Chapter 81 Sea Urchin Entry Point One-Day Team Building
Lan Xiu raised an eyebrow slightly.
Since it was everyone's first time building a house, Yu Yan's guidance was indispensable, so he would go over to check on the progress every day, and he also set the construction schedule.
The fact that he asked such a question shows that he really wanted to change the subject.
Lan Xiu smiled and repeated what Yu Yan had said during the day: "The foundation has been laid well this time, and we can start building in two more days."
Yu Yan nodded seriously: "Hmm, not bad. In that case, how about we go out for a walk tomorrow?" The last sentence was the key point.
Lan Xiu: Where do you want to go for a walk?
Yu Yan looked at Feng Gui and smiled, "Father, do you know where the mouth of the Nine Beasts River is in our tribe?"
Feng Gui: "I know."
"Shall we go tomorrow? I've been so busy lately that I haven't had a chance to go out and find food properly."
"That's possible, but when you go to the estuary, are you going to use the newly woven fishing nets to catch fish?"
Yu Yan shook her head, keeping everyone in suspense: "The fishing net is for use in deeper waters. As for what I'll be catching tomorrow, you'll find out when I get there."
Something that would make Yu Yan make a special trip must be something good. Everyone was intrigued by it, and Ruihua even stopped fiddling with the compass.
Yu Yan stopped talking and began to savor the food.
Feng Gui is a very good cook; today's fried lotus root sandwiches were absolutely perfect.
The starch coating is golden and crispy, and the lotus root slices must have been soaked in water, so they don't lose their crisp texture and retain the sweetness of lotus root.
The minced meat inside has both lean and fatty parts, giving it a chewy texture and plenty of juice. The aroma is so enticing that it makes your head spin like fireworks.
Feng Gui also has a precise control over the amount of seasonings used, which enhances the flavor of food without overpowering it.
Yu Yan ate three lotus root sandwiches in a row before trying other dishes, exclaiming with satisfaction, "Delicious! Father, it's your first time making this, and it's already so delicious! You're amazing!"
Feng Gui was amused by Yu Yan: "If you like it, I'll make it for you again next time."
Yu Yan: "Then I not only want to eat fried lotus root sandwiches, I also want to eat fried crispy pork, fried chicken nuggets, fried mushrooms, and French fries..."
Feng Gui: "What is crispy pork? And what are French fries?"
Yu Yan vividly described how to make the dish, making their eyes light up.
A delicious dinner ended in a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.
Ruihua rushed to clear the table, wash the dishes, and wipe the cement stove in the kitchen spotless.
When he came out, he saw that only Feng Gui was sitting on the sofa in the living room, digesting his food.
"Where are Yu Yan and Lan Xiu?"
"They said there wasn't much soap left, so they went to process the raw materials."
Ruihua smiled at him and said, "I'll go out for a walk too."
Feng Gui looked up: "Where are you going?"
"I haven't properly tested the compass that Yu Yan gave me yet. I'll go out for a flight and see how well it works outside."
"...It's so late."
"Then I won't go."
This time, Feng Gui felt bad and said, pursing his lips, "Don't fly too far, okay?"
Ruihua's face lit up with joy. Holding the compass, she walked around to Feng Gui's side and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Let's go!"
Feng Gui was taken aback, touched the spot where he had just been kissed, and smiled.
He was still a little worried about Ruihua being alone, so he sprouted wings and secretly followed him.
As expected, Ruihua did not fly too far, but hovered above the tribe's habitat.
He would fly for a while, then land, transform into human form, look at the compass for a bit, then fly again and look at it again, as if it were his most prized possession.
Feng Gui smiled and shook his head, then went home first.
...
The next day was a beautiful autumn day with clear skies and crisp air.
Yu Yan got up very early to tidy herself up and the house.
Now the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting longer. When Heng Qing arrived, the sun hadn't fully risen yet, and the fields were covered in white mist.
He greeted Ruihua, who was feeding the sheep, "Ruihua! Is Yuyan awake yet?"
Ruihua turned around, and something gleamed at her waist.
Heng Qing looked closely and saw a needle swinging inside.
"Get up, you can come straight inside."
Heng Qing didn't leave immediately, and asked with a smile, "Did Yu Yan make this compass for you?"
Ruihua smiled and said, "Yes."
"It's already on your waist so quickly?"
Ruihua's smile deepened: "This looks more convenient."
Heng Qing clicked her tongue twice in her mind, ignoring his boasting: "I went to find Yu Yan."
Upon meeting Yu Yan, Heng Qing explained his purpose for visiting, saying he wanted to stay a couple more days to learn how they built houses.
Yu Yan readily agreed.
Heng Qing asked Yu Yan what she was going to do today, and when she heard that she was going to catch seafood at the estuary, her eyes lit up.
"Can we come with us? When we were harvesting seaweed before, we found that there were so many fish and shellfish in the waters around your tribe. We really wanted to catch them."
Yu Yan smiled and nodded: "Okay, let's do it together."
"Um!"
When the tribes on the peninsula heard about this, many of them also wanted to join in.
The word spread like wildfire, eventually becoming a collective action by half the tribe, with even the little ones joining in.
Senbo transformed into his Black Eagle Beast form, like a large bird released from its cage, tumbling and swooping in the air, excitedly shouting:
"These days, all I do is work as a blacksmith, either in our own tribe or in the surrounding tribes. Finally, I can go out and play!!"
The sub-beastmen were also very happy, "It feels like it's been a long time since I've gathered with Yu Yan, I'm really looking forward to it."
Bird-beastmen and bird-type sub-beastmen fluttered and flew in the sky, while Lanxiu and the beastmen of the highland tribe transformed into furry beast forms and ran on the ground.
Ruihua and Feng Guifei led the way at the front, while Yu Yan flew in the middle of the group, enjoying the clear and melodious songs of the sub-beastmen.
It didn't take long for the group to stop at the shore of the estuary.
Yu Yan, high in the sky, took in the magnificent and beautiful scenery.
This is where fresh and salt water meet, the water's color changes clearly, the water is clear, and the waves are not large.
There was a long stretch of fine sand on the shore. Yu Yan recognized it; the tribe had used this kind of sand to make glass.
He landed, crossed the sand, and came to a rocky area.
On the surface of the nearshore reefs and in the crevices between the rocks, he saw what he wanted to collect—oysters.
The companions were scattered along the shore, enjoying the sea breeze and collecting seashells;
The little ones spread their arms wide, ran around, and splashed in the waves, having a water fight.
After Shuoxing ran to Yu Yan's side, she also saw the oysters and exclaimed, "Wow! Such big oysters!! There must be a lot of meat inside!"
"Oysters? They have them here too?" Everyone gathered around.
"It really is! How come it's so big?"
Yu Yan smiled and said, "The water quality here is good, which is suitable for their growth, and now is the perfect time to catch them. If you go into the water and take a look, you'll definitely see even more."
Hearing his words, the adults couldn't wait to take off their clothes and plunge into the water with a "plop" sound.
The humans in the beast world have very strong physiques and can hold their breath underwater for a long time.
Yu Yan and the others waited for a while before those who went into the water surfaced.
They wiped the water from their faces and exclaimed excitedly, "There really are so many! They've covered the stones underneath!"
"Besides oysