Chapter 135

Chapter 135

With so many chestnuts harvested today, they could make a delicious meal of "Savory Chicken and Chestnut Rice."

Over at Yuan Luo's place, many beastmen were now helping with the cooking. As more and more people grew to love the atmosphere of communal dining, many ingredients that would have originally been distributed to individual households were now directly handed over to Yuan Luo, putting him in full charge.

Yuan Luo's area had unmistakably become the tribe's indispensable central kitchen.

After the "Chestnut Harvesting" team returned, the central kitchen split into two groups. One group was responsible for washing and steaming the rice, while the other began processing the chestnuts.

After boiling in hot water, the chestnuts would crack open. The beastmen placed the scalded chestnuts into basins of cold water; the shells would pull away from the meat.

For those that didn't crack open, the beastmen would use bone knives to slice open the outer shell, then peel off both the shell and the thin inner skin, leaving just the kernel.

Even the cubs gathered around to help with the peeling. Many hands make light work. The sooner they finished peeling, the sooner they could eat the chestnuts.

The little snow fox and the little black lion were responsible for keeping an eye on which pots were boiling and adjusting the fires.

Yuan Luo: "The chestnuts might still be quite hot, be careful with your hands."

The little snow fox nodded. The warning made sense, but peeling the shells while they were still warm was probably easier.

"Got it—" The cubs also had a good sense of it themselves. If the chestnuts were truly too hot to handle, they would just blow on them hard; they wouldn't stubbornly try to peel them regardless of their fingers' well-being.

After removing the shells, the chestnuts revealed their golden kernels inside. The cubs felt as if even their fingers were tinged with a faint, sweet scent. They couldn't even imagine how fragrant they would be once added to the rice.

A large iron pot was already set up on the stove. Heating the pan and adding cool oil, Yuan Luo poured in some beast fat, then immediately added a few slices of ginger. After stir-frying for a few moments, he added the chopped Whitefeathered Beast meat.

Before long, the Whitefeathered Beast meat was fried to a golden brown on the surface, glistening with oil.

"Uncle Yuan Luo, here are the chopped shiitake mushrooms and chestnuts." Bing Qiu brought over a plate of ingredients prepared by the beastmen; he was helping out over there.

In the morning, he had followed his fathers to help out at the Rockball Sparrows' place and had now returned for lunch. After setting down the plate, Bing Qiu gave a quick ruffle to the nearby watching little snow fox before leaving.

Yuan Luo: "Great, thank you." Perfect timing. Yuan Luo quickly tipped in the entire plate of prepared ingredients Bing Qiu brought into the pot. After adding seasonings, he began stir-frying rapidly.

Meanwhile, the nearly steamed rice was brought over. Seeing that the food in the pot was almost done stir-frying, Yuan Luo added the rice as well, mixing everything together evenly.

Stirring a pot that big was hard work. Fortunately, for Yuan Luo, it was no trouble at all. Cooking was also a physical task, and he'd been thoroughly exercised in that regard recently.

Soon, every grain of rice in the pot seemed to be coated in a glossy sheen of oil, simultaneously exuding the aroma of chicken and shiitake mushrooms.

The cubs, who had been diligently peeling chestnuts, had already started drooling unconsciously. They kept glancing back at Yuan Luo's area, each silently thinking: *We did so much work today, we deserve an extra bowl of fragrant rice later!*

Once the stir-frying was about done, Yuan Luo killed the fire beneath the stove, covered the pot with a lid, and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Let it steam for a bit, then it'll be ready to eat. Anyone without urgent matters can come over to eat first." Yuan Luo announced as he wiped his hands. He then began arranging things, also taking out several bowls and setting them aside.

Hearing this, the cubs immediately put down their tasks to wash their hands and get bowls. The moment they'd been waiting for had finally arrived.

The cubs held their bowls, eagerly gathering around the stove. After waiting for a while, Yuan Luo finally lifted the lid. Instantly, a great plume of steam billowed up.

Inside the pot, the rice grains were glossy white and plump, dotted with golden chestnuts.

"Wait, wait, hold on, don't rush." Yuan Luo stopped the cubs trying to get closer. Using a large rice scoop, he slowly turned the rice from the bottom up. The rice at the bottom had actually formed a layer of crispy rice crust!

