Little Family Treasure of the Apocalyptic Boss

Chapter 7: Life

The little snake sub-beast has nimble hands.

The brought back gray rabbit and rooster are temporarily fenced in with split firewood to create a makeshift pen. Some fresh grass and grass seeds are thrown in, ensuring freshness for tomorrow’s consumption.

The eggs are placed in a jar, lined with soft hay, reserved for use when needed.

The two chickens are bled and plucked, and the rabbit’s intact fur is peeled off.

Beautiful feathers can be crafted into decorations, embellishing the home or for sale, both excellent choices. The fine fur, when collected, can serve as stuffing for dolls and fetch a good price. Not to mention the thick and warm long fur rabbit pelts in winter, whether sewn together with other fur to make quilts or fur coats, or individually made into gloves and scarves, they’ll bring warmth throughout the winter!

The little snake sub-beast sneaks a glance at the beastman’s exposed forearm, carefully treating the flawless rabbit fur. He plans to exchange some fur for a new fur coat when the trading caravan arrives and gift it to the beastman.

After tidying up, the cooking fire is lit with Ye Ze’s assistance.

An Nuo puts the only hen into a clay pot, adds water, and simmers it. When the chicken soup turns into a clear light yellow, releasing rich fat and a strong aroma, he pours in the cleaned Ball Mushrooms and sticky sweet fruits.

The Ball Mushrooms absorb the full fat, and with a gentle squeeze, dewdrop-like soup flows out from the cut, crispy and smooth, carrying the unique fragrance and deliciousness of mushrooms.

The sticky sweet fruits go from milky white to transparent, with a powdery texture like sweet potatoes. With their inherent sweetness and a hint of salt from the chicken soup, they are delicious and not greasy, serving as a staple instead of rice.

A rooster has its innards removed, stuffed with various fresh grass and dry materials acting as spices. It’s coated with salt, wrapped in fragrant banana leaves, and then smeared with a layer of yellow mud with the right dryness. Buried under the simmering fire of the stew, it’s cooked using the heat conducted by the soil.

When the shell is cracked open, a strong aroma immediately wafts out.

Using chopsticks to follow the texture of the chicken, a small opening is torn on the chicken leg. You can see the bubbling hot oil flowing out from the skin and, after absorbing the flavor of the spices, the tender chicken meat with a light tea-colored hue.

With a bite, not only does it not feel greasy, but it also brings a completely different savory taste compared to the lightness of the chicken soup, refreshing the palate and making taste buds dance with joy.

Rabbits are gutted, opened with fragrant twigs by the little snake sub-beast, and placed on the grill.

The surface is brushed with the spicy red juice of the Bitefruit, paired with a little dry fruit powder resembling cumin and pepper.

At first, the smell is pungent and choking, as if producing some earth-shattering dark cuisine. However, gradually, the flavor of the seasoning is completely absorbed by the rabbit meat. Slicing into the crispy and tender grilled meat, putting it into the mouth. The scalding and spicy sensation instantly reminds Ye Ze of the refreshing street skewers from the pre-apocalyptic era.

The only difference is that the seasonings here carry a natural bitterness. Even though it’s not the kind of aftertaste that ruins the texture on a large scale, it’s still quite noticeable to Ye Ze, who has developed a sensitive palate.

Ye Ze tastes each dish and nods in praise to the expectant little snake sub-beast, “Nuo Nuo, you did a great job. I really like everything.”

Ye Ze specifically points at the grilled rabbit that has been attracting the anxious gaze of the little snake sub-beast, “Especially this one. It has a taste I didn’t expect, and it’s delicious.”

“Really?” The little snake sub-beast smiles with his eyes curved, and when the owner isn’t paying attention, the tip of his tail, like a little puppy, perks up and sways, “In the tribe, nobody uses or eats the Bitefruit, and I was worried you wouldn’t be used to this taste.”

However, An Nuo is not very willing to follow the same cooking style as the sub-beastmen and females in the tribe, boiling or roasting all the food together.

Aside from habits developed from living alone, An Nuo also has a feeling: although Ye Zi hasn’t explicitly stated it, he has very high expectations for the quality of life.

Rough and simple food doesn’t suit Ye Zi.

An Nuo hopes to make the food as rich and varied as possible, thus trying out the new flavors he has researched.

Unexpectedly, it really gets Ye Zi’s approval!

The little snake sub-beast hums a song while flipping the grilled rabbit, “The rabbit will be ready soon. Ye Zi can eat the other two first to fill your stomach. Otherwise, eating this for the first time might make your stomach ache. It’s uncomfortable!”

Someone who never eats spicy food on an empty stomach definitely can’t handle chili peppers.

Thinking of how a modern person used to eating chili is being seriously reminded of the use of chili, Ye Ze wants to laugh. But when he thinks about the reason why the little snake sub-beast discovered these things, he can’t laugh at all.

Things that the prosperous tribe doesn’t want to eat…

Ye Ze couldn’t help but reach out, patting the little snake sub-beast’s soft hair. Taking advantage of the little snake sub-beast’s daze, he puts the warm chicken into the little snake sub-beast’s mouth, “Don’t just focus on me; you should eat more too.”

