Chapter 14: Such Generosity from the Snake

Chapter 14: What a Generous Snake

“Dad, that snake just fell from the tree,” Su Keke said, alerting Xu Yi as she spotted the snake dropping down.

“It looks like it’s completely dead. I’ll go pick it up,” Xu Yi replied with a knowing smile. He then grabbed his spear and approached the snake.

To be honest, Xu Yi was quite afraid of snakes. He only mustered the courage to deal with it because he needed the food. Using his X-ray vision, he confirmed the snake showed no signs of life before stepping closer.

He speared the snake with his spear and then retreated back to the campfire.

“We need to skin the snake. That way, we can use its hide to carry water,” he explained.

[Using snake skin for water would probably smell awful. It’d be better to cut down a tree branch and hollow it out slowly.]

[Number One only has a dull stone knife that’s practically useless—even cutting a throat wouldn’t finish the job. Cutting a tree down? That’d take until dawn.]

[For now, snake skin is the best option. If we tan it overnight with wood ash, the smell will lessen a lot by tomorrow.]

[You can say that all you want, but Number One can’t see any of this.]

Xu Yi used his small stone chisel to sever the snake’s neck and threw the head into the fire to burn.

The smell of blood could attract other animals. Since they were in the wilderness with no shelter, Xu Yi took every precaution he could.

Then he started skinning the snake. Because they needed the skin intact, he carefully peeled it off without cutting it open.

“It looks like I got it off in one piece. I’ll treat it with wood ash later,” Xu Yi said.

“The snake’s belly is bulging—it must have just swallowed something. Let’s cut it open and see,” he added, using the stone chisel to slice through the snake’s belly.

“This snake is really generous—it even gave us a mountain rat,” Xu Yi said with a playful tone.

“We’re so lucky. This mountain rat is quite plump,” he continued.

“If it hadn’t just eaten that rat, I probably wouldn’t have been able to kill it so easily.”

Though Xu Yi already knew the outcome, he still acted surprised. He figured if he kept this up, his acting skills might improve a lot. Maybe someday he could even make a living just on his looks.

Having this stone chisel was a stroke of luck. It was sharp enough to handle any animal processing with ease.

First, he cleaned the snake, then wrapped it around a branch he had broken off earlier. Next, he stuck several small branches into the ground to make a tripod frame.

After making two such tripods, he could rest the branch with the snake on top.

Then he moved on to the mountain rat, which weighed about half a pound.

Without enough water to clean it, they could only roast it with the blood still on.

When you’re out in the wild, you can’t afford to be too picky—conditions are limited.

Of course, if circumstances were better, Xu Yi would definitely be more particular.

Su Keke squatted nearby, staring at the roasting snake.

[Keke, you’re drooling! Wipe it off.]

[So adorable, my girlish heart can’t take it!]

[Seeing this makes me want to have a daughter.]

[Wake up! You don’t even have a girlfriend—how are you going to have kids?]

[Keke is so pitiful. It’s been two days and she still hasn’t eaten any meat. She’s still growing and needs lots of nutrition. How could her dad be so unreliable, bringing her on a show like this?]

[The person above must be an idiot. She was brought here by the livestream team’s mistake, not her own choice.]

“All done with this. Let’s start roasting everything together,” Xu Yi said after prepping the mountain rat. He propped its body open with some small branches and placed it near the fire.

Roasting meat requires careful distance control. Too close and it burns; too far and it’s undercooked.

Xu Yi had taken many girls camping in his past life, so he knew his way around a barbecue.

By feeling the heat with his hands, he could tell exactly where the perfect spot was.

“Keke, tell me about some of the things you did when you went to the mountains. I don’t know much about that,” he said.

Since roasting takes time, Xu Yi wanted to learn about Su Keke’s village experiences. She had never mentioned these things during their video calls before. Probably her grandmother forbade her, fearing that if Xu Yi knew, he might stop sending living expenses.

After all, Xu Yi had promised to support her until she graduated from university.

“Sure! Going to the mountains is so much fun. There are all kinds of tasty wild fruits and mushrooms. And I’ve even picked lots of herbs with my grandma,” Su Keke said brightly.

Xu Yi’s eyes lit up.

The economy in Su Keke’s mountain village mainly depended on herb gathering. Each year, buyers came to collect medicinal herbs. The villagers just stored them at home until then.

So, the people there were very familiar with various herbs and knew their uses.

Such knowledge was incredibly valuable for surviving in the wild.

“Do you still remember what they taught you—like which fruits and mushrooms are safe to eat, and what the herbs look like and what they do?”

Su Keke nodded earnestly. “Of course! It’s easy to remember. Keke definitely remembers.”

“That’s good. If we come across anything you know, you have to tell Dad,” Xu Yi reminded her.

“Okay, I will,” she replied seriously.

Then Su Keke shared some fun stories from her mountain trips, making Xu Yi laugh.

As they talked, the aroma of roasting mountain rat and snake filled the air.

Both meats were golden brown, with fat sizzling and dripping down.

Viewers in the livestream chat expressed how hungry Xu Yi’s barbecuing made them.

“All done. It should be cooked through. Let’s move it aside and let it cool before eating.”

“Here, hold this while I go chop some water vine,” Xu Yi said, grabbing his stone knife.

Eating just meat without water would feel dry.

When Xu Yi returned with a piece of water vine, the meats had cooled to a suitable temperature.

This type of water vine, shaped into a U, could hold water without spilling.

After preparing it, Xu Yi divided the meats evenly.

Each got half. Together, the two meats weighed over three pounds—plenty for the two of them.

Though Su Keke was small, her appetite wasn’t much less than Xu Yi’s.

Or rather, Xu Yi’s appetite was relatively small.

He made his living with his brain and didn’t move much, so he didn’t eat a lot.

Su Keke ran around the mountains and did plenty of farm work, so naturally, she ate more.

Thanks to readers Hanyu, Master Scholar Fulafu, and others for their generous support. Thanks also to loyal readers from the previous book, including Zizhan2017!

(End of chapter)