Chapter 104: Field Training Chicken Hunt Operation
“Catch Chickens?”
Hearing the Class President’s assembly call, the group who had just finished eating fish and were full of energy stopped their work and gathered in the center of the camp, thinking the Class President was redundantly instructing everyone to go to the riverside to catch fish. The group that had stayed behind at the camp that morning was just about to complain that we had already prepared everything and that the Class President was too slow to say it now, when the Class President Lu Daiqing’s words “This afternoon we’re going to catch chickens” caught everyone off guard.
[According to the intelligence gathered by me and Classmate Ouyang Yating, plus Classmate Xiang Chuan’s judgment, there is a group of livestock chickens that were artificially released into the northern forest region. By visual estimate, the quantity is at least twenty or thirty, so the Patrol Group’s task this afternoon is to go catch chickens.]
The Class President held the portable megaphone and said, standing in the center of the camp.
“Class President!” Fu Chengkai from the Stalwart Group raised his hand. “So how should our group staying behind at the camp be arranged?”
[Those staying behind at the camp should act according to Xiang Chuan’s instructions. I just entrusted Xiang Chuan to serve as our class’s diet supervisor, responsible for our class’s diet arrangements during the upcoming Class Competition period. Fu Chengkai, who is in charge of the Stalwart Group, can discuss the Stalwart Group’s work content with her. The Patrol Group will also, during patrols, collect ingredients and wood in the woods according to the arrangements of Xiang Chuan and other A Bite of China group members, cooperating with the Stalwart Group to ensure we have enough ingredients to use during our time in this area.]
“So how are the other A Bite of China group members arranged?” Patrol Group leader Mandy asked. Everyone very consciously removed Xiang Chuan from the patrol candidates: anyway, this guy definitely doesn’t want to move.
[A Bite of China group members can choose to stay behind or join the patrol based on their personal wishes; this is not mandatory. Of course, according to their personal requests, Xiang Chuan’s arrangements take highest priority in all matters. Now let Xiang Chuan herself make this afternoon’s arrangements.]
The Class President stepped aside, and only then did everyone see Xiang Chuan, who had been standing in the back biting an apple. She had just swallowed a mouthful of fruit flesh, walked forward, took the Class President’s portable megaphone: [No need for nonsense, I’ll be lazy and get straight to this afternoon’s arrangements. Patrol Group folks, trouble yourselves to catch chickens in the woods. Those chickens were one hundred percent deliberately released here by people. If we don’t catch them, they’ll end up feeding those carnivorous animals anyway, so we might as well get some meat. When catching chickens, be careful not to get pecked and injured. They’ve been active in the forest for some time, often pecking at soil or bugs, so their beaks are covered in bacteria or even trace toxins. If you get pecked, you’ll probably have to call the Instructor to save you. Besides catching chickens, help look for this along the way.]
With that, she group-sent a photo of ginger stems and leaves to the classmates.
[The next few days everyone will be doing physical labor, so meat is essential, but when processing meat, the root block of this thing is indispensable. Those who processed ingredients with me this morning should have an impression. This is called ginger, which is essential for processing meat. Without this thing, congratulations, every bite of meat you eat next will taste like the current pork.]
Xiang Chuan’s words instantly made the Patrol Group classmates perk up, staring intently at the photo, wishing they could engrave the ginger leaves and roots into their minds.
No way around it, no one wanted to try the taste of pork, even if most had never tasted it.
“So how do we bring the chickens back when we catch them?” Mandy asked blankly. Catching chickens was truly their first experience; during previous holidays going to the Production Escort Ship, they had always watched machines process live chickens in the factory, never expecting to have to do it themselves this time.
[Just grab them by the feet, hang them upside down, and carry them back. If you have rope, tie them up; catch a few and tie them together.] Xiang Chuan waved her hand nonchalantly. [Anyway, the chickens are caught to be slaughtered and eaten, no need to feel too bad.]
So fierce! The young people in the Patrol Group were so scared by this method that their faces turned pale.
