Chapter 69: Chapter 21: Daily Life of the Men’s Survival Team
The fifteenth day of survival...
Chen Wen carved the fifteenth mark on the thickest log at the shelter.
This is what he uses to keep track of time.
If he doesn’t keep track, time always feels like it passes quickly, and there’s also a sense of loneliness.
However, this time the loneliness is almost zero.
Mainly because there are nine other guys with distinct personalities, and everyone being lively and cheerful is quite enjoyable.
This morning, Zhang Hu was already shouting about dueling with Lu Heng.
"What’s going on?"
Chen Wen plopped down next to Zhuo Hongnian, who was watching the excitement, and asked.
Zhuo Hongnian chuckled foolishly, "Hehe, Lu Heng tricked Hu, saying cassava can be eaten raw and tastes like sugarcane, but it made Hu’s mouth numb instead."
"Numb? Why is that?"
Chen Wen was a bit puzzled.
He really didn’t know.
Zhuo Hongnian explained, "Cassava is poisonous. It contains a chemical component called cyanogenic glycosides which, under the action of enzymes, produces volatile hydrogen cyanide, a poison that can be lethal!"
Chen Wen was startled and was about to get up to call for rescue when...
Zhuo Hongnian held him back, explaining, "But the cassava we got is sweet cassava, which is mildly toxic, and Mr. Du soaked some in water last night, so the toxicity is very low, just numbing the mouth for a while."
"Lu Heng got up early and didn’t know. He was tricked by Mr. Du and Mr. Yan together. Not wanting to be the only one tricked, he tricked Hu."
At this, Zhuo Hongnian looked at Chen Wen with reproach, "Before you came, we didn’t have this culture of pranking."
"It’s not my fault!"
Knowing Zhang Hu was fine, Chen Wen sat back down.
He grinned and said, "You guys are self-taught talents, I pale in comparison."
Zhang Hu and Lu Heng, after a while of fussing, settled down too.
"How do you eat cassava?"
Chen Wen asked.
Du Feng put the cleaned cassava in the pot and said, "The simplest way is to cook or steam it like a sweet potato."
"It’s too late for breakfast today, I’ll cook it this morning, and also check out other recipes if I can, let’s have cassava for lunch!"
Chen Wen nodded, "Alright, we’ll definitely come back for lunch."
Breakfast was hot tea with roasted oyster meat.
Lu Heng ate the leftover chicken soup and chicken meat.
After eating a little, everyone continued with their tasks in groups.
Before leaving, Chen Wen glanced at Bai Yachuan, "Mr. Bai, if you can’t handle it, just let me know, I can come over and lend a hand."
Bai Yachuan waved his hand, "No worries, these are small injuries, you guys get on with your tasks."
Chen Wen nodded and didn’t say more.
Then he looked towards Gan Tieshan, "Shan, remember to feed the sheep for me! Just scatter some tender leaves for the chickens."
"Don’t worry."
Gan Tieshan waved with a cheerful smile, "I plan to have Lu and Wang add a little something to your shelter this morning, a surprise when you return!"
"A surprise?"
Chen Wen chuckled, "I love surprises, we’re off then!"
"Bye-bye!"
The duty group also waved goodbye, "We’re off too!"
"Take care!"
"Brothers, roll up your sleeves and work hard!"
"It’s nothing, let’s kick its ass!"
"Hahaha, everyone be careful!"
Amidst a few hearty shouts, the bustling camp of men quieted down again.
...
"Today our task is simple."
While leading the way, Chen Wen said, "Zhuo, you go harvest cassava. This stuff with meat balances nutrition. Yan and I will find the remaining chickens and pigs, we’ll meet you at noon."
"Alright."
Zhuo Hongnian nodded.
He felt he wasn’t much help with Chen Wen’s group and preferred to use his expertise in digging cassava.
Yan Bian heard this and said in a low voice, "You used to call me Mr. Yan..."
