Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains 164
Chapter 164
“Is it burnt?” Azhang hurriedly flipped over all the roasted meat on the iron plate from left to right, and sure enough, two slices already had edges that had turned black.
“You haven’t brushed on the sauce yet,” Ali reminded lazily.
Azhang picked up a small brush and turned to look at the five or six kinds of sauces he had just brought over. He had no idea how Chen Qi managed to come up with so many different flavors—salty, sweet, sour, spicy—enough to satisfy everyone’s tastes. After hesitating for a bit, Azhang asked, “What flavor do you want today?”
Ali rested his chin in his hand, tilting his head thoughtfully, as though facing a tough decision. Finally, he said tentatively, “I want to try all of them.”
“Then I’ll make one with each for you.”
“Alright.” Ali smiled as he watched Azhang carefully brush sauce over each piece of meat.
In the end, most of what Azhang grilled turned out either burnt and tough or unevenly seasoned—too strong or too bland—but Ali still ate every bit of it without leaving a crumb.
Ajing sat on a short wooden stool in the corner, holding a wooden plate filled with food that Chen Qi had grilled for him—some meat, some vegetables—all giving off an appetizing aroma. Yet he didn’t start eating right away. Instead, he sat quietly, as if waiting for something.
Beside him, on another short stool, sat a second wooden plate, also full of food. There was more meat than vegetables, and the grilled fish had been carefully deboned. Though the plating wasn’t exactly neat, it was clear that whoever prepared it had put some thought and care into it.
A few minutes later, the little wolf cub trotted through the crowd, a wooden food box clamped in its mouth. Ajing set down his plate, smoothly took the box, and opened the lid—inside were two steaming baked sweet potatoes.
“You want to eat this first?”
“Awoo.”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“Alright then.” Ajing fetched a clean plate, peeled both sweet potatoes, and set them on it before placing the plate in front of the little wolf cub. Only then did he pick up his own plate and begin eating.
The little wolf cub tilted its head, took a few steps forward, and tugged at Ajing’s trouser leg. Ajing looked up, questioning it with his eyes.
The little wolf cub glanced at the sweet potatoes in front of it, then back at Ajing.
Ajing bent down, moved one peeled sweet potato onto his own plate. The cub blinked, gave a soft “awoo,” and finally began to eat, occasionally looking up at Ajing between bites. Its ears twitched, alert to the sounds around them.
“Ake, bring Ayao over,” Ka Luo called out to Ake from afar as he prepared food for the little one.
Ayao wasn’t even a year old yet, so he couldn’t eat grilled food. Ka Luo had to make porridge for him by adding mashed meat and finely chopped vegetables to rice berries. Chen Qi’s cake, however, was fine—Ayao loved it. After finishing a big piece and filling his little belly, he ran wildly around the courtyard. At first, Ka Luo worried he might fall or bump into something and chased after him closely. But the boy was too full of energy and darted around so fast that Ka Luo couldn’t keep up. In the end, he could only hand Ayao over to Ake and hurry off to prepare food for the two of them.
Ake was holding Ayao in place by the collar on the back of his clothes with just one finger, letting the little one flail and bounce without actually going anywhere. Ayao’s big eyes began to glisten with unshed tears.
His gaze darted around until it landed on a familiar sight nearby—a person and a wolf quietly eating together. His eyes lit up, and he waved his little arms excitedly, calling out in a soft, sticky voice, “Wolf wolf! Wolf wolf! Jing Jing!”
The little wolf cub perked up at the sound of Ayao’s voice, bared its teeth in his direction, and Ayao froze mid-movement. The tears that had threatened earlier welled up for real this time, and his lips trembled. When the little wolf cub saw that he had stopped calling their names, it happily lowered its head again to continue eating.
Hearing Ka Luo’s call, Ake turned Ayao’s face toward him by the collar. Seeing the moisture gathering in the boy’s eyes, he frowned, raised his hand, and gave Ayao’s forehead a light flick. With a serious face, he said, “You’re a female—how can you cry so easily?”
Startled by Ake’s stern look, Ayao’s small body trembled, and he dared not make a sound. But the moment Ake let him go, he burst into tears and ran toward Ka Luo, crying “Father! Father!” as if a whole pack of hyena-drakes were chasing him from behind.
Ake could only watch, dark lines of exasperation forming on his forehead, as his son darted nimbly through the crowd and dove straight into Ka Luo’s arms. He turned back to glare at the little wolf cub, while Ajing stuck out his tongue at Ake apologetically, then tapped the cub lightly on the head in token punishment. As a result, this time it was the little wolf cub’s turn to droop his ears, his tail hung low in grievance, and he refused to eat, lying pitifully on the ground. In the end, Ajing had to feed him spoon by spoon before the little guy finally perked up again.
After returning to his partner’s side, Ake rolled up his sleeves and took the things from Ka Luo’s hands. “I’ll take care of the rest.”
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
“No need—you should feed Ayao instead.” Ka Luo handed both their son and the bowl of meat porridge meant for him into Ake’s arms, then turned back to work.