“Boom!”

The snake-shaped steamed buns are probably really about to be ready.

The meal made by the little snake sub-beast was already delicious. Coupled with fresh ingredients, the finished product’s flavor becomes even more wonderful.

Ye Ze ate very satisfied, even feeling a bit sentimental.

News from the plants near the tribe suggests that life in the Black Snake Tribe is not as meticulous.

Encountering the little snake sub-beast is indeed a stroke of luck.

Ye Ze holds the little snake sub-beast, who would be busy after the meal, by his side. Summoning a few vines, he digests the food residues and then rolls up the “pots and pans” for cleaning. It’s easily done.

The little snake sub-beast watches on, envy filling his heart.

This is the first time he has learned that a Beastman’s Beast Power could be so convenient.

However, if Ye Zi continues like this, they’ll soon have to go down the mountain to fetch water.

It’s so tiring. Qaq

The little snake sub-beast suddenly wears a bitter melon face, staring at the damp grass, reluctant. It’s as if his beloved treasure has been taken away.

Like a peacock displaying its strength, letting the little snake sub-beast take a break while the End-of-the-world Overlord is satisfied with his achievements, he looks back and sees the little snake sub-beast’s distressed but restrained expression. Suddenly, thinking of the preciousness of water resources to the little snake sub-beast, the pride in his heart shatters, and he inexplicably feels guilty.

Ye Ze coughs lightly, awkwardly diverting attention to the basic construction around the cave.

The hollow vines encountered today, with a little ability modification, seem suitable as water pipes for irrigation.

Ye Ze devises a plan, and the heart that was beating erratically suddenly stabilizes, gaining confidence. He opens his palm, revealing a few newly grown red berries, “Here. Fruits after the meal.”

The dignified image of the End of the world Overlord has gradually faded away. Now, he looks exactly like a big dog trying to please its owner by carrying a bowl of dog food after making a mistake.

Placed in the Apocalypse, it would probably scare a large number of people.

But in the eyes of the little snake sub-beast… the little snake sub-beast is only focused on the magical off-season fruits.

So, after a satisfying lunch, both man and snake share another simple/abundant berry feast.

Sweet and sour, the taste is superb!

An Nuo ate a lot today under Ye Ze’s feeding, probably the most satisfying meal since he can remember.

The little snake sub-beast touches his round belly and looks at the warm sun overhead. He really wants to lie lazily on the grass and sunbathe.

However, Nuo Nuo is a diligent little snake sub-beast who absolutely won’t slack off!

So, the little snake sub-beast swings his tail, runs into the small warehouse, and brings out a box of hay materials. He sits at the entrance of the cave with his tail curled, starting to work while basking in the sun.

Ye Ze finds his satisfied appearance amusing and closes his eyes to enter cultivation, while his consciousness once again enters the interdimensional trader.

His account has long passed the novice stage. Therefore, even if he wants to use the most basic trading position, he needs points to exchange. Let alone setting up a storefront in the mall space.

Ye Ze puts in some effort in the system space to ripen all the seeds collected today.

Taking the edible ones, he sends some to Jiang Yi Chen to feed the rabbits, keeps some reserved for himself and the little snake sub-beast’s extra meals.

The remaining seeds are all handed over to the system to exchange for points, gaining an initial capital.

Then, he opens three trading positions. The point value that has just risen goes back to near zero, making Ye Ze feel a bit poor again.

Ye Ze takes a glance, roughly understands the situation, and doesn’t pay further attention.

These are necessary investments, and he doesn’t feel particularly distressed about them. Otherwise, he would have to sell that pile of materials to the system at cost, making him nauseous.

Moreover, although he only has the initial trading positions, he is not an initial newcomer. A large amount of reputation points can provide enough quality assurance for his shop. Recovering the current losses is only a matter of time.

On the other hand, there’s another matter that requires careful consideration: What does he want to sell with these three initial positions?

The most convenient choice is undoubtedly beast meat.

The meat in this world has good quality and taste. Although it contains less energy, it excels in being mild and pure. It even surpasses the high-priced advanced warming-type blood meat he bought before.

As long as the reputation is established, there’s no worry about sales.

However, the trouble also lies here.

The meat products in the interdimensional mall are actually in a saturated state. To stand out with the reputation from initial trading positions is too difficult and time-consuming.

He must consider starting from other aspects to attract customers first.

Ye Ze sighed, then wandered around the mall again, checking the information on various goods. He exited the mall.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the excited expression on the little snake sub-beast’s face.

“Ye Zi, Ye Zi, you’re finally awake!” The little snake sub-beast joyfully showed the small bird he received, “This is from Grandma Kanglan passing me a message. The caravan is about to arrive at the tribe, and the goods I prepared can be sold!”

By then, they can exchange for many scarce items not found near the tribe! They can also buy a batch of well-fitting winter equipment for Ye Zi!

Ye Ze’s gaze followed the obedient little bird and landed on the delicate and cute handcrafted items next to the little snake sub-beast. He felt like he had found the answer.