Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Cracking Open

Huangfu Jingchen thought that dried chicken was indeed edible, but if it was chicken dried with mud, he wasn’t sure he could swallow it.

However, he still took the rough branch, raised it, his expression serious, as if facing a formidable enemy, about to strike down heavily.

Xia Wenjin hurriedly stopped him and laughed, “Don’t use Inner Strength. Just use a bit of force to knock it open.”

Huangfu Jingchen realized he was too tense. He withdrew his Inner Strength, gave a light knock with his wrist, and the mud shell immediately cracked open, releasing a rich aroma.

Huangfu Jingchen was extremely surprised, took a breath, and found it fresh and fragrant, a kind of aroma he had never smelled before, never smelled anything so delightful.

Just as it invaded his nostrils, it made his mouth water and his appetite grow.

He could hardly believe his nose; he had eaten chicken before, but where had he ever encountered such fragrant chicken?

After letting the steam dissipate for a while, Xia Wenjin peeled away the mud. The mud took away the chicken feathers, leaving the entire chicken like a peeled egg, smooth and beautiful, without a trace of dirt, steaming and fragrant.

With color and aroma both present, just these two aspects were already astonishing.

Xia Wenjin divided the chicken in half and handed one half to Huangfu Jingchen, saying, “Try it!”

Huangfu Jingchen took it, bit into it, and found the chicken tender, melting in his mouth, delicious and fragrant.

Huangfu Jingchen felt he had never eaten such tasty chicken before.

It was almost as if the fragrance of the chicken had been maximized while preserving its fresh, original flavor; the meat was tender and fragrant, with the freshness of chicken pervading his mouth.

He first took several large bites, then finally took a moment to look at Xia Wenjin, his gaze bright.

The last time with the grilled meat, he already thought it was delicious, but unexpectedly, this mud-covered chicken tasted even better.

After swallowing a mouthful of chicken, he praised, “Really delicious!”

“Eat more if you like, there’s another whole one!” Xia Wenjin laughed. She didn’t eat slowly, but her actions were very graceful. After finishing a chicken leg, she was full and started peeling tender water chestnuts. Those wild water chestnuts were sweet and crisp, very tasty.

Huangfu Jingchen was still amazed and said, “I saw you cook it with mud; how could it taste so good? What’s this dish called?”

Xia Wenjin, in good spirits, said, “This dish is called Beggar’s Chicken. Those beggars don’t have pots and stoves, so when they finally manage to get a chicken, they wrap it in mud and cook it in fire. Simple and convenient. I happened to hear about this method by chance, and later once…”

Saying this, the smile on her lips froze.

That time, Huangfu Yuxuan encountered danger, and his Guards were scattered. She protected him as they escaped to remote places to avoid pursuers.

Starving, they happened upon a wild hen nesting in a grass pile, so she improvised, treating the wild chicken according to this method.

Unexpectedly, it turned out surprisingly delicious.

At that time, she and Huangfu Yuxuan were eating the wild chicken, in the wilderness, with Huangfu Yuxuan still injured. For a long time, she felt it was a very happy and joyful time.

She thought it was a memory to be cherished for a lifetime, something she could recount with Huangfu Yuxuan when they were old.

But her lifetime was so short, cut short by his own hands. She only realized then that he never needed such memories with her.

To her, it was sweet as honey; to him, it was ordinary.

Use, deception, betrayal, poisoning…

This was his everyday life!

Sensing Xia Wenjin’s sudden emotional change, Huangfu Jingchen asked, “What’s wrong?”

Xia Wenjin forced a smile, shook her head, shaking off the feeling of anger in her heart, and shaking off the memories along with it.

These should not be memories.

Why dwell on things from a past life?

For someone unworthy!

She smiled broadly and said, “Just remembering using this dish to feed ’pigs’!”

Huangfu Jingchen: “…”

Uh, feed pigs? Did she consider his feelings before saying that?

Should he eat or not?

If he ate, did that mean he was on the same level as pigs in her eyes? If he didn’t, well, he was already halfway through, was it too late to say no now?

However, the chicken was truly delicious, and he couldn’t stop. Feeding pigs it is!

Thinking of this, he took another big bite.

The chicken was tender and flavorful, separating easily from the bone with a gentle bite, the taste soaking all the way through, he couldn’t help but suck on the bone a couple of times.

After finishing his half, he noticed Xia Wenjin had only bitten into one chicken leg, the rest still on a clean lotus leaf. He asked, “Are you going to eat the rest?”

Xia Wenjin shook her head.

Huangfu Jingchen said, “If you’re not eating it, give it to me. Don’t waste it!”

Xia Wenjin hesitated for a moment, saying, “I’ve eaten some of it!”

Huangfu Jingchen had already taken it, biting a piece of chicken. He ate with no psychological burden, and Xia Wenjin silently withheld what she wanted to say.

Some words are best left unsaid; once spoken, they leave a mark.

This chicken was truly rich, and Huangfu Jingchen, greedy for its flavor, almost ate the entire thing, and then felt his stomach so full he couldn’t move.

He wiped the oil from the corner of his mouth, thinking there was still a whole one wrapped in the mud shell; he had the desire but no longer the strength.

Xia Wenjin handed him a bunch of water chestnuts, “Want to try?”

Huangfu Jingchen shook his head; he really couldn’t eat any more.

He watched Xia Wenjin eat.

Those things with sharp edges and prickly corners looked ugly, but with a light twist of Xia Wenjin’s fingers, the shell broke open, revealing the white flesh inside.

She tossed it into her mouth, eating with apparent delight.

That thing looked sweet.

Her mouth, was it sweet too?

Huangfu Jingchen watched her mouth move, his thoughts drifting far away, remembering that day at Shian Temple, in the meditation room behind, when he kissed her, feeling the honey at the corner of her lips, sweetness intoxicating…

But thoughts were just thoughts; he could no longer act on them.

Wenjin had already made it clear; if he were to act again, how would he be any different from those frivolous, irresponsible sons of noble families?

If that time was due to anger for her pushing him towards Sang Xuewei, then losing control was understandable, but acting now would be the act of a rogue.

He painstakingly looked away, somewhat awkwardly saying, “I ate too much, I’ll go for a walk to digest!”

Xia Wenjin casually said, “Go on!”

After scattering insect repellent powder around, Xia Wenjin comfortably used the hay pile as a bed.

Going with the flow, making oneself as comfortable as possible in the simplest environment was her principle.

Huangfu Jingchen wandered back in the middle of the night, seeing Xia Wenjin already asleep. Hearing the movement, she squinted at him, flipped over, and continued sleeping.

She had divided the hay into two piles; he could tell the one reserved for him was thicker.

He lay down gently, looking at Xia Wenjin sleeping not far away, his heart feeling incredibly peaceful.

Lifting his gaze, he saw the beautiful starry sky, the night beautiful as well, being alone with her under the same sky, using the heavens as a quilt and the earth as a bed, was also beautiful!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep