0142 Black Bean and Mushroom Soup

Following the direction fixed in her mind, Moumou slowly made her way toward the lake.

Burn victims require a high intake of protein. If she were still on Earth, Moumou would have unhesitatingly boiled a pot of black bean and crucian carp soup to nourish Huanluo. But here, in a world teeming with monsters and magical beasts, where could she find a creature as docile, delicious, and protein-rich as a crucian carp to cook? Looking at the distant lake, which seemed like a mere shadow on the horizon, Moumou pouted helplessly and had to abandon the luxury of making fish soup.

However, finding some beans to boil was well within reach. Moumou crouched down, scanning the forest floor for edible beans or other greens. As it turned out, her luck was quite good. Not far ahead, she spotted two plants with butterfly-shaped leaves swaying harmlessly in place. With a joyful stride, she approached and pulled the plants up by their roots, discovering round, black beans attached to them.

After harvesting the beans and tucking them into a homemade pouch, Moumou continued her persistent search for anything edible. As noon approached, the rising temperature in the woods made her sweat profusely. The prolonged thirst—she had left all her water with Huanluo so it would be ready when she woke—and the constant scraping of forest vegetation against her skin were far from pleasant. Yet, she showed no sign of stopping. Forcing a smile onto her face, Moumou stubbornly maintained an expression that screamed, "I am so happy, I am having such a great time," and pressed onward.

Before she knew it, the afternoon had arrived. The intense sun heated everything it touched, and the dense canopy could not stop its fierce assault, as the sunlight carved out green pathways through the leaves. It was on such a sweltering afternoon that Huanluo awoke—or, more accurately, she was lured into consciousness by the rich, savory aroma of food.

Opening her eyes hazily, Huanluo found her throat parched from a long coma, making speech nearly impossible. The pain in her limbs and body struck her nerves immediately. Yet, this expected discomfort did not surprise her. The only things that caught her off guard were two details: the fact that she did not smell of the burn ointment from Akasia Pharmaceuticals, and the sight of Moumou busy cooking not far away.

Feeling the well-bandaged wounds on her body, Huanluo stared wide-eyed at the scene before her. Under the sun, the red-haired girl was bustling around a makeshift pot fashioned from a ration tin. A soup of beans and mushrooms simmered over a small flame conjured by Moumou’s fire element. Wisps of white steam rose from the pot, and through the haze, Moumou’s face—twisted in a forced, unnatural smile—made Huanluo feel an indescribable ache in her heart.

"You... can cook soup?" After a long silence, unable to bear the pressure and tension radiating from Moumou, Huanluo finally managed to speak.

Unprepared for Huanluo to wake at that moment, Moumou was startled by the sudden voice. But she quickly composed herself, flashing her habitual, cheerful smile through the rising steam toward Huanluo, who was lying under a tree. "Don't worry, it won't kill you! I promise."

"But before..." Huanluo looked at her skeptically. Thinking of the good-for-nothing girl who used to tag along behind Liangyin looking for handouts, Huanluo found it impossible to reconcile that useless person with the resourceful and confident girl before her. "Did you bandage my wounds, too?"

"That's right! This is the legendary 'Moumou Exclusive Burn Salve.' A mix of anti-inflammatory herbs, red-tail leaves, and a few other ingredients. It stops bleeding, fights infection, and heals burns without leaving scars," Moumou said enthusiastically, waving the chopsticks she was using to cook. Her large, seamless smile looked entirely natural. If Huanluo hadn't seen Moumou forcing that expression earlier, she would have truly believed the girl was genuinely and unconsciously smiling.

"When did you learn all this?" Huanluo didn't know what else to do, so she kept the conversation going to distract Moumou. After all, she was the greatest obstacle delaying Moumou from rescuing Liangyin. Even when her wounds healed, she couldn't just jump into the fray to help; she was essentially a bystander.

"Actually, I've always known how, believe it or not," Moumou said with a smug grin. The forced liveliness in her tone gave Huanluo goosebumps. "Cooking, finding medicine, foraging, bandaging wounds—if I didn't know how to do these things, I would have died back in that unloved, uncared-for White Border City long ago. I wouldn't have survived this long. I only got lazy after I met Liangyin and... uh, you. People really shouldn't rely on others; it just makes your brain go soft."

Huanluo intuitively knew who Moumou was referring to with that pause, but she was certainly not foolish enough to bring up a sore subject. So, she chose to remain silent. Perhaps it was a silent understanding, but throughout their journey through the Forest of Magical Beasts, the two maintained an absolute pact: never to speak of Lance, the death of Huanluo’s parents, or the true purpose of Huanluo’s mission.

Just as Huanluo was wondering how to respond, the soup finally finished cooking. Moumou stopped her busy work and used her water elemental power to quickly cool the hot soup in the tin to a drinkable temperature. She poured a small bowl and offered it to Huanluo as if presenting a treasure. Although the bowl was just a modified tin, in this desolate forest, the steaming hot soup felt like a banquet far superior to any royal feast.

The creamy bean soup was enriched with wild forest mushrooms and tender, wild vegetables. The slightly sweet, savory broth was impeccable. Moumou had even managed to find some berries, mashing them into a paste to spread over the flavorless, energy-dense rations she carried. The sweet and tart flavor opened the appetite of the heavily injured Huanluo, who was in constant pain.

As the two of them sat there eating happily from their small bowls, neither noticed that the soup remaining in the pot, left behind in the distance, had somehow diminished.