RPS – Chapter 9 Sweet Potatoes and Purslane

The basket was packed full—sweet potatoes at the bottom, salt stones in the middle, and purslane heaped on top. The whole basket looked like it was about to burst, but luckily, even though it wasn’t the most elegant-looking basket, it held up surprisingly well and didn’t break.

When Nuo saw how much the basket could carry, he was even more eager to learn how to make one himself. The rest of the tribe was also waiting to learn, which made Li Feng feel extremely nervous. Right now, he had only just reached the level where he could weave a basket that wouldn’t fall apart—how was he supposed to teach others? If it were just Nuo, he could let him figure things out on his own, but now he had to teach the whole tribe! His current skills weren’t nearly good enough. It looked like he’d have to wait until Nuo mastered it before passing it on to others. Li Feng still needed to keep refining his technique.

Back at the cave, Nuo followed along, full of curiosity. He was dying to know how Li Feng planned to cook the so-called edible “dirt lumps” and “green grass.” Since Nuo kept pestering him with questions that he couldn’t really explain clearly, Li Feng simply invited him to dinner. After all, Nuo lived alone—his parents had died protecting the tribe from a wild beast. Everyone in the tribe lived in caves. If someone had a family and wanted to live separately, they could find their own space, as long as it wasn’t too far from the tribe, for safety reasons. Those who were underage or alone generally stayed in a large communal cave. But Nuo didn’t like the crowd, so he chose a smaller cave to live by himself.

The baby was already asleep. It was around four in the afternoon—just about time for dinner. They’d eaten fruit in the forest for lunch, so after the long walk, Li Feng was starving. Ever since arriving in this world, he hadn’t had a decent meal. His body was weak. He decided that even if he couldn’t train to be as muscular and toned as Li, he at least wanted to be as healthy as he’d been in his previous life.

Honestly, it was kind of tragic—Li Feng had always wanted to live like a homebody, but he’d never had the time. He was constantly running around just to survive. So even though his small frame wasn’t strong, he had at least been healthy. Not like now—this body was clearly malnourished. Who knew how deficient he was in calcium, iron, zinc, and everything else? Time to improve the diet. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have the strength to do anything, let alone work or train.

Today, the men hadn’t gone hunting. Instead, they escorted the group and helped collect salt and fruit, so there was no meat for dinner. Li Feng had been living in a cave with no door, and it made him feel terribly unsafe. The cave itself was sturdy, sure, but shouldn’t it at least have a door? He hadn’t seen a single person in the tribe with a door on their cave. So, while it was still light and Li was around, Li Feng quickly started gesturing and explaining that he wanted a simple wooden fence door—just something basic.

They would still need to gather branches and wood first, so Li headed off to chop some nearby. Li thought that Feng seemed to have gotten smarter lately. All sorts of strange ideas kept popping into his head—first it was making underwear, then eating salt, then digging up piles of dirt lumps and green leaves. Now he was talking about building a door. Li had no idea where he was getting these ideas from, but honestly, it all seemed like good stuff.

Li Feng had Nuo wash seven or eight sweet potatoes and toss them into a clay pot to boil. He also wrapped a few in wet clay and placed them in the fire to roast. As for the purslane, he handled that himself, making a simple lean meat and purslane soup.

He plucked off the old leaves and roots, chopped everything into small pieces with a stone knife, and cut the meat into small cubes. He rinsed the meat with hot water—this was meat he had cured with salt, so it hadn’t fully absorbed the flavor yet. But it was perfect for today. Everything went into the pot to simmer for an hour or two. A bit of salt was added at the end—there weren’t any other seasonings available here, just salt.

Li Feng and Nuo sat by the fire chatting while they cooked. The sweet potatoes were done quickly, but the purslane soup needed a bit longer. That worked out well—they’d have something warm to drink once their mouths were dry from eating. Li Feng stood at the cave entrance and saw Li busy chopping branches nearby. The tools here were all stone, so it was slow work, but Li had strength and was focused on smaller branches, so he’d already gathered a decent pile. Li Feng figured it was enough and shouted for Li to come back and eat. Only after shouting did he realize how much it sounded like a wife calling her hardworking husband home for dinner. Embarrassed, he quickly looked away and busied himself getting out the bowls and chopsticks… waiting for “hubby” to come eat.

The boiled sweet potatoes were placed in a large clay plate. Since it wasn’t harvest season, they were small—about the size of an adult man’s fist at best, with some as thin as fingers. Then he used a stick to pull the roasted ones out of the fire. They were still scorching hot. Li Feng cracked off the dried clay covering and passed the sweet potatoes from hand to hand to help cool them down while getting used to the heat.

He preferred the roasted ones—they had a fragrant, rich flavor and didn’t get mushy like the boiled ones. He split one open: soft and powdery inside, crystal white with a hint of red at the core. Not only did it look good and smell great, but it also tasted amazing. The sweet, glutinous texture made him almost bite his tongue off.

Nuo had grabbed a boiled sweet potato as soon as it came out of the pot. He didn’t mind the heat, broke it open, and took a bite. It was so hot he couldn’t swallow, fanning his mouth wildly to cool down. Once it wasn’t burning anymore, he quickly chewed and exclaimed, “Mmm, this is really good. Next time I’m digging some up myself!”

After finishing the boiled one, he sniffed the roasted sweet potatoes in Li Feng’s hand. They smelled even better. Unable to resist, he pounced and snatched one—specifically the one Li Feng had just split open but hadn’t eaten yet.

Li Feng rolled his eyes. “There are more right there. Get your own, don’t steal mine!” he said, and when Nuo wasn’t paying attention, he snatched half of it back.

Li walked in to see the two of them fighting over the sweet potatoes. These were the same dirt lumps he’d helped dig up. They really did smell good. After washing his hands, he saw a plate on the table and grabbed one. It was so soft it nearly squished in his hand—he’d expected it to be firm. He took a bite, skin and all. It wasn’t very big; he finished it in just a few bites. Seeing the other two still fighting over the roasted ones on the ground, he quietly grabbed another while they weren’t looking, cracked off the clay, and finished it in a few bites again.

Once Li Feng and Nuo realized it, they hurried to pile all the roasted sweet potatoes beside themselves. There weren’t many left—just three or four. The fire wasn’t large, so they hadn’t roasted that many to begin with. “You eat the boiled ones,” they said in unison, pointing to the sweet potatoes on the table.

The two looked at each other, saw that there were four left, and stopped fighting—two each, and none for Li. Li, helpless but fond, looked at the red-cheeked and lively Feng, then picked up a boiled one from the table. It was delicious too, after all.

Sweet potatoes might be tasty, but you couldn’t eat too many. They filled you up quickly and could cause bloating and indigestion. So it was best to eat in moderation. After the roasted ones, they still had room for some lean meat and purslane soup.

The soup looked beautiful—vibrant green purslane and pale yellow meat. It smelled great too. Li Feng ladled out a bowl for each of them. It was a bit bland with only salt, but if they had some MSG, it would’ve tasted even better. Still, it was light and comforting. Since the meat had been blanched first, there was no unpleasant taste. The purslane’s thick stems and leaves had a nice texture, and the meaty aroma added richness. The three of them ate until they were stuffed.