Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

"What are we going to eat?"

"Although I’m prepared, I still hope to get some normal food."

At this moment, Baus was both nervous and expectant. Participating in the show was, of course, for some unspoken yet widely understood purposes, and also carried some personal interests.

He had a general understanding of Bi Fang’s show and even made a summary table of what they might eat, ranging from normal food to exotic dishes.

Eating raw earthworms, grilled grubs, roasted elk meat, boiled chicken—it seemed as if anything edible was on Bi Fang’s menu.

[You can always trust Master Fang’s hunting skills]

[And you can believe in his seasoning]

[But never trust his taste buds (Dog’s head)]

"Certainly," Bi Fang said with a smile. He pointed to the field in front of them, sporadically dotted with a few large trees, but mostly covered with clumps of shrubs and the herbaceous plants beneath, "Actually, at a glance, I can see many edible herbaceous plants."

"Ferns?" Baus recognized what Bi Fang was pointing at.

Bi Fang nodded: "In the outskirts of Central Country, the most common wild plants are ferns, they’re everywhere. From London to the northernmost tip of Scotland, it’s all this kind of plant."

"Ferns are ancient plants that live in the shade of forests and riverbanks and have survived on Earth for over 300 million years. Long before the dinosaurs, they filled the steamy primeval swamps along with club mosses and horsetails."

"Wow," Baus exclaimed.

"Central Country women once had a crazed obsession with ferns. I don’t know if that’s the reason why there are so many ferns here, but you could say that most of the wild weeds in Central Country are ferns," Bi Fang squatted down and flipped through the herbaceous plants in front of him.

"However, some ferns have become very rare, and others, due to limited suitable habitats, have a very restricted distribution. The reason might date back to the Victorian era when it was very fashionable to collect ferns and grow them indoors."

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"Collectors searched the countryside for ferns, transported them to town streets, and sold them from door to door. Naturally, the rarer the ferns they sold, the higher their price. Before long, due to continual picking, certain species of ferns became extremely rare."

"What we have here is the broom fern. Its tender stems and leaves are edible, and it’s a semi-wild vegetable high in carotenoids and rich in potassium and copper. The mature plants can be used to make brooms, which is how it got its name."

Bi Fang poked around, found some tender leaves, pinched them off with his nails, handed some to Baus, and then chewed on some himself.

After a moment’s hesitation, Baus also popped it into his mouth.

"How does it feel?"

"A bit dry," Baus chewed a few times, "The fibers are quite prominent, is it too old?"

Bi Fang nodded, it was a bit old, but still edible.

"Not all ferns are edible. Some young fern leaves contain tannins and typically need to be soaked in cold water overnight before they can be eaten. Usually, they’re thermally processed. Blanching and rinsing can significantly reduce their original glycosides content and lower the risk of cancer."

"Can this be eaten raw?" Baus asked, pointing at the broom fern.

Bi Fang shook his head: "No, according to traditional Chinese medicine, broom fern is cool in nature and can have an adverse effect on the human digestive system. Eating it raw can lead to diarrhea."

Baus: "..."

He looked at the half-eaten piece of fern in his hand and the dry plant taste in his mouth, uncertain of what to do next.

Bi Fang chuckled: "Don’t worry, it’s just a bit of tender leaves, it won’t do much harm."

"Alright then."

If it’s edible, there’s no reason to miss out.

Bi Fang searched around and picked everything edible, as it was summer, there were fewer tender leaves, but not none.

After spending about fifteen minutes, he had gathered almost half a plate’s worth, but it was far from enough for two people, and plants are hardly sufficient in providing enough energy.

Meat would be best after all.

Hence, the two of them continued walking, coming to the small river where they had fetched water, looking for a slow-flowing bend where fish might be found.

"We’re already quite a distance from the coast, the wind has died down a lot; you can see the trees are much more robust here, and it’s a marsh forest on one side."

Bi Fang pointed to the dense forest upstream of the river, which, though still sparse, could now be referred to as a forest.

"From wilderness to forest, the change is very distinct in vertical zones, so there’s a significant increase in biodiversity. The animal density here will be higher, and we’ll have a better chance of encountering prey, especially in the marsh forest."

"What’s with the marsh forest?"

"The fish resources in the marsh forest are incredibly rich."

"One typical example is the mangrove forest, which is also a marsh forest, growing in coastal intertidal zones. It’s one of the most productive marine ecosystems at the land-sea interface, with nearly 80% of the global fish catch coming directly or indirectly from mangrove forests."

"However, mangrove forests only exist in subtropical and tropical regions; Central Country doesn’t have them, only common marsh forests, but that’s sufficient. The forest roots in the swamp intertwine, providing habitats for many animals."

Walking into the marsh forest, Baus felt it was noticeably harder to move.

The moist soil stuck to the soles of his shoes, and it took much more effort to pull his feet free.

Bi Fang perked up, reminding him, "Follow me, don’t get stuck in the mud, that would be troublesome."

[I feel like there could be snakes.]

[Indeed, with crocodiles and pythons in the swamp, are we really okay?]

Bi Fang shook his head: "Central Country doesn’t have either of those, you could even say it has no reptiles at all."

In terms of wilderness survival, the island nation of Central Country could truly be considered a heaven on Earth.

In the Middle Ages, fierce animals like brown bears and wolves had nearly vanished from England, and in the modern era, they are completely extinct, only seen in zoos. The remaining elks and wild boars are considered top hunting targets, followed by hares, pheasants, and waterfowls.

With the large animals gone, surely there must still be small venomous creatures?

What about venomous snakes?

It’s not that there are none, that would be too absolute, given the presence of various invasive species and the phenomenon of pet releases, but it’s fair to say they are scarce.

Nevertheless, it has nothing to do with Saint Patrick.

"In Central Country, there’s a holiday called Saint Patrick’s Day, commemorating Saint Patrick, the patron of Ireland."

"One of the legends about Saint Patrick is that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland, and it is one of the most famous stories in Irish mythology."

This is telling in its own way.

"But at the end of the day, it’s just a legend. The scientific explanation is that during the Ice Age, the temperatures in Ireland and Central Country were too low, unsuitable for the survival of cold-blooded animals like snakes. The cold-blooded nature of snakes requires them to absorb heat from their surroundings to maintain normal bodily functions."

"It wasn’t until 10,000 years ago that glacial changes connected Central Country, Ireland, and the European continent, creating a land bridge that led to species migration. Some species then migrated to Central Country."

"But there was little time, not many made it, and by the time the glaciers melted and they wanted to cross, there was already a sea in between."