Chapter 122

Chapter 122

The sun in the sky began to set normally, and the familiar, magnificent sunset glow reappeared.

Seeing this familiar sight, the beastmen finally felt the reality of having survived the "hellish hot season." Even though the current temperature had only returned to a normal hot season and had nothing to do with being "cool," for the beastmen, being able to experience a normal hot season again was just great!

They had always heard how terrifying natural disasters were, and at first, they were indeed very anxious. Some beastmen were so panicked that they even left last words for those around them.

However, for the Mountain Water Tribe, aside from suffering a bit during the final few days, the beastmen never imagined they could weather the disaster in this way.

Everyone was grateful that they lived in the Mountain Water Tribe! They never wanted to leave the Mountain Water Tribe, not in this lifetime, nor the next!

The large kitchen in front of the central cave regained its usual bustling activity, with cooking smoke rising everywhere.

After several renovations, the central kitchen was now quite a proper kitchen. With more versatile cooking stations available, the fire pits were used less frequently.

The soaked red beans had been rinsed clean with water, each grain plump and round from soaking.

Xue Tuan stood on a small stool, pouring the basin of red beans into a clay pot to simmer slowly over the fire until the aroma of the beans gradually spread with the steam.

The little black lion watched Little Dumpling nervously from the side. In the kitchen, even when helping, Xue Tuan rarely did the hands-on work himself, so the little black lion kept an especially close eye on him.

Xue Tuan: "If I bump into you later, would that count as a work-related injury?"

The little black lion: ? He didn't understand "work-related injury," but he understood "injury."

The little black lion stood still, looking aggrieved. Indeed, it was more likely that he would bump into Little Dumpling: "Then I'll stand farther away..." he said reluctantly.

Xue Tuan secretly chuckled to himself. He knew the little black lion wouldn't understand these word games and was just teasing him.

On the other side, Yuan Luo had already slaughtered and cleaned the fat duck beast. Le Hu was right—the fat duck beast was indeed very fresh. The whole duck was cut by Yuan Luo into evenly sized strips of meat.

The fat duck beast meat was first briefly blanched in boiling water with ginger, skimming off the foam, then boiled a little longer before being removed. This not only removed surface bloodstains and impurities but also reduced some of the gamey smell.

Xue Tuan: "Uncle Yuan Luo, let's fry the skin-on pieces in the pan first." This step wasn't to cook the meat through but mainly to render out the fat, which was said to make the soup richer.

"Alright, no problem." Yuan Luo naturally followed Xue Tuan's instructions.

Under the glow of the firelight, the inside of the iron pot was dark and glossy. When Yuan Luo fried the skin-on fat duck beast meat until it was fragrant with oil, he pushed the meat to the side. Then, he added chopped scallions, ginger, and garlic, stir-frying until fragrant to build the base flavor for the soup.

Next, he added the remaining meat and red beans to the iron pot, poured in enough water, covered it with a lid, and brought it to a boil over high heat before reducing to a simmer.

Xue Tuan: "For other large pieces of beast meat, you can let the meat simmer for a while before adding the red beans later."

"When seasoning at the end, besides salt, you can also add a little sour juice to reduce the greasiness."

Yuan Luo nodded: "Okay, I'll remember that."

During this time, Yuan Luo would slowly stir with a clay ladle, constantly skimming off surface impurities to keep the soup clear.

Xue Tuan: "That should be about right. It'll probably be ready by dinnertime."

By then, the soup color would gradually deepen from clear, with a rich, non-greasy aroma. When serving, sprinkling a little fragrant leaves and scallion segments would make it even more appetizing.

While Xue Tuan and the little black lion were watching the red bean and fat duck beast stew, Bing Qiu and Xiao Peng were handling the burdock root strips.

Now that the black lion had changed back into his Beast Form, he was no longer available to help Bing Qiu with the ingredients, so Bing Qiu called Xiao Wei's older brother, Xiao Peng, to assist.

Xiao Peng was the other sparring partner Grandpa Hui Qiong found for him after the black lion stopped training with him. During this time, the two often practiced together and gradually became familiar with each other.

"Your Tuanzai is so well-behaved." Actually, his younger brother Xiao Wei was also well-behaved, but it felt different from Bing Qiu's Tuanzai—perhaps there was a bit more pity involved?

