Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 103
by Little PandaDrooling with Envy! Honey Lime-Scented Roasted Rabbit Legs
“Heheh.” Liu Yinxi laughed and wiped her dirt-smeared face, beaming. “Sorry, did I startle you? I accidentally took a spill on the way.”
Nan Huaixu had assumed she had just been digging in the mud, but hearing that she had actually fallen, her playful expression vanished instantly. Worried, she asked, “Where’d you fall? Is there any swelling? Let me see, I’ll apply some medicine for you.”
Liu Yinxi quickly said, “I’m fine, really! I landed on some soft mud. No injuries.”
As she spoke, she brought out the prey she had been hiding behind her back, her lips curling into a wide grin. “Teacher Nan, look at this!”
As Liu Yinxi lifted the prey, Nan Huaixu’s eyes went wide. Reflecting in her pupils was a fluffy, gray little animal. “Roasted rabbit legs!”
Liu Yinxi’s voice was just as joyful. “Yes! Exactly! We’re having roasted rabbit tonight!”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” Overjoyed, Nan Huaixu rushed forward and wrapped Liu Yinxi in a big hug. “We finally get to eat roasted rabbit! It’s a dream come true!”
【Wild Rabbit: My name is Roasted Rabbit Leg?】
【Bunny: So I don’t even deserve a proper scientific name?】
【Hahaha, in the eyes of a starving foodie, there are only dish names (laugh-cry)】
【Look how excited our Manman is—she didn’t even care about the dirt before throwing herself into that hug (sigh)】
【Manman finally doesn’t have to eat roasted fish. She hasn’t had roasted rabbit yet, so of course she is excited.】
【Poor Xixi, hurry up and wash your face 0u0】
【Is Xixi really okay? It’s better to give her body a proper check. Sometimes you don’t feel anything immediately after a fall, but your bones will start aching after a few hours or a whole night.】
【So true. Last semester I had this random lumbar pain and couldn’t even squat to use the toilet. The doctor said I threw my back out, but I had no idea when I even hurt it ToT】
【Ah? I thought it was fine, but hearing everyone say this makes me so worried for Xixi! (nervous)】
【Don’t overthink it. When Liu Yinxi returned to the camp, she was walking with a spring in her step. She’s definitely fine.】
【Time for everyone’s favorite 《Survivor》 cooking show again~】
【Following Huang-jie and Yuyu, congratulations to Manman and Xixi on getting to eat rabbit legs.】
【Eat your fill tonight, and greet tomorrow morning’s airdrop in high spirits! (cheering)】
Liu Yinxi held still during Nan Huaixu’s embrace, as Nan Huaixu bounced twice in her excitement.
Liu Yinxi held the rabbit tightly with one hand, while wrapping her other arm lightly around Nan Huaixu’s waist to steady her. “Teacher Nan, let me put the rabbit down first, or it might end up running away.”
“Mhm, right.” Nan Huaixu quickly let go of her and helped her process the rabbit.
Liu Yinxi slaughtered and bled the rabbit. At the exact moment she slit its throat, Nan Huaixu looked away, only turning back afterward to happily watch her skin and butcher the carcass.
Liu Yinxi washed her hands, wiped the dirt from the rabbit’s pelt, and held it out to Nan Huaixu. “Want to feel it?”
Nan Huaixu hesitated for a brief moment before boldly reaching out to stroke the rabbit fur twice.
“How is it? Does the fur feel nice?” Liu Yinxi asked.
Nan Huaixu nodded. “But it’s not as soft as rabbit fur coats.”
Liu Yinxi chuckled. “Of course. This one’s wild. The ones used for fur coats are specifically bred for their fur.”
Liu Yinxi hung the rabbit pelt on a tree branch, planning to store it once it dried. Perhaps it would come in handy later. In a survival situation, she was loath to waste even a single scrap of resources.
Nan Huaixu watched Liu Yinxi thread the rabbit meat onto bamboo skewers for a moment before suddenly standing up. “I almost forgot! I found something this afternoon. It’ll be perfect for the roasted rabbit.”
Liu Yinxi’s gaze followed her, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. “What kind of good stuff?”
