Chapter 36 Garlic Shrimp: The First Football Tournament of the Peninsula Tribe
All sorts of sea fish, big and small, plump prawns, and even a lot of octopuses! The shrimp traps are overflowing!
Judging by this quantity, you can tell that the people of the peninsula tribes rarely fish, and the seawater is overflowing!
Why don't we weave a fishing net next time and just throw it into the sea? We should be able to catch a lot of things.
Yu Yan grabbed a shrimp trap in each hand and was about to head towards the stream when Feng Gui came over and said to him, "We thought you should clean them up yourself, so we didn't empty them out."
Yu Yan nodded emphatically: "You understand me so well. Father, could you get me two earthenware basins? I'll wash my face and then I'll tidy up these things!"
Feng Gui: "Okay. Can you handle all this by yourself?"
Yu Yan said uncertainly, "More or less..."
Lanxiu had not only finished washing up, but had also led the sheep to the stream to feed them water.
He tied the sheep up, turned his head and said, "Yu Yan and I will clean it up together."
Feng Gui: "Then I'll make breakfast. What do you guys want to eat for breakfast?"
After saying that, he paused for a moment. There are so many choices at home now; we can eat all sorts of different things.
Yu Yan: "Hmm... Father, you can use the white radish, the white root from the basket that Shuyu and the others brought, to stew some sheep meat. I'll prepare the other dishes when I get back."
Feng Gui thought for a moment: "Just like cucumber stewed with meat?"
"Yes, it's pretty much the same method. Remember to peel the white radish!"
"knew."
As they spoke, Lan Xiu took the two shrimp baskets from Yu Yan's hands, and the two smiled at each other.
Yu Yan quickly took care of her personal hygiene and ran back to Lan Xiu's side, her temples still glistening with water droplets.
After a good night's sleep, he looked radiant.
The morning sunlight was warm, the forest breeze was gentle, and the stream murmured softly.
Yu Yan rolled up her sleeves and, together with Lan Xiu, emptied the contents of each shrimp trap onto the ground.
They parted the water plants and dead branches, and the fish and shrimp immediately began to jump around. One palm-sized prawn almost jumped into the water, but luckily Yu Yan was quick-witted and caught it.
With a "bang," he tossed the shrimp into the ceramic basin, slammed the lid on, and scoffed, "Trying to run away once you're in my hands?"
With a smile on his face, Lan Xiu reached out and grabbed all the edible seafood, including fish, shrimp, and octopus, and put them into the basin.
The biggest harvest this time was shrimp; they were large, very lively, and had very plump meat.
Yu Yantonglanxiu said, "Put the shrimp aside, we'll cook them in a bit."
Lan Xiu: "Okay."
After cleaning out a basin full of shrimp and a basin mostly filled with fish, Yu Yan picked out two pieces of kelp from the seaweed.
Kelp is dark green, with thick leaves, a smooth surface, and a slightly salty smell.
“This seaweed is edible too. We’ll make a cold salad with it later.” He placed the seaweed on the edge of the ceramic basin.
In the morning, I'll stew some lamb and make some shrimp; that's enough meat dishes.
So Yu Yan didn't rush to clean the sea fish in the ceramic basin, but instead poured some water on them to soak them.
As for the shrimp, he broke off two branches from the forest, split them open, and sharp thorns naturally appeared in the middle of the branches.
He handed a piece to Lanxiu and said, "Let's remove the shrimp veins first."
Lanxiu doesn't usually eat shrimp. He knows there's a shrimp vein, but he doesn't know the specific way to remove it.
So he didn't rush to do it, but watched Yu Yan demonstrate it once.
Yu Yan held the shrimp in one hand, bent its body, and inserted the sharp thorn of the twig into the gap in the shrimp's shell. Then, with a flick upwards, he pulled out a thin, long shrimp vein.
"It's quite clean, and the same color as the shrimp meat." Yu Yan said, looking at the shrimp vein, and then tossed the shrimp vein into the "garbage heap" she had just emptied.
Lanxiu learned it and deftly began to remove the shrimp veins.
The two of them worked together, and in no time, a large bowl of shrimp was picked out.
Yu Yan grabbed the shrimp's body with one hand and twisted off its head with the other.
After cleaning the shrimp bodies and heads, he took the ingredients back, leaving Lanxiu to clean up the stream bank.
"Father, I'm back."
Lamb stewed over the fire pit, water boiling, steam rising from the pot.
The peeled and diced radishes were placed in a ceramic container on a stone slab, but it wasn't time to cook them yet.
Feng Gui wiped his hands with a rag, got up and came over: "Is there anything else you need to do?"
"You fetch water to wash the vegetables, I'll hurry up and milk the animals. I just came back and the two female animals are very swollen."
"good."
Yu Yan put down the earthenware basin containing the shrimp and placed the mustard greens, garlic, kelp, and other ingredients together, indicating to Feng Gui to wash them first.
He then hurriedly shouldered the special earthenware jar for milking and ran towards the two ewes.
When the sheep saw him, they shrank back like mice seeing a cat.
Yu Yan pushed the ewe up, put down the earthenware jar, and bent down to milk it.
"Don't move, you won't feel uncomfortable after I finish milking you." While working hard with her hands, she kept muttering, "This morning, Lanxiu took you to drink water, right? What, you're afraid of me and the orcs, but not the other sub-orcs? I've fed you so much grass for nothing, you ungrateful sheep."
"Meow..."
The two ewes were milked one after the other, and the white milk in the earthenware jar emitted a rich milky aroma.
They felt more comfortable, and their calls softened considerably.
Yu Yan patted them as a reward, gave them a bundle of grass, and took the goat milk back with her.
Feng Gui not only washed the vegetables, but also chopped them.
Yu Yan glanced at them and noticed that only the garlic cloves weren't cut properly. He picked up a clamshell knife and chopped them into minced garlic.
Lanxiu also returned and started a fire for him.
Yu Yan added animal fat to the pot, cooked the meat, then added the shrimp heads and stir-fried them to make golden shrimp oil. Finally, she removed the shrimp meat from the pot.
Then pour in the shrimp bodies and stir-fry them again until golden brown. Push them to one side and pour in a large amount of minced garlic.
After stir-frying a few times, the garlic, fried in hot oil, transformed its pungent flavor into a rich and enticing aroma.
Yu Yan then added salt, oyster sauce, and honey to taste, then turned the prawns back and stir-fried them with minced garlic.
Two seemingly simple ingredients, when combined, unleash a surprisingly tantalizing and lingering aroma.
Yu Yan was so close that her mouth instantly watered and her stomach started growling.
Feng Gui and Lan Xiu sniffed, glancing frequently into the pot with wistful looks in their eyes.
Yu Yan scooped up some water and poured it into the pot, then cooked the shrimp meat briefly to help it absorb the flavor.
After waiting a while longer, the shrimp meat had absorbed the sauce. He tasted it to check the saltiness, then scooped it out and placed it in a ceramic bowl.
A delicious and vibrant garlic shrimp dish is now ready!
Meanwhile, the mutton had been stewing for a while, and Feng Gui poured the white radish into the earthenware pot to stew with the meat.
Yu Yan washed the pot on the stone stove, added lime juice to the chopped mustard greens, and stir-fried them into a sour and sour vegetable dish.
He also cut the kelp into strips, added seasonings, and made a cold dish.
By the time all four dishes were ready, it was already broad daylight, and today was another beautiful day with clear skies.
"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!!" Yu Yan carried two bowls of food into the thatched shed.
They built a "dining table" in the thatched hut using stones and slabs, and used wooden stumps as stools.
Lanxiu had already set out the bowls and chopsticks, and Fenggui brought over the steamed stems.
Yu Yan placed today's main dish—garlic shrimp—in the center of the table and fanned her slightly flushed face with the back of her hand.
"It's already this hot this early in the morning."
Feng Gui handed him a tissue: "Wipe your sweat."
Yu Yan smiled at him and wiped the sweat from her forehead and face with a tissue.
The other dishes were served, and the three of them sat down and began to eat!
Yu Yan couldn't wait to pick up a large shrimp with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.
The shrimp shells, stir-fried in hot oil, become crispy and crunchy, making a satisfying crunch with every bite, and are especially fragrant.
After chewing a few times, the shell comes off easily; you don't even need to peel it by hand.
The moment you bite into the shrimp meat, you can feel its firmness and elasticity.
Shrimp meat is rich in protein and tastes great. With the added aroma of garlic, it completely whetted Yu Yan's appetite.
His eyes shone brightly, and he nodded slightly, looking quite satisfied.
This dish also received unanimous praise from Feng Gui and Lan Xiu.
"I knew shrimp was delicious before, but I never imagined it would be even more fragrant when stir-fried with garlic," Lan Xiu said after swallowing the shrimp, shell and all.
Feng Gui nodded: "Yes. In the past, when I found shrimp, I would just grill them and sprinkle some salt on them, and they tasted good enough. This time, the shrimp smelled so good inside and out."
After saying that, he picked up a large shrimp, took a bite, chewed it, and swallowed the shell as well.
Yu Yan laughed and said, "There's so much meat, enough for us to eat. We can throw away the shrimp shells."
Feng Gui blushed slightly and said earnestly, "I only kept it because I thought it tasted good."
This is what Yu Yanxin said. The one thing our family has in abundance right now is food.
He subtly glanced at Feng Gui. When he first transmigrated, Feng Gui was thin and looked tired, but now his eyes were sharp, his complexion was radiant, and he looked much stronger.
Yu Yan smiled, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.
Thinking about building their own house, Yu Yan and Lan Xiu suggested that they also collect materials such as stones and wood.
Yu Yan had gotten used to Lan Xiu as her neighbor. They usually helped each other and ate meals together.
“…Once you’ve gathered the materials, you can build your house near us, and we can continue to be neighbors,” Yu Yan said with a smile.
Lan Xiu didn't know what a "house" was, but he believed that what Yu Yan was going to do must be something good.
So he replied earnestly, "Okay, I will."
Feng Gui looked at the thatched hut above his head and the bird's nest in the tree, and said softly, "I think this place is fine... Why do we have to build a house here?"
Yu Yan said confidently, "Once I finish building it, you'll see that the house is even better. You wouldn't even want to live in a bird's nest if I asked you to come back."
Feng Gui still couldn't quite believe it. He had lived here for so many years and was used to it.
However, if Yu Yan wanted to build it, then so be it; he didn't discourage her.
While chatting, the three of them also tried radish stewed with mutton, stir-fried mustard greens with sour sauce, and mixed kelp strips. They praised each dish highly.
Lanxiu, who doesn't particularly like vegetables, ate more radishes than meat because the meat flavor was thoroughly cooked and the essence was concentrated in the small stems.
Radishes also taste great; they're soft, have very little fiber, and are very juicy. No wonder Yu Yan specifically sought out this food.
If you get tired of eating meat, try some sour mustard greens or cold seaweed salad; both are great for cutting through the richness.
Towards the end of the meal, the garlic shrimp and pickled mustard greens were completely finished, the radish stew with mutton still had some soup and meat left, and half a plate of kelp strips remained.
Yu Yan told them to eat more seaweed: "It's nutritious, eat more, it's good for your health."
In the end, the three of them ate until their bellies were round, leaving only side dishes and soup in their dishes.
Yu Yan let out a satisfied burp, and seeing Feng Gui about to get up to clear the dishes, she stopped him, saying, "Take a break, there's no rush."
Feng Gui smiled slightly and sat back down.
"What are you planning to do this morning?" Yu Yan asked.
Feng Gui: "I'm going to take people to collect them."
Lan Xiu: "I made an appointment with Cang Feng and the others to go hunting in the south of the tribe, and while we're at it, we'll clear out the wild animals along the way so that everyone in the tribe can collect garlic."
Yu Yan nodded: "Okay, then I'll stay home and look after the house, and process the medicinal herbs."
After digesting their food for a while, the three of them worked together to clear the table and wash the dishes.
After Feng Gui and Lan Xiu left one after another, Yu Yan stretched and carried the jar containing plaster powder into the thatched shed.
He then took out another bundle of cloth—it was a coarse-mesh kudzu cloth belt that he had asked a skilled orc from the tribe to weave.
Based on his experience, he evenly coated the surface of the gauze with plaster powder, then soaked it in water for about fifteen seconds, rolled it onto the mandrel, soaked it for about two minutes, and then took it out as a whole.
He pressed his fingers against the water-soaked plaster bandage for about fifteen minutes, but the bandage did not break.
"That's about right. The plaster turned out quite well." He nodded in satisfaction and placed the finished bandage aside.
Once it's dry, put it away so that next time you encounter someone with a fracture, you can use a plaster cast directly.
The reason for using plaster bandages instead of applying plaster directly is that plaster bandages have irreplaceable advantages such as fixation and stability, resistance to displacement, ease of shaping, and ease of observation.
Now that we have bandages, the only slight problem is that we don't have the right tools to trim them.
During a break from applying plaster bandages, Yu Yan looked up and glanced in the direction of the charcoal kiln.
He was determined to successfully burn the charcoal so that he could smelt metals and forge some useful metal tools.
I spent the morning working.
At noon, he cooked the sheep milk he had milked that morning, fed it to the sheep, and then rested for a while.
Feng Guixian returned first, carrying two baskets on his back.
Yu Yan stepped forward to take the things and asked, "Was it smooth this time? Did you encounter any danger?"
Feng Gui: "It went smoothly, we didn't run into anything. We didn't go far this time. Xue Fei heard that the people from the Qingqing tribe sent you a lot of white root and leafy greens. He also said that if he had known you wanted these two kinds of vegetables, he would have gone back to pick them for you long ago."
Yu Yan couldn't help but laugh.
"We've all agreed to meet at the altar square in a bit. When are you planning to leave?" Feng Gui asked.
"We'll leave after you've rested for a bit."
"I'm not tired, let's go now, I'll carry these two baskets of animal hair."
Yu Yan received too many sheep beasts; the father and son couldn't carry them all in one trip, so Yin Qing and the others came over to help.
In addition to animal hair, Yu Yan also brought alkaline soil, a sieve for filtering, a large earthenware jar for soaking, and a small bundle of animal sinew.
The sun was shining brightly in the afternoon, and the altar square was bustling with activity, with almost everyone wearing a woven straw hat.
The little ones' hats are even cuter, with straps so they won't fall off no matter how much they run around.
After Yu Yan landed, everyone greeted him warmly: "Yu Yan!"
Yu Yan smiled and asked everyone if they had brought their things.
Xin Yu said, "I shaved off all the sheep fur and brought it with me."
Xuefei: "Moye and the others went hunting and haven't come back yet. Everyone, please let me handle the animal fur."
Senbai: "I was watching over the charcoal kiln this morning. Qinghui and I just switched shifts. I don't have any animal hair, I just came to watch the fun."
Yu Yan looked over and asked, "Has the charcoal kiln cooled down yet?"
Senbo said happily, "It'll be ready soon, it should be ready by tomorrow."
Yu Yan hummed in agreement, clearly looking forward to it.
Once everyone was present, he led them in processing the animal fur.
"...Simply put, it consists of several steps: collecting animal hair, cleaning animal hair, loosening and sorting animal hair, and twisting and spinning. Now that we have collected the animal hair, it is time to clean it."
When Yu Yan spoke, everyone listened attentively and learned from her.
"Senbo, take some men and fetch water and come back."
“Xinyu, you and I will filter the alkaline water.”
"Xue Feiyinqing, start a fire and prepare to heat the alkaline water."
...
Yu Yan assigned tasks one by one, and everyone got to work.
Even the little ones like Shuoxing and Qiuze were eager to help the adults with chores.
Yu Yan saw that Shuoxing had transformed into a beast, using its claws to hook the basket of wool and move it around in the open space.
To contribute more, Qiu Ze also conjured up his fluffy rabbit ears and paws, carrying firewood and running to deliver it wherever it was needed.
The cubs' animal forms were so adorable that Yu Yan felt as if she were in a fairy tale world, and looking at them made her feel exceptionally cheerful.
After the alkaline water was filtered and heated, people used it to soak animal hair and clean it carefully and thoroughly.
From this point on, they began to remove the impurities. Grass blades, grass seeds, small stones, completely tangled wool... some sank to the bottom, while others were thrown out of the earthenware jars.
The kids couldn't get involved and just stood there getting impatient, clamoring for them to try too.
The adults were so bothered that they gave them a piece of wool and told them to go play somewhere else.
Yu Yan thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you try poking the felt?"
Shuoxing asked in confusion, "How do I poke it?"
Yu Yan broke off a thin wooden needle, squeezed the wool around in her hands, and started poking at it with a snapping sound.
As it was poked, the small ball of wool became loose and its shape became much rounder.
"That's how you play," Yu Yan said, handing over the wool and wooden needles. "You can use the wooden needles to poke out many shapes for the wool balls. Try it yourselves."
Qiu Ze exclaimed happily, "Wow, I want to poke a little rabbit!"
Shuoxing: "I'm going to poke a majestic bird!"
The little ones were so excited about it that they ran to the side and started poking and prodding the wool.
Seeing that they had calmed down, Xin Yuxue and the other "fathers" all breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Yu Yan gratefully, their faces saying: "Thanks to you."
With the kids not causing trouble, work efficiency has increased significantly.
After washing off the grease from the wool with alkaline water, rinse the wool several times with clean water, and then you can put it out to dry.
The adults hadn't finished their work when the little one started making a fuss.
“Oh dear, after poking around for so long, it’s still just a little bit. And my father won’t give me any new animal hair,” Shuoxing suggested. “Why don’t we gather the animal hair together and make it into a big ball?”
Many kids agreed, saying, "Great! Great!"
"Shuoxing, here, take mine!"
Qiu Ze's little rabbit had already poked out the shape of rabbit ears. He turned his soft body and said, "I won't give you mine."
Shuoxing: "If you don't want to give it, then don't. What we have is enough!"
He excitedly collected the baby's wool, added some more materials, and actually made a fluff ball!
Moreover, because their wool is unprocessed, the wool ball is quite heavy. With a quick glance, Shuoxing kicked the wool ball.
"It flew! The fluffy ball flew up!"
Wow, this is so much fun!
"I want to kick too!"
Count me in!
The little ones chased the dirty fur ball, running all over the place.
After watching for a moment, Qiu Ze couldn't resist any longer. He put away the little rabbit felt in his hand and chased after it.
"Wait for me! I want to play too!"
The little ones are strong; they can kick the ball a long way, attracting other little ones to chase after it.
As they played, everyone became competitive and wanted to kick the ball.
If it rushes too hard, it will crash into something solid with a "bang".
The noise was so loud that it attracted the attention of the adults.
Yu Yan: "Be careful! Don't hurt anyone!"
Xin Yu: "Shuoxing, kick the fur ball further away. If it falls into the tank, I'll spank you."
Yu Yan: "..." This is really her biological father.
Shuoxing said "Oh," then covered her bottom and ran away.
Yu Yan smiled and shook her head. After watching for a while, she was sure that the little ones knew what they were doing, and at least they didn't transform into beast forms to play around.
The ball was being kicked around without any strategy, so Yu Yan suggested, "How about I divide you into two teams and draw a goal for you, and you can have a competition?"
"Regardless of winning or losing, I'll treat you all to animal milk, how about that?"
After Yu Yan finished speaking, she laughed at herself.
What's this called? The First Football Tournament of the Beast World Peninsula Tribes? Hahaha.
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