PCJ – Chapter 332 Jiaohua Chicken

Luo Changjun prepared a lot of things for this mountain climb. His backpack was stuffed full. Inside, he had two bottles of water and several packs of compressed biscuits. He also brought many other items, looking like a pro in outdoor survival.

In contrast, Zhang Jiaohua only carried a simple backpack. He had a machete clipped to his side, and on his back was a green military-style bag containing a sharp disassembly knife, a disposable gas lighter, an empty green imitation military water bottle, and a packet of seasoning. He brought nothing else.

The high mountain near Meizi’ao might not be the tallest in the Meishan range, but it was imposing and not easy to climb. Starting from Meizi’ao, they had to traverse several mountains over a hundred meters high. The mountain range was continuous, and it took most of the day just to reach the foot of the mountain.

By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, Luo Changjun was already feeling hungry. He called out to Zhang Jiaohua, “Jiaohua, are you tired? Let’s take a break and eat something.”

Luo Changjun took out the two bottles of mineral water and a pack of compressed biscuits and offered them to Zhang Jiaohua.

This mineral water was quite rare and expensive, costing several dollars per bottle. It was said that a truckload of pigs transported from Hunan to Guangdong could be traded for a truckload of mineral water. This showed how valuable mineral water was back then.

Zhang Jiaohua only took the biscuits and didn’t accept the bottle of water.

Suddenly, a Mountain Leopard appeared out of nowhere, holding a struggling wild chicken in its mouth, and wagged its tail as it presented it to Zhang Jiaohua. Fat Cat also emerged from the other side, standing on its hind legs, using its two front paws to grasp a live wild chicken that was flapping its wings desperately.

Zhang Jiaohua quickly slaughtered both wild chickens to drain their blood. Then he went to find a special kind of sticky clay from the foot of the mountain. This was a unique type of pottery clay with strong adhesive properties. Zhang Jiaohua kneaded the clay into a paste and carefully wrapped the wild chickens in it.

Next, he searched the mountains for some dry firewood, selected a wind-sheltered spot, and dug a simple stove with his knife. He placed the two clay bundles on the stove, then lit the fire. The chosen location was relatively sheltered from the wind, ensuring that the fire wouldn’t spread into the mountains and cause a fire disaster. Additionally, the temporary stove he made increased safety.

Luo Changjun stood to the side, watching Zhang Jiaohua do all this. He knew that in the mountains, he was no match for this local expert.

About an hour later, the two clay bundles had dried out. Since this was pottery clay, it had strong adhesive properties. Once burnt dry, it formed hard clumps that tightly encased the feathers of the wild chickens. Zhang Jiaohua knocked open the clay, revealing the fragrant wild chicken meat inside.

The feathers of the wild chickens were completely removed, and Zhang Jiaohua made several cuts in the chicken meat, then sprinkled the prepared seasoning over it.

“Uncle Luo, you should try this,” Zhang Jiaohua handed the prepared wild chicken to Luo Changjun.

Luo Changjun had just eaten a piece of compressed biscuit. Even though he washed it down with some water, the remnants of the biscuit lingered in his mouth. The taste was just okay. Now that he smelled the delicious aroma, his hunger immediately surged. While the biscuits could satisfy hunger, they were nothing compared to the wild chicken.

Not wanting to be polite, Luo Changjun happily took the wild chicken from Zhang Jiaohua, sniffed it, and exclaimed, “Wow, this smells amazing!” The seasoning might not seem impressive on its own, but it was a perfect match for the wild chicken. Luo knew that if he didn’t take a bite soon, he might drool.

Luo Changjun took a big bite.

Gulp!

Luo Changjun looked up and saw Fat Cat staring eagerly at the wild chicken in his hand.

“Uncle Luo, be careful! This guy loves to eat. Don’t let it steal the wild chicken from you,” Zhang Jiaohua quickly warned.

Seeing the gluttonous look on Fat Cat’s face, Luo Changjun couldn’t help but chuckle. The pets that Jiaohua raised were different from others. They always had something special about them. Take Fat Cat, for example; it was more like a chubby little child than a cat. It had a spirit that ordinary animals simply did not possess.

