The clear water in the pot came to a boil. Lu Wanqing placed the two birds inside, scalded them briefly, then lifted them out to pluck their feathers easily.
After plucking, she slit them open with a knife and cleaned out the entrails.
It was so effortless!
Having been confined to Earth for so long, this was the first time Lu Wanqing felt such a sense of ease. A slight smile played on her lips as she dealt with the internal organs.
Cui Cui was also happy. Though usually haughty when with her father, she was now like a well-behaved child, squatting beside her mother, watching intently, her smile never ceasing, almost turning into a sweet little girl!
The two birds didn't require much preparation. They were cleaned in no time.
Lu Wanqing poured out the dirty water from the pot, refilled it with fresh water using her abilities, and then submerged the two birds.
Previously, she lacked containers, so there was nothing she could do. Now that she had one, Lu Wanqing still wished to let the birds soak in the purifying water for as long as possible to ensure they were clean.
With these tasks done, there was still some time before noon.
Lu Wanqing carried the pot into the cave and then, with Cui Cui, emerged to look outside.
There were many trees in the forest. Perhaps she could chop some down to build a temporary wooden cabin.
The cave where she and Cui Cui were currently living was too small. While it could serve as a temporary shelter in an emergency, if Wei Xingzhou and the others couldn't rescue them anytime soon, staying in the cave would be uncomfortable and unsuitable.
As Lu Wanqing pondered this, her gaze fell upon the archaeological robot within her spatial inventory.
Opening the spatial inventory, Lu Wanqing retrieved the archaeological robot.
The moment the archaeological robot was revealed, many people watching the live stream from the federation were bewildered. They had no idea what Lu Wanqing intended to do with it.
Lu Wanqing took out the instruction manual and, following its guidance, powered on the archaeological robot before issuing commands.
The robot quickly came to life. It turned its head and walked towards the forest, initiating its tree-cutting mode.
"What is Goddess doing?"
"I don't understand, but I'm sure Goddess wouldn't do anything useless!"
Beside Lu Wanqing, Cui Cui was also puzzled.
"Mom, why are we cutting trees?" Cui Cui asked.
Lu Wanqing looked at Cui Cui and explained, "Mom wants to build a house. This cave is too small, and it's very inconvenient for the two of us to live in."
Cui Cui's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly nodded, "Yes, yes!"
With the archaeological robot handling the tree-cutting, Lu Wanqing didn't have to do the strenuous work herself. She picked up a branch from the ground and began contemplating the blueprint for the wooden cabin.
It wasn't that she was being extravagant. The interstellar era was incredibly advanced, and they happened to have an archaeological robot.
An archaeological robot could not only cut trees and clear away bothersome undergrowth but also dig. When it came time to build the house, they could simply command the robot to dig the foundation, a mere instruction away.
Lu Wanqing quickly sketched a simple blueprint for the house's foundation.
One kitchen, one living room, and two bedrooms.
She had already decided on the bedrooms: one for herself and Cui Cui to share, and the other as a firewood storage, for dry wood and other miscellaneous items.
As for dedicating one room to each of them, Lu Wanqing didn't consider such a design. Earth was not entirely safe, and sleeping together at night would be much more secure for her and Cui Cui.
Outside the rooms, she planned to design ample space for setting up traps to guard against any wild beasts that might emerge from the forest.
Although she had been living there for a while and felt the surroundings were safe, it was better to be safe than sorry.
After conceiving the blueprint, Lu Wanqing quickly dismissed it and took Cui Cui back into the forest to dig up a few familiar wild vegetables.
These vegetables were all green. She had discovered they were edible wild vegetables some time ago. When she passed by, she would use her abilities to conjure some water and water them. After a few days, these vegetables had grown into their normal green hue, and now they were ready to be harvested.
Seeing her mother pick some wild vegetables, Cui Cui noticed that the roots of the remaining vegetables were still in the ground. She then used her own abilities, attempting to catalyze the plant roots.
Lu Wanqing discovered that the wild vegetables she had just picked quickly grew back, with tender green sprouts emerging, which was very cute.
"Cui Cui, you're amazing!" Lu Wanqing immediately praised.
Cui Cui was young. Using her abilities consumed a lot of energy. After one round of accelerated growth, her face was a little pale, but her eyes were bright and joyful.
"Mom, I can make them grow!" Cui Cui happily told Lu Wanqing.
Lu Wanqing immediately nodded, "Yes!"
"Let's go back," Lu Wanqing said.
"Okay," Cui Cui happily agreed.
Although Cui Cui had accelerated the growth of some wild vegetables, they had only just sprouted. They weren't ready to be picked and eaten yet; they needed a few more days to grow.
However, with Cui Cui's ability, Lu Wanqing realized that their lives here might truly no longer be a concern.
Except for...
The potential threat of lurking insectoids around them.
Wei Xingzhou hadn't reappeared these past few days, nor had he secretly entered the cave to leave them a signal. This made Lu Wanqing even more certain that there must be something else near them, which was why Wei Xingzhou and the others dared not show themselves. Otherwise, given Wei Xingzhou's personality, he would have likely rushed to retrieve Cui Cui and take her to an absolutely safe place.
But since she and Cui Cui hadn't encountered any trouble these past few days, and Wei Xingzhou hadn't appeared in a hurry, it indicated that whatever was hidden near them might not be extremely dangerous?
At least for her and Cui Cui at present, perhaps that thing wouldn't immediately end their lives.
Lu Wanqing secretly speculated if it could be insectoids, or perhaps the Insectoid Queen.
After all, she and Cui Cui had been brought here by the Insectoid Queen. She still hadn't figured out what the queen meant by that "game" she had mentioned, or what the rules of the game were. However...
If the Insectoid Queen truly intended to play some kind of game with her, she wouldn't have so easily abandoned her and Cui Cui on Earth and left them to fend for themselves, would she?
Therefore, the Insectoid Queen was likely watching her and Cui Cui from the shadows. This was also likely why Wei Xingzhou, despite having arrived on Earth, hadn't come to rescue her and Cui Cui directly, and even the supplies he sent were delivered in such a discreet and disguised manner.
Lu Wanqing even harbored a more unsettling suspicion, which was the primary reason she wanted to build a house here.
Wei Xingzhou had already arrived on Earth, yet he was only sending them daily necessities. What did this imply?
It meant that people outside couldn't rescue her and Cui Cui within a short period, and they would have to live on Earth for some time. Only then could one understand why the supplies Wei Xingzhou sent contained so many daily necessities and tools for survival.