Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 124
Chapter 124
Chen Qi smiled as he handed the sketches to Ajing. Ajing put the little wolf cub and wiped his hands on his clothes, and then carefully took them.
However, Ajing did not rush to look through them now. After entering the house with Chen Qi, he placed the sketches on the table and took a small, clean wood block to hold it down to prevent it from being knocked over accidentally.
“Chen Qi, are you going to take a bath now?” Ajing ran up to ask Chen Qi after putting the things away.
Chen Qi placed his backpack on a futon, stretched, nodded in response to Ajing’s question and sighed, “I just want to soak in a hot bath and then lie down in my cozy bed for a good sleep.” Even though he didn’t have to do any walking himself, traveling in the wilderness for so many days was still very tiring.
Upon receiving the answer, Ajing turned and went into the washroom. Soon, Chen Qi heard the sound of water coming from the washroom. Curiously, Chen Qi walked in and saw Ajing standing on a wooden stool, scooping water from a large wooden barrel taller than himself with a big wooden ladle, pouring the water into the nearby bath tub, one scoop at a time.
Chen Qi hurriedly ran over and took the wooden ladle from Ajing’s hand. “I’ll do it. Go out and look at the pictures.” Then he frowned as he looked at the water in the large wooden barrel. “This water has been sitting here for more than two months. It probably can’t be used, can it?”
“I drew it fresh yesterday.” Ajing retorted.
“What?”
Ajing pointed to the large barrel full of clear water. “Ali said that you would be back in the next few days, so I’ve been fetching water every day. The old water was used to water the crops in the yard.” As Ajing’s words fell, the little wolf cub beside him also puffed out its chest and let out a howl, as if to corroborate Ajing’s words.
A barrel as big as this, taller than Ajing’s small frame, was now full of water. Did he fetch all of it by himself?
Chen Qi looked at him incredulously. A warm current surged in his heart. He ruffled Ajing’s hair firmly, causing him to grimace and dodge before stopping. Rolling up his sleeves, Chen Qi said to Ajing, “Help me start a fire to heat the water. I’ll take care of scooping the water into the bath tub.”
Ajing nodded and went to the stove, stuffing dry firewood inside and picking up a nearby flint to start the fire.
After heating the water, Chen Qi didn’t rush to bathe. Instead, he went out to call for Aze, who was busy preparing food at that moment.
The house had been regularly cleaned, so there was hardly any dust. Chen Qi took what Aze was holding and pointed towards the direction of the washroom. “The water’s been heated. Go ahead and wash up first.”
“But…” The dish was still only half cooked.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“It’s okay. I’ll take care of the rest.” Chen Qi interrupted, pushing Aze into the washroom without hesitation. “I’ll bring your clothes in. Just get into the tub and relax.”
Looking at the wooden bathroom door that had been shut, Aze smiled. He didn’t insist on going out to continue cooking. Instead, he took off his clothes, rinsed himself with water without using soap, and then stepped into the bath tub. The warm water enveloped him, seeming to wash away all the fatigue accumulated during this time with its comforting warmth.
After Chen Qi came out after helping bring in Aze’s clothes, he found that Ajing had already placed the half-prepared meat and potatoes into a pottery dish, adding slices of ginger and garlic to cook the stew. Next to it, steam was rising from a smaller pottery dish where porridge was simmering.
Chen Qi walked over in surprise, “When did you learn to cook?”
“With as many times as I’ve watched you all cook, I learned it long ago.” During Chen Qi’s absence, Ali had been busy making pottery, teaching people in the tribe how to make clothes, helping with hunting, and tending to two yards full of crops. It was so busy that there wasn’t time to cook every day. Eventually, Ajing took over the cooking duties. Though not as delicious as Ali’s, and unable to handle overly complex dishes, at least the simple meals turned out edible.
Surprised at how much the brat* had grown in just over two months, Chen Qi praised Ajing appreciatively before noticing there was nothing else he needed to do. After a moment’s thought, he grabbed a clean set of casual clothes and headed into the washroom.
*Original characters could’ve literally meant ‘little fart’. Editor wanted to keep it. Proofer wanted tyke. Final choice was as is.
Due to the hot weather, Chen Qi didn’t heat the water too much; once it reached a comfortable temperature, he extinguished the fire, letting the residual warmth of the charcoal heat it gently. By now, there was no steam or smoke inside the room.
Aze quietly lay on the edge of the bath tub, probably due to staying up all night last night and then traveling all day today. Now, warmed by the water, he was starting to feel drowsy, and didn’t even notice when Chen Qi entered.
Chen Qi walked over and gently brushed aside Aze’s bangs, noticing faint dark circles under his eyes. He leaned in close, kissed the corner of Aze’s eye tenderly, feeling a pang of sympathy.
Feeling someone touching him, Aze lifted his head with a slightly dazed expression. “When did you come in?”
Chen Qi reached out and tapped Aze’s forehead, laughing as he scolded, “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to fall asleep while bathing? What if you drown?”
“Sorry.” Aze bowed his head and admitted his mistake sincerely.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Chen Qi wasn’t really blaming him. After setting the clean clothes aside, he started to undress. Aze, still a bit slow to react, asked blankly, “What are you doing?”
“I’m taking a bath,” Chen Qi replied casually. The large tub was originally designed to accommodate two people, so why not make good use of it now?
