Huayu97: Starting with Wu Song Fighting the Tiger

"Wow! Liu Xiang is amazing!" "With skills like that, it's a shame he's not a hunter!" The crew erupted in cheers, and even Li Tiansheng couldn't help but clap and shout, "Good lad, not only is he great at martial arts, but he's also a master at catching pheasants!"

Liu Xiang chuckled and disappeared back into the bushes. A moment later, he had another wild pheasant in his hand, even bigger than the first, its wings flapping more vigorously. His method of catching this pheasant was even more ingenious; seizing the opportunity when the pheasant darted into the haystack, he grabbed a vine from the ground and swiftly lassoed the pheasant's neck—a move so fast it was dazzling.

"Two! Liu Xiang caught two!" Chen Haoming was so surprised that his eyes almost popped out. He ran over to help, but as soon as he reached out, he was almost pecked by a pheasant. He yelled and pulled his hand back, which made everyone laugh again.

Li Ruotong stood not far away, watching Liu Xiang's figure darting through the grass, a beautiful smile curving her lips. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, illuminating her face and making her smile exceptionally radiant, like a camellia blooming in the mountains.

Liu Xiang handed the two wild pheasants to the crew member in charge of starting the fire, then rolled up her sleeves and joined the mushroom-picking team. Mushroom picking is a skilled job; one wrong move and you might pick a poisonous mushroom, which could lead to serious trouble. But in those days, outdoor safety knowledge wasn't widely known, and many members of the crew, seeing the colorful mushrooms under the trees, were itching to reach out and pick them.

"Hey, hey, don't touch it!" Liu Xiang reacted quickly, slapping away a stagehand's outstretched hand. "These mushrooms have red caps and white stems; they're fly agaric! Eating them will land you in a deathbed!" The extra recoiled in fright, patting his chest with lingering fear. "My god, that scary? Which kind is edible?"

As Liu Xiang squatted down, she pointed to a cluster of brownish mushrooms under a tree at her feet and patiently explained, "This is a porcini mushroom. Its cap is particularly thick, and its stem is sturdy and short. It feels smooth to the touch and has a faint, pleasant aroma. It's edible! And that green-headed mushroom over there has a greenish-blue cap, and when you break it open, the inside is white. It's also a good thing!"

As he spoke, he demonstrated how to pick them: "Be gentle when picking them, don't break the stem, otherwise it will easily get dirty. And you have to look carefully, any mushrooms that are too brightly colored, have a net-like pattern under the cap, or smell fishy or foul are all poisonous, don't touch them!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and they became more cautious with their bamboo baskets. Liu Xiang, however, was not idle. His eyes scanned the piles of rotten wood and pine needles in the forest. Based on his original body's familiarity with mushrooms, he knew that there were treasures hidden in the Cangshan pine forest.

Sure enough, under an old pine tree, in the thick layer of pine needles, he spotted several brown mushrooms. The caps were like small umbrellas with some scales on the surface. These were matsutake mushrooms!

This is the king of mushrooms! Matsutake mushrooms weren't as precious in the 90s as they are now, but those in the know understand that stewing them with chicken makes them so delicious you'll swallow your tongue. Liu Xiang was delighted. She carefully parted the pine needles, pinched the stem with her fingers, and gently twisted it off, plucking a whole matsutake mushroom.

He looked around again, and lo and behold, there were three more flowers, each one plump and full, looking absolutely mouthwatering.

"Liu Xiang, what kind of mushrooms are you picking?" Li Ruotong squatted down beside him, curiously examining the treasure in his hand. Liu Xiang handed her the matsutake mushroom: "These are matsutake mushrooms. They're the best for stewing with chicken, even more delicious than porcini mushrooms." Li Ruotong held the matsutake mushroom, her eyes sparkling, and said, "Wow, so this is matsutake! I've only ever seen them in restaurants in Hong Kong, they're so expensive!"

While Liu Xiang found matsutake mushrooms, Li Tiansheng also had a haul. The veteran director, a seasoned traveler, had actually found several chanterelle mushrooms in an oak grove. Their bright yellow caps looked like they were sprinkled with chicken fat, and they looked incredibly tempting. Holding up the chanterelles, Li Tiansheng proudly exclaimed, "Look at my harvest! These are delicious stir-fried with eggs, and they're also great in chicken stew!"

Not to be outdone, the workers filled their baskets with porcini and green-headed mushrooms, and some even found termite mushrooms. Their faces beamed with joy. In no time, everyone's baskets were overflowing with fresh mushrooms, filling the air with their delightful aroma, making everyone's mouths water.

The mushrooms were almost picked, and the campfire was burning brightly. The crew's head chef, Old Wang, was in charge of stewing the chicken; he was a seasoned pro, very knowledgeable. Liu Xiang carried two wild pheasants over, and Old Wang quickly and efficiently cleaned them, plucking, gutting, and chopping them into pieces—all in one smooth motion. He even tossed the chicken's tail and innards to the village dog next door, making the dog wag its tail and run around in circles.

"Wild pheasant needs to be chopped into large pieces; that's how you get the best flavor when stewed!" Old Wang said, as he blanched the chicken pieces in boiling water, skimming off the foam before draining them. Next to him, a large iron pot was filled with rapeseed oil brought by the film crew. Once the oil was hot, Old Wang tossed in ginger slices and scallions to sauté until fragrant, releasing a sizzling sound and filling the air with an instant aroma.

"Now, put the chicken pieces in the pan!" Old Wang shouted, pouring the drained chicken pieces into the pan and quickly stir-frying them. The golden chicken pieces rolled in the iron pan, the oil being rendered out, sizzling and releasing an increasingly rich aroma that made the surrounding people swallow hard. He continued stir-frying until the surface of the chicken pieces was slightly browned.

Old Wang added two spoonfuls of cooking wine to the pot to remove the fishy smell, and a spoonful of light soy sauce to enhance the flavor. Then he poured in half a pot of spring water, covered the pot, and brought it to a boil over high heat.

"Once I boil the water, I'll pour in the mushrooms and simmer them over low heat for an hour. I guarantee the aroma will travel for miles!" Old Wang said proudly.

Liu Xiang leaned closer and, looking at the bubbling chicken soup in the pot, couldn't help but swallow. He remembered the wild pheasants near the martial arts school, which were prepared in the same way, slow-cooked over a wood fire until the meat was tender and falling off the bone, and the mushrooms absorbed the umami flavor of the chicken soup. One bite was enough to make your eyebrows fall off in an instant.

The water boiled quickly, and everyone hurriedly poured the mushrooms they had picked into the pot. Matsutake, chanterelles, porcini, and green-headed mushrooms were all thrown into the pot at once. As soon as the mushrooms entered the soup, they instantly became soft and fluffy, and the soup in the pot became even richer. A savory aroma of chicken and mushrooms filled the air.

Chen Haoming squatted by the pot, watching eagerly, muttering, "Hurry up and cook, hurry up and cook, I'm starving!" Li Tiansheng patted him on the shoulder with a smile, "What's the rush? Good food is worth the wait!" The group sat around the campfire, chatting idly. Liu Xiang listened to their gossip about the Hong Kong entertainment industry and the interesting stories about the novel "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," occasionally chiming in with a comment that made everyone laugh.

His gaze kept drifting towards Li Ruotong, noticing her chatting with Chen Haoming. Both of them had smiles on their faces, their tone relaxed and natural, just like longtime friends. When Chen Haoming talked about the embarrassing incident of accidentally falling into a mud pit while filming, Li Ruotong laughed so hard she almost cried, without any hint of romantic intimacy between them.