Chapter 59: Caught the Eel
Ye Jingchen and Wu Yuetang, however, were still as usual, leaving the cave at daybreak, bamboo baskets on their backs and hunting knives in hand. A biting chill hung over the mountain, and the dead leaves crunched underfoot. The white breath they exhaled instantly dissipated in the cold wind.
Ye Jingchen, with his sharp eyesight, quietly moved through the forest, searching for signs of prey. Wu Yuetang pretended to search for wild vegetables in the grass, but in fact, when no one was paying attention, she took out fresh vegetables from the space and put them into her backpack.
When she saw the Artemisia selengensis, which had been automatically planted in the space, ripen, her eyes lit up. The slender, tender green Artemisia selengensis was full of vitality, exuding a fresh fragrance. Without hesitation, she took out 20 to 30 kilograms of fresh Artemisia selengensis and piled them into her backpack. The sight of them filled her heart with joy.
Recalling her favorite past life dish of stir-fried bacon with artemisia, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva, thinking of the wild boar meat she had pickled in the cave. The salty and fragrant wild boar meat had an alluring sheen, and when paired with the fresh artemisia, the mere thought of the taste was enough to make her mouth water.
Elsewhere, Ye Jingchen was squatting beside a ravine washed by a mountain torrent. The water had turned icy cold. He rolled up his sleeves and groped in the muddy cracks of the rocks.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he quickly grabbed a slippery eel. Then, he skillfully explored the cracks in the rocks, and soon he had caught more than a dozen eels as thick as a thumb.
These eels are jumping around and twisting their bodies in the bamboo basket, full of energy.
When Wu Yuetang saw Ye Jingchen’s harvest, she was so surprised that she almost jumped up.
She said excitedly, "Great! I can make fried eel with onions!" Imagining the spicy and delicious dish, she seemed to have smelled the tempting aroma.
Ye Jingchen looked at her happy expression, and a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth.
The two quickened their pace back to the cave, where the villagers were listlessly suffering from the cold. Seeing the rich food Wu Yuetang and Ye Jingchen had brought back, everyone's eyes lit up.
Wu Yuetang immediately started preparing dinner. She first washed and cut the Artemisia selengensis into sections, and then cut the wild boar meat into thin slices. On the other side, Ye Jingchen skillfully handled the eel, washing and slicing it, and then put it together with the chopped onions for later use.
The cave stove quickly became busy, the fire blazing and the iron wok sizzling. Wu Yuetang first added the wild boar slices to the wok and stir-fried them. As the oil heated up, the savory, salty aroma quickly spread. She then added the artemisia and chopped chili peppers and quickly stir-fried them. The emerald green artemisia became glossy and tender after a few stirs in the wok, blending perfectly with the savory and fragrant meat, leaving everyone salivating.
After the dish was served, Wu Yuetang immediately switched to a wok Ye Jingchen had just cleaned. After pouring in hot oil, she added shredded ginger and minced garlic, sautéing until fragrant. She then added the yellow eel slices and quickly stir-fried them. The eel curled and changed color in the wok, emitting an alluring aroma. She then added onion slices and continued to stir-fry. The sweet onion and the delicious eel blended perfectly, and she sprinkled a handful of chili peppers on top. The vibrant red, yellow, and white flavors whetted the appetite.
When two steaming dishes were served on the stone table, the whole cave was filled with rich aroma.
The villagers gathered around, their eyes filled with envy and anticipation. Qi Yu couldn't wait to come forward, swallowing his saliva and saying, "Miss Wu, this aroma is making my stomach growl. Let me try it!"
Amidst the constant exclamations of admiration in the cave, Qi Yu picked up a piece of fried eel with onions with chopsticks. The shiny eel slices were wrapped in bright red chili peppers, and the aroma went straight into his nose before he even put it in his mouth.
He couldn't wait to put it in his mouth, and was instantly intoxicated by the spicy taste. "Sh ...
As he spoke, he scooped two large spoonfuls of stir-fried bacon with artemisia into the bowl. The salty fragrance and crispness exploded on his tongue. He was shaking his head while eating and was completely unaware of the oil stains on his brocade robe.
The villagers squatted by the fire, holding coarse earthenware bowls, and ate heartily. Zhao's wife held her son on her lap, carefully blowing the cooled food with a spoon and feeding it to the child. The little guy chewed the artemisia, his eyes sparkling and smiling.
Several young men sat together, eating dry food with hot dishes, and occasionally glanced at Wu Yuetang and Ye Jingchen who were busy at the stove.
Someone suddenly joked, "Brother Ye, with your skill in catching eels, you can cook all kinds of delicious food for your wife tomorrow!" Everyone laughed. Ye Jingchen's ears turned red. He lowered his head to add firewood to the stove. The firelight made his face hot.
Wu Yuetang was busy tidying up the stove and iron pots. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her parents sitting in the corner. Her father smacked his lips and savored the food: "Tang'er's cooking skills are amazing. Whoever marries her in the future will be in for a treat."
The old mother gently poked her husband and nodded at Ye Jingchen: "Look, the look in the eyes of the Ye family kid when he handed the water to Tang'er just now was so full that it was about to overflow." The two elders smiled at each other, with relief in their eyes.
After eating and drinking, the atmosphere in the cave became increasingly warm. The cold wind outside howled even more fiercely, but the cave was warm and cozy. After Wu Yuetang finished cleaning the stove, she found Ye Jingchen squatting alone at the entrance of the cave, staring blankly at the dark forest.
She walked over and put a thick cotton coat on his shoulders: "What are you thinking about? It's cold outside, don't catch a cold."
Ye Jingchen turned to look at her, his eyes were particularly gentle in the firelight: "I was thinking, thanks to you. If it weren't for you, I..." His voice gradually weakened. Thinking of the care he had received from the Wu family these days, his heart was filled with emotion and guilt.
Wu Yuetang interrupted him with a smile: "Stop being so polite! Let's get through this winter together. Once we get to the provincial capital, there will be better days ahead!" There was a gleam in her eyes as she spoke, and Ye Jingchen couldn't help but look forward to the future.
But what Ye Jingchen didn't know was that Wu Yuetang only wanted to save his life. She had come here as cannon fodder. If it weren't for the system's blessing, she probably wouldn't have found the hero until now. Saving his life, waiting for him to recover his memory and return to being the King of the Frontier, she would also feel more confident because of the little bit of kindness she had shown him.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound outside the cave. The two looked over and saw several shivering rabbits scurrying out of the bushes. Ye Jingchen instinctively reached for his hunting knife at his waist, but was stopped by Wu Yuetang.
"Forget it. It's freezing cold, and it's not easy for them either." She took some hay and leaves from the space and placed them at the entrance of the cave. A few rabbits looked on timidly at first, then cautiously came over to nibble on them.
This scene happened to be seen by the village chief who was taking a walk after dinner. The old man stroked his beard and sighed: "The girl from the Wu family is kind-hearted. God will surely bless us to have a safe winter." After that, he asked several villagers to pile the extra firewood at the entrance of the cave and reinforce the windshield with animal skins.
In the cave, the eldest and second sister-in-law were still sewing shoe soles by the light of the campfire. The stitches were delicate, and the "tapping" sound intertwined with the crackling of firewood, forming the warmest rhythm in the cold night.
It was late at night, and most of the villagers had gone to bed. Wu Yuetang lay in the cave covered with a thick quilt, listening to the howling north wind outside, but she didn't feel cold at all.
She looked at Ye Jingchen sorting out his prey not far away, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. Although this winter was cold, with family and friends, it seemed that no matter how strong the snowstorm was, she could get through it safely.
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