Chapter 223: The Provocative Xiaoxiong and Honey-Glazed Dongpo Pork

On the side of South Lake that leaned against the mountain, there was a narrow space perfectly suited for hiding a wooden boat.

Ning Fei rowed the wooden boat into this small canyon. He secured one end of a rope to the boat, threaded the other end through a hole in the rocks, and tied a dead knot.

The location of this canyon was quite ideal. It was sheltered from the wind and not easily discovered. Furthermore, if Ning Fei came down from the mountain, he could board the boat directly.

At this moment, the little ones were all waiting for him on the shore.

Ning Fei circled around from one side. Before leaving, he took another look at Xiaoxiong.

Xiaoxiong had enjoyed a full meal today and was in a great mood. Right now, he was leaning his back against a large tree, continuously rubbing his rear against the bark.

Many animals had this hobby and habit of scratching itches, and the national treasure, the giant panda, was no exception.

It was just that the posture of this black bear rubbing against the tree was truly a bit unseemly. It looked exceptionally provocative.

"This bear is a bit indecent," the netizens remarked, bursting into laughter at the sight of the black bear.

"Temple Master Ning must be thinking: just what kind of thing did I hire?"

"Even rubbing against a tree looks so provocative."

"Don't go, my lord! Let your servant girl dance for you once more."

"I feel like this bear is seducing me."

The black bear leaned against the large tree, shaking his head and wagging his rear wildly.

Dark lines slowly appeared on Ning Fei's face.

He had originally wanted to bid Xiaoxiong farewell, but the fellow was doing something like this.

Helplessly, Ning Fei shook his head. He immediately called the other little ones, got into the car, and prepared to return to the Daoist temple.

"However, the fish-rearing plan needs to be moved up."

"It's autumn now, so I can still raise some fish. That will make winter fishing more convenient."

"Winter fishing is where the real fun lies."

Ning Fei made up his mind. He called the little ones into the car, then drove along the mountain road, heading back to the Daoist temple.

On the way, he received a phone call from the hunter Li Lao'er.

"Hello, Ning Fei. The pork is all chopped up. Are you at home? I'll bring it over to you," Li Lao'er's voice came through the phone.

Ning Fei had to admire Li Lao'er for this.

It had only taken him an afternoon to completely process three wild boars.

"I'll be back shortly. Oh, right—I don't need the boar heads, trotters, or organs. Just the four legs and the meat."

The villagers were always quite pragmatic when they spoke. Ning Fei knew Li Lao'er had his own ways of dealing with those parts, so he left them for him.

"No problem. The pig head can be sliced into head meat. Are you sure you don't want it? Stir-fried pig ears are pretty good too."

Li Lao'er asked enthusiastically.

"No, no, I don't eat those," Ning Fei replied.

Having come to an agreement, Ning Fei hung up the phone.

This could be considered a tradition of Qingfeng Temple—they never ate the heads of animals.

For example, delicacies like five-spice rabbit heads or spicy duck heads were things Ning Fei had never eaten.

During the previous all-fish banquet, everyone had praised the dual-pepper fish head made by Huang Sanshi endlessly, but Ning Fei hadn't taken a single bite.

Ning Fei drove back to the Daoist temple.

Parked on the road below the Daoist temple were two large trucks, completely loaded with the freshest New Green Bamboo.

When the manager of the flower market had heard Ning Fei's request, he thought Ning Fei was joking with him.

Planting rare, expensive bamboo on a mountain already covered in bamboo—wasn't that crazy?

Ning Fei shrugged, left with no choice but to explain that there was a panda on the back mountain, and even told them to be careful when planting the bamboo.

Ning Fei's requirement was to plant a grove of New Green Bamboo covering about six mu. In a back mountain that large, this bamboo grove wasn't considered big, but it was enough to satisfy a panda's appetite and allow the bamboo to regenerate naturally.

Ning Fei had already designated the location for the bamboo grove, so it wouldn't require much of his attention.

Not long after Ning Fei returned to the Daoist temple, Li Lao'er rode over on a three-wheeled motorcycle, hauling the wild boar meat.

This was mainly because Li Lao'er needed to hurry and deliver some to the village chief, Qin Zheng. The chief had told him to deliver his boar meat and Ning Fei's boar meat together, which was why Li Lao'er worked with such high efficiency.

When it came to matters spoken by the village chief, Qin Zheng, the villagers truly did not drag their feet.

"Thanks," Ning Fei said to Li Lao'er as he took the pork.

"It's nothing. You're the one who hunted this boar anyway; I just chopped it up while I was at it." Li Lao'er was also very polite.

Afterward, Li Lao'er drove off again.

He still had many customers waiting to buy the pork he had freshly butchered today.

Thus, he went off to busy himself with his own business.

Ning Fei put all the sliced pork into the refrigerator. There was truly a lot of meat; the fridge could barely fit it all.

