The fried centipede alone, not to mention the eyeballs, was already beyond An Nuan's tolerance.
In her past life, she had indeed eaten them.
But back then, there was nothing else to eat. Centipedes and scorpions were considered top-notch sources of collagen. Anyone who could eat these daily was considered a wealthy household to be envied.
However, in this life, she hadn't eaten them.
Seeing the centipede's appearance, An Nuan felt a bit creeped out.
Huang Xiaoting, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. Her mouth was watering.
"Brother Bird is so generous, making so much delicious food. Those fried eyeballs look so tasty!"
An Nuan and Fu Yunting: ???
Are you sure?
Brother Bird laughed heartily, "Of course! I caught an异种 (yì zhǒng - mutated creature) this morning. After butchering it, I dug these out from its belly. The oil is our own pressed rapeseed oil. These fried eyeballs are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. One bite and they burst with juice in your mouth!"
Huang Xiaoting took a bite, and An Nuan could hear the bursting sound.
Huang Xiaoting nodded enthusiastically, "They're really so tender! Nuan Zong, try some quickly. These are fresh wild delicacies only found in the mountains. You can't eat them in the city!"
"Heh, you eat first. I'll... have some suckers."
An Nuan scooped a spoonful into her mouth.
Fresh ingredients often require only the simplest cooking methods.
But An Nuan preferred complex cooking methods the most.
Fresh chilies and Sichuan peppercorns picked from the mountains, braised together with manually pressed rapeseed oil. A handful of local mountain herbs were sprinkled on top when it was served.
It smelled incredibly fragrant!
So delicious she couldn't stop eating.
"These squid suckers are so delicious, crispy and tender, and so flavorful."
Old Bird chuckled, "Those are toad suckers."
"What?"
"Toads! A certain species of toad mutated. Their claws and backs grow these small suckers. They can regrow after being pulled off. I've enclosed a pond and am raising a batch specifically to eat their suckers."
Toads? The ones that spray their young from their backs to reproduce?
An Nuan suddenly felt the stir-fried suckers in her mouth were scaldingly hot, and her stomach ached with spiciness.
She gulped down half a bottle of iced cola, suppressing the discomfort.
Fu Yunting said, "Have the large intestines. Those look alright."
"Yes, these large intestines are my particular favorite."
An Nuan was a little apprehensive, "These... aren't from toads, are they?"
"How big can a toad be to grow such fat intestines?"
An Nuan breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn't from a toad.
An Nuan took a bite. There was no gamey smell at all. They were soft, tender, and chewy, flavorful and with a good bite.
Perfect with rice!
An Nuan was savoring the stir-fried large intestines with brown rice when she was about to get into it.
Old Bird spoke again, "Those are earthworm segments."
"Earthworms have changed these days. The ones from before were soft and wiggly. These are now big and long, growing in curves, just like pig intestines, and they've even grown mouths that can eat livestock."
"But fortunately, they're big enough. Catching one is enough meat for us brothers for a day. What do you think, tastes pretty good, right?"
An Nuan didn't know why, but she thought of CoCo.
She felt she was very similar to CoCo...
Her subordinates then fried a few wild vegetables and brought them over. There was a balance of meat and vegetables, ensuring nutritional balance.
Old Bird took out his treasured 92-year-old baijiu, bit open the cap with his mouth, and took several large gulps.
"Refreshing! It's rare to be this happy. Tonight, I'll have the brothers clean out a few rooms. You can sleep here after your hot spring soak."
Huang Xiaoting exclaimed, "There's a hot spring here too?"
"Yes, this resort was built because there's a hot spring nearby. The spring water you need is also around there. We'll get it tonight. Stay with us for a few more days, and I'll cook up some more dishes for you!"
An Nuan quickly shook her head, "No, no, no. I have a lot of things to do at the community. I'll go back once my business is done."
No matter how good the mountain food was, one meal was enough. Even one more meal would make her want to puke up her dinner.
Old Bird laughed heartily, "Alright, you're busy people, I won't stop you."
"Ah, a year ago, I was framed by Brother Jun and offended my superiors, so I had to hide here. I haven't been out in a long time. I wonder what it's like in your city now."
"I'll go out sometime soon and pay your place a visit."
After saying that, Old Bird patted Fu Yunting affectionately on the shoulder.
The atmosphere got sentimental, and he suddenly burst into tears, "Xiao Lei Lei, the last time I saw you was at your dad's funeral. Old Fu died unjustly! I didn't take good care of you, you won't blame Uncle, right?"
The woman bringing dishes saw him like this and quickly pulled Old Bird away, shoving him to the side.
She smiled, "I'm sorry, our boss is just like this. He likes to drink but can't hold his liquor; he gets drunk after just a few sips."
"I'm not drunk!"
Old Bird shouted, "If it weren't for that bastard Brother Jun, would I have lost an eye? Would Old Fu have died? That bastard, I hope he gets bitten to death by zombies and shat out like a piece of dung!"
Fu Yunting's brows furrowed slightly.
When the news of his father's death first arrived, he had indeed harbored suspicions.
But his grandfather insisted it was a plane accident.
Now he knew that Brother Jun was also involved.
"Brother Jun..."
An Nuan murmured the name, "Ba Tu and people from a few other bases mentioned this name before. This person's influence is far-reaching. Who exactly is he?"
"Heh, he's a arms dealer, but his business is huge and he's very cunning."
"And he doesn't just deal in arms; he deals in people, drugs, anything that makes money."
"I lost this eye a year ago during a shootout with him."
"But he didn't get off easy either. I severed his vital parts. From now on, he'll only be a eunuch, hahaha!"
Old Bird happily patted the woman's butt.
She cursed him for being improper.
Fu Yunting gnawed on the centipede king and said,
"No wonder, the several gangs he's colluding with are all engaged in illegal trafficking. He's quite a talent."
A fierce glint appeared in Fu Yunting's eyes.
An Nuan understood his thoughts.
The old man had suppressed it for so many years, not telling him the truth even on his deathbed, because he knew his grandson's temperament.
On the surface, he seemed cold and heartless.
But in reality, he was a person who valued emotions deeply.
He could abandon reason and act without consequence for the sake of his emotions. Knowing the true cause of his parents' deaths, he would definitely seek revenge.
The old man must have known what kind of person Brother Jun was.
An Nuan linked her arm through his and said, "Not being able to get revenge before doesn't mean we can't now. Let's find his lair first, and then we'll deal with him slowly."
"Little Lei's wife has great courage! But brother still has to remind you, Brother Jun used to have a lot of weapons and equipment, and even now, he has a significant advantage. I heard he even has a nuclear warhead."
An Nuan frowned. Other weapons were manageable.
A nuclear warhead was a bit troublesome...
An Nuan raised her eyebrows, "Mr. Fu, what do you think? If we join forces, can we swallow that nuclear warhead?"
Fu Yunting: ...
His little wife's appetite was growing bigger and bigger!