Yuan Luo smiled. This was the second time he had successfully made "crispy rice crust." Many beastmen loved eating this crispy bottom layer. After trying it once, they seemed to get hooked, clamoring for it next time. Yuan Luo thought to himself that he would make more of this "crispy rice crust base" whenever possible in the future.

Apart from distributing portions to the cubs, Yuan Luo instructed a beastman to deliver the rest to the Rockball Sparrows first.

As for the cubs, needless to say, each one ate with more relish than the last.

The rice grains were distinct, fluffy, and not mushy; the chicken was tender and savory; the chestnuts were sweet, soft, and floury. With each bite, the rich textures made the cubs unable to put down their spoons.

They all had only one thought: *All that hard work was definitely not in vain. This rice is so fragrant and delicious!*

And this slightly charred, fragrant thing had always been Bing Qiu's favorite, so the "crispy rice crust" became his new beloved.

As for the two Beast Form cubs leaning against each other and eating from a shared food basin, they were chomping away so vigorously that only the tops of their heads were visible.

Watching the cubs eat so heartily, Yuan Luo, now refreshed, smiled and prepared to start making the second pot.

The Rockball Sparrows who received that pot of "Savory Chicken and Chestnut Rice" were also surprised. Their staple food was usually various plump insects.

But this pot of rice was, after all, sent by the Mountain Water Tribe beastmen. It wouldn't be good not to eat it... The key point was, it smelled incredibly good...

So, after mustering the courage to take a bite, the Rockball Sparrows were all shocked, their beaks agape. Was this really made from the chestnuts they helped gather this morning?

Previously, in the minds of the Rockball Sparrows, all delicious food in the world fell into two categories: insects and everything else. But since coming to the Mountain Water Tribe, they realized they had been too naive. In this world, there really were things more delicious than roasted insects.

For a period afterward, the beastmen of the Mountain Water Tribe discovered a little trick for dealing with the Rockball Sparrows.

As long as they first brought out a little tasty food as "bait," the Rockball Sparrows would be 100% unable to resist staying put to chat with them. Because even the timid and cautious Rockball Sparrows couldn't withstand the allure of the various delicacies produced by the Mountain Water Tribe.

However, this also involved the efforts of the Rockball Sparrow leader. To help the Rockball Sparrows integrate faster into the daily life of the Mountain Water Tribe, whenever A Rong and A Ying went out to talk with the Mountain Water Tribe beastmen, they would always bring along a few other tribesmen.

The little snow fox noticed this too. There would always be two or three tribesmen by A Rong's or A Ying's side, and they had to make them speak up.

Every day, the two of them would take turns bringing several people along, ensuring every tribesman had to go out and interact.

Although some Rockball Sparrows showed a bit of resistance at first, after repetition, it was as if they were getting used to it. The Rockball Sparrows seemed to gradually get used to the presence of other outsider beastmen. Clearly, A Ying and A Rong's efforts were paying off.

A Ying mainly led her tribesmen in handling matters related to the silkworm room and beekeeping, while A Rong led the Rockball Sparrows in starting to act as porters for the tribe.

When the house-building team needed wood, flocks of Rockball Sparrows would fly to the logging site. Using their special beaks, they would pick up the bundles of wood tied by the beastmen and directly deliver them to the wood processing area.

The little snow fox discovered that for anything that could be packaged, as long as the Rockball Sparrows had a "bite point," they could pick it up.

"They can not only carry things, they carry them faster than I can..." The beastmen who saw how the Rockball Sparrows worked for the first time were all astonished.

"Isn't this really helpers specially sent to our tribe by the Beast God?" one beastman whispered. This saved them so much time. What beastman wouldn't like these Rockball Sparrows?

The beastmen of the Mountain Water Tribe became even more enthusiastic toward the Rockball Sparrows. If it weren't for Yun Lu repeatedly emphasizing to everyone not to scare the Rockball Sparrows, even A Ying and A Rong were a bit intimidated by this enthusiasm. Their tribe had never encountered such a warm and welcoming tribe before!

From this point on, the Mountain Water Tribe presented an unprecedented new scene—a flock of Rockball Sparrows flying through the air above the tribe, carrying things in their beaks.

They freely weaved among the buildings, becoming an indispensable and important part of the Mountain Water Tribe's construction.

Many days later, when the little snow fox accidentally saw a Rockball Sparrow sharing its first natural, relaxed smile while conversing with a Mountain Water Tribe beastman, he knew they no longer needed to worry about the Rockball Sparrows' integration issues.

