147: Picking spices

Da Hei leaned in curiously, sniffing the materials with his nose and pawing at them from time to time as if he wanted to help, but he always ended up getting in the way.

"silly dog, don't cause trouble," Lu Fan said with a smile as he pushed Da Hei away.

After some effort, the prototype of the saddle finally emerged.

Lu Fan looked at his masterpiece; although it was still a bit rough, he was already very satisfied.

"How is it, An Lan? My craftsmanship isn't bad, right? Do I have the potential to become a master artisan?" Lu Fan said proudly.

An Lan nodded with a smile. "Mm, it looks quite decent. I didn't expect you to have this skill."

Next was the final trimming and perfecting of the saddle.

Lu Fan used a knife to trim the edges of the leather until they were smooth and neat, then used rope to weave some simple patterns onto the saddle.

He also added two small pouches to both sides of the saddle to conveniently store small items like Flint and Nuts.

After several hours of effort, a brand-new saddle was finally finished.

Lu Fan excitedly moved the saddle to Lightning's side and carefully fitted it onto him, as if dressing a beloved treasure in beautiful new clothes.

Lightning seemed to feel the comfort of the new saddle as well. He gently swayed his body, looking very content, and occasionally rubbed his head against Lu Fan as if expressing his gratitude.

"Lightning, we'll be comfortable now." Lu Fan patted Lightning's neck and then flipped himself onto the horse.

He rode slowly across the grass, feeling the comfort brought by the new saddle.

His thighs no longer felt that painful chafing from before. He laughed happily, "Haha, it's a success! From now on, I don't have to worry about my thighs suffering while riding. I can go wherever I want!"

By the afternoon, Lu Fan and An Lan led the refreshed animals back to the Shelter and settled them in.

The afternoon sun shone warmly on the Shelter, bringing a sense of lazy coziness.

"We don't have much spice left for cooking at home. We need to go out and pick some more, otherwise, our future meals will lose a lot of flavor."

Lu Fan patted his round belly with a serious expression, as if he had already anticipated how bland and tasteless meals without spices would be.

"Yeah, even the cleverest housewife can't cook without rice. Without spices, the gaminess of the meat can't be covered at all. Eating would become a chore then."

An Lan responded with a smile, her eyes curving like crescents. She picked up a basket and made a move to set off.

As soon as they stepped out, Lu Fan was quick-handed and took the basket from An Lan's back, steadying it on his own shoulders. He even patted his chest, "I'll handle this manual labor!"

They walked along a winding path. From time to time, the sounds of insects chirping came from the grass, one after another, as if playing a unique symphony.

As Lu Fan walked, he looked around, his eyes scanning the surroundings like searchlights. "What spices do you think we can find? Mint, Perilla, or some other treasures?"

"That's hard to say. Nature has many treasures; maybe there are surprises waiting for us."

An Lan said mysteriously, her eyes sparkling with anticipation, as if she could already see spices all over the mountains waving at them.

Before they had gone far, Lu Fan's eyes lit up. As if discovering a new continent, he shouted excitedly, "Look, that's Mint!"

He dashed over with the agility of a Little Monkey. Squatting down, he carefully cupped those small leaves, examining them closely as if inspecting a rare treasure.

An Lan also hurried over and took a deep breath, a familiar smile appearing on her face. "That's right, it's Mint! This cool scent is so familiar; it's refreshing just to smell it."

Lu Fan excitedly began picking, his movements brisk as he muttered to himself.

"This is great. We can have a cup of Mint tea tonight and make a cold dish with Mint. Just thinking about it makes me drool. I feel like my saliva is going to soak my shoes."

After gathering the Mint, they continued forward. Before long, An Lan stopped by a patch of bushes.

Her eyes were fixed on a cluster of purple plants as she shouted in surprise, "Lu Fan, look, is this Perilla?"

Lu Fan ran over, looked at the purple leaves, and laughed loudly. "It really is! Perilla is a magical tool for removing fishy smells. We won't have to fear that smell when eating fish anymore. When we cook fish then, the fragrance will drift for miles!"

The two began picking Perilla again. Leaf after leaf of Perilla was placed into the basket, and the air was filled with a unique aroma. Even the passing insects couldn't help but circle around.

As they walked, they came to the foot of a small hill.

The hillside was covered with all sorts of unknown plants, like a green ocean.

Lu Fan rubbed his hands together, eager to try. "This place must be hiding many good things. Let's go up and see; maybe we can find the 'treasure map' of the spice kingdom!"

Just as he reached halfway up the hill, Lu Fan was tripped by something. He lunged forward, nearly falling flat on his face.

He steadied himself and looked down to see a cluster of very low-growing plants with tiny leaves that emitted a peculiar fragrance.

"What's this?"

Lu Fan asked curiously. He bent down and gently pinched a leaf with his fingers; the scent instantly grew stronger, wafting straight into his nose.

[Discovered Thyme]

An Lan also leaned in to study it. She tilted her head and thought for a long time before her eyes suddenly lit up and she clapped her hands.

"I know, this might be Thyme! I saw it in a book before. Its fragrance is very special and can add a unique flavor to dishes, instantly turning an ordinary meal into a Michelin feast!"

"Wow, I didn't expect to find such a rare item."

Lu Fan excitedly began picking the Thyme, muttering, "I'll rely on you for grilled meat in the future. It'll definitely smell delicious for miles and lure all the little animals in the forest over."

Just as they were about to continue climbing the mountain, Lu Fan heard a "buzzing" sound.

[Discovered wasp nest]

He stopped alertly, his ears turning like radar as he looked around. "Wasps!?"

There was a hint of tension in his voice.

An Lan also grew tense, her body stiffening slightly. The two carefully searched for the source of the sound.

It turned out there was a beehive under a large tree. A swarm of bees was busily flying around, the sunlight reflecting off their transparent wings in a rainbow of colors.

"No way, this is too unlucky." Lu Fan swallowed hard, a "gulp" sound coming from his throat. He slowly backed away, as if afraid of startling these little "killers."

Although he had Animal Affinity, wasps were naturally ill-tempered, and he didn't want to easily try challenging their limits.

"Don't panic, we'll just go around." An Lan pulled Lu Fan's arm, and the two tiptoed around the beehive.

Every step was taken with extreme caution, as if the ground beneath them were a battlefield filled with mines.

Finally, they reached the summit. The view from the top was vast, with a gentle breeze blowing and the scenery being breathtakingly beautiful.

Continuous mountain ranges undulated in the distance, like a giant dragon of the earth in slumber. In the azure sky, a few white clouds drifted lazily, like marshmallows playing in the heavens.