Chapter 58 Jewelry and Soft, Fragrant Buns

Everyone suggested that Yu Yan should knock.

As long as it goes through Yu Yan's hands, they have no objection to whether the amount is large or small.

Yu Yan smiled helplessly: "Okay."

He picked up the hammer and smashed the glass with a few quick blows.

Qingdie blinked: "...That's too fast."

"Okay!" Yu Yan said, "Line up, one at a time."

People rushed forward immediately, forming a long queue.

Yu Yan gave each person a piece of glass, repeatedly reminding them: "The edges of the glass are very sharp, be very careful when handling it, don't cut your hands, and don't let the little one touch it."

"Uh-huh."

Seeing that someone had carefully wrapped up the broken glass with a cloth, others followed suit.

After dividing the glass, Cangfeng asked with a smile, "Our tribe has produced such wonderful things, shall we have a celebratory feast today?"

If he had said that before, many people would have wholeheartedly agreed.

But this time, everyone is looking forward to going back to make jewelry.

The piece of glass Yin Qing received was a deep green. He looked at it from every angle in the last rays of the setting sun, completely captivated by it. He said, "Chieftain, let's not have a gathering today, maybe next time."

Jinxia chimed in, "Yeah, it's so late, let's just eat our own food."

Cangfeng: "..." When you're talking, can you take your eyes off the glass?

Xin Yu smiled at him and shook her head slightly.

Cang Feng asked Yu Yan if she had anything else to do, and when she replied no, he said, "Alright, everyone, let's go back."

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

Goodbye, Yu Yan!

"Let's go!"

"See you tomorrow!"

Many people sprouted wings and flew away with a "flapping" sound.

Yu Yan called Feng Gui and Lan Xiu, and they flew towards home. Lan Xiu helped carry the batch of glass he left behind.

After landing, Feng Gui asked happily, "Yu Yan, the piece of glass I was assigned is very beautiful. How about I make you a glass bead necklace?"

Yu Yan waved her hand: "No need, I'm not used to wearing jewelry. Do whatever you like."

Feng Gui exclaimed, "It's like a dream that we'll soon have glass jewelry!"

Yu Yan couldn't help but laugh.

Feng Gui then asked, "What are you planning to do with those pieces of glass you left behind?"

“In our new house, I left space for a window, right? Tomorrow I’ll build a window frame and install the glass inside to make it a window.”

"Window..." Feng Gui had heard Yu Yan mention this word before, but he couldn't quite imagine what it looked like.

Upon seeing the glass, a picture finally formed in his mind.

Glass is so beautiful and dreamy, and it lets in light. A house with glass windows must be very bright, right? How happy one would be to live in one!

"I really want to move in there."

Yu Yan smiled and said, "It'll be quick."

The next day, after dawn, Yu Yan flew down from the bird's nest.

He no longer stays in bed.

After eating the breakfast prepared by Feng Gui, Yu Yan took a clean earthenware basin and strolled into the thatched shed.

He scooped out a small half-basin of flour from the flour bag and placed the basin on the stone slab.

Then, he brought over the freshly fermented yogurt and added a few spoonfuls to the flour.

He wanted to leaven dough, but he didn't have yeast, so he decided to try using yogurt.

Flour is so rare that he didn't want to waste it, so he took only a small amount.

He kneaded the flour and yogurt into a dough by hand. The dough was slightly wet and sticky, and it smelled of yogurt.

After kneading the dough, he took another lid, covered the basin, and placed it in the thatched shed.

"Father, we can go now!" Yu Yan called to Feng Gui.

"Here it is. These are the tools we need. Take a look, is there anything we're missing?"

"We should have enough. If not, we can come back for more. It's very close anyway, let's go."

The two packed their belongings, spread their wings, and flew towards their new house.

Yu Yan noticed the ducks with their feathers clipped, fluttering restlessly inside the fenced enclosure.

Unable to fly, they rammed their heads and bodies against the fence, bending several logs.

He looked away and silently kept the matter in mind.

Upon arriving at the new house, they put down their belongings and prepared to move the timber.

A group of young and handsome sub-orcs ran over, with Yin Qing leading the way, shouting, "Yu Yan!"

The first thing Yu Yan noticed was the glass necklace he was wearing.

He smashed the piece of glass he was allocated into smaller fragments, each of which was ground into an oval shape, perforated, and strung together with gold thread.

When the sunlight shines on them, these glass fragments become crystal clear and sparkle.

The others also wore different glass jewelry, some were bracelets, some were rings, and Qingdie even made a forehead pendant!

He polished small, dark green glass shards into round, teardrop shapes, which adorned his brows and swayed as he moved, complementing his bright eyes.

Yu Yan smiled and said to everyone, "All of your jewelry is very beautiful."

They were even happier to receive the praise.

"It's because the glass itself is very beautiful."

"Yu Yan, thank you for making such beautiful glass!"

Yu Yan asked, "You guys didn't sleep at all last night, were you just busy frosting the glass?"

Jinxia: "Then I still went to sleep."

Yin Qing: "I dozed off for a while, and I was dreaming about grinding glass, hahaha."

Qingdie: "The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to check if my jewelry has fallen off. I've made several so I can wear them in rotation from now on."

Xuefei: "Now that we have metal knives, I cut the piece of glass I was assigned into two rings, one big and one small, and I plan to give Qiu Ze one each to wear as bracelets."

Yin Qing looked curiously at his wrist: "Where is it?"

Xue Fei laughed and said, "It's inconvenient to use for work, so I didn't bring it with me."

They came not only to show Yu Yan the new jewelry, but also to help her.

Yu Yan said happily, "That's great! I was just worried about my terrible cooking skills."

"Hahaha," everyone laughed, "Just tell us what you want to do!"

Making window frames and windows is not a difficult task for the skillful sub-beastmen.

The four sides of the window frame were nailed together, and then the window was installed using hinges.

When Feng Gui tried to open it, the folding mechanism made a grating, screeching sound.

Yu Yan took out some nut oil, dripped a few drops on it, and then pushed it around until it became smooth.

Feng Gui's eyes lit up: "That's great. When will the glass be installed?"

Yu Yan: "Let's install the window frame first and see if it fits."

He had people bring over cement ash, plaster, sand, and water. After mixing them, he used the adhesive strength of the cement to install the window frame.

"Let's see how it is first. If it's not strong enough, I'll use some glue later, the kind of material that can stick things together, to fill the gaps."

The newly installed window frames were not suitable for installing glass, so Yu Yan, seeing that there was still time, asked everyone to make a few door frames for him.

In addition to the door frame, house door frame, and warehouse door frame, there is also a small door frame that is about half a person's height.

Someone asked curiously, "Yu Yan, where is such a small door installed?"

Yu Yan replied, "The bird enclosure I have is too small, so I'm planning to build a stone and cement one. This will be the gate."

"Oh..." Everyone suddenly realized.

Yin Qing asked, "Shall we build it now? The cement and stones are readily available."

Yu Yan smiled slightly: "No rush, let's wait a little longer. Everyone has been busy all morning, let's take a break. I also need to go home and visit my family."

"Okay, then we'll come and help you when you're covering it up."

Yu Yan and Feng returned home, but Lan Xiu had not yet returned.

We've been hunting more wild animals lately, so the time it takes to process their hides has increased.

Yu Yan washed her hands, quickly walked into the thatched shed, and opened the lid of the basin.

The dough has risen! It has doubled in size compared to before! It smells faintly sour from the rising dough.

He gently poked it with one finger, and the dough sank in softly. When he withdrew his hand, it slowly puffed back up.

"It seems we're still a little short."

While they were at it, Yu Yan brought over a fresh piece of animal foreleg meat and asked Feng Gui to chop it into minced meat.

He boiled water himself and soaked the tender ginger and Sichuan peppercorns in it.

After chopping away for a while, Feng Guidangdang asked him, "Is this okay?"

Yu Yan went over to take a look and gave a thumbs up, "That's great, it's chopped so finely."

Feng Gui sincerely said, "A kitchen knife is also more useful."

After Feng Gui scraped the minced meat into a bowl, Yu Yan added the cooled peppercorn water to the minced meat in small amounts several times, stirring well.

Then, seasonings such as salt, oyster sauce, quail eggs, and animal fat are added.

The mixed meat filling smelled especially delicious.

If you can find scallions, chop some and mix them in; it will make it even more fragrant. Unfortunately, I haven't found any yet.

Yu Yan went over and looked at the dough. This time, when she poked it with her hand, the dent didn't spring back.

He took some dry flour, sprinkled it on a clean stone slab, and began kneading the dough and dividing it into portions.

Feng Gui watched for a while, then asked, "What should I do?"

"Hmm... Do you know how to roll dough into a round sheet using a wooden stick?"

Feng Gui brought over a wooden stick, and Yu Yan demonstrated it to him once, and he learned how to use it.

After that, Feng Gui rolled out the dough, and Yu Yan used a wooden spoon to scoop out the meat filling and put it in the middle of the dough.

Yu Yan chopped a lot of minced meat, not wanting to leave any, so she would press the minced meat down with a spoon.

He pinched the pleats of the bun one by one until he could put it down no more.

As he circled his fingers, the bun was slowly sealed, becoming the plump, white bun he remembered.

My family always steams stems and tubers, using a straw-woven steamer.

Yu Yan placed the wrapped buns on a steamer rack and then put the rack in the pot.

There was warm water in the pot, so Yu Yan covered it and let the buns rise again for about fifteen minutes.

"It's ready." After waking up, he added cold water to the pot, lit the fire, and steamed the buns over a high flame.

After steaming for about ten minutes, you can take the pot off the stove, let it simmer for a little while, and the thin-skinned, generously filled buns will be ready!

Although Yu Yanhe didn't use much dough, she steamed four batches of buns, and each batch was perfect!

Yu Yan was overjoyed to see the plump buns huddled together, steaming hot, white vapor rising from them.

Instead of using chopsticks, he dipped his hands in cold water and quickly picked up the buns and put them in the basin.

Just after they finished picking two basins, Lan Xiu returned with his men.

Senbai's curious voice came from inside: "What's that smell? It smells so good!"

Yu Yan looked up in surprise and asked, "Senbo, you're back!"

Senbo's skin had tanned a bit, making him look more robust.

He grinned, revealing a set of neat, white teeth.

"Yes, Yu Yan, I miss our tribe so much."

Behind him and Lanxiu were Jiang Kuo, Fan Su, and Shu Yu, each leading one or two members of their clan.

They also greeted Yu Yan.

Feng Gui asked Yu Yan to entertain the guests while he cleaned up.

Yu Yan dragged a long bench over for everyone to sit on, and first asked Lan Xiu, "How did the hunt go?"

Lan Xiu smiled faintly: "Smoothly."

Then he asked Senbai, "You won't have to leave anymore, right?"

Senber: "Yes, I've taught them everything I could."

Jiang Kuo was the first to thank Yu Yan, Sen Bai, and the others.

Yu Yan asked, "So you're here to deliver Senbai this time?"

Shuyu: "Not entirely. We've also heard that you've produced jade, and we'd like to come and see for ourselves."

Yu Yan corrected: "It's not jade, it's glass."

The sub-beastman Tan Nian sat beside Shu Yu, his eyes shining. "I heard it's even more beautiful than jade, is that true?"

Yu Yan: "I'll go get one, you can take a look for yourselves."

Everyone happily exclaimed, "Great!"

Lan Xiu stood up: "I'll go."

Before long, a piece of light green glass, about half a meter square, was handed to Jiang Kuo and the others.

Their reaction was exactly the same as the people from the peninsula tribe yesterday: wide eyes, open mouths, and it took them a long time to find their voices.

"The Beast God... such a huge piece?"

"It's even more beautiful than jade!"

"On the way here, I saw many people from your tribe wearing glass jewelry. It was so beautiful and dazzling!"

"What on earth can be fired to produce jade... glass?!"

Yu Yan smiled mysteriously and said, "The raw materials are a secret for now. Do you like glass?"

Zhong Hai: "Of course I like it! Can I ask how many supplies it would take to exchange for one? I want to get one for Mengyun to take back; he'll definitely be very happy to see it."

The others quickly chimed in, "We want to switch too!"

In fact, they were very uneasy.

Can they really afford to trade glass, which is even more beautiful than jade, for it?

The tribal chiefs were calculating in their minds how much supplies their tribe could currently provide.

No matter what, we have to take one back to inspire our people!

To their surprise, Yu Yan readily agreed, "We can trade if you want. Two large animal hides are equivalent to this piece of glass."

“You can work as blacksmiths for the peninsula tribes, or you can choose to work on glass as payment. You can work for three days and get a piece of glass in return.”

Jiang Kuo and the others gasped.

That's not much at all!

They even exchanged labor for wages, without having to pay for supplies!

Everyone eagerly said, "Let's switch! Let's switch!"

"I want to exchange two!"

"I'll exchange three!"

Yu Yan raised her hand, signaling them to calm down.

"The first batch of glass produced is not much. I'll write down the quantity you need and let you know when it's ready. Oh, and I should mention in advance that the color of the glass isn't fixed. If you don't like the color of the next batch, you can wait for the later ones."

Fan Su nodded: "Yu Yan, you've thought of everything."

Shuyu: "I don't think we'll dislike it; all colors of glass look beautiful."

Tan Nian chimed in, "Yes."

Yu Yan smiled faintly. He was used to clarifying things in advance to avoid disputes.

He took out a notebook and wrote down the quantity of glass they had ordered.

Seeing that they had finally finished their "business," Senbai whispered to Yu Yan, "What did you make? It smells so good... Can you get me some more?"

As a teacher who has been "teaching" in several nearby tribes, Senbo has accumulated a lot of valuable knowledge, so he asked questions with considerable confidence.

Yu Yan was amused by his reaction: "Hahaha, there's no need to exchange it. If you want to eat it, I'll get it for you to try. Wait here."

He wanted to show off how well he made the steamed buns.

Yu Yan washed her hands again and used chopsticks to take out half a bowl of steamed buns.

He planned to keep the remaining one and a half bowls for his family and the sub-beastmen who had come to help today.

"Father, here's your steamed bun."

