Chapter 75 Visiting a Home: Roasted Potatoes with Chili Powder

The newly dug potatoes had clearly visible sprouts. Looking at them, Yu Yan seemed to see a bountiful potato harvest next year.

As he listened to Lanxiu recount the process of replacing the potatoes, his mouth watered.

I haven't had potatoes in so long, I'm really craving them.

"You said the people in the tribe have tasted it? Is there any cooked left?" he asked.

Lan Xiu replied, "Yes, I'll go get it for you."

"Uh-huh."

Lan Xiu quickly returned with the cooked potatoes, and Yu Yan exclaimed upon seeing them, "Steamed potato chunks, huh?"

He picked up a potato, put it in his mouth without any seasoning, and put it in his mouth.

Freshly steamed potatoes have a smooth and creamy texture with a slightly grainy feel, making them incredibly flavorful.

The only downside was that it had gone cold and didn't smell as good as when it was fresh out of the pan.

Yu Yan thought for a moment and asked Lan Xiu, "You haven't eaten anything for lunch yet, have you?"

No, have you eaten?

"I had some barbecue at Hengqing's place, and now I've had a couple of bites of potatoes, and I'm hungry again. How about we roast some potatoes?"

"Okay, I'll go gather firewood."

"Wait a minute, did you only switch to larger potatoes? Do you have any smaller ones? The larger ones are harder to bake through, and I think the smaller ones are more mealy and taste better when baked."

Lan Xiu nodded: "Yes, it's in that basket over there."

"Okay!"

Yu Yan skipped over happily. If what he had just carried was Grandpa Potato, then this basket contained Grandson Potato, round and small, not even as big as his palm, and looked very cute.

While Lanxiu went to gather firewood, Yu Yan took out the small shovel he had brought.

The shovel head was made by the people of the Mingyuan tribe, and he installed the wooden handle himself.

He used his foot to press the shovel into the soil, digging a shallow pit about twenty centimeters deep.

Yin Qing had just returned from her stroll and, seeing this, asked curiously, "Yu Yan, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to dig a hole and roast potatoes, you know, those tubers over there."

Yin Qing's eyes lit up: "Is it delicious? Let me help you dig it out!"

"Haha, sure, bake a few more to eat."

When Lanxiu returned carrying firewood, Yinqing had already dug several holes.

Everyone filled the pit with firewood, then added dry leaves and lit a fire. After some charcoal was produced, they threw the potatoes into the pit.

Yinqing, who was always eating roasted stems, was very experienced. He buried a shallow layer of soil in the pit, then placed new firewood on top of the pit and lit it.

This way, the inside and outside of the pit are both hot, but the stems won't be directly burned, and the stems will slowly cook through.

"All done!" Yu Yan clapped her hands and said, "It'll be ready in a minute!"

Yin Qing asked, "Yu Yan, where are your father and adoptive father?"

"I don't know where they went."

Yin Qing nodded in understanding: "We haven't seen each other for so long, we must have a lot to talk about. Why don't you go to the market and browse around? I'll just watch the fire."

Yu Yan: "Thank you for your hard work. We'll be back in a bit."

Yin Qing smiled and waved her hand: "Let's go, let's go."

Yu Yan gave Lan Xiu a look, and the two left together.

"Could you help me find the people of the Qingqing tribe? I'd like to ask them to help me build some things."

"Are you in a hurry?" Lan Xiu pretended to transform into beast form.

Yu Yan stopped him: "No rush, no rush, we can look for it as we go."

"Um."

The gathering was lively, with people displaying what they wanted to trade and enthusiastically hawking their wares.

"Animal hide! The hide of a bony beast! A complete, large, thick, and beautiful hide!"

"I have some round and big pearls here, would you like to see them?"

"Homemade rattan bracelets and rattan necklaces!"

"Sweet fruit! Sweet fruit unique to the Gale Tribe!"

...

Yu Yan hadn't been to such a crowded fair in a long time, and she excitedly looked at each stall.

When he comes across something he likes, he'll pick it up, touch it, try it on, or compare it to Lan Xiu, who will then smile at him.

He discovered that some of the sub-orcs had a really good sense of aesthetics; they could carve and match very beautiful jewelry using the most natural and simple materials.

He became famous at the rally these past two days; everyone knows him now.

Many people enthusiastically offered to give him their gifts, but Yu Yan politely declined them.

He browsed freely, changing out of anything he liked.

On the way, he briefly told Lanxiu about Ruihua's physical condition.

"If my father goes out hunting, please look after him. But don't make it too obvious, he seems like a very proud orc."

"Okay, I understand." Lan Xiu comforted him, "Don't be too anxious, maybe he'll remember someday."

Yu Yan smiled and said, "Yes, we are already very grateful that he can come back."

There were quite a few young people, just like them, strolling around the fair; the children cheered and ran around, holding the little paper windmills that Yu Yan had made for them.

The two found Chief Shuyu of the Qingqing tribe ahead, and Yu Yan told him that she wanted him to make steel needles for her.

In the Beast World, there is no concept of "steel." Yu Yan only said, "It is necessary to constantly hammer the iron ore to remove as many impurities as possible, turn it into a thin iron rod, and finally grind it into a needle."

"The needle needs to be about this long, with both ends ground to a point, and no holes need to be left for threading. Can it be made?"

After listening to Yu Yan's words, Shu Yu said, "It should be possible, but whether it's forging or grinding the needle, it will take quite a long time. Are you in a hurry?"

Yu Yan: "It's not in a rush. Just deliver it to me whenever you're done."

"Okay. May I ask what this needle is used for?"

"To serve as a tool for determining direction."

Shuyu stared wide-eyed in surprise: "An iron needle? To determine direction?"

Yu Yan nodded with a smile.

Tan Nian, standing beside him, looked puzzled: "Even if we could make it, it doesn't seem like we'd need it... We can already tell directions."

Shuyu laughed and said, "That's not true. Some of the little ones in the tribe get lost easily."

“Oh, right! I forgot about the little ones.” Tan Nian said with surprise, “If we could really make such a tool, and give each little one to carry with them, we wouldn’t have to worry about them running far away and getting lost.”

“Yes,” Shuyu looked at Yuyan, “could we make more needles?”

"sure."

Tan Nian pulled Shu Yu aside and suggested, "How about we make two batches of needles? One batch with thread holes, to keep for sewing, and the other batch without."

Shuyu: "I think it's okay..."

The two of them went off excitedly to figure out how to build it, without even saying goodbye to Yu Yan and the others.

Yu Yan was used to them getting so engrossed in smelting that they forgot all their passion. She shook her head with a smile and said to Lan Xiu, "The potatoes should be almost cooked. Let's go back."

Besides potatoes, Yin Qing also roasted some animal meat over the fire, which was sizzling with oil.

Yu Yan, Lan Xiu, and Yin Qing worked together to pry open the charcoal fire and dig out the potatoes from the pit.

The potatoes were roasted until they were blackened, with a few fine cracks, through which you could vaguely see the golden potato flesh inside.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasted potatoes, which made Yin Qing's eyes turn green.

"Why does it smell so good? It smells better than any other root vegetable I've ever roasted, except for sweet potatoes!" he asked in astonishment.

Yu Yan laughed and said, "If it didn't smell good, would I have gone to all the trouble to look for it?"

Yin Qing looked at him admiringly, stared at the dark potatoes, and swallowed hard.

"Is it ready to eat?"

"Let me break it open and take a look."

Yu Yan picked up a potato, which was extremely hot. He moved it back and forth between his hands, even blowing on it with his mouth, and quickly broke it open.

The potatoes were fully roasted, with a sandy texture inside, steaming hot and white vapor, and an incredibly tempting golden color.

Being so close, the air was filled with fragrance, and Yu Yan couldn't help but drool.

"It's done!"

Yinqing and Lanxiu each picked up a potato, peeled it, blew on it, and ate the flesh inside.

"Wow! It smells so good!" Yin Qing exclaimed.

Lan Xiu's eyes lit up as he ate.

Yu Yan patted off the black charcoal crust from the surface of the roasted potato, revealing the potato skin underneath, which was roasted to a very chewy texture.

He tore off a piece, popped it into his mouth, and chewed it with relish, his face filled with delight.

Yin Qing followed suit, took a bite, and exclaimed in surprise, "Even the burnt crust is so delicious?! I feel like we haven't ordered enough!"

Yu Yan nodded: "Potatoes don't spoil easily if stored properly, so we should replace more of them."

He sat down and took out chili powder from the seasonings he had brought.

He ground these himself after drying red chilies; they are bright in color and have a strong, intense spiciness.

He sprinkled a thin layer of chili powder onto the broken potatoes.

Take another bite, and it's a completely different experience from the original roasted potato. The tip of your tongue is spicy, tingling, and numb, making it hard to stop eating.

He finished off a potato in just a few bites and then went to get a new one.

"The chili powder is here, add it yourself if you want."

Yin Qing: "I'll have some! Ouch...it's so spicy! But it's also so good!"

The three of them were having so much fun eating that they attracted the attention of other people in the tribe.

Yu Yan gave each of them a piece of roasted potato dipped in chili powder, which completely won them over. They all begged to take more home.

Because the roasted potatoes were so delicious, the roasted meat was neglected.

After everyone had eaten, Yu Yan took out the dried wild jasmine flowers he had collected earlier, brewed a pot of jasmine tea with boiling water, and shared it with everyone.

The tea has a jasmine aroma and tastes slightly bitter at first, but a sweet aftertaste slowly emerges in the mouth.

It's also very refreshing, which perfectly cuts through the greasiness of the grilled meat.

Everyone sat comfortably on the ground, drinking flower tea, enjoying the breeze, and basking in the sun—it couldn't be more pleasant.

When the orcs sang, their voices were melodious and their tunes were long and drawn out.

As she basked in the sun, Yu Yan felt a little sleepy and yawned twice in a row.

Lan Xiu silently transformed into beast form and lay down behind him.

Yu Yan chuckled at him, leaned against his soft, warm belly, and closed her eyes for a short rest.

In the afternoon, some tribes from distant areas gradually left the grassland.

Many tribal chiefs brought their people to say goodbye to Yu Yan.

This included Xi Mu, the chieftain of the Chongshan tribe, and Zhu Yu, the chieftain of the Caiyun tribe.

Feng Gui and Rui Hua also returned. Although they didn't hold hands, their close physical contact was filled with an intimacy that others couldn't penetrate.

Zhu Yu looked at them, her eyes filled with a blessing and a smile.

Ruihua asked, "Are you going back?"

Zhu Yu: "Yes, it's a long way, it will take several days to fly there. In another ten days or so, when the sorghum is ripe, we will come back."

Bai Lang said expectantly, "Ruihua, let's meet at the Peninsula Tribe."

Ruihua nodded emphatically: "See you then."

Yu Yan had previously taught them how to thresh sorghum, and Zhu Yu, fearing she might have misremembered, confirmed with Yu Yan again.

"It's not far from the Harvest Grassland to our tribe. Are you sure you don't want to visit our tribe?" Yu Yan asked Zhu Yu and Xi Mu.

Both of them said, "We're not going. We've been out long enough this time."

"Yes, and a lot of things have been changed. We need to hurry back, or they'll break."

They were too embarrassed to say they missed home.

Yu Yan: "Okay, see you later then."

"Okay, goodbye!"

"Yu Yan, you're welcome to visit our tribe again!"

After saying goodbye, Zhu Yu and the others transformed into their animal forms, carrying their relatives, friends, and the items they had acquired, and embarked on their journey home.

Yu Yan stood on the grassland, watching them walk away and fly away.

When I looked away, I saw Ruihua still gazing into the distance, probably reluctant to leave as well.

After seeing my friends off, the scorching autumn sun was already setting in the west.

Above the vast blue sky, flocks of birds return to their nests.

Yu Yan informed Cang Feng, then called Lan Xiu, Feng Gui, and Rui Hua, and prepared to go home as well.

Today is a wonderful day for family reunion, and they should celebrate properly.

Instead of flying herself, Yu Yan sat on the back of the big tiger and wrote "menu" in the booklet with charcoal.

Ruihua transformed into a great swan, and Fenggui sat between his wings, guiding him.

Previously, when traveling, he would either fly by himself or sit on Lanxiu's back with Yu Yan, and he envied other sub-beastmen who had partners to carry them.

Now that his partner is back, he no longer has to envy others.

The road home wasn't short, but because he was with the person he loved, Feng Gui felt that time flew by.

After flying to the territory of the peninsula tribe, Feng Gui became even more excited. He pointed out the mountains, rivers, and lakes on the ground to Rui Hua and told him about the interesting things that had happened there. He talked until his mouth was dry.

Ruihua has a pair of large white wings just like Yuyan's, but they are much larger than Yuyan's.

As soon as the sun was high, Yu Yan secretly instructed Lan Xiu to run in the shade cast by Rui Hua's wings so that he wouldn't get sunburned, haha.

Seeing that Ruihua remained silent, Feng Gui asked him, "What's wrong? Did you remember something?"

Ruihua: "...No, I just feel that everything here is very familiar to me."

Feng Gui felt a pang of sadness, but smiled and said, "Ruihua, welcome home."

As they approached the peninsula tribe's habitat, Feng Gui supported Rui Hua's back with one hand and slowly stood up.

The strong wind in mid-air made his short hair and clothes fly wildly.

"Ruihua, I'll fly the other way myself~"

With that, he jumped off Ruihua's back!

Not to mention Ruihua, Lanxiu and Yuyan on the ground were also startled.

“Father!!!” Yu Yan shouted.

Fortunately, in the blink of an eye, Feng Gui spread his wings in mid-air, adjusted his body, and flew forward with a hearty laugh.

Yu Yan, who broke out in a cold sweat, was speechless.

Anyone who didn't know better would think Feng Gui was the same age as him!

"Hurry up and keep up!" Feng Gui called out to them from the front.

The orcs who remained in the tribe came to greet Ruihua and were overjoyed to see her.

"You're back?! That's great!!"

They escorted Ruihua and the others back to their house, made a promise with Ruihua to go hunting together next time, and then left considerately.

Ruihua saw the neat fields along the riverbank, the scarecrows erected in the fields, the tethered sheep, and the penned green-headed birds...

All of these combined couldn't compare to the awe he felt at the house.

He had never seen a dwelling like this before. The walls looked like they were made of stone and mud, but was mud really that sturdy?

He knew what was on the roof—it was a layer of pottery shards—but how could the pottery shards be fired so smoothly and delicately?

Below the pottery shards hung strings of animal meat, sea fish, chili peppers, dried vegetables...

The walls of the house are also inlaid with wooden frames, inside which are large panes of glass, a very light color, reflecting light and looking very beautiful.

So many strange things made Ruihua feel a sense of awe, and he stood in front of the house for a long time without moving.

Yu Yan pretended not to notice his unease, walked over, and said with a smile, "Father, let your uncle show you around first. Lanxiu and I will prepare dinner. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"

Ruihua smiled and said, "I'm fine with anything. You must be tired after a long day, let me cook."

Yu Yan: "You'll have plenty of opportunities to cook in the future. Don't try to take this meal from me since you just got back."

He gave Feng Gui a wink, and Feng Gui smiled and pulled Ruihua away.

"Let Yu Yan do it. I'll show you inside the house."

Upon entering the room, Ruihua was shocked again. What were all these things for?

Is that fabric hanging by the glass? It's so big!

Is the ground paved with stones? How come there aren't any gaps between them?

Feng Gui found it particularly amusing to see his expression change repeatedly, as if he wanted to ask but was too embarrassed to.

He took Ruihua's hand and began to introduce the building: "That's a glass window on the wall, letting in light and ventilation. The curtains hanging next to it are for blocking out the light. The floor is made of cement, which Yu Yan made; it's very sturdy. Oh, and the walls are also made of stone and cement. This is a table, this is a sofa, and that's a teacup..."

Everything about it amazed Ruihua.

He managed to memorize the names of these things, but he still had to learn how to use them gradually.

Feng Gui raised his hand and waved it in front of his eyes.

Their eyes met, and Feng Gui smiled and asked, "What are you thinking about? You seem so lost in thought."

Ruihua said, "I think Chief Zhu Yu and the others will definitely regret not coming to see us this time when they come next time."

Feng Gui laughed proudly: "That's right, hahaha!"

Ruihua felt incredibly at peace after just walking around the house.

The house is sheltered from the wind and rain, spacious, clean, and beautiful. It's truly ingenious and something to be proud of that they were able to build such a house.

Feng Gui excitedly pulled Ruihua outside and showed him the sheep beast that had to be milked twice a day, and the green-headed bird that had already started laying eggs.

Ruihua was shocked to learn that there was always animal milk to drink and bird eggs to eat at home.

Together they fed the sheep and ducks and milked the sheep.

Finally, Feng Gui took his hand and led him to the front of the house, where there were two plots of land that he had recently cultivated.

In a field, chives were planted, and they've grown taller and taller, tender and green, ready to be eaten;

The other plot of land was still bare.

Feng Gui pointed to the bare patch of land and asked, "Ruihua, shall we plant the flowers here? When they bloom, we can see them just by opening the window."

Ruihua smiled gently: "Okay, I'll plant them."

Feng Gui was a little surprised that he could also farm. After watching for a while, he realized that he was just scattering seeds on the soil.

“That won’t do,” Yu Yan said. “We have to turn the soil over before planting…” Feng Gui brought over the tools and worked with Rui Hua.

The two planted the flower seeds together and watered them.

Throughout the time, the sounds of chopping and stir-frying vegetables could be heard coming from inside the house, and smoke was constantly billowing out of the chimney.

The smoke drifted upwards, not choking, but Ruihua's eyes felt a little sore.

He saw Feng Gui standing in the night, earnestly saying to the flower seeds in the field, "I will water you every day, so you must grow well and bloom." He felt an unprecedented happiness.

The door opened, and Yu Yan looked over with a smile in her bright black eyes.

"Father, Uncle, dinner's ready!"