Ch112 – Gathering Together for a Meal
The Qiu Ming and Shi Mingxu pairing had a small accident on the mountainside. Shi Mingxu lost his footing and almost fell down the mountain. Although Qi Ming caught him in time, he still got a little injury. While waiting for the program team to come over with a medical kit, Cao Jun, who had reached the mountaintop earlier, gradually recovered.
But how to get down to the platform was still a problem. They couldn’t use He Yun Chen and Ruan Tang’s method. Although the small platform with the rose flowers was only five meters away from the top of the cliff, the trust between them was definitely not as great as Ruan Tang and He Yun Chen’s. If Chen Ye stood below and asked Cao Jun to jump down, Cao Jun definitely wouldn’t be able to do so.
They thought about it, and finally decided to borrow rope from Chen Yuanwu and Gu Yan. They were willing to give the rabbit they caught in exchange. In fact, Chen Yuanwu and Gu Yan didn’t really want the rabbit. After all, they just ate rabbit soup yesterday and they thought it tasted bad. But they also knew that Chen Ye and Cao Jun didn’t have anything else to exchange, so finally agreed.
With the rope, Chen Ye and Cao Jun became the third group to complete the task smoothly.
The reward item from the program team was a plastic basin for each group, which can be used to wash vegetables, dishes, and clothes. It was very practical.
[Not fat at all: I kind of feel sad. They went through all that trouble to climb up the mountain and jump down a precipice all for a plastic basin ...]
[Hey hey: But the plastic basin is really practical, you can wash a lot of things!]
Everyone got the plastic basin and they were readying to go down the mountain. At this time, Chen Yuanwu suddenly walked towards Ruan Tang. “Mr.Ruan, yesterday we caught a small, white animal. The program team assured us that everything in the biological area was safe to eat so we used it to stew some soup. But although I applied ginger-scallion juice on it, it still tasted strange and quite gamey...”
“What did the animal look like?”
After listening, Chen Yuanwu got a sudden flash of insight and immediately thanked Ruan Tang. “Thank you for your guidance. When we return, we will send you some of the prey that we catch.”
Ruan Tang waved it away. “It was nothing. You’re welcome, no need to be so polite.”
Although Chen Yuanwu said nothing more, they still decided to give Ruan Tang some of their catch. Although with Marshal He’s strength, they didn’t necessarily need it.
Chen Ye and Cao Jun were standing to the side. Ruan Tang and Chen Yuanwu made no effort to hide what they were talking about, so Cao Jun heard it as well. Cao Jun and Chen Ye discussed it and decided to give Ruan Tang a rabbit as thanks for his pointer.
After returning to each of their camps, Chen Yang and Cao Jun took the two rabbits and went to Chen Yuanwu and Gu Yan. As per their agreement, they gave them one of the rabbits. Gu Yan and Chen Ye were comrades-in-arms. After learning that they had no tinder until now, they offered him a burning stick to take back with them as a fire starter. They didn’t know if Ruan Tang and He Yun Chen had any fire, so they could also use it to light a fire for them if they needed it.
The four of them then decided to head to Ruan Tang’s together to give him their catch as a thank you. Cao Jun was carrying a rabbit, while Chen Yuanwu was carrying a pheasant they’d caught on the road.
When they arrived, Ruan Tang was already cooking up some fish soup. The delicious aroma got their mouths watering. They saw Ruan Tang had built a decent stove with stones. The pot was set on the stove, and the fish soup in the pot had now turned white from boiling.
They couldn’t help expressing their admiration. Mr. Ruan’s ideas were really handy. Compared with the bonfire made from stacks of wood, the stovetop built with stones was many times more stable, and it was also windproof. So long as you added wood, you needn’t worry that the fire would go out. Not to mention they have tarpaulins, so they didn’t even have to worry even if it rained in the night.
Smelling the seductive aroma of the fish soup, their stomachs began to growl. Gu Yan and Chen Ye looked at He Yun Chen with eyes filled with envy.
“Why are you here?” Ruan Tang looked up at the four and asked, a bit surprised.
“We came to give you some of our catch ...” Cao Jun and Chen Yuanwu hurriedly took out the rabbit and pheasant they brought.
“You really needn’t be so polite, it’s nothing.” Ruan Tang refused to accept it. He felt that he had just said a few words. They would have figured it out themselves eventually. They didn’t need to give him anything extra as thanks.
Chen Yuanwu thought for a while and asked, “Can you teach us how to build this stove? These catch can be used as tuition.”
In fact, it wasn’t difficult to make the stove. They could go back to their camps and they’d be able to make one after a few attempts. But apparently they were insistent on finding an excuse to give him their gifts. Ruan Tang could only helplessly agreed.
“These catches won’t keep fresh for much longer. Why don’t you all eat here with us?”
Upon hearing this, all four couldn’t help gulping. The scent of the fish soup was too enticing, and it drilled into their hearts through their noses. Besides, they hadn’t eaten well yesterday and they had consumed everything they had this morning. Their stomachs were already rumbling with hunger.
“We couldn’t...” Chen Yuanwu and Cao Jun swallowed their saliva, but still reluctantly refused. After all, the seasonings they brought per group was limited. If Ruan Tang were to cook for them, he would be wasting a lot of seasonings.
Ruan Tang added, “If you don’t plan to stay, take the catch away.”
The four looked at each other, and Gu Yan and Chen Ye immediately said, “Let’s go get the spices!”
“Then the two of us will help.” Chen Yuanwu and Cao Jun also put down the rabbit and pheasant and began to help Ruan Tang work.
He Yun Chen silently chopped firewood to one side, and was very satisfied with the tactfulness of the four who decided to stay for dinner.
The fish soup was almost ready. The rabbit could be made into spicy stir-fry, the pheasant could be into beggar’s chicken, and the bear’s paw that Zha Panpan sent last night could be braised in soy sauce. In this way, there should be enough to feed six grown men.
The soldiers were very fast, and soon, Chen Ye and Gu Yan returned with the seasonings.
Chen Ye brought chili oil and salt. Gu Yan brought soy sauce and pepper powder. There were also some onions, ginger, and garlic. There should be more than enough for Ruan Tang to cook a good meal.
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