Ajing’s wound was still not completely healed. Chen Qi did not dare to give him solid food, so he planned to make some mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes were very simple. First boil the potatoes until they were soft, and let them cool off before peeling them. Chen Qi took out a pottery bowl, put a peeled potato in it, and used a spoon to mash it. The firewood in the stove had been removed by Chen Qi, who tasked Ka Luo to use the weeds they’d collected from the yard to be burned for the fire. Chen Qi put a little bit of hydrochoerus dragon oil in the pottery dish used as the pan. After the oil was heated, the previously prepared ginger, scallion and garlic were placed into the pan and stir-fried for a while. Then the mashed potatoes were added to the pan, stir-fried until it turned slightly golden brown, and served in a pottery dish.

Chen Qi cooked up a bowl of mashed potatoes with just ginger and scallion, and then made another bowl of mashed potatoes cooked with the minced meat. After it was cooked, he handed a spoon to Ka Luo, who was already desperate for a taste. Ka Luo didn’t hesitate to scoop a spoonful of the ginger and scallion mashed potatoes into his mouth. It was soft and waxy. Although it smelled delicious, the texture felt a bit strange to Ka Luo, who was used to eating meat.

After Ka Luo swallowed the food in his mouth, he scooped up another spoonful, this time of the mashed potatoes with minced meat. Perhaps because it had more of a meaty aroma, Ka Luo’s eyes sparkled as soon as it entered his mouth. “Chen Qi, I like this.” Ka Luo said as he scooped another large spoonful into his mouth..

Chen Qi filled half a wooden bowl with the ginger and scallion mashed potatoes and offered it to Ajing on the fire keng. Ajing hesitated for a moment before accepting it. He looked at Chen Qi, who smiled and gently rubbed his little head. “Try it. See if you like the flavor.”

Ajing nodded obediently and quietly ate spoonful after spoonful. Ajing was expressionless though, so Chen Qi could not tell whether he actually liked it or not. After Ajing finished eating all the mashed potatoes in the bowl, Chen Qi took the empty bowl and asked, “How was it? Was the taste to your liking?”

Ajing nodded, “It’s delicious.”

Next, Chen Qi scooped the mashed potatoes with minced meat and filled another half bowlful for him. Ajing still quietly finished it, bit by bit.

Chen Qi turned the remaining boiled potatoes into four large bowls of mashed potatoes. Then he took out a few more potatoes from the storage room, as well as some sweet potatoes, and boiled and peeled them all. The beastmen preferred to eat meat. This time, Chen Qi mixed the diced meat and minced meat into the mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. Then he kneaded the mashed potatoes into patties, heated oil in a pottery dish and put the potato patties in, frying them until both sides were golden brown. The potato cakes were fried until they were crispy. Ka Luo preferred the taste of the potato cakes over the mashed potatoes.

Azhang came over in the morning of the day when the gum fruit applied on the new house had finished drying, and this time he came along with Ali, who Chen Qi hadn’t seen for a long time. The other females from the tribe who had helped build the house didn’t come with them.

After setting Ali down, Azhang did not immediately get to the task of paving the roof for his new home. Instead, he gathered Chen Qi and the others together, and they sat by the fire in Chen Qi’s living room. Azhang was sitting up straight, his expression one of seriousness that Chen Qi had never seen on him before. He looked Chen Qi straight in the eye and slowly spoke, “Chen Qi, I hope you can be the chief of the Rock-Mountain Tribe.”