Chapter 197: Stewing a Pot of Fragrant Pangolin Soup

Ying's expression was strange; he had spent years moving through the Forest, his ears were very keen, and he could hear some faint sounds that Nan Qinghuan could not hear.

He gently set her down, softly stroked her long hair, patted it, then said, "There's something underneath destroying the foundation; I'll go take a look."

"Thing? What thing?"

When the married couple came down, the tribe members hurried forward, "Ying, have you chosen yet? It's our turn, right?"

The tribe members were already impatient to pick a house.

Ying, however, scanned the crowd and said, "Youchao Xuan, lock the doors here; we'll discuss when I return."

With those words, he led Nan Qinghuan toward the back; hearing that, the tribe members didn't understand why he was unwilling.

"Why lock it? Are we not being given a place to stay?"

"Don't speak nonsense; how could such a big house not be given to you? It must be agreed upon first."

Youchao Xuan, fearing internal strife among the tribe, hurriedly comforted them, "A Mu is right; I'll lock it first. Later you can discuss how to allocate the houses, and I'll go to the back to take a look."

"Everyone, come with me to set out the food; I've prepared everything. Today there's a lot of delicious dishes, let's celebrate properly."

"Yes, let's go with A Mu to arrange things. Aning, you and I will fetch the wine."

With Axi and A Mu smoothing things over here, the tribe members all began to help. Seeing them leave, Youchao Xuan and Youchao Ji hurried toward the back. It must be said, this Tulou was huge; even walking a circle around it required a long distance.

Youchao Ji, being clever, asked, "Youchao Xuan, what's going on?"

"Why are Ying and his female companion acting so strange?"

"Something must have happened; let's go and take a look."

"What could possibly go wrong? The house has already been built for them. Youchao Xuan, this time you must return with us, otherwise you'll have to…"

"Shut up."

Suddenly, Youchao Ji seemed to see something and shouted, "Ah, what is that?"

Here, Ying led Nan Qinghuan to the back of the Tulou; after he speared a few animals with his Spear, he finally let Nan Qinghuan come over, still unwilling to let her see the moment he hunted the animals.

Although he knew Nan Qinghuan was bold enough to slay three Giant Pythons, he didn't want her to see anything gory.

"Qinghuan, come over, okay?"

Nan Qinghuan hid at the back; when they first arrived, they saw many Pangolins digging holes here to cause damage, so Ying drew his Spear and killed them.

It must be said, this man was truly adept at killing animals; his hand moved like slicing a melon. She had seen Ying kill before, but today he was especially swift and dashing.

She walked over and saw those Pangolins with their sleek black scales and asked, "Why are there Pangolins here?"

Ying's attention, however, was on the foundation; he found the ground to be extremely hard—so hard that even the Pangolins had to exert great force to break through.

"Qinghuan, what kind of soil is this that it's so hard?"

He knew Pangolins better than anyone; these creatures can even burrow through stone. Why does it take them so long to break this foundation? What is different about this soil? When Nan Qinghuan saw that he had noticed something amiss, she had to admit the man was indeed meticulous; she also crouched down and patted the Rammed Earth Technique—it was very solid.

Although she didn't use rice soup, she used egg whites; even bird eggs could substitute for chicken eggs. The Forest is full of birds, and the tribe members are skilled at gathering bird eggs. Mixing these with Lime to make Rammed Earth Technique makes it very sturdy, so the Pangolins find it hard to dig holes.

But... "Qinghuan? What's happening?"

"Do you remember? I added something else into the soil; when it dries, it becomes extremely tough, like stone. Look, even several adult Pangolins can't break our foundation. But Ying, why did they suddenly appear here?"

Pangolins don't like to appear in places where people live.

Ying seemed to understand her words, "So that's it. Your method is good. Let's go; the tribe members are waiting for us to eat."

"Hey, I always feel this isn't that simple; why would Pangolins come to dig holes?"

Ying saw that she was clever; indeed, nothing could be hidden from Nan Qinghuan.

He gazed deeply at her, reached out and clasped her hand tightly, his eyes fixed on the horizon where a Primeval Forest stretched.

"He wants to destroy our house—dream on."

"He?"

Nan Qinghuan inhaled a cold breath. Who was he? Rongdi? Could Rongdi have the power to send Pangolins to do its bidding? Ying didn't want her to hear any talk about Rongdi; it seemed Nan Qinghuan never mentioned it either, which was a good thing. He thought that now he would have a home with Nan Qinghuan, and he didn't want Rongdi to appear between them again.

