Chapter 78 Rapeseed Oil Pancakes: The Little "Gray" Wolf Turned White Again...
Yu Yan stood in front of the pot, excitedly asking, "Father, where did you see the pig?"
Ruihua paused for a moment, as if thinking about how to answer.
“Look at me, I forgot you can’t remember directions… I mean, which tribe are you in, do you remember?”
Ruihua nodded. "I remember, there's a tribe called Chongchong. The people there call this beast the Hum Hum Beast because they always make a humming sound."
"Yes, yes, the call matches too. Have you ever hunted one?"
"I've hunted them, quite a few. The Hum Hum Beasts are very fierce, always fighting with the beastmen of the Chongchong Tribe for territory, and they reproduce very well. Over the years, they've become ubiquitous in the wild."
"The beastmen of the Chongchong tribe are relatively small in their animal form. They were so bothered by the Hengheng beasts that they asked me to help them hunt."
Hearing this from not far away, Feng Gui said, "That's quite troublesome. The Qingqing tribe, which is the tribe of Junxi, has beastmen whose beast form combat power is somewhat inferior to yours. When they encounter particularly ferocious beasts, they have to gather many people to hunt together. They've even asked us surrounding tribes for help before."
Yu Yan then asked, "Father, did you eat pork? How did it taste?"
Ruihua: "I ate it. At first, it tasted very good, but after eating too much, I got tired of it. However, I haven't eaten pork for more than two years, so I'm craving that taste again."
Yu Yan laughed twice, understanding him perfectly.
Then, Ruihua told Yu Yan everything he remembered about the Chongchong tribe.
For example, most of the people living there are marmot beastmen, who are very united, like to dig burrows under rocky slopes to live in, are docile but very vigilant; and what are the iconic plains and rivers of their tribe, as well as what other tribes are around them.
The climate is also very different from that of the peninsula tribes.
Yu Yan gradually became engrossed in the story, as if she could see a group of cute and silly brown marmots running around on the grassland, foraging and playing.
Finally, Ruihua said, "That's all I've noted down. I don't know if it will be of any help to you."
Yu Yan: "You've given us such detailed information, of course we can! Although I've never heard of the Chongchong tribe before, with the information you've provided, we should be able to find out their location quickly. We'll see if we can ask the Chongchong tribe to catch a few piglets and send them to us. If that doesn't work, I'll make the trip myself."
Lanxiu said, "I'll go with you."
"Haha, of course I'll take you with me. Wild boars are so fierce, I can't catch them by myself."
"What are you talking about? Why are you making such a fuss?" Luanxia's adoptive father, Beihe, walked over and asked with a happy expression.
"My father found a pig for me! A really delicious wild animal!"
"That's so good?" Beihe said admiringly. "Your father knows so much."
“That’s right.” Yu Yan also thought Ruihua was knowledgeable and experienced.
The two of them were asking and answering questions, which made Ruihua feel a little embarrassed.
"Yu Yan, you guys go ahead with your work, I'll go and help Feng Gui divide the hay."
"Mmm." Yu Yan looked away and asked Bei He, "How is Luanxia?"
Beihe was even happier: "That's exactly what I wanted to tell you! Luanxia just pulled the nail out! Her father and I looked at it for a long time, and it really is just like you said, the nail is wrapped with rings of chives! Yuyan, do you want to take a look? I'll take you there..."
Yu Yan chuckled dryly, "Haha, it's good that the line is cleared up, I won't go..."
Beihe realized what was happening and scratched his head awkwardly: "Yeah, it's not like it's anything pretty..."
Before Luanxia was born, if someone told him that he would one day find beauty in his baby's poop, he would definitely think that person was out of his mind.
Alas, one cannot know the difficulties of being a mentor without first knowing them…
Junxi led Luanxia over, her paws already washed.
Upon seeing this, Yu Yan exclaimed in surprise, "The little 'gray' wolf has turned white again!"
Beihe laughed and said, "Last night, Junxi transformed into his beast form and I licked his fur for half the day."
Yu Yan couldn't help but laugh when she thought of a big black rabbit pressing a little white wolf under its paws and licking its fur.
"Brother Yu Yan, I'm alright now!" Luanxia rushed to his legs, rubbed against him vigorously, and even rolled over to expose her belly for him to touch.
Yu Yan rubbed his soft, furry belly and praised him with a smile, "You're such a great little one."
Then, changing the subject, he said, "You can't eat just anything anymore. If you get poisoned and there's no cure, or if your stomach ruptures, you'll never see your father and your adoptive father again, understand?"
