Rebirth as the Richest Woman in the World
Chapter 572 - 573, Barbecue (first update)

Chapter 572: 573, Barbecue (first update)

Amidst the discussion among the group, Chu Jin had already started the fire.

It turned out that action was faster than words.

Nobody knew how she managed to do it.

Could she have used some kind of cheat?

Everyone watched her figure, moved their lips, but didn’t know what to say.

A goddess indeed.

Not only beautiful in appearance but also graceful in action.

The wild rabbit, sizzling with fat and emitting a tantalizing aroma, whetted everyone’s appetite.

Chu Jin asked someone to find a small pot, chopped the chicken into pieces, added some mushrooms, and let it simmer slowly over a low fire. Before long, the delicious scent began to waft through the air, and the group sat around the fire, propping their chins with their hands, and swallowing saliva incessantly.

This wilderness training wasn’t as bad as they had imagined.

Chu Jin took out some edible salt and seasonings from her black bag, sprinkled them on the rabbit meat. With a sizzling sound, the aroma intensified, carrying a hint of cumin and barbecue that was simply irresistible; it was almost enough to make one want to swallow their own tongue.

Qiao Muyan sat to one side, swallowing hard, feeling even hungrier.

On the other side.

In the jungle, six people sat in front of a tent, sighing and groaning.

"I’m so hungry."

"I want to eat Peking duck from Quanjude."

"Even a bowl of rice with pickled vegetables would do."

"Roasted goose... "

Jiang Yifeng came out from one side, holding some fruits and distributing them to everyone, "Eat something. These are what I picked from over there."

Seeing there was food to eat, the group didn’t even have time to say thanks before they started devouring the fruits voraciously.

When you’re hungry, even bran and vegetables taste sweet.

"Mmm... Thanks, squad leader."

"So sweet, the squad leader is amazing."

Among the young masters and young ladies, Jiang Yifeng indeed stood out. He was independent, had a good sense of direction and did not show fear in the face of such a wild jungle.

"I found some sweet potatoes. I’ll roast them for you to eat." Just then, Chu Tian came over, holding a few sweet potatoes.

Chu Tian and Jiang Yifeng were in the same group.

One of the classmates immediately lit up and said excitedly, "Yes, please, that would be great!"

Jiang Yifeng looked at her, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He had thought Chu Tian was just another superficial heiress, but it turned out her ability to take action was stronger than anyone else present.

Chu Tian nodded, skillfully wrapped the sweet potatoes in mud, and then struck a piece of iron against stones several times. Using the principle of friction, she successfully started a fire, leaving the other students staring in amazement.

"Chu Tian, that’s amazing!"

"666, who taught you this?"

Chu Tian smiled softly and lifted her eyelids leisurely, "Actually, it’s not a big deal. I grew up in the countryside, and children there start fending for themselves at the age of three."

She spoke casually, without any intention to conceal the fact that she came from the countryside.

Compared to the others, Chu Tian seemed much more genuine and natural.

It is what it is.

Others, probably, wouldn’t be able to be as carefree as she was.

In Jiang Yifeng’s eyes, a bit more admiration was added as he watched her.

At that moment, a female classmate nearby sniffed gently, "Do you guys smell that barbecued meat? It’s so fragrant..." As she spoke, she stood up, following the scent with her eyes closed and a look of bliss on her face.

"It smells like roasted whole rabbit..." one of them stood up too.

Once that was said, everyone began to sniff lightly, and the aroma of roasted meat mixed with cumin drifted with the mountain breeze into everyone’s nostrils.

A boy swallowed hard and said, "It’s the smell of barbecue. If we had a couple of ice-cold beers to go with it, that would be even better."

Chu Tian also smelled it, and she furrowed her brows slightly, "It must be wafting up from the base of the mountain."

It was unlikely for such a barbecue smell to appear on the mountain. Not to mention meat, even finding a few sweet potatoes had taken her hours to achieve.

However, there were indeed cumin powder and edible salt in her backpack.

Probably the school was worried that they would suffer from edema due to lack of salt.

Chu Tian knew some inside information about this training. If she wasn’t wrong, there would be several hidden cameras around here, recording their every move. The instructors and school leaders would evaluate their 10-day training through these cameras.

The team with outstanding performance would receive a trophy, and moreover, an excellent participant would be selected from that team for a TV station interview.

It was a great opportunity to gain fame.

She certainly wouldn’t miss it.

Judging by the current situation, it seemed that her team had the most distinguished progress so far.

After all, they had managed to eat their first self-sufficient meal.

She must get her hands on that trophy.

"I bet it’s the instructors gathered together, having a barbecue party. It’s so inhumane. The instructors are feasting while we’re here roughing it, eating chaff and vegetables..."

"Eat your sweet potato," Jiang Yifeng stuffed a baked sweet potato into the boy’s mouth, "We should be grateful we have food at all. Stop complaining. Let it go for today. Tomorrow morning, let’s divide the work. We’ll make three groups with two people each looking for food and water sources. After completing our tasks, let’s meet back here."

