Chapter 453 Dote On His Wife
Usually, it was easy to get lost in a jungle, as there was no landmark of any kind. People who lacked a good sense of direction would certainly lose their way.
Fortunately, Gu Mingchen was a sharp-witted man as he made some unique markings on the trees. She asked him what those markings meant, and he explained in detail.
The markings included directions and angles. In other words, he could tell of which direction he was facing or he should be heading to.
Usually, he and his teammates would agree upon a particular set of markings before going on a mission. The meanings and patterns were different each time. As a result, even if the enemy saw them, they wouldn’t be able to read it or get to know their whereabouts.
For instance, the marking he made this time indicates that after heading to the south, he had to change his direction forty-five degrees off the route. There would be mild discrepancies, but that didn’t matter.
The two of them departed at 9:30 a.m. It took them longer to go into the jungle than to come back out, as they were hunting along the way as well.
It was only 2 p.m. when they walked back to the beach.
Gu Mingchen threw away the head and the organs of the wild boar, and Bai Rong weighed the remaining meat. There were still sixty-five kilograms left.
Afterward, the man went to the seaside to wash the meat.
Bai Rong cooked the rice first because she was going to make fried rice with eggs and meat afterward. On their way back, Gu Mingchen barely ate anything other than the few biscuits that she shoved into his hand.
A while later, he came over with the meat and asked, “What are you going to do with the meat? We can’t finish eating them anytime soon.”
“I guess we don’t need to hunt for a long time. This meat can last us through the winter,” she said with a grin.
His lips lifted up at her words. “If you like it, we can stay here for a little longer. I feel that’s better for us.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. Bai Rong enjoyed the unrestrained, carefree, and relaxed lifestyle on the island.
The woman pointed at the ribs. “Let’s have braised pork and pork ribs stew with chestnuts tonight. I’m going to marinate the pork belly and make some ham too. Keep the lean meat here as well. We can look for wild greens in the jungle tomorrow to make some dumplings.”
“Let’s keep an one-week portion of the meat in the fridge and stored the rest in the freezer. We’ll take it out bit by bit when we need it.”
“Okay, but we have to sort them out because different parts can be used to make different dishes. It’s too bad that you threw the head and hocks away.” Bai Rong chuckled with her hand over her lips.
Gu Mingchen cast her a glance, not knowing why she was amused.
“I’ll cut it now. Tell me what are the parts you want to keep for the coming week,” he said.
“Cut a chuck of the leg for me now. I need it for the fried rice later.”
After Bai Rong segregated the meat, Gu Mingchen took them to the fridge on the yacht. Then, he came back with the puppy.
After lunch, the man was about to set out to pick the chestnuts.
Bai Rong checked the time. It was already 3:30 p.m.
“Are the chestnut trees far from here? The sky gets dark quickly after four o’clock during this season,” she asked with a worried look.
The man caressed her head. “It’s just somewhere nearby our house. I got it. Don’t worry, I’ll be back before that.”
Nodding her head, she walked him to the door.
“Lock the door,” he reminded.
With much reluctance, Bai Rong closed the door. Never mind, he’ll be back in two hours.
She went on to marinate the pork belly and mince some meat for dumplings tomorrow.
When she was done, it was already 5:50 p.m., and the sky gradually darkened. Turning on the lights, she walked up the stairs and look outside.
Soon, she saw a figure coming from afar, which looked like Gu Mingchen. Without her knowing, a broad smile spread across her face.
He’s indeed a man of his word. He has never broken a promise.
As he was approaching, she promptly ran downstairs and heard the sound of the first knock. Opening the door, she grinned. “I’m so happy to see you.”
With two sacks in his hands, Gu Mingchen stepped in. His brows knitted together. “It’s getting cool. Why didn’t you put on a jacket? Don’t do this again. You might catch a cold.”
“I have only stood outside for a short while. You saw it too.”
“Even that is not allowed,” he replied while heading to the kitchen. The man then poured all the chestnuts out of a sack.
Bai Rong was surprised when she saw the raw chestnuts. Squatting down, she took one and asked in astonishment, “Is this spiky thing a chestnut? What if it falls from the tree on someone’s head? It might kill the person.”
Gu Mingchen picked one up and cracked it open. There were three dark brown chestnuts in it.
“Wow. They’re really chestnuts and you have picked so many of them.” Bai Rong was amazed.
“The bigger ones are meant for soup or stew, while the smaller ones are sweeter and can be eaten straight away after roasting them. It wasn’t that hard to get them. I only needed to climb up, shake the branches, and picked them up after that.”
“I should’ve gone with you to help you pick them up. That could speed things up.”
The man pinched her nose. “I would be worried if you stood under the tree.”
The woman imagined the scene and suddenly felt that they would look like monkeys. Amused, she giggled. “I’ll peel some of the bigger ones for the stew later.”
“Put on a pair of gloves, so you won’t get pricked,” he urged. Gazing at her delicate hands, he changed his mind. “Forget it. I’ll peel them. Boil the chestnuts, then soak them in cool water. The peeling will be much easier then.”
“Okay. Are you hungry now?”
“It’s only six o’clock now, and I’ve eaten lunch at three, so I’m not hungry. How about you?” he asked.
Shaking her head, she smiled. “I’m not hungry too.”
With that, she went away to boil some water while Gu Mingchen peeled the prickly shells off.
He worked efficiently and finished peeling an entire sack of chestnuts in no time. Without the shells, the quantity appeared to have reduced to only one third of the sack. Even so, there were still a lot of chestnuts.
Now they had sufficient food to stay home for the next few days.
Afterward, he continued peeling the smaller chestnuts, which were half the size of the ones being sold on the market, and a quarter of the size of the bigger ones.
Hence, it was more time-consuming to peel the smaller ones. After boiling the chestnuts, Bai Rong soaked them in cool water. She then helped Gu Mingchen out.
“You need to use a knife to slice the shell open first. Do you know how to do it?” he asked, feeling concerned.
“Of course.”
Yet, he was worried that she might cut herself. “It’s alright. Go ahead and make the braised pork. Let me handle this.”
“I can do it. I promise I’ll be careful. If I ever cut myself again, you can stop me then.” The woman wanted to share his burden.
“Why don’t you prepare the braised pork now? That’s one of your best dishes. It’ll take a long while, isn’t it?” Gu Mingchen questioned.
“Not with the pot we’re using. I just need to add firewood from time to time and let it simmer.” “Aren’t you going to cook pork ribs stew with chestnuts?”
“We have two pots.” “How about the rice?”
“There’re still a lot of leftovers from lunch. I just need to reheat them. Other than that, there’ll be steamed crabs as well.” Gu Mingchen was at a loss for words.
