Based on my previous hunting experience, I knew this pheasant nest definitely contained more than one egg. Out of curiosity, I parted the grass and walked towards the direction of the pheasant's call.

Hens can be quite silly sometimes; they love to show off their eggs after laying them. This behavior undoubtedly increases their survival risk in the wild.

Just a few meters away from the patch of grass, a brownish-gray pheasant was startled and flapped its wings, flying away into the distance while clucking.

It's trying to attract my attention, to lure me away so that its eggs can be saved.

The idea is good, but unfortunately I'm not one of those wild animals that only care about immediate gains. Besides, even if I were to chase it, this thing isn't something I could easily catch.

I ignored the pheasant that had escaped; I had clearly seen where it had flown out. I went straight to the henhouse.

A round chicken coop made of hay appeared before my eyes, and inside lay several white eggs. I counted them and there were as many as fifteen.

Great, these wild eggs are quite an unexpected bonus.

I carefully wrapped the wild eggs, then found some soft, dry grass to line the basket before putting the precious eggs inside.

I plan to finish work early today, since it's a holiday. I still need to go back and make some more preparations.

Back at my lodgings, I first carefully skinned the two rabbits and the squirrel. I plan to keep the skins; they should come in handy sometime.

At this moment, Top, who often does the work of gutting fish, had already helped me remove the internal organs of all the fish and arranged them neatly in the bamboo basket to drain.

I was out of lard, but I discovered that some fish also have some white fat, so I collected some of that fish oil and put it in a jar.

I was too lazy to cook the rabbit and the squirrel separately, so I chopped them into small pieces, added some oil, and started stir-frying them.

I'll keep the rabbit heads, intending to make a different kind of delicious dish. Naturally, only Top and I can enjoy this, since I only have two rabbit heads.

I smeared the rabbit's head with chopped wild onions, then wrapped it in banana leaves, and then covered it with a thick layer of yellow mud. I simply placed it in the ashes from cooking to seal it.

I started working in the kitchen by myself, and the monkeys, attracted by the aroma, would curiously gather around my shed to take a look.

I must say that these monkeys, like Top, just watched from a distance and didn't try to snatch anything from us just because we were already familiar with them. This gave me a new understanding of the macaque species.

They may have originally been polite animals, but they have been spoiled by humans, which is why such audacious incidents of monkeys robbing and stealing have occurred.

With nothing to do, Top squatted down next to me, watching me cook while he picked up a stone and licked it with relish.

At first, I thought Top was just craving something delicious. He couldn't have the tasty dry-pot rabbit meat right away, so he went to lick the stones to satisfy his craving.

Seeing this, I jokingly scolded, "Top, can't you wait a bit? Let's go out to eat together later."

At this point, Top just grinned at me and then took out another stone and handed it to me.

I was both amused and exasperated. Top, I invited you to eat rabbit meat, and this is what you offer me? At least give me some wild fruit as a gesture.

However, Top still insisted on not pulling his hand back, and he seemed to be taking it seriously.

I felt that the monkey wouldn't just throw a rock at me for no reason, so I took the rock and examined it carefully.

The rock looked like a mixture of muscovite and basalt. Seeing the monkey licking it, I got curious and picked it up and licked it too.

That lick was quite something; it nearly made my jaw drop. The stone in Top's hand was salty—it was rock salt!

"My God! Top, where did you find this thing?"

I exclaimed in surprise; the shock of this thing was no less than that of sugarcane, and perhaps even greater.

Salt plays a vital role not only for humans but also for all animals. A long-term lack of salt intake can lead to a range of problems, including fatigue and dizziness.

This is because the lack of sodium ions disrupts the electrolyte balance in the blood, leading to salt deficiency hypotension, also known as hyponatremia.

I've been feeling dizzy and weak lately, and I'm thinking of using the ancient method of making salt from wood ash to replenish the salt my body is losing.

But I know that the salt in wood ash is mostly potassium salt, so it should only be eaten occasionally, and eating too much of it is not good.

However, the rock salt mines brought by Top are different. From ancient times to the present, most table salt is divided into three types: seawater salt production, brine well salt production, and the last type, which is extracted from rock salt mines.

Most animals obtain salt by licking salt from rock salt mines. The most representative example is the blue sheep, which will risk going to almost vertical cliffs just to lick the salt on the rocks.

I was overjoyed and didn't know how to thank this lucky guy. I was just worried about not having any seasoning, and now I had the most important one.

I immediately grabbed a jar and carefully tapped off the white, mica-like stuff, then crushed it all with a pebble.

These white crystalline particles have a high salt content. Grinding them into small pieces will give you raw, natural coarse salt. Although it has a slightly astringent taste, it's still a good option for emergency use.

I added some coarse salt to the stir-fried dry pot rabbit meat, and then continued to stir-fry it evenly with a spatula.

This time, I was the one who couldn't wait. Ignoring the still-hot pot, I reached out and picked out a piece of crispy rabbit meat and put it in my mouth.

A long-lost, familiar taste exploded in my mouth, and I almost closed my eyes to savor this rare experience. It was salt, the salty taste of salt.

Seeing that I had eaten, Top naturally stretched out its paw, looking at me expectantly, hoping that I could give it some to try too.

I used a spatula to pick out a piece of rabbit meat, then blew on it before handing it to Top. It was the hero of this trip, so it was only right that he try this new dish.

Top chewed on the rabbit meat, its eyes sparkling. It never imagined that the stone it usually licked for fun would have such a useful purpose.