Let's start Chapter 9 with collecting scraps.

On the way home, I didn't forget to pick some tender green rapeseed hearts when I passed by the rapeseed flowers.

Looking at the vast expanse of golden rapeseed flowers in the field.

Su Yun felt a pang of emotion. The seeds that rapeseed flowers eventually produce can be pressed for oil, but she didn't know the specific method of pressing them.

Sigh, if I had known I would be transported to the apocalypse, I shouldn't have studied business administration in college. I should have studied agriculture instead!

Regret.jpg

But there's no use regretting it now; the only thing to do is rely on your own hard work to get rich.

Back home, Su Yun turned over the overturned water vat in the corner, rinsed it clean with well water, and then put all the fish she had caught into it.

This tank of fish should be enough to feed us for two or three days.

Su Yun looked at the fish swimming in the tank and counted on his fingers that there were about a dozen fish of various sizes.

It should last for three days.

So Su Yun scooped up a few fish that didn't look very good and prepared to start cooking.

After the night breeze finished drying the clothes, it came over to watch.

Su Yun deftly stunned the fish with a slap, then swiftly cut it open, gutted it, removed the gills, scraped off the scales, and removed the sharp fins.

Ye Feng stared wide-eyed at Su Yun's actions and exclaimed in admiration, "So that's how it's supposed to be done?"

Um?

Night Breeze can't even handle food?

That doesn't make sense!

Immediately, Su Yun suddenly remembered that he had watched a survival show sometime ago, which mentioned that eating offal together was a better way to supplement protein when food was extremely scarce.

but……

“Yeah, but whether you treat it or not shouldn’t have much of an impact on you, right?” Su Yun thought of his sharp teeth.

Night Breeze replied somewhat embarrassedly, "Sometimes it's too hard, making it uncomfortable to eat and the taste isn't very good either."

Su Yun thought for a moment, then nodded and replied, "That's true. After all, fish gallbladders are bitter and don't taste very good, making them a bit difficult to eat. Would you like to try preparing the fish?"

Seeing that Ye Feng seemed quite interested in processing the fish, Su Yun asked.

"Okay!" Night Breeze agreed without hesitation.

Su Yun handed him a fish that had been knocked unconscious, and Ye Feng took it.

Just as Su Yun was about to hand him the knife, he quickly raised a sharp claw and, with a "whoosh," gutted the fish.

Su Yun was left holding a kitchen knife, suspended in mid-air, unsure whether to hand it over or take it back.

"Is that so?" Ye Feng turned to look at her, asking about the next move.

Then I saw the kitchen knife she handed me.

The scene became somewhat awkward at one point.

Night Wind's fluffy black ears twitched, and after a moment's hesitation, it asked, "Do we need this?"

Su Yun: It's not that different, the result is the same anyway.

"No, and there's no need..." Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly saw the other person staring at the knife with great interest.

Sigh, fine.

"You can try it too, try this one."

"Okay." Night Breeze nodded and took the kitchen knife.

"Be careful, this side is very sharp," Su Yun instructed, and then began to teach seriously: "Hold it like you're holding a handle, this side is sharp, just use this side to cut like this."

"Um."

"The internal organs inside the stomach cannot be eaten, as well as the cheeks; they need to be removed like this."

"Um."

"Finally, you need to slowly scrape off the scales here. You don't need to do that with the small fish because their scales aren't as hard. You can just fry them and eat them directly."

"Um."

Night Wind mastered the use of the knife in no time. It was clear that the orcs were very intelligent and quick learners. In addition, the orcs' hands were very thick and hard, and they also had five fingers like humans. This not only made them less prone to injury, but also gave them the dexterity of humans. They could handle various tools with just a little instruction.

Su Yun couldn't help but sigh again at the superiority of the orc species.

Thinking about it carefully, if it weren't for the cultural gap that occurred after the apocalypse, orcs would be more adapted to this cruel world than ordinary humans.

However, cultural inheritance is a difficult thing to talk about. After all, even survival has become a problem, so culture is naturally forgotten.

But setting aside cultural heritage, it must be said that, in a sense, orcs are actually another form of human evolution.

But who can really explain culture?

According to Ye Feng, the environment has gradually improved in recent years. In that genetic accident, not only animals but also plants were greatly affected. In the first few years, the land was almost barren, everything withered, and the whole earth was almost deserted overnight, with corpses everywhere.

Then it remained barren for several years until everything evolved and adapted, and the green leaves slowly returned to this land.

Until now, it is full of vitality.

