Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Fruit Flour Pancakes

“How about some roasted meat with fruit flour porridge tonight?” Chang Xia undid her braids, shaking the fine sand from her hair. She’d have to wash it tonight—it was itchy. Tomorrow, she’d need to wrap it up in a piece of beast hide.

Shen Rong thought for a moment and said, “What if we mix some bird eggs into the fruit flour porridge and fry it in a stone pot?”

Chang Xia was amazed.

Damn—

Shen Rong’s ability to improvise is incredible!

Why hadn’t she thought of pancakes with fruit flour and eggs?

For a moment, Chang Xia felt a little embarrassed.

“That sounds great, but let’s add some wild vegetables too. Chop them up, maybe mix in some fried minced meat, and pan-fry it instead of deep-frying.”

“Okay, I’ll make it.”

“Then I’ll go collect some ginkgo nuts. Come help carry them in a bit.”

Having seen Shen Rong’s cooking skills, Chang Xia was more than happy to let him take over. She once again felt lucky she’d chosen Shen Rong at the Normandy market.

Shen Rong was tall and thin, almost sickly so.

With some care, he’d recover quickly.

His features were sharp and handsome—beastfolk were generally good-looking, but Shen Rong stood out, especially his deep, reserved eyes. It was as if you could feel the weight of years in them. When he looked at you, it felt like being wrapped up in the warmth of the whole world.

He had a natural air of melancholy and gentleness that made people want to take care of him.

Chang Xia felt there was no male more suited to her than Shen Rong.

People say all love at first sight is just lust at first sight.

Chang Xia never used to believe that.

But after meeting Shen Rong…

She realized it was absolutely true.

There were so many males at the Normandy market, but she picked Shen Rong.

All because of that face.

Every angle seemed to hit her right in the heart.

Tonight, she definitely had to check his health. She was also curious—what kind of poison could even stump the tribe’s shaman?

Chang Xia had survived for years in the apocalypse.

She owed it not just to her awakened powers, but even more to her cautious nature.

Her ability was strong, but also not.

Wood element, mainly healing.

It was quite different from a normal wood ability.

She couldn’t turn it into an attack—mostly it was for communication, accelerating growth, and boosting. If she used it for farming, she’d be a natural.

But in a world where people ate each other…

How could you farm without power?!

So Chang Xia had no choice but to study hard and force her ability into a healing one. And, well, she actually managed to carve out a path for herself.

Unfortunately, she still didn’t make it in the end.

When she woke up in the Twilight Forest, she’d felt joy, anger, but eventually, she found peace.

These years, thanks to the care of her tribe, Chang Xia’s mindset had grown calmer and more optimistic.

After reaching adulthood, she finally pulled her frail body back from the brink. Given time, becoming a true beastfolk warrior was only a matter of time.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared promise Shen Rong she’d take care of him.

Before sunset—

Chang Xia gathered all the ginkgo nuts into a vine basket.

“All done?” Shen Rong’s gentle, slightly deep voice came from behind her.

Chang Xia brushed the sand off her hands and smiled, “All done. How about you? Are the fruit flour pancakes ready?”

“They’re ready—waiting for you to try them.” Shen Rong bent over, carrying the vine basket into the den. The fruit flour for tonight’s pancakes was given by the tribe, as instructed by the shaman.

The shaman said Chang Xia was weak and should eat more fruit flour porridge.

Of course, the main reason was that Chang Xia refused to drink medicine anymore.

After finally nursing herself back to health, there was no way she’d touch that weird-tasting stuff again, even if it had saved her life.

“Smells amazing.” Chang Xia washed her hands, giving Shen Rong a thumbs-up. Then she asked, “Shen Rong, you’ve traveled the continent—have you eaten a lot of delicious food?”

“Delicious food…” Shen Rong stacked the vine basket of ginkgo nuts next to the den, beside some rosewood. In just a few days, the den was already cluttered with all sorts of things. Clearly, it was way too small.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Rong shook his head slightly and said, “Actually, the food of the Eastern beastfolk is richer and tastier than in the West.”

He seemed to recall something, and his expression suddenly turned a bit scary.

“No way!” Chang Xia was surprised.

Shen Rong said seriously, “Before I met you, I never knew you could add ginger and scallions to roasted meat.” Of course, that’s not to say other places didn’t use anything in their cooking.

Most places, like the Heluo tribe, just added wild greens and tubers.

Some of the larger tribes controlled expensive spices. They’d sprinkle them on roasted meat to mask the gamey taste and enhance the flavor.

But no matter how expensive the spices—

None of them could compare to the delicious food Chang Xia made.

“This… no way!” Chang Xia’s face was full of disbelief. She had never left the Heluo Tribe, let alone ventured into the Twilight Forest. But from her conversations with Chen Rong, she could sense that this continent was anything but small.

Had civilization on this continent developed so strangely that their cuisine was still at a barren, primitive level?

“Some of the larger tribes know how to use spices to season their food. But not all spices taste good,” Chen Rong explained.

Some spices, when carried around, smelled fragrant and enticing. But once added to food, they could make the dish taste absolutely terrible. Yet, there were always some people who didn’t mind the taste at all.

Seeing Chen Rong’s face twist at the memory, Chang Xia’s mind flashed with images of dishes like natto, snail noodles, stargazy pie, and surströmming. Some people loved them to death, while others felt nauseous just from the smell.

“I get it,” Chang Xia said, patting Chen Rong on the shoulder in sympathy.

The two of them sat at a table outside the beast den, eating grilled meat and fruit flour pancakes while admiring the dazzling sunset. The evening breeze was gentle and warm.

“These fruit flour pancakes taste so much better when you pan-fry them. Even without inventing noodles or rice noodles, I think just with these pancakes, the tribe will definitely start gathering more ginkgo fruit,” Chang Xia said.

The thin, crispy pancakes were fried to a golden brown on both sides. One bite, and they were crunchy and delicious. The wild greens were fresh and tasty, the fried minced meat was savory and fragrant, and the aroma of bird eggs tied it all together. These fruit flour pancakes were simply amazing!

The two of them ate with their heads down, finishing off a whole plate of pancakes and all the grilled meat in no time.

Chang Xia collapsed onto a wooden chair, too lazy to move.

“Chen Rong, your cooking is incredible!”

Chen Rong smiled slightly and replied, “It’s because you taught me well.”

In that moment, a strong desire welled up in Chen Rong’s heart: he wanted to live. He wanted to eat more delicious food, to feel more of the warmth of the Heluo Tribe, and to see Chang Xia’s smile a few more times.

It was a gentle, subtle feeling. But just looking at Chang Xia’s smile made him feel incredibly warm inside.

From the start, he had been drawn to the vitality in Chang Xia’s eyes. After spending time together, he found himself wanting to get even closer, and gradually, he became a little addicted.

“Let’s have fruit flour pancakes for breakfast tomorrow too!” Chang Xia said cheerfully.

Chen Rong indulged her, nodding. “Alright. I want to try adding some fish or shrimp—what do you think?”

“Sounds great! I can’t wait,” Chang Xia replied with a bright smile.

After dinner, they rested for a while.

Chen Rong cleaned up the table and chairs and went to White Lake to wash up.

Chang Xia fetched water to bathe and wash her hair, ending her busy day. But this time, after washing up, she didn’t immediately go to bed—she still had something to do.