Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Delicious Stew

“What are you two whispering about—?”

Nanfeng came in carrying half a slab of meat, glanced around, and tossed it into a vine basket in the corner of the den. “This is tusk beast meat. I brought you half a slab—enough to last you three to five days. Don’t worry, I hunted this myself, so no one in the tribe will say anything.”

Tusk beast—Changxia knew that meant wild boar.

The wild boars in the Twilight Forest could weigh up to a thousand pounds—real giants.

Half a slab meant at least three hundred pounds.

Nanfeng said it would last three to five days, which left Changxia speechless. She knew Nanfeng was talking about the tribe’s appetite. For just her and Chenrong, it would last at least half a month.

Changxia ate little, and Chenrong’s appetite was average.

But they were different from the rest of the tribe.

Changxia never cooked just one kind of food, so their consumption was naturally lower. She didn’t bother explaining this to Nanfeng, planning to show her with actions instead: pairing meat with wild greens was just as delicious, and it would stretch their supplies. Quietly, she put away the miracle necklace, slipping it under her clothes.

Seeing this, Chenrong’s gloomy mood lifted a little.

“Wow! Smells amazing—Changxia, are you making stew?” Nanfeng washed her hands, glanced at Chenrong, then at Changxia. Suddenly, she noticed what they were holding—it didn’t match what she expected.

Changxia smiled and explained, “I’m stewing the meat, just a clear broth. Chenrong is chopping fish; I’ll make fish balls for you later. Oh, and there are river shrimp too. Boiled river shrimp are tender and chewy—delicious.”

Nanfeng looked completely lost.

She knew about stew, of course.

But what was “clear broth”? And why chop fish, what were fish balls and river shrimp? She didn’t understand any of it. Still, her curiosity didn’t get the better of her. She just sat by the stove to help tend the fire, and as she glanced around, she naturally noticed the vine sandals on Changxia’s feet.

“These are vine sandals. After dinner, I’ll make you a pair,” Changxia said. Following Nan Feng’s gaze, she looked down at the vine sandals on her own feet and lifted her foot a little so Nan Feng could get a better look. “I wove these by splitting and twisting thin vines. They’re much more comfortable and lightweight than animal hide shoes. Plus, they make it easier to walk when gathering or hunting outside.”

“Practical. Better than the feather shoes the Bird Tribe wears,” Nan Feng commented.

Like the rest of the Beast Tribe, Nan Feng valued practicality.

Vine sandals were flexible and protected the soles of the feet. The Bird Tribe’s feather shoes looked nice, but unfortunately, they weren’t suitable for the Beast Tribe. The Beast Tribe had tried to copy the feather shoes before, but found them impractical and gave up. Usually, they just wrapped their feet in animal hide or thick leaves for protection.

But animal hide was too thick and stuffy, making feet prone to rot, while leaves were too brittle and often got torn by rocks and gravel, so they had to be replaced frequently.

“Besides vine sandals, you can also weave straw sandals from reeds or thatch. But it’s best to make those in the cold season, when the reeds and thatch are dry and tougher, so they don’t break easily. If you want to make straw sandals now, you’d have to cut the grass and bring it back to the den to dry first…”

Seeing that Nan Feng approved of the vine sandals, Changxia was delighted.

She immediately started talking about straw sandals as well.

As they chatted, the aroma from the clay pot grew even richer. At the same time, Chen Rong had finished mixing the fish and was waiting to put it in the pot.

Changxia took the cooked meat out and set it aside to cool.

The stove in the den wasn’t big enough, so they had to make do for now.

“Nan Feng, come here,” Changxia called, beckoning Nan Feng over. “I want you to teach the others how to make fish balls. I need to build a kiln and won’t have time. The fish balls are made from the green fish in the lake, and with some scallions to get rid of the fishy smell, they’re absolutely delicious.”

Nan Feng’s expression changed instantly.

She wasn’t stupid—she understood the deeper meaning behind Changxia’s words.

