Chapter 58 Camping
The soul fire perfectly preserved... or should I say reproduced the taste and texture of the yam and rabbit porridge.
As Jiangyou had anticipated, the yams of this season weren't particularly starchy. Instead, after being simmered in a clay pot, they possessed a wonderfully smooth, juicy sweetness. The texture of these yams was also unique. Rather than being a soft, mushy mess that melted with the slightest sip, they retained a subtle crispness even after being thoroughly cooked, requiring careful chewing to appreciate the juicy texture.
This reminded Jiangyou of the handmade taro balls made by the old sweet soup shop downstairs from her house in her previous life. Their family was different from other families. They never used any industrial or technological raw materials. They started cooking taro, sweet potato and yam early every morning, and used various starch proportions to make the most chewy and refreshing taro balls.
The yam was chopped very finely and the porridge was very thick, imitating the feeling of rice porridge, but tasting smoother than rice porridge.
The deboned rabbit meat was also finely chopped, but this allowed the originally delicate flavor of the meat to fully emerge, permeating the porridge and blending perfectly with the light flavor of the yam. To enhance the flavor, Andre added salt, white pepper, and some wild celery to the porridge, resulting in a fresh and fragrant taste, with the refreshing and pungent aroma of white pepper.
Plain, warm, yet with a hint of excitement, Jiangyou really enjoyed the taste of this porridge. Especially at dusk, when the wind picked up by the lake and the chill was intense, wrapping himself in a blanket and drinking a bowl of warm porridge would bring a warm feeling to his bones.
Tonight's dinner is grilled fish with porridge. Although the chef has changed, the bone, the man and the cat still eat very happily.
The fishermen at the lake returned home at sunset, and by the time night fell, they were the only three left at the lake. The bonfire at their feet burned brightly, and Jericho hung the oil lamps he had brought on the tent racks around the wagon, illuminating the small camp with golden light.
Since Takumi still didn't have to work tonight, Andrei and Jericho cleaned up the pots and pans. The Knight packed up Little Bone's mobile snack stand, set a kettle on the fire, and tossed a handful of leaves into it.
"What is that?" Jiangyou is a curious baby who wants to ask about everything he sees.
"It's a kind of tree bark," Andrei said. "It's a specialty of the forest. When boiled in water, it has a sweet fragrance. It can relieve greasiness, eliminate dampness, and prevent colds."
Seeing that the water in the kettle had boiled, he picked up a bamboo cup, poured a cup for Jiangyou, and asked her to hold it in her hand to keep warm.
"It's not like the city here. The temperature difference between day and night is huge by the lake. The coldest night here might be as low as 10 degrees Celsius," Andre said. "Too much cold wind will chill your bones. Wrap yourself in a blanket and go to bed in your tent early."
"Can't we sleep in the carriage?" Jiang You asked curiously.
"...It's not impossible," Andre paused, "You can try both places and live in whichever one you like."
Jiang You then looked at both sides.
The carriage is indeed luxurious, but the space is limited after all. The sofa seat is indeed a bit small. It is okay to sit on it, but if you want to lie down completely, you have to curl up into a ball, and your joints will definitely be sore the next day.
If you want to lie down, you have to sleep on the bare ground. But the tent is different. Andrei and his men use a double-layered marching tent with a waterproof outer layer and a thermally insulated and breathable inner layer. After getting into the tent, you will not feel stuffy or cold.
The tent was set up on a grassless field, with a waterproof and heat-insulating mat underneath. The inside of the tent was even more carefully decorated, with a soft long-haired carpet on the ground, a thick and fluffy sleeping bag on top as a mattress, and a feather pillow and a thin blanket on top.
This arrangement looked so comfortable that even Jiangyou, who had no particular preference for sleeping beds after becoming a skeleton, could not help but be tempted. The quilt, pillow and sleeping bag that served as a mattress were all very clean and tidy, with a fluffy scent as if they had been washed with soap powder and dried in the sun.
Jiang You tentatively lay down on the sleeping bag and immediately sank into the fluffy cotton. She felt as if her frame had been placed in a courier box filled with shock-absorbing cotton. No matter where she rolled, she would be comfortably wrapped.
"This is too comfortable." Jiang You couldn't help but sigh. She rolled around on the floor several times until she had enough fun. Then she poked her skull out of the tent and said, "Well, I want to sleep here tonight."
"Okay." Andrei seemed to have expected this, and an indulgent smile appeared on his lips: "Sleep peacefully, we will be on guard at night, it's safe."
"Thank you so much~" Jiang You said, "Good night, you should also go to bed early~"
She crawled into the tent, fastened the door from the inside, stretched out on the mattress, and fell asleep almost immediately.
Jiang You didn't know it was a military-grade tent, capable of withstanding the scorching midday sun and bone-chilling nighttime cold of the northern border. Every canvas was inscribed with insulation magic, maintaining a constant, incredibly comfortable temperature inside—warm in winter and cool in summer—while ensuring fresh air circulation. Compared to Baron Neumann's rather impractical carriage, this was the ultimate camping tool.
Andre walked around the camp, set up warning magic around it, then returned to the campfire, sat down with his sword in his arms, poured himself a pot of bark tea, and sipped it slowly.
"Master, is it still the same?" Jericho asked.
"Well, you guard the first half of the night, and I'll guard the second half." Andre said.
When camping outdoors, you always have to take turns keeping watch. Jericho had to drive the carriage the next day, so keeping watch for the first half of the night only took a short while, which was much more comfortable than keeping watch for the second half.
Andrei was always considerate of his subordinates in such details. His unique bloodline meant he needed less sleep than other races. Besides, Jericho was more than just a servant to him. The loyal cat guardian spirit had been in their home for a long, long time, and to Andrei, Jericho was like family.
At this moment, the guardian spirit, whose actual age was much older than his appearance, was worried about other things: "Young Master, I'm afraid the enthronement ceremony this time won't be so smooth, right?"
"Hmm," Andrei replied, staring at the flames in a trance. "If I remember correctly, this is probably the first time His Majesty has successfully reclaimed a title and fiefdom from a member of the royal family and bestowed another title upon another… Such a move is bound to be met with resistance from many members of the royal family. This battle is sure to be difficult."
However, he must pass this hurdle himself. This is the last test given to him by His Majesty the King. Once he passes it successfully, he will be truly qualified to receive the reward.
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