Luanxia's ears drooped down, and she let out a pitiful whimper.
"I understand, Brother Yu Yan. I will never eat random things again."
Yu Yan patted his head: "Good boy."
Junxi stepped forward and, together with Beihe, sincerely thanked Yu Yan.
“The baby is alright now, we can finally relax. We're thinking of helping you finish your work before taking the baby back to the tribe.”
Yu Yan: "Are you talking about pressing oil? I have so many people working at home, and there are quite a few people in the tribe too, that's enough."
Beihe pleaded, "Yu Yan, please let us stay and help you."
Junxi: "Yes, you only accepted such a small amount of supplies. We really feel bad about it."
Luanxia also put her front paws on Yu Yan's legs and wagged her tail: "Brother Yu Yan, I want to play with Shuoxing and Brother Qiuze for a while longer."
Yu Yan's heart softened: "Okay, you can stay if you want."
The three of them immediately showed great joy.
Luanxia put down her paws, turned around and ran back into the tribe.
Yu Yan looked down and saw two particularly cute paw prints on her pants.
In the morning, the oil was completely steamed.
Many people from the tribe came to help.
Yu Yan directed the beastmen to move out the oil press chamber that they had mostly finished yesterday, dig out a groove at the bottom of the chamber to collect the oil, and then tighten the two ends with iron plates to prevent the wood from cracking when pressing oil later.
The beastmen, on the other hand, whittled wooden sticks and nailed them together to make a wooden frame.
After placing the press chamber on the frame and making final adjustments, Yu Yan instructed everyone to mix the oilseeds with straw and fill the circle formed by the bent iron sheet.
The filled oilseeds are then placed tightly into the pressing chamber.
After arranging the materials, Yu Yan walked around the oil press, picked up a dozen wooden wedges from the ground, and stuck them into the press chamber to firmly squeeze the oilseeds.
"That's about it." Yu Yan walked back to the oil press and said to Lan Xiu, "We can start pressing the oil now."
Lanxiu, Ruihua, Cangfeng, and Moye carried a giant log together.
They shouted slogans and used all their strength to slam the giant log heavily onto the press!
The strength of a single orc is already terrifying, let alone four orcs together.
With a loud "thump!", the press, subjected to tremendous force, caused the bundles of straw to squeeze together, and fresh oil immediately seeped out, dripping into the groove below, then flowing out along the press chamber and being collected.
The brown rapeseed oil is bright and clear, with a fragrant aroma.
Upon seeing their success, everyone cheered, "The oil is ready!!"
Inspired, the four men carrying the giant log worked even harder, continuing to pound the press, causing the rapeseed oil to flow out continuously.
Oil extraction takes a long time, and the process becomes quite tedious over time.
Fortunately, there were many people here, and even the sub-beastmen were eager to experience it.
Each person took turns two or three times until no more oil could be extracted from the straw cakes.
Yu Yan took out her notebook and sketched out the structure of the oil press, also noting down ideas for improvement.
For example, he considered suspending the battering ram with a rope and using the centrifugal force during the swing to strike it, which would save a lot of effort. Orcs could also do this job.
He shared his ideas with Cangfeng and the others, and they all agreed that they were very good.
Cangfeng then asked, "Did you teach the people of the Tianlan tribe how to make the oil press?"
Yu Yan shook her head, "No, I thought they lacked tools right now, so I taught them a simpler method: using stones to crush and squeeze the oil. However, the steps of frying, grinding, and steaming the oil before pressing are the same as ours."
"I also invited them to come to our tribe to see the oil press when they have the chance in the future."
“Hmm,” Cangfeng laughed, “It seems metal tools are going to be snapped up again.”
"Haha, we and the surrounding tribes are going to be busy."
Yu Yan's oil extraction method yields an exceptionally high oil output.
He collected two large jars of them himself, and he couldn't finish them even in winter.
We also gave a small bowl to each of the people who helped us, so they could take it home and try it.
Junxi and Beihe also received their share; Yu Yan packed it for them in small jars.
"It's similar to animal fat; you can use it for stir-frying, mixing vegetables, roasting meat, frying meat, and so on," he explained.
The two were both grateful and touched, saying, "We weren't able to help much, you've packed so much for us..."
"Haha, everyone has some, so take them and make some delicious food for Luanxia when you get back."
They accepted the rapeseed oil and sincerely thanked them, saying, "Thank you."
When the family of three returned to Qingqing Village, everyone came to inquire about Luanxia's health.
