In this lifetime—truly, in this lifetime!
Meng Wenzhou was actually eating a meal cooked for him by Xia Xianxian.
Never mind this life; even in his past life, this was an earth-shattering first!
The moment the water in the pot began to bubble, Xia Xianxian chased Meng Wenzhou out.
She faced the unfamiliar kitchen all by herself.
Unfamiliar with the various operations, Xia Xianxian stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring blankly for a long time.
Tsk, how did one do this again? She needed to think carefully.
Fortunately, there were some leftovers from lunch that hadn’t been finished, which saved the day for both of their stomachs.
Xia Xianxian sat where the fire was tended, thinking narcissistically that while she wasn’t a skilled cook, she was certainly a clever and capable fire-tender.
Hmm, she had helped watch the fire in the kitchen a few times over the past few days, so everyone could just count her as one.
When Meng Wenzhou finished his bath and walked toward the compartment, he saw two bowls of plain white noodles placed abruptly on the small dining table.
These noodles were bare—there was absolutely nothing in them. There was no oil, no salt, let alone bok choy or eggs.
“Hmm, not bad!”
It truly was a trial for Meng Wenzhou, being able to offer praise for such a bowl of boiled noodles in water.
Hearing Meng Wenzhou’s words, Xia Xianxian didn’t feel guilty; instead, she asked with great interest, “In what way are they ‘not bad’?”
Her eyes sparkled, waiting for praise!
Hmm, she’s quite cute, thought Meng Wenzhou, his hands itching.
“Everything about them is ‘not bad’!”
“Look, from an aesthetic perspective, these noodles look clear and refreshing. This cooking method preserves their original flavor to the greatest extent; we can experience the fragrance of the wheat in the most direct way.”
“Hmm, and there’s more! These noodles are obviously the best low-calorie fitness meal. There’s no junk inside; this is pure, clean carbohydrates.”
He concluded with one final sentence:
“This is practically a work of art!”
Xia Xianxian sat on the chair, chin resting on one hand, squinting sideways at Meng Wenzhou’s fancy, awkward praise.
“I had just finished heating up the leftover dishes from lunch, which I intended to serve with the rice. Since you’ve praised this so well, I’m hesitant to bring the dishes out—what if they ruin our ‘work of art’?”
Heh, what a sharp turn!
Looking at the bowl of clear water noodles now, Meng Wenzhou didn’t find them nearly as fragrant.
“Uh, I think it would be fine if we had some leftovers on the side—we shouldn’t be wasteful, right?”
Not knowing that the leftovers were already heated, Meng Wenzhou felt that these noodles cooked by Xia Xianxian were delicious regardless of anything else. But now, Meng Wenzhou just wanted to go back a few seconds and answer differently.
Xia Xianxian turned to the stove to get the dishes, speaking as she walked: “It’s fine, I can help finish the leftovers; they won’t go to waste. I won’t delay your healthy diet.”
She emphasized the words “healthy diet” with extra clarity.
“Mm, I think a healthy diet should also focus on nutritional balance.”
“So?”
“So…”
Meng Wenzhou’s voice was far less loud than before. “So, let’s eat two bites together; works of art can also be ‘secondarily created’.”
Xia Xianxian stifled a laugh and brought the heated dishes to the small dining table one by one.
Having sat all afternoon, the dishes were incredibly flavorful.
The toppings were neatly arranged on the noodles, making them look very appetizing.
As the chopsticks stirred the noodles, they bumped against the sides of the bowl, creating a rhythmic, delicate sound.
Click!
There was a surprise!
Hidden at the bottom of the bowl were two hard-boiled eggs.
Meng Wenzhou picked up an egg from his bowl and said with a straight face, “Look, look at how perfectly these eggs were boiled. I declare that this hard-boiled, poached egg is the true art!”
Xia Xianxian glared at Meng Wenzhou.
“Just eat yours. You talk too much.”
The leaves and branches outside the window rustled in the wind, but Xia Xianxian’s state of mind was completely different. Inside the room, the warm yellow light enveloped them; the kerosene lamp cast their shadows onto the wall, slowly merging into one.
At night, Xia Xianxian beside him had already begun to breathe rhythmically in her sleep.
Meng Wenzhou turned over, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
His body ached, and he couldn’t sleep.
He was reminded of the events of the day again.
Even now, he could clearly recall the sight of the wild boar charging toward them.
Having grown up in the gentle spring breeze, how could Meng Wenzhou have ever fought a beast with a hoe and a rock?
Blood and death had unfolded so bluntly before his eyes.
“You’re hurt!”
After gasping for breath for a moment, Meng Yang had crawled over to Meng Wenzhou.
Meng Wenzhou’s ribcage had been slashed by the boar’s tusk. Fortunately, it wasn’t serious, but he was stained with so much of the boar’s blood that it was impossible to tell where the human ended and the beast began.
Unlike Meng Wenzhou and Meng Yang, Meng Dazhu’s situation was much worse.
His leg had been injured back when the boar first lifted him up. Having pushed himself to smash the boar to death with a burst of adrenaline, Meng Dazhu collapsed from exhaustion once he relaxed, unable to get back up.
All three gasped for breath, sprawling on the ground.
The forest was still shrouded in mist. Meng Wenzhou sat on the ground, looking at the boar that had long stopped struggling. Scarlet liquid slowly flowed from its body, soaking the surrounding ground.
Meng Wenzhou looked at the dark brown earth and said, “No, we can’t keep sitting here like this. The smell of blood will attract other beasts!”
The wind blew from the mountain ridge, sweeping through the forest, and the branches rubbed together with a rustling sound.
Meng Yang pushed himself up using his hands.
“Let’s divide this up first. Leave a small amount of the entrails here and take the rest to the old man’s cellar.”
Meng Wenzhou recalled from his memories that the old hunter’s hut wasn’t far from here; putting the meat in the cellar would be just right.
But what about the injured Meng Dazhu?
“Yangzi, let’s take Dazhu over first. We can move the meat later.”
“Zhouzi, Yangzi, you… I, I can move. Let’s move this beast over together.”
Meng Wenzhou frowned and shook his head in disapproval.
“It’s better if you don’t move your leg again.”
Meng Yang looked at Meng Dazhu, observed their surroundings, and stretched out a hand to feel the direction of the wind.
“The wind is coming from the southeast, facing down the mountain; it won’t be drifting into the valley for now.”
After speaking, he pointed to the large tree Meng Dazhu had been thrown against earlier.
“There are no fresh claw marks in the hollow of that linden tree, and there’s no residual smell of honey pots on the canopy.”
“We still have time.”
“Let’s butcher the wild boar right here. Take a little bit on the first trip to get Dazhu over there, then make more trips for the rest.”
He looked at the two of them. “Be quick. The forest patrol team is still in the outer perimeter.”
Meng Dazhu slapped his thigh.
“Ouch! Don’t waste any more time then. If the pig I finally managed to kill gets taken away and divided by the patrol team, I’ll die of frustration!”
The path down the mountain was much harder than the path up.
Most of the pork had been placed in the cellar, and the three of them had baskets filled with mountain goods and wild vegetables.
By now, it was nearly dark.
The three of them coordinated to cover their bodies in mud.
Aside from their bodies and clothes, they smeared some on their faces and hair.
The stench of mud filled their noses.
Only when they were sure the smell of blood was completely masked by the mud—so that it could neither be seen nor smelled—did they finally head down the mountain.