“Here.” Nan Huaixu held out a pair of glossy, deep green fruits, one in each hand. “Can we use these?”
Liu Yinxi’s eyes lit up. “Limes! Yes, yes, absolutely! We can make lime-scented roasted rabbit… I’ve got to hurry. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water like crazy.”
Slurp.
Liu Yinxi skewered the two rabbit legs and placed them over the wooden roasting rack. She pulled out her knife, sliced the limes into thin rounds, and set them aside on a banana-leaf platter along with some shredded pandan leaves. “If only we had some honey,” she sighed. “Brushing it over the skin and pairing it with the lime slices… You wouldn’t believe how fragrant that would be.”
Nan Huaixu curled her lips slightly. Keeping a straight face, she fished a tiny glass bottle out of her backpack and placed it in front of Liu Yinxi. “Ahem.”
At the bottom of the little glass bottle settled a thin layer of pale golden syrup.
Liu Yinxi gasped in pleasant surprise. “Honey! Teacher Nan, where did you conjure this from?”
Nan Huaixu said, “There’s still a little bit left. I transferred it into a smaller bottle to carry around, thinking I could mix it with water to drink.”
Right. Teacher Nan had a sweet tooth. Except for when they were chasing down airdrops or traveling long distances, she made sure to drink a cup of honey water almost every day.
Liu Yinxi pushed the small bottle back toward her. “There’s only this much left. You should save it for your drinks.”
Nan Huaixu unscrewed the cap. “Rabbit meat is quite lean, so it’ll taste much better if we brush some honey on it while roasting. Besides, honey-glazed roast meat is way better than just plain honey water. I want to eat it.”
With Nan Huaixu’s blessing, Liu Yinxi felt free to use the honey without holding back. As long as Teacher Nan wanted it, she would make it.
They stoked the firewood inside their stone hearth, adjusting the heat to concentrate the flames directly beneath the roasting rack. They laid the rabbit legs and the rest of the meat flat on the grate, then used a small wooden spoon to scoop out the honey, brushing it evenly over the surface of the rabbit meat so it would slowly absorb the sugar from the honey.
After roasting for a while until the surface was cooked, they flipped the meat, brushed on another layer of honey, and cooked it until it was about seventy to eighty percent done. Then, they sprinkled sea salt and shredded pandan leaves over it before pressing the lime slices onto the meat, allowing the aromatics to infuse under the direct heat of the fire.
Crackle.
Sizzle.
The rabbit meat crackled over the fire, releasing a mouthwatering, savory aroma that made their fingers itch to grab a bite.
Liu Yinxi licked her lips and rubbed her hands together. “Oh my god, this smells incredible. It’s driving me crazy.”
Even Nan Huaixu, who was sick of eating roasted fish, couldn’t help gulping. “I think this smells even better than roast chicken. It’s second only to roast venison on my list of best roasted meats.”
“Haha, you actually have a ranking list?”
“Of course. I actually don’t mind fish, but eating it every single day, every single meal, without many spices… I’ve really grown sick of it. Just about any other kind of meat would make the cut now. Except for rats and bugs—even if some of them taste decent, they are just too gross, so they are disqualified from the ranking.”
“Hahaha! I get it.”
Judging that the rabbit legs were just about done, Liu Yinxi picked up a skewer and used her knife to slice open the crispy skin. Hot, aromatic steam billowed out; it was fully cooked. She carefully removed the skewer, wrapped the bone of the rabbit leg with several layers of wild banana leaves, and handed it to Nan Huaixu. “Here you go, Teacher Nan. Careful, it’s hot.”
Nan Huaixu took the rabbit leg through the leaves. She blew on it several times, gently testing the temperature with her lips. Once it was no longer scalding, she took a bite. As she chewed, her eyes lit up.
Liu Yinxi took down the other rabbit leg. After blowing on it to cool it down, she took a massive bite. Her teeth broke through the crispy skin with a satisfying crunch, and rich, savory meat juices instantly flooded her mouth. The sweetness of the honey, the tartness of the lime, the herbal freshness of the pandan, and the deep, roasted flavor of the rabbit meat intertwined on her taste buds, staging an exquisite feast of flavors.
Liu Yinxi gorged herself, devouring the entire rabbit leg in a matter of moments. She tilted her head back and let out a satisfied burp. “That was so delicious!”
She turned her head to look beside her. Nan Huaixu’s lips were glistening from the juices. Sensing Liu Yinxi’s gaze, she gave a satisfied thumbs-up. “Delicious. It was definitely worth all those days you spent craving it.”
Liu Yinxi grinned and poured a bowl of lime water for Nan Huaixu to cut the grease. She had even steeped a tender piece of wild banana pith1 inside; after eating so much heavy meat, a bit of fresh greenery was perfect for cutting the grease.
They had eaten so well tonight that they didn’t even need to cook any rice, saving their food stores.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the moon and stars gradually climbed into the canopy of the sky.
Full and content, Liu Yinxi lay down inside the shelter with her head pointing outward, watching the stars blink down at her from the heavens.
“When you’re full, you’re happy,” Liu Yinxi mused aloud. “In the wild, I always know exactly why I’m happy or unhappy, because so much of my attention is focused on basic physical sensations. But back in the city, because those basic needs are met so easily at any moment, I’d actually overlook things like hunger, temperature, or sleep. It would lead to negative emotions without me realizing they were just physical issues—I’d just feel this inexplicable irritability and anxiety. If you’re hungry, you’re annoyed; if you don’t eat well, you’re annoyed; if you’re too cold or too hot, you’re annoyed; and if you don’t get enough sleep, you’re annoyed too.”
Liu Yinxi idly shared her current reflections. Having just enjoyed those delicious roasted rabbit legs, her mood felt like flowers in full, overflowing bloom.
Nan Huaixu lay beside her, gazing up at the starry sky as she replied, “You have the ability to fall asleep in a second, and yet you still have times when you don’t get enough sleep?”
“Of course I do,” Liu Yinxi said honestly. “I actually sleep much better out in the wild because I’m exhausted. In the city, I sometimes liked to stay up late—watching shows, reading novels, playing around… Before I knew it, I hadn’t slept enough.”
Nan Huaixu’s eyes curved with amusement. “Who would’ve thought? Even you stay up late.”
“Just occasionally. I can’t stay up for very long anyway. Once I drift off, my phone drops and smacks me right in the nose. It hurts so much.”
“Fortunately, the bridge of your nose didn’t get flattened, so you can still be this beautiful.”
Liu Yinxi froze for a moment, then asked in a soft voice, “Teacher Nan, do you think I’m pretty?”
Nan Huaixu turned her head to look at her before turning back to the starry sky. “Has no one ever told you that you’re pretty?”
“It’s not that…” Liu Yinxi rubbed her nose, for some reason feeling a bit shy inside. “It’s just that when a goddess-level figure like you praises me, I feel quite flattered.”
Nan Huaixu drawled playfully, “Oh—I see. I’ll just have to praise you more often so you get used to it.”
“Huh? Is that how it works?”
“Mm. I don’t often praise people either. My former manager used to advise me to encourage my partners more—saying it helps with both work and life, and builds team cohesion. I’ll start with you.”
Liu Yinxi pursed her lips, obediently lowering her eyes. “Okay… sounds good.”
Nan Huaixu spoke softly and unhurriedly. “Let’s see. You’re the type that grows on people—the more I look, the more I like you. And when you’re focused on the task at hand, your earnest expression is exceptionally charming.”
A slow, involuntary smile spread across Liu Yinxi’s lips. “Oh, oh.”
“You care about your teammates. You’re happy to share your resources with your partners, and you’re just as willing to share your feelings.”
“Mhm.”
“You understand so many of nature’s laws, which makes you incredibly reliable and comforting to be around during this competition…”
The orange campfire swayed gently, casting its warm glow over the two figures deep in conversation.
Amidst the gentle praise and quiet smiles, their bracelets silently updated with a new airdrop notification.
—June 6: Ninth Airdrop—
Time: 7:00 AM
Location: Toa Waterfall
(Are you ready for even fiercer competition? Come on, brave survivors!)
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