Eating Meat, the Family's Shock

"Do we have any cumin?"

"Uncle, what's cumin?"

"Never mind. High-quality ingredients only need a little salt."

Outside the Cao family's shelter, Cao Fengqi roasted Calamity Rat meat, its rich aroma wafting through the air.

Dabao and Xiaobao crouched beside him, their eyes fixed on the meat as they swallowed repeatedly.

The two children hadn't eaten such large pieces of meat in many days.

"Come on, hold your bowls steady."

Cao Fengqi looked at the glistening layer of fat on the roasted Calamity Rat meat and spoke to the children.

The two immediately held up their bowls. Cao Fengqi picked up a knife and sliced the outer layer into them. "It's hot, so don't eat it yet."

"Phew, phew!"

The two nodded and blew on the meat in unison.

Once it had cooled, Xiaobao picked up a piece and offered it to Cao Fengqi. "Uncle, you eat first."

"Hm?"

Cao Fengqi was a little surprised by how thoughtful Xiaobao was. He took the meat in his mouth, then smiled and patted her head. "Xiaobao is so thoughtful. Dabao, you should learn from her."

Dabao's face fell as he was about to put a piece of meat in his mouth. Reluctantly, he held it out to Cao Fengqi with a mournful expression. "Uncle, you... eat..."

"There's drool all over that. Eat it yourself."

Cao Fengqi turned it down in disgust and sliced another piece for Xiaobao. "Remember, whenever you have something good in the future, think of your uncle."

"Mm-hmm."

Dabao smiled and popped the meat straight into his mouth, giving a thoroughly perfunctory answer.

"It really does taste good."

Cao Fengqi had never eaten rat meat before, but this rat was no rat from Earth.

The meat was firm and more fragrant than beef.

One bite made his mouth water.

"Oh, you're eating Calamity Rat meat? Cao Xiao'er sure got lucky."

At a shelter not far away, a middle-aged couple came out after smelling the aroma. Their gazes fell on the glistening Calamity Rat meat, and they swallowed.

"Yeah, I can't help being lucky."

Cao Fengqi looked at them, lifted the Calamity Rat meat from the backpack beside him, and shook his head with a sigh. "Ah, when I entered the Lost Land today, I came across three injured Calamity Rats right in front of me. I guess I was just destined to eat meat."

"..."

"Three Calamity Rats?"

The middle-aged couple opened their mouths, making no attempt to hide the envy in their eyes.

In this age of disaster, evil spirits and famine loomed over the world.

Although the Lost Land existed, obtaining supplies there was incredibly difficult.

Food in particular.

Calamity Rats were found in the Lost Land year-round, but finding and hunting them was still very difficult.

One might not encounter a single one in several days, and even if one did, a Calamity Rat was strong enough to kill an ordinary human from before the great disaster.

If it wasn't killed quickly, it would escape.

Wild vegetables had become the staple food in every household, but with so many people looking for them, there were nowhere near enough to feed a family.

Three Calamity Rats meant at least ten jin of meat. Rationed carefully, that was enough to feed a family for a week.

"Aren't you saving that meat to get yourself a wife? Don't you want one anymore?"

Seeing Cao Fengqi show off, the woman couldn't resist teasing him.

"Nope."

Cao Fengqi knew this "woman" was trying to strike at his weak spot. If it had been his predecessor, he would surely have preserved the Calamity Rat meat and saved it for a bride price.

But his predecessor was dead, and he wasn't a simp.

In this world, if Liu Yifei asked him for such a large bride price, he'd dump her.

"Has this brat changed his ways?"

The woman looked taken aback by his answer and couldn't help muttering.

"Maybe he gave up after nearly dying last night."

The middle-aged man muttered a reply and glanced at the Calamity Rat meat. "Let's go back inside. It's upsetting to look at."

"That little brat just likes showing off. He only got lucky. Who hasn't had dumplings at New Year?"

The woman spoke with some jealousy, then followed him inside.

Cao Fengqi watched the neighboring Song couple go back in and chuckled.

There was a saying on Earth that was right: if you drove a luxury car home for New Year, half your relatives in the village would hang themselves.

Back when the Cao family's eldest son was capable, the neighboring Song couple had been green with envy.

Even when he gave them food, they thought he was mocking them and showing off.

After the Cao family's eldest son died, those two smiled more often.

Even though they were still living poorly.

That was human nature.

"Uncle, it's good not to have a wife. What's so good about one?"

Xiaobao suddenly spoke to him.

Cao Fengqi looked at the clever little girl and smiled. "What do you know, little one?"

With a full belly and a warm bed came lust. Since he couldn't even eat his fill now, he naturally had no such thoughts.

If he did have enough to eat, would he be a normal man if he had no other thoughts?

"Uncle, if you want a wife, you just have to give me a little meat, and I'll have Xiaohua be your wife."

