Chapter 10 - Master and Student (1/2)
Once inside the house, to welcome Hei, Xing, Ye, and Lei Lei was the sight of a large amount of dishes that was filling the table.
Although they were relatively common and not made with expensive products, this sight was enough to amaze the four who had entered.
It was the first time they saw so many dishes put together. Even Lei Lei, who expected more or less such a thing, was amazed by her father's commitment.
”Dad, how much stuff did you prepare? I imagined you would cook a lot but not so much. It would be a shame if we didn't finish it.”
”Don't worry; we have Hei with us, and even those little pets of his seem to have a certain appetite.”
”Yes, Ye and Xing are rather gluttonous with eating, but you didn't have to prepare so much... you have already done so much for us...”
Hei, who had learned from his mother that things had to be earned, felt a certain feeling of unease.
After all, it wasn't just him, Xing and Ye had also been included for both breakfast and lunch. And the two of them, despite their appearance, were competent eaters. Consequently, he didn't want to take advantage of the generosity already shown to them by the father and daughter couple.
But Lei Bai was stubborn by nature, so he didn't pay attention to what Hei had said and answered. ”Don't worry. I did it because I wanted to. You don't have to feel uncomfortable or anything. It was purely my decision, so let's forget about it and just let's eat together.”
Hei, after thinking it over for a moment, replied with something that surprised both Lei Lei and Lei Bai. ”Then, in that case, let us repay this generosity by working for you. I, Ye, and Xing have experience in hunting, and we know how to skin an animal. ”
On their way back, Lei Lei, in addition to explaining the village's structure, had mentioned her father's work as a butcher and his hunting trips with the various hunters. This had astonished Hei, who wondered if he could watch Lei Bai at work. After all, until now, they had observed and used the techniques taught by their mother, so Hei and his two sisters were somewhat interested in other methods of hunting and skinning.
Therefore, this event allowed him to advance his request and be able at the same time to satisfy his curiosity while repaying the generosity received. Furthermore, his mother had said that it would be better to find something to do during his stay in the village; otherwise, the sight of a child who was constantly wandering around for no reason would have attracted attention.
After all, the Leaf Village was still a village, and there weren't so many things to see. Therefore he couldn't wandered continuously with the excuse of wanting to explore the village, not to mention that his primary mission was to learn how to interact with humans.
Hearing Hei's answer, Lei Bai was stunned for a moment before answering, ”Do you know how to skin and cut an animal? Do you also say your two spirit beasts can do it?”
Lei Bai's bewilderment was very natural. Who could have imagined that a child of Hei's age could be able to do such a thing? Besides, were his two spirit beasts also capable of it? Being a snake and a spider, he expected them to be more good at digesting the prey instead of cutting it and processing it.
”Yes, mother taught us from an early age about this process. Although we cannot say we are experts, we aren't beginners neither. We can also help you with hunting when you go outside.”
Seeing Hei's confident look, Lei Bai had no more doubts. He had lived for many years and saw various things. Although Lei Bai wasn't an expert, he knew more or less when someone was lying, and he could see the sincerity in his eyes. But not only that, but he could also see confidence and pride typical of those who were proud of their abilities and had full confidence in them.
Hei, this child who appeared out of nowhere. He had known him only today, but he had given him a continuous surprise. He had already been very impressed when he learned about Hei's real age at breakfast since the kid looked a little bit older on the outside. Lei Bai, therefore, guessed that this was due to a particular diet or regime that had contributed to the child's accelerated growth.
But he didn't expect him to be capable of such skills. Suddenly, a strange emotion formed inside him. Initially, he wanted to be hospitable to leave a good impression on his mother and to let Lei Lei have a free day to cheer her up in Hei's company, not to mention that the child was quite interesting, so Lei Bai was more than happy to welcome him for this day.
However, now, he was no longer so interested in the mother, but his attention had shifted towards Hei. He had never seen a child like him, and if he was capable of what he had said, this meant he possessed great talent. Therefore he wanted to see what this child was able to do and what his limitations were.
For those who had devoted their whole life to a specific art, their most significant concern, once they had reached a certain age, was to find a worthy successor. Although during their youth, the people had dreamed of reaching the pinnacle of their art, not everyone was capable of it. Consequently, to prevent their efforts from becoming smoke dissolved in the air, they took with them disciples to whom they entrusted their dreams.
Lei Bai also was like that. At first, he thought that his children would become his successors, but Lei Lei wasn't interested in his job. With the death of his wife, then, his desire to teach his children what he knew had vanished, and he decided he wouldn't teach anyone else.
Yet, before him, there was a child with a possible great talent. So his desire to pass his knowledge was awakened.
After a while, he replied, ”All right, but first, I want to see the things you can do. If I think you are telling the truth, then I'll let you work with me if that's what you want. But now, let's concentrate on eating while it's still warm.”
Leaving the question in abeyance for the moment, Lei Bai sat up and started pouring the food on his bowl. Shortly after that, he was followed by Lei Lei, who had listened to their discussion in silence, and finally by Hei with Xing and Ye.
Despite the massive amount of food present, lunch was consumed quickly. Whether it was because they were hungry due to the various experiences of today or because they wanted to see Hei's abilities, the father and daughter couple ate faster as possible, and they quickly finished their share of food. Even Ye, Xing, and Hei finished rather soon since they had a healthy appetite, and they usually ate very fast.
Once lunch was over, they immediately moved to Lei Bai's laboratory, where a couple of small rabbit carcasses were hung. All around, you could see various ceramic containers with bottles of vinegar, oil, and other substances around. At one corner, there was an extinguished brazier that was used to smoke the meat. The only source of light was a window above the brazier that could be closed with small curtains.
Although it was very crowded with meat and other objects and it wasn't so large, it was still sufficient as a place to work for a couple of people. Lei Bai had explicitly taken a house on the outermost side of the village to have as much space as possible for his workshop.
At this point, he took one of the hanging carcasses and placed it onto the only table present inside. Then he made a sign to Hei while saying, ”Okay, it's time to show me what you can do. My knives are there; you can use them as you like. ”
Hei nodded that he understood and took one of the knives. It was the first time he saw a metal knife, but he was familiar with the type of weapon. During the past years, Bao Bei had built him a stone knife with a wooden handle. Although the blade was not perfect, it was enough to practice how to dissect captured prey. Then, after a first adjustment about the weight and the feel of the new knife, Hei proceeded to perform the required task.
His speed couldn't be called fast, but, without a doubt, it was constant. Finally, after various efforts, he separated the skin from the meat and removed the entrails and the organs inside. Then he proceeded to divide the meat. Once finished, he sighed and wiped his forehead from the sweat with his arm.
Lei Bai, therefore, proceeded to evaluate the quality of the cut. He was verifying if the meat had been wasted during flaying. And the result he saw surprised him. It couldn't indeed be said that it was perfect, but it was good, extremely good considering the young age of the one who had made the cut. He didn't know what kind of experience Hei had in the past, but it was certainly not a novice's job.