Ake’s cooking wasn’t terrible, though it couldn’t compare to Ka Luo’s. But after tasting Ake’s cooking once, Ka Luo had firmly forbidden him from touching food again—he simply couldn’t bear to see a dish that could have been delicious suddenly drop two or three grades.
Scratching his head awkwardly, Ake took his son and stood quietly to one side, waiting for his mate to finish and feed them.
Some of the females in Qi Ze City still only knew how to roast meat. Without families or mates, they usually ate alone, hastily settling their meals without bothering to explore more complex cooking methods.
As for the newly arrived beastmen, most of them had likely eaten nothing but bitter-tasting roasted meat before coming here. It was only after joining Qi Ze City that they realized how many different flavors could be made from the same ingredients. Since they no longer needed to go hunting, they spent much of their time learning new skills from the older females—cooking being one of them.
At that moment, the newcomers watched the Qi Ze City females burning meat to a crisp, and it was unclear who lost patience first. One of them rushed forward to help, then others followed suit. By the time Chen Qi and Aze returned from the cellar carrying the jars of wine that had been aging for months, the courtyard was already lively and noisy, filled with beastmen gathered in small groups eating together.
Now and then, a male would be surrounded by a group of females eagerly learning how to grill meat on an iron plate. The moment the meat hit the hot metal, it sizzled loudly, and when he brushed it with sauce, the rich aroma spread all around. Those watching couldn’t help but swallow hungrily, eyes fixed on his every move, just waiting for a piece to be cooked so they could have a bite.
Chen Qi opened the seals of two wine jars and placed them on the table. Ahxu, who couldn’t handle more than one cup, didn’t like drinking anyway. After finishing his meal, he packed a bamboo flask of wine and several boxes of grilled food and went to deliver supper to the guards on night duty at the watchtower by the city gate.
Knowing Ahxu would be staying on the wall and not come back, Aze gave him the two pieces of cake he had specially set aside earlier.
Ahxu smiled and patted Aze on the shoulder. “Happy birthday.”
“Thank you.”
The other beastmen who enjoyed drinking didn’t stand on ceremony—Ale was the first to run over and pour a cup of wine for Ye Huo.
Crossing to Live in the Wilderness Plains (CLWP) is translated by Betwixted Translations. The site you’re reading this chapter on stole our translation.
The mood was cheerful and easygoing. Chen Qi sat at the wooden table beneath the fig tree, while Aze came over carrying two large steaming dishes. Chen Qi accepted them with a smile. “Where did you get these? You came back so quickly.”
“Ka Luo made them. Try it.” Aze had originally planned to stop by Ali’s place, but upon seeing Azhang at the stove, he immediately turned back instead.
“You took Ka Luo’s food? Ake didn’t catch you and start a fight?” Chen Qi handed Aze a clean pair of chopsticks, teasingly shifting to make space for him.
“He can’t beat me.” Aze paused, then added, “Besides, Ka Luo gave it to me on his own initiative.”
He and Ake had fought countless times since they were young. In the beginning, their matches were even, but somewhere along the line, Ake stopped winning altogether. Though it had been years since their last fight, Aze still couldn’t allow himself to lose—especially in front of his mate.
Seeing the faintly smug expression between Aze’s brows, Chen Qi couldn’t help but laugh helplessly.
Although Chen Qi had prepared a great deal of food, it was all gone within two hours. Everyone was in high spirits, and even after the meal, no one wanted to leave so soon. They gathered to chat, but the beastmen’s lives were so monotonous that there was little new to talk about—aside from the recent dragon attacks, which the whole tribe already knew about, so there was really nothing much else to say.
So Chen Qi began to tell them the story of the Three Kingdoms. The tale stretched long, from the rise of young heroes to the time when three powers stood in balance. He was still speaking when something cold and damp fell onto his nose, and he paused.
Seeing that Chen Qi had stopped, Ka Luo couldn’t help but ask, “Chen Qi, why aren’t you continuing? What happened next?”
Chen Qi didn’t answer. He lifted his head, watching another glimmering flake fall onto his face, and murmured, “Winter has come.”
Everyone snapped out of the story and looked up. At the stroke of midnight, snow began to fall right on cue. As silence fell, the world seemed hushed—so quiet that even the breathing and heartbeats of those nearby could be heard.
“Since winter’s here, let’s call it a night,” Azhang said.
Aze nodded. After tidying up the courtyard, everyone left. When the last one, Azhang, gently closed the gate, snow had already dusted the ground in mottled white, each step leaving a clear footprint.
“Let’s go back inside. It’ll get colder soon.”
“Alright.”
“Chen Qi,” Aze said, taking hold of his wrist.
“En? What is it?”
“Thank you—for making me feel that it’s truly wonderful to have been born into this world.”
Chen Qi smiled, the candlelight beside him softening his gaze. “Me too. It’s wonderful that I could come to this world.”
Words from the Translation Crew
Miiya: 1 of 3 for the week.
Translator: Miiya
Editor: MushroomKnight73
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.