Gulp!

Fat Cat started drooling.

“Here, this is for you,” Luo Changjun tore off a leg from the wild chicken and tossed it to Fat Cat.

Whoosh!

A yellow figure suddenly dashed through the air and snatched the leg of chicken meat mid-flight.

Luo Changjun was startled. Looking closely, he realized it was the Mountain Leopard.

Fat Cat was furious but didn’t dare confront the Mountain Leopard.

“Meow!”

Fat Cat looked pitifully at the Mountain Leopard, who was happily devouring the chicken, then glanced at Luo Changjun, looking as if it might cry.

“Hahaha, don’t worry; you’ll get your share,” Luo Changjun, having learned from the previous encounter, tore off another large piece of wild chicken meat and handed it to Fat Cat. Fat Cat quickly grabbed the chicken meat with its paws and disappeared into the bushes. You should never have a bad heart toward dogs, but you must always be wary of them.

“Hehe, these two guys are really amusing.” Watching the adorable antics of Fat Cat and the Mountain Leopard, Luo Changjun couldn’t help but laugh. Suddenly, he felt something light in his hand; the wild chicken was gone! Turning around, he saw the back of a little monkey. This little rascal again!

“Little Fat Monkey, stop causing trouble! Don’t follow me anymore!” Zhang Jiaohua shouted loudly.

After tasting the sweet rewards at the gardening facility, the little fat monkey became a bit of a troublemaker, often being mischievous there. It often gorged on meat and had become quite chubby, prompting Zhang Jiaohua to call it Little Fat Monkey. He didn’t expect it to follow him into the mountains this time.

After snatching the wild chicken meat, the little fat monkey didn’t hide away to eat alone; instead, it ran over to the Mountain Leopard and Fat Cat, waving its small paws. The Mountain Leopard and Fat Cat, having already finished their chicken meat, looked a bit puzzled as they approached the little fat monkey. To their surprise, the little fat monkey divided the wild chicken into three portions, placing one each in front of the Mountain Leopard, Fat Cat, and itself. Then it grabbed its portion and started eating with big bites.

The Mountain Leopard and Fat Cat were taken aback for a moment but quickly finished their portions. This little fat monkey knew how to bribe the two leaders.

Zhang Jiaohua had already taken out the other wild chicken and seasoned it. “Uncle Luo, don’t worry about them. They won’t go hungry in the mountains. If you spoil them, the gardening facility won’t have peace in the future.” Zhang Jiaohua handed the wild chicken to Luo Changjun.

“This wild chicken weighs two to three kilos. We’ll have enough to eat. Whatever was in our stomachs has already been taken care of by Jiaohua. I tossed it away, and those three guys snatched it immediately.” Luo Changjun broke the wild chicken in half and offered half to Jiaohua.

“I can’t eat that much,” Zhang Jiaohua replied, taking it and cutting off half, then returning the rest to Luo Changjun.

“This wild chicken is so delicious! I’ve never had such fragrant wild chicken meat before. How did you make it?” Luo Changjun asked curiously.

“Didn’t you see how I did it? This clay is very good at completely locking in the chicken’s flavor in the clay, and it can also completely remove the feathers, even the dirt on the wild chicken. The seasoning is quite simple. I collected some fragrant leaves from the mountains and added a bit of fine salt. Just having some salt makes it tasty,” Zhang Jiaohua said, tapping the already dried clay on the ground, which emitted a sound similar to porcelain.

“This Jiaohua Chicken is really delicious,” Luo Changjun smiled.

Zhang Jiaohua had never seen any of the Condor Heroes series and mistakenly thought Luo Changjun had named the wild chicken he prepared after himself.

After both of them filled their stomachs and took a rest, they continued up the mountain. Although the mountain path was difficult, having Zhang Jiaohua as a guide meant they could always find the easiest way. Two hours later, they arrived at the base of a steep cliff. There were no shortcuts now; to get up the mountain, they had to climb from here. The mountain was extremely steep; while it wasn’t a sheer drop, the incline was still quite intimidating. Without a certain level of courage and determination, reaching the summit would be impossible.

