“What should we do with this tail?” Yan Hong asked, pointing at the snake tail of the snake-tailed chicken. “Should we just throw it away?”
“Actually, snake meat is edible too. Let’s cook it together with the chicken.”
“No! Absolutely not!” Yan Hong crossed her arms in an ‘X’ shape in front of her chest. “I am not eating snake meat!”
“Snake meat… you actually can eat it. I’ve had it before,” Chen Yunliang said.
“You’ve eaten snake? What’s it taste like?” Shao Xingyang suddenly became curious.
Chen Yunliang recalled and said, “The meat is very tender but also firm. It’s more flavorful than fish.”
His curiosity piqued, Shao Xingyang urged Lu Shiyu to cook the snake tail as well.
“No!”
Ignoring Yan Hong’s protest, Lu Shiyu ultimately decided to split the chicken in two: half for soup and half for a spicy stir-fry.
After removing the head of the processed chicken, she split it down the middle. One half was cut into large chunks for soup, and the other into small pieces for the stir-fry. The snake tail was skinned, chopped into sections, and added to the soup.
When Tang Zeyu walked over, he saw Lu Shiyu pull a black clay pot out of nowhere. Because she needed to prepare two dishes at once, she asked Tang Zeyu to help her set up a second, smaller stove.
She washed the large chunks of chicken and snake meat with fresh water. Rummaging through her bag, she eventually pulled out a few leftover small radishes and some wild greens. Originally, Lu Shiyu had wanted to add mushrooms, but after searching the vicinity to no avail, she had to make do with what she had.
She stir-fried the chicken and snake meat to dry off the moisture, then placed them in the clay pot. She added enough fresh water to cover the meat, covered the pot, and waited for it to boil. Once it reached a boil, she used a spoon to skim the foam off the surface. After cleaning the broth, she tossed in the pre-prepared side vegetables, replaced the lid, and moved the pot to the smaller stove to simmer.
The time it took for the soup to stew was just enough to finish the stir-fried chicken. She scooped the soaking chicken pieces out of the water, drained them, and tossed them into the hot oil. She stir-fried them evenly until the chicken changed color, then added light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a small amount of salt for seasoning. By this stage, the aroma was already making Shao Xingyang drool.
“Is it ready yet?”
“Not yet.”
Lu Shiyu poured half a bowl of fresh water into the pan, covered it, and let it simmer to reduce the sauce. Shao Xingyang watched helplessly as the delicious food vanished from sight, saliva betraying him by trickling from the corner of his mouth.
Once the sauce had thickened, she tossed in some chili peppers, gave it a final stir-fry, and it was ready to serve.
Snake-tailed chicken soup and spicy stir-fried snake-tailed chicken (meat only) were complete!
Lu Shiyu didn’t forget to reheat the leftover braised rabbit from yesterday. Once everything was plated, it was a steaming meal of one soup and two dishes.
“I didn’t expect to have such a proper meal outside the base,” Chen Yunliang said, taking off his glasses which had been fogged white by the steam and placing them in their case to prevent accidental damage.
“It’s not that proper…” Yan Hong stared at the snake meat in the clay pot with a grim expression.
Tang Zeyu used a ladle to scoop a bowl of the snake-tailed chicken soup, taking a sip of the broth first.
“So fresh,” Tang Zeyu said, sounding surprised. “It’s even better than I expected.”
Though there were no mushrooms, the strange combination of mutated creatures had created an unexpectedly better flavor. As a mouthful of soup slid down his throat, it felt like being immersed in a comfortable hot spring; the warmth traveled from the tip of his tongue straight to the bottom of his stomach, spreading throughout his body. Golden droplets of oil floated on the surface like light clouds, clear and refreshing rather than greasy, like moss by a stream.
Tang Zeyu bit into a piece of bone-in meat. The chicken skin had been stewed into a gelatinous texture, and the meat was soft and flavorful. With a slight slurp, the meat separated easily from the bone, melting in his mouth with a hint of natural sweetness.
Shao Xingyang picked up a piece of the spicy stir-fried chicken. The pungency of the chilies collided with the sweetness of the chicken, exploding the moment it hit his mouth and releasing scalding juices that assaulted his taste buds. The spiciness swept through his mouth, yet he could still catch a faint, lingering sweetness. Even the chilies were saturated with the flavor of the dish—spicy and appetizing.
