Sharing the Meal

Fang Zhixing did not have much strength either, but he used his body weight and both hands to pin down the giant eel.

After they remained locked in a stalemate for a while, the giant eel finally began to run out of strength, its struggles growing much weaker.

Fang Zhixing hurriedly picked up the giant eel and stuffed it into the broken bamboo basket, then collapsed crookedly to one side, panting like an ox.

After struggling for only this short while, his vision had gone black from exhaustion, and the tendons in his hands trembled.

"Holy crap, this eel is huge." Skinny Dog circled the broken bamboo basket, drool streaming from the corner of his mouth.

Fang Zhixing lay on the ground for a long time before he recovered, regaining a little strength. He climbed to his feet and picked up the broken bamboo basket.

Skinny Dog shouted, "Come on, let's go home and cook it."

Fang Zhixing shook his head slightly. "Better to deal with it right here."

"Deal with it right here?"

Skinny Dog cocked his head, his watery eyes widening. "Don't tell me you're starving so badly that you want to eat it raw? I can eat it raw, but aren't you afraid of parasites?"

Fang Zhixing said speechlessly, "A picnic. Got it?"

Skinny Dog suddenly understood. After thinking it over carefully, he realized there was good reason not to go back.

For one thing, they were starving and had no strength to travel far.

For another, if they set up a fire and cooked in the village—especially meat—every dog in the village would probably come running when they caught the smell.

Not to mention the other villagers, each one hungry as a wolf or tiger. If they came over wanting a bite, would you give it to them or not?

One man and one dog left the riverbank and entered the woods.

"I can't walk anymore. Let's do it here."

Fang Zhixing found a patch of yellow sand and spotted a pile of stones. He set down the broken bamboo basket and gathered some dry leaves and branches nearby.

Then he selected several flatter stones from the pile and built a simple stove.

Skinny Dog did not sit idle either. He carried several dead branches over in his mouth, not forgetting to ask, "How are we making a fire? Don't tell me we have to drill wood for it?"

"Here, I've got this!"

Fang Zhixing pulled out a piece of flint from his pocket and struck it hard against a stone. With a crack, sparks flew out and landed on the dry leaves.

After striking it back and forth several times, more and more sparks fell onto the leaves, and smoke gradually rose.

Whoosh!

A small flame flared up.

Fang Zhixing quickly blew on it, feeding the flame until it grew stronger, then added more dry leaves and branches to build a roaring fire.

"Not bad, you!"

Skinny Dog clicked his tongue in amazement, looking at him seriously with dog eyes.

Fang Zhixing ignored him. He truly had no strength left to trade barbs. He pulled out the giant eel, smashed it dead with a stone, and threw it onto a rock to roast. He also took out the river snails and clams, tossing them straight into the fire to roast together.

Before long, the giant eel's skin had turned golden and charred, while the river snails and clams sizzled and bubbled from the heat.

A faintly fishy aroma of roasted flesh spread through the air.

Gurgle!

Fang Zhixing kept swallowing his saliva, while Skinny Dog's drool stretched into a long string and dripped down.

The clams naturally cooked first. Come to think of it, before they had crossed over, the barbecue they ate had been garlic vermicelli scallops.

Fang Zhixing reached out and picked up a clam, but the shell was scorching hot, so he quickly set it aside to cool.

Skinny Dog shifted closer to the clam.

Fang Zhixing shot the fellow a sideways glance and bared his teeth. "You eat first."

"Me first?"

Skinny Dog raised his head, looked at Fang Zhixing, then at the fragrant giant eel, and shook his head. "No, no, you should eat first. After all, you did the work. I was only assisting."

"Tch! At least you know your place."

Fang Zhixing unhurriedly picked up the clam and opened his mouth. At that moment, his hunger reached its peak.

Ah, mm~

Under Skinny Dog's drooling gaze, Fang Zhixing swallowed the whole piece of clam meat in one bite. After chewing twice, juices and fragrance burst across his mouth.

