Chapter 132: In the Wild, Cooked Food

Evelyn Ford didn’t buy his nonsense for a second. He ate more than anyone; his stomach was like a bottomless pit that could never be filled.

Being away from the base, her spirits immediately lifted.

Evelyn Ford let Mina and Lola frolic to their hearts’ content, letting them enjoy this rare taste of freedom.

Evelyn Ford took out a large parasol and set up a table and chairs. After retrieving some fruit from her space, she directed Ronan Kendrick to wash it in the nearby stream while she sat down to rest.

"Ronan, build a fire."

"Ronan, boil some water."

"Ronan, make me some tea."

"Ronan..."

Evelyn Ford ordered him around with a clear conscience, and Ronan Kendrick was so busy he was practically spinning in circles.

Once she had rested enough, Evelyn Ford got to work as well. She took a stroll through the nearby mountains, returning with a large bag of wild vegetables and a rabbit she had caught along the way.

"We’re having spicy rabbit tonight."

"There are fish in the stream," Ronan Kendrick said. He used small stones to strike at them, quickly catching four or five.

"The mountains are amazing. You can find anything you want here."

The two of them cooked dinner together and rested in the RV that night. The vehicle was very large, containing four beds. Evelyn Ford stowed two of them away, making the interior much more spacious.

Ronan Kendrick, however, didn’t seem to have any intention of resting. He picked up his Crossbow and headed back into the mountains. Evelyn Ford let him be. So much had happened recently, and every day at the base, her nerves had been stretched taut. Now that she was out, she was determined to catch up on sleep.

A tablet connected to a small speaker played music as Evelyn Ford took out a face mask and applied it.

Mina and Lola had gone with Ronan Kendrick. By the quiet stream, the only sounds were the wind, Evelyn Ford’s movements, and the music from the speaker.

At two in the morning, while Evelyn Ford was sound asleep, Ronan Kendrick returned with his haul. Mina and Lola trotted dutifully at his heels.

Back at the RV, Ronan Kendrick first took his catch to the stream to clean and dress it. Tonight’s harvest had been plentiful, and he was in an excellent mood. Only after he finished did he return to the RV to wash up and go to sleep.

「The next day」

When Evelyn Ford woke up, she saw the game hanging outside. She quickly moved it into her space, lest the meat be spoiled by the sun’s harsh rays after sunrise.

She planned to prepare some cooked meals today. She still had plenty of food containers in her space and intended to fill every last one.

Ronan Kendrick had only slept for two hours after returning last night. As soon as the sky lightened, he was back in the mountains. ’His energy is boundless,’ Evelyn thought, ’it’s truly enviable.’

Although she had snapped at Ronan Kendrick the day before, she remembered the dishes he’d mentioned. Keeping his preferences in mind, Evelyn took out a basket of fish they had caught back at the Silver River. She carried it to the stream to clean, planning to make a batch of fish balls first.

Just as she was carrying the basket of fish over, Ronan Kendrick returned. She stared in astonishment at the string of rabbits he brought back with him.

"Did you blow up a rabbit warren?"

"No. It’s only ten."

"That’s plenty. You don’t need to hunt for the next few days. Just help me out."

Ronan Kendrick set down the rabbits and went over to help her clean the fish.

Evelyn returned to the front of the RV, taking out a large iron pot and a steamer to cook some rice.

It wasn’t easy to cook on a large scale back at the base. Now, with plenty of space and time, Evelyn Ford could finally let her skills shine.

Evelyn Ford pulled all sorts of vegetables from her space—potatoes, eggplant, chili peppers, onions...

’Cooking is such a joy,’ she thought. ’Not only do I get delicious food out of it, but it also calms my mind and gets rid of my anxiety.’

As Evelyn Ford finished cooking each dish, Ronan Kendrick would pack it into containers, which she would then store in her space. They had developed a seamless rhythm, knowing what the other would do next without even needing to speak.

The sun was strong, so Evelyn Ford took all the black bear meat out of her space, planning to make it into Dried Meat. Luckily, she had bought so much chili powder and salt that she couldn’t possibly use it all up, no matter how extravagantly she used it.

She had also pickled the white radishes from her space. Now, Evelyn Ford took out a burlap sack of Thai chilis and had Ronan Kendrick wash and chop them.

"I’m going to make some chili paste. Then we can have fish heads with chopped chilis."

As soon as Ronan Kendrick heard that, he got to work immediately.

They spent seven days by the stream. By the time they were done, Ronan Kendrick had hunted just about everything on Fairy Mountain. They decided it was time to leave and continue heading south.

Her space was now filled with so many prepared meals that the two of them could live off it for two years. Evelyn Ford took the wheel. This section of road hadn’t collapsed, but it was littered with rocks that occasionally required Ronan Kendrick to get out and clear the path.

When they arrived at Stag’s Leap Mountain, Evelyn Ford’s face lit up with joy.

"There are so many rare medicinal herbs here! Ronan, let’s camp here for a few days. I’m going to dig up every last herb on this mountain."

Evelyn Ford grabbed a hoe and dashed straight into the mountains, leaving Ronan Kendrick to unpack and set up camp by himself.

"I can’t believe it, Gastrodia! We’re rich, we’re rich!"

Evelyn Ford hadn’t expected such a windfall. It was just as Officer Graham had said: there’s always a way out. She finally believed it now.

"And Gold and Silver Flower, too!"

Evelyn’s trip into the mountains lasted for five or six hours. Even after darkness fell, she showed no intention of leaving. Instead, she pulled out a flashlight, strapped it to her head, and kept digging.

"Aren’t you hungry?" When Ronan Kendrick came to find her, he saw Evelyn kneeling in the dirt, carefully excavating an herb.

"I’m not hungry. If you are, go get yourself something to eat. I’m not sleeping tonight. I’m going to dig up every last one of these."

"The herbs aren’t going anywhere. What’s the rush?"

"I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I went back anyway." Her face was alight with an excitement Ronan Kendrick had never seen before.

He watched her for a long moment before walking over, kneeling in the dirt beside her, and helping her dig.

Since they’d left the base, Ronan Kendrick had taken out his colored contacts. In the darkness, when Evelyn looked at him, the beam from her headlamp fell across his face. His unusual eyes glowed like a cat’s.

"I’ll help."

He took the hoe, digging wherever Evelyn directed him. Like a pair of excited thieves, they dug in the mountains for the entire night.

"There’s such a complete variety! And we dug up hundreds of pounds in a single night. We’re incredible!"

Evelyn processed the herbs, and Ronan Kendrick watched from the bank as she washed them.

"You really like this stuff, don’t you?"

"I love it."

Ronan Kendrick nodded. "I see."

With that, he left. A few hours later, he returned carrying a burlap sack, which he placed before Evelyn Ford as if waiting for praise.

Evelyn opened it to find Dendrobium, Coptis, and even a small Ginseng plant, still caked in dirt.

"Ronan Kendrick, are you secretly Doraemon?"

Ronan Kendrick raised an eyebrow. "So, does this mean you can rest now?"

Evelyn Ford stretched languidly and let out a contented sigh.

"Yes. I’m going to sleep right now."

After stowing the herbs away, Evelyn Ford suddenly reached out and patted Ronan Kendrick’s shoulder.

"Ronan, you’re really amazing."

She walked away after saying it, completely missing the sight of Ronan Kendrick’s ears and neck flushing bright red.

They stayed at Stag’s Leap Mountain for another five days, leaving only after Evelyn Ford had completely cleared the mountain of its medicinal herbs.

Just as they reached a deserted small town, the sky suddenly opened up in a torrential downpour, forcing Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick to set up camp for the time being.