The tribe lived near White Lake. If fish could really be made so delicious, it would be a huge boon for the tribe.

“Changxia, are you serious?” Nan Feng asked solemnly.

“Once the fish balls are cooked and you taste them, you’ll know. Besides fish, the lake has shrimp, crabs, river mussels, snails… all of them are edible,” Changxia said, licking her lips as she recalled the taste of river shrimp. When she had the chance, she’d have to gather ginger, garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings as soon as possible.

The Twilight Forest was rich in resources, and the Heluo Tribe sat by the White River.

They’d never lacked food; Changxia’s only limitation was her health, which had kept her from leaving the tribe. But as she gradually recovered, she could explore further and gather more things.

Then, she wouldn’t have to scrimp and save anymore.

For a moment, all kinds of delicious foods flashed through Changxia’s mind. Having lived through the apocalypse, she knew better than anyone how precious food was.

And everyone who’d survived the apocalypse had a hoarder’s instinct deep down.

Whenever food was running low, anxiety would set in.

Nearby, Chen Rong watched as the snowy-white fish balls bobbed up and down in the wild vegetable soup. He got up to fetch bowls and chopsticks. Most of the fish ball and wild vegetable soup would be left for Nan Feng. Smelling the aroma of the meat stewing in the stone pot, Chen Rong found himself less interested in the fish ball soup.

Unlike the others’ stewed meat, Changxia’s always smelled especially fragrant.

There was no unpleasant gaminess at all. With the addition of scallions, the stewed meat looked fresh and inviting, the white and green colors standing out.

“Here, try it,” Changxia said, adding a bit of shrimp powder for flavor and sprinkling on some scallions before ladling a big bowl of fish ball and wild vegetable soup for Nan Feng.

They didn’t have many clay bowls at home, so the river shrimp would have to wait until they finished the fish ball soup.

“Changxia, eat,” Chen Rong said, handing her a bowl of stewed meat.

Changxia took the bowl and drank a big mouthful of broth. “So fresh, so tasty.”

After a long day’s work, nothing was more satisfying than a hot bowl of meat broth. Seeing Changxia’s smiling face, Chen Rong lowered his head and served himself a big bowl too.

The three of them squatted around the stove and began to eat.

The night breeze was cool, but none of them paid it any mind. All their attention was focused on the bowls in front of them.

“So hot…” Nan Feng exclaimed, but she couldn’t bear to spit out the steaming fish ball in her mouth. Ignoring the heat, she took a bite of fish ball, a sip of hot soup, and then some wild vegetables. The taste was simply wonderful.

In no time, Nan Feng had finished a big bowl of fish ball and wild vegetable soup.

She glanced at Changxia and Chen Rong, then poured the rest from the stone pot into her bowl. Looking at Changxia, she asked, “Hey! This stewed meat tastes different from before?”

“I didn’t add any root vegetables or wild greens this time—just stewed it plain, with a bit of salt and scallion to remove the gaminess. Also, I let it stew longer and skimmed off the scum,” Changxia explained, giving Nan Feng a big piece of meat.

She’d stewed all the meat the chief had sent over that night.

Chen Rong ate half, and Changxia was already full after a third. There were still river shrimp to cook, so if they weren’t full, they could eat more shrimp.

Nan Feng took the meat and bit into it.

Immediately, she was captivated by the tender, flavorful meat. Without another word, she dug in. Now she understood why Changxia hadn’t liked eating before. Compared to Changxia’s cooking, the tribe’s usual stewed or roasted meat was hard to swallow.

“The fish balls really are delicious. Are you sure you want to teach the others how to make them?” Nan Feng asked seriously.

Changxia nodded. “I used to rely on the tribe to survive. Now that I have the chance to give back, I won’t be stingy.”

“Alright, leave it to me,” Nan Feng agreed, already planning to use the fish ball recipe to help Changxia and Chen Rong trade for things they needed from the tribe—like pottery or bone tools, which Changxia still lacked.