Chapter 16:Toadstool？
1428 Words
Anlu looked up at Baize.
Baize wore a solemn expression. “This is poisonous. You can’t eat it!”
Seeing her say nothing, fearing he had spoken too harshly, Baize quickly explained, “Some orcs in the tribe once ate something like this, and they died from the poison!”
He paused, then went on. “But there are other things safe to eat nearby. I’ll go look for them. Don’t touch these!”
Anlu parted her lips. She quickly grabbed Baize before he could leave and pointed at the matsutake mushrooms. “Was the mushroom that killed that orc this one?”
Baize shook his head, his face full of wariness.
“It wasn’t this kind. But many orcs in the tribe have been poisoned. Apart from one type of white mushroom, never eat any fungus you don’t recognize.”
Anlu nodded.
She guessed the white mushroom Baize mentioned must be one that other orcs had eaten and confirmed to be harmless.
If not for the system’s warning, she might have obediently followed Baize. She had not been from the southern provinces in her past life and knew nothing about wild fungi, daring not eat them casually.
But the system had verified these were the legendary rare matsutake. If she let this delicacy slip away, she knew she would toss and turn sleepless night after night.
She pressed down Baize’s restless hand and spoke earnestly. “Trust me! This mushroom is called matsutake. It’s non-toxic and edible.”
Meeting her determined gaze, Baize’s lips moved. In the end, he did not insist she throw them away, though he still remained cautious.
“We can take them back. But I will taste them first once they are cooked. If there’s no poison, then Luoluo and the cub can eat.”
Warmth surged through Anlu’s heart.
She was about to tell him there was no need, when Baize continued firmly, “Females are precious. By tribal custom, males must test unknown food for poison before females eat it.”
Seeing how resolute Baize was, Anlu decided not to argue.
The matsutake were harmless after all; it made no difference who ate first.
Once she agreed, Baize no longer stood in her way. Instead, he helped her gather many more matsutake until the basket was full.
“Night is coming. Let’s head back to the tribe.”
With that, Baize shifted into his beast form and lowered himself in front of Anlu for her to climb on.
Having ridden him once before, Anlu was far steadier this time and avoided the awkward mishaps from last time — partly because Baize slowed his pace on purpose.
They returned to the tribe just as the hunting and gathering parties came back.
By custom, they were entitled to a share of the harvest. However, they still had leftover beef and venison traded earlier, so they declined meat and asked for wild fruits instead.
Jutu watched them, his gaze sweeping over the leaf-covered, overflowing basket. He did not know what was inside, yet guessed it was something edible.
He did not press them and handed each a few wild fruits.
Worried the matsutake in the basket might spill out and spark disputes, they did not linger in the open clearing. They picked up the fruits, said their goodbyes, and left.
Back inside the cave, the cub had fallen asleep waiting.
Seeing the lonely small figure tugged at Anlu’s heart.
They had only stayed in the Lion Tribe for two days and been busy securing food nonstop, leaving little time to care for the cub’s feelings.
If things went on like this, he might grow more and more withdrawn.
The cub’s lonely state reminded her of herself once…
Anlu sighed. She resolved that once their food worries were settled, she would spend more time with him and help him integrate into the tribe so he could have playmates.
As she sighed, Baize set down the basket, carried the cub to the stone bed, then turned back to start a fire by drilling wood.
Watching him struggle, Anlu wished she had a lighter or matches.
Remembering she still had three item unlock quotas for the day, she perked up and dived into the system shop.
Unfortunately, there were no lighters or matches. To her surprise, however, flint stones were available at a very low price.
One pair of flints cost a single point. Thrilled by such a bargain, she bought ten pairs at once.
She put five pairs into the shopping cart, left one pair inside the cave, and donated the remaining four pairs to the tribe.
Her selfless generosity delighted Jutu greatly, and on the spot he promised her another thirty catties of meat.
This left Anlu not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
With flint stones, starting fires became far easier.
She planned to make cabbage, mushroom and beef slice soup, so Baize lit an extra fire pit to roast meat.
Anlu intended to use beef for the soup. As for venison, it tasted far better roasted. Besides, she had never tried roasted venison, and she was sure it would be delicious.
The more she thought about it, the more her mouth watered.
Anlu wiped away the nonexistent saliva at the corner of her mouth and quickly washed the cabbages and matsutake. She was just about to cut some fatty meat to render oil.
But the moment she picked up the bone knife, she froze.
There was no fatty meat at all, neither from the beef nor the venison. How could she render oil without fat?
Would the cabbage mushroom soup taste good without oil?
After hesitating for a long while, Anlu reluctantly settled for plain boiled cabbage, mushroom and beef slice soup.
She could only hope the beef slices would release a little fat while simmering and give the soup richer flavor.
Halfway through simmering the soup, Baize’s venison was nearly done roasting. The meat sizzled over the flames, releasing an irresistible aroma. Even the cub, fast asleep, was roused by the scent.
“Wow! It smells amazing!” The cub drew in a deep breath, his eyes shining brightly.
He instinctively darted toward Baize.
Halfway there, he spotted Anlu by the simmering mushroom soup. Conflict flickered across his small face.
Torn between the tempting roasted meat and his fondness for Anlu, the cub made a difficult choice. He abruptly changed direction and trotted over to her.
He lifted his grinning face and asked enthusiastically, “Sister, what are you boiling? It smells wonderful!”
Amused, Anlu tapped the tip of his nose.
“You greedy little thing! This is cabbage, mushroom and beef slice soup, a new dish. Later I’ll serve you a big bowl, alright?”
The cub nodded vigorously.
Watching the soup bubble and boil, Anlu was about to taste it when another hand shot out and beat her to it.
She turned and saw the wooden spoon was now in Baize’s grasp. He had already swallowed the spoonful of mushroom soup.
Ignoring her stunned look, Baize scooped up a piece of cabbage and matsutake and gulped it down before giving his verdict.
“It’s delicious. Let’s eat the roasted meat first.”
Anlu: “……” That was such a perfunctory review!
Yet Baize stood firm and would not let her touch the soup. She had no choice but to sink her teeth into the venison fiercely.
Surprisingly, the roasted venison turned out excellent — appealing in color, aroma and taste, fresh and tender. Even the faint irritation she had felt earlier melted away amid the delicious flavor.
Anlu was enjoying the meal and reached for more when Baize stopped her. “Save room for the mushroom soup. You won’t be able to finish it if you overeat now.”
Hearing this, Anlu pulled her hand back regretfully.
Tasty as roasted venison was, she had eaten roasted meat for days on end and grown tired of its heaviness. She craved something light to cut through the grease.
Finally, roughly half an hour later, Anlu got to taste the cabbage mushroom soup she had been looking forward to.
Though its flavor was not as rich as the venison, it was light and refreshing. One mouthful swept away the greasiness, carrying a gentle, clean aroma, seasoned to perfection.
It was the first time Baize and the cub had tasted such wonderful food. They finished several large stone bowls of soup in one go.
The three were happily eating when an unfamiliar yet oddly familiar voice suddenly echoed from outside the cave.
- Writer
