Chapter 15: Foraging the Tidal Flats

When Shi Nianqing regained consciousness, it was already the next morning, with the sky just beginning to brighten.

The intense exertion from the entire previous day left Shi Nianqing feeling aches all over his body. Coupled with the relatively scant food intake over the past two days, his whole body clamored for energy. Even when he got up, he could hear the creaking of his bones, as if his entire being was rebooting.

However, after resting well for two consecutive nights, Shi Nianqing felt much more spirited. Whether it was due to the little tiger’s presence or not, there were no snakes, insects, or rodents nearby at night. Truly, the king of the forest lived up to his title; even the small tiger deterred ordinary pests from approaching.

Hearing Shi Nianqing rise, the little tiger, who had been playing not far from the silver land, dashed over and rubbed its head against him. One of the little tigers even had a small gecko in its mouth, which it proudly dropped at Shi Nianqing’s feet, its eyes shining as if to say, “Lady, this is the food I found for you. Are you pleased?”

Shi Nianqing couldn’t help but laugh at her own thoughts and gently stroked the little tiger’s head. “You all eat these yourselves. Later, come with me to the seaside to see if we can find anything to eat.”

The little tiger looked at her in confusion but quickly understood. Though somewhat disappointed, it eagerly shared the catch with its two siblings.

Being only just over a month old, their hunting skills were still immature, and catching that small gecko had taken the entire morning. The three little tigers savored their hard-earned prize, which was, frankly, not very tasty.

Feeling mostly refreshed, Shi Nianqing picked up the handmade axe, followed by the trio of little companions. They soon reached the seaside, watching as the sun slowly rose over the distant ocean.

Exhaling, Shi Nianqing smiled simply and gracefully. “Good morning, dear audience. It’s a new day, and I’m going to search the beach for anything edible to settle breakfast.”

“It seems the tide just receded not long ago, so the sea should have washed ashore quite a bit of food. Hopefully, we’ll find something delicious.”

Shi Nianqing leisurely walked along the shoreline, picking up several shells, one about the size of a fist and looking quite promising. The three little tigers followed excitedly, their short legs scurrying with enthusiasm. They couldn’t help but pounce on the little crabs scuttling across the sand.

Suddenly, a sharp, agonized scream pierced the air. Shi Nianqing quickly turned to see one of the little tigers whose paw had been fiercely pinched by a crab.

The little tiger cried out in pain, while its two siblings watched anxiously. Shi Nianqing hurried over, removing the crab, and saw the little tiger’s tear-filled eyes locked onto her and the crab in its paw.

Viewers in the live stream, hearing the little tiger’s wails and seeing it suffer, felt a pang of sympathy.

“Oh, my little darling, you’ve been treated so harshly.”

“Shi Nianqing clearly can’t take care of them well. Let me raise them instead.”

“That sounded so pitiful. How could Shi Nianqing not pay more attention? She’s so irresponsible.”

“So fluffy and cute! I just want to go over and kiss her.”

“Wuwuwu, I think I just saw Shi Nianqing smile. She’s so cruel.”

...

But Shi Nianqing couldn’t help but laugh. The little tiger was just too adorable, and the scene was a bit comical, especially as the tiger pawed wildly, trying to shake off the crab, looking like a small dog.

Inspecting the little tiger’s paw revealed no serious injury; the pain would subside soon. The injured little tiger gave her a pitiful look, and Shi Nianqing, moved, scooped him into her arms. At just over a month old, he wasn’t very heavy, and surprisingly, the little tiger stood steadily on her shoulder, quite impressive.

Walking along the beach, Shi Nianqing explained to her viewers, “These shores, just uncovered by the receding tide, usually have many shellfish. They can be roasted over a fire and provide a good energy boost.”

As she walked, her eyes suddenly brightened. She spotted thick piles of kelp washed ashore, large and sturdy-looking.

As Shi Nianqing approached, she heard rustling sounds. She sifted through the kelp and found several sea snails hiding beneath. A few small crabs also scurried away too quickly for her to catch. She set the sea snails aside and continued searching.

Soon, she found a pufferfish. She tapped it a few times on its belly, and it puffed up like a rubber ball, astonishing her viewers.

“What’s this little thing suddenly doing?”

“I didn’t even blink, and it turned into a ball.”

“Looks kind of cute.”

“Can we eat this?”

...

Shi Nianqing, amused by the puffed-up fish, explained to the live audience, “This little creature is a pufferfish. It’s poisonous but very tasty. It requires special preparation and is quite tricky to eat, so we’ll leave it alone today.”

She tossed the pufferfish back into the sea and continued searching through the kelp, but found nothing else.

She finally gathered five large sea snails, several small scallops, and a few little crabs.

Moving forward, Shi Nianqing came upon a large area of reef rocks covered in countless pointed creatures. Upon closer inspection, they were clusters of rock snails tightly packed together, all exposed under the sun. Though small, they looked rather eerie when viewed up close.

These rock snails have tender meat and can be roasted directly over a fire. Thinking this, Shi Nianqing wielded her axe and pried up a whole patch from the base.

The viewers in the live stream were baffled.

“What is this thing? It looks so scary.”

“Shi Nianqing is terrifying. Can this really be eaten?”

“Is there anything in this world that can’t be eaten?”

“Did ancient Earth really have so many strange creatures?”

“I’d rather have her eat that fat fish earlier than watch her eat this.”

...

Shi Nianqing was unaware that her viewers were nearly losing their minds with discussion.

After unearthing the patch of rock snails, she found a large cluster of oysters. The magnificent sight left her eyes wide open.