Chapter 4: Brother Is Delicious

November 10, 2021 by danmeiheaven

Zhuang Yu looked at the roaring golden centipede, wondering in his heart. It’s logical that this ancestral beast wouldn’t be so anxious on its own territory. What did it seem to be demonstrating against?

He can’t figure it out, but he can be certain that living in a cave is also not bad. He can now imagine what an earth-shaking scene is like for those living on the back of the centipede.

After a while, the humongous centipede calmed down and re-settled among the mountains.

Zhuang Yu touched his hungry belly and began to look for food.

He started looking around from the place where he encountered the little mushroom. According to his speculation, the little mushroom can hit him with berries, then there should be berry trees nearby. Maybe he can find peppers too, but it’ll be more hidden.

This search lasted for most of the day. As a result, not to mention berries and peppers, there wasn’t even a shadow of anything.

Zhuang Yu wondered why it was different from his guess. So where did the little mushroom get the berry and the pepper?

But he wasn’t completely not without gain. He found some wild mushrooms, of course, they were normal mushrooms without hands and feet.

Mushrooms generally exist under the soil in the form of spores, and can’t be seen at all at ordinary times. Only after a heavy rain, will they grow rapidly, rush out of the soil, and be exposed.

Zhuang Yu has a lot of experience in surviving in the wild. He can still tell which mushrooms can be eaten or not.

Looking at the pile of mushrooms in the animal skin around his waist, the quantity may not be enough, but it’s still enough to cushion a hungry stomach.

Zhuang Yu began to walk back. If he still didn’t eat anything, he might be dizzy.

On the way back, he also looked at the other people in the tribe. He had to get acquainted with it quickly and learn how to survive.

Under a mountain wall that could block the wind and rain, Zhuang Yu saw a huge fire. Many draw fire from here.

This should be the fire of the tribe.

He doesn’t have to worry about not being able to create a fire now. As for drilling wood? It wasn’t an easy task. He’s tried it before, and he’s so exhausted before he could even generate smoke.

Zhuang Yu saw a tribesman lead the fire back to his cave, and then were baking a piece of meat that had been kept for an unknown period of time. The surface of the meat was a little green.

Then he gobbled up the roasted meat.

Zhuang Yu was taken aback. Without any seasoning, will the barbecue be delicious?

He once ate fried meat without seasoning by mistake, and the taste was really hard to swallow.

But this person eats with relish.

It’s also wrong to say that there are no seasonings. The man took out a stone and licked it while eating the barbecue. His eyes were half-squinted when he ate it. How delicious was it?

Zhuang Yu stared at the stone for a moment. Perhaps it was because the stone had left a deep impression in his mind, so a lot of memories popped up all at once.

This is a salt stone. The Water Lake Tribe is rich in this stuff. Every year, many tribes will go to the Water Lake Tribe to exchange for salt stones.

Zhuang Yu said in his heart that he’s also from the Water Lake Tribe. Maybe he has salt stones, too. There were too many sundries in his cave but he didn’t know what they were.

The grilled meat should be much better with a salty flavor. However, their eating method is wrong. How can they lick the salt stone while eating barbecue? It’s not delicious at all.

Moreover, there are so many impurities and minerals in the salt stone. Not to mention whether these minerals are harmful to these people, just the taste alone should have a lot of bitter taste in addition to the salty flavor.

Zhuang Yu walked all the way and passed by many caves. Maybe it’s just time for dinner, he simply understood the eating habits of this tribe.

They eat roast meats and berries. He doesn’t know if they have any special hobbies or what, but the meat is old and poorly preserved.

Apart from these two eating methods, he hasn’t found anything else yet. It’s really primitive and simple enough.

Zhuang Yu returned to the cave, placed a bunch of mushrooms next to the shells filled with water at the entrance of the cave, and then went inside to find it. Unexpectedly, he really found a bag of well collected salt stones, a lot of them.

He smiled, broke these salt stones, and dissolved them in water. After drying it, coarse salt appeared. As for refined salt, of course it’s better, but there’s no such condition yet.

Zhuang Yu walked out holding the salt stone and was stunned when he came to the mouth of the cave.

At the entrance of the cave, a little teaser was angrily throwing out the mushrooms he had managed to pick with difficulty. Huh, he actually caught so many of my brothers. Bad guy, watch me rescue my brothers.

Zhuang Yu had seen enough. These are what he will use to fill his stomach.

He quickly ran over and picked up the mushrooms that were thrown out.

Little Teaser screamed at Zhuang Yu angrily. He didn’t know where he had the courage, he actually picked up a small wooden stick on the ground and poked Zhuang Yu’s foot. After stabbing him, he looked up at Zhuang Yu. Bad man, you already know my strength, let go of my brothers now!

Zhuang Yu: “…” 

At this time, he’s courageous, but he used to run away when he got closer.

It doesn’t hurt or itch, so he doesn’t care about it.

The picture is a little funny. A little silly guy, using a wooden stick as a javelin, like a charging knight, is chasing after Zhuang Yu’s footsteps. Raising his head arrogantly, he babbled, you’re still not letting my brothers go, then I, a handsome boy, will keep stabbing you.

Zhuang Yu washed the mushrooms, crushed a salt stone into a shell, added water, and prepared to dry them.

He originally planned to boil the mushrooms, but he discovered that there’s no pot. The people here have no concept of the pot at all, they only eat barbecued meat.

As for boiling water with shells? Forget it, the shells are easy to calcify and break when heated. Don’t waste the mushrooms he finally found after so many hardships.

