A Good Knife

Jian Mo glanced around, saw no danger, shook her head with a smile, and went to wander into the woods looking for the drum.

The trees in the forest had all lost their leaves, leaving the trunks bare, which made it easier for them to find the bumps.

Jian Mo quickly found more than a dozen bulges. After digging them open, she took out the plump white worms inside and put them in her pocket, which was soon half full.

I must say, these bugs are quite big; they make my pocket bulge.

Jian Mo wandered through the woods, the more she wandered, the more she wanted to laugh, and she felt unusually relaxed.

The little ones were all very serious.

Jian Mo also saw the kitten Banjiu climb up a tree, scratching at the trunk with its paws and biting with its teeth. When it couldn't bite through the trunk with the left side, it would switch to the right. The round kitten's face kept changing, and it looked very serious. It was extremely cute.

They searched for a long time until noon, looking through several groves of trees.

Everyone had a good haul, especially the older children, whose cloth bags were almost full.

Jiang Xing beckoned all the little ones to come to him.

After the children returned, they didn't go back to the tribe. Instead, they gathered firewood, planning to make a fire here to roast insects.

Jian Mo was even more surprised, but she still happily started a fire with the little ones.

The little ones may be small, but they're quite capable when it comes to dividing tasks.

Some gathered firewood, some started a fire, and finally everyone sat together, putting the insects they had caught into the fire to roast. Once they were slightly cooked, they used sticks to pull them out and shared them.

Jian Mo shared the food with them.

The roasted insects look even more like bee pupae; they taste very fragrant and slightly sweet, quite delicious.

Everyone's mouths were smudged with soot from eating, but they looked quite happy.

Jiang Xing said proudly, "Jian Mo, how about it? We can do a lot of things too, right?"

Jian Mo gave a thumbs up. "You guys are amazing!"

He Feng snorted, "A Hu and the others always say we can't do anything, but actually they couldn't do anything when they were our age."

Jian Mo couldn't help but laugh, "Possibly."

The little ones started chattering and complaining that their older brothers always looked down on them.

Jian Mo kept laughing beside her.

He recalled the days of his childhood, going up mountains and down rivers, catching insects and crabs, and felt that he was no different from the people in this world.

It seems like we all share the same childhood.

From this perspective, whether they are orcs, orcs, or humans, they are all just people in a broad sense.

Jian Mo felt a little more at ease after thinking about this.

He greeted the little ones with a smile, "Eating roasted insects alone isn't enough, how about coming to my house for some honey water later?"

The little ones cheered, "Thank you Jian Mo!"

Chapter 45 A Fine Knife

Jian Mo called the little ones home to drink honey water, and the tribe's young people also came to join in the fun.

With little to do in winter, everyone gathers together to drink tea and chat.

Their house was bustling for most of the day, until Wu Jiong returned in the evening, at which point everyone dispersed.

Jian Mo was puzzled and asked Wu Jiong, "Why are they so afraid of you?"

In Jian Mo's opinion, Wu Jiong had a good personality. Although he didn't talk much, he never lost his temper and wasn't scary at all.

Wu Jiong: "Perhaps because I'm the clan chief."

Jian Mo glanced at him. "That's a bit of a loss."

Wu Jiong came over to help, Jian Mo pushed him away, saying, "Why don't you rest for a bit? Aren't you tired?"

"It's alright." Wu Jiong sat by the fire pit, his long legs seemingly having nowhere to go. "I didn't do much."

Jian Mo glanced at him, then emptied the bugs from her pocket and washed them. "We're having fried bugs for dinner, right? I saved these especially for you."

Wu Jiong's eyes seemed to hold a hint of amusement. "Stolen secretly?"

Jian Mo shook her head, correcting him. "It wasn't done secretly. We asked the little ones what they thought, and left it openly and honestly."

Wu Jiong smiled.

Jian Mo scooped the insects out, put them in a basket, shook them vigorously, and then set them aside to drain.

He found the stone pot in his house—a special stone pot is needed for frying things, as earthenware pots are easy to crack and the animal fat inside will leak out, which is wasteful. Using a stone pot is much safer.

Jian Mo cooked, Wu Jiong tended the fire, and the two exchanged a few words every now and then.

It started snowing outside, but it was warm and cozy inside.

After the meal was prepared, the two moved to the dining table to eat.

Jian Mo pushed the fried insects towards Wu Jiong: "I think they should taste good, you should try them."

The fried insects were seasoned with only a thin layer of salt, yet they emitted an amazing aroma.

Wu Jiong: "You eat too."

Jian Mo picked up a strip and took a small bite.

The insects have a fragrance similar to pine and cypress, and also taste like bee pupae; they are especially crispy and fragrant when eaten.

After swallowing the insect, Jian Mo couldn't help but say, "Fried insects are so delicious; it's a bit of a waste to roast them during the day."

Wu Jiong: "This is a traditional activity in our tribe; every child has eaten roasted insects."

A hint of nostalgia crossed his face. Jian Mo flicked her finger. "A limited-time project for the little ones?"

Wu Jiong: "Yes, most people don't compete with them for it. I haven't eaten this kind of insect in a long time."

Jian Mo picked up a piece of food for him with her chopsticks. "Then you should eat more."

Eating it plain wasn't enough, Jian Mo stood up and went to the shelf to look for the fruit wine she had previously stored.

He didn't bring the fruit wine made from Snow Pearl Fruit; this was too sweet.

When eating fried insects, you have to pair them with some strong alcoholic beverages.

He specifically took out a small jar of liquor with a relatively high alcohol content and asked Wu Jiong, "Want some?"

Wu Jiong's answer was to place the earthenware pot for warming the wine on the hearth.

The two already had a lot to talk about, and after drinking the warm wine, they talked even more.

Jian Mo told Wu Jiong about her childhood, about the days she spent running all over the mountains and fields.

Wu Jiong also described what he looked like when his two fathers were still alive—his two fathers were very old when they had him, and they have now passed away.

As Wu Jiong spoke, Jian Mo kept seeing an image of a chubby little white wolf running around outside, just like the chubby wolf Zhou Dao who had stayed at home with gastroenteritis a while ago, and a smile appeared on his face.