The smell of barbecue grew stronger, and with the mountain breeze, it found its way into everyone’s nostrils.

Some even thought they were hallucinating from hunger.

Otherwise, how could there be a barbecue stall in these desolate mountains? Maybe a ghost market?

At the base of the mountain, inside a military tent, several officers were stunned as they watched the large screen in front of them.

The large screen was split into many smaller ones, each showing the current situation of each team.

The first team, six people were gathered together eating roasted sweet potatoes and wild fruit.

The second team, six people sat on the ground sighing deeply. They hadn’t even had a sip of water all day.

The third team was in a similar dilemma; several people were haggard and sat together holding a complaint session.

...

The seventh team, six people sat around a campfire. One hand held a bowl of wild chicken and mushroom soup, and with the other, they gnawed on the perfectly roasted wild rabbit. They even had cleaned fruit for dessert, looking extremely comfortable.

The sight made the instructors in front of the screen swallow hard. Through the screen, they could almost smell the aroma of the meat.

It was so damn tempting.

Originally, they had thought the first team performed the best since they managed to find wild fruit and sweet potatoes and knew to share with the team.

But they hadn’t expected the seventh team to be so astonishingly good-this wasn’t training, but rather living the high life!

"Song guy, that girl on the screen is from your class, right?" an officer pointed to the slender figure on the screen.

She was gnawing on a rabbit leg, her eating style neither as elegant as the others nor as wild as the men’s but natural and casual, without any pretense, and very pleasing to the eye.

A smudge of black ash was on her left cheek, probably from the barbecue. It added a charming touch to her jade-like face, making it particularly eye-catching.

Having watched the video, the officers naturally knew that all this was thanks to Chu Jin.

Without Chu Jin, these people would probably not even have found water.

She was like a natural-born commander.

In any situation, at any place, she was unfazed by danger.

Indeed, for these people to be grouped with Chu Jin was a stroke of extraordinary luck.

"What’s the name of that girl?" a military officer asked with great curiosity.

"I want to know, too," another officer spread his hands helplessly and turned his gaze to Song Shiqin, "Brother Song, what’s the name of that girl in your class?"

Song Shiqin didn’t need to look up to know who the officer was referring to. Sitting there with a chessboard set up in front of him, he played a game against himself, his expression grave. Upon hearing the question, he responded without lifting his head, "Go deliver some food to the groups that haven’t found anything."

A non-answer.

The two officers exchanged a glance, seeing the same confusion in each other’s eyes. What did Song Shiqin mean by that?

Was he protecting her?

Was it necessary to be so protective that he wouldn’t even let others know her name?

Gossip is human nature.

Several officers were curious to know if there was any drama between Chu Jin and Song Shiqin.

"Can’t you all hear my command?" Song Shiqin spoke in a cold voice.

The officers were jolted and straightened up instinctively, loudly responding, "We heard you."

"If you’ve heard, why are you still standing here?" Song Shiqin’s eyes narrowed slightly, cold light flashing in them, almost predatory.

"We’re going now!" The officer immediately picked up a few black bags and headed towards the door.

Although this training exercise was to develop everyone’s independence, the school wouldn’t actually neglect the students and just let them be; if they ended up causing some health issues due to hunger, that would not be a good outcome.

The bags contained fruits, vegetables, and other foodstuffs like rice.

However, they were all raw; it was still a test of the students’ practical skills.

Meanwhile.

Qiao Muyan sipped her bowl of wild chicken and mushroom soup with a satisfied expression. The taste of wild produce was superior, incredibly fresh, rich yet not greasy. She drank two bowls in a row without feeling full.

Actually, she still wanted to eat some roasted rabbit, it smelled so tantalizing.

But her pride wouldn’t allow her to do so.

Once said, words could not be taken back.

She had to stick to her principles!

Admittedly, Chu Jin really had some skills, managing to make these things so delicious and fragrant!

However, Chu Jin’s scheming was too heavy, using such despicable means to curry favor; she definitely wouldn’t fall for it!

"Brother Jin, your cooking is amazing, this rabbit meat tastes better than any barbecue restaurant I’ve ever been to!" Girl A complimented while eating.

"Yeah, totally, Brother Jin, if you opened a barbecue restaurant, all the barbecue joints in Capital City would have to shut down." Boy A chimed in.

"The mushroom soup is great too; it’s too delicious, Brother Jin, did you used to learn how to cook or something?" Boy B added.

Chu Jin offered a faint smile, looking up slightly and said, "You are exaggerating, it’s probably due to the ingredients. These items are all natural and pollution-free, naturally better than those artificially bred ones outside. After all, the truest flavor of food is the best."

Before this, Chu Jin only knew how to make dumplings and boil noodles. She learned to cook these dishes entirely out of necessity, as she couldn’t just starve herself.

She relied on her extraordinary memory to mimic recipes and managed to produce these dishes.

"If you’ve learned, just say you’ve learned, why pretend?" Qiao Muyan said contemptuously.