"Of course, my Tuanzai is the best." Bing Qiu said casually. Praising his Tuanzai was as natural to him as drinking water.

While the two older brothers were exchanging praises for their respective younger brothers, Xue Tuan's voice suddenly came from behind:

"Brother, you haven't finished yet?"

Burdock roots had soil on them, so they needed to be shaken off and rinsed with water. Then, the two had to work together, using a vegetable peeler to thinly scrape off the outer skin of the roots, which wasn't eaten. After that, they continued using the peeler to shred the roots into strips.

Going through all this indeed took a bit more time than usual.

Bing Qiu immediately replied: "Hehe, Tuanzai, you came just in time. We were just finishing up."

After saying this, Bing Qiu looked back and, sure enough, saw the black lion following Xue Tuan. He took the opportunity to glare at him: You're so relaxed, while I'm short a helper.

That wasn't all—Bing Qiu also bumped Xiao Peng's shoulder with his own, as if blaming him for talking too much and asking Xue Tuan all sorts of questions, which caused them to dawdle and not finish handling the burdock.

"Tuanzai, don't worry, we'll be done soon." Hearing Bing Qiu call him "Tuanzai" every day, Xiao Peng had picked up the habit.

Xue Tuan didn't mind the nickname. He knew Xiao Peng and recognized him as Xiao Wei's older brother. Their beast form was the patternless clouded leopard, and as adults, they looked like golden-and-white big cats.

Their father, Nanbei, was the main person in charge of the silkworm room. During the natural disaster, the patternless clouded leopard family stayed together in another cave and didn't stay with the group of cubs in the new cave.

This also meant Xue Tuan missed the chance to pet the golden-and-white clouded leopard cub.

"Where's Xiao Wei?" Xue Tuan looked around but didn't see Xiao Wei.

"He's helping our father over there. He should come later...?" Xiao Peng wasn't entirely sure. If they were too busy, they usually ate in the silkworm room.

He'd been pulled away by Bing Qiu earlier today, and his father had told him to just help out here.

"Ahem, Tuanzai, look, it's all here." Finally done, Bing Qiu placed all the burdock he and Xiao Peng had washed into a clean bamboo basket. He picked it up, took Xue Tuan's hand, and walked toward Yuan Luo.

Bing Qiu: "Uncle Yuan Luo, is it okay if I put these burdock roots here?"

"Ah, you're done? Bring them all over." Yuan Luo had just skimmed some foam off the soup and could now proceed with making the burdock root strips.

The burdock roots the beastmen found were tender, so unlike old roots, they didn't need to be blanched and cooled before stir-frying. They could be added directly to the pan, and the earthy smell wouldn't be as strong.

The iron pot was occupied, so now they had to use a clay stir-fry pan.

Yuan Luo: "I wonder when the next iron pot will be made in the tribe?" The oil in the clay stir-fry pan was already hot. Yuan Luo threw in crushed garlic cloves and chopped scallions, stir-frying them a few times to release their fragrance first.

Xiao Peng: "It should be soon! I heard Uncle An Tu and the others say they plan to make iron pots first!"

Yuan Luo smiled: "That's good. One iron pot really isn't enough."

The burdock root strips were also stir-fried quickly over high heat. As soon as Yuan Luo added all the burdock root strips, he immediately heard a sizzling sound.

He picked up a wooden spatula and quickly stir-fried, letting the burdock root strips roll in the hot oil. They would be ready in no time, and he sprinkled some sesame seeds on them before serving.

Lately, with the hot weather, everyone enjoyed sour flavors. Under Xue Tuan's guidance, Yuan Luo prepared a separate sour dipping sauce.

By the time all the dishes were finished, Feng Yan and Rong Shan had finally returned.

Right after the natural disaster, the tribal leaders and managers were the busiest. Being able to return at this time likely meant the leaders wanted everyone to rest early, which was why they could finish their wrap-up work so quickly.

"Dad, Father, Grandpa, come quick! The food's just cooled down!" Xue Tuan called out, jumping and waving from afar, urging the adults to hurry over. It should be just right to eat now while it's warm.

