Chapter 641: Gotta Do It Yourself
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ah Ow had grown very fast and was much stronger. She knew that the little girl was not an enemy, and so didn't use her attacking force to deal with her.
Otherwise, with the combined impact of a wolf's biting and tugging ability, she could have easily dragged the little girl out of the car.
Li Du was afraid that she would frighten the little girl, and so not only gave her orders, but also grabbed hold of Ah Meow and threw him out there. "Go and bring Ah Ow back."
Ah Meow landed deftly on the ground, and then took a leap to the front of the pickup truck. He smacked Ah Ow's head and beat her to the ground as though he were beating a hamster.
Ah Ow was already double the size of Ah Meow. However, the memory of the lesson Ah Meow had taught her when she was young was still fresh, as though it had only happened yesterday. Hence, her attitude toward Ah Meow had always been one of silent resentment.
In fact, if Ah Ow were to fight back, she would be no match for Ah Meow. If a feline were to fight a canine, the latter would have the advantage in terms of both body shape and weight.
After he had beaten Ah Ow off, Ah Meow made his move. He went up to rub his head against the little girl's leg, and then stretched his furry round claw out to fiddle with her hand. He also widened his eyes while meowing gently.
Ivana, who had been frightened, was gradually consoled. Ah Meow bit her skirt and dragged her forward, and so the little girl was slowly dragged in this manner.
After sitting down, she clung on tightly to Ah Meow and hugged the ocelot's neck with all the might she had in her hands.
The ocelot was not accustomed to this, but he sensed the little girl's fear. So he did not struggle, and displayed a rarely-seen gentleness and magnanimity.
Li Du was extremely pleased. He gave Ah Meow a thumbs up. "Well done, Ah Meow. You really deserve to be my eldest son. It's no wonder you're the crown prince—only you could manage this!"
Ah Meow glanced at his plate with a worried look. Don't just talk, hurry up and feed me.
These refreshments had been baked by Sophie throughout the night; she had used cream, flour, sugar, eggs, butter and other quality ingredients. They were more delicious than anything sold in a bakery,
Li Du put an almond egg tart, dried fish, and cookies into his food bowl, and Ah Meow munched on them with delight.
Ah Ow and Crispy Noodles also brought their plates over, but Li Du gave the little gal her portion first—a few pieces of each item.
The little girl held Ah Meow in one arm, and held her snack in the other hand, as she nibbled on it.
Ah Meow gobbled his food up quickly, and after eating, he looked at the little girl with his large eyes.
The little girl would eat half of her snack and then give the other half to him. By the time everything was eaten, his belly was big and round.
Li Du had brought instant coffee, which could not be compared to ground coffee. But as long as there were hot drinks to be enjoyed, what more could one ask for being in the wilderness?
He cut a piece of cream fruitcake for himself, and gave Brother Wolf a piece and left the rest for Godzilla.
Using the knife he always carried with him, Godzilla cut the cake and stuffed a mouthful of cream into his mouth—his face revealed a look of contentment.
The place where Brother Wolf was eating was about six feet away from where they were. It was outside of their small circle, so that his view could be unblocked and he could have a 360-degree view of the surroundings.
At this distance, he was neither too far from nor too near to Li Du. If any problems were to crop up, he would be able to provide protection at once.
In addition, Brother Wolf was someone who seemed reliable. He was able to make people trust him unconsciously. Li Du felt very secure being with him.
After having enough to eat and drink, as well as some rest, he had to get up and continue working.
This time, without further interference from the drone, he could dig out the fire opals he had found to his heart's content.
Godzilla helped out while Brother Wolf had been tasked with security since he had to take care of his daughter. Li Du did not get him to dig for opal.
Brother Wolf had only just joined their small team. The fire opal was a very precious gem. His gains for one afternoon and one night of work could be in the millions, so he needed to be cautious.
Brother Wolf seemed very reliable, but since he had once entertained the thought of kidnapping the tycoon, Li Du felt that he had still better guard against him before he could trust him completely.
Fortunately, Brother Wolf knew his place. He did not go close to Li Du but only maintained vigilance with observing the area to ensure their safety.
At midnight, Li Du wiped his perspiration away and locked the fire opals he had found in the safe in the truck. He didn't count the number of pieces he had gotten, but there were at least forty of them.
This one-hectare sized gravel bank had been searched thoroughly. Compared to before, he had harvested them more quickly, but the numbers were smaller. This was because there were fewer fire opals hidden here.
Li Du was thinking that he would need to move to a different plot the next day. He looked at the time, and then said, "Have a good rest after getting some supper, buddies."
Brother Wolf had already prepared the stove, and his method was quite different from Big Quinn's.
In the afternoon, when he was in the woods in search of things to use for dealing with the drone, he had found many other useful items. He had collected two forked branches which he stuck into the ground. He then placed a fireproof tent pole across the middle, before hanging the pot onto it.
He started the fire underneath, and built a u-shaped wall using stones to keep the fire within. The stove was located on the ground, which gave it good ventilation. As the night breeze swept by, the fire blazed.
He took some lamb, sausages, beans, onion, garlic and other ingredients, and mixed them together in the pot.
When Li Du saw, he asked in surprise, "What is this?"
Brother Wolf said, "Supper."
Alarmed, Li Du asked, "This is supper? A mishmash of things stewed together?"
"No poison in there, I swear."
Resigned, Li Du said, "I believe you when you say there's no poison. But, how will this be delicious?"
A flabbergasted Brother Wolf said, "We're working in the wilderness. Is delicious even necessary?"
Li Du sighed and waved his hand, signaling for him to move aside. He had made the mistake of not bringing Big Quinn along. He had to go into the battlefield personally. Fortunately, he rather enjoyed cooking.
There were mutton and sausages in the pot; both ingredients could be used as the mainstays. After some thought, Li Du said, "Leave it to me. I'll make you a dry garlic lamb, and a pork sausage stew."
Since both the lamb and sausages had already been stewed together with water, they were not suitable to be used for other dishes.
Since the ingredients had been chopped up, the cooking was easy. He poured the water out of the pot, and left the ingredients in there. After he put some water to boil, he went to the pickup truck to pull out an electric frying pan—the car would be used to generate electricity.
After heating the olive oil, he seared the lamb before throwing in the chopped onions, garlic, bay leaf and chili. He had seen some raisins when he was searching for the bay leaf and so he sprinkled some in there too.
After tossing the items about a few times, he put them into the pot for stewing.
Brother Wolf murmured, "That's pretty similar."
Li Du couldn't be bothered to talk to him. After tossing some celery leaves into the pot, he told him, "Watch the fire, it needs vigorous braising."
While the lamb was being braised over there, he started on the sausage stew. The method was similar. Sear the raw sausages first, then stir-fry them with onion, garlic and seasoning, and finally let them braise.
The sausage stew had cooked faster than the lamb stew pot, and was ready to be served within half an hour.
Li Du opened the lid of the pot, and the fragrance wafted out with the hot steam. He gave it a taste, then added white wine and pepper before announcing, "Alright, almost time to eat."