Hearing from Beihe that the matter was resolved, Tan Nian exclaimed in amazement, "Such a small leek has such a great use!"
Shuyu: "This time, we owe a lot to Yu Yan."
"Yeah yeah."
Tan Nian then asked curiously, "Beihe, did you encounter any other interesting things while you were in the peninsula tribe?"
Beihe: "Yes!"
He told everyone about the peninsula tribe's plan to set up a "weaving workshop".
People exclaimed in surprise, "A weaving workshop? That sounds amazing!"
"Are you asking for a lot of supplies?"
How can I pass the assessment?
Shuyu stepped forward to explain: "I've heard about this too. The supplies aren't a small amount, but they're not a huge amount either. Anyone who's diligent can manage to collect them."
"As for how to pass the assessment, we don't know yet."
"The weaving workshop provides food and lodging, and the peninsula tribes also provide supplies to the apprentices."
The crowd erupted in cheers: "The Beast God! Is it really that good?"
"Once I learn it, I can weave as much cloth as I want, and I can even exchange it for supplies!"
"Ahhh, that makes me want to go right now!!"
They discussed the weaving workshop enthusiastically for quite some time.
Afterwards, Junxi told everyone about how Yu Yan made an oil press and led them to extract a lot of rapeseed oil.
They also showed everyone the rapeseed oil they received.
Beihe proudly stated, "Tonight we'll cook with rapeseed oil."
The people of the Qingqing tribe were green with envy.
Luanxia also had something to say: "We stayed in Brother Yuyan's house last night! The house was so big! It was very spacious inside, and there was no draft! There was even an oil lamp in the room. We slept on the bed—I was between Father and Uncle, and no matter how much I rolled over, I didn't fall to the ground. It was so comfortable!"
Junxi smiled gently and said, "You still have the nerve to say that? You're such a restless sleeper. I had to push you to the middle several times."
Beihe: "I covered him with a blanket many times."
Tan Nian gritted his teeth: "You're sleeping in Yu Yan's house? Congratulations!"
Beihe burst out laughing: "Hahaha, we ate Yu Yan's cooking! It was so delicious that I'm still savoring the taste."
Someone asked, "You've provided medical care, food, and lodging, and you must have paid for a lot of supplies, right?"
Junxi: "No, the supplies we paid are not even worth the can of oil that Yu Yan gave us."
Everyone around them was absolutely envious. Tan Nian shook Bei He's shoulder and shouted, "How come you guys are so lucky?!"
"I must pass the exam to get into the weaving workshop! I'll live there and eat the food Yu Yan makes!"
"I want to take the exam too!!!"
That night, the tribes closer to the peninsula tribe, like the Qingqing tribe, were too excited to sleep because of the weaving workshop.
In a few more days, the news will surely spread further.
Yu Yan's family used the harvested rapeseed oil to cook a delicious dinner.
Yu Yan scooped out half a basin of the flour she hadn't been willing to eat before, added an appropriate amount of salt, and mixed it well.
He scalded half of the flour with boiling water and mixed the other half with cold water.
Mix the two types of water together, let it rest for about ten minutes, then you can start kneading the dough, dividing it into portions, applying oil, and letting it rest again.
This method doesn't use yeast, and the resulting pancakes are soft and delicious, which Yu Yan has always liked.
While waiting for the dough to rise, he and Feng Gui cooked a few dishes together.
Lanxiu and Ruihua did the work outside the kitchen.
"The dough has risen enough. I'll roll it out and make pancakes. Uncle, why don't you stir-fry some shredded potatoes? And cut some shredded roasted meat too. We'll roll them up in pancakes later."
"good."
Yu Yan makes double-layered hot water dough pancakes. The dough is rolled out thinly and coated with rapeseed oil in the middle to prevent sticking.
Finally, when making the pancakes, rapeseed oil was also used.
He seasoned his big iron wok well and took good care of it, so food wouldn't stick at all when cooking.
He didn't use much oil when making the pancakes, and he carefully watched the heat. He finished making one in no time.
When all the pan-fried dishes were finished, all the vegetables were ready to be served.
Yu Yan served the dishes and set out the bowls and chopsticks, while Feng Guiqu called the other two people in to eat.
Ruihua washed her hands and came over, smiling, "Such a lavish meal again today. Is this made with flour?"
Yu Yan: "Yes! Pick the bottom part to eat, it's softer there."
After saying that, he unceremoniously took a pancake, tore it in half, put shredded potatoes and meat on it, rolled it up, and took a bite.
