Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 53
by Little PandaHoney-Roasted Chicken Legs and Wings
Although the pitfall trap had been triggered, there was no prey inside—only a few scattered feathers.
Nan Huaixu silently cleared away the scattered branches and fallen leaves around the pit.
Liu Yinxi crouched down, pressed a hand against the branches Nan Huaixu had arranged, and pointed at several wooden spikes inside the dirt pit. “Teacher Nan, there’s blood on those. Do you see it?”
As she spoke, she used a wooden stick to sweep aside the feathers and leaves at the bottom of the pit, fully exposing the spikes.
Nan Huaixu followed the direction she was pointing. Without the debris obstructing her vision, the red bloodstains on the sharp wooden spikes were exceptionally striking.
Nan Huaixu put down the branch in her hand and looked at Liu Yinxi. Hope rekindled in her eyes.
“Birds are light and can fly, so they generally won’t trigger a pitfall trap,” Liu Yinxi said. “The fact that this prey fell in and got hurt proves it’s a heavy, clumsy bird that isn’t good at flying. The feathers in the pit are relatively dry, and since it rained today, it means the bird was hiding somewhere out of the rain and only came out to forage after it stopped. It’s injured and exhausted all its strength flying out of the trap, plus the rain only stopped a short while ago. It definitely couldn’t have gone far. Let’s search nearby.”
“Okay,” Nan Huaixu immediately agreed. “Yes, it’s injured. It won’t get far.”
Liu Yinxi circled the trap to inspect the area and found dried blood spots on a patch of grass. She quickly called Nan Huaixu over, and they tracked the prey’s trail using the blood spots.
They followed the trail through the grass for about twenty minutes, pushing into a patch of shrubs. Caught in a crevice between a large rock and a tangle of tree roots, they found a dying wild jungle fowl. It had a small comb and mostly grayish-brown feathers. It was a subadult hen.
Nan Huaixu bent over, parted the grass and vines, grabbed the fowl by the feet, and lifted it up.
Liu Yinxi hurried to help her grab the wings. “Careful.”
The moment Nan Huaixu lifted it, the seemingly dead, feathered beast experienced a sudden burst of life1 and flapped its wings wildly. Had Liu Yinxi been half a second slower, the fowl’s claws would have slashed open Nan Huaixu’s wrist. The consequences would have been unthinkable.
Liu Yinxi swiftly bound its claws and wings with a vine rope. Nan Huaixu, startled by the violently struggling bird, retreated behind Liu Yinxi so as not to get in the way of her handling the prey.
“Wild animals are all like this. Even if death is certain, they won’t give up fighting back at the very last moment. This is a creature’s instinct to survive,” Liu Yinxi said slowly, her voice gentle.
Nan Huaixu took a deep breath. “I see that now. It was covered in blood, lying there completely motionless. I didn’t expect it to still have that much strength.”
“Sorry, I should have stopped you in time.”
“Why are you apologizing? If you hadn’t caught it in time, it would have pecked my eyes blind.”
Liu Yinxi finished tying up the fowl, held it by the wings, and used a grass rope to bind its beak.
Nan Huaixu stared into the wild fowl’s small, pitch-black eyes for a moment, reading an unyielding stubbornness in the gaze of the speechless beast.
It still seemed to be looking for a chance to escape.
Liu Yinxi had said that nature never gave life away for free; once you were born into this world, you had to fight for everything yourself.
To snatch, to seize, to risk your life.
Only life could be exchanged for life.
Freedom was the same.
Love was the same.
Nan Huaixu touched her face—as if there were dust there she wanted to brush away.
At this moment, Nan Huaixu suddenly realized that her behavior over the past few days had been incredibly narrow-minded and foolish.
If even a wild fowl knew not to give up on survival when cornered, how could she lose her fighting spirit just because a fish trap broke and their meat supply ran short? As a human, self-proclaimed as the most intelligent of creatures, she couldn’t even grasp this simple truth. She had to rely on her teammate to coax her, using emergency rations to provide her with emotional value.
And what had she done for this team? What had she done for Liu Yinxi?
Nan Huaixu lowered her head. Lately, she had been restless.
Her mood was constantly swayed by Liu Yinxi. At first, she didn’t dig too deeply into it, but later, she found herself increasingly touched by Liu Yinxi.
No one had ever been able to acutely perceive her emotions quite like Liu Yinxi—to stand by her side, think for her, and speak up for her.
And Liu Yinxi was doing all this while stranded in the wilderness, unable to even feed herself, yet still taking care of another person’s emotions and bearing another person’s survival pressure.
This was completely unlike the transactional exchanges of favors she was accustomed to. Liu Yinxi wasn’t protecting her because she wanted something in return; it was simply because Liu Yinxi was a fundamentally capable and responsible person.