... to obstruct their happy life.

"It's fine now; the tribe members are getting impatient. Let's go."

"Hey, wait a moment."

Nan Qinghuan walked to the slain Pangolins, crouched, and inspected them; they were all healthy and edible.

Such good food shouldn't be wasted.

"Help me bring these back to make a big restorative soup today."

"What, can Pangolins be eaten?"

Ying was astonished; could this be eaten without being poisonous? "Of course it can be eaten; it's a fine thing. It just wasn't allowed in my time, as we protected the animals. Ying, help me take these few so I can cook them."

Ying had never known that Pangolins could be eaten, but Nan Qinghuan was certainly correct.

He nodded, "Alright, I'll take them."

"Heaven's Daughter..."

From not far away, Youchao Ji's voice came, "Heaven's Daughter, you just scared me to death; what are you...?"

"Youchao Xuan, what's wrong with you?"

Youchao Ji wanted to say she had seen a Giant Python that scared her to death; Youchao Xuan quickly smiled, "It's nothing; she's afraid of snakes. What about you..."

He saw that Ying had brought a few Pangolins.

How could there be Pangolins? Nan Qinghuan was delighted, "An extra surprise; you are blessed today. Please have the restorative soup. Hey, where are Yao and Ashu?"

"Not seen them."

When they returned to the tribe, the members saw Ying carrying some dead Pangolins; A Mu hurried up, "Oh dear, why did you bring this back? It's so hard and inedible."

"A Mu, it can be eaten. I can simmer Pangolin meat into soup. Wait a moment, hey, who saw Yao and Ashu?"

"Ying, they've left."

Dashan hurried forward and told them, "They're gone. I just heard that they finished their work and left with the tribe."

"Leaving?"

Ying thought of Yao and Ashu, this time thanks to them, why so hurried? "How can we leave? I made something tasty?"

"I don't know either; you seem pretty rushed, Om, what's that corn cake of yours? It looks oddly good."

Dashan has never seen corn cake before and is eager to try its flavor.

Nan Qinghuan feels a bit disappointed; Yao and Ashu left, and she hasn't personally thanked them yet.

But on second thought she feels relieved; once the matters here are settled, she'll visit the Cannibal Tribe and the Wolf Tribe again to see how their farming is going.

"You all go try it first; I'll handle this big fellow."

Although Yao and Ashu aren't here, making her a bit disappointed, she still wants to treat the tribe well; today she prepared many tasty dishes: corn cake, marinated meat stir‑fried with tender bamboo shoots, and an ancient‑style cured meat.

Chosen from the best wild boar meat, smoked with Salt and fragrant wood, this is a famous Sichuan‑Shu generation's dish for hosting guests.

These are delicacies that Ancient People have never tasted; having built a new house today, she wants to properly reward the tribe.

She washed her hands, ready to start simmering the soup, and Ying couldn't bear seeing her work so hard; after greeting the tribe, he wanted to help her, "Qinghuan, let me help you."

Since Ying is the Clan Leader, how can he be here lighting the fire for her? She hurriedly refused him, "No need, go have drinks and chat with the tribe; I'll finish quickly."

"Qinghuan…"

"Ying, you're the Clan Leader, how can you be cooking here? Go join everyone; A Mu and Axi are here helping Qinghuan."

With A Mu present, Ying can only look at Nan Qinghuan reluctantly, "Don't overexert yourself; I'll wait for you."

"Qinghuan, Ying is really good to you; I'm so jealous of you."

Axi, seeing how much Ying dotes on Nan Qinghuan and feeling envious, watched; Nan Qinghuan lifted her eyes, smiled, feeling sweet as honey, "Silly girl, you'll also have someone who truly cares for you."

Nan Qinghuan first dealt with the Pangolin's scales, then washed the white meat clean, cut it into pieces with a knife, added some wild ginger and tossed it into the stone pot to simmer; this pot was a gift from Ying, formerly used for simmering Salt, now perfect for making soup.

This is prime wild game; without much seasoning it yields a pot of rich meat broth. The fire blazes fiercely, and soon the pot releases faint aromas of the meat soup.

Axi had never known that Pangolin could be eaten; crouching nearby, she drooled with craving.

She took several deep breaths, inhaled into her lungs, licked the corner of her mouth, "Qinghuan, so fragrant…"