Xiaobao tilted her head, her eyes darting around as she spoke.

"Where did you get that crazy idea? Hurry up and eat."

Cao Fengqi glared at her. Xiaobao ducked her head and buried herself in her food.

Fucking Xiaohua was a three-year-old brat.

Dabao, meanwhile, paid no attention to anything around him and focused entirely on eating.

Cao Fengqi roasted the Calamity Rat meat in a good mood. Suddenly, he saw something like black cotton fluff drifting down from the sky and melting in the flames.

He looked up at the deep sky, which carried a terrifying aura, and reached out to catch a piece of "black cotton fluff."

"It's snowing? Black snow?"

Cao Fengqi frowned. This was not a good omen.

Now that I have a cheat, it's enough for me and my family to establish ourselves.

He didn't dwell on it and focused on eating.

The snow was light, drifting down in scattered flakes.

It grew dark quickly, and before long, two somewhat weary figures approached.

Liu Chunying and Liu Xiuxiu carried two small plastic bags and looked bitterly at their shelter.

"Mom, if the snow gets heavier, I'm afraid it'll be even harder for us to find food."

Liu Chunying glanced at the sky, then at what they had gathered, her face somewhat pale.

The wild vegetables and earthworms they had dug up were barely enough to fill one person's stomach.

"Your father-in-law..."

Liu Xiuxiu forced a smile and reassured her. "Maybe he found something."

Liu Chunying fell silent for a moment. She could only hope that her one-armed father-in-law had unexpectedly found something in the Lost Land.

Otherwise...

The two entered the room in silence, and the aroma of meat suddenly reached them.

They froze for a moment. The shelter was small, and they spotted Cao Fengqi lying there comfortably at a glance.

And... Dabao and Xiaobao crouched on either side of Cao Fengqi, massaging his legs.

Liu Chunying and Liu Xiuxiu were in no mood to pay attention to that scene. They couldn't help asking, "Where's that smell of meat coming from?"

"Xiaobao, did your grandpa hunt down an evil beast?"

Liu Chunying's eyes lit up as she asked.

"Mom, Grandpa hasn't woken up yet."

Xiaobao turned her head and pointed at the meat on the dining table. "Uncle caught these. Uncle's amazing, look!"

"This..."

Liu Chunying turned to look. When she saw the huge piece of meat, weighing at least ten jin, part of it already roasted and steaming, her face filled with astonishment and shock.

"Fengqi, did you get this?"

Liu Xiuxiu was also overjoyed when she saw it and hurried over.

"I got lucky."

Cao Fengqi grinned. "Mom, I roasted some for you. Go ahead and eat."

"You child... why did you roast so much? No, we'll just eat a little."

Liu Xiuxiu looked happily at the meat. "There's enough here to feed our whole family for a week."

"..."

Cao Fengqi looked speechlessly at his exhausted mother, whose face had little color. "Just finish what I roasted for you."

"How could we? How could we finish so much? We..."

"If you don't eat it, I'll take it to Wu Qianqian."

"..."

Liu Xiuxiu's smile froze. Liu Chunying hurried over. "We'll eat. We'll eat it all, even the part that hasn't been roasted."

Cao Fengqi smiled. You had to make me act rebellious, huh?

"Dabao, Xiaobao, come on, you two eat too."

Liu Xiuxiu beckoned to her grandson and granddaughter.

"Grandma, I'm stuffed. I really can't eat another bite."

Dabao lifted his shirt to show them his belly and patted it.

Thump, thump.

"..."

"All right, all right."

Stuffed?

Liu Xiuxiu felt a little helpless when she saw it. Eating like this was far too wasteful.

But even wasting it was better than giving it to Wu Qianqian.

"Fengqi, did you obtain these materials?"

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the second bedroom, followed by Cao Jiancheng walking out.

He held the level 2 and level 3 materials Cao Fengqi had left on the floor and looked at him with a face full of shock and unfamiliarity as he asked.

He caught the aroma of meat and immediately looked at the Calamity Rat meat on the dining table, freezing again.

"Yes, I got them all this time."

Seeing him, Cao Fengqi nodded calmly.

"This?"

Cao Jiancheng was somewhat dazed and couldn't believe it. Had his son obtained these? He felt as though he didn't know him.

Even he himself couldn't obtain this much in a month.

"Jiancheng, quick, come eat some meat," Liu Xiuxiu said, beckoning to him.

"You eat. I'm not very hungry."

Still somewhat dazed, Cao Jiancheng shook his head.

"If you don't eat, your son is going to take it to Wu Qianqian."

Liu Chunying spoke to him.

"..."

Cao Jiancheng grew anxious when he heard that and immediately went over. "Then I'll have some."

He glanced at his son sprawled on his back, and the unfamiliarity in his eyes vanished.