crests on the tableware. Tang Yin traced the patterns lightly with his fingertips, lost in thought. Most family crests held secrets about bloodline inheritance, but he lacked the ability to decipher these mysterious symbols.

"Do other elders also have family crests?" Tang Yin asked casually, but his eyes were secretly observing Madam Chen Xiang's reaction.

Mrs. Chen Xiang, who was wiping the dishes, showed a rare smile: "Well, I like the Qian family's, they are very cute."

Cute? Tang Yin was slightly startled, then remembered Hua Lu once mentioned that the Qian family was the so-called House of Crows. So, their family crest should be a crow-themed pattern.

His thoughts drifted away as he sorted through the known information in his mind: Spider - Hua Family, Crow - Qian Family, Monkey - Qin Family, Snake - Zhao Family. These family symbols were more than just superficial decorations of Baifeng Manor's culture, but were crucial settings closely tied to the mysterious "Yellow Springs Feast."

Dust drifted slowly in the sunlight, and Tang Yin recalled something Wang Lina had once said—the guardian beast's protection was written in blood on the body of the protector. He shuddered at the thought. Waking up to find his body covered in blood—the plot felt straight out of a horror novel.

Wait… Tang Yin suddenly thought of something. What about the dream pillow that the Wolf Camp and Xiaomei had mentioned? If this message was truly conveyed in a dream, then he could only surrender. This supernatural phenomenon was far beyond his comprehension. But why was the Wolf's communication method different from others? He had to find an opportunity to confirm this suspicion.

"Where are the other family crests?" Tang Yin continued to inquire while sorting out the fragments.

Madam Chen Xiang continued to move her hands. "You should be able to see the Qian family crest at the Qian Group's office. And... ah, the pendant on Hua Lu's chest is the Hua family crest."

So that's why. No wonder the shape of the pendant is so special.

"I'll go and take a look next time. If I don't recognize the family crest, I might accidentally offend the elders," Tang Yin said casually.

"That's true..." Madam Chen Xiang smiled gently, "If you find a family crest you don't recognize, come and ask me."

"um. Thank you."

As they worked and chatted, the atmosphere in the cafeteria gradually became more relaxed. Tang Yin noticed an old cathode ray tube TV in the corner, which looked like it could receive satellite signals from public channels. This made him imagine the warm scene of everyone sitting together watching TV during dinner.

What surprised him even more was that not only was there a television in the cafeteria, but every room in the dormitory was equipped with one. Despite the village's limited resources, they were willing to invest so much money in the children's future. This undoubtedly demonstrated the special status of the student dormitories in the village.

"My eldest son lives in the dormitory now," Mrs. Chen Xiang said as she put away the kitchen utensils. "He told me the plot of the TV series yesterday. The TV here can only be turned on at night."

She spoke with the gentle smile of a mother, as if describing a perfectly ordinary household matter. But Tang Yin sensed something unusual in it. Perhaps there was a deeper secret hidden behind this seemingly ordinary regulatory measure.

Giving priority to children watching TV is usually criticized as spoiling, but the situation in the Hidden Mist Village is different.

Every child goes to school in Baifengzhuang and goes straight home after school. Moreover, Baifengzhuang is a very isolated village.

Only through the TV screen can one understand the modern country. For the people of the Hidden Mist Village, TV is an irreplaceable learning tool.

(End of this chapter)