[That’s the arrangement for the Patrol Group, next is the Stalwart Group.] Xiang Chuan looked at Fu Chengkai. [Stalwart Group folks, same as this morning, catch some fish at the riverside, but don’t catch too many, um… ten will do. If the fish are smaller than the ones just now, consider catching a few more, since we can’t guarantee big fish every meal. Also, send a few people to boil several pots of hot water, to be used when the Patrol Group brings back the chickens.]
After assigning the work, Xiang Chuan returned the portable megaphone to the Class President, bit into her apple, and walked to the side.
“Xiang Chuan—what are we eating tonight—” Someone in the crowd shouted loudly.
“Chicken!” Xiang Chuan gave a thumbs up, but somehow this answer felt off.
“Yay—chicken tonight—!”
Pfft! The apple in Xiang Chuan’s mouth sprayed right out, nearly onto Ainuo standing in front of her. “Hey!” Ainuo looked at her with an unfriendly expression, but Xiang Chuan’s mind was now full of that phrase “chicken tonight.”
Fast-forward from Animal ○ Friends to Absolute × Survival, huh?
After this noon meal, Xiang Chuan had figured it out: no more agonizing over soy sauce; making do with salt and pepper to make it edible was good enough.
So tonight’s recipe was tentatively set as roasted chicken and chicken soup. For the fish, steaming or pan-frying seemed good… Xiang Chuan thought, taking out the seasoning set from her backpack, and fell silent again.
“Ah, Xiang Chuan, we… wow!” Chou Manman was just coming out of the tent when she saw Xiang Chuan stand up from the ground at extreme speed and rush out.
“Class—President—!”
Xiang Chuan’s shout echoed over Class Eight’s camp, drawing curious looks from Class Two and Class Ten students by the shore: what happened now?
“Classmate Xiang Chuan, is there anything else… wow! Wow!” The Class President heard the shout, turned back with a professional smile, only to crash into Xiang Chuan’s expression that was serious to the point of distortion, scaring him into breaking character and involuntarily stepping back two steps. “Wh-what’s wrong? With that expression?”
“My seasonings are used up.”
Xiang Chuan held up the seasoning set in her hand, and it was obvious the oil was almost gone, salt and pepper powder used a third, while only the chili powder, white vinegar, and sugar remained untouched.
“Uh… didn’t you bring any extras?” The Class President adjusted his glasses, frowned seeing the nearly empty oil.
“I originally thought if I got tired of the stuff in my meal box, I’d casually make something for some meat, why would I bring that much?” Xiang Chuan didn’t look back, thumbed behind her toward the tent direction, meaning her meal box still had plenty. “Based on this noon, tonight’s oil and salt use will only be more, not less. Class President, it’s about time to apply for supplies, right?”
“It’s only the second day of the Confrontation Match, isn’t it too soon?” The Class President said uneasily.
“Think it through: including tonight, there are another four and a half days. After tasting today’s flavors, our class won’t want to eat compressed food, but wild ingredients without seasonings are hard to swallow even to describe mildly. Maintaining such unsatisfying meals for a day or two, let alone attacking other classes, we might not even maintain morale to defend against other classes’ attacks.” Xiang Chuan said, opened the supplies list she wrote at noon, thought and added some things, resent it to the Class President. “We brought our own offensive and defensive equipment. If those don’t come into play, applying for more equipment supplies is still the same, so might as well apply for some seasonings and cooking equipment, treat these days as a spring outing picnic.”
“Mm…” The Class President looked at the supplies list she sent and fell into difficulty.
“With these things, we can still make buns and steamed buns to eat.” Xiang Chuan said casually.
“Good, I’ll contact the Instructor to apply for supplies right now!”
Hearing this, the Class President immediately had no hesitation, opened his terminal to apply for supplies, so efficiently that Xiang Chuan, who thought it’d take more persuading, was a bit surprised. But on second thought, it made sense: talking nonsense wasn’t as effective as directly mentioning the buns and steamed buns everyone usually craved.
