Chapter 219: Spicy Dishes, Let Eggplant Rest
"Whine, whine, whine!"
Eggplant, with the snake still in his mouth, had no idea that Shen Que had a strong dislike for snakes, so he brought it right up to Shen Que.
Shen Que backed away, his heart racing.
"Eggplant, stop!"
Hearing Shen Que's words, Eggplant stopped and tilted his head, looking at Shen Que in confusion.
Eggplant couldn't understand why Shen Que took the wild chicken from his wife but didn't want this snake. Was he scared of getting bitten?
Without waiting for Shen Que to say anything, Eggplant let go of the snake in his mouth.
The snake, realizing it couldn't win, slithered away like a shot.
Most people get creeped out by snakes, and Shen Que was no exception.
Seeing that Eggplant had released the snake, Shen Que, trying to suppress his fear, swallowed hard and rushed back onto the RV.
In this post-apocalyptic world, if the snake was venomous and he got bitten, there'd be no antivenom—just death.
"Woo woo, woo woo!"
Eggplant showed Shen Que the snake was still alive, then chased after it and pinned it down by its neck with a paw.
The snake reared up, fangs bared, ready to strike.
But Eggplant was faster. In the blink of an eye, he bit into the snake's head, leaving only its eyes and mouth exposed.
Seeing that Eggplant had caught the snake, Shen Que finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned back to check if Meng Ci had woken up, feeling relieved that he had maintained his tall and mighty image.
Eggplant still wanted to give the snake to Shen Que, so he started walking toward the RV again.
"Stop!"
Shen Que swallowed again and raised his hand to signal Eggplant to stop.
"Eggplant, wherever you got the snake from, put it back!"
"Woo?"
Eggplant was very confused. This thing was edible, so why didn't Shen Que want it?
"Eggplant, if you don't put it back, you won't get any meat to eat in the future!" Shen Que threatened.
At the mention of no meat, Eggplant's eyes bulged wide open!
Without a moment's hesitation, he turned around and ran back in the direction he had come from.
The three-meter-long snake trailed behind Eggplant like a leash.
The eagle, watching Eggplant leave, seemed uneasy. It dropped the gray rabbit at Shen Que's feet and took off after Eggplant.
Since the snake wasn't there, Shen Que quickly calmed down.
He then boiled another pot of water, planning to prepare the rabbit too.
Shen Que was still on edge.
Worried that if Eggplant could catch such a big snake, others might be lurking nearby.
So, Shen Que set down his knife, checked the area to make sure everything was safe, and then got back to cooking.
This time, it took over an hour for Eggplant and the eagle to return from outside. When Eggplant returned, it gave Shen Que a sulky look.
Clearly, Eggplant was still pouting over the rejected snake.
Eggplant was just trying to help out with the menu!
Shen Que knew Eggplant meant well, and since he had accepted the eagle's gift but not Eggplant's, it must have been feeling quite upset.
To keep things peaceful and since Meng Ci had not woken up yet, Shen Que did not rush to cook for himself and the eagle.
Instead, he whipped up some braised pork, minced pork with eggplant, and crispy pork belly.
Meng Ci had brought out enough rice for over a dozen meals. Shen Que poured it all for Eggplant and the eagle, then mixed the three dishes into it and gave it to them.
Despite the mouthwatering food, Eggplant turned its head away.
With an "Ao-woo," Eggplant refused to eat.
Shen Que sighed.
This Eggplant, who usually understands human speech, was not only holding a grudge but also being very stubborn.
Yet, Shen Que had no choice but to comfort it.
"Eggplant, I was wrong!"
Shen Que glanced at the RV to make sure Meng Ci had not come down, then continued apologizing.
"Eggplant, I know you were trying to bring us food, but you were carrying a snake!"
"We dared not eat that snake; it might have harmed us. Do you understand?"
Shen Que realized he had spent more time comforting Eggplant today than he usually did talking to Meng Ci.
"If you want to bring us food in the future, just catch what the eagle caught today."
While comforting Eggplant, Shen Que did not forget to give it a sausage to eat.
At first, Shen Que only gave one to Eggplant, which made it even more unhappy.
It was not until Shen Que saw the eagle that he had a realization!
He quickly gave the eagle two sausages as well, and only then did Eggplant turn its head back graciously.
Shen Que was speechless inside but also a bit proud.
Eggplant, like him, was someone who was wholeheartedly devoted to his "wife."
"Eggplant, can you forgive me now?" Shen Que asked, patting its head humbly.
The eggplant, or Qiezi, still didn't want to forgive, but Wangwang, the eagle, barked a couple of times, forcing Qiezi to give a reluctant nod.
Shen Que finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Qiezi being comforted.
"Although I don't like snakes, I still appreciate you helping us catch food today," he said, even though they were hesitant to eat it.
Shen Que stood up and returned to preparing their meal.
Spicy fried chicken, spicy rabbit hotpot.
As for the vegetables, they would wait until Meng Ci got up and took them out from his space pocket.
At first, Shen Que had intended to make something lighter, but since Meng Ci hadn't been feeling well from traveling, he decided to go all out with some spicy dishes so Meng Ci could enjoy it more.
Meng Ci had slept for three hours, and his dizziness had significantly improved after waking up.
After taking a hot shower in his space pocket and changing into clean clothes, Meng Ci left the space.
As he stepped out of the RV, he saw Shen Que sprinkling sesame seeds into the pot, with the air filled with the aroma of chili.
"You're awake!"
"We can eat in a moment."
When he saw Meng Ci, Shen Que's previously tense expression instantly softened like snow melting.
"Good!"
Meng Ci nodded, his eyes widening at the sight of the chicken feathers and rabbit skins nearby.
"Where did you get the wild chicken and rabbit?"
Shen Que said, "Qiezi and Wangwang caught them."
"Looks like Qiezi's finally pulling his weight again," Meng Ci remarked.
After all, ever since they had raised it, Qiezi had either been on the way to eating or sleeping.
Shen Que chuckled softly.
In this low-lying area, surrounded by trees, it wasn't very hot.
Meng Ci went to the back of the RV and cleaned the area thoroughly. He took out a solid wood round table and two chairs from his space pocket, planning to eat outside the RV.
Then he took out a few cucumbers to prepare cold cucumber salad.
It was just another ordinary lunch.
Seeing Shen Que's makeshift stove, Meng Ci threw some sweet potatoes and corn into the fire.
Halfway through the meal, Qiezi and Wangwang returned, each carrying a wild rabbit in their mouths.
Shen Que skillfully knocked the rabbits out, bled them, and tossed them into a bucket.
Seeing how well-behaved they were, Meng Ci fed them a lot more meat.
After the meal, the two weren't in a hurry to leave, planning to rest there for the night.