Beauty and the Beasts

Just as Bai Qingqing finished stir-frying the last dish, Curtis stuck his hand into the pot of soup. Upon touching the scalding hot liquid, he instantly retracted his hand, then swiftly plucked out a mushroom from the pot.

 As the food in his hands was too hot, Curtis could only stuff it into his mouth. Without even chewing it, he swallowed the mushroom. After pursing his lips, he coughed twice.

 Bai Qingqing scooped out the stir-fried spinach with egg and inadvertently saw Curtis’s mouth moving, and also noticed a trace of oil by the corner of his lips.

 “You ate the mushroom?” Bai Qingqing’s heart ached for him. She picked up a small towel on the firewood nearby and helped him wipe his mouth. “I’d already fed it to the short-winged bird. You were scalded, weren’t you?”

 Curtis grabbed Bai Qingqing’s petite hand and kissed it. “My heart isn’t put to ease.”

 Bai Qingqing felt incredibly touched. She obediently sat in Curtis’s arms and waited for food.

 She wondered how the Beggar’s Chicken in the firewood had turned out. It had been a while now, yet no aroma had wafted from it. The other two dishes were about to turn cold.

 After Curtis confirmed the pearl oyster mushrooms weren’t poisonous, Bai Qingqing started eating with the two dishes. That on their own was pretty satisfying. She decided to keep the Beggar’s Chicken for the next meal since it was still early, and they could eat another meal at night.

 “It’s suddenly become so cold. Is the cold season coming? Will the weather become warm again this year?” Bai Qingqing was seated in Curtis’s nest. Curtis was sewing clothes for her out of animal skin, so, from time to time, he would bring the animal skin to her body to take measurements.

 “It’s only going to get colder and colder,” Curtis said calmly, worry concealed in his slightly furrowed brows.

 Xiao Bai already feels cold at this temperature. What’s she to do when the real cold season comes?

 Curtis suddenly felt glad that he and Xiao Bai had come to a village, and that they weren’t alone in the forest. If he accidentally went into hibernation during the cold season, what was Xiao Bai to do?

 At least now there was a leopard helping him take care of Xiao Bai. This was probably for the best.

 Parker was also making clothes. But with his lousy techniques, he could only make his own skirts. When he heard Bai Qingqing say she felt cold, Parker poured out all the animal skins in the wooden case and carefully selected a thick piece of bearskin and handed it to Curtis. “Oi, this animal skin is thick.”

 Bai Qingqing crawled towards Parker and took the animal skin from him, then wrapped herself with it.

 “This bearskin is too exaggerated. I don’t need it for the time being,” Bai Qingqing said with a smile. She had just covered herself with the bearskin, and she was already starting to feel hot.

 Actually, the weather was only mildly cold, and it was, in fact, the most comfortable season. It was just that leaning against the cold Curtis made her feel cold. But Curtis insisted on curling himself around her.

 Curtis said, “I’ll make it first. You can wear it in the future.”

 “Mm.” Bai Qingqing didn’t quite dare to rebut him.

 Right before dusk, Parker came back with prey.

 The fire in the main room had already been extinguished. When he started the fire, he nearly forgot that there was a mud-covered bird inside. Using a thick tree branch, he poked something tough. He retrieved it and was prepared to toss it aside.

 “Eh?” The thing felt heavy in his hands, so Parker looked at it again. It suddenly occurred to him what this object was. “Qingqing, your mud bird has turned dry from the roasting.”

 “Ah, I forgot all about it!” Bai Qingqing put on her shoes and ran out. Her gaze quickly swept over the ashes. “Where? This one?”

 Bai Qingqing picked up a stone bowl lying around and squatted next to the ball of mud, before whacking it forcefully.

 With a bang sound, the intense and pure aroma of chicken wafted into the air. A big patch of dried mud fell off from the bird, removing the fine hairs on the bird’s skin completely. The bird’s skin was a golden brown color, and it appeared very firm.