"Coming, coming." Hui Qiong was the first to arrive, scooping him up in his arms. He'd been spending most of his time at the workshop lately and hadn't had much chance to properly hold his little one.

"Hehe, Grandpa runs the fastest." Xue Tuan wrapped his arms around Hui Qiong's neck and told him to sit down first.

This time, not only Yun Lu and Shi Hu came, but several beastman managers from the sub-tribes also followed closely behind. The last to take their seats were Feng Yan and Rong Shan.

Seeing so many people return together, Xue Tuan knew they'd inevitably keep talking about the tribe's 'recovery after the disaster' at the dinner table.

However, their tribe got off pretty lightly from the disaster, so everyone's mood wasn't too heavy.

As soon as the adults sat down, they dug right in and started talking.

Hui Qiong, however, leaned in and whispered to the little ones, "Come here, come here. I made something for you kids."

Xue Tuan, the little black lion, and Bing Qiu immediately looked at Hui Qiong.

Hui Qiong dug something out of the bag on his back and handed them out one by one. "They're not made very well. Use them if you can, or keep them as a memento if not."

Xue Tuan was amazed to see that Grandpa had actually made them crystal bowls and basins!

You have to understand, the beast world lacked modern tools, so they couldn't cut crystal into just any shape they wanted. They could only select naturally suitable crystal shapes, then hammer, polish, and grind them for a long time to barely create the utensils they wanted.

So, even though the crystal bowls and basins before them only roughly resembled their intended shapes and were smooth enough not to prick them when used, their craftsmanship wasn't great. Yet, the little ones were really touched!

These crystal tableware pieces might not look impressive in shape, but they were made of crystal! Among all the utensils, they were still quite beautiful!

"Thank you, Grandpa!" the little ones chimed, clearly delighted with their new tableware.

Seeing the little ones so happy, Hui Qiong's mood was exceptionally good. "I'm glad you like them!"

Xue Tuan: "Of course! I love them so much, Grandpa!" Xue Tuan immediately started eating using the crystal bowl Grandpa gave him.

Although this bowl held about the same amount as his usual one, its shape was much larger. Still, Xue Tuan used it happily.

The little black lion was also surprised to receive a large crystal basin and liked it more and more the longer he looked at it.

As for Bing Qiu, needless to say, he was determined to use the crystal bowl from Grandpa carefully, ensuring it wouldn't shatter like his little clay bowl had.

Once the kids had calmed down a bit, they finally settled down to eat properly.

Xue Tuan really liked today's burdock root shreds. The burdock roots were distinct, their crisp texture unfolding easily on the tongue. In the beast world, burdock root shreds had a slight natural sweetness, making them refreshing with a pleasant aftertaste.

Beside Xue Tuan's hand was a bowl of red bean stew with fatty duck, just ladled out. The red beans were soft, mushy, and fragrant, while the fatty duck meat was plump and rich, with the skin adding a savory fat aroma. The broth, needless to say, went down very smoothly.

Duck meat was said to have the effects of clearing heat, detoxifying, nourishing yin, and harmonizing the stomach, making it very suitable for consumption during the hot season.

It could not only help dispel summer heat for the beastmen but also supplement their nutrition. Xue Tuan thought this dish was quite good, and the beastmen would probably like it too?

After the meal, the adults continued their lively discussions. Xue Tuan, stuffed and lazy, leaned back in his little one's seat, his eyes occasionally drifting toward Xiao Peng on the other side.

Xue Tuan's gaze was so obvious that Bing Qiu immediately understood what his Tuanzai meant. Clearly, his furry addiction was acting up again—not only did he love fur, but he especially loved fur he hadn't touched before.

So, Bing Qiu whispered a few words into Xiao Peng's ear. Xiao Peng then said with a surprised expression, "Really? It really works?"

Bing Qiu rolled his eyes at him: If it didn't work, why would I tell you?

Bing Qiu knew Xiao Peng had also wanted to play with his Tuanzai for a long time. Wasn't he doing a good deed here?

Sure enough, as soon as Xiao Peng heard Bing Qiu's suggestion, he immediately transformed into a fluffy clouded leopard cub.

Watching a fluffy creature slowly walk toward him, Xue Tuan was also stunned: Huh? Can all fluffy creatures read minds? How come he gets whatever he wants?