I woke up to find myself transmigrated into a disabled child.

Chapter 46 Strange-Flavored Fruit

Leyou took over the cleaning and preparation work, while Lezhi used the time to set up the pot, preparing to test whether the slippery fruit and the purple-skinned melon that looked like an eggplant were what she was thinking.

Leyou had experience opening slippery fruit, and with his strong help, he successfully made a small opening in the fruit and poured the liquid into the pot. From the flow pattern of the fruit juice, Leyou judged that it should be oil, which was almost certainly true.

The juice from one fruit was so plentiful that it almost filled a third of the pot, so Leyou didn't need to help with the rest. Lezhi washed the purple melon and the sweet fruit and cut them into strips about the thickness of a finger, waiting for the slippery juice in the pot to heat up.

The slippery fruit juice in the pot started to steam as it heated up, which also resembled oil. To confirm this, Lezhi put wooden chopsticks into the pot and saw small bubbles appear at the tips of the chopsticks. Lezhi smiled and realized it was true.

Continue waiting for the liquid to heat up. Test the temperature by hovering your palm over the pot. Once you feel it's about right, put the dried sweet rice noodle strips into the pot one by one to fry. The liquid in the pot reacts with the ingredients, producing a lot of bubbles. The occasional splashing reaction from the overflowing water from the ingredients further confirms that this is undoubtedly a pot of oil.

Once the sweet potato fries are almost done frying, remove them from the oil and fry them again when the oil temperature rises. A plate of French fries is now ready.

Taking out a new pair of chopsticks, Lezhi picked up a French fry, examined it, and then put it in her mouth and bit into it. The crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside of the fry melted in her mouth. The sweet potato flavor was similar to that of sweet potatoes from her previous life, and the frying process made the sweetness even more pronounced.

As Leyou said, the oil itself doesn't have any strange taste. When paired with sweet fruit, it doesn't have any off-flavors. On the contrary, it has a rich aroma in the aftertaste.

Once she confirmed that the juice of the slippery fruit was indeed vegetable oil, Lezhi became instantly interested and put the chopped purple cucumber strips into the oil to fry. Lezhi regretted that she hadn't found any wheat, otherwise, if she had dipped them in egg batter and fried them, wouldn't the otherworldly version of braised eggplant have been recreated? That was her favorite way to eat eggplant.

Watching the purple cucumber strips tumble in the pan, Lezhi's mind was already racing with all sorts of fried foods. Deep-frying them directly was certainly an option, but as everyone knows, the most essential part of fried food is the batter. Alas, even a skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients!

Amidst Lezhi's silent sigh, the purple-skinned melon strips were ready. By then, Maoqiu had finished the portion of fried sweet rice noodles that Lezhi had given him. Seeing that new food was coming out of the oven, Maoqiu's little black bean eyes lit up. However, he was still very discreet. Maoqiu would not rush forward to snatch food unless Lezhi offered it to him.

Clinging obediently to Lezhi's head, Maoqiu watched as Lezhi picked up a purple melon strip and put it in his mouth to taste it, curiosity flashing in his little black bean eyes. Unaware that Maoqiu was already drooling over his food, Lezhi chewed on the food in his mouth, feeling that familiar taste melt in his mouth.

As he ate, Lezhi nodded. Purple-skinned melon was undoubtedly an eggplant. He was all too familiar with its unique, meat-like texture and its subtle sweetness.

Swallowing the food in her mouth, staring at the sweet fruit and purple melon in front of her, Lezhi had a bold idea. Besides wheat flour, it seemed like sweet potato starch could also be used to make the coating.

Lezhi doesn't have much cooking experience; he only has a general understanding of how the dishes he's eaten are made. But that doesn't stop him from exploring the world of food.

However, there's no rush to make starch; it can't be done in a short time. Right now, the important thing is to get Le Zhong's meal sorted out first.

By this time, Leyou had already washed all the meat and vegetables. Looking at the complete meal of meat, eggs, and vegetables, Lezhi composed herself and began to plan the menu. Stone fruit has a mild sweetness and a thick, powdery texture, making it perfect for pairing with meat, so the meat patties she often makes could continue. With eggs and vegetables, Lezhi decided to also make scrambled eggs and a soup, and breakfast would be ready.

Both of them were very familiar with this menu, so they worked very quickly.

"By the way, Leyou, I've tried this slippery fruit. The juice inside is plant oil, which is very useful. Is this stuff rare?" Lezhi chatted with Leyou while her hands were still busy.

“Really? We never noticed this before. It’s rare, not many people eat this stuff. You can find it in the other three seasons except for winter, and one plant can produce a lot of fruit,” Leyou said.

"Oh, right, there's another kind of fruit that grows alongside the slippery fruit. It's much smaller than the slippery fruit, and the juice inside is black. It tastes really strange. I'll take you to find it in a bit. I remember there's a clump of it not far outside the tribe's territory. See if that helps."

"Oh well."

Hearing Leyou's description, Lezhi's heart skipped a beat. Strange-flavored fruit? It sounded strangely familiar. Could it be the thing he was thinking of?

Calm down and focus on the task at hand. Breakfast is simple and plentiful. Jormungandr has 20 hours of daylight, and there are long intervals between meals, so the treants have large appetites.

After placing the meat patties and stir-fried vegetables on a plate, Leyou carried the pot of soup, and the two of them went together to deliver breakfast to Lezhong, who was still busy in the front hall.

Seeing Le Zhong enjoying his meal, Le Zhi and Le You told him they were going out to gather food and would come back to cook lunch. Then, they left after Le Zhong gave them his instructions.

Having just finished cooking and already filled their stomachs, the two didn't notice the worry in Le Zhong's eyes. Le Zhi was preoccupied with the Slippery Fruit and the Strange-Flavored Fruit. Without stopping, they reached an open space where Le Zhi rode on the fur ball, with Le You leading the way, and the two headed straight out of the tribe's territory.

"Lezhi, we've arrived. It's just ahead."

As Leyou landed, the fluffy ball turned back into a round ball and perched on Lezhi's head, while the latter searched for the trace of the slippery fruit along the direction of Leyou's arm.

Actually, there's no need to use the word "search" at all, because the slippery fruit is so conspicuous. Since no living creature likes to eat it, the mature slippery fruit hangs crowded on the branches, creating a scene of abundant harvest.

The skin of the slippery fruit is brownish-red, and among a group of basketball-sized pots, Lezhi could vaguely see a black color that was different from the slippery fruit.

"Leyou, is that black thing the strange-tasting fruit you mentioned?"

"Yes, that's the one."

Confirming the answer, Lezhi smiled and laboriously avoided the slippery fruit, plucking a strange-tasting fruit from a gap. The moment he held it, his innate abilities told him that this thing was non-toxic and edible.

After sniffing the strange-flavored fruit, Lezhi could indeed smell a salty aroma similar to soy sauce. He asked Leyou to cut a hole in the fruit, and Lezhi gently poured out a little of its dark juice onto the back of his hand, then licked and tasted it under Leyou's horrified gaze.

Smacking his lips, Lezhi frowned helplessly. This stuff did taste a lot like soy sauce, but it wasn't just the salty and savory flavor of soy sauce; it also had a hint of seafood umami. It was an excellent condiment, but eating it on its own was definitely a low-class thing.

"So? You think it tastes awful too, right?"

Seeing Lezhi's face scrunched up in pain, Leyou sighed with empathy, "Once you've tasted this, it's truly unforgettable. Even when we play games with punishments, this is the highest level of punishment."