Chapter 30
The returning group quickly changed into their banana leaf skirts. Before that, they thoughtfully wove a screen of banana leaves and branches. Some of the group in the skirts stayed within the screen to dry clothes, others set up camp, and the rest helped Su Feichen and the others clean rock mushrooms. Cleaning rock mushrooms is a bit tricky, as they have thorns on the back, making them irritating to the throat and inedible unless cleaned thoroughly. The lighting for cleaning the rock mushrooms came from a drone. Director Huang was no longer willing to talk, so the assistant director shouted, "Let go of the drone! Let go of the drone!" No one paid any attention.
Bingxiang and the young monk worked quickly to prepare the food. True to his Shaolin origins, the young monk had excellent cooking skills. Small fish and shrimp were fried in oil, and in just a few seconds, their fragrance was radiant. Three large fish were roasted over the fire with sticks. Several pots of water were boiling nearby. Everyone was busy, and aside from the occasional rumbling of their stomachs, the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Then, an unkind voice broke everyone's focus on eating.
"Why didn't you change?" Xia En, wearing a mosaic, frowned and pushed Chu Huaiqin who was squatting in front of the fire.
"I don't need it."
"Why not? You're wet."
"I can bear it."
"You were the one who said we'd catch a cold and asked everyone to change? Why didn't you change?"
Xia En's words left Chu Huaiqin speechless, but Chu Huaiqin did not listen to Xia En's words. When Xia En's hand reached out to push his shoulder, he dodged to the side.
"Go change for banana leaves."
"No."
"No, if I go, I'll catch a cold."
"Won't."
"Can you please listen?"
Chu Huaiqin glanced at Xia En lightly and uttered two words: "No."
Live broadcast room: ...
"Ahhh, my dear brother is so cute. The way he turned his back in anger is so cute. I want to kiss him."
"I always thought that being stubborn and arrogant was Xia Entang's specialty."
"Hahaha, am I the only one who thinks this kind of brother is cute? His mouth is almost puffing up."
"Pfft, he was the one who suggested changing to banana leaves. He even said he would catch a cold. Why is he refusing to change?"
"My dear brother, you rarely insist on something so firmly. Is there a reason?"
The live broadcast room could think of it, and Xia Entropy could think of it too. He asked with a sullen face, "Why not change it?"
Xia En's voice was cold and hard, and his eyes were deep and serious when he looked at Chu Huaiqin, as if he would pick Chu Huaiqin up and do it himself in the next second.
Chu Huaiqin: "Excuse me."
The crowd, already wearing banana leaves and with Marks on their heads, said: "Is it rude of you, old man, but not of us?" The audience in the live broadcast room said: "...
"Hahaha, looking at the expressions on those people's faces, they're dying of laughter. It clearly says I've been sold, but I still have to help Brother Chu count the money."
"Pfft, this is the fourth time I've heard my dear brother say disrespectful. What kind of creature is Brother Chu? Why does he always pronounce these two words so seriously?"
The live broadcast room was filled with laughter, and everyone was wondering how Xia Entang would respond to Chu Huaiqin next. Unexpectedly, he said nothing, turned around silently, took Chu Huaiqin's clothes off the wooden pole, squatted close to the fire, spread out Chu Huaiqin's clothes, and roasted them bit by bit.
But after a while, before his clothes were dry, Xia En's skin was burning hot all over. The smoke from the wet wood made his eyes red and he was sweating profusely.
"I want to hate my little puppy like this too."
"Isn't it a little wolfdog?"
"Isn't that arrogant and irritable?"
"Alas, even though the character is so unstable, I still want it."
A sigh that touched the soul came from the live broadcast room.
As the grilled fish emitted an enticing aroma, the person who went to wash the rock mushrooms came back. Walking from darkness to light, everyone in the live broadcast room saw a row of walking mosaics.
Several pots of boiling water prepared in advance came into use. Salt was added to each pot, and the rock mushrooms were placed in to soak. After soaking for more than ten minutes, the water became warm and was scrubbed with hands. The wild chilies that the monk had picked up were now useful. Besides the wild ginger that was used for catching fish, there were still a few slices left. Two slices were reserved and shredded for later use. The rest were added to the water with the rock mushrooms and blanched.
The boiling water gurgled, and the grilled fish gave off an enticing aroma. The fried shrimp and fish had already been prepared and set aside. Once the rock mushrooms were cooked, the cooled water they'd set aside came into play. The rock mushrooms were blanched in boiled water, and when they were removed, they were already a bit cold. They were then added with shredded ginger and wild chili peppers, along with the fried fish and shrimp, oil, and salt, stirring them together. The mixture, with its hints of yellow and red, looked delicious, and the flavor was palatable. Everyone couldn't help but salivate, eager to eat.
"The clothes are ready," Xia En walked in front of Chu Huaiqin, blocking his eyes from looking at the glowing Panyan mushroom. Then he turned around, staring at the people across from Chu Huaiqin, drooling, and said in a snarl, "Some of you should have your clothes almost dry by now. Go put them on and eat later."
Hearing the word "eat," the others ignored Xia En's attitude and rushed to touch the clothes drying on the tree trunks. After confirming that they were dry, or almost dry, they quickly grabbed them and ran to the tent to change. However, in their haste, they accidentally grabbed the wrong clothes.
"Feng Shan, that's my T-shirt."
"Lin Yongfu, those are my N pants."
"Mr. Su, those are my pants."
Mosaics were running everywhere, and the people in the live broadcast room were laughing so hard that they couldn't stop. Some people fell off their chairs, and some people slammed their computer desks. The worst thing was that someone knocked over a cup of water, and seeing the water flowing through the gap between the keyboard, he felt hopeless.
Everyone quickly changed their clothes and rushed to the fire. After sighing comfortably, they sat in a row with their bowls and chopsticks, like little birds waiting to be fed.
Chu Huaiqin called his sister over, and they began to share. There were so many rock mushrooms that everyone had a bowl full and some left over. The three fish weren't much, so each person only had one piece. The grilled fish was incredibly fragrant, but the rock mushroom and shrimp were beyond everyone's expectations. It was delicious, a perfect accompaniment of both vegetarian and meaty dishes.
Everyone was busy and kept praising it, saying things like "a feast for the gluttons", "a delicacy on earth", "a delicacy on a jade plate" and so on. Praises kept coming out as if they were free. The people in the live broadcast room couldn't help it and rushed to the e-commerce platform to place orders. I want to try what this rock mushroom that looks like phoenix marrow and dragon liver is.
E-commerce customer service: Why do I still receive overtime calls at night?
It was pushed to the top of the hot search list, and a blogger passing by asked: Is the hyped rock mushroom a trick of capital or the ugliness of the world?
There was still not enough food. Everyone felt their stomachs and felt like they hadn’t eaten anything. They were hungry, very hungry.
After finishing the meal and clearing up, everyone felt exhausted again. The wounds, previously neglected due to cold and hunger, became even more painful. Everyone took out medicine and sat by the fire to examine them. Blisters had broken through the skin, revealing bloody red flesh. The pain was excruciating when touched.
In Su Huaichen's words: "I would rather be cut by a knife"
In addition to Su Huaichen, the most seriously injured were Su Feichen, Chu Huaiqin and Lin Zhinan. The former had broken blisters, and the latter had his ankles scratched by rocks in addition to blisters.
After applying the medicine to each other, everyone put the tents away, yawned, and went to sleep. Chu Huaiqin walked to the cave entrance. The heavy rain was still falling outside, and the water level of the lake was rising. Fortunately, they didn't stay below. Turning around, he saw the director team cooking noodles at the cave entrance. There were also a few people stealthily gnawing on duck necks. When they saw Chu Huaiqin looking over, their hair stood on end. They quickly stuffed the half-eaten duck necks into their arms and watched Chu Huaiqin's movements warily.
This guy has a criminal record, so be wary.
Chu Huaiqin said calmly: "I just want to tell you that the drones are out of use, yeah!"
Chu Huaiqin handed the drone behind him to the deputy director.
Everyone in the sub-director group: ...
Chu Huaiqin was also feeling sleepy. He turned and returned to the tent. He bent down and entered the tent for only half a minute when his hand accidentally touched something soft. Was it clothes? Puzzled, he pulled it out and took a look at it in the firelight. It was a blanket. He didn't know when it had been dried.
Chu Huaiqin turned his head to look at Xia En, who had pitched the tent opposite him. After a moment, he lowered his eyes and smiled.
"Chu Huaiqin's smile is too sweet!"
"He was smiling at Xia Entang. It's a pity he didn't see it, otherwise he would have laughed himself silly."
"No, he saw it. He was looking through the crack just now. Now he stuck his head out and smiled so happily."
Others in the live broadcast room: ...
The thunderstorm was still roaring, and the contestants fell asleep. The audience in the live broadcast room looked at the time and saw that it was only a little after eleven o'clock. It was still early! For night owls, bedtime must be at three o'clock in the morning.
Of the five fires, only the one near the tent, fueled by firewood, would burn until dawn. The other four burned slowly, then died down, leaving only a few sparks. The clear cave was dimmed by this. A drone, hung from a tree trunk used to dry clothes, was filming the tents.
The night deepened, the thunder and heavy rain showing no sign of letting up. Then, a subtle hissing sound echoed through the dim cavernous air. The author, typing away in the livestream room, had shrunk to a small frame in the upper left corner of his computer screen. The hand bent over his painting simultaneously turned, looking towards the livestream room in confusion.
In the dark cave, except for the dancing flames, everything was still and normal.
Everyone turned their heads and continued doing their own things.
“Sizzle!”
The faint sound rang out again. The painter was drawing a snake. Her hair stood on end and she turned her head stiffly. A snake's head suddenly enlarged and appeared in front of her. She was so scared that she screamed "Ah" and leaned back instinctively. The pen in her hand fell, and she fell straight back and hit the ground with a thud. She was dizzy, but she quickly got up and saw that the snake had left from under the tree and was heading towards the tent.
"I, I, I, snake, snake, ah, snake!"
Someone in the livestream finally reacted. The snake, after descending from the tree, slowly twisted its body toward the tents. It approached Bingxiang's tent first, its head stretched out and swaying from side to side. Everyone was terrified it might get inside. But it didn't, continuing forward. It approached the monk's tent next, poking its head in and out a few times, but didn't go in.
Slowly, it came to Xia En's tent, circled around again, but didn't go in. Then it came to Chu Huaiqin's tent, circled around once, and then made a rapid hissing sound, its blood-red tongue flicking out lightly, as excited as a flying chicken. Then, everyone saw it enter through the small zipper of the tent.
Only then did the audience in the live broadcast room realize that it wasn't that Snake looked down on those people before, but because their tents were all tightened, while Chu Huaiqin didn't...
The author has something to say: Snake: I will sleep with my brother today.
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