"Huh? Zhou Niannian thought Jiang Fan's leg was injured, but his mind seemed to have gone foolish.
With a windproof lighter, why would he resort to rubbing sticks to make fire?
Jiang Fan smiled and dangled the lighter in his hand.
'Hot springs produce a gas called hydrogen sulfide. This gas is not only toxic but also flammable and explosive.'
'The one Yao brought is a military-grade windproof lighter with special fuel inside.'
'If it gets permeated with hydrogen sulfide, we might cause an explosion if we try to ignite it rashly.'
Zhou Niannian was stunned by his words. How could he know so much?
Jiang Fan then instructed Zhou Niannian to take down the largest dry twig from the bird's nest.
Jiang Fan sharpened another dry twig, handed it to Zhou Niannian, and told her to try drilling wood for fire.
Zhou Niannian rubbed with all her might for a full half hour, sweating profusely, but not a single spark appeared.
'Hahaha.'
Jiang Fan burst into laughter.
'What are you laughing at? If you're so good, you do it!'
Zhou Niannian petulantly threw the bird's nest and dry twigs to Jiang Fan.
Without a word, Jiang Fan took the sharpened twig into his palms and began to rotate it rapidly.
Zhou Niannian stared in amazement. His hands seemed to move as fast as a propeller!
'My goodness, how can you be so fast?'
Zhou Niannian was genuinely impressed.
'After twenty years of being single, my hand speed is definitely faster than yours.'
Jiang Fan said with a straight face.
'Get lost! You think I don't know what you mean?'
Zhou Niannian retorted with a laugh.
It had to be said, Jiang Fan's hand speed was indeed faster than Zhou Niannian's. Soon, smoke began to rise from the twig.
A few sparks fell onto the dry leaves nearby, and they quickly ignited.
'Making fire by drilling wood is very difficult. Today, we were lucky because there's a hot spring here.'
'The hot spring's hydrogen sulfide acts as a combustion aid, and the bird's body heat also dried the leaves.'
'Otherwise, even I would need half an hour to get it going.'
With the fire successfully started, everything else became simple.
Jiang Fan instructed Zhou Niannian to place the eggs in the hot spring and wash them clean.
He tested the hot spring and found no intensely hot outlets.
If there were, the eggs could have been cooked directly over them.
Now, they could only roast the eggs over the fire, making them baked bird eggs.
Jiang Fan guided Zhou Niannian to build up the fire and then used mud from beside the hot spring to fashion a makeshift pot, placing the bird eggs inside.
On a high mountain, cooking or roasting food is an extremely difficult task.
Zhou Niannian squatted by the fire for a long time, but the bird eggs still hadn't emitted any aroma.
'It will take a while to cook. Come down and soak in the hot spring with me.'
Zhou Niannian eyed the hot spring with great longing, eager to get in.
But upon seeing Jiang Fan, her face suddenly flushed.
Jiang Fan was only wearing a form-fitting thermal shirt, which was already soaked, revealing his well-defined muscles.
Jiang Fan wasn't a bodybuilder with bulging muscles, but his musculature was clearly defined, lacking the abruptness of fitness enthusiasts.
He looked both rugged like a man of action and refined like a scholar.
Zhou Niannian's heart fluttered, and she became too shy to get in.
'What are you waiting for? Take off your coat and come down!'
Zhou Niannian remained where she was. Jiang Fan smacked his own head.
'Right, this coat should be washed in the hot spring too.'
With that, Jiang Fan reached out and surprisingly pulled Zhou Niannian down.
Zhou Niannian hadn't expected this and let out a startled cry as she fell in.
When she scrambled up in a flustered state, Jiang Fan was already lounging back against the snowy wall.
'Hey, don't look this way!'
Zhou Niannian called out to Jiang Fan, then began to take off her outer coat.
Jiang Fan truly didn't look over, which made Zhou Niannian feel a tinge of disappointment.
'Let me tell you, lean to your left. There's a groove in the snow wall there. If you rest your neck against it, it'll be more comfortable.'
Zhou Niannian looked to her left and indeed found a groove.
She rested her neck in the groove, and it felt like leaning against a pillow, much more comfortable.
Then, Jiang Fan lazily gazed at the small pool of water near the groove.
The small pool reflected light, allowing him to see Zhou Niannian without having to stare directly at her, which would be annoying.
'Strange, how is there a groove here that fits my neck so perfectly? Haha, I really am an Emperor of Luck.'
Zhou Niannian felt smug.
Jiang Fan sighed. He couldn't possibly tell her the secret.
Because this groove was secretly carved by Jiang Fan to match Zhou Niannian's neck size.
And the small pool was, of course, also dug by Jiang Fan. Everything was within his calculations.
The two of them lay lazily in the hot spring, enjoying a rare moment of peace.
Just then, the bird eggs were finally roasted. Jiang Fan broke one open.
Wow, the tender yolk oozed out, releasing a rich aroma.
'Don't move, let me add some salt!'
Zhou Niannian became curious. Where would they find salt in a hot spring?
Jiang Fan dove into the hot spring and retrieved something resembling flint from the bottom.
'Huh? What's this? It looks like volcanic rock.'
'That's right, it's saltpeter.'
Jiang Fan told Zhou Niannian that in ancient times, salt was a luxury, and many people couldn't afford it.
Only officials and nobles could afford salt.
The common people couldn't even afford coarse salt. What did they do? They used saltpeter in their food.
Because saltpeter tasted very similar to salt, it could be used as a substitute.
Zhou Niannian, upon hearing this, picked up the saltpeter and was about to crush it all to put in the egg.
'But saltpeter is poisonous!'
Jiang Fan said with a mischievous grin.
'What! Poisonous!'
Zhou Niannian was so startled that she threw all the saltpeter away.
'A little bit can be used for flavoring. Its toxicity isn't high, much like how some poisons can be used as medicine.'
'But eating too much can indeed lead to poisoning.'
Jiang Fan then gathered all the saltpeter back, shaved off a small piece, and added it to the bird egg for seasoning.
The two of them soaked, happily eating the bird eggs to replenish their energy.
'Speaking of which, how are there birds on such a desolate snowy mountain?'
Zhou Niannian thought of the clumsy bird earlier and found it quite amusing.
It was so big, yet so timid. It had made her worry for so long, fearing it might grab her and throw her off the cliff.
'It's because this bird is timid. Timid birds tend to build their nests on snowy mountains, believing them to be remote and safe.'
Jiang Fan explained while eating with a greasy mouth.
As Zhou Niannian ate, a question suddenly popped into her mind.
'I wonder how Daixiaomei and Yao are doing? Do they have anything to eat?'
Thinking of Daixiaomei, Zhou Niannian lost her appetite.
They had escaped, but Daixiaomei and Yao's fate was unknown. Of course, they didn't know that Daixiaomei and Yao were already safe.
'Don't worry, with Yao there, Daixiaomei will be fine!'
Jiang Fan reassured Zhou Niannian. Zhou Niannian nodded firmly.
She had great confidence in the wolf boy's skills."