Huffing and puffing, Ji Nuan managed to catch a few more wild chickens, and to her pleasant surprise, she even discovered a type of cumin fruit. The fruit had a gray outer shell, and once opened, black seeds similar to those of a papaya were revealed, surprisingly emitting a strong cumin aroma.
Gazing at the cumin trees laden with fruit, a broad grin inevitably spread across Ji Nuan's face; she was ecstatic. She planned to pick all the fruits to take home, dry them, grind them into powder, and store them for later use.
With a reluctant wave to the cumin trees, Ji Nuan set off back towards the tribe.
…
"Oh, my goodness! So exhausted! Even though I'm an orc, this body of mine is terribly weak," she moaned.
Ji Nuan massaged her aching arms and shoulders, feeling helplessly fatigued.
She desperately wanted to just lie down right there and sleep, but glancing at the things she had brought back, Ji Nuan steeled her resolve and made her way to the basket. She took out the wild chickens and the pig leg and set them aside, and then carried out a large stone from the Food Storage Cave.
She had discovered this stone during a trip to the riverside. One side of it had been smoothed out from being washed by the river waters over a long period, creating a deep indentation, perfect to serve as a cooking pot. It had been an unexpected joy to have found it.
"La La La~ Sun Planting~ La La La~ Sun Planting, La La La La La~ Huh! Huh! Huh!"
Happily wagging her fluffy tail, Ji Nuan felt particularly upbeat today because she had enough food.
Carrying the pig leg and wild chickens, Ji Nuan hummed her way to the tribe's small riverbank to prepare her food.
Since it was just after midday, there were hardly any people at the river. Everyone was out hunting and gathering. There was no one like Ji Nuan who returned this early.
After an arduous cleaning process, looking at the ghastly sight of the butchered pig leg and wild chickens, even Ji Nuan couldn't help but grimace. They were horribly disfigured. Without sharp claws, all she could do was scrape with a stone knife, thankful enough to have been able to skin the animals.
Well, what did appearances matter anyway? Tasty meat was the important thing. Steeling herself against the unsightly image, she carried her butchered prey back to the cave.
The Food Storage Cave housed a makeshift stove she had built. Ji Nuan squatted down and using prepared logs and kindling, began her first attempt at wood fire creation since her adventure began.
A little over an hour later, with her palms red and sore from friction, a small flame finally flickered to life under Ji Nuan's delighted gaze.
She carefully added the gathered firewood, and with the added fuel, the fire crackled to life. The dimly lit Food Storage Cave was bathed in the warm and bright glow of the fire.
Ji Nuan carefully sliced the few fruits she had gathered into small pieces with sharp rocks. The male orcs had sharp claws to tear their prey apart, while the females waited politely for the males to feed them.
So, poor Ji Nuan had to make do with sharp stones she found as knives. She stuffed the mashed fruit inside the wild chickens, wrapped them in large leaves, smeared the outside with a layer of clay, and buried it in the fire pit.
Voila, she had improvised the "Beggar's Chicken"
Having washed her muddy lean claws clean, Ji Nuan picked up a burning tree branch from the fire, lit the wood pile under the makeshift stove, and with great caution, mounted the thoroughly washed stone pot on top.
Her slender body was weak and frail, so Ji Nuan decided to prepare some chicken soup for herself. Also, boiled meat was generally tender and easily digestible.
She sighed at the lack of salt. From her memory, there was nothing like salt in this world. Every once in a while, the orcs worked together to catch a live wild animal and bring it back to the tribe. The fresh blood would then be shared among the tribe members to replenish their energy.