Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations
Shangguan Bing’er’s beautiful eyes were immediately filled with wariness, her experience with this rascal telling her that whenever he acted solemn and proper, he definitely had something up his sleeve. “Eat all you want, if you eat to death then you get what you deserve!”
Unexpectedly, Zhou Weiqing did not argue. Instead, he found a relatively spacious spot; plucking the wild grass on the ground to clear a stretch of less than two square meters, before placing the leaves and bamboo shoots he had gathered onto the ground. He then returned to the forest, and after some time, he managed to find some dry deadwood and thin vines.
Shangguan Bing’er noticed that Zhou Weiqing’s hands were very nimble, with his ten slender fingers, and in a few quick motions, the vines and deadwood branches had been formed into a simple rack, braced steadily into the ground. The huge thick leafs in his hands seemed to flutter up and down. She had not even managed to get a clear look at his actions before the leafs had been folded together into the shape of a small pot, which he then surrounded and tied up with four thin vines, before hanging it on the rack he had put up.
From start to completion, Zhou Weiqing had only used several minutes, his movements were adept, and it was obviously not the first time he had done this. After that, he started breaking apart the bamboo shoots above the small pot, and with a clear sound of falling liquid, the bamboo shoots were unexpectedly hollow in the centre, holding a clear liquid within. After breaking apart several of the shoots, the leaf-pot was filled with that liquid, and most mysteriously, not a single drop had leaked out.
Zhou Weiqing piled the surplus deadwoods leaf-pot, then rummaged into the small backpack he was carrying and retrieved flint from within. He sparked up a flame, which gradually grew larger, the burning deadwood making a crackling sound, and it was already heating up the leaf-pot.
Shangguan Bing’er subconsciously gathered closer to Zhou Weiqing as he was doing all of that, and couldn’t help asking: “Won’t the leafs be burnt and destroyed?”
In such a rare occasion that her voice was not ice cold, Zhou Weiqing rejoiced secretly in his heart as he heard it. “Of course not, because it contains water inside.” His hands did not stop moving while he was speaking, as he retrieved a sharp small knife from within his bag, his left hand picking up one of the bamboo shoots that he had broken apart earlier, slicing off its outer layer, before throwing it into the pot layer by layer. After repeating this for a while, several bamboo shoot slices as thick as a baby’s arm had been sliced into the pot, and at the same time, the water in leaf-pot had also started to boil; indeed a perfect timing.
Shangguan Bing’er had by now subconsciously squatted beside Zhou Weiqing, watching as he completed all of that, Her gaze had also gentled considerably. A man who could cook would generally find it easier to give women warm feelings. Furthermore, Shangguan Bing’er preferred ‘light’ food, and this bamboo shoot soup definitely held more attraction to her than a meal of meat.
Zhou Weiqing clapped his hands before keeping his knife, and said with a grin: “This bamboo is the unique local specialty in our Stars Forest, and it can only be found here; very few people actually know about it as it only grows in the shelter of the older Stars Trees, and it will absorb morning dew in its hollow middle, which is extremely sweet and tasty. I call it the Reveal Bamboo Shoots, and it is extremely delicious, especially when cooked in the dew from its own middle, it maintains its original taste best. It can be eaten after being boiled for a while to eat, and only adding a bit of salt is needed.”
After all, he had once been thrown into the wild by his Admiral father for survival training, no matter jungle, desert or even mountain ranges, he had experienced survival training in all those areas. From the age of ten, he – who was known as a trash by others – had been living a life of suffering, thus looking for food in his most familiar Stars Forest was just too easy.
The bamboo shoots dew soup in the leaf-pot gurgled with air bubbles, and a light fragrance lingered in the air, the smell whetting the appetite of anyone who smelled it.
Zhou Weiqing stole a glance towards Shangguan Bing’er, just happening to catch the 15-year-old girl taking a gulp as she tried to swallow her saliva subtly. At first, he wanted to tease her a little, but then his heart was inexplicably filled with a warm feeling. Picking up two ladles that he had carved out earlier from the bamboo shoots covering, he gave one to Shangguan Bing’er, then took out some salt, scattering it into the bamboo shoots dew soup.
The bamboo shoots were very fresh and tender, and could be eaten after boiling for a little while in the dew. Zhou Weiqing gave Shangguan Bing’er an inviting hand signal, then impatiently scooped up a ladle of bamboo shoot dew soup, blowing a few breaths to cool it then bringing it straight into his mouth. He was after all both hungry and thirsty now.
Shangguan Bing’er lifted the ladle, and was just about to start eating, but her hand stopped suddenly in mid air, and she bit her lower lip with a complex look in her eyes as she glanced at Zhou Weiqing. Just a moment ago, she had refused to give him her dry rations to eat, how could she actually eat the food that he had prepared now, she had a very entangled feeling in her heart.
“Give me a piece of dry rations. This soup isn’t sufficient to allay hunger! I’ll trade the soup with you okay?” Zhou Weiqing looked at her and reached out with a piteous expression.
Shangguan Bing’er gawked at him a while, before taking off her backpack and taking out a piece of dry rations to give Zhou Weiqing. She suddenly felt that this rascal was not as bad as she thought.
The bamboo shoot dew soup was a pale-green colour, the pieces of bamboo shoots floating within like pieces of jade. The sweet fragrance was light, but did not disperse; even though they did not have any other condiments to add, the fresh and tender bamboo shoots were already extremely delicious, made even more so with the dew and leafs.
As soon as Shangguan Bing’er took her first mouthful of the bamboo shoots dew soup, she fell deep in love with it, the sweet soft delicate fragrance flowing from the tip of her tongue to the very ends, entering her stomach, and a warm feeling seeped through her whole body; the sweet aftertaste remaining in her mouth and nose, and such an amazing feeling was definitely much better than eating mere dry rations.
She even felt a tinge of regret for not allowing Zhou Weiqing hunt and kill the rabbit; perhaps, this fellow could similarly make an amazing delicacy.
Zhou Weiqing did not tease or provoke Shangguan Bing’er, instead sitting beside the leaf-pot, eating the dry rations together with the bamboo shoot dew soup is eating, his eyes somewhat dazed.
Shangguan Bing’er’s appearance while eating was just too beautiful, especially the expression she revealed on her face when she took her first mouthful of the bamboo shoot dew soup; which made Zhou Weiqing’s heart clutch in a sudden movement. In his eyes, Shangguan Bing’er’s beautiful face was even tastier than the bamboo shoot dew soup.
Just like Shangguan Bing’er falling in love with the bamboo shoot dew soup he made, at that moment, he also deeply fell in love with her satisfied appearance. He gripped his fist, decides inside that he would do anything to pursue her, and make her his wife.
As he daydreamt of marrying Shangguan Bing’er, being able to hug her fragrant tender moving body to sleep every day, the smile on Zhou Weiqing’s face immediately became lascivious. Luckily, the young beautiful woman in front of him had her attention focused on the bamboo shoot dew soup, and did not notice that rascal’s dirty expression.