"I'll have wild boar meat for dinner tonight."

"Compared to domestic pork, wild boar meat is chewier and has a great texture."

As he spoke, the time was just about right; it was time to make dinner.

Ning Fei first sliced off a few premium pieces of raw meat and fed them to Little falcon.

Birds of prey had digestive systems different from humans. They couldn't eat cooked food, only raw meat.

However, for Little falcon, wild boar meat was an absolute delicacy.

Thinking about it, today had been exciting enough. Hunting in the morning, contracting South Lake in the afternoon, and subduing a black bear on top of that. Now that he was back at the Daoist temple and relaxing, Ning Fei suddenly felt his stomach rumbling with hunger.

"Friends in the audience, it's been a long time since I've livestreamed making food. Tonight, I'll be broadcasting a cooking session."

Ning Fei took out the wild boar meat and explained with a smile to the drone.

"Today, I'll be making a traditional delicacy—Dongpo Pork."

"A well-made Dongpo Pork is translucent red, colored like agate. Pick up a piece and taste it—it is soft but not mushy, leaving a lingering fragrance in your mouth."

Ning Fei sliced off a large piece of high-quality pork belly. The layers of fat and lean meat were perfectly even, looking exceptionally appetizing.

"The food streamer is starting again."

"I'm already drooling and he hasn't even started cooking yet."

"Hurry up and record the video so we can learn how to make it later."

"Awesome, I caught the livestream. I've been studying culinary arts for three years, and I learned a lot just from watching Temple Master Ning's stream last time."

"If only I had a husband like this."

"What are you thinking? Trying to steal my husband again?"

In the kitchen, Ning Fei lit the fire and heated the wok. He filled the wok with cold water, added four slices of ginger and ten milliliters of cooking wine, and then submerged the entire large chunk of pork belly into it.

After the water boiled, he cooked it over high heat for twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes later, Ning Fei scooped out the boiled pork belly and rinsed off the scum on its surface with water.

"The method for making braised pork is very simple. Everyone, look: first, boil the pork belly until it's half-cooked like this. The ginger removes the gamey smell of the wild boar while enhancing the meat's texture."

"Next, cut the pork belly into cubes. The size depends on personal preference, but a side length of slightly under two cun is ideal—which is about six centimeters."

With swift strokes of his knife, Ning Fei trimmed off the uneven edges of the large pork belly, carving out two perfectly square cubes.

Seeing his knife skills, the netizens praised him endlessly once again.

Then, Ning Fei took out some thin, clean hemp twine and tied up the two blocks of pork belly. The tying method was exactly the same as how traditional Chinese medicine doctors tied up herbal medicine packages for their patients.

The netizens were quite surprised upon seeing this step.

"What is Temple Master Ning doing?"

"You don't know? He's afraid the pork belly will grow legs and run away on its own."

"First time I've seen anyone play with bondage while cooking meat."

"With that technique, he must have been first place in packing bags during military training."

"Science fact: tying the meat up is to prevent it from falling apart while stewing."

Everyone thought this scene was quite fascinating.

Afterward, Ning Fei took out an iron pot, poured a little oil inside, and placed the tied pork belly into it to render out the fat.

"Everyone should pay attention to this step. All six sides of the pork belly need to be seared until golden brown. There's no need to rush the searing process; you can use low heat and take your time."

The broadcast screen displayed a scene that deeply stirred the appetite.

Ning Fei was seen using chopsticks to press the two large pieces of pork belly down in the iron pot. The oil beneath the meat continuously emitted a sizzling sound. Whenever one side turned golden brown, Ning Fei would flip the meat, continuing until all six sides were perfectly seared.

What had originally been boiled white meat instantly became thoroughly crisp and fragrant after this step. The golden fat flowing across its surface made one's appetite surge just looking at it.

The rendered lard in the iron pot couldn't be wasted. Ning Fei sliced a few more pieces of ginger, added some rock sugar, mixed them with the lard in the pot, and caramelized it all into a reddish-brown syrup.

With the preparatory work complete, it was time for the most crucial step.

Ning Fei placed the two blocks of pork belly into a smaller pot with the skin side facing down. He then poured the caramelized reddish-brown syrup over the top of the meat.

The syrup cascaded down the pork belly, seeping into the meat and making it even more tempting.

"Next, add some Huadiao wine, a bit of light soy sauce, and a touch of dark soy sauce."

"Finally, pour in some clear water."

Ning Fei added in the various condiments, instantly surrounding the pork belly in the small pot with the mixture.

At last, he brought it to a boil over high heat, then let it simmer over a gentle fire for fifty to sixty minutes until the sauce reduced.

Steam billowed in the kitchen. This bowl of Dongpo Pork filled Qingfeng Temple with the warm, vibrant breath of hearth and home.