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As expected of Jiujiu.

Jian Mo thought with complete admiration.

The giant wolf quickly carried the giant fish ashore.

They had originally planned to use the food the Thick Flow Tribe had given them yesterday for breakfast, but now that they had this giant fish, they didn't need to use their supplies anymore; they could just prepare the fish.

The giant wolf carried the fish to the shore, some distance from the lake, and with a powerful bite, nearly killed it. Then, it transformed back into human form, found a dagger, and finished off the fish.

Jian Mo went over to check, but Wu Jiong stopped him. "Be careful, the fish might still jump even if it's dead."

"Ah, okay." Jian Mo quickly stepped back a little to create some distance. "Even if a fish is dead, it might still have nerve reflexes, but a fish this big is unlikely to struggle violently."

Wu Jiong: "Let me handle it a bit more."

Upon hearing his words, Jian Mo squatted down to the side, Jiujiu also squatted down beside him, her eyes sparkling, looking relieved.

With a swift motion, Wu Jiong sliced the fish into strips of meat according to different parts of the fish.

As for internal organs, when they have plenty of food, they don't need anything except for the swim bladder.

The swim bladders can be kept to make swim bladder glue, which they are currently short of.

Jian Mo looked at the large fish that had been cut up and suddenly realized, "Doesn't this fish have scales?"

Wu Jiong nodded, gesturing for Jian Mo to come and take a look. "The skin of this fish looks a bit like animal hide."

Jian Mo reached out and touched it, feeling it somewhat like pig skin. "It looks like it has a lot of collagen. With a fish this big, should we just stew it?"

Wu Jiong: "Okay."

Jian Mo rubbed her hands together, eager to get started. "Then I'll go get the seasonings, and we'll add some meat sauce to stew later."

Jian Mo carried the large pot over, found some large rocks by the lake, built a makeshift stove, put the pot inside, and took out the seasonings.

Large fish are not easy to cook through whether they are fried or grilled, so stewing is the most time-saving and labor-saving method.

However, there are still some techniques involved in stewing fish to make it delicious.

Jian Mo, along with Jiujiu and Ying'ao, gathered a lot of firewood in the nearby woods, started a fire to fry the seasonings, then added water and fish pieces, and slowly stewed the fish.

The firewood underneath was burning brightly, and the water in the pot soon began to simmer.

The fish needs time to cook properly. Jian Mo looked at the lake in front of him and said, "We were quite lucky last night. There were such ferocious big fish in the lake. If we hadn't been careful, we might have been bitten last night."

Wu Jiong: "No, I've been on guard. Generally speaking, this kind of fish won't easily attack creatures larger than itself."

Jian Mo: "Then why are you targeting Jiujiu?"

The two looked at Jiujiu, Jiujiu fluffy face was full of innocence. "Eek?"

Wu Jiong: "I don't know, maybe it was an accident?"

The forest was truly beautiful in the early morning; the distant mountains and the nearby lake were both unique.

The morning mist rose, obscuring most of the forest and turning the verdant green into a darker, more somber shade.

Looking at the forest, Jian Mo couldn't help but say, "Let's go for a walk in the forest, it's too much trouble to wait here."

Wu Jiong had no objections.

Jian Mo called out to Jiujiu and Ying'ao, "You two stay here and watch the pot. If another animal takes it, we won't have breakfast today."

The Jiujiu understood, puffed out its chest, and cried out, "Jiujiu!"

It means that with it in place, there will be absolutely no accidents.

Jian Mo stirred the fish pieces in the pot, checked the firewood, removed two large pieces, leaving only one to simmer slowly. "It's up to you guys."

Jian Mo and Wu Jiong shouldered their baskets and headed into the forest. Although the forest didn't look like it would have any food, what if they did?

They carried baskets on their backs, so if they could find mushrooms, fruits, tubers, or edible insects and small animals in the forest, they could bring them back as well.

The morning air was damp, Jian Mo took a deep breath. "This air feels so good."

Wu Jiong: "If you like it, we can go out more often in the future."

Jian Mo: "I may like it, but in the morning, it's still more comfortable to sleep in bed."

Autumn and winter are the perfect seasons to stay in bed; getting up early to gather or hunt is really hard to resist.

They wandered around the forest and found a lot of ripe, dark purple berries.

Autumn is the season when many berries ripen, and even wild berries are sweet, juicy, and very tempting.

The two picked quite a lot, staining their fingers a deep purple-red, and only went back when they saw that it was almost time.

Jiujiu and Ying'ao stood guard in front of the large pot, not leaving for a moment.

Upon seeing them return, Jiujiu chirped happily twice, "Jiujiu!"

Jian Mo could already smell the aroma. "Let me see."

Jian Mo picked up the piece of wood that was temporarily serving as a spatula and stirred it in the pot. The fish pieces were turned over, and the white flesh looked cooked through.

The fish skin had a slightly melted appearance, resembling a pig's trotter that had been stewed for too long.

What surprised Jian Mo the most was that the fish bones also seemed to be partially melted, trembling like aspic.

Jian Mo beckoned Wu Jiong over to take a look. "These fish bones seem a little different?"

Wu Jiong took a look and said, "This should be what the bones of this fish look like; it's a cartilaginous fish."

Jian Mo: "Ah, there are fish like this? I've learned something new."

The fish was almost done stewing. Jian Mo took a spoonful of the broth and tasted it. Finding the saltiness just right, she didn't add any more seasoning, but simply sprinkled in half a spoonful of fried shallots and stirred it in.

The fish in the pot was already very fragrant, and when fried scallions were sprinkled in, the aroma became even more intense, making one's mouth water.

Jian Mo quickly took out a plate, gave him one piece, Wu Jiong two pieces, and divided the rest equally between Jiujiu and Ying'ao.

This fish is so big that there's no need to feed Jiujiu and Ying'ao anything else; this fish alone is enough to fill their stomachs.

As Jian Mo served them, she reminded them, "The fish is a little hot, so eat slowly."