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墨書 Inktalez
"Big sister, what did you catch?" Liu Qingyan hurried over to ask upon hearing Liu Qingxi's exclamation.
"Look, this is an edible Cicada. It tastes great when roasted. Have you ever tried it?" Liu Qingxi introduced while handing one to Liu Qingyan, continuing her search on the big tree.
These insects come out at dusk, shedding their skins and growing wings. It seems that the ecological environment of this era has not been damaged, as there are quite a few Cicada Monkeys, similar to Liu Qingxi's childhood in her previous life.
However, having too many of these insects isn't good either; they mainly feed on the sap of trees, which can harm the trees. But that's not something she needs to worry about right now.
The primary concern is to satisfy their hunger; long-term sustenance can be considered later.
Over there, Liu Qingyan began chattering, "I've never eaten this. Is it really edible?" He was very curious. Since arriving at Ten Li Pu, he rarely went out, and even when he did, it was just to forage for food in the mountains.
"Of course it's edible and really delicious!" Liu Qingxi suddenly became a bit excited. She couldn't understand why people in this era didn't eat them. They are rich in nutritional value and taste great when prepared well.
Perhaps due to the darkness, everyone is used to going to bed early and rising early, and they aren't familiar with the practicality of these insects. Liu Qingxi should be thankful that no one knows about them at this moment.
"Really? Big sister, I'll help you find some!" Upon hearing that they could be eaten, Little Guy became enthusiastic and excitedly tucked the Cicada Monkey into his clothes, wanting to catch them with Liu Qingxi.
But he forgot that the Cicada Monkey was alive and kept crawling around. In his haste, he accidentally let some escape, causing him to scramble around in panic.
"Xiao Yan, you focus on keeping them safe while I catch more. There are plenty here; soon we'll have enough to eat!" Since it was quite dark and the moonlight wasn't bright in the forest, it was still somewhat challenging.
Fortunately, there were indeed many; they could catch two or three from one tree, which was already quite good. Before long, Liu Qingyan had gathered dozens in her arms and was quickly running out of space.
Little Guy was worried they would escape and followed closely behind Liu Qingxi, nervously clutching his pockets. "Sister, what should we do if we can't hold any more?"
Seeing that it was indeed true, Liu Qingxi realized that since they hadn't eaten for a long time, they couldn't consume too much at once: "Alright, let's stop catching for now and roast what we have."
After saying that, she noticed Little Guy pouting: "Sister, we don't have fire!"
What a big deal! "Don't worry; I have some!" When she left home, she had secretly taken the Fire Stone hidden in the cave. She had seen it when Qin Family was cooking porridge during the day.
Sure enough, Liu Qingyan smiled through her tears: "Sister, let's roast them quickly! I'm so hungry!"
Liu Qingxi quickly got to work, finding some dry branches and leaves nearby. Carefully, she took out the stolen Fire Stone from her pocket.
From the cautious and cherished actions of the Qin Family, it was clear that this Fire Stone was quite important to the Liu Family.
Imitating the Qin Family's movements, she rubbed two Fire Stones together. At first, she couldn't find the right technique and couldn't produce any sparks no matter how hard she tried. After many attempts, she finally started to feel something.
A few sparks flew out, but it still wasn't enough to ignite the firewood.
After trying for over ten times, she finally managed to light the dry leaves. The flames gradually grew larger, and Liu Qingyan looked at Liu Qingxi with anticipation, feeling a sense of relief.
She tucked the Fire Stone back into her pocket; it needed to be returned later. If it was discovered missing tomorrow, it would be disastrous, as there was no telling if the Wang family would blame them directly.
Then she took out the Cicada Monkeys that Liu Qingyan had been holding and placed them one by one into the fire. Immediately, a crackling sound erupted, accompanied by a fragrant aroma of roasting meat.
Although it wasn't perfect, for the two who had been hungry all day, this was a rare delicacy. Liu Qingxi used a small stick to pull out the roasted Cicada Monkeys from the fire and handed them to Liu Qingyan.
He eagerly picked one up and opened his mouth to eat.
Liu Qingxi quickly stopped him: "Wait! Remove the burnt parts before you eat; otherwise, it'll taste bitter." This was the best they could do; half of the Cicada Monkeys that were thrown directly into the fire were burnt. However, Liu Qingyan was very satisfied with his meal.
For them, who had been eating nothing but bland mush all day with no nutrition, this was a rare treat. As he ate, Liu Qingyan mumbled happily, "Delicious! So good!"
With experience gained from their earlier attempts, they decided not to place the Cicada Monkeys directly in the center of the fire but rather on the edges so they could gradually warm up and roast properly. This method turned out much better than their initial approach.
Before long, the siblings finished off dozens of Cicada Monkeys they had caught, still feeling a bit unsatisfied since these creatures were small and losing part of them to burning made them even less.
"Big sister, I want more!" Liu Qingyan looked at Liu Qingxi with longing eyes, hoping she would catch some more. Since fleeing from danger, he hadn't eaten this well before.
"Be good; you can't eat too much at once or you'll have an upset stomach tomorrow!" Liu Qingxi comforted him.
After a long period of hunger, eating too much at once could lead to problems.
Though reluctant, Liu Qingyan didn't argue against his sister's advice. However, what Liu Qingxi said next made him happy.
"Let's catch some more and roast them, then hide them to eat tomorrow!" Based on Liu Qingxi's observations of the Wang family today, it's clear that she doesn't treat the siblings well.
Going hungry and freezing is probably a daily occurrence for them. Although the Liu family is generally quite thin, Liu Qingxi and her brother are particularly striking, not much better off than African refugees.
So they need to prepare for the possibility of having no food tomorrow. Even if there is food, preparing extra will improve their meals.
With the experience from earlier, they were much quicker at catching now. The roasted Cicada Monkeys were perfectly cooked, with minimal waste; they just needed to peel off the outer skin to eat.
Liu Qingyan couldn't help but eat a few more and occasionally sneak glances at Liu Qingxi.
"Alright, alright, no more eating. Go pick those big leaves; we need to wrap them up and hide them!"
Liu Qingxi had two reasons for wanting to roast and hide them in advance. First, after a night, the Cicada Monkeys would shed their skins and become inedible. They didn't have any tools to soak the Cicada Monkeys in water. Second, the aroma of the roasted ones was quite strong; she couldn't risk bringing them back directly. What if someone caught a whiff and discovered their stash?
Liu Qingxi didn't think she was overthinking it; rather, she felt it was necessary.
Liu Qingyan was completely won over by Liu Qingxi's roasted insects and followed her instructions without question.
After packing up their little bundle, Liu Qingxi dug a hole next to a large tree with a branch, placed the roasted Cicada Monkeys inside, covered them up, and sprinkled dry leaves on top to disguise it before returning to the cave with Liu Qingyan.
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