037 Sharing

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Twelve wild chicken eggs, clean and white, each one irresistibly lovely.

Lin Yan’s hands trembled with excitement. Never had she imagined that one day she would be so overwhelmed by the sight of a few eggs.

The hardships of life truly exceeded all imagination.

Yet she had to admit that, in order to stay alive, her ability to adapt had grown stronger and stronger.

For more than two years, she had survived on tough, flavorless meat and wild fruit that were difficult to swallow.

But this was more than a nest of wild chicken eggs. They were the driving force pushing her forward, a glimpse of hope for tomorrow.

Once again, she had confirmation that this wilderness was rich in resources, waiting only for her to discover them.

The three of them carefully gathered the eggs and placed them in the basket filled with grass.

As her excitement gradually settled, Lin Yan searched the area with her mental power. Only after finding nothing else did she follow Mu Shi back to the fields.

“Let’s go home! Hurry home!” Ye Ya urged them incessantly.

Mu Shi gathered up the vines, lifted the basket, and laughed. “We’re going. Stop rushing me. The eggs are right there. What’s the hurry?”

“I want to eat them sooner. Father, don’t you want wild chicken eggs?”

Looking at Ye Ya’s barely restrained greed, Lin Yan could not help laughing. In truth, she was also impatient to taste them.

She straightened the hemp trousers that had been torn by thorns and sighed. She had not even noticed when they had ripped, and several scratches now marked her legs.

She had simply been too excited just now. Smiling, she said, “Mu Shi, wild chicken eggs are delicious. Once you’ve tasted them, you’ll miss them.”

Mu Shi stared at the round eggs. “How do you eat these? Are they really that good?”

“They’re very good.” Lin Yan was utterly certain. “Boil them in water, peel off the shells, and you can eat them. You can also fry them, but sadly, we don’t have an iron pan. Once we do, you’ll know how delicious they can be.”

Fried eggs had once been an utterly ordinary dish, but merely thinking of them made Lin Yan swallow unconsciously. She was becoming easier and easier to satisfy.

When they returned home, Lin Yan told Ye Ya to heat water in the clay pot, then counted out five eggs and placed them inside.

The two of them stared eagerly at the pot.

“When can we eat them?” Ye Ya’s dark little face was slick with sweat from the fire. He seemed unable to feel the heat, intent only on getting the eggs into his mouth as quickly as possible.

Lin Yan was anxious too. “Once the water boils, cook them for a few more minutes. Take a bowl and fill it with cold water. When the eggs are done, put them in there to cool so they’ll be easier to peel.”

Ye Ya immediately went to do it.

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One by one, Lin Yan lifted the steaming eggs from the clay pot and placed them in the bowl of cold water. Once they were cool enough, she picked one up and handed it to Ye Ya.

“Go on, eat. Look at you—absolutely famished.”

Ye Ya took the egg and immediately began peeling it, too preoccupied to say a word.

Lin Yan picked one up for herself as well, quickly cracked the shell, and peeled it with practiced efficiency.

Ye Ya had started first, but while he was still wrestling with the shell, Lin Yan had already finished.

Ignoring him, Lin Yan gazed at the egg white she had not tasted in so long. She took a small bite, and satisfaction washed over her at once.

That soft, smooth texture felt impossibly distant from her former life.

Ye Ya finally finished peeling his egg and shoved it into his mouth. The silky, yielding texture was unlike anything he had ever tasted. His eyes widened.

It was delicious.

He took another large bite and hurriedly swallowed.

“Gulp…”

Lin Yan quickly handed him a cup of water. “Drink some water. You ate too fast and choked yourself.”

Once he had recovered, Ye Ya was sweating all over, his face burning red. Fortunately, his complexion was dark enough that it did not show. He scratched his head and chuckled.

“It’s so delicious. I’ve never eaten anything this good.”

“It is delicious. Here, have another.” Lin Yan glanced at the two eggs that remained, then carried them over to Mu Shi.