The group was soon eating with gusto, each holding a bowl of soup while helping themselves to the dishes. Only Yan Hong stuck to the spicy chicken and braised rabbit, keeping a respectful distance from the soup pot.
“Lu Shiyu, how did you stew this soup? It’s so good.”
“The meat is tender and the fragrance is everywhere. Your skills are honestly much better than many of the expensive restaurants in the base. They should be fired and replaced by you.”
“Exactly! How did I never notice before how mediocre those chefs were?”
“Oh, stop it, you’re making me blush,” Lu Shiyu’s face turned red with embarrassment. “I’m just a simple restaurant owner. I’m not better than the chefs in big restaurants.”
“The soup is indeed very good.” Tang Zeyu had already finished three bowls, affirming his stance with his actions.
“Psh, it’s just soup. You guys act like you’ve never had soup in your lives,” Yan Hong muttered under her breath, keeping her head down as she stuffed her mouth with chicken and rabbit.
Eating voraciously, Yan Hong didn’t notice she had bitten into a slice of ginger disguised as a piece of meat.
“Mmph!”
Startled by the sharp spice, Yan Hong didn’t know whether to swallow or spit it out, but the sensation of the ginger in her mouth was truly unpleasant. Hearing the commotion, the others turned around to see Yan Hong’s face turning red, her hands waving wildly—clearly suffering from the heat.
“Why are you eating so fast? No one is competing with you.”
Chen Yunliang brought a bowl of the snake-tailed chicken soup to Yan Hong’s lips. She instinctively reached for it, then suddenly remembered it was the soup with the snake tail. She clamped her mouth shut again, forced to endure the ginger’s assault on her taste buds.
“What are you hesitating for?” Shao Xingyang grabbed the bowl and tilted it directly into Yan Hong’s mouth, forcing her to drink. Yan Hong’s hands waved even more frantically.
Lu Shiyu sat there blankly watching the two of them force-feed Yan Hong the soup. She asked Tang Zeyu, who was gnawing on snake meat beside her:
“Are they always like this?”
“More or less. I don’t usually interfere with them.”
Lu Shiyu looked at the oil droplets floating on the snake-tailed chicken soup; she could faintly see her own reflection in the surface.
“Before I joined the team, I always thought the atmosphere of an exploration squad on a mission would be very oppressive. I didn’t expect it to be like this.”
Tang Zeyu spat out a bone and said, “That depends on the captain’s management style. Some teams are managed strictly, others more loosely. I don’t like an atmosphere that’s too serious. Being constantly oppressed isn’t good for the members’ mental health.”
“Dammit! Are you trying to kill me?!”
With the help of the bowl of soup, Yan Hong successfully swallowed the contents of her mouth, and the two men released their grip.
“Hehe, so? It was good, right?” Shao Xingyang held the empty bowl triumphantly, only to be met with a solid punch from Yan Hong. Chen Yunliang silently took a few steps back, quietly watching the two of them start an impromptu freestyle wrestling match.
Once the two were tired of fighting, Tang Zeyu gave each of them a light chop to the head.
“You must be tired. Have some soup.” Lu Shiyu filled bowls and handed them over. Shao Xingyang took his without hesitation and drank deeply. Yan Hong just stared at the bowl in Lu Shiyu’s hand, her eyes filled with conflict.
A piece of snake meat happened to be floating in the golden chicken soup, much like a giant pile of cilantro sitting atop beef noodles. Inside Yan Hong’s mind, two little versions of herself were fighting, the options “to drink” and “not to drink” spinning wildly.
Under everyone’s expectant gaze, Yan Hong closed her eyes, steeled her heart, snatched the bowl, and drank in large gulps.
Delicious!
Yan Hong licked her lips. She hadn’t been able to taste anything when she was being force-fed earlier, but now she could truly savor it. To be honest, the taste wasn’t much different from normal chicken soup—in fact, because the chicken was “free-range,” it tasted even better.
Noticing the others were still staring at her, Yan Hong asked in confusion, “What?”
“Don’t just drink the soup, eat a piece of the meat.” Shao Xingyang pointed at the snake meat, highly recommending it.
