“This time, we found far less prey than last time.”
The group wandered through the deep mountain forest searching for possible prey, but perhaps because their luck was poor, after working for two or three hours, they had only managed to catch five or six animals. Whether in quantity or quality, it was nowhere near as good as the last hunt.
“Could it be because more people are hunting in the deep mountains now, so others already took most of the prey?”
“That’s definitely possible.”
After all, the amount of prey in one area was limited. If others hunted more, then naturally there would be less left for them.
“Husband, what should we do now?”
The four women looked toward Qiu Huang and asked for his decision, hoping he might have another idea.
Qiu Huang thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go check near the water and see if we can catch some fish.”
Since they could not find enough prey, they could only settle for the next best thing. He remembered that there were streams in these mountains, and streams meant fish.
“Alright.”
The group arrived by a stream in the forest. The water there was crystal clear, so clear that one could see straight to the bottom. Whether there were fish or not could almost be determined at a glance.
“There are fish here.”
Before long, they spotted fish in the water.
“I’ll do it.”
Qiu Huang drew his bow and released an arrow, striking the target accurately.
The four women did not try to compete with him. After all, they had come to search for food, not sightseeing. Qiu Huang’s abilities far surpassed theirs, and his archery skills were nearly flawless, so naturally he was the one responsible for hunting any prey they encountered.
“There are more over here.”
It had to be said that the stream in the forest was rich with fish. Before long, they had already caught more than ten fish. In terms of quantity, it was far more efficient than hunting.
The only problem was that there were no large fish, so the total weight was still lacking.
“Wait… is this houttuynia cordata?”
Suddenly, Qiu Huang noticed something valuable and immediately stopped in his tracks.
“Husband, what are you looking at?”
Seeing him suddenly freeze, the four women asked curiously.
“Hahaha, good stuff, hahaha!”
Qiu Huang rushed forward and threw himself into a large patch of houttuynia cordata.
“This is… fish mint herb?”
The women frowned deeply as they looked at the plants. They all recognized it. It was a plant called fish mint herb, and its taste was unbelievably awful. Just chewing a little made them want to vomit, and they avoided it at all costs.
“Bring the bamboo basket over. We’re taking all this houttuynia cordata home so we can enjoy a proper meal.”
Qiu Huang had already started harvesting it. Ever since he was young, he had absolutely loved this plant. Whenever it was in season, he would always go digging for it, sometimes even ruining the ridges between other people’s fields and having to compensate them afterward. Even so, none of that ever weakened his love for it.
Tang Shiyi wrinkled her nose and said, “Husband, this stuff tastes horrible. Just smelling it makes us want to throw up.”
Qiu Huang replied, “Then you’re really missing out on one of the greatest delicacies in the world.”
He did not argue with Tang Shiyi saying it tasted awful because that was exactly the charm of houttuynia cordata. People who loved it absolutely adored it, while those who hated it could not even stand the smell.
“Husband, why do you think fish mint herb tastes good? Do you have some special trick that can make it delicious?”
Murong Shiyun asked. She also could not accept the taste at all.
“It’s not really a trick. Once we get back, I’ll use it to make a few dishes for you. Then you can see whether you can accept the flavor.”
Hearing this, the four women became curious despite themselves. They really wanted to try it because Qiu Huang’s cooking skills had already impressed them deeply. Last night’s bear paw dish had been unbelievably delicious, and they had all praised his cooking ability endlessly.
So, they truly wanted to see whether he could somehow make fish mint herb taste as amazing as the bear paw and make them accept its strange flavor.
“Don’t just stand there. If you really can’t stand the smell, then go catch more fish or look around nearby for other useful things.”
Seeing that they were unwilling to help harvest the houttuynia cordata, Qiu Huang did not force them. After all, not everyone could tolerate its smell.
“Alright, Husband. We’ll look around nearby.”
After struggling internally for a while, the four women ultimately failed to overcome their fear of the smell, so they decided to look elsewhere and find something else to do.
“Don’t go too far. If something happens, shout immediately and I’ll come over right away.”
“Yes, Husband.”
The four women walked away, leaving Qiu Huang alone.
Qiu Huang harvested over half a basket full of houttuynia cordata in one go. Once dried, it could be stored for a long time. Since he had finally found some, naturally he wanted to gather as much as possible.
“Husband! Husband, come quickly!”
At that moment, he suddenly heard someone shouting.
“Yuanyuan.”
The moment he heard the voice, Qiu Huang grabbed the bamboo basket and quickly ran over.
“Yuanyuan, what happened?”
Chen Yuanyuan stopped to catch her breath and said, “Husband, come quickly. We found something good.”
Something good?
Filled with curiosity, Qiu Huang followed Chen Yuanyuan. Beneath a large tree, he saw Wanyan Meiling, Tang Shiyi, and Murong Shiyun. The three women were all staring upward into the tree.
“Husband is here.”
The women lowered their gazes and looked toward Qiu Huang.
“What did you find?” Qiu Huang asked curiously.
Murong Shiyun pointed upward and said, “Husband, look. Is that a beehive up there?”
Qiu Huang looked in the direction she pointed. Sure enough, hanging from the tree was a large beehive with several layers.
“Go gather some dry firewood and dead grass.”
Qiu Huang set down the bamboo basket. Since they had found a beehive, there was no way he would let it go. The bee larvae inside were incredibly nutritious and nourishing.
“Alright.”
The four women immediately went to gather materials, and before long they returned with a large pile of dry grass and firewood.
“What a pity we didn’t bring any bags.”
Qiu Huang shook his head. Their equipment was incomplete, but there was nothing they could do except go through with it anyway.
Using the dry grass and firewood, he made a simple torch and lit it with the fire starter he carried with him. This was the standard method for dealing with beehives—using smoke.
“Give me the machete.”
“Here.”
Tang Shiyi handed him the machete. Qiu Huang tucked it into his waist, grabbed the torch, and skillfully climbed the tree.
“Husband, you must be careful.”
The four women watched him nervously from below.
“Stay farther away so the bees don’t sting you.”
Qiu Huang climbed extremely quickly. The tree was dozens of meters tall, yet within just a few minutes he had already reached the top and arrived at the beehive.
Once there, he stopped and secured himself in place before pulling out the machete and swinging it down hard.