Culinary God in Wilderness

’The master chef isn’t touching it, so why should I?’

’Wasn’t getting burned once enough? Do I really have to make a fool of myself a second time in front of this huge audience?’

’I wasn’t sure if the jam would be hot, but I know for a fact that freshly boiled soup could kill someone.’

Seeing the guy had learned his lesson so quickly, Lin Chen decided not to tease him. He picked two chopstick-thick twigs from the firewood pile, carved their tips into wedges with his tactical knife, then sliced a short slit down the middle of each.

He found a nearby birch tree, cut off two oval pieces of bark, and rinsed them clean. He made a vertical cut in each piece of bark, overlapped the two sides of the cut, and wedged them into the slit in the twigs. And just like that, two simple wooden spoons were made.

To make the spoons sturdier, he even pulled up some dry wild grass, dampened it, and used it like a rope to bind the twigs, ensuring the bark wouldn’t slip out.

"Oh?"

Andre’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as he watched Lin Chen craft two simple spoons in just a few minutes.

’And he calls this having no experience in wilderness survival?’

’First, he picked the perfect spot for a shelter. Then, he figured out how to maintain personal hygiene. He can even whip up all sorts of delicious food. And now, he’s casually crafting everyday items out of nothing.’

Other than perhaps lacking some hunting skills, he really didn’t think this young man from Great Xia would face any real trouble in the wild. In fact, he’d probably live more comfortably than the vast majority of contestants.

Staring at the spoon Lin Chen handed him, Andre blinked. "Lin, after we eat, I’d like to wash my hair. My scalp is so itchy I feel like it’s going to explode, and it’s really testing my patience."

The subtext was clear: he was reminding Lin Chen not to forget that their deal included buying shampoo.

"No problem. Let’s have the soup first. I’ll get it for you after we finish."

Andre breathed a sigh of relief. He happily took the spoon, scooped up a piece of blood curd, blew on it, and, without even bothering to smell it, popped it straight into his mouth.

With a gentle press of his tongue, the soft, tender duck blood melted instantly.

It didn’t have the metallic taste he’d expected, nor the gamy odor he associated with duck blood. It was like eating a very tender piece of jelly.

Although he’d never had tofu, he knew it was a jelly-like food made from soybean milk.

But to make food with this texture from animal blood was simply an unimaginable miracle.

Before he had even swallowed the duck blood in his mouth, he subconsciously sipped the remaining soup from the spoon.

"?!"

The unexpected, savory flavor shocked him, his eyes going wide. Thinking he must be hallucinating, he quickly scooped up another spoonful.

At first, there was a faint aroma of mushrooms, immediately followed by the unique savory flavor of seaweed and a hint of meat broth. It tasted more like a rich seaweed and mushroom stock.

If he hadn’t watched Lin Chen make it with his own eyes, he would never have believed this delicious, rich broth was made with duck blood as the main ingredient.

The plump, meaty texture of the bolete mushrooms was another surprise. Not only were these "poisonous" mushrooms he’d never dare pick actually edible, but they also tasted unexpectedly good.

As for the green, moss-like ingredient floating on the surface, it was slippery in his mouth but didn’t have any particular flavor.

"Lin, this mushroom..."

"If you’re not sure, I’d advise you not to pick and eat them yourself."

Lin Chen pointed to the pile of thick boletes in the basket. "Mushrooms with this shape are what we in Great Xia call boletes. The name means they have a thick texture, like beef liver."

"But you have to be careful. There are poisonous varieties of boletes, known as ’jiàn shǒu qīng,’ which literally means ’see hand blue.’ If you touch or cut them, the mushroom bruises blue. Those are the toxic ones."

"Most of these blue-staining boletes are inedible. Only a few are safe to eat, and they must be cooked at high heat for a long time to neutralize the toxins. Some varieties even have to be eaten while hot; if their temperature drops too low, the toxicity returns."

"While the toxins from these boletes aren’t fatal, they’re certainly enough to disrupt your day-to-day life."

"For now, just remember these two: the yellow one and the off-white one. After cutting them, remember to sterilize your hands and the knife with boiling water. To be safe, you have to boil them for at least twenty minutes. The only exception is if you can distinguish them as well as I can, then you can be more flexible with your cooking."

"Alright, I’ll remember that," Andre said, nodding seriously. He stared intently at the yellow bolete and the white bolete for a few moments, committing their shapes and colors to memory.

’These two wild mushrooms tasted great, but he knew he was out of his depth. He might accidentally pick a similar-looking variety that was far more toxic.’

’It was best not to pick them unless absolutely necessary, but knowing about them could be a lifesaver in a pinch.’

Setting aside the hair-washing and the cooking, just the knowledge about edible wild mushrooms and how to prepare other unknown ingredients already made this collaboration more than worth it.

In the wild, no information was more valuable than knowing what you could eat.

The two of them sat around the charcoal fire, taking turns scooping up the delicious mushroom and duck blood soup. Before long, their bellies were full.

[Enjoyed a nutritious and delicious lunch in the wilds of North America and promoted the food culture of Great Xia. Happiness +2]

Lin Chen didn’t pay attention to the system prompt that popped up. It wasn’t 15 points yet anyway, so looking at it was pointless.

He used some water to give the stockpot and frying pan a quick rinse, then refilled the pot to the brim and set it back on the charcoal fire to heat up.

Andre didn’t need to be told; he knew Lin Chen was preparing hot water for his hair.

Just as he was eagerly waiting for Lin Chen to pull out some travel-sized shampoo, he saw him get up and walk out of the camp. A few moments later, Lin Chen returned with a handful of fir needles, arborvitae leaves, and another unfamiliar plant.

The plant looked like a common weed. It had long, slender leaves with irregularly serrated edges, and they grew in a dense, circular pattern around the stem, overlapping one another.

"This is?"

"Feipeng Grass." Lin Chen casually broke up the three plants and stuffed them all into the pot.

"All three of these can soothe skin problems, especially on the scalp. They’re also anti-inflammatory, anti-itch, and antibacterial. Basically, they have a lot of benefits. In the future, if you want to bathe or wash your hair, just pick some and boil them. But after boiling, let the water cool to around 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit before you use it. If it’s too hot, it won’t be as effective."

"Huh????"

Andre scratched his head, his eyes wide with bewilderment.

He had lived in the wild for over thirty years. For adventurers, the spruce and arborvitae that grew everywhere in North America were prime materials for building shelters—they provided wind-proofing, insulation, and insect repellent.

’And now you’re telling me this stuff can be boiled to wash my hair?’

’Then what have I been doing all these years, living disheveled and filthy in the wilderness?’

Lin Chen didn’t press him. It was normal to rest a bit after a big meal, so he simply let Andre watch the pot while he went to check on the air-drying King’s Down Duck.

After confirming that the wild apple paste on the duck’s skin was beginning to set, he scraped a portion of it off. Then, he simply went back into the cave, lay down, and comfortably closed his eyes for an afternoon nap.