Chapter 56 Butter Cake, Cleaver, Sickle, Kitchen Knife, File...
Xin Yu and the others said, "I also have a sieve at home. I'll go get it and we'll sieve together, quick!"
Yu Yan: "Thank you everyone!"
"Don't mention it!"
Many people went home to get sieves, while the rest used their hands to pick the wheat grains off, or used boards, branches, etc. to pull them off.
It's just that there wasn't that much wheat in this batch, otherwise this purely manual method would be too time-consuming and laborious.
After threshing, Feng Gui and the others used sieves to remove impurities, and for a moment, the altar square was filled with the sound of sifting.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast a warm orange glow on the golden wheat swaying in the wind.
With many people working together, the wheat was sifted in no time.
Yu Yan opened the large, empty cloth bag, and everyone lined up to pour the wheat grains into it.
The golden wheat grains are round and plump, with a ripe color on the surface and a faint wheat aroma that is refreshing and pleasant.
Yu Yan filled two bags with wheat grains, tied the bags tightly with hemp rope to make sure not a single grain would leak out, and then handed both bags to Lan Xiu.
Lan Xiu transformed into his beast form, placed the wheat grains and the meat he had been allotted for the day on his back, and said gently, "Let's go."
After thanking the people of the tribe again, Yu Yan waved goodbye to everyone and flew towards the ginkgo tree.
After landing, the three of them worked together seamlessly, feeding sheep, milking cows, feeding ducks, cooking, collecting dried vegetables and clothes, etc. They were so busy that their feet barely touched the ground.
By the time they finished their chores, ate their meal, and washed up, the moon was already high in the sky.
By the moonlight, Yu Yan spread the wheat grains evenly on the stone slab and sprinkled water on them.
After he finished sprinkling the water, he lowered the curtains that had been rolled up around the thatched hut and went to sleep.
That night, he was worried about the wheat. At the slightest sound, he would open his eyes and listen carefully to the sounds coming from inside the straw shed.
There was nothing he could do; there was only so much wheat. If birds or mice ate it, he would be furious.
Fortunately, the night passed peacefully.
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Yu Yan climbed down from the tree.
He went to check on the wheat; the wheat had a thick husk and wasn't fully soaked yet.
After he finished the chores around the house and made breakfast, it would be almost ready. He pinched the wheat grains with his hands; he could pinch an imprint, but no white sap would appear.
Lan Xiu walked over and asked, "Is it ready?"
Yu Yan nodded: "Yes, we can help them molt in a little while."
Lan Xiu: "I'll go with you."
Yu Yan was a little surprised: "Aren't we going hunting today?"
Lan Xiu smiled slightly and said, "Mm."
Yu Yan: "My father-in-law isn't going out to gather materials today either, so we need to borrow two more stone mortars."
Lan Xiu: "I'm going now."
Lan Xiu didn't come back alone; Xin Yu, Xue Fei, Yin Qing, Jin Xia, and others all brought Shi Jiu to help.
The tribe had only just begun using metal tools. Their stone mortars were not carved by themselves, but rather found in the wild with stones of suitable shape. Therefore, some were deep and some were shallow, some were round and some were flat.
Yu Yan smiled and said, "Everyone's here?"
Yin Qing: "Okay! Tell me, what do you want me to do?"
Yu Yan: "Come with me."
He scooped a ladleful of damp wheat grains into the stone mortar, then sat down and began pounding them with the pestle.
"The wheat husks are soft now, so you can remove them by tapping them a few times. Then pour the contents into a basin of water. The husks are light and will float to the top. After skimming off the husks, wash the wheat a few more times to get clean wheat grains."
"Although this hulling method is time-consuming, it produces cleaner wheat grains. Once we've grown more wheat, I'll teach you other hulling methods."
Xuefei said seriously, "I think it's fine. It's much easier than peeling by hand."
Jinxia: "That's right."
Yin Qing couldn't wait: "Then let's start now!"
There wasn't enough room in the thatched hut, so everyone brought out their tools and sat together.
Lan Xiu sat a little further away, but he was working very diligently.
When he needed someone to run errands, he would go without Yu Yan telling him.
Xin Yu and the others noticed Lan Xiu's changes and sincerely praised him, saying, "Lan Xiu is really diligent now."
Jinxia: "And he does it on his own without being told, unlike my father, who only does what my adoptive father says."
Yin Qing: "My father too!!"
Xuefei: "Moye is like that sometimes too."
The casual conversation gradually turned into a "criticism conference for orcs".
Yu Yan was amused by their witty remarks and laughed. Before she knew it, time had flown by.
Seeing that more and more wheat kernels were cracked open, Feng Gui fetched water and, following Yu Yan's instructions, washed them repeatedly until they were whole.
Yu Yan went over and took a look. The wheat kernels had a rough surface, a light grayish-white color, and a few traces of bran.
"That's enough, Father. While the sun is shining, hang these wheat kernels out to dry to prevent them from getting moldy."
"good."
By noon, all the wheat grains had been husked.
Under the scorching sun, the moisture in the wheat kernels gradually evaporates, and they can be harvested after just half an afternoon.
Yu Yan seized the opportunity and carefully packed the wheat kernels into a bag.
Of the nearly two bags of wheat grains, only a little over half a bag of wheat kernels were obtained.
Afterwards, Yu Yan called Lan Xiu, and the two of them went to the altar square together.
The large stone mill has been thoroughly cleaned and exposed to the sun; it is very clean.
Yu Yan opened the bag and was about to add the wheat kernels into the stone mill when a voice called out from ahead.
"Yu Yan! Lan Xiu!"
It was Mao Li's voice.
Yu Yan turned her head and saw several enormous pythons slithering over quickly.
Leading the group was Fan Su, the chieftain of the Deep Lake tribe.
Upon approaching, they transformed into human form. Fan Su brought over a basket, opened the lid, and showed it to Yu Yan.
Inside was a knife!
Besides machetes and sickles, there are also kitchen knives, files, and so on...
Yu Yan immediately noticed that these knives had more beautiful colors and smoother, flatter surfaces.
"You actually forged all the knives I mentioned?" Yu Yan's eyes lit up as she picked up a machete. "It's much heavier than the ones we forged before!"
Fan Su smiled and said, "Yes, we have carefully looked at all the drawings you made for us, and we have been working on them for the past two days."
Mao Li: "The iron ore you sent has all been forged into knives by us!"
Yu Yan was even more surprised. The amount of iron ore sent was no small sum; no wonder each one was so heavy and sturdy.
The knife had already been sharpened. Yu Yan asked Lan Xiu to bring over a piece of granite, and then he took out a hammer forged by the people of the Mingyuan tribe and tested the chisel.
With one swing of the hammer, a piece of stone was chipped away, leaving a clean, neat cut!
Yu Yan's eyes lit up even more: "Wow! So sharp!"
Fan Su and the others were exceptionally proud: "As long as you're satisfied. Although there aren't many people in our tribe, we are patient. We can do the same thing for days and nights without getting impatient."
Yu Yan nodded deeply: "No wonder you can forge such fine knives."
Isn't blacksmithing all about forging iron through countless hammer blows?
Now that she had such a useful tool, Yu Yan immediately asked Lan Xiu to carve a small stone mill.
Yu Yan whittled a wooden stick and attached it to the small stone mill to make a wrench.
After thoroughly washing the stone mill with water and drying it in the sun, he added the dried wheat kernels into the stone mill in front of everyone.
Lan Xiu sat opposite him, turned the wrench, and made the small stone mill turn round and round.
Soon, the white flour flowed down and was caught by Yu Yan in a clean bag.
He reached out and gently rubbed it, saying happily, "The small stone mill grinds much finer than the large stone mill; this one pass is enough."
Lan Xiu: "That's great."
Fan Su and the others didn't rush to leave; they gathered around, admiring the "fruits of their labor."
Chiseling stone mills and grinding flour—everything brought them joy.
Fan Su said, "Stone mill, stone mortar, stone pot... whatever kind of stone tool we want in the future, we can have it. That's great."
Mao Li asked Yu Yan enviously, "When your tribe runs out of files, can we borrow them too?"
Yu Yan smiled and said, "No need to borrow. You've already made two, so just take one back with you."
Fan Su was taken aback: "This, this won't do..."
Yu Yan: "There's nothing wrong with that. I also gave the Mingyuan tribe the same compensation."
They said, moved, "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Yu Yan continued to add wheat kernels to the small stone mill. Lan Xiu and she worked together seamlessly, their hands never colliding.
Mao Li asked curiously, "Yu Yan, is this the wheat you found? It has a fragrance when it's milled, like the smell of stems, but it smells even better."
Yu Yan nodded, "Yes, it's wheat. What you're getting from grinding it is called flour, and what you're smelling is the aroma of raw flour."
Maoli's eyes sparkled: "I heard this is delicious! People in our tribe are also cutting yellow millet grass."
Yu Yan hummed in agreement, grabbed a small handful of wheat kernels for them to taste, and then explained to them how to husk, wash, dry, and grind the wheat into flour.
The people of Shenhu Tribe listened with exceptional attention.
Before leaving, they promised to send some wheat to Yu Yan if they found it.
Yu Yan also asked them to make her an iron pot.
He and Lan Xiu spent half the afternoon grinding all the wheat kernels into powder. Although they only got half a bag, Yu Yan was still very happy.
Finally, we're going to eat noodles!
He got up and stretched his arms and legs, then put the precious flour into his storage space.
All adult sub-beastmen have very small spaces, and only the most valuable things are placed inside, which shows how much he values this half-bag of flour.
As for the knife sent by the people of Shenhu Tribe, Yu Yan had Lan Xiu carry it on his back.
He couldn't even wait for Lan Xiu to transform into beast form; he spread his wings and flew towards the ginkgo tree.
"Hurry up, let's go back and cook!"
Lan Xiu transformed into a large tiger and replied with a smile, "Coming!"
After arriving home, Yu Yan found a jar of nut oil in the thatched shed.
They usually use animal fat for cooking, which is fragrant, but inevitably has a slight gamey smell.
He traded this jar of nut oil with people from other tribes.
Today, I'm going to splurge a little on noodles!
Feng Guigang had just returned from feeding the ducks and said to Yu Yan with a smile, "I did as you said, mixing wheat husks with vegetable leaves and feeding it to the mallards. They ate it with great relish. By the way, some of the birds' wings have grown back. When should we trim them again?"
Lan Xiu: "Tomorrow."
Feng Gui watched as he scooped flour with a clean ladle and poured it into a ceramic basin, and asked with delight, "Is it all ground? It looks so fine."
Yu Yan said proudly, "Not only that, it's also delicious!"
Feng Gui: "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Yu Yan: "Then could you boil some water for me? I need to scald my noodles!"
Feng Gui quickly boiled the water.
Yu Yan added an appropriate amount of salt and honey powder to the flour, stirred it evenly, and then scalded one-third of the flour with boiling water until it became flocculent.
For the other two-thirds, he used warm water to knead the dough. After kneading it, he cracked a few duck eggs into it and stirred it again.
He kneaded the two portions of dough together, spread nut oil on the dough, and then placed a small earthenware bowl over the dough to let it rest.
Feng Gui and Lan Xiu were both very curious about what he was going to do, and they were helping him the whole time.
While the dough was resting, Yu Yan used flour and nut oil to make some pastry.
On the other side, after the dough had risen, he cut the large dough into small pieces, spread nut oil on them, and let them rest for about ten minutes.
Next, roll out the dough, brush on the oil paste, then gather the dough into circles and roll it out again into a flatbread.
Just as he was finishing rolling out the dough, Feng Gui lit the fire, and Lan Xiu placed a clean, flat-bottomed earthenware pot on it.
Yu Yan poured oil into the pan, and once the oil was hot, she started making pancakes.
He didn't roll the dough out that big; he squeezed it out so he could make four at a time.
The oily dough sizzled as it was baked in hot oil, releasing a rich aroma that made Yu Yan's mouth water.
He timed it perfectly, flipped the pancake over, and the other side was already a light golden brown.
Yu Yan swallowed hard, her eyes gleaming, growing impatient as she waited.
After both sides of the pancake were browned to a light yellow color, he sprinkled some water into the pan.
Amidst the hissing sound and thick white steam, he put the lid on and eagerly awaited the birth of the delicious treat.
Because he was inexperienced, he cooked the first batch for a bit too long, resulting in a darker color and a harder surface, but thankfully it didn't burn.
Starting from the second batch, it was as if his meridians had been opened, and he could bake them incredibly well.
When the third pot was covered and simmering, he picked up a pancake, tore it into three pieces with his hands, and shared it with Feng Guilan.
His teeth touched the crust, and with a crunch, he took a bite, savoring the rich, oily, and sweet flavors.
He completely forgot about manners and reserve.
He wanted to savor the exquisite flavor of the sugar and oil mixture!
It had been so long since she had eaten such delicious staple food. Yu Yan chewed on the pancake in her mouth, looking blissfully happy.
"Delicious, so delicious!" he kept praising.
Feng Gui and Lan Xiu were also amazed by this small ghee cake.
The flour looks ordinary, but after being fried, it smells so good that it makes your tongue fall off!
Moreover, the more they chewed the flatbread, the sweeter it became, which made them even happier.
Feng Gui swallowed what was in his mouth, almost reluctant to finish the remaining pancake.
He said, "It not only tastes good, but the texture is also great. The outer layer is crispy and crunchy, and it crumbles when you bite into it, while the inside is still soft."
The last food he liked this much was tofu fried by Yu Yan.
Yu Yan gave him a knowing look and said, "If it weren't delicious, I wouldn't have been so eager to find it. Father, keep eating, there's plenty more."
Feng Gui: "Okay."
Yu Yan: "Lanxiu, you should eat more too."
Lanxiu: "Hmm. What's this pancake called?"
Yu Yan: "Butter cake!"
"Short butter cake..." Lan Xiu thought the name was very fitting. "Besides the sweetness, I also tasted a little bit of saltiness, which is very unique."
The pancakes in the pot were cooked, and Yu Yan opened the lid and deftly flipped them over.
"Hehe, these are the little tricks for making pancakes."
Feng Gui said, "I'll remember that. Let me try next time."
"OK!"
Yu Yan baked two large basins of ghee cakes. He kept half a basin for himself and Lan Xiu to share the rest with at the tribe.
As darkness fell completely, Xuefei was quite surprised to see him approach. When she heard that he wanted to share some cakes with her, she repeatedly declined.
There were so few wheat kernels, so I didn't go to help grind the flour in the afternoon because I was afraid Yu Yan would want to share some with him.
"Yu Yan, we haven't been of much help, and we've already had dinner. You can keep it for yourself."
Yu Yan: "How could I not have been of any help? Without your Qiu Ze, I wouldn't have been able to find wheat at all. I didn't send you much, just two sheets. Please accept them and try them."
Xue Fei tried to refuse, but Yu Yan forcefully shoved the pancake into her mouth and then shouted towards the bird's nest, "Qiu Ze, come and eat this pancake! It smells amazing!"
Qiu Ze howled, and Mo Ye couldn't hold him back: "Here he comes! Here he comes!"
Xue Fei's cheeks flushed slightly: "...Thank you."
Yu Yan waved her hand: "Alright, I'm leaving."
After walking a short distance, he heard Qiu Ze scream in despair, "Ahhh, how come it's gone!!"
After Yu Yan and Lan Xiu finished dividing the cakes, they hurried back to have dinner.
He didn't know that many families with children didn't sleep well that night because their babies kept asking for pancakes, no matter how much they opened or closed their eyes.
Feng Gui cooked two dishes at home and also prepared bone broth in advance, which was a perfect match for the ghee pancakes.
By the light of the torch, Lanxiu crunched on the biscuit, turning it over and over to examine it.
Seeing this, Yu Yan smiled and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Lan Xiu looked up and said, "The butter cakes are more fragrant than the stem tubers when eaten with vegetables and soup."
Yu Yan smiled, thinking to herself, "Otherwise, why would it be called 'staple food'? Now you know why I can't eat the tubers."
"I've saved the seeds; we'll plant them in the fall."
"good."
Feng Gui said, "Oh right, when I was tidying up today, I saw that the people from the Deep Lake Tribe brought chili seeds in addition to ironware."
Yu Yan: "Really! Then I'll plant them together with the long-podded beans and white kidney beans when I have some free time."
Feng Gui: "Hmm. The knives they sent are really nice. I used that one today, it's called... a kitchen knife, right? It made cutting vegetables so easy."
Yu Yan: "I was wondering why the shredded meat was cut so finely today. Father, your knife skills are really good."
Feng Gui laughed as he praised her.
The three of them ate their fill of dinner and were completely satisfied.
The next day, Yu Yan and the others ate the leftover pancakes from the previous day for breakfast.
Even when cold, the pancakes retained their crisp texture and were savory and fragrant; Yu Yan could easily devour three on their own.
He also promised, "I'll make something else with flour tonight."
Feng Gui and Lan Xiu were very much looking forward to it.
After the meal, Yu Yan heard that half of the tribe had gone out to look for yellow millet grass.
Some who hadn't gotten a taste of the pancake were anxiously asking, "What does it taste like? Is it really that delicious?"
In response, Xuefei and the others confidently declared, "If we don't eat it, we've lived in vain."
Qiu Ze, as the "great hero" who found the flour, became the envy of all the kids.
As he repeatedly described how fragrant and delicious the ghee cakes were, the kids' mouths watered. When they got home, they pestered their parents for cakes, driving their parents crazy with nagging.
Instead of cutting the yellow grass, Yu Yan found Cang Feng and gave him the iron knives forged by the Deep Lake Tribe, asking him to distribute them as needed.
After that, he slung his basket over his shoulder and turned to go to the beach.
He was looking for the finest sand.
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