But those bugs looked vicious. Wouldn't they bite through his intestines? Just thinking about them crawling into his mouth, sliding down his stomach, and wriggling through his guts made him shiver.
Wang Dan stared in pure astonishment. "Holy shit, Jing Shu, you're incredible! Where'd you even find that many bugs? We've been digging through the mud for days trying to find something edible, and we didn't even see a single earthworm!"
Li Dayou gritted his teeth. He was already on the brink of death anyway. Dying one way or another didn't matter now. "Might as well try anything." Turning to his worried teammates, he rasped, "No matter what happens—whether I live or die—you're not allowed to blame Miss Jing Shu. She's doing this to help me."
"Captain, just eat it," Wang Dan urged. "I don't think Jing Shu would joke about something like this. I trust her."
Li Dayou accepted the bowl of writhing bugs. Oddly enough, even though the bowl was full, not a single one tried to crawl out. They just squirmed tightly together, like something invisible was holding them in place. The sight alone made his scalp tingle. He'd never seen bugs like these before—their mandibles were sharp and flat, made for cutting.
"I just… drink it straight?" Li Dayou asked again, his voice trembling.
Jing Shu nodded. "Open your mouth and let them crawl in. Don't bite, no matter what."
Li Dayou swallowed hard, lifted the bowl to his lips, and poured.
The bugs surged forward instantly, crawling over his tongue and wriggling down his throat.
"It itches! It itches so bad!" he gasped, eyes watering, but he didn't dare move. The sensation was unbearable—like a thousand tiny legs scratching every inch of his insides. He endured it until the last bug disappeared. Then he gasped for air and clutched his throat, feeling the unbearable itch spreading to his chest.
It really felt like countless bugs were crawling inside him.
The bugs began their work. Everything that blocked or rotted in his stomach and intestines—soil, sludge, undigested food—they devoured it all. They swarmed downward in order, squeezing one by one through tight passages. Soon, Li Dayou was clutching his belly as it began to quake violently, his body rejecting the foreign invaders.
Cold sweat poured down his face as he groaned, pounding the ground in agony. The onlookers who had thought about trying it themselves instantly gave up that idea.
He was curled up like a woman in labor, gasping through waves of pain.
In truth, Li Dayou could've waited until rescue arrived and seen a doctor for stomach pumping or something, but who knew when that would be? Maybe days, maybe weeks. Could he even last that long? His stomach was so swollen he couldn't eat anymore. Every moment was torture. Jing Shu's method was rough, sure, but it worked fast. Compared to dying, this pain was nothing. She figured he was just experiencing the same suffering every woman faced giving birth—unpleasant, but survivable.
Once everything seemed fine, Jing Shu waved her hand lightly. "Half an hour or so. You'll pass them out after that. I'm going to make dinner."
And just like that, she walked off.
Everyone stared after her with pure awe. Wang Dan especially looked at her as if he was gazing up at some divine being. His admiration had already gone beyond "like a river flowing endlessly"—it was now a boundless ocean.
Jing Shu carried a large box and her backpack, with Xiao Dou the fat chicken following behind, and returned to the kitchen. After locking the door tightly and making sure no one was watching, she finally pulled out some ready-to-eat food she'd made long ago from her Rubik's Cube Space: roasted sirloin, T-bone steak, grilled sausage with beef rolls and enoki mushrooms, and vermicelli scallops.
She tore into them ravenously. The T-bone went to Xiao Dou, and she tossed the chicken a few chunks of meat as well.
Then she downed a big pot of creamy white mushroom soup loaded with melted cheese, followed by apples, bananas, and oranges. Only after that did she exhale in satisfaction, her energy surging back.
God, it had been so long since she'd eaten properly. There was no such thing as privacy here, and everyone was too damn sharp for their own good. She couldn't risk letting anyone see her secret stash.
"Alright, what's next? Something that fills the stomach and tastes good too…" she muttered to herself.
Before long, a faint hotpot aroma began drifting out. Even the people in Gashan Valley, who'd barely filled their stomachs with watery gruel earlier, couldn't help but drool. The scent was light but maddeningly tempting.
"No way," they thought. "Hotpot? At a time like this?"
Auntie Wang carried a freshly baked mud patty up to the ship to report to Wang Dan, only to find the convoy members sitting around a bonfire. The firelight revealed bowls of steaming milk tea in everyone's hands, each one topped with soft, soaked oats. The rich milky aroma and warm sweetness made it impossible to resist.
They sipped carefully, almost afraid it was a dream.
Auntie Wang swallowed hard. She hadn't had milk, let alone milk tea, in years.
Behind them, a newly built earthen stove glowed with heat. She could see, from her angle, several golden-brown flatbreads stuck along its inner wall, sprinkled with fragrant sesame seeds. The smell was enough to make her dizzy with hunger.
Above the bonfire, a large pot was bubbling away. Auntie Wang stared in disbelief. Vegetables—and even meat! The strong aroma of meat and spices was spreading far beyond the ship.
It was really just a simple stew, nothing fancy.
Jing Shu had tossed in some spicy beef jerky, diced spicy rabbit meat, and chunks of ham. The resulting broth turned rich and aromatic. Add in a mix of dried vegetables, and the flavor became irresistible even to her surprise.
Jing Shu handed Li Dayou a bowl of milk tea. "Your stomach's cleared out. Drink more milk tea first. When we eat, start with some flatbread. Eat more vegetables and less meat so your stomach can adjust."
She was genuinely grateful to him. Without such a responsible captain, those seeds she'd worked so hard to save might've been lost.
Li Dayou nodded, embarrassed. His stomach growled loudly—he was starving.
Jing Shu had already told everyone earlier: since they hadn't eaten oily food in a long time, they needed to start slow—milk tea, then flatbread, then stew.
When they finally saw the meal she'd made, everyone agreed it was worth all the suffering.
"Auntie Wang?" Wang Dan called a few times before she snapped out of her daze. Swallowing hard, she said, "This is the mud patty we made following your proportions. It's baked now. Do you think it's alright? If so, we'll keep making them this way."
Wang Dan scratched his head. "I don't know. Let's get Jing Shu to take a look."