—Even when the irresistible force of the river tore through the insufficiently sturdy fish trap, an unavoidable event that wasn’t her fault at all, Liu Yinxi’s first reaction wasn’t to complain or shirk responsibility. Instead, she acknowledged her companion’s efforts, reflected on her own shortcomings, proposed better solutions, encouraged her teammate, and shouldered the hardship to move forward together.
Nan Huaixu thought for a long time, wrestling with her own thoughts. She had to admit: she approved of Liu Yinxi. She admired Liu Yinxi.
Not because Liu Yinxi took care of her and treated her well, but because Liu Yinxi herself was a person worthy of it.
She couldn’t imagine what kind of trauma the past Liu Yinxi had endured to survive that dual crucible of emotion and life, to achieve such a metamorphosis, and to reveal the radiant core she possessed today. To Nan Huaixu, this was nothing short of a tremendous inspiration.
Nan Huaixu asked herself—her own starting point and conditions were vastly superior to Liu Yinxi’s. As long as she fought tenaciously, she too could surely break through her shackles and bloom with her own brilliance.
She would fight for everything she desired: freedom, power, reputation, money, a destination where she could safely place her true heart… As long as she had a breath left, she would never give up.
The hardships of wilderness survival couldn’t break her either. Besides, she had Liu Yinxi.
Nan Huaixu followed behind Liu Yinxi. They returned to the site, repaired the dirt pit, concealed the trap with branches and grass, and added fresh bait.
Then they went to check the other three traps. Two yielded nothing, but one ground cage had caught a water monitor lizard.
Liu Yinxi excitedly pulled the lizard out of the vine cage, lifting it by its tail and swinging it in two circles. She beamed. “A wild fowl and a water monitor! A massive harvest~”
Wasn’t this much richer than eating small river fish?
She turned to Nan Huaixu. “Teacher Nan, how does the saying go? Lost at sunrise, gained at sunset?2 A rainstorm might have made the river swell and ruined our fish trap, leaving us with no fish, but it also made it harder for the wild beasts to find food. That makes our bait much more attractive to prey. When Mother Heaven closes a door, she’ll open an entire wall for us.”
An open wall was much wider than a door.
Nan Huaixu’s brow relaxed. She looked up at the sky, playing along with Liu Yinxi’s words. “Has Mother Heaven truly shown her spirit?”
Liu Yinxi patted her chest. “I told you earlier, my jade pendant is very effective. Mother Heaven heard our devout prayers, so of course she’ll bless us~”
Nan Huaixu tilted her head, smiling. “Really?”
Liu Yinxi held up the wild fowl in one hand and the water monitor lizard in the other, shaking them in front of her. “Look.”
Nan Huaixu brushed a hand over the wild fowl’s feathers. The texture was real beneath her fingertips. “I see now. It really is effective.”
Liu Yinxi nodded proudly.
【What kind of Wushi pendant is it? Where did she buy it? Are there any sisters who can recognize what brand Liu Yinxi’s jade is?】
【I think it is… the affordable Qingshui Hetian pendant released by Xiliantang four years ago. [Jade pendant image]. It’s an old design from a few years back, so there shouldn’t be much stock left now.】
【That’s amazing, sister! It really is Xiliantang!】
【??? Is this for real? [Screenshot: Xiliantang · Xu Yi Collection · Qingshui Wushi Pendant – Sold Out]】
【Whose hands are that fast?! I just opened the orange app3 and it’s already sold out!】
【There were only five pieces left in stock total. Your hands are way too fast (facepalm)】
【I managed to grab one! It looks incredibly gorgeous! The quality of the jade is excellent, and the lanyard and the threading hole of the jade are fitted with two bodhi seeds carved into lotuses. The description card says it takes the meaning of twin lotuses on one stalk, sharing one heart4. It’s very auspicious to give to sisters or besties~ (acting cute)】
【@Xiliantang, Shopkeeper, come quickly! Aren’t you going to catch this heaven-sent wealth5?】
【Am I the only one who cares about where Xixi actually got this jade from?】
【Did she buy it herself?】
【A family heirloom?】
【Could it be a gift from Luo Ling?】
【It’s possible… Xixi is wearing it even during a survival competition. Does she still have lingering feelings for Luo Ling?】
【Liu Yinxi, open your eyes! Wake up! Stop being so obsessed with Luo Ling! There are countless good women in this world. It’s not just omegas who have charm; there are many excellent betas you could marry too. For example, me! (Crazy)】
【Reel in your magical powers6, people! Did you not watch the earlier livestreams? Xixi said she hasn’t cared about Luo Ling for a long time! Xixi’s six roots are purified7 now. She is shining alone, and terrifyingly strong!】
Back at the treehouse, Liu Yinxi stuffed the water monitor lizard into the air-hole box. Then, she hung the wild fowl upside down from a low tree, placed a few banana leaves on the ground beneath it, and slit the fowl’s throat to drain the blood.