"Lanxiu, this is yours."

"These are for you..."

The others sat in a row, and Yu Yan distributed steamed buns to them.

Finally, he took one for himself, sat back down on the stool, and said with a smile to everyone, "Eat up, don't wait for me."

Jiang Kuo held the steamed bun in his hand, examining it carefully.

Because Yu Yan was generous with the filling in the buns, each one was glistening with oil, making them look exceptionally tempting. Some of the thinner ones were slightly cracked, still dripping with fragrant juice.

The bun skin was soft, a grayish-white, and smelled unfamiliar.

Jiang Kuo searched through his memories but still couldn't recall what food it was made of.

He asked uncertainly, "Just... just eat it like this?"

“Yes.” Yu Yan said, then took a big bite.

After cooling for a while, it wasn't too hot anymore. He bit into the bun, which was full of meat filling, and the bun skin was soaked in the aroma of meat. It was so delicious that he was almost dizzy.

Using less seasoning also has its advantages, as it preserves the original flavor of the ingredients, making every bite satisfying.

Yu Yan chewed away, her cheeks bulging with happiness, the aroma practically bubbling away.

The others finally started eating the meat buns, but unlike him, they weren't as generous and only took a small bite at first.

Even just a bun skin with a little bit of meat juice was enough to amaze them.

Jiang Kuo's eyes widened, his face showing an expression of "How can it be so delicious?!"

Without savoring it, he swallowed what was in his mouth and eagerly took a big bite.

Mmm!! It definitely tastes better when eaten in big bites!!

He ate with such gusto that his eyes practically glowed; no one else was doing much better.

No one spoke; they were all focused on eating.

Only Feng Gui and Lan Xiu showed some restraint.

After finishing the steamed bun in her hand, Yu Yan asked with a smile, "How was it? Was the steamed bun delicious?"

Senbai exclaimed, "It's so delicious!! What's the dumpling skin made of? It's so fragrant and soft!"

Yu Yan: "It's the wheat we found before, ground into flour."

Senbo: "So that's it! I heard that the people in our tribe have been cutting yellow grass everywhere."

Shuyu wiped her mouth and said, "Yes, we received the news too."

Fan Su: "The flour is so delicious, it far exceeded my expectations..."

Tan Nian nodded repeatedly: "I almost bit my tongue off just now."

Everyone finished their share of steamed buns, savoring the aroma in their hearts.

Jiang Kuo said gratefully, "Yu Yan, thank you for giving us such delicious buns. When we get back, we'll have everyone in the tribe go find wheat."

Shuyu: "We are too."

Fan Su: "We did look for it, but unfortunately we couldn't find it. If you have any extra, please share some with us."

After chatting for a while, Yu Yan saw that it was still early and asked them if they were in a hurry to go back. If not, she would help them build a new bird pen.

They agreed immediately.

Yu Yan marked out a plot of land behind the new house so that she could keep an eye on the ducks from inside the house by opening the window.

This time, the foundation didn't need to be dug too deep. The orcs worked quickly and had experience in building houses, so they finished the construction in just over an hour.

Yu Yan looked at the new duck pen, which was several sizes larger than before and whose stone and cement walls were now as tall as a person, and a satisfied look appeared on her face.

The gate will be installed in the upper middle part of the wall.

"That's fine. Let it air out overnight, and we'll move the green-headed birds to their new nest tomorrow!" he said happily.

Shuyu whispered a reminder: "We also need to burn the glass."

Yu Yan patted her chest: "Don't worry, I'll remember."

He had a general idea of ​​the ratio of sand to sodium hydroxide. Next, he planned to try different types of sand and add other materials to see what the difference would be in the glass produced.

I'd like to further improve the pottery kiln. If it could directly melt glass, there would be many more glasswares that could be made.

He hasn't told anyone else about these things yet.

There's no need to ask the tribes on the peninsula; whatever he wants to do, he'll definitely get unanimous support.

After Jiang Kuo and the others left, Yin Qing and the others came to watch the excitement.

As they savored the steamed buns Yu Yan had given them, they remarked, "No wonder they didn't use ours; they must have guessed that Chief Jiang Kuo and the others would be coming, right? Hahaha."

"Ouch, it bit my hand. When did I finish eating the bun?"

In the short period that followed, Yu Yan used flour to make a lot of delicious food during her breaks from work.

Pure alkali steamed buns, dumplings, fried dough sticks, leavened flatbread, hand-pulled noodles... left Feng Gui and Lan Xiu speechless.

Ordinary flour can be made into so many delicious dishes!

Thanks to others who sent Yu Yan some more wheat, otherwise it really wouldn't have been enough for him to make.

With Yu Yan taking the lead, this "love of noodles" swept from the peninsula tribes to the highland tribes.

They have also made significant breakthroughs in glassmaking.