Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 257: Chapter 185: We’re Here to Survive, You’re Here to Learn a Skill?

She smiled as she scrolled through the comments on her watch and lifted the bamboo basket.

"Let’s go. I want to see how you’ll handle this seafood. You don’t mind, right?"

"It’s getting dark. Where are you staying tonight?"

Lin Chen didn’t mind her tagging along—it was paid tutoring, after all. Instead, he found himself worrying about the girl’s well-being.

’If she catches a cold and has to drop out in a few days, won’t I lose a ton of money?’

"You don’t have to worry about that. I’m in great shape, and the weather here isn’t cold at all. I can just find a tree to lean against."

"What if it rains?"

"Hmm... good question."

Erica stroked her chin, pondering for a moment before looking at him. "Can your temporary shelter fit two people?"

"?"

"Don’t worry, I’ll pay you."

"Is that the issue?"

"So it won’t fit, huh?"

"It’s big enough, but this is *Wild Survival*! Two people crammed into one shelter? That’s just not how it works!"

"Don’t worry. It’s not like the production team has a rule against contestants cooperating. Besides, I’m just crashing for the night. And since it just rained this morning, it’s unlikely to rain again, logically speaking."

’That made sense, but... something still felt off.’

On the way back with Erica, he stopped to gather some fallen branches in the forest, intending to dry them for firewood.

As he gathered firewood, Erica excitedly pointed to the fresh, newly sprouted mushrooms in the forest, peppering him with questions.

Lin Chen gave her a few vague answers while trying to find out more about her job.

It turned out that while she was a wilderness guide, she mostly worked in fixed areas, like a single forest.

If a Hunter obtained a hunting permit, she would guide them through the forest.

She also took smaller jobs, like guiding tourists on leisurely strolls through the forest to enjoy picking whatever was in season.

When she didn’t have clients, her main job was similar to a ranger’s. Every so often, she’d drive around the forest, checking on the ecosystem, water quality, and things like that.

As for her wilderness survival skills, they were mostly taught to her by her dad. Just like Lin Chen, she was the type to have a wealth of theoretical knowledge but only average practical experience.

Most wild mushrooms are poisonous, so for safety, foraging them is usually forbidden. She only knew some of the more common varieties; she wasn’t a walking encyclopedia.

There are thousands upon thousands of mushroom species. Other than mycologists and encyclopedia editors, almost no one could know that many varieties.

The patch of forest between the reef-strewn shore and the shelter wasn’t very large, but on that short walk alone, they spotted at least twenty different kinds of wild mushrooms.

Among them, 15 were poisonous, 5 were non-poisonous, and 8 were edible.

"I can’t believe these three types of poisonous mushrooms are actually edible. That’s amazing! I remember hearing someone was rushed to the ER after eating them and didn’t survive. Are you *sure* they’re safe to eat?"

"You didn’t watch last season?"

"I watched it, but that was on a screen. It’s not the same as seeing it in person."

"You’ll see soon enough."

After they arrived at the shelter, Lin Chen took the tinder from its bamboo tube and started building a fire, while Erica, like a curious kid, crawled into the cave to look around.

"This is where you sleep? I thought you’d build one of those lean-to shelters against a cliff, like you did before."

"Like I said, it’s temporary."

Lin Chen had just lit the fire. He turned instinctively to get the coconuts and plantains he had stored in the cave.

He’d just placed his right hand at the mouth of the cave and was about to look up when he saw Erica inside, butt in the air, rummaging through his stash.

COUGH, COUGH.

He quickly looked down and backed away.

’Damn it, how could I forget someone else was in the cave?’

"Hey, grab those two coconuts in the corner for me. And break off a couple of those plantains, too."

"Okay, here you go~"

The cave was tiny, and since Erica was about to back out anyway, she brought the items with her.

"This cave is pretty short. You have to crawl in and out on your knees, and your head probably hits the top even when you’re just sitting, huh?"

"It’s good enough for sleeping and shelter from the rain. Besides, it’s temporary."

’I feel like I’ve said that a few times already. Is this girl deaf or something?’

’You’re not the one living here, so why all the commentary!’

Fortunately, Erica’s attention quickly shifted to the ingredients laid out before him. She stared at him, her face full of curiosity.

"What are you planning to make?"

"Let’s be clear," Lin Chen said, holding up a finger. "I need to finish building my log cabin as soon as possible, so I’ll be spending most of my time on that. I won’t be going out of my way to find special ingredients."

"Therefore, with limited ingredients, I probably won’t be making proper dishes every day. The priority is just to get a full stomach, so don’t get your hopes up too high."

"I know. You already mentioned that."

Erica nodded, her eyes still shining with anticipation. "But based on what I saw last season, even the simple stuff you throw together just to get by looks more appetizing and presentable than what the other contestants make."

"Alright, then watch closely. Feel free to ask if there’s anything you don’t understand."

Lin Chen picked up a coconut. With a few quick swings of his bamboo knife, he shaved away the outer fibrous husk, revealing the hard shell beneath.

He first hacked a slit into it, holding a bamboo tube underneath to catch the coconut water so none was wasted.

Once it was empty, he wedged the bamboo knife back into the slit. Lifting the coconut and knife together, he brought them down hard against a rock.

CRACK

CRACK

With each impact, the bamboo knife wedged itself deeper.