Nan Huaixu already had experience scalding feathers once before, so working with Liu Yinxi to process the wild fowl went smoothly.
She watched Liu Yinxi’s practiced movements—even more deft than when they were at the beach—and asked curiously, “Did you slaughter chickens and ducks in the countryside when you were a kid?”
“Yeah.” Liu Yinxi briskly plucked the chicken feathers. “Chickens, ducks, geese, fish, swamp eels, loaches… I’ve helped the adults in the village process all of them. I even helped hold down a pig during the New Year.”
“Hold down a pig? Slaughtering a pig?”
“Yes, it takes several people to control a New Year pig. Pigs are very strong, and very smart. If you don’t keep a close eye on them, you’re in trouble.”
Nan Huaixu was surprised. “Pigs are smart? When people curse someone for being stupid, they say they have a pig’s brain.”
Liu Yinxi laughed. “Most city folks haven’t raised pigs, so they don’t know. There used to be a saying in our village: never nap near a pigpen, or the pigs might bite off your flesh and eat you in your sleep.”
Nan Huaixu gasped. “Pigs… pigs eat people?”
She knew pigs were omnivores and might scavenge corpses, but she had never heard of a pig actively feeding on a living human.
Liu Yinxi scalded the chicken skin, sliced open the abdomen, and removed the unwanted organs, tossing them into a plastic bottle for storage. She skewered the meat onto a wooden stick and placed it on the wooden rack to roast. “One pig, two bear, three tiger8—hunters in the mountains pass this saying down generation after generation. It means those are the beasts most likely to harm you in the wild. Pigs will attack people, and they will eat meat; they are extremely dangerous. Even though domesticated pigs have been tamed and are much more docile, they still have a lot of cunning. When I was little, an aunt at the pig farm told me that if you’ve just poured the slop and walk past the pen, and one of the pigs doesn’t fight for the food or lower its head, but instead tilts its eyes up to stare at you—that pig must be killed. Because it’s pondering how to eat a person.”
Nan Huaixu found the story entirely unsettling. She hugged her shoulders. Even though it was noon and the sun was shining brightly, her back felt cold.
Liu Yinxi’s attention was entirely on the roasting chicken. She didn’t notice that Nan Huaixu’s face had gone pale beside her, and she let her thoughts continue to wander aloud. “It’s not just pigs; many animals are cunning. Humans figure out ways to trap prey, and animals do too. There are stray old dogs that will stand on their hind legs on late-night roads to imitate humans walking. In no-man’s land, some Tibetan bears will balance cow dung on their heads to pretend to be a person wearing a hat, waving at passing cars. And goats will—”
“Stop talking!” Nan Huaixu covered her ears and hissed.
Liu Yinxi turned her head. Catching the frightened look in Nan Huaixu’s eyes, she suddenly realized she had said the wrong thing. She immediately switched to a bright and cheerful topic, brushing honey over the roasting chicken to make honey-roasted wings and legs, hoping to soothe Teacher Nan’s startled soul.
Unfortunately, the effect wasn’t great.
When the pitch-black night finally blanketed the rainforest, Liu Yinxi slept on her side, her back pressed tightly against the wooden wall. She spoke softly to the omega pressed against her chest. “Teacher Nan, do you feel a bit squeezed?”
Footnotes
- A phenomenon known as 'terminal lucidity' or a final, desperate burst of energy before death (huíguāng fǎnzhào).
- A Chinese idiom (shī zhī dōngyú, shōu zhī sāngyú) meaning a loss in one area is compensated by a gain in another.
- Internet slang for Taobao, China's most popular e-commerce platform, known for its distinct orange logo.
- A traditional Chinese motif (bìngdì héxīn) symbolizing a devoted, inseparable couple or a deep, harmonious bond.
- Internet slang (pōtiān de fùguì) describing a massive, sudden influx of wealth or viral traffic that a person or brand can capitalize on.
- Internet slang (shōu shōu nǐmen de shéntōng ba) humorously asking people to stop showing off, stop their wild behavior, or 'reel it in.'
- A Buddhist concept (liùgēn qīngjìng) meaning the six senses are purified of worldly desires and attachments. Used playfully here to mean completely detached from romance.
- A traditional Chinese hunters' saying (yī zhū, èr xióng, sān hǔ) ranking the most dangerous animals to encounter in the wild. Wild boars take the top spot due to their aggression, cunning, and sheer numbers.
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