Chapter 227: Chapter 227: Gathering

When Lu Xiao woke up, she was completely recovered. She stretched lazily, buried her face in Ares’s soft fur to nuzzle him, then gave him a big hug before sitting up. “Ares, I’m going out to gather some food in a bit. You need to rest quietly and don’t you dare move around, okay? I’ve looked at your leg, and it’s recovering quite well, but you have to keep taking it easy so all our progress isn’t wasted. You hear me? We have to work on this together. And don’t you lie here letting your mind wander. You can only protect me properly once you’ve gotten your strength back and are fully healed, right?”

It was as if Lu Xiao could read Ares’s mind. Even without asking, she knew exactly what he was thinking. Clearly, after spending so much time with him, she understood this man completely.

Warmth filled Ares’s eyes. He nuzzled against Lu Xiao and let out a low whuff, as if in response.

Lu Xiao smiled and patted him. “Alright, as long as you understand. I’m off. I wonder if the person Shield sent has arrived yet. I really can’t stand eating nothing but roasted meat anymore.”

As she thought this, Lu Xiao stepped out of the house and saw Fred dressing a deer. Standing beside him was a Beastman she had met before: Mao.

Seeing her emerge, Mao immediately stepped forward with a smile. “You’re awake. Shield sent me to guide you to the gathering grounds. He said you wanted to forage for some things. If there’s anything you need, you can just tell me. I’ll be happy to gather it for you.”

Lu Xiao hadn’t expected Shield to send him. ’But on second thought,’ she mused, ’Shield probably arranged it this way because we’ve met Mao before.’

You could say Shield had been very considerate about the matter.

Lu Xiao smiled. “Mostly, I’m not sure what I’m looking for yet. I’ll have to see what’s out there.”

Fred wiped his hands and stood up. “Where are you two going? I’m coming too.”

’If we really find something good to eat, Fred can help carry more of it back,’ Lu Xiao thought. She didn’t refuse, simply nodding. “Alright, let me just tell Ares, and then we can head out. The sooner we go, the sooner we’re back.”

When Fred saw that Lu Xiao didn’t refuse him this time, he felt a surprising flicker of happiness.

After Lu Xiao informed Ares, she followed Mao’s lead to the tribe’s usual gathering grounds.

It was a forest not far from the tribe’s settlement. On the other side of the woods, you could even see a river. Mao explained that the river was called the Cang River, which was why their tribe was the Canghe Tribe.

’So that’s why,’ Lu Xiao realized. ’Their tribe is named after the river. No wonder the name sounded a bit odd to me.’

Now that they were at the gathering grounds, Lu Xiao wasted no time. She started by helping Mao dig up the tubers they normally collected. Upon inspection, Lu Xiao realized they were actually sweet potatoes. They were much smaller than the ones she remembered, but they were sweet potatoes nonetheless.

The discovery made Lu Xiao quite happy.

After that, Lu Xiao also found Ganba fungus and chanterelles—and they were incredibly fresh and abundant!

Lu Xiao’s eyes lit up at the sight.

But just as she moved to gather them, Mao grabbed her arm. “You can’t eat those! They’re poisonous. Someone from our tribe gathered some before, and he died not long after eating them.”

Lu Xiao paused, then asked, “Are you sure this is the kind he ate?”

Mao stared at the mushrooms on the ground for a moment. “They don’t look quite the same. The ones he ate were prettier than these—red, large, and very appealing. These are a little ugly by comparison.”

Lu Xiao nodded. “Then what he ate were poisonous mushrooms. These aren’t poisonous. But since you can’t identify them, you’re right not to eat them.”

With that, Lu Xiao began gathering the mushrooms. Mao hesitated before asking tentatively, “Are they really edible?”

“We’ll gather them first, then run a test. That’s how we’ll know if they’re edible,” Lu Xiao said, her hands never ceasing their work.

Mushroom foraging itself is quite an enjoyable activity, and it’s easy to get hooked.

As Lu Xiao was happily foraging for mushrooms, she suddenly discovered chili peppers!

The red peppers, hidden amongst the bushes, were quite conspicuous.

Lu Xiao plucked a pepper off the plant, a wide grin spreading across her face.

Seeing what was in her hand, Mao exclaimed in surprise, “You can’t eat that! It makes your mouth burn!”

Apparently, they had tried them before.

Lu Xiao laughed. “I know, but I also know how to make them delicious. Fred, catch!”

She tossed the pepper she had just picked to Fred.

Lu Xiao searched around some more to see if there was anything else edible and ended up finding several types of wild greens.

All in all, their foraging trip was proving to be a great success.

As for Mao, who had tagged along, he was starting to question his entire existence.

Most of the things Lu Xiao was gathering were items they normally considered inedible, yet this little female was treating every discovery like a precious treasure.

And so he had just followed her lead, dazedly gathering a huge pile of them himself.

On the way back, Fred and Mao carried the baskets while Lu Xiao walked behind them. “Mao,” she asked, “do you know where we can catch chickens or rabbits?”

Mao snapped out of his reverie. “You want to eat rabbit and chicken? I have some back at my place, I can bring them over for you.”

Lu Xiao thought for a moment and accepted. “Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony. As a token of my thanks, how about I cook dinner for you tonight?”

Mao’s cheeks flushed. “Okay! You don’t have to do that! I have plenty of chickens and rabbits at home. If you want them, you can have them all!”

“You’re raising rabbits and chickens at home?” Lu Xiao asked, surprised.

Mao nodded. “We just couldn’t eat them all at once, so we kept them around, and they started breeding on their own.”

Mao wasn’t sure if you could really call it ’raising’ them. He just tossed them whatever scraps they couldn’t eat, and over time, he noticed they weren’t dying.

When they got back to the dwelling, Mao hurried home, returning moments later with two live chickens and two rabbits.

Meanwhile, Lu Xiao had Fred spread the mushrooms out to dry while she went back inside to check on Ares.

Afterward, she washed her hands and went out to the courtyard to start a fire and cook.

The rabbits and chickens Mao brought back were live, so Lu Xiao had him feed some of the foraged mushrooms to them.

Mao instantly understood Lu Xiao’s plan. “You’re brilliant! How did we never think of that? We can just test them to see if they’re poisonous!”

He stuffed a few pieces into the mouths of the rabbits and chickens, then set them on the ground to watch.

When he saw that they were still perfectly fine after eating the mushrooms, his eyes lit up. “We can really eat them! They’re not poisonous! They’re still alive!”

Mao’s voice was loud, as if he had just discovered a new world.

Lu Xiao smiled and put the prepared deer meat on to roast. She then asked Mao to butcher the chicken and rabbits, as she planned to make a soup. They had been eating dry, roasted meat all day, and Lu Xiao felt that if they kept it up, they’d all start feeling unwell.

After confirming the mushrooms weren’t poisonous, Mao became a firm believer in everything Lu Xiao said!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep