After a Flash Marriage with a Professor - Chapter 74

Chapter 74: Explorer

“Professor Shen, you…” Ming Shu finally found a moment to catch her breath, but instead of inhaling, she rushed to ask why Professor Shen was in such a hurry to engage in their nightly activities when it was still early.

She ran out of air, and her question broke off midway.

Shen Junlan knew what Ming Shu wanted to ask and admitted frankly, “Wife, this is the meal I wanted to eat. I didn’t get enough last night, so, good wife, you must compensate me.”

What more could Ming Shu say? It wasn’t even dark yet, and their bedroom was brightly lit, even without turning on the lamp.

Ming Shu’s face flushed with shame. Unable to watch, she raised her hand to cover her eyes, implicitly allowing Professor Shen to do as she pleased.

Shen Junlan recognized Ming Shu’s silence as assent and began to cook her meal.

The Explorer’s Journey

As if set in the wilderness, Shen Junlan transformed into an explorer venturing into nature. Unlike a professional explorer, she had clothes and was not completely exposed, but in this moment, she felt clothing was a burden.

Shen Junlan resolutely shed the burden and began her exploration. Exploration, by definition, required her to be self-sufficient in food, clothing, shelter, and travel. The entire natural world was her resource, provided she used her intelligence to create what she desired.

Exploration was secondary; Shen Junlan was hungry now. The immediate priority was cooking. Cooking required a container, a fire, ingredients, and a bit of culinary skill.

Fortunately, she had already found the ideal container a secluded small cave and her preferred ingredients a beautiful and delectable pearl oyster. These were gifts bestowed upon her by nature.

As for fire, she considered the ancient method of rubbing sticks. But what if there was no suitable wood? Any rod would do. Shen Junlan felt her finger resembled a rod, but a rod alone couldn’t start a fire. Shen Junlan quickly devised a new method.

When there’s a will, there’s always a way. She found a new solution: if rubbing sticks wouldn’t work, she could generate heat through friction.

It was the peak of summer, and the heat generated by friction should be enough to cook the delectable pearl oyster. Even if it wasn’t fully cooked, a few degrees of doneness would make it a rare delicacy, even in the wild.

While the natural world held many shellfish, those as delectable as the pearl oyster she had found were rare. Shen Junlan cherished it.

Having devised a plan, the next step was execution. The ritualistic sense of creating fine food was essential. She first checked her nails. Excellent, they had just been trimmed yesterday and were very clean, yet she still went and found water to thoroughly wash her hands. This was a gesture of love and respect for the superb ingredient, the pearl oyster.

She left for a short while with confidence. The pearl oyster had already been brought ashore and divested of its protective shell. After a brief initial struggle, the pearl oyster had anticipated and accepted its fate to be consumed.

The pearl oyster was hers; it wouldn’t run away. At this moment, it lay there like a beautiful and unique exhibit, with her as the sole admirer.

This was her private exhibition. An explorer sometimes appreciated the art produced by nature, but appreciation aside, she would not yield to pity and spare this delicious ingredient meant to fill her dinner plate.

The explorer had invested great effort to find and capture such a fine ingredient, including preparing it and maintaining its optimal freshness during the cooking process.

Heaven rewards the diligent. The explorer’s efforts worked. The small cave used as a container grew warmer and warmer, and the moisture in the walls of the soil began to seep out, as if a water switch had been flipped in the small cave. The explorer did not know how deep this small cave was. She felt it must be deeper than she imagined, like the silent flow of deep water. Fortunately, this water was gentle and would not drown her, the nature-loving explorer.

She had been out for a day and hadn’t drunk much water. It was time to replenish her fluids. Shen Junlan took water where she stood, leaning down to drink the streams flowing out of the small cave. It was a marvelous taste, slightly salty. Natural microflora danced within it, and it seemed to have a subtle sweetness. This was a major discovery for the explorer. She could meticulously record this experience of exploring the mini small cave for future generations to view.

No, she couldn’t let anyone else see it. Shen Junlan felt a strong surge of possessiveness. This was her small cave alone, and her sweet spring water alone.

Having replenished her fluids, Shen Junlan went to examine the pearl oyster again. It had been thoroughly moistened by the spring water flowing from the small cave, becoming much more glistening and plump than when she first captured it, but it was clearly not yet fully cooked. Shen Junlan tasted a small bite. It was indeed not fully cooked; the beautiful and delectable pearl oyster could still move.

“Since it’s not dark yet, let’s explore the nearby area,” muttered Shen Junlan, the explorer.

Since there was such a mysterious small cave here, and a stream of water, which Shen Junlan thought must be mountain spring water, she could certainly find the corresponding mountain by following the direction of the flow.

This was a mini natural environment. Shen Junlan left one hand to continue the friction-generated heat and the cooking of the pearl oyster, while her other hand, along with her eyes and entire head, continued to explore upward.

She was in a relatively shaded place, and her vision wasn’t perfectly clear. She narrowed her eyes, determined to fully investigate the scenery of this place.

Although the sun was no longer fierce, Shen Junlan had traveled a long distance, and the summer heat was intense. She was too hot. Drops of sweat fell onto the high ground she was climbing, where thick, soft snow covered the mountain, emitting a pleasant fragrance. It wasn’t as cool and clear as pine and cypress, but she found it appealing and was drawn to it unconsciously. Shen Junlan lingered for a moment, thinking that an outdoor explorer could not ignore this unexpected surprise. Adhering to the explorer’s spirit, she inhaled deeply, discerning a faint sweet scent.

A mountain that was both sweet and fragrant. She decided to call it Sweetly Fragrant Mountain.

There was an unwritten rule in biology that the first biologist to discover a new species could name their great discovery. Explorer Shen Junlan emulated this, twice in one day. She felt that such naming seemed to connect her and her discoveries more intimately, and she liked it very much. Moreover, it genuinely gave her a sense of accomplishment.

Shen Junlan lingered between two conjoined peaks, caught in indecision. Jade Twin Peaks and Sweetly Fragrant Mountain—both names were chosen by her under specific circumstances. She wondered which one was more suitable.

For a moment, she forgot that she was still cooking a meal beneath the two mountains, preparing the delectable pearl oyster.

She thought how wonderful it would be if Ming Shu could explore this unique and beautiful scenery with her, but that was unlikely; Ming Shu had other things to do.

Shen Junlan lamented that her little bunny wife didn’t have her good fortune to be there in person and experience what she was seeing and hearing. She sensed the divinity in the two peaks and thought she should ask their spirit which name it preferred.

Thus, Shen Junlan knelt down and sincerely inquired of the Mountain God. The Mountain God briefly appeared, lifting its mysterious veil, and said to her, “Neither… is good.”

The God’s voice trembled, a sign of its anger at being disturbed. Shen Junlan suspected an earthquake was imminent and accelerated her cooking plan, more urgently heating the pearl oyster.

But her eagerness seemed to anger the God of this place even more. As she cooked, the region shook more violently, and the Mountain God let out a roar to intimidate and drive her away. It was of little use because even the God’s attempts to drive her away were gentle.

Explorer Shen Junlan did not want her efforts to be in vain. She pleaded with the Mountain God to grant her a little more time. After she finished cooking the delectable pearl oyster and had her dinner, she would restore the mountain’s original tranquility.

The Mountain God was not so easily persuaded. The mountain shook fiercely, and a furious flood gushed out, scalding like lava, washing over and submerging Shen Junlan’s cooking utensils, attempting to halt her cooking process. Unexpectedly, the Mountain God’s fury actually aided Shen Junlan’s cooking progress. With this heat, the pearl oyster Shen Junlan had been eagerly anticipating was cooked. Shen Junlan was also startled by the heat, a punishment for defying the Mountain God’s order to retreat.

The mountain flood caused by the Mountain God’s rage lasted for a long time. Shen Junlan, unafraid of the flood and not fearing drowning, went to taste the finally edible pearl oyster, showing the heroism of one who would rather drown than forsake fine food.

This heroism brought her a new surprise. The mountain flood was vastly different from the mountain spring. The pearl oyster, finally cooked by the scalding flood, reached the peak of deliciousness.

Explorer Shen Junlan was satisfied. Today, she had not only seen beautiful scenery and tasted the delicacy she had longed for, but she had also caught a glimpse of the Mountain God with its mysterious veil lifted—beautiful, fragile, yet not lacking in resilience, capable of erupting with the greatest power in the face of danger.

Her only regret was not being able to share the exploration and the delicious food with Ming Shu. Some of her personal experiences could not be fully conveyed to her little bunny wife, who didn’t have the opportunity to explore these wonders.

Home Sweet Home

After such a thrilling journey of exploration, Shen Junlan returned to the safety of home, fully satisfied.

“Wife.” The moment she returned home, Shen Junlan couldn’t wait to share her adventure with her little bunny wife, but the little bunny wife was weak and listless, lying feebly on the bed.

Shen Junlan realized she must have been out exploring for too long, and her little bunny wife hadn’t taken good care of herself and was starved. She quickly went to the kitchen and cooked a bowl of seafood noodles, using Aunt Zhang’s handmade noodles, processed shrimp, a little seaweed, a few lettuce leaves, and finally, poaching an egg. After seasoning, she sprinkled some chopped green onions upon serving. A bowl of delicious seafood noodles was ready.

The little bunny wife was too weak from hunger. Shen Junlan brought the seafood noodles into the room to feed her.

“Wife, time to eat.”

Shen Junlan personally fed her. The little bunny didn’t refuse, likely because she truly had no strength left, not even the strength to hold chopsticks.

After eating a few bites, Ming Shu asked, “Professor Shen, aren’t you eating?”

“There’s more in the pot. I’ll eat later.”

Ming Shu nodded and continued to let Professor Shen feed her, drinking all the soup until she was completely satiated.

“Should I get you a little more?”

“No, I’m done.” Ming Shu touched her belly. She felt she was full, but the slow recovery of her strength gave her the illusion of hunger.

Shen Junlan went to serve the remaining noodles and coaxed Ming Shu to eat a few more bites.

“I want that green vegetable,” Ming Shu requested.

“Okay.” Shen Junlan felt guilty for her late return from her exploration and was determined to feed her little bunny wife until she was fully satisfied.

“I’m really full now.” Ming Shu refused any further food. Shen Junlan didn’t push her and finished the rest of the noodles herself.

Setting the bowl and chopsticks down, Shen Junlan hugged Ming Shu and told her about her adventure, asking her which of the names she chose for the two mountains sounded better.

Perhaps it was still the lingering resentment that Professor Shen had left her to go appreciate the beauty of nature, climbing mountains and traversing peaks all by herself. The little bunny raised her paw, giving her a taste of her own medicine as revenge.

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