Mu Shi had done most of the work finding the eggs that day.

Half believing Lin Yan’s instructions, Mu Shi peeled the shell from one and took a bite. After that, he could not stop. Both eggs disappeared in only a few mouthfuls.

Lin Yan crouched beside him, smiling. “Good, isn’t it?”

“It’s delicious.” Mu Shi nodded enthusiastically. “If only we could eat these all the time.”

“You can, if you want.” Lin Yan smiled especially warmly.

“You have a way?” Mu Shi grew interested. Taking risks for food was absolutely worthwhile.

In truth, the people of the Sun Tribe all thought this way at heart. The belief had been passed down from generation to generation and had taken deep root in them: food came first.

Lin Yan nodded her little head. “You saw it today. We found the wild chicken eggs in the jungle. If there’s one nest, there must be others. If you want to eat them, go look for more in the jungle.”

“They’re not easy to find. They’re hidden beneath the grass, so you can’t see them at all.” Remembering how difficult it had been to gather the eggs that day, Mu Shi felt that finding another nest would be extremely hard.

“Just take me with you. Wherever I’ve walked, I’ll know whether there are wild chicken eggs.”

Mu Shi came to his senses. That was her real purpose. He hurriedly refused. “No. It’s too dangerous outside. You’re still too young. You can’t go.”

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“If you take me with you, I’ll be obedient and listen to everything you say. I won’t run around.” Lin Yan promised sweetly. “Besides, those eggs are so delicious. Don’t you want to eat them again?”

Mu Shi wavered. The temptation of the eggs was simply too great. They were even more delicious than meat. If he could never eat them again, it would be a terrible shame.

Before, he had not known such a delicacy existed. Now that he had tasted it, refusing was difficult.

Lin Yan pressed on. “Wild chicken eggs can be boiled, but there are other ways to prepare them, and they’re even tastier. Once we have more eggs, we can fry them in the little hemp oil I made. They’ll be even more delicious.”

Lin Yan had no intention of frying the remaining seven eggs. She planned to share them with several neighboring households so that everyone could have a taste.

Within a few days, most of the people in the settlement would probably know how delicious wild chicken eggs were. By then, they would be able to find many more.

The people of the tribe had never eaten any kind of eggs before. Perhaps they had simply never come across them, or perhaps they did not know how to prepare them.

As a delicious staple of the human diet, eggs were rich in nutrients and held an important place in any cuisine.

Once they had tasted wild chicken eggs, would other kinds of eggs still be far behind?

Mu Shi did not give Lin Yan a definite answer. He wanted to ask Ye Zi when she returned before making a decision.

Lin Yan was not disappointed. It was exactly what she had expected. She boiled all seven remaining eggs and waited for Hua Hong and the others to return.

Toward evening, the people who had gone to dig the water channel on Eight Street began returning one after another. As soon as Hua Hong entered the house, her daughter pulled her into the kitchen.

Looking at the smooth, perfectly round eggs in her hands, Hua Hong had yet to recover from her surprise.

“Can these really be eaten?”

“Mother, hurry and eat.”

Trusting her daughter, Hua Hong took a large bite without hesitation. Her eyes lit up at once, and she swallowed it in only a few mouthfuls.

Seeing the remaining eggs, Hua Hong reached out to take one.

But a chubby little hand blocked her. Startled, Hua Hong asked, “I can’t eat them?”

“Mm-hmm. Mother, these are for Ye Zi, Mao Mu, Old Granny Mao, Old Black, Old Lin, and Lin Yun—one for each of them. Let everyone have a taste. Let’s take them over now.”

Hua Hong carefully counted them. “There are only six. Ye Zi, Mao Mu, Old Granny Mao, Old Black, Old Lin, and Lin Yun—that’s exactly six.”

“Mother, when we find more eggs later, I’ll save several for you.” As she spoke, Lin Yan carried the clay bowl of eggs toward the door.

Hua Hong hurried after her, took the bowl, and carried it herself.

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