Based on this perspective, if everything returns to normal and stability is achieved, the beastmen will multiply and create their own culture and civilization, and the world will surely enter a new era...

My thoughts drifted away.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Feng had mastered the new tool and quickly processed all the fish.

Seeing that the fish had been cleaned up in no time, Ye Feng still looked at the fish in the tank with some reluctance, as if he was about to finish cleaning them all in one go.

Su Yun, feeling both amused and exasperated, stopped him and told him to rest on a chair for a while.

Firstly, these fish have been the food source for the past few days, and she couldn't bear the other person's teasing. In addition, seeing his still somewhat pale lips, she really didn't dare to let him move around too much.

Su Yun then rinsed the cleaned fish and carried it into the kitchen.

He squatted down, lit a fire, and prepared to fry the fish.

She first took out a small bowl of lard she had collected yesterday from the cupboard, and scooped a large spoonful into the iron pot.

The pan was starting to heat up slowly, and the oil sizzled as soon as it was poured in.

After a while, when the oil slowly started to smoke, Su Yun picked up the biggest and fattest fish and gently put it into the pan to start frying.

Before long, the fish skin began to turn golden brown, the fish meat turned white, and an enticing aroma of caramelized fish filled the air.

Once one side is fried, flip it over and fry the other side, then slowly add the second, third... and fifth fish.

The pot sizzled and popped, filling the entire courtyard with the aroma of fish.

Only after all the fish were fried until golden brown and crispy on both sides did Su Yun sprinkle a thin layer of salt evenly on them, then serve them on a plate.

Afterwards, while there was still some oil left in the pan from frying the fish, Su Yun started stir-frying the bok choy.

Soon after, the green vegetables were served.

Night Breeze had already obediently sat down at the dining table and picked up her bowl and chopsticks.

They only ate one bag of cookies this morning, and they're really hungry now.

"Dinner's ready!"

Su Yun brought the dishes to the table and announced.

The fresh river fish was pan-fried until crispy and fragrant, emitting an enticing aroma.

Su Yun added a small piece of fish, took a bite without waiting, and her eyes immediately lit up.

Wow, that's awesome!

The crispy pan-fried fish tastes amazing!

The outermost layer of fish skin is crispy, while the fish meat inside is fresh and juicy. A thin layer of salt enhances the sweetness of the fish meat even more perfectly!

It's so delicious that I want to chew and swallow the fish bones too.

I glanced at Ye Feng across the way again. He had already taken advantage of his species to chew up the fish bone and swallow it in one bite.

Ah, I don't know if it's because I was starving after only eating biscuits this morning, or if the fish in this post-apocalyptic world really taste better, but the fish in this river are incredibly delicious.

Su Yun devoured one in one go, then looked at Ye Feng, whose ears once again shaped like an airplane taking off.

Kittens really do love eating fish!

Thinking about this, Su Yun felt a strong urge to ask, "Is this fish delicious?"

Hearing her question, Ye Feng, while eating fish, mumbled, "Delicious."

Surprisingly, he was more direct than when he praised rat meat yesterday!

I guess I still prefer eating fish more.

Su Yun was extremely excited, wishing she could immediately take out her notebook to write down the kitten's dietary preferences, and even considering whether to go fish in the river again in a few days.

The fish here seem rather clumsy; it's been a long time since anyone came here, and they've grown so many and so fat.

If you have a lot of fish, you could make it into dried fish for preservation, but you don't have salt...

It seems that after eating, we should first search the surrounding houses for some useful supplies. Su Yun held his rice bowl, thought for a while, and then made his decision.

So after lunch, we rested for a while.

Su Yun, with a fruit knife tucked into her sleeve and a wooden stick in her hand, went out the door.

Night Wind saw this and followed without saying a word.

Looking at the figure following behind, Su Yun refused, saying, "You're still injured. Why don't you rest at home for a while?"

Night Wind shook his head and refused, saying in a low voice, "My injury is fine. I react faster, so if we encounter any danger, I can remind you to run first."

After thinking for a moment, Su Yun nodded in agreement. After all, her previous experiences hadn't been pleasant, and no matter where she went alone, she always felt a little uneasy.

So the two of them went to a house not far away. The door of the house was open, and the yard was very quiet. As far as the eye could see, there were weeds and some scattered things placed haphazardly. It didn't look like there were any good things there.

This house has either been ransacked or was leftovers during an escape; either way, it's not a good place.

But we still need to go in and take a look first.

Su Yun suggested, "Shall we go in and take a look?"

Hearing her suggestion, Ye Feng pricked up his ears, paused for a moment, carefully listening to the sounds around him, and finally cautiously replied, "It's very quiet, it should be fine, let's go in."

Relieved by Ye Feng's reply, Su Yun pushed open the door, took a deep breath, and prepared to step out.

Just as she was about to step across the threshold, Ye Feng beat her to it, taking long strides and entering first, carefully exploring the area.

Su Yun followed slowly behind, feeling somewhat apprehensive, but thankfully, after looking around, they found nothing unusual.

So Su Yun began to search the house with peace of mind. "Night Wind, let's check the kitchen first."

Of course, food is the most important thing, so Su Yun took the lead and decided to go check out the kitchen first.

The stove was covered in a grime of dust. Su Yun picked up the bottles one by one to check them. The soy sauce and MSG were all unusable, clumped together. The remaining bottles had all evaporated, and he had no idea what they contained before. They were probably filled with wine, vinegar, or something like that.

Su Yun set aside the last half-jar of salt, knowing that salt wouldn't spoil and that she could still use it when she got back.

Let's rummage through the cupboard again. The bowls inside are neatly arranged, and some of them look pretty good. Hmm, I'll take them all home later.

Looking down, Su Yun unexpectedly found a large bag of rock sugar and a bag of salt. She excitedly handed them to Ye Feng: "Look, there's even white sugar!"

"White sugar?" Ye Feng took the bag, somewhat puzzled.

"It's the sweet one, you can eat it." Seeing this, Su Yun wiped her fingers, took out a small piece of rock sugar from the bag, and handed it directly to him. "Try it."

The night wind opened its mouth, stuck out its tongue, and rolled the candy in her hand into it.

The warm touch of her tongue glided over her fingertips, a slightly tingling and numbing sensation, tongue... tongue... head?

Looking at Ye Feng's handsome face in front of her, she couldn't help but blush. Was she taking advantage of this young man?

However, the young man didn't seem to realize he'd been taken advantage of. He was squinting and carefully savoring the candy, looking quite satisfied, because his ears were now in "airplane mode."

Seeing Ye Feng's satisfied expression, Su Yun shook his head and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

The idea that she was getting a good deal was just her delusion.

She was overthinking it. What complicated thoughts could a kitten possibly have? She was just raising a kitten that understood human emotions!

Thinking about it, Su Yun picked up a small piece of rock candy, put it in her mouth, and began to continue searching for supplies.

The rock sugar slowly melted in my mouth, and the sweet taste began to spread. I didn't expect that these old rock sugars could last so long, and they still tasted just as sweet.

"Isn't rock candy delicious?"

“It’s delicious!” Night Breeze replied affirmatively.

"Hehe, I think it tastes delicious too."

After a while, Ye Feng seemed to remember something and continued, "Last time, the white one looked a bit like this one, and it was also very delicious."

"Last time? White? White Rabbit?"

"Hmm, White Rabbit?" Night Wind's expression turned unusually puzzled, as if he were questioning his own existence.

Su Yun couldn't help but laugh, "It's milk candy!"

"toffee?"

"It's like the white milk candy that's as white as White Rabbit candy," Su Yun explained as clearly and easily as possible.

"White milk candy like White Rabbit?" Ye Feng repeated her words, seemingly understanding but not quite. In his eyes, rabbits were already delicious, so adding sugar would make them even more delicious.

His eyes suddenly lit up as he thought about it.

Seeing Ye Feng's eyes suddenly light up, Su Yun smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, there's still some left at home. Let's clean up and eat together when we get back!"

"Mmm," Night Breeze replied happily.

Seeing the happy expression on Ye Feng's face, Su Yun thought to herself that he was indeed very easy to understand, perhaps even easier than raising a big cat. However, seeing how happy he was, Su Yun couldn't help but want to feed him more.

"Hmm, it would be even better if we could find more sugar."

"Then I'll look through it with you!" Ye Feng said, wanting to come in and help.

"No need, your injury hasn't healed yet. Just watch from the side," Su Yun quickly stopped her.

"Hmm." Ye Feng didn't say anything more, standing aside watching the little human start to get busy, rummaging through the kitchen for useful things.

Finally, Su Yun searched the entire kitchen and found a bag of salt, a bag of sugar, and several sealed jars of unknown contents in the corner.

Su Yun wiped away the dust and carefully opened the sealed lid of one of the jars. Immediately, a rich aroma of liquor wafted out. "It's actually baijiu!" Su Yun exclaimed in surprise.

Night Breeze: "What is this now?"

"Hmm..." It's really hard to explain alcohol. After thinking for a moment, Su Yun finally organized his thoughts and said, "It's like water that makes your whole body feel warm and comfortable when you drink it."

"Hmm?" Ye Feng blinked, looking like he didn't quite understand.

"Anyway, it's a good thing that you can eat!"

"Mm." This time, Night Breeze understood and nodded vigorously, happily moving the jar into the circle where things were needed.

The circle was full of usable odds and ends such as thermos flasks, bowls, chopsticks, and bottles.

Su Yun continued exploring the remaining sealed jars. The rest were things that had melted into a lump and were no longer recognizable. They smelled sour, like pickled plums or pickled vegetables that the family had made. They smelled alright, but the shapes were no longer very appealing, and he didn't know if they were still edible.

Su Yun piled them aside and left them for the time being, thinking that if there was really no food left, she would try again. Right now, she really didn't dare to eat them.

Su Yun put down the jars and continued exploring the main house, discovering many more good things. In the end, he unexpectedly found an old kerosene lamp, which was perfect; all he needed to do was add some pine oil to keep it working.

Looking at the useful items that had been cleared out, Su Yun decided to move the food back first, and then slowly move the rest of the items back little by little after the other rooms were tidied up.

So Su Yun and Ye Feng packed all the food with them first, planning to move the rest in a couple of days.

So, they searched several houses and eventually found a lot of supplies. They found several bags of salt, a lot of sugar, and also found some extra chili peppers and garlic. It was a very fruitful haul.

Su Yun sighed, realizing that his decision to live in a small mountain village was the right one, putting aside his good fortune in finding an orc.

The supplies here are quite abundant, and the land is sparsely populated, so there is basically no danger. It's just that occasionally there are one or two skeletons in a corner, which really startled her at first, but after seeing them many times, she got used to it.

However, here, as long as she has land, she has capital, and then she can live on her own two hands.

After searching several houses, and seeing that it was getting dark, Su Yun felt that it was about time, so she stopped, called Ye Feng, and prepared to go home with the packed things.

Before she even got home, Su Yun heard a strange noise coming from the yard...

"Not good!" Ye Feng rushed into the courtyard first, followed closely by Su Yun with a stick in hand. They saw a gray rat lying on the edge of a water vat, trying to climb up, but the vat was too slippery and it failed.

Night Wind rushed in first, trying to catch the mouse. Hearing the noise, the mouse quickly squeaked and escaped through the hole in the corner of the wall.

"We didn't catch it, it got away," Ye Feng said with some regret, seemingly concerned.

Su Yun saw that it was just an ordinary-sized mouse.

Upon closer inspection, the fish in the tank were still there, but the fish entrails that hadn't been cleaned from the well were gone, presumably eaten by rats.

"Thank goodness, no fish are missing," Su Yun comforted her.

"The rats were probably attracted by the fishy smell. It seems we should be more careful not to leave any odor in the future. We should take them to the river to dispose of them next time."

"Hmm." Night Breeze responded in agreement, though he looked somewhat listless, his eyes still fixed on the blocked mouse hole.

"It's alright, we'll just block it up in a bit, then the rats won't be able to get in anymore," Su Yun reassured her.

"Yes, I know."

Su Yun: ? ? ?

You know that, yet you still...?

Su Yun carefully observed Ye Feng's expression for a long time. His expression didn't seem to be worry, nor did it seem to be hatred for the rats. Instead, it was a kind of annoyance and a faint regret...

Looking at those droopy little ears, Su Yun suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

This guy is upset because he can't get any rat meat!

Why!

This foodie!

Su Yun was both speechless and amused. She shook her head helplessly and said to Ye Feng, "There are still milk candies inside. Let's eat them together after we've moved our things!"

Upon hearing the words "milk candy," Night Breeze's eyes lit up, its tail wagging as it quickened its pace to move the supplies.

After several trips back and forth, the main food supplies have been moved.

Su Yun breathed a sigh of relief and closed the door.

I went back inside and found two milk candies, and peeled one for myself.

She peeled another one and handed it to Ye Feng, saying, "Here's a White Rabbit milk candy for you."

"Mmm!" Ye Feng happily took the candy, put it in his mouth, and his golden round eyes narrowed into a straight line, showing a very satisfied little expression.

Sugar really does make people happy.

With a candy in her mouth, Su Yun happily packed up her day's spoils.

There's salt, sugar, wine, spices, and a jar of honey! And a few chili peppers and garlic sprouts, carrying a glimmer of hope.