Aze’s ears turned slightly red, then spread to his neck. He turned his head away, no longer looking at Chen Qi.
Chen Qi chuckled softly, tossing his clothes aside and stepping into the bath tub.
After bathing and having a full meal, the sky had started to darken. Ajing had already moved his belongings back from Ali’s house, and Chen Qi, feeling not quite ready to sleep yet, took a stroll around the yard. He spotted the tall fig tree and remembered the wine they had buried earlier. It should have fermented well by now after all this time.
Chen Qi went into the house and asked Ajing to go next door and call Ali over. After all, Ali had a hand in making the wine, so he deserved to know how it had turned out now too.
Hearing it was time to dig up wine, not only Ali but also Azhang, along with Ayan and Ayu who lived with them, came over. The wall between Ka Luo’s house and Chen Qi’s was thin enough that Ake could hear the commotion and brought Ka Luo and Ayao out as well. They were all curious to see what was happening.
Chen Qi, holding a bone hoe, looked at the crowd gathered around him, feeling slightly speechless. Fortunately, the school next door was unoccupied, or he feared the entire tribe would’ve come running to see what was happening.
Chen Qi first located the wooden board that marked the earliest burial time, pulled it out, and began digging along that spot. Over the two months, the area had grown weeds about an inch tall, and the soil had become somewhat compacted. Needing to be careful not to damage the jar, he dug with caution.
After digging out the jar, Chen Qi felt a bit nervous. It was his first time making fruit wine, and although he had researched the process during previous estate projects, he wasn’t entirely sure if he had followed all the steps correctly.
Opening the seal on the jar, a strange smell wafted out. Chen Qi’s heart thumped and he had a bad feeling.
“Is this wine?” Ka Luo asked, pinching his nose to avoid the smell and, worried that it might bother Ayao, he took a few steps back.
The others made subtle expressions upon smelling the odor.
Chen Qi frowned and didn’t immediately respond to Ka Luo’s question. Instead, he leaned in to take a better whiff. The smell contained a hint of alcohol, but it wasn’t strong. Mixed with the alcohol was a sour note and a faint earthy scent, reminiscent of something that had been left for a long time.
Chen Qi had AZe help him dig out the rest of the jars, and they all had the same strange smell.
Seeing Chen Qi’s troubled expression, Ali asked anxiously, “What’s wrong? Is there something wrong with the wine?”
Chen Qi shook his head. “I’m not sure if there was an issue during the fermentation process or if the burying method was incorrect. It has the smell of wine that is not like wine.”
“Wine that is not like wine?” Ali was confused. What was that?
Chen Qi went back inside and returned with a chopstick. He dipped it into one of the jars and tasted the liquid. Immediately, he spat it out with a “bleh bleh” sound, quickly rinsing his mouth with the tea water that was previously prepared on the wooden table. How to describe it? It was like the taste of a perfectly good jar of wine that had been mixed with a pile of rotten mud water.
The others watched Chen Qi’s actions closely, waiting for him to reveal the outcome.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
Chen Qi looked around at everyone and shrugged. “Sorry, but this wine-making attempt has failed.”
Ali was taken aback. The process of brewing wine seemed simple, but it had taken a significant amount of time. He asked, “Do you know why it failed?”
Chen Qi explained the taste he had experienced to Ali and compared it to the taste of real wine. After hearing Chen Qi’s description, Ake pondered for a moment. “If there’s an earthy taste, could it be that these jars got water inside? Does the wine absolutely need to be buried underground to mature?”
…… Chen Qi replied with a hint of self-blame and bitterness, “No, it doesn’t necessarily have to be buried in the ground.” He won’t tell these people that he had acted impulsively, mimicking what he had seen on TV where people would find a place to dig a hole and bury the wine jars whenever they made wine and then harvested delicious wine after a few years. Could it be that the whole process was wrong, or was it because the ingredients for brewing wine were different? Was there a fundamental difference between wine made from grains and the fruit wine he attempted to brew?
For Chen Qi, who never had a taste for alcohol and at most had only sipped a few beers in the past, he was often teased by colleagues for being a good boy who didn’t smoke or drink. So, at that gathering where he was pulled into drinking more than usual, he ended up getting drunk for the first time in his life, and quite thoroughly at that.
Seeing Chen Qi remain silent, Aze thought he might be upset about the failed wine-making attempt. After all, Chen Qi had always been successful in everything he did. Aze reached out and squeezed Chen Qi’s hand, reassuring him, “I’ll go pick some more fruits tomorrow. We can try making it again then, okay?”
Although Ayan didn’t know what this so-called wine was, he also chimed in, “I’ll help look tomorrow as well. What do the fruits you need look like?”
“This wine is made from grapes.”
“Right now, there should be plenty of grapes in the forest. How many do you need? We can bring them back in a day,”
Seeing everyone trying to comfort him, Chen Qi smiled. “Alright, let’s try again tomorrow. After we succeed next time, I’ll treat you all to some fine wine.”
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: (hides from readers due to guilt from lack of updates)
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomNight73
Proofreader: Yume
Editor stepping into the realm of MTL translating, starting with CLWP. Support this translation with a Ko-fi. Three Ko-fis will add an extra chapter from the stockpile to the next weekly release.