Chu Jin was really too good at faking it, clearly having learned from Chuyi and still feigning modesty. She couldn’t stand such people!

Hypocrite!

"Speaking of pretending..." Chu Jin glanced sideways at Qiao Muyan, the corners of her lips lifting lightly, her tone indifferent, "You are the epitome of acting."

Her demeanor was radiant and defiant, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth, reflecting the light of the fire, dazzling like stars, slightly entrancing to behold.

That comment left no face for Qiao Muyan.

People like Qiao Muyan, simply put, lacked manners, acting high and mighty just because of her family’s status. She really saw herself as Little Princess, expecting everyone to dote on and protect her!

With a smack, Qiao Muyan slammed her bowl to the ground, and soup and oil droplets immediately scattered. Chu Jin was becoming more and more arrogant! How dare she talk to her like that! She should remember her place!

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable,

male student C quickly pulled out a piece of rabbit leg and handed it to Qiao Muyan, "Qiao classmate, this roasted meat tastes quite good, give it a try."

"Try what? Get lost!" Qiao Muyan swung away male student C’s arm, causing the rabbit leg to roll toward the fire.

"Qiao Muyan, this isn’t your home, what are you acting like a spoiled princess for!" male student A stood up directly, he had been enduring Qiao Muyan for a long time already, a selfish and entitled princess, doing nothing but reaping the rewards, and that would have been fine, but the worst thing was her random temper tantrums, showing no gratitude at all!

"Fine!" Qiao Muyan angrily pointed at everyone, "You all are ganging up to bully me, right? Just you wait!"

After saying that, she crawled into the tent, fuming.

Her attitude made it seem as if everyone really was bullying her.

In Qiao Muyan’s eyes, it was as if everyone had colluded with Chu Jin to pick on her! It wasn’t her fault! It was all Chu Jin’s fault! If it weren’t for Chu Jin, everyone would definitely be doting on her by now!

She was the one who was supposed to be the center of attention!

After that small episode, the five of them continued eating. After finishing their meals, two people were responsible for washing the dishes, two for boiling water because all the food was provided by Chu Jin, so the others rushed to do the work, leaving Chu Jin with idle time.

The first night in the wilderness was quiet, with Chu Jin taking the night watch.

The night in the wilderness was extremely peaceful, with the sound of frog calls echoing in the ears, and above, the sky was filled with a blanket of stars, occasionally dotted with one or two glowing fireflies.

Chu Jin lay on the grass outside the tent, her hands pillowing her head, gazing at the starry sky and lost in thought, her mouth curving into a slight smile as she suddenly envisioned the scene with Mr. Mo from that night.

Her eyes, too, curved into crescent shapes, reflecting the bright starlight, her gaze alluring amidst the shimmering light.

The night grew deeper.

Occasional snoring sounds could be heard coming from the tents, but Chu Jin still maintained her position lying on the grass. In reality, her consciousness had already entered the Purple Thunder Space.

"Jin bro," Zi sat at the stone table, her small hand supporting her chin, looking somewhat dejected.

"What’s wrong?" Chu Jin asked while meditating.

Zi’s expression was filled with worries not fitting her age, "Without the Soul Resurrection Grass, what should we do in the days to come?"

The thought alone made Zi very concerned; after all, it was a matter of life and death. Maybe one day, while eating sunflower seeds and scrolling through Weibo, having a good time, she would suddenly pass away...

Such an experience would be hard for anyone to endure...

She wasn’t ready to "Scatter Like Ashes" yet.

There were still so many delicious foods she hadn’t tasted, so many fun things she hadn’t done.

Chu Jin lifted an eyebrow slightly, "Don’t panic, I’m here with you. What’s there to be afraid of?"

Zi sighed deeply, unable to face life and death as calmly as Jin bro.

"Jin bro, that Mo Qianjue is really ungrateful! You saved his life after all, and he can’t even spare a single Soul Resurrection Grass!" Zi grew very angry when Mo Qianjue was mentioned, her little face scrunching up! How could he have the nerve to suggest that Jin bro marry him!

An old cow eating tender grass! Absolutely shameless!

"Didn’t he save my life too?" Chu Jin spoke in a casual tone, "What is meant to be will happen; what is not meant to be cannot be forced."

The Soul Resurrection Grass was Mo Qianjue’s private property, and how he chose to deal with it was his business, she had no right to interfere or to inquire.

"Jin bro," Zi suddenly looked at Chu Jin, her expression turning serious, "If we can’t find the Soul Resurrection Grass, we really will ’Scatter Like Ashes’."

This was the first time Zi spoke so formally to Chu Jin about this issue.

"Yes," Chu Jin’s expression remained unchanged, "I know."

Anyone would feel fear when facing death, even someone like her who had already died once. She knew all too well the sense of powerlessness of losing one’s life.

Having been given a second chance at life, she cherished her life more than anyone else.

But cherishing life is one thing,

fear is another,

and powerlessness is yet another.

Under no circumstances would she trade love for survival, nor would she betray her lover just to live. The taste of betrayal was something she had experienced once and that was more than enough.