Chapter 503 - 337: What Flowers? These Are Wild Potatoes

Chapter 503: Chapter 337: What Flowers? These Are Wild Potatoes

The sudden turn of events completely disrupted their original plans. Lin Chen, acting out of character, didn’t let Jin Meiyan decide where to go. Instead, he gathered a bundle of dry firewood near the den.

Using his military knife, he shaved off the bark, scraped back and forth to create some wood shavings, then combined them with dry moss and thin twigs to build a miniature campfire.

Then he took a fire starter out of his backpack, struck it a few times to create sparks, and quickly lit the tinder.

The fire starter was something he always carried in his backpack. He had it with him last time with Marcia, too. It was his last resort.

If this hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have planned on using it. He wouldn’t have even let Jin Meiyan know he had it.

Once you know there’s a shortcut to making fire, you’re tempted to get lazy.

Finding materials to weave rope on the spot or starting a fire with a hand drill would take too much time. Faced with a small life that could be extinguished at any moment, he couldn’t afford to worry about such things.

He’d gotten a huge discount when he bought this land. Part of the reason was his potential to drive tourism and boost the local economy. But another condition was that he had to fulfill his duty to rescue wildlife and protect the environment.

Otherwise, at the normal price, he wouldn’t have been able to afford such a large piece of land even with several hundred times his current assets.

The flames gradually grew stronger. Some branches that weren’t completely dry burned with a CRACKLE, sending sparks flying out from time to time.

Jin Meiyan sat cross-legged by the campfire, her hands placed over the bulge in her clothes, trying to help the little wolf pup’s body temperature rise faster.

But for some reason, after about ten minutes of this, there was no obvious improvement. The little one’s body was still cold to the touch.

If it weren’t for the occasional twitch, it would have been impossible to tell if it was still alive.

’Is it because my stomach and hands aren’t warm enough?’

It was normal for girls to have cold hands and feet; it was just a physiological trait, and she knew this.

She touched her palm to her cheek and, feeling that there really wasn’t much warmth, immediately took the wolf pup out.

’Where should I put it? Somewhere warmer?’

’My limbs are definitely no good, and my stomach isn’t working... I know, my heart!’

’Yes, it must be warmer around my heart!’

Her eyes lit up. She suddenly remembered how, when she had a fever and went to the hospital to have her temperature taken, one of the places they checked was her armpit, which was right near the heart.

At this thought, she didn’t hesitate. She unzipped her jacket, then pulled open the collar of her T-shirt and tucked the little wolf pup inside, cupping it with her hands to keep it from slipping.

Lin Chen, who had just returned after gathering another bundle of firewood, saw this exact scene. He quickly turned his head aside, afraid he might see something he shouldn’t.

Jin Meiyan was completely unaware that there was anything inappropriate about her actions. Instead, she looked up at Lin Chen with a worried expression.

"Oppa, is there any way to raise its temperature quickly? I feel it trembling nonstop... The poor little thing."

"Uh, just keep doing that for now. I think its temperature isn’t rising because it’s malnourished. The mother wolf has been dead for a day, which means they’ve been hungry for at least a day too."

"Judging from the mother wolf’s size, she was probably malnourished before she died, so her milk wouldn’t have had enough nutrients. And with so many pups to share it, there was bound to be an unlucky one that went hungry."

"I’ll go look around nearby and see if I can find some fruit or other carbs to bring back."

He had a poodle at home, and he was there when it gave birth. Back then, because the mother didn’t have enough milk, he had to mix goat’s milk formula to feed the puppies.

Besides goat’s milk formula, the next best thing was a rice paste. Carbs are sugar, and sugar is the main source of energy for the body and brain. In addition to sustaining daily activity, adrenaline, which helps the body unleash its potential, also relies on a supply of sugar.

As long as he could find something with carbs and make a paste to feed the little one, there was a good chance he could stabilize its vital signs.

He moved quickly, weaving through the forest while his eyes scanned the various plants on the ground. In his mind, he searched for information on root vegetables native to Vancouver Island.

If they were on the main island, he could find plenty of wild edible plants. But this was just a small coastal island, not very large, with limited fresh water. It was unlikely he’d find any common food sources.

Just as he was frantically searching his mental database for information on plants, a patch of wildflowers in a forest clearing not far away caught his eye.

In a forest overgrown with weeds and shrubs, this cluster of small, five-petaled flowers, blooming in white and pale pink, was unusually eye-catching.

’Vancouver Island, five-petaled flowers, white and pink, growing in patches...’

He fed the characteristics into his memory, and the answer surfaced immediately.

"Spring Beauty Grass?!"

After quickly reviewing the properties of Spring Beauty Grass, his eyes lit up. He strode over, squatted down, and began to dig into the ground with his axe.

A few minutes later, he returned to the campfire holding a handful of Spring Beauty Grass, roots and all.

Jin Meiyan, for whom every moment had felt like an eternity, saw him walking back with a handful of pretty wildflowers and frowned slightly.

"Oppa, what did you pick flowers for? They’re very pretty, but is this really the time to be giving me flowers?"

