Chapter 1002: Chapter 1001: Little White Rabbit
The skinned and beheaded rabbits didn’t make a sound. Their snow-white bodies appeared and disappeared in the boiling water, exuding the fragrance of scallion and sauce. Another one was roasting over the fire, turning golden and crispy, making one’s mouth water just by looking at it.
"Come and try it, my cooking skills aren’t bad at all."
Having stewed a pot of rabbit soup and roasted rabbit meat, Fang Zheng was clearly brimming with a sense of accomplishment.
He had always loved cooking. He still remembered those childhood days at his grandmother’s house in the countryside, where his favorite task was slaughtering chickens. Pressing down the struggling chicken and hanging it upside down, he would make a swift cut to its throat, watching the blood flow from the wound and the signs of life slowly vanish. Then, he would scald, pluck, gut, and segment the lifeless carcass, before either boiling, stewing, stir-frying, or roasting it, until it transformed into a delicious dish...
That feeling was truly satisfying.
Many winter and summer breaks were spent by Fang Zheng in the countryside, helping his grandmother slaughter chickens, lambs, and geese. He even took a knife to cows and pigs, thoroughly enjoying the process back then.
After all, in this era, with no executioners around, ending a life legally only happened this way.
Sadly, his mother later said that doing such work wasn’t good for preserving his fingers, which could impact his playing, so Fang Zheng had to reluctantly give it up. Otherwise, after graduating college, becoming a butcher might not have been a bad career choice.
Unfortunately, big cities today are all industrialized; chicken, duck, beef, and lamb are all frozen and vacuum-packed, waiting for people to pick them up. Though it’s convenient for most, Fang Zheng missed the thrill and enjoyment of personally selecting a target for slaughter at the poultry market and watching them unknowingly walk towards their fate of death.
Though these two rabbits were small, they were a nice little reminder for Fang Zheng.
And Katie enjoyed the meal very much too.
Despite worrying earlier about the fate of the two rabbits, once she tasted the meat, that concern vanished to the skies. A group of people gathered joyfully around the campfire, drinking soup and eating roasted meat, with a hint of outdoor camping in the air.
"Little Hong’s cooking is really good."
Kurumi finished gnawing a rabbit leg and happily gave Fang Zheng a thumbs-up.
"Looks like we’re in for a treat."
"Of course, and once we’re on the ship, I can make fish for you all too, like fresh fish soup or grilled fish, which I’m quite adept at."
Fang Zheng was also pleased with himself. Compared to the applause at the Vienna music hall, the praise from diners was more to his taste, but unfortunately, Fang Zheng wasn’t a gourmet expert. He was only good at these easy-to-handle simple dishes; if you asked him to do some intricate knife skills or other complicated tasks, that wasn’t Fang Zheng’s expertise.
Of course, if he ended up in some culinary world in the future, Fang Zheng might just pick up a new skill...
What puzzled Fang Zheng was Katie; the young lady was eating so ravenously, as if she hadn’t had meat for a long time, which made him curious. Kurumi noticed this and couldn’t help but tease her.
"Miss Katie, there’s no need to eat so fast; anyone would think you haven’t had meat in ages."
"......"
Upon hearing Kurumi’s comment, Katie shivered slightly, and reluctantly put down her wooden bowl, gazed at her utensils, and took another bite of rabbit meat before replying softly.
"Well, actually, truthfully... it’s been a really long time since I last had meat..."
"Eh?"
Everyone was taken aback, and Kurumi blinked in surprise.
"Are you on a diet? I think your figure is great, you shouldn’t listen to those nonsense diets out there; messing up your body wouldn’t be worth it."
"No, no, it’s not..."
Katie hurriedly waved her hands.
"I..."
At this point, Katie sighed softly.
"I simply... can’t afford it..."
"Eh...?!"
Everyone was even more shocked than before, and Fang Zheng exchanged a meaningful glance with Kurumi, while Kurumi looked like she was about to jump up in surprise.
"Ah, don’t worry!"
Perhaps interpreting their surprise as anxiety, Katie quickly reassured them.
"Though I’m tight on funds, the payment I’ve promised you is completely covered, absolutely enough!! It’s just... I don’t have much money myself, so I save wherever I can..."
"No way, aren’t you the young lady of the merchant association? I thought young ladies like you were quite well-off. The last time I got a commission from a young lady, she ate lavishly, and even invited me to join because she couldn’t finish it."
No, I believe she invited you not because she couldn’t finish it.
Hearing Kurumi’s words, Fang Zheng secretly quipped to himself... Well, he didn’t expect Kurumi to be so popular.
It’s hard to imagine how many girls Kurumi swayed during this time.
"It’s because... some incidents happened..."
Katie revealed a bitter smile and curled up against the side of the wagon. Perhaps because Kurumi and Fang Zheng’s group was willing to accompany her through thick and thin, the young lady was no longer as distant as she initially was.
"The current situation of the Holy Silver Merchant Association isn’t good... Moreover... we have quite a debt... If we can successfully deliver the goods this time, it might ease the situation a bit..."
Upon hearing Katie, Kurumi had nothing left to say. They couldn’t comprehend business management issues, but it was clear that the Holy Silver Merchant Association was in tough times. Since even Katie, the young lady, had to live so frugally, she couldn’t even afford to hire escorts... No, it’s not just a matter of frugality.
Fang Zheng remembered that when he first accompanied them on a mission, the young lady confided that her time at the Holy Silver Merchant Association wasn’t pleasant. It seemed the situation hadn’t improved.
After the meal, they rested on the spot. Initially, Katie felt a bit uneasy, but after a full meal, she, being young, soon yawned and drifted off to sleep. Fang Zheng watched as Kurumi carried Katie onto the wagon and then tugged at Kurumi.
"Once we reach Silver City, investigate Katie’s situation."
"Do you know her, Master?"
"Yes, we worked on a mission together in the past. The little girl’s situation wasn’t good back then, and it seems to have deteriorated. Since we’ll be acting in Silver City anyway, handling some issues early won’t hurt."
"Understood, I will look into it."
And so, a night passed.
Because that unfortunate and pitiful Necromancer was directly dealt with by Kurumi, they didn’t encounter any danger all night, and early the next morning, they continued on their journey and finally reached Gray Whale Harbor just in time.
However, to their surprise, they were stopped shortly after arriving at Gray Whale Harbor.