Thud—!

  Setting down the last bundle of firewood he had carried back, Chu Yuan sat down on the straw mat, panting heavily.

  It was truly exhausting. Carrying wood back and forth, combined with the physical exertion of chopping trees—his weak physique felt dizzy, cold sweats breaking out, low blood sugar, an elevated heart rate, and his arm muscles were limp and aching.

  Truly a full stack of debuffs.

  Fortunately, the results were not too bad. He had obtained a total of 4 units of wood (including the previous ones), which converted into 80 small firewood sticks.

  Don't look at 4 units of wood as a small amount; he had to chop three other trees to get that, and woodcutting is an incredibly labor-intensive task. Coupled with the fact that Chu Yuan’s stomach was empty this morning, doing this much was thanks to his past self-discipline; if someone else were put to the task, they might not have achieved as much.

  Well, perhaps someone else would have surpassed him.

  After resting for about 30 minutes, Chu Yuan began to stand up. Although still very sluggish, he felt much better than a moment ago.

  Carefully holding the hanging pot, which was nearly half full, and taking it into the thatched hut, Chu Yuan took out three support stands from the chest. He carefully positioned them to ensure they were steady, then used an iron wire to hook the pot handle, hanging it up before lighting the fire to boil water.

  Water collected from the mist was freezing cold. If drunk directly, besides the risk of stomach ache, there were risks of sore throat, coughing, bacterial infections... and so on.

  “Better to eat cooked and drink boiled!”

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  Chu Yuan exhaled a breath of turbid air and took a potato out of the chest. It was about the size of a fist, the yellowish-brown rough skin still had streaks of dry, grey dirt clinging to it.

  When Chu Yuan used his fingers to rub it, the patches of dirt crumbled away, revealing a thin, slightly wrinkled skin but full of starch inside. Amidst the damp mist, the potato was as cold as a stone, but in the eyes of a man fainting from hunger, it was more attractive than any delicacy.

  Chu Yuan used his old axe to gently poke the burning firewood, creating a pit of glowing red ash in the center. The potato was buried deep within the warm embers.

  Under the effect of heat, the moisture inside the potato began to boil, making tiny sizzling sounds. The outer shell gradually scorched, emitting a sweet, rich aroma characteristic of roasted starch.

  That scent drifted through the thin smoke, through the dense mist, hitting Chu Yuan's nostrils directly, making him swallow hard while his stomach growled loudly from hunger.

  Chu Yuan sat waiting while using a small stick to turn the potato back and forth to get it evenly roasted, avoiding being charred.

  ... ...

  A long time later.

  In the forest space covered by dense mist, the surroundings were unusually quiet; only occasionally were there a few bird songs and the sounds of insects.

  At the secluded thatched hut, amidst the cold mist, a young man was busily working to keep the fire stable.

  The sound of boiling water thumping against the metal pot wall made gentle clanging rhythms as the pot swayed slightly on its hanging chain.

  Using the axe blade to slightly pry open the lid, one could see steam billowing up. Inside were thousands of bubbles, large and small, competing to burst, creating endless waves crashing into each other. The water vapor rose thickly, white as if wanting to merge with the heavy mist.

  Clang!

  Gently closing the lid, Chu Yuan used two sticks from two directions to thread through the pot handle. He gingerly lifted it inch by inch, then walked carefully to place the hanging pot outside in the cold mist to let it cool down.

  “Just right, it’s done, it’s done!”

  Exhaling a breath of hot air, Chu Yuan rubbed his hands and took a wooden stick to rake out the roasted potato.

  It was blackened, the charred outer skin slightly cracked. Chu Yuan used the stick to lightly roll it back and forth, while at the same time blowing on it so the potato would cool down quickly.

  A moment later, feeling that the temperature of the potato would probably not cause burns, Chu Yuan picked it up—it still felt very hot. Thus, he used his somewhat rough hands to rotate the potato back and forth while continuing to blow.

  “Settled!”

  Feeling he could start eating, Chu Yuan began to peel off the charred skin, revealing the snow-white, fluffy potato flesh inside, with white steam rising.

  Gently taking a small bite, a light sweetness spread on the tip of the tongue. The heat of the potato piece felt like an electric current running straight down to his stomach, soothing his hunger pangs.

  “Sugoi!”

  “Kimochi~”

  Chu Yuan couldn't help but praise it. Truly, when hungry, anything tastes delicious. Besides, Chu Yuan can eat anything and isn't picky, except for durian.

  Chu Yuan is a person with very strong adaptability and executive power; it seems the living environment created such a personality for him. What he is lazy about, he will be very lazy, but what he is truly determined about, he does very seriously, no slacking. However, if there is a temptation too great in the middle, he will almost stop, give up, and only start again a long time later.