Now they can only be roasted and eaten.

Zhuang Yu brought fire from the tribal fire. Along the way, Little Fool kept chasing after him with a small wooden stick. This scene looked a little funny.

After some delay, the mushrooms finally went to the fire rack.

As for salt, he can only use the water with dissolved salt stone for the time being. There’s no way. This body should’ve also eaten salt stone before, and should be somewhat resistant to mineral poisoning.

It’s hard for him to eat without salt anyway.

When it was almost done, the only deseeded pepper was applied to the mushrooms.

Little Fool who had prodded him all the way was stunned. This man was so terrible, he actually painted something as terrible as devil fruit on his brothers, and set his brothers on fire.

That’s the devil fruit. He knows that taste. His brothers are too pitiful.

Zhuang Yu didn’t have the time to worry about him now, and just stuffed the roasted mushrooms in his mouth. He’s so hungry.

The grilled mushrooms with salt and pepper have a unique fragrance and it tastes surprisingly good.

Zhuang Yu wasn’t afraid of scalding, so he ate better.

A bunch of mushrooms, in fact, can’t be enough to eat, but this must be the best meal he has eaten since he came here.

My stomach is filled, and I feel much better.

Soon, there’s only one roasted mushroom left. Zhuang Yu hesitated, because the last one was eaten by insects.

Forget it, it’s still edible if I just cut off the skin with a bone knife. I can’t waste it. Zhuang Yu went inside the cave and took the bone knife.

Little Teaser held the stick, looked at the last remaining brother in doubt, hesitated for a moment, and then licked it cautiously.

Then his eyes narrowed. Brother… Brother is delicious.

When Zhuang Yu came out, he saw the Little Teaser half squinting and eating his last piece of food with relish.

Zhuang Yu: “…”

So what was this little fool doing then?

When Little Fool saw Zhuang Yu come out, he ran away holding the last piece of food. Very clever.

Zhuang Yu sighed a little, cleaned up, and crushed the remaining salt stones. He put them into several shells, added water, found a place with plenty of sunlight, and dried them out.

He looked at the shells arranged in a row. These aren’t small, so they should be able to dry out a lot of salt.

After doing this, he didn’t know if it’s a psychological effect, but he became hungry again.

He couldn’t help but shake his head. His only provision had already been consumed.

He has to go back to the cave to think about how to solve his next meal.

As soon as he turned around, he was stunned, his face incredulous.

His eyes glanced at the small pepper field he had just cultivated, and there’s a touch of green in his sight.

Is it weeds? He remembered that when he turned over the ground, he cleaned up the weeds very cleanly, even the roots were completely pulled out.

Zhuang Yu ran over, knelt down, and took a closer look.

There are a total of about twenty seedlings, green, and growing gratifyingly.

They’re pepper seedlings, alright.

Do all the plants in this world grow so fast?

Zhuang Yu looked at the weeds that were trampled to death on the road, and it seemed that they did not show any abnormal vitality.

He’s still too unfamiliar with this world, and he doesn’t know if this phenomenon happens everywhere else.

But in any case, it’s a good thing that his pepper seedlings are growing well. At this rate, maybe he will be able to eat peppers in the near future.

After observing for a while, he returned to the cave. Strangely, Little Fool, who had been harassing him, is nowhere to be found. Originally, even if he didn’t harass him, the little mushroom would hide far away and tilt his head to observe him curiously.

He estimated that in the eyes of Little Teaser, he is also a strange species, so he is particularly interested in him.

Zhuang Yu felt a little amused. But he’s a little uncomfortable when the little teaser isn’t here.

It’s undeniable that he’s lonely in this strange world. The people of the Golden Centipede Tribe avoid him for fear, only this funny strange creature adds some different colors to his life.

Zhuang Yu was wondering if the little fool would come back.

He sighed, humans really are a group animal.

Then he’s ready to go out. He had to go to the mountains and find some more mushrooms.

According to this weather, if the mushrooms growing on the ground are not picked as soon as possible, they will soon be dried to death. At that time, if he wants to pick them, he has to wait for the next rainy day.

Zhuang Yu walked out of the cave and prepared to enter the mountains, but immediately stopped.

Because…on the way to the cave, the little teaser is like a hauler, with two rattan vines on his shoulders, and dragging them to the cave.

On one vine, it’s tied full of mushrooms.

While the other one is covered with peppers.

Little Fool wiped the sweat from his forehead while heaving. He didn’t even know where the sweat of a mushroom came from.

Little Teaser looked at Zhuang Yu. Hey, I brought all my siblings, quickly torture them with the devil fruit.

Zhuang Yu didn’t expect that his food would come in this wonderful way.

However, with the little fool’s small body, there are few mushrooms that can be dragged back.

Zhuang Yu doesn’t mind, especially with so many more peppers, there should be a lot of pepper seeds.

Zhuang Yu had another meal. Of course, Little Fool’s part is indispensable.

Then the pepper seeds were separated, cultivated a little more land, and planted them all in.

Looking at the larger pepper field, although this area is still not a piece of field, Zhuang Yu is still satisfied.

After all this, he still has to go up the mountains to pick mushrooms by himself.

On the way, looking at the hungry and malnourished children of the Golden Centipede Tribe, Zhuang Yu had to sigh. It’s not just him, but everyone’s life is so difficult.

While feeling emotional, suddenly a child with a big head and sunken eyes ran towards him, drooling, and handed over two berries reluctantly, “Yu, you didn’t get the two fruits today.”

Some things, some people, in a special environment, are most likely to touch people’s hearts.