Dragon, Truly Shameless (Yuri Futa, Farming) - Chapter 9
Long Qing arrived at the back of the mountain. The stream there originated from a clear spring in the mountain gorge. There were no beasts to disturb the peace, and the spring water was clear, sweet, and delicious. After filling the bamboo tubes with water, she went to the edge of the stream and leaped in.
The stream water soaked her body, taking away the summer heat and also the dust and dirt. She swam in the stream, diving and surfacing, full of joy. Dragons were naturally fond of water, and swimming in it allowed them to release their nature to the fullest. After a simple bath, seeing that it was getting late, she put on her clothes and quickly headed back to the dragon cave. Unexpectedly, what greeted her upon returning was a withered Bean Sprout.
The little girl had indeed sat obediently by the fire, watching the heat as she had been told, but she was hugging herself again with the same uneasy movements as when she had just woken up, curled into a ball with her head buried low, her chin almost touching her chest. Her thin and lonely figure was enveloped in the fading light of the setting sun. From Long Qing’s perspective, she looked like a sun-dried, yellowed bean sprout.
What was wrong? She had only left for a moment, but Bean Sprout’s “growth” was getting worse and worse. This seemingly tenacious bean sprout was actually tough on the outside but weak on the inside. She wasn’t that strong; a little carelessness and she would be half-dead.
Long Qing hurriedly walked over. “What’s wrong?”
Shen Qingming raised her head at the sound of her voice. Her thin face was drooping, but she tried hard not to show it, causing her small face to tighten. Her expression was blank, and her delicate eyes, when devoid of emotion, always carried a hint of dullness and gloom, which really didn’t suit her age.
“Are you going to drive me away?” After hesitating for a long time, Shen Qingming finally gritted her teeth. If she was going to be a burden, then she could leave now, although she didn’t know where to go.
Long Qing looked at her, not expecting her to ask such a question. Every time the girl looked at her, she didn’t dare to meet her gaze directly but instead looked down and then up, as she was doing now, with a humble and cautious look. Such an expression was more like begging than asking.
That uncomfortable feeling came from her heart again, so she turned her head away. She didn’t like the pitiful look of the beasts. As the ruler of all things, the dragon was inherently noble above all beasts. For a dragon, pitying the weak was meaningless, and dragons wouldn’t easily feel pity. But for this little girl, she couldn’t bring herself to be cruel, and cruelty wasn’t her intention either.
“I’m not going to drive you away. I don’t want you to work so hard. Actually, you should know that your body is strong on the outside but weak on the inside. If you continue like this, even if you’re lucky enough to recover from your injuries, I’m afraid you won’t live long.” She had already seen the girl’s exhausted body. Having finally saved her, she didn’t want her to repeat the same mistake and waste so much of her dragon saliva.
Hearing this, Shen Qingming suddenly raised her head, her eyes flashing with light. Doubt and shock flickered in her eyes alternately, but anyone could see her surprise at this moment.
“You, I, I’m not tired.” Was Long Qing worried about her? Shen Qingming couldn’t suppress the joy in her heart. In fact, this was the first time in her life that someone had cared about her. Afraid that Long Qing would misunderstand that she wanted to freeload, she explained again, “I’m not tired. I just wanted to reduce your burden. I’ll go back when my injuries get better and won’t be a burden to you.”
Long Qing was embarrassed. What nonsense was this girl thinking?
Looking at the top of the little girl’s head, which only reached her chest, the small hair whorl swayed with the movement of her head, possessing an indescribable attraction. She subconsciously reached out and pressed down, even rubbing it. The dry hair didn’t feel good to the touch and was even prickly. It seemed she really had to hurry up and nourish the girl’s body. “You are not a burden to me. Just rest and recover.”
Shen Qingming stiffened when that hand fell on her head. She kept her head half-lowered, twisting the corner of her clothes, the shy blush creeping up from the corner of her eyes all the way to her ears.
“How is it? Is the venison roasted? I’m a bit hungry,” Long Qing looked at the fire and asked.
Shen Qingming seemed to suddenly come back to her senses, turned around, and rushed towards the fire, looking as if she was being chased by some monstrous flood. Long Qing was also startled by her sudden movement. Looking at her hand outstretched in mid-air, the fluffy head under her palm was gone. She awkwardly retracted her hand.
The venison was indeed roasted. Direct fire roasting not only easily charred the meat but also caused the precious juices in the meat to be completely lost. Meat roasted over fire was often too tough to chew. Therefore, even though fire-roasted meat tasted better than boiled meat, ordinary people chose to add water and boil meat instead of fire roasting. From this, one could guess that Long Qing was probably not skilled in cooking and was indeed likely a noble lady in distress.
Shen Qingming pushed aside the soil mound, and the rich aroma of meat immediately filled the air. Long Qing’s nostrils twitched slightly, and even Ah Hu, who had already eaten his fill of meat, poked his head over curiously.
The banana leaves wrapped around the venison had turned yellowish-brown due to the high temperature and the meat juices, and wisps of hot air were rising from them. Shen Qingming used two branches to take out the scorching hot venison and placed it on a large stone. Unwrapping the banana leaves, both deer legs were roasted to a bright red, the skin cracked and the meat exposed, and the oozing meat juices could be seen from the burst areas, emitting a fragrant aroma.
Long Qing was already hungry. This fresh cooking method was also a first for her. She picked up a deer leg and took a big bite, wincing from the heat.
“Ouch, hiss, it’s hot!” The deer leg was very juicy. Biting down, the meat juices exploded between her teeth, the aroma of the meat accompanied by the scorching temperature sweeping over every taste bud. She inhaled sharply, making hissing sounds.
Shen Qingming couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. This noble lady had outstanding looks and a noble and elegant temperament, yet she looked so silly at the moment.
“Little girl, you really know your stuff. This is indeed much more delicious, tender and fragrant,” Long Qing didn’t skimp on praise. She sat directly on the ground, casually holding a deer leg and gnawing on it.
Shen Qingming was embarrassed by the praise and subtly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as if to hide her shyness. Actually, without any seasoning, it might not even taste as good as when she cooked in the old Shen family. But seeing Long Qing eat so contentedly, her own stomach also rumbled with a series of muffled sounds due to the aroma of the meat.
At this time, the rice was also cooked. She used a piece of hide as a pad to carry the pottery pot to the stone, opened the lid, and the aroma of rice wafted out. The rice was crystal clear and round, like semi-transparent crystals, each grain distinct, looking much better than the rice porridge. Scooping the rice into a bowl, there was still a layer of slightly scorched rice at the bottom of the pot due to the high temperature.
Shen Qingming’s expression brightened with joy. The rice crust was the essence of rice. There was only one layer in a pot, slightly yellow and crispy, something ordinary people used as a snack for children. She carefully scraped out the rice crust and placed it in a bowl.
Long Qing also smelled this aroma and looked over. “What’s this?”
“Rice crust.”
“Rice crust, a strange name. Can it be eaten?” Long Qing examined the yellowed rice grains. Rice could be eaten, so this should also be edible, right?
Shen Qingming looked as if she had heard something unbelievable, her expression suddenly strange. Long Qing had never even seen rice crust? She subconsciously looked up at Long Qing, met Long Qing’s probing gaze, and hurriedly lowered her head again, scolding herself inwardly for daring to look directly at Long Qing after only half a day. She was truly rude.
“Little girl, you really look like a mimosa,” Long Qing leisurely watched the little girl, who had turned into a silly goose again. This girl would secretly look at her when she wasn’t paying attention, and as soon as she looked back, she would immediately shrink away, just like the mimosa growing in the mountains.
Shen Qingming felt the familiar heat climb up her cheeks again. She didn’t know how to respond to these words. This girl looked gentle but was actually quite mischievous.
“It can be eaten. It’s very fragrant and crispy. Do you want to eat some?” To ease the awkwardness, Shen Qingming pushed the bowl containing the rice crust forward.
Long Qing was just teasing her. She picked up a piece of rice crust and put it in her mouth. The rice crust was crispy and chewy, becoming more fragrant as she chewed. She hadn’t expected plain rice to be so fragrant. Because she was a dragon, she usually ate meat. Wild vegetables and fruits were picked from the mountains, and when she wasn’t eating, she would sleep. She had lived for a thousand years, truly living in ignorance.
“It’s quite delicious. You eat too, don’t just look at me. Can’t you eat just by looking at me?” Long Qing swallowed the chewed rice crust and turned her head to see the little girl picking at the rice, occasionally stealing glances at her, not taking any meat or rice crust. So she said jokingly.
As expected, upon hearing this, the little girl lowered her head again. Her already thin and weak body looked even smaller because she was hunching her shoulders.
Long Qing smiled teasingly. “Little girl, you’re still too thin. Eat more. Even a skinny dog isn’t as thin as you.” She tore some meat from the deer leg and put it in her bowl, and also gave her half of the rice crust. During this time, the little girl kept holding her bowl and eating rice, letting the small bowl pile up with meat. This time, not only did she hunch her body, but even her small face turned completely red.
She really was like a mimosa.