Faced with snake meat she had never tried before, Yan Hong still hesitated. But thinking that since she had already drunk the soup, it made no difference whether she ate the meat or not, she used a spoon to lift the snake meat into her mouth. The meat had been stewed until it was soft and tender, with no fishy smell at all; it wasn’t nearly as terrifying as she had imagined.
“How is it?” Shao Xingyang asked expectantly.
Chewing the meat, which actually tasted quite good, Yan Hong suddenly felt she had been making too much of a fuss earlier. She gave a light cough and said, “Yeah, it’s alright.”
Once she had tried it, it didn’t seem like a big deal anymore. Yan Hong began gnawing on the chicken leg and snake meat in her bowl with a neutral expression. Once they had finished eating, they began to pack up.
The area was covered in the vines of that flower. Although the main body had been dealt with, having so many vines around made it unsuitable as a campsite for the night. Eating there was one thing, but sleeping there would be a misery.
They packed their gear and moved further ahead to find a clear spot to pitch their tents.
While Lu Shiyu helped handle the leftover food and the campfire, Tang Zeyu proactively helped her pack her things into her backpack. However, when he opened it, he noticed something seemed to be missing. Even after propping the bag open, he couldn’t find items that should have been inside.
On the other side, Lu Shiyu had just finished burying the fire with dirt. If they left directly and a spark hadn’t been extinguished, it could easily be blown by the wind onto something flammable and start a fire. Therefore, she had to ensure the fire was completely out before leaving; burying it with dirt was a fast, convenient, and safe method.
After finishing, Lu Shiyu wiped away some sweat. Turning around, she saw Tang Zeyu looking at her bag. Frightened, she scrambled over, snatched the backpack from his hands, and hugged it to her chest.
“I wasn’t trying to snoop through your things; I just wanted to help you pack up.”
Tang Zeyu worried she had misunderstood, but Lu Shiyu just shook her head frantically.
“No, no, no, I didn’t say you were snooping,” Lu Shiyu still held the backpack tightly, her voice growing smaller. “I just… I don’t really like other people looking in my bag…”
“My apologies. It’s my fault; I should have asked you first.”
Seeing that Tang Zeyu had no further intention of looking, Lu Shiyu relaxed her grip slightly. “It’s okay. It’s not actually a very serious problem…”
“Oh! Yan Hong! Chen Yunliang! Look at this!”
Shao Xingyang had found something, his voice sounding as excited as a wild macaque.
The two who had been in an awkward atmosphere looked over upon hearing the shout, and both were instantly turned to stone by what they saw.
“What is this? A flower bud?”
Yan Hong, who was crouching on the ground gnawing on a chicken foot, looked up at Shao Xingyang, who was holding a giant flower bud high above his head.
Chen Yunliang analyzed: “This is probably a bud from the plant that attacked us earlier. This one might not have matured yet, which is why it hasn’t bloomed. But where did you get it?”
“I picked it up off the ground, right behind that tree,” Shao Xingyang said, spinning around like a tribal hunter showing off his prey. “I can clearly feel that there is definitely something inside this!”
“Oh no…” Lu Shiyu covered her mouth. “They’re going to find out…”
Tang Zeyu’s expression also grew heavy. He had previously thought he had collected all the buds; he hadn’t expected one to be missed. If the three of them opened it and discovered what was inside, they might deduce where the snake-tailed chicken they just ate had come from.
“Should we stop them?”
“No, it would look suspicious if we went over now,” Tang Zeyu said, maintaining a calm exterior. “Let’s hope the animal inside this flower has already been completely digested.”
“There’s something inside? What is it?”
“We’ll know once we open it.”
The three huddled in a circle, watching as Shao Xingyang peeled the layers of the flower bud one by one. They waited with rapt attention to see what was inside.
Just as only the last layer of the bud remained, it suddenly exploded. Tentacles and mucus hidden within the bud sprayed in all directions. Chen Yunliang and Yan Hong managed to dodge just in time, but Shao Xingyang, who was holding the bud, was sprayed squarely with the foul, viscous liquid.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA——!”
The bud was tossed to the ground, losing its final bit of vitality after the explosion.
“Uh, that really seems to have been just an unripened bud.”