Busy times passed quickly, and it was time to sow new seeds. The management-level beastmen not only had to oversee the fields but also prepare for the tribe's upcoming cold season.

The good news was that the Puffbirds brought the first batch of finished cotton products—cotton jackets.

Once beastmen began utilizing cotton, cotton products would become one of the very important supplies for ordinary tribes to survive the cold season.

In the beast world of the past, one of the most common and intractable causes of death for beastmen was freezing to death. But in the Mountain Water Tribe, they absolutely would not allow such a situation to happen again.

The number of cotton jackets brought this time was limited. Shao Shao personally delivered them so he could tell Xue Tuan the good news in person and also have them check if the jackets passed inspection. If they did, they would continue making more accordingly.

The other Puffbird beastmen accompanying him brought a large quantity of unprocessed cotton. The Mountain Water Tribe would have to wait until next year at the earliest to harvest their own cotton, so for now, they had to rely entirely on the cotton provided by the Puffbirds.

If both tribes worked at the same time, they might manage to produce a batch of cotton jackets before the cold season arrived.

The Puffbird Tribe was being so diligent, and the Mountain Water Tribe didn't hold back either. They taught the Puffbird Tribe everything step by step—how to process cotton seeds, how to make a cotton bow to fluff the cotton, then how to make the cotton padding, and finally, the cutting and sewing.

"Xue Tuan, look at this cotton jacket we made. Isn't it good?" Shao Shao's face was flushed with excitement. Ever since the first cotton jacket was made by the Puffbird Tribe, their clansmen had been so thrilled they couldn't sleep all night.

The little arctic fox examined this hard-won cotton jacket. Although the craftsmanship couldn't be called excellent, at least it looked wearable. He said to Shao Shao, "It's quite good! You've worked hard!"

Hearing this, Shao Shao became even happier. Beaming, he showed the cotton jacket to Rong Shan. After receiving further "praise" from Rong Shan, Shao Shao felt so elated he wanted to fly back to his tribe immediately to make more cotton jackets!

However, Rong Shan brought Shao Shao back to reality. Holding the barely wearable jacket, he began explaining to Shao Shao and the other Puffbird Beastmen which areas still needed improvement.

So there were still so many issues to fix...

After listening to the several points Rong Shan mentioned that needed adjustment, Shao Shao finally calmed down a bit. He earnestly sought advice from Chief Rong Shan on how to make the cotton jackets warmer and more durable.

The little arctic fox also listened nearby, once again awed by his father's learning ability.

For various cotton products, his father had repeatedly asked him questions and discussed them. If there was even the slightest point he didn't understand, his father would keep asking until it was clear.

His father was the type who felt he wasn't qualified to teach others unless he fully understood something himself.

It was good to strive for excellence, after all. A well-made, high-quality cotton coat could last beastmen for several years. Because when a fine cotton coat became old, the padding could be taken out, the cotton re-fluffed, and then made into a new garment—perfectly embodying the principle of "making the best use of everything."

In the beast world, where resources, manpower, and technology were all scarce, living by mending and patching things was necessary.

However, to prepare for the upcoming cold season, Rong Shan, who usually paid attention to details, omitted many time-consuming steps. He only pointed out a few places where the stitching was obviously not secure.

The Puffbird Beastmen also understood that time was precious. After resting just one night, they set off back to their tribe, striving to keep their promise and continue processing their cotton jackets.

Before leaving, Shao Shao even declared: "Next time we come, it will be just a few days before the cold season. We'll definitely have them all made for you by then!"

Knowing that the Mountain Water Tribe had recently welcomed another new tribe, Shao Shao still dared to make such a bold claim. It showed that the Puffbirds were truly very confident this time.

"Great! Brother Shao Shao, we'll be waiting for you!" The little arctic fox was also infected by Shao Shao's passion and enthusiasm. He began to imagine the scene of a flock of Puffbirds flying over, laden with cotton jackets.

A few more days passed. On a sunny afternoon, Hui Hui returned!

"Chirp—"

A bird call from Hui Hui startled the little arctic fox, who had been dozing off in the workshop cave.

The little arctic fox jolted awake, jumped onto the little black lion who had come before him, and was directly carried by the little black lion as they rushed out of the cave.

"Hui Hui!" the little arctic fox shouted loudly.

Grandpa Hui Qiong, who had been away for a long time, had finally sent his first letter.

-----------------------