Chapter 10 Valley Picnic

After a brief conversation, Jiang Xi realized that they were actually helping her pick the fruit.

She quickly called for a stop.

"That's enough, that's enough, stop picking them!"

At this rate, the entire valley will be hollowed out!

and……

Even with the husbands at home, we still can't finish eating.

Jiang Xi stood there blankly, her brain completely blank.

Furthermore, here's the problem.

How do I get it back?

Even with Lu Liufeng alone, they can't transport it back.

The young snake-kin beastmen emerged from the forest one after another.

They were either half-human, half-orc form with human heads and snake bodies, or fully transformed into orcs, their lower bodies covered with animal skins, but all of them looked at Jiang Xi with shining eyes.

Jiang Xi: "..."

I didn't have the feeling of falling into a snake pit before, but now I do.

Nakan squeezed out from the crowd of beastmen.

He was a little down after being refused a shower together.

"You, you're done washing?"

Jiang Xi glanced at him, then looked at the group of young orcs whose eyes were shining.

He could only say, "Thank you all..."

Before he could finish speaking, the young beastmen were flattered and quickly waved their hands.

"You're welcome, you're welcome."

"This is what we should do."

"Is there anything else you need? We can help you pick it."

"Yeah yeah."

"I heard you only have five beastmen now..."

The young orcs' ears perked up.

Jiang Xi quickly interrupted, fearing the topic would escalate in an uncontrollable direction.

"I do need to gather a few more things, but two or three people will be enough."

The young beastmen signed up one after another.

Just as Jiang Xi was about to call out to the two handsome-looking orcs, a cold voice came from the forest.

What do you want to pick?

Jiang Xi froze, wanting to say that she didn't need his help.

But when the other orcs saw Duan Si appear, they quickly retreated.

After all, they weren't her beastly husbands, and their relationship was illegitimate; they couldn't overstep their bounds at this time.

Jiang Xi looked around and saw that all the beastmen were making way for Duan Si.

She was silent for two seconds.

"Dig up something."

A moment later.

Jiang Xi looked at Duan Si digging potatoes in front of her and felt a sense of disorientation.

Of course, he didn't dig with a stick, but with his supernatural abilities.

A young man with a sinister and cold appearance stood in the forest, a cloud of black mist rising from his palm. Wherever the black mist touched, it dissolved.

Watching the potatoes melt away, Jiang Xi couldn't help but feel helpless.

"Or, I'll do it myself."

"At this rate, we probably won't be able to eat anything."

Duan Si frowned slightly.

"You want to eat this?"

"Can't even catch any prey?"

His vertical red eyes flashed with disdain, and then he uttered two words.

"Wait."

Jiang Xi, "Hey—"

She raised her hand to call out to him, but Duan Si had already disappeared into the woods.

Jiang Xi sighed, then found a stick and prepared to dig it herself.

But just as he dug into the ground, Nakan, with red hair and golden eyes, suddenly appeared, also carrying a pointed wooden stick.

"Do you want to dig out what's inside?"

Jiang Xi nodded.

"Yes, this contains potatoes. They can be stewed with meat; it's very fragrant."

Nakan had visited the large tribes in the Giant Tree Forest, so he knew that those noble females did not like to eat meat every day, but would use some edible plants from the forest to complement their diet.

Therefore, unlike Duan Si, he didn't think too much and took the initiative to help.

With Nakan's help, Jiang Xi quickly dug up some potatoes, taro, and ginger.

Since it was convenient for Nakan to climb the tree, she asked him to help her pick some wood ear mushrooms.

We had a great haul, and it was lunchtime.

In no time, on the banks of the Rehe Valley, young beastmen, carrying their newly caught prey, invited Jiang Xi to dine with them.

Their prey consists mostly of small animals such as pheasants, rabbits, and bamboo rats.

Jiang Xi looked at the prey in their hands, then at the pile of vegetables and seasonings, and some ideas began to form in her mind.

She asked Nakan.

Do you have stone pots in the Jehol Valley?

Nakan nodded. "Do you need it? I'll go get it for you."

The snake-beastmen never use stone pots, but in case a female comes to visit her husband or stay for a while, some are prepared in the Jehol Valley.

However, it has basically never been used.

Jiang Xi quickly added, "Let's bring a few more down!"

The beastmen of the Hot River Valley helped her gather so many things, so she should at least thank them.

Since we can't take all the ingredients with us at once, let's improve everyone's meals.

Although the snake-beastmen did not know what she was going to do, they did as she was told.

Jiang Xi picked up a handful of shepherd's purse and was about to wash it.

But as soon as they squatted down by the water, the young beastmen rushed forward.

"We'll do it, we'll do it! How can we let the females do these things?"

Before Jiang Xi could refuse, the shepherd's purse in her hand was snatched away.

Then she turned to wash the purslane, but it was still snatched away.

Potato……

Ginger...

fungus……

In short, Jiang Xi was busy but accomplished nothing, as the young beastmen took over all the work.

She couldn't help but think, "The orcs of this world are really hardworking."

While waiting for the stone pot to be moved over, Jiang Xi discovered something good by the water.

"This is……"

Her eyes widened. "Is this garlic?"

Jiang Xi dug with a flat stone and actually dug out some garlic from the soil.

Oh my god!

There's just so much to eat in this world!

There's no shortage of ingredients!!

She searched the vicinity again and surprisingly found cinnamon trees (bark), bay leaves, and cardamom.

She originally wanted to search deeper to see if she could find spices such as star anise.

But Nakan had already brought over four large stone pots with his men, so they had no choice but to give up.

Before cooking, she asked someone to help her peel the cinnamon bark and pick the bay leaves and cardamom.

Nakan scratched his head and asked, "Mistress Duan Si, what should we do next?"

Jiang Xi asked him to help with starting the fire and cutting the meat.

After saying that, she added, "By the way, my name is Jiang Xi. You don't need to keep calling me 'Princess Duan Si,' you can just call me by my name."

After all, Duan Si said that once spring arrives, he will be able to find the Golden Soul Fruit, and in a few months, she will no longer be his mistress.

Nakan blushed slightly. "Then...can I call you Xixi...?"

Jiang Xi was stunned for two seconds.

Nakan then added, "I see everyone shouting that..."

Of course, only he knows who this "everyone" is.

The other orcs were dumbfounded, thinking how shameless he was.

Besides, the female master of Duan Si is too naive!

It wasn't as terrible as those orcs from the Lion's Roar tribe had described.

Hearing his description, Jiang Xi felt a little intimate, but still nodded.

"All right."

Since that's the case, let's do as the locals do.

For a moment, the young beastmen's eyes were filled with envy.

Before they could even ask for a bargain, Nakan quickly changed the subject.

"What kind of meat should I cut? Slice it or cut it into chunks...?"

Under Jiang Xi's command, the beastmen started a pot of water to boil, blanched the purslane and wood ear mushrooms, and set them aside to cool.

The prey in this world is all pristine and unpolluted, so Jiang Xi didn't blanch it.

Add chicken fat to the pot and cook until it renders. Add ginger, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, garlic, chili, and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant. Then add chicken and stir-fry. Add water and simmer. Use banana leaves as a lid to cover the pot and simmer.

Several pots are cooked simultaneously.

The bamboo rat oil is rendered in three pots, then ginger, garlic, a large amount of chili peppers, and a large amount of Sichuan peppercorns are added. The bamboo rat is then added and stir-fried to make a pot of spicy bamboo rat.

The rabbit meat was roasted directly over the fire. The beastmen knew how to do this, and without her teaching, they skillfully roasted it.

After the chicken in the second pot has been cooking for a while, add the chopped potatoes, cover with banana leaves, and continue to simmer.

An orc found a nest of bird eggs.

So, in the fourth pot, Jiang Xi rendered chicken fat to make oil, then added minced garlic, chili peppers, quail eggs, chopped shepherd's purse, and salt, and stir-fried a pot of shepherd's purse and eggs.

Under Jiang Xi's command, the beastmen were busy and flustered, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.

Originally, they didn't expect that a woman who never lifted a finger could make anything delicious.

But when the valley was filled with a fragrant aroma, all the orcs' taste buds were stimulated.

The young orcs looked at this pot and then at that pot, unable to tell which pot was emitting the smell.

"What...what is this smell...it smells so good..."

"What should I do if my mouth keeps drooling...?"