Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Rong Zhan nodded and agreed, but seeing that Ye Zhizhi seemed to be a little tired, he thought for a moment and said, âAlright, then, you rest first. Iâll find a stone slab and make a fire to roast meat for you to eat. I canât let you starve.â
Thinking of the meat that Rong Zhan had roasted, Ye Zhizhi swallowed with difficulty. She thought to herself, âThat wasnât something that a human could eat, alright?â Even if she starve to death, she wouldnât eat it.
In the afternoon, they returned from picking spices at the back of the mountain. Ye Zhizhi couldnât wait to cook, so she said to Rong Zhan, âYou just obediently go and get the stone slabs. Today, Iâll roast the meat. How about it?â
âYouâll roast it?â Rong Zhan looked at her small body suspiciously. Her ten fingers were delicate and tender, and her skin was so white. At a glance, it didnât seem like she knew how to roast meat. However, he couldnât bear to refuse the little femaleâs request, so he could only say, âAlright, then Iâll help you bring the meat over first.â Rong Zhan thought to himself, âIf the meat was not roasted well, then he would just roast it again. It was not a big deal. As long as the little one was happy.â
Ye Zhizhi looked at his busy back and stared at the big, flowery face lying there. It more or less relieved some of her fatigue.
Not long after, Rong Zhan brought over a leg of a cow and a piece of ribs. She could not tell what kind of meat it was. According to her request, he washed the meat first, then tore it into several pieces. Only then did Rong Zhan follow her instructions from the beginning. He went out to look for rocks.
Ye Zhizhiâs mind was still on the scene of him tearing the leg of beef. He was so valiant and handsome, and the muscles all over his body looked very powerful. His figure was as perfect as the gods in the myths. It made Ye Zhizhi blush and her heart beat faster.
âI canât be seduced by the beauty of a male demon!â Ye Zhizhi shook her head and drove away the messy thoughts in her mind. She started to marinate the meat with spices. Even without salt and other condiments, it could still bring out an alluring fragrance. It was very similar to the steak she ate in modern times, but it was just a simple version. âIt seems that I have to find a way to extract salt,â Ye Zhizhi thought. She didnât know if there were salt mines or seawater here.
Rong Zhan quickly brought back a pile of stones and a thin slab of stone. It was a bit like a modern iron slab, but it was a bit thicker than iron slabs. He placed all these in front of Ye Zhizhi. âAre these okay? If not, Iâll go look for more again.â
âYes.â Ye Zhizhi did not raise her head. She picked up the half-made stone knife that Rong Zhan had made to cut the meat. Although it was not very sharp, it could at least cut the meat.
Rong Zhan stood at the side and looked at her blankly. âWhat are you doing this time?â
âYou surround the stones in a bow shape and set the stone slab on top. Light the fire from the bottom.â Ye Zhizhi saw that he was asking all sorts of questions and began to instruct Rong Zhan to work. âYouâll know in a while.â
After a while, Rong Zhan set up another small stove and did not forget to wash his face with water contained in the banana leaves. Ye Zhizhi washed away the yellow mud on her hands. She went forward to check the stove and found that the slate had been heated, then she took the piece of fat with two branches and rubbed it on the clean slate.
When the fat meat was heated, it immediately made a âsizzlingâ sound, and oil began to ooze from the bottom. As Ye Zhizhi moved her wrists, a layer of oil was quickly spread over the slate, and a fragrance that rushed straight to the top of oneâs head engulfed the entire cave.
Rong Zhan watched without blinking. He saw Ye Zhizhi cut the meat into tiny pieces and took out some pepper, Sichuan pepper, and wild mountain pepper. They were all mashed and mixed together with the meat. A mixed fragrance instantly spread over the surface.
However, Rong Zhanâs eyes darkened. He hurriedly took her hand and said with a hesitant expression, âWhere are you feeling unwell?â After saying that, his forehead pressed against Ye Zhizhiâs forehead. His handsome face was instantly magnified by more than ten times. Even the tiny pores could be seen clearly.
Ye Zhizhiâs heart also thumped.
âYou donât have a fever. Why do you need to take the medicine?â Rong Zhan was hesitant. He picked her up again and turned her around. After making sure that Ye Zhizhi was alright, Rong Zhan heaved a sigh of relief and pointed at the spices on the stone slab, âThese are all medicinal herbs. You canât eat them carelessly. You canât eat this meat anymore. Letâs roast it again.â
Ye Zhizhi: ââ¦â
She was already so hungry that her chest was pressed against her back. After being fiddled with by him, she did not have the mood to explain. She only muttered in a low voice, âThen, you can grill it yourself. Iâll eat mine.â
Without salt, the taste was still a little lacking. However, it was many times better than those that were directly grilled by fire. It was his loss if Rong Zhan did not eat it! As she thought about it, Ye Zhizhi took the meat and placed it on the thin stone slab to roast for a while. The thick pieces of meat began to âsizzleâ and burst with oil. It was so fragrant that it made one lose their sense of direction!
Rong Zhan sniffed the fragrance, but he was still worried. He hurriedly snatched the chopsticks that Ye Zhizhi made from the branches and picked up a piece. He spoke with a pained face, âYou didnât listen to me even though I told you. You really canât eat these medicinal herbs carelessly. You donât know if youâll die if you add so much. Donât be anxious. Iâll help you taste it. You can eat it again if thereâs nothing else!â
âWaitâ¦â
Before Ye Zhizhi could finish her sentence, he had already stuffed them into his mouth..