"Hehe, but we’re familiar now, calling you Mr. Yan feels distant!"
Chen Wen merrily said, leading Yan Bian to continue exploring.
...
In the morning.
Under Yan Bian’s guidance, Chen Wen found some chicken traces.
But he didn’t find any chickens.
With no other options, Chen Wen set some traps in the areas with many chicken traces.
Besides that, the pig was still nowhere to be found.
However, on the way back, Chen Wen found bananas.
These bananas were a bit yellower than last time, Chen Wen thought the taste might improve, so he chopped several bunches.
Zhuo Hongnian worked diligently all morning and collected about ten pounds of cassava.
Enough for several meals for everyone.
According to Zhuo Hongnian, there’s quite a bit of cassava on this island.
He discovered another large area of cassava not far from this region.
...
Back at camp.
The duty group had just returned as well.
The food they brought back was not much, just average.
But mostly oysters and cat’s eye snails.
Lv Guocheng caught some fish from the coral reefs in the morning, none very big.
The morning task for the housekeeping group completed quite a bit.
Besides regular campsite maintenance tasks like collecting firewood.
They also cleaned the cassava and explored different ways to cook it.
Boiled cassava and baked cassava cakes.
Du Feng mashed the cooked cassava, shaped it into cakes, wrapped them in banana leaves, and roasted them over fire.
But what amused Du Feng was that the baked cassava cakes completely turned into brittle cakes.
They fell apart when picked up.
So in the end, the cassava cakes turned into baked cassava powder.
Lunch was fairly sumptuous.
Boiled cassava, baked cassava powder, and stone nine-eyed fish soup.
Everyone sat in a row, each receiving their portion of food.
Chen Wen pinched some boiled cassava and tasted it.
The taste was alright.
Like boiled taro, slightly sweet with a special fragrance.
The cassava powder tasted like stir-fried flour but with a scent of banana leaves.
Chen Wen tried dipping boiled cassava in cassava powder, the flavor was okay but a bit dry.
He took a sip of soup.
The stone nine-eyed fish soup tasted excellent.
The meat was tender and smooth, and the soup was fresh and delicious.
With salty seasoning, the taste of salt brought everyone joy.
"Delicious!"
Chen Wen gave a thumbs up, not stingy with praise.
Du Feng grinned proudly and served Chen Wen another ladle of fish soup.
There’s nothing to be done; chefs always give special treatment to guests who appreciate their cooking.
Moreover, the others were relatively indifferent, so compared to them, Du Feng’s fondness for Chen Wen surged.
After eating, Chen Wen gained another two entries.
Cassava.
[Tropical Crop (Blue): Survival skills are fully enhanced in tropical regions]
[Note: Do you know the world’s three major root crops? — Cassava]
Stone nine-eyed fish, also known as brown scorpionfish.
[Ambush (Green): You are better at ambush, less likely to be discovered when you are ambushing]
[Note: Surprise attack! — Brown Scorpionfish]
The two entries were decent.
Chen Wen put away the system, planning to take a nap at the camp.
Before resting, he still went to feed the chickens.
But there was no response.
Chen Wen wasn’t in a hurry, turning back, he crawled into his domed hut.
But there was something strange inside the hut.
"What is this?"
Just as Chen Wen’s surprised voice came out, Gan Tieshan approached with a cheerful smile.
"A pillow."
Gan Tieshan said, "Earlier, when Guocheng and the others went out, I told them to bring back some plastic bottles and clothes washed ashore. Over the past few days, I’ve filled these bottles with water, cushioned with some old clothes, so it’s a makeshift pillow."
Yan Bian also saw his pillow and peeked out, "Quite exquisite, you went to a lot of effort."
"It’s indeed nice. It’s uncomfortable sleeping on the ground, and it’s easy to get a stiff neck."
Chen Wen laughed, "This is a nice surprise, keep them coming!"