Zuo Ling and her brother hadn't touched their food, while Chief Mei's meal consisted of nothing but clods of dirt.
Chief Mei, seemingly oblivious, slowly dug at the clod of earth and said:
Do you know what this is?
Of course I don't know.
“Some people call it wild ginger, but I think it’s a type of tree burl.”
Fearing that Zuo Ling and her brother might not understand, he explained:
"It's the root of a certain tree. People who collect them have tried more than a dozen kinds, and this one is considered to be relatively delicious. It looks a bit like the ginger we use for stir-frying, so people call it wild ginger."
Peel off the outer skin, and you'll see a small, white piece inside.
After chewing carefully and swallowing with difficulty, coughing several times, Chief Mei finally managed to swallow a small piece of wild ginger.
"Eat, eat, don't just watch me eat, it makes me look like an old man eating alone."
His expression was playful, and his tone was half-serious: "You can't leave until you finish eating."
I understand. This meal is the highlight of today; we can't skip it.
The three siblings reached for the black hole at the same time. Compared to the tree roots, insects, and the pancake made of some unknown meat, the black hole at least looked normal on the surface.
Chief Mei watched them eat with a smile.
When you bite into it, it's bitter and astringent, lacking any of the smoothness of flour, and it even hurts your throat.
Xiao Hao ate too fast, and the dark bits of food got stuck in his throat. He couldn't swallow them, and his face turned red from holding it in.
"Oh, oh, oh, why are you eating so fast? Nobody's going to take it from you. Quick, quick, quick, have some soup to moisten your throat."
No matter how you listened to it, there was a hint of schadenfreude in Chief Mei's voice.
The small bowl of soup wasn't enough to go down properly, so Zuo Ling and Pei Nansheng gave all their soup to Xiao Hao. They pounded and pounded the soup for a long time before finally getting the black bun down his throat.
"I forgot to tell you, there's some saponin mixed in with the black clay. Well, you might not know what saponin is, but it has a scientific name: Guanyin clay."
Guanyin clay!
I've heard so much about you, but never had the chance to meet you.
The three siblings stared simultaneously at the dark, murky place—it was mixed with kaolin clay!
"There was no other way; there wasn't enough food. Although Guanyin clay has no nutritional value, it has a very strong satiating effect. The chefs in the kitchen tried mixing some Guanyin clay into the mixed grains. It didn't cause stomach upset and could even delay hunger."
Knowing the old man had ill intentions, Zuo Ling took a small bite, while Pei Nansheng ate half of it.
Xiao Hao was so honest; if he hadn't choked, he would have eaten both of them.
"Eat, eat quickly, don't stop, it won't taste good when it gets cold."
Chief Mei kept urging them to eat quickly.
Zuo Ling gritted her teeth. She definitely wouldn't eat the insects, and the tree roots... Chief Mei coughed several times before swallowing anything that would taste bad.
My gaze lingered on the meat patty, examining it for a long time. It looked like fish... or maybe shrimp, minced up and made from it?
Pei Nansheng and Xiao Hao also set their sights on the meat pie.
Chief Mei's smile deepened. They truly are siblings; their thoughts are aligned.
I took a small bite and couldn't taste anything. I tried again, and it was bland. It really didn't have much flavor; it wasn't good, but it wasn't bad either.
Xiao Hao embarrassed himself earlier, but he'll learn his lesson this time and eat slowly and in small bites.
"It tastes good, right? It's high in protein. It's Maggot No. 3, which was just bred by the Agricultural Research Institute. It hasn't been served elsewhere yet, so let's try it first."
Chief Mei's face was full of expectant praise, and a sense of superiority that you could enjoy this early thanks to my old man's influence.
What... number 3? The three siblings didn't hear clearly.
"Maggots, yes, maggots."
With a little water on his hands, Chief Mei wrote a large character for 'maggot' on the table.
They...they just ate maggots!
Ugh... My stomach is churning, and Zuo Lingqiang is trying to suppress his discomfort.
Xiao Hao wasn't much better than Zuo Ling; even when he was starving, he never ate maggots.
Pei Nansheng remained calm, and Chief Mei nodded inwardly, thinking that he was indeed an elite scion raised by the Ding family.
Actually, Pei Nansheng was also very uncomfortable.
Following Zuo Ling, life became even more comfortable than before the apocalypse. He became more talkative and was no longer the hardworking Pei Nansheng from the Ding family.
He is the eldest brother, and regardless of his inner thoughts, he cannot show weakness on the surface.
Chief Mei highly recommended his food:
"This is a groundworm, you can call it an earthworm if you want. Such a plump groundworm is only available to those who are not of a high enough level. To treat you, this old man has swallowed his pride and asked them for a level one groundworm. Try it, try it quickly, it's definitely high in protein."
During his training in the Ding family's wilderness, Pei Nansheng ate many strange and unusual things. Times have changed, and things are different now. He wouldn't be able to eat them now.
"Xiao Liu, eat that portion. The little guy doesn't know what's good for him, don't waste it."
Commander Mei pointed to the waterfall and said to the orderly waiting nearby.
Xiao Liu was overjoyed; he was genuinely happy because he was eating very bland food every day and really needed high-protein foods.
Two bites of cornbread, a bite of maggot cake, a bite of earthworm—they ate with great relish, gesturing to Zuo Ling and her brother as they ate, "Eat up, eat up, it's delicious!"
Those who can become the personal attendants of military leaders are all top talents. How could they not know that the leader was making him eat to show Zuo Ling and her brother?
Its mouth was full of worms, with half a worm's head still sticking out of its mouth, and it was even smiling at them!
Xiao Hao felt so disgusted that he almost spat out a mouthful of sour water.
Knowing that he wouldn't make it through the day if he didn't eat, Pei Nan made a snap decision, closed his eyes, and stuffed the food into his mouth.
After finishing his own portion, he also ate Zuo Ling's portion.
Xiao Hao was conflicted. When his older brother reached out to eat his portion, he pushed his brother away, stuffed the whole thing into his mouth, and swallowed it without chewing.
Chief Mei, his eyebrows curving in amusement, pushed the remaining two portions towards the table:
"Eat, eat, don't be shy. Young people have good appetites and big appetites, don't go hungry, eat everything."
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