He swallowed it.

That piece of clam meat seemed to weigh ten thousand jun, crushing down his invincible hunger.

"Awesome!"

Fang Zhixing was deeply moved, deeply satisfied!

Only those who had truly gone hungry could understand that feeling of satisfaction.

Then he set down the shell in front of Skinny Dog.

Skinny Dog: ???

"What are you looking at? Hurry up and lick it!"

Fang Zhixing urged, "There's juice and salt on the shell. Don't waste it."

Skinny Dog felt a surge of humiliation and indignation. He snapped, "Fuck your grandpa! Fang Zhixing, be a human being! I'm telling you seriously, don't treat me like a dog. I'm not a dog!"

"Bullshit. You're even more dog than a dog."

Fang Zhixing sneered disdainfully. "Don't lick it, then. You're the one who'll go hungry."

The moment Skinny Dog heard the word "hungry," his stomach began to growl, and an impulse born from bodily instinct swiftly overcame reason.

Slurp~

Skinny Dog licked the shell once, and a blissful look immediately appeared in his dog eyes. It felt so good to lick it like this.

Was this the joy of being a dog?

How wondrous!

Then, as though a door to a new world had opened before him, the dog began licking it madly as if possessed. He simply could not stop, utterly unable to pull himself free.

After licking the inside of the shell clean, he flipped it over and licked the back as well.

"Hmph, a dog is a dog."

Fang Zhixing found it funny. He used a branch to poke the giant eel a few times. Once it was tender inside and charred outside, looking about done, he finally began eating.

"Wait, give me half!"

Skinny Dog stepped forward, pressing his right front paw against a stone. He held his head high and bared his teeth, adorably fierce.

Fang Zhixing said coldly, "I eat the meat. You gnaw the bones."

Skinny Dog roared, "I'm so small. Can I even gnaw through bones? Have some fucking conscience! Don't forget, I found the eel hole."

Fang Zhixing snorted. "You can have meat, but call out, 'Master is so handsome,' first."

"You're talking dogshit! Before me, Zhang Changji, you think you're worthy?" Skinny Dog bared his fangs and growled lowly.

Fang Zhixing simply turned around and bit into the giant eel's thickest midsection, instantly stuffing his mouth full of meat.

"Fang! Zhixing!"

Skinny Dog panicked and ran on all fours, circling around in front of Fang Zhixing.

But Fang Zhixing immediately turned around again, teasing him like one teases a dog.

"Grrr, I'll fight you to the death!" Skinny Dog bit down on Fang Zhixing's hem and tugged backward.

Fang Zhixing ignored him and feasted heartily, sweeping through the food like a gale scattering clouds. Before long, more than half the eel had gone into his stomach.

His hunger finally eased somewhat.

Only then did he slow down. Looking over, he saw that only the head remained, along with a small bit of meat on the tail.

"Save your strength. Here, eat."

Fang Zhixing placed the giant eel's bones on a stone.

Skinny Dog hurried over and clamped the eel tail in his mouth, gnawing away as he muttered, "You fucking ate it all yourself. One day, karma will get you."

Fang Zhixing said calmly, "If I don't eat enough, I won't have the strength to hunt, and then we'll both starve to death. If you can hunt, I'll let you eat more from now on. How about it?"

"..."

Skinny Dog was immediately left speechless.

Fortunately, he was not large. After eating some tail meat, an eel head, and a few fragments of bone, he was seven or eight tenths full.

Fang Zhixing ate the last river snail.

One man and one dog lay on the ground to digest their food, basking in the sun and staring blankly at the sky, utterly lost about the future.

After a long while, Skinny Dog suddenly asked, "Do you think my girlfriends will miss me?"

Fang Zhixing fell silent for a moment before replying, "They definitely will—until they all show up at your funeral together."

Skinny Dog could not help imagining several women at his funeral, stunned to discover that he had more than one girlfriend.

"Ha ha, hahaha!"

Suddenly, one man and one dog burst out laughing together.