The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

"I'm back, all clean and ready." Da Niu excitedly pushed open the door.

The village chief stood up. "It's getting late. Let's go to Nannan's yard for dinner first. Hu Zi, after you finish eating, rest for a while. Tonight, you and Da Niu will lead us up the mountain to take care of the two things."

Da Niu rubbed his hands together: "Let's go and bring those horses back. We can also clear a few acres of wasteland and grow more grain."

Xiong Bo tried to get up, swaying slightly as he supported himself on the mattress, but his abdomen started to ache.

Dr. Chen quickly reached out and pressed him down: "Don't move, just lie down and rest."

"Thank you for your trouble, sir," Xiong Bo replied softly.

Da Niu came over and grinned, "Brother Xiong, just lie down and relax. I'll bring you some food to your room later. I guarantee it'll be delicious."

As the group stepped out of the house and into the courtyard, a strange, sour stench assaulted their nostrils, causing them to instinctively frown.

"Hehe, Dad, you can't stand the smell, can you? This is a rare delicacy that your little girl brought back. I was the first in our village to try it. It's called snail rice noodles. Although there are no snails or much string in it, the taste is amazing."

Don't be fooled by the pungent smell; the meat inside is incredibly tender and soft, practically falling off the bone with a single bite. And the crisp bamboo shoots are the real gem—they smell bad, but taste sour, spicy, and crunchy, and the more you eat, the more addictive they become. Just talking about it makes my stomach rumble; I could easily eat two more bowls!

Fang Tiesheng looked at his lively son and raised his hand.

Da Niu subconsciously shrank his neck. No, what did he say wrong this time? Or should he not have eaten so much?

The expected slap didn't come. Fang Tiesheng simply raised his hand and gently touched Da Niu's still damp hair, then patted his back.

"My son, you've worked so hard and grown into a responsible adult. You must have suffered a lot these past few days. You must have been scared and tired. I've seen everything you've done, and I'm so proud of you. Eat more; being able to eat is a blessing."

Da Niu's nose suddenly stung, and he sniffed hard.

He is his father's pride, a responsible adult, and cannot cry.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he was tongue-tied, a thousand words stuck in his throat, unable to come out. He could only raise his hand and put his arm around Fang Tiesheng's shoulder, letting out two simple, muffled laughs: "Dad, let's not stand here, come on, I'll take you to try that snail rice noodle soup, it's delicious!"

The closer you get to the dining table, the clearer the strong smell becomes. It's not just the unique sour bamboo shoot flavor of snail rice noodles, but also mixed with another, more pungent, strangely strong sour and rotten smell.

Da Niu craned his neck to look around, puzzled. "Hey, why is there other food on the table? It's all black and smells even worse than snail rice noodles."

The table in the courtyard was piled high with food. The original paper bowls that had been packaged were replaced with stainless steel bowls, each filled with steaming bowls of hot, oily snail rice noodles. There was also a large plate next to it, with stacks of dark, square tofu pieces on top.

The tofu blocks had small holes poked in them, and bright red chili flakes, minced garlic, and chopped scallions, along with the broth, were poured into the holes, flowing down the tofu mounds. Surprisingly, it looked quite tempting.

Zhao Hu stared blankly at the food: "Nannan, is this the snail rice noodles that Da Niu ate in this big bowl of red soup? But what are these dark, square tofu pieces? They smell so bad, like I've been to a broth..."

Outhouse.

Zhao Hu swallowed the last two words at the right moment, so as not to affect everyone's appetite.

Ji Chuntao was quickly setting out the last few sets of bowls and chopsticks when she heard the noise. She turned around and called out to the group, "You've finally arrived! If you'd been any later, we would have started eating first. We wouldn't have waited for you."

After saying that, she pointed to two dishes on the table and introduced them with a smile: "Today we have two novel dishes on the table. This black cube is stinky tofu, and the one in the red oil bowl is called snail rice noodles, which are made from rice noodles. Please help yourselves to try them. Those who can't eat spicy food should listen to Dr. Chen's advice and not be greedy. There are also big white steamed buns steaming over there on the stove, which can be eaten with pickled vegetables to fill your stomach."

Zhao Hu picked up a pair of chopsticks, reached out and picked up a piece of dark, stinky tofu. He gently bit down with his teeth, and heard a soft crunch.

The black stinky tofu had a slightly charred and crispy outer skin, while the inside was soft, fluffy, and full of tiny pores, with the broth that had been poured in earlier completely seeping into every part.

The salty and savory flavor is wrapped in the unique mellow taste of fermentation, paired with the crunchy pickled mustard tuber pieces in the seasoning. Several flavors swirl on the tip of the tongue, and Zhao Hu almost swallowed his tongue along with it.

"Strange, strange. I smelled a stench from afar, but it tastes so good." Zhao Hu ate three pieces in one go, then his gaze fell on the steaming snail rice noodles next to him. He casually pulled a bowl in front of him, picked up a big mouthful, and buried his head in it, eating with great relish.

The others weren't idle either; for a while, the courtyard was filled with the sounds of slurping noodles.

Ya Ya, Xiao Douzi, and the other children are too young to handle strong spice, so Ji Chuntao specially made a mild version of snail rice noodles for them. The chili oil was diluted with warm water, leaving only the freshness of the pickled bamboo shoots and soup base. Although the taste was a bit different, the three little ones still ate with great satisfaction, nodding their heads and looking very content.

Zhao Hu ate the last piece of stinky tofu in front of him, and drank all the noodles and soup in his bowl.

He looked at the empty bowls and plates and sighed inwardly. He couldn't believe that such a place had food that smelled so bad but tasted so amazing. In fact, he preferred stinky tofu to snail rice noodles.

Could it be that the deliciousness of the food there is linked to its stench?

Does the smelliest food taste better?

……

The table full of novel dishes was eaten clean, not a drop of oil was left on the bowls, and all the steamed buns in the pot were finished. Everyone happily washed their bowls and chopsticks.

The bottle of dish soap with the white cat design next to the stove is still quite heavy. Everyone is very frugal when washing dishes, and each time they wash all the dishes in the village, they only squeeze out a piece the size of a soybean.

Ji Chuntao and her uncles and aunts tidied themselves up and then carried bamboo baskets and hampers, intending to walk to the riverbank by the mountain.

I haven't been to the mountains for several days, so I need to hurry up and gather the wild vegetables; they won't taste good if they get too old. I'll also go and collect some more mountain snails and see how they turn out when stewed with the kind of white-skinned, white-fleshed chicken that my daughter had stockpiled earlier.

With a bowl of warm meat porridge tucked in his arms, Da Niu happily made his way to Doctor Chen's house.

Xiong Bo was lying on the bed with his eyes wide open when he saw Da Niu push the door open and struggle to sit up. His stomach was in excruciating pain with every movement.

"Brother Xiong, have some porridge. Aunt Chun Tao specially made it; it has lots of minced meat in it, and most of it is still fatty. It's so fragrant!"