“Jiaohua, can you make it up? If not, you can wait for me down here,” Luo Changjun was still a bit worried about Zhang Jiaohua’s safety.

“I’ve been up before,” Zhang Jiaohua replied casually.

“You’ve been up before?” Luo Changjun was surprised.

“Yes,” Zhang Jiaohua nodded, not thinking there was anything impressive about reaching the summit. For him, it was easy.

“Did you go up alone or with someone else?” Luo Changjun found it hard to believe.

“Just me, I went up to collect herbs,” Zhang Jiaohua said, looking at Luo Changjun. “But you should be careful; it’s a bit difficult to climb.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle it.” Luo Changjun was determined.

“Let’s go!” Zhang Jiaohua led the way.

The climb was more difficult than expected. There were many rocks, and as they climbed, the stones would often roll down the mountain. One wrong step could lead to a serious accident.

“Are you okay?” Luo Changjun called out to Zhang Jiaohua behind him.

“I’m fine!” Zhang Jiaohua answered, not worried at all. He seemed to be doing well.

In contrast, Luo Changjun found it increasingly strenuous.

Step by step, they made it up. As they climbed, they were both breathing heavily, but it was a necessary price to pay for the view.

Suddenly, Zhang Jiaohua turned around and said, “Hey, Uncle Luo! Look, there’s a cave over there!”

Luo Changjun was intrigued, looking in the direction Zhang Jiaohua pointed.

“Let’s go check it out!”

“I can’t, I need to rest for a bit.”

“Fine, I’ll take a look. You wait for me here.” Zhang Jiaohua replied and headed toward the cave.

Luo Changjun sat on a rock and watched as Zhang Jiaohua climbed toward the cave.

The cave was surprisingly big, and Zhang Jiaohua was careful as he entered, exploring the inside carefully.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling sound.

“Who’s there?” Zhang Jiaohua shouted, his heart racing.

“Jiaohua, what’s wrong?” Luo Changjun called out from outside the cave.

Zhang Jiaohua stepped back, feeling a sense of danger.

Then, a creature came rushing out of the darkness, and Zhang Jiaohua’s face went pale.

It was a giant bear!

“Uncle Luo, help!” Zhang Jiaohua yelled.

Luo Changjun sprang to his feet and rushed toward the cave.

He didn’t know what would happen, but he had to help Zhang Jiaohua.

Inside, he saw the bear was staring at Zhang Jiaohua, who was frozen in fear.

“Run!” Luo Changjun shouted.

Zhang Jiaohua snapped back to his senses and bolted toward the entrance.

The bear lunged forward but was caught off guard by the sudden movement.

Just as they were about to escape, the bear swiped its paw, narrowly missing Zhang Jiaohua.

They tumbled out of the cave and landed on the ground.

Luo Changjun quickly got up, pulling Zhang Jiaohua to his feet.

“Are you okay?” Luo Changjun asked, panting heavily.

“Yeah, I think so,” Zhang Jiaohua replied, still shaken.

“That was close,” Luo Changjun said, looking back at the cave.

The bear was now standing at the entrance, growling fiercely.

“Uncle Luo, what do we do now?”

Luo Changjun thought for a moment, “We need to find a way to distract it.”

Zhang Jiaohua nodded, trying to think of something.

“Maybe we can throw something?”

“Good idea!”

They quickly searched around for anything they could throw.

Zhang Jiaohua found a rock and threw it as far as he could, making a loud noise.

The bear turned its attention to the sound, allowing them a chance to escape.

“Let’s go!” Luo Changjun urged, and they both ran as fast as they could, not looking back.

After putting some distance between them and the cave, they stopped to catch their breath.

“That was insane!” Zhang Jiaohua exclaimed.

“Yeah, but at least we’re safe,” Luo Changjun replied, relieved.

They shared a laugh, the tension easing as they continued their journey up the mountain.