"?"

Lin Chen gave her a strange look, lifted the hand holding the flowers, and used his other hand to point at the spherical, dirt-covered roots at the bottom.

"This is Spring Beauty Grass, a North American species nicknamed ’wild potato.’ See these round bulbs? They’re full of starch and taste slightly sweet. I’m planning to crush them, boil them into a paste, and feed it to the little one."

"As for the flowers on top, they’re not really useful. I was just going to bring them back for you to identify. But since you think they’re pretty, I can teach you how to make a flower crown later."

"W-Wild potatoes?"

Jin Meiyan froze, instantly realizing she had misunderstood. A blush crept up her fair cheeks. She bit her lip, lowered her head, and mumbled a soft "mhm," while berating herself internally.

’Jin Meiyan!’

’What is wrong with you? How could you think Oppa picked flowers specifically for you at a time like this?’

’Why are you so narcissistic and shameless?’

’Just because a few creeps in South Korea harassed you, don’t assume every man is interested in you!’

’We’re recording right now, and there’s a little life waiting to be saved! Can you please stop thinking about such nonsense?’

After scolding herself harshly, she took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.

When Lin Chen returned from a nearby waterfall with a pot of water, she glanced up at him, a little embarrassed.

"Mianae Oppa, I didn’t mean what I said just now..."

"It’s fine, don’t worry about it," Lin Chen said, waving his hand dismissively. He tossed the cleaned Spring Beauty Grass roots into the pot and placed it directly on the red-hot logs.

It was called a pot, but it was really more like a deep mess tin. It was a portable tool designed for outdoor use that could serve as both cookware and tableware. It didn’t take up much space in his backpack and could even be used to carry fruit or small fish and shrimp if needed.

"Confidence is a good thing, and you really are very pretty. You’ve probably been pursued by a lot of men, which is why you have that kind of subconscious reaction."

"How did you know?"

Her jaw dropped in surprise. She never would have thought Lin Chen would pinpoint her exact state of mind with a single sentence.

"Isn’t it normal for a pretty girl to attract a lot of flies? Erica has complained to me about similar troubles. Plus, hitting on people seems pretty common over there in South Korea, and people are very open about dating and ambiguous relationships. And you mentioned something about it before, so I just guessed it might be something like that."

"So that’s how it is..."

To speed up the cooking, he used his military knife to cut the spherical roots in half, and then into quarters.

This would reduce the cooking time by at least sixty percent.

The roots of the Spring Beauty Grass were small, a size smaller than the new potatoes common in Western cuisine. After being cut into quarters, they were about the size of half a jujube.

Over the strong fire, the shallow layer of water began to boil in just two minutes.

Five minutes later, the tip of his knife could easily pierce the ’wild potatoes’.

He picked them out one by one with a pair of twig chopsticks to let them cool, and also moved the mess tin aside to keep it from boiling dry.

The skin of the fully cooked roots peeled off with a light touch, revealing the pale yellow, starch-rich layer inside.

He then tossed the peeled roots back into the mess tin, used the flat of his military knife to crush them against the side bit by bit, making sure there were no large chunks left. Only then did he mix them with the hot water at the bottom.

In no time, a shallow pot of ’mashed potatoes’ was born.

Lin Chen dipped his finger in to taste it. It was exactly as the information described: it had a faint sweetness, a soft and glutinous texture, comparable to a potato, but even a bit sweeter.

"Oppa, can I try some?"

Although this was prepared for the wolf pup, given its palm-sized body and weakened state, this amount of ’mashed potatoes’ was enough for at least two meals. A fingernail-sized taste wouldn’t make a difference.

"Go ahead, no need to be so polite. Be careful, it’s hot. Oh, right, give me the little one. My body temperature is higher."

Jin Meiyan nodded. She carefully reached into her collar and fumbled around for a moment. She had originally intended to pull it straight out, but she suddenly remembered there was a man next to her and quickly changed her mind, taking it out from under the hem of her shirt instead.

When Lin Chen took the little one from her, he had to admit, its body temperature was indeed significantly higher than when he’d first taken it from the den. At least now it felt slightly warm to the touch.

He didn’t tuck it into his clothes like she had. Instead, he just cupped it in his hands and moved closer to the fire.

No matter how high one’s body temperature is, it can’t beat the heat of a fire.

Strangely, as he stared at the pup’s curled-up body, the image of Jin Meiyan pulling open her collar and tucking the little one inside inexplicably appeared in his mind.

’Even though I didn’t see anything I shouldn’t have, just the thought that it was curled up in *that* spot a moment ago, and now it’s curled up in my palm... doesn’t that mean, indirectly...’

’AHEM, don’t think improper thoughts, don’t think improper thoughts!’

He lowered his head, feeling a bit guilty, afraid the girl would notice the strange thought that had just flashed through his mind. He casually picked up the mess tin and dipped his finger in to check the temperature.

Perhaps it was the smell of the food, but the wolf pup miraculously moved. Its tiny, curled-up head stretched toward the mess tin, its little black nose twitching slightly.