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Jian Mo sniffed. "How long do you need to stew it?"

Wu Jiong glanced at it and said, "The fish will be almost done when these few pieces of firewood in the stove have all burned out."

Jian Mo: "That took quite a while."

Wu Jiong: "Let's go pick some leaves of the Tendon Grass and put them down later."

Jian Mo looked at the pot. "Just leave it like this to simmer?"

Wu Jiong: "The water won't boil dry, just let Jiujiu keep an eye on it."

After receiving the task, Jiujiu stood outside the kitchen, drooling as she patiently watched.

It doesn't watch over fire; its main purpose is to prevent small animals from sneaking in and stealing food when they're out.

Of course, given its enormous size, it can't possibly sneak into the kitchen to steal food, so there's no need to worry about leaving it to it.

When Jian Mo and the others returned with the Tendon Grass, Jiujiu obediently waited outside.

Jian Mo patted it. "You've worked hard watching the pot, I'll give you two extra fish later."

Jiujiu's eyes lit up. "Jiujiu!"

After washing and cutting the Tendon Grass into sections, Jian Mo noticed that the fish in the pot was almost cooked. The broth had thickened and become gelatinous, with a thin layer of soup skin even forming on top.

Wu Jiong stir-fried the fish briefly while keeping the flesh intact, then sprinkled in the tender green Tendon Grass.

White broth, reddish-brown cured meat, black fish, and garnished with Tendon Grass and leaves.

This pot of fish looks absolutely delicious!

They ate dinner in the kitchen.

Jian Mo couldn't wait to take a sip of the fish soup. "So hot and so fresh!"

The fish soup was thick and delicious, with a clear taste of the fish's sweetness and the rich flavor of the cured meat after fermentation. The two complemented each other perfectly, making it so delicious that his eyebrows almost fell off.

He took another bite of the fish. The fish was very tender, with a smooth texture similar to soft tofu. Generally, he could only achieve that level of tenderness when making boiled fish fillets.

After taking another bite, Jian Mo quickly realized that the most wonderful part of the dish was not the fish soup or the fish slices, but the fish skin.

The fish skin is soft, chewy, and incredibly delicious; it's practically the essence of the whole fish.

Jian Mo never expected that the skin of this unassuming little fish would taste so delicious.

Jian Mo a bite of fish and a sip of fish soup, sweating profusely as she ate. "Indeed, the finest ingredients only require the simplest cooking methods. Delicious!"

Wu Jiong: "I cooked a big pot, I hope you eat some."

Jian Mo looked at the stove. "Has the part for the Jiujiu been left open?"

Wu Jiong: "Keep it; it won't go hungry. We'll feed it when it cools down a bit."

Then Jian Mo will not stand on ceremony. This kind of fish is so delicious and has few bones, it's really so satisfying to eat.

After eating several pieces of fish, Jian Mo saw Wu Jiong picking at the cured meat in the basin and picked up some fish for him, saying, "Shall we go again tomorrow? I see there are still many fish in the river. If we go again tomorrow, we should be able to catch some."

Wu Jiong: "The tribe usually catches fish for several days in a row. These few days have the most fish; after a while, there won't be as many, and they won't be as plump."

Jian Mo: "Then let's take Jiujiu with us. I think it really likes these fish, let it try catching some too."

Wu Jiong looked at Jiujiu waiting in the yard. "Take it with you, let it help carry some things."

Jian Mo: "Then I'll bring the broken basket I used to catch fish before; it's too hard to catch fish without tools."

The two chatted while eating dinner, and then went to feed Jiujiu.

Jiujiu waited in the yard for ages, and finally got the fish. She was so excited that she kept jumping around them.

Jian Mo patted Jiujiu: "I'll take you with me tomorrow. If we don't catch any, I won't give you any fish to eat."

Jiujiu plunged its head into the basin with a "Chirp--" sound.

Seeing that this guy couldn't spare any attention for anything else, Jian Mo had no choice but to shut up.

The next day, they gathered all their tools and had Jiujiu fly above them to accompany them on their journey.

We caught fish upstream yesterday; today we'll go a little downstream.

This section of the river is wider and deeper, but that didn't pose a challenge for everyone.

The group quickly formed teams of two or three, ready to catch fish.

Jian Mo brought his tools and his results were better than yesterday. When Wu Jiong had caught more than twenty fish, he finally caught his first small fish.

He tossed the fish into the basket and straightened up contentedly.

Apart from Wu Jiong, the others didn't gain much, at least not more than him.

This fish is indeed difficult to catch; you can't blame him for the air force failure yesterday.

Jian Mo watched for a while, then went to look at Jiujiu.

Jiujiu struggled at the very bottom, but because she was rather chubby and clumsy, she paddled around in the water for a long time without catching a fish.

Yes, Jiujiu is also an Air Force chirp.

As Jian Mo looked around, Ban Ming and the others came over together. "Jian Mo, how many fish have you caught?"

Jian Mo showed them. "I caught one, Wu Jiong caught half a basket."

The young orcs, arms around each other's shoulders, all looked down at their baskets, and when they saw they were full of fish, their eyes practically turned green with envy.

Ban Ming said sourly, "It really is half a basket. Chieftain, with your skills, it's a waste to catch Ambus Fish. You should be catching Three-Eyed Fish instead."

Jian Mo asked in confusion, "What kind of fish is that?"

Ban Ming gestured. "It's a big fish that swims incredibly fast and hides very well. It doesn't taste particularly special, but its gallbladder, when dried, is excellent for reducing fever. One year, a baby in the Dianxin Tribe had a fever that wouldn't go down. The parents were frantic, worried their child would become mentally impaired, and mobilized several nearby tribes to find Three-Eyed Fish. Although they ultimately used fresh gallbladders, the effect was very good; the baby's fever subsided that very night."

Jian Mo: "Isn't this really just a lucky accident?"

Ban Ming: "No, it's just that this kind of fish gallbladder is particularly effective. It's been passed down from generation to generation, and several nearby tribes know about it."

As he spoke, Ban Ming pulled Qing Kuo along to confirm, "Dad, right?"

Qing Kuo nodded and added, "If you use other medicines for a fever, whether it will be cured depends on luck. But using this fish gallbladder has never failed."

Jian Mo: "If it's so useful, the tribe should keep some on hand."