Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Fish Ball and Wild Vegetable Soup

The beast den was built on a flat mountainside.

In the distance was a lake, connected to the White River that flowed through the Heluo tribe.

Chang Xia had chosen this den because of the lake. Being close to water meant there was no shortage of water for drinking or irrigation. Plus, the lake was full of fish and shrimp, so even in winter, there’d be no fear of going hungry.

The beast tribe lived by hunting, with foraging as a supplement.

However, they didn’t have any real cooking techniques, so their methods of preparing food were crude and rough.

Fish and shrimp were rarely eaten.

Mainly because they didn’t know how to remove the fishy smell, and fish had too many bones, making them easy to choke on.

After tidying up the den, they pulled back all the animal skin curtains for ventilation. The den hadn’t been lived in for a long time and needed a lot of work to make it comfortable.

The Heluo tribe lived by the river, with a pleasant climate.

They didn’t know any advanced building techniques, so their dens were mostly dugouts.

A dugout den was basically a three-meter-deep pit dug into the ground, with stone and wood used to reinforce the walls and floor, and branches arranged in a round or pointed shape to form the roof.

These dens were sturdier than tents built on the ground and kept out the cold.

They were also well-ventilated.

Compared to living in a cave, dens were much more convenient.

“The roof skins and wall timbers both need replacing,” Shen Rong said, brushing dirt from his hands as he surveyed the den. “The floor’s been eroded by rainwater, so it needs to be refilled and tamped down. And the drainage ditch outside needs to be re-dug.”

End of translation."

Longxia circled around the beast den, a thought surfacing in her heart.

Back when she was still in the tribe, she’d dreamed of building her own house. Unfortunately, her health was too poor—she was always sick. Plus, she wasn’t yet an adult, so the tribe wouldn’t let her live alone outside the settlement. Even if she had ideas, she couldn’t put them into action.

But now, things were different.

Now that she was married, Longxia finally had the time to build a beast den—a cave dwelling—that would be hers alone.

“We’ll live here for now, until we get settled. But I want to build a new den, something completely different from what the rest of the tribe lives in,” Longxia said, pointing to the hillside west of the den.

Her dark eyes sparkled with excitement, so bright that Chen Rong felt almost burned by their intensity.

“I believe you,” Chen Rong replied without hesitation, nodding.

When the tribe sent them off, they’d brought all of Longxia’s belongings along.

Four baskets held everything she owned.

As for Chen Rong, he’d only brought himself.

Luckily, the long winter was over, and the Heluo tribe had entered a warm spring. Unlike Earth, the Misty Forest didn’t have four distinct seasons—spring and summer blended into one, autumn and winter into another, with clear divisions between warm and cold periods.

Even with these pronounced seasons, the Misty Forest was still teeming with life.

Hearing Chen Rong’s words, Longxia’s mood soared.

Because of her health, the tribe had always fussed over her. Even though their concern was well-meaning, hearing it over and over still made her feel uncomfortable and constrained.

Chen Rong’s trust made her feel even more satisfied with her decision to bring him back to the tribe.

“Let’s tidy up the den first. Later, I’ll go to the lakeshore to fetch the fish basket. At noon, I’ll make fish balls for you,” Longxia said cheerfully, getting ready to move the wood and repair the den. The tribe had sent the wood for repairs, since in their eyes, Longxia was frail and sickly, and Chen Rong was even worse off. If they didn’t help out a little, who knew if the two would even survive.

Before long, a clean and tidy den took shape, a far cry from its previous rundown state.

The tribe had sent plenty of wood. Longxia had Chen Rong help organize it, cut it into planks, and fit them together to make a floor.

They worked busily, and soon it was nearly noon.

One basket held about ten pounds of meat, a gift from the tribe. Another half-basket was filled with wild greens and fruit, though the fruit was a bit shriveled—probably leftovers from last year’s stores.

“I’m going to the lake to check the fish basket. Want to come? If you do, bring the wild greens and wash them there. For lunch, we’ll have fish ball and vegetable soup.”

“I’ll come.”

Carrying half a basket of wild greens, they headed down the slope toward White Lake.

Two-thirds of the White River flowed through the Heluo tribe’s territory. The lake in front of Longxia’s home was connected to the river, and was full of fish and shrimp.

Longxia led Chen Rong to a patch of reeds by the lake, bent down, and hauled the fish basket out of the water.

It was heavy—seems like a good catch today.

Longxia had woven the fish basket herself from green vines.

Just for a bite to eat, she’d put in a lot of effort, all while keeping it secret from the tribe so they wouldn’t accuse her of “not doing proper work.”

Still, once the den was fixed up, she planned to stockpile some food and invite the tribe over for a meal, teaching them how to make fish balls.

Compared to hunting, fishing was much safer.

“What’s this…?” Chen Rong stepped forward and took the fish basket from Longxia, examining it. It was long and flat, the green vines rough and untreated.

“A fish basket,” Longxia explained. “I’m not strong enough to go foraging, let alone join the hunts. So when I had free time in the tribe, I liked to tinker with things.”

As she spoke, she demonstrated the principle behind the fish basket for Chen Rong.

Her body was weak, her strength limited.

The baskets she wove only lasted for two uses before falling apart. By showing Chen Rong, she was clearly hoping he could make a few himself. That way, they’d never have to worry about running out of fish or shrimp.

“Longxia, you’re amazing!” Chen Rong praised.

The fish basket was simple to make—even the tribe’s children could do it.

Winters in the Misty Forest were brutally cold. Even the strongest beastfolk struggled to hunt then. Fish, though, could fill their bellies.

The fish basket was undoubtedly a new lifeline for the tribe.

“Dump out the wild greens and wash them, then put the fish in the basket. Today’s catch is average—next time, it’s best to check the basket early in the morning,” Longxia said, pointing regretfully at the damaged basket.

There were four blue carp, each weighing six or seven pounds, several pounds of river shrimp, and even a river crab. Too bad they’d come late—if they’d arrived earlier, the haul would have been even better.

The Heluo tribe rarely ate fish.

There were plenty of fish and shrimp in the White River and the lake. Fish weighing six or seven pounds were considered small; the big ones were usually over ten pounds, and some could reach dozens or even hundreds of pounds.

Don’t ask how Longxia knew—she’d once secretly made a fishing rod and tried her luck. She didn’t catch much, but she was nearly dragged into the river herself.

After that, she gave up on fishing—at least until she got stronger.

Blue carp had few bones and tender flesh.

They reminded Longxia of the perch she’d known before.

They were perfect for making fish balls.

Even without seasoning, the river shrimp would be delicious simply boiled. Longxia didn’t even want to waste the shrimp shells—she planned to dry and grind them into powder to use as seasoning.

Carrying the fish and shrimp, along with the washed greens and fruit, Longxia and Chen Rong returned to the den.

Near the entrance, a stone stove was stacked up, with a slender clay pot hanging above it.

Most beastfolk cooked meat over open fires, but this den had a proper stove—clearly, someone here had taste.

Fortunately, Longxia wasn’t used to cooking outdoors either.

The den was four or five meters high, and the staggered roof allowed for good ventilation and smoke to escape.

Chen Rong started the fire. The fish and shrimp had already been cleaned by the lake. Longxia took a bone knife, skinned and deboned the blue carp, and cut the flesh into small pieces. Without a blender, she could only chop the fish into paste by hand—a tiring job, but she didn’t mind the effort for a good meal.

"沉戎, go get me a bird egg from the second basket by the wall.

Among the beastfolk, chicken eggs, duck eggs, and all sorts of other eggs are simply called “bird eggs.” Changxia couldn’t tell the difference between them either, so she just called them all bird eggs too.

Taking the egg, Changxia cracked it open, scooped out the yolk, and poured the egg white into the fish meat. She added salt and a bit of fruit powder, then began to stir. The fruit powder was a starch-like substance made by drying and grinding a fruit called “white fruit.”

When a cub was born in the tribe, people would cook the fruit powder with water into a paste to feed the young.

But Changxia thought the fruit powder could be used for more than that. If she had time, she’d experiment—maybe she could make rice noodles or even regular noodles one day.

As for ginger, she hadn’t found any yet.

Green onions, on the other hand, she’d found plenty of. There were still lots of onion bulbs left in the basket, and she planned to plant them near the beast den so she’d always have fresh green onions for cooking.

She chopped the green onions, soaked them in water, and then slowly poured the onion water into the minced fish, adding water bit by bit and mixing constantly, kneading and pounding the mixture over and over.

Once it was ready, she put it in cold water to chill for a while.

Shen Rong watched Changxia quietly as she busied herself. The beastfolk weren’t picky about food—anything that filled the belly was enough. Watching Changxia’s careful, meticulous movements, he thought he’d found the reason for her frail health.

“Are you hungry? If you are, have some fruit first. I’ll be done soon,” Changxia said.

With that, she filled a clay pot with water and set it over a low flame.

She began shaping the fish balls, her movements quick and practiced. The snowy white fish meat looked incredibly appetizing.

As she worked, one by one, the lychee-sized fish balls floated up and down in the clay pot, looking beautiful.

At the same time, a unique, fresh aroma began to fill the beast den.

When the fish balls were almost cooked, Changxia added wild greens, some salt, and a pinch of shrimp powder for flavor.

Finally, she didn’t let the egg yolk go to waste either—she poured it in as well.

Gurgle!

Shen Rong rubbed his stomach, a little embarrassed, as he took the bowl of fish ball and wild vegetable soup Changxia handed him.

“It’s so fresh—delicious!” Shen Rong exclaimed in surprise.

He’d never imagined fish could taste so good.

Changxia nibbled on a fish ball. Without ginger or cooking wine, there was still a faint fishy smell, but it was much better than half-raw roasted meat or those messy stews.

Sure enough, marrying was the right decision.

Not only did he have a soft, gentle mate, but he could also eat steaming, delicious fish balls.

Thinking of this, Shen Rong lowered his head.

His gaze fell on the necklace around his neck—a strange, snowflake-shaped pendant strung on a cord made of spider silk.

He’d worn it since he was a child.

Yuan Hou said it was a keepsake from Shen Rong’s mother, called “Miracle.”

Lost in thought, Shen Rong put down his bowl and chopsticks.

He reached up, took off the “Miracle,” and called Changxia over, speaking gently: “Changxia, I want to give you something—”