vrcanaries Chapter 41 Clan Gathering
Chapter 41 Clan Gathering
Ignoring the disapproving glances from the villagers, Lezhi focused on her work. Because of the need to speed up the cooking process, Lezhi sliced the meat thinly, resulting in shorter grilling times for each slice. After successfully grilling the first slice, Lezhi, having become more comfortable with the kitchen equipment, began to increase her speed.
The sliced meat was served quickly, like on an assembly line. Before people could even argue, they were dazzled by the delicious food that was so fast in their hands. Soon, everyone in their group had received their share of food.
After confirming that all the tribespeople had been fed, Lezhi, without even eating herself, started baking Maoqiu's share. Maoqiu was the hero of the day, and she couldn't be neglected.
The meat of the spotted caterpillars was indeed as Leyou had described; Lezhi noticed the difference while grilling them. After grilling a batch, Lezhi saw Maoqiu already enjoying it immensely before finally eating the portion he had saved for himself.
The meat eaten by the tribe members was what Le Jing had allocated, because it was the meat of adult insects, fresh and flavorful. The spotted caterpillar, on the other hand, was the spoils of Mao Qiu. Le Zhi directly benefited from Mao Qiu's success. Its meat was unlike any other meat they had eaten before, because it had not yet grown, so the spotted caterpillar's meat was incredibly tender and bursting with juice.
"No~"
Eyes squinting from the delicious taste, Lezhi let out a gasp of astonishment, a testament to his lack of experience. The spotted caterpillars tasted so good! It reminded him of a famous dish from his past life: roast suckling pig. Unfortunately, he had only ever been an ordinary person in his previous life and had never tasted such a high-class delicacy. He didn't know what roast suckling pig tasted like, but Lezhi knew it couldn't compare to the taste of spotted caterpillars grilled on a stone slab. This was simply too delicious.
Forgetting to speak, Lezhi devoured the grilled meat in his hand, his mind almost completely absorbed by the delicious taste. Seeing this, Leyou took over Lezhi's task. The grilling was now finished, and there were meat patties ready to be cooked. Thanks to Lezhi's demonstration, everyone had pretty much mastered the method of grilling meat on a stone slab.
So by the time Lezhi came to his senses, Leyou had already brought him the roasted meat.
"Come on, Lezhi, try baking it and see how it is?"
"Huh, you did this? Let me try... Hmm~"
After taking a big bite of the meat pie that Leyou handed her, Lezhi gave Leyou a thumbs up as she chewed, "Great, it's grilled just right."
"Hehe, I also think that grilling meat on this stone slab is much simpler than grilling it directly over a fire."
"right!"
When her friend agreed with her idea, Lezhi smiled broadly.
Lunchtime passed quickly. After everyone noisily put out the fire at the temporary campsite and tidied up the surrounding area, they continued their activities.
The valley was vast, and correspondingly rich in vegetation. Under Le Jing's organization, the gathering team moved to a different location to continue their work. Only when the sun's rays began to dim did everyone take stock of their harvest and set off to return to their homeland.
The return trip was by plane, so Lezhi didn't expend much energy. After handing over half of their harvest to the clan, Leyou and Lezhi were about to go home together when Lejing suddenly called them back.
"Hey, Lezhi, wait a minute..."
"Le Jing, what's wrong?"
"Here's the thing, the clan will be holding a gathering in the main square tonight, and I just wanted to let you know to remember to attend. Leyou, could you please look after Lezhi then?" Lejing said.
"A clan gathering?" Literally, it means everyone gets together for a meeting, but "is there something the clan needs to announce?"
"Huh? No, why would you ask that?" As soon as Lezhi said that, Lejing and Leyou both looked at him with strange expressions.
"Ah..." Realizing she had misunderstood, Lezhi felt a little embarrassed. "Then why are we having this gathering for no apparent reason?"
"Hmm, there's no reason. We just get together whenever we feel like it. Oh dear, little one, don't ask too many questions. Just remember to attend on time. Leyou knows the schedule, he'll take you. Don't worry."
Le Jing reached out and ruffled Le Zhi's hair. After saying that, she turned and left, as she still had follow-up work to hand over.
Seeing that Lezhi's hair was messed up, Maoqiu thoughtfully stood on Lezhi's shoulder and used its mouth to comb Lezhi's hair, while Leyou pulled Lezhi and turned into the road home.
"Hurry, hurry, let's go back quickly. The party starts after dark, and we'd better start preparing in advance. Hehehe, our group will definitely be the most lively one then."
Rubbing his hands excitedly, Leyou's eyes gleamed with pride. Lezhi, looking at Leyou's inexplicable excitement with a puzzled expression, asked again, "So, what exactly is this clan gathering for?"
"Well, we're not doing anything special. Didn't Lejing tell you that we can have a gathering whenever we want? It's fun to get together, cook, and chat. The ingredients will all be provided by the clan, so everyone can be creative. Your cooking skills are so good, you'll definitely be very popular."
It sounded like a simple gathering of eating and drinking. Perhaps I was overthinking it. Lezhi shook her head and quickly followed Leyou's lead.
Back home, Lezhi briefly organized his day's activities. Without much rest, Leyou came to pick him up for the party. They arrived at the main square under the beautiful sunset. Lezhi thought they were early, since the party didn't officially start until after dark, but the square was already bustling with people.
"Lezhi, come over here." Afraid that Lezhi would be squeezed, Leyou simply took Lezhi's arm, and the two of them swam through the crowd like fish swimming in the sea, and came to a simple fire pit that had been set up.
Upon arrival, Leyou immediately began preparations. Behind the hearth was a stone table that served as a makeshift cooking station. Leyou took out all the ingredients she had brought and then sat Lezhi down on a low stool to the side.
"Lezhi, stay here and don't wander off. I'm going to get the ingredients and I'll be right back."
Seeing Lezhi obediently nod, Leyou quickly disappeared into the crowd. Lezhi, left behind, didn't know what to do, so she picked up some dry firewood piled up to the side and idly added fuel to the fire.
Suddenly, a tribesman walked up to Lezhi. He didn't speak, but instead handed Lezhi a white juice fruit. Seeing that Lezhi just stared blankly without reaching out to take it, the tribesman then urged him to take it.
"What's wrong, little one? Hurry up and catch it!"
Bringing him back to his senses to the brink of madness by his clansmen's words, Lezhi belatedly felt a surge of anger rising within him. He was being treated like a cub, being fed as a matter of course.
She quickly stood up and waved her hand sheepishly, stammering as she refused, "Ah, no...no need, I..."
Amused by Lezhi's actions, the tribesman's brow unfurrowed, revealing a gentle smile, but his actions left no room for refusal. He forcefully shoved the white juice fruit into Lezhi's hand and pulled her to sit down.
“Young cubs need to eat and sleep a lot to grow up properly, so don’t be shy with us. By the way, my name is Leju. Do you remember me? We met on the road the day you came back.”
Having had her attention successfully diverted by Leju, Lezhi finally realized why Leju looked familiar. Nodding, Lezhi looked at the white juice fruit in her hand and murmured her thanks, "I remember now, thank you, Leju."