The fried dough sticks smelled amazing! The shredded potatoes were washed by Feng Gui before being stir-fried, giving them a crispy texture. The grilled meat was sprinkled with Yu Yan's homemade barbecue seasoning, which not only preserved the flavor of the meat but also added a rich texture.
Most importantly, pancakes made with rapeseed oil have less of the fishy smell of animal fat and are not greasy at all.
Several different flavors blended in his mouth, so delicious that his skull trembled.
Yu Yan's eyes lit up, and she couldn't stop eating, her puffed-out cheeks resembling those of a little squirrel.
He said sincerely, "It took so much effort, frying and steaming, and even making special oil pressing tools, but after eating this pancake, I feel it was all worth it."
The other three people, smelling the aroma of the pancakes and seeing their golden color, also felt their mouths water.
They imitated Yu Yan, rolled up the pancakes and ate them, all showing amazement and praising them highly.
As Yu Yan ate her pancake, she painted a picture of the future for them: "I saved some wheat seeds, let's plant more next year! We'll grind enough flour to last us a year!"
Everyone was looking forward to that day.
...
The next day, the first thing Yu Yan did after getting up was to check how much of his starch had settled.
After several water changes, there were no impurities left in the tank, and the starch that had sunk to the bottom was a light gray color.
Yu Yan changed the water in the starch one last time. She estimated that by noon, she could drain the water and dry the starch in the sun.
Feeding ducks, feeding sheep, milking cows, watering plants, cleaning fish traps, eating breakfast... the four of them were busy all morning.
The weather was nice today, so Feng Gui decided to go gathering with the people from the tribe.
Ruihua and Lanxiu went hunting in the morning and came back in the afternoon to dig the foundation.
Yu Yan: "I have to dry starch, so I won't be going out today."
Feng Gui: "Okay, we'll be back this afternoon."
After the three people left, Yu Yan couldn't stay still. She first went to the fields for a stroll, and then went to check out the charcoal kiln and pottery kiln.
Now, whether it's firing pottery, charcoal, glass, or cement, he doesn't need to worry about it anymore.
Back home, he couldn't stay idle. He took out hemp thread and tools from the warehouse, sat in the yard, and prepared to weave a large fishing net.
It's already autumn, and in about twenty days, the peak season for fish will arrive.
At that time, the ribbonfish, pomfret, yellow croaker, and other fish in the sea will be especially plump and delicious; swimming crabs, prawns, mackerel, and the like will also be full of roe and meat.
As she thought about it, Yu Yan's mouth started to water.
Previously, he mostly worked on land, relying on beachcombing and fishing traps to get seafood. This time, he absolutely couldn't miss the peak fishing season.
Having previous experience in weaving fish traps, he quickly got the hang of it, moving his tools swiftly.
Hearing footsteps approaching, he looked up and saw that it was the people from the Mingyuan tribe.
On everyone's beast-shaped backs were piled many baskets of things, and they smelled...like lotus root?
"Chief Jiang Kuo." Yu Yan put down her things, stood up, and greeted them.
The large gray wolf opened and closed its mouth, its voice deep and resonant: "Yu Yan, we've come to bring you lotus roots."
"Yes, I can smell it." Yu Yan smiled. "Time flies so fast, the lotus roots are already ripe."
"Yes." Everyone unloaded their belongings and transformed into human form.
When Yu Yan went over to take a look, she found that the lotus roots were at their freshest and most delicious stage, and would taste great in stir-fries or soups.
When I get older, I can make lotus root starch, just like I make potato starch.
He counted them roughly and found that there were more than ten baskets full.
"You brought me so much?"
Jiang Kuo laughed and said, "Knowing you like it, the people in the tribe keep asking us to dig more."
"Haha, thank you everyone."
What are you doing?
"Oh, I'm weaving fishing nets. I'll go fishing in the sea in a while."
Jiang Kuo's expression brightened: "Our tribe doesn't have a sea. Can you come and visit sometime?"
"Of course you can. This fishing net can also be used in the lake. Would you like to learn how to use it?"
"Yes, yes, yes!!!" He must have thought there was something good coming to Yu Yan's place!
Yu Yan asked them to help her move the lotus roots to the warehouse and put them away. Then she sat down again and showed them how to weave fishing nets.
There were two orcs who, after learning for a while, were able to start weaving with him.
Seeing that Yu Yan was in a good mood, Jiang Kuo smiled and discussed with him, "Yu Yan, I heard that you want to open a weaving workshop. Since our two tribes are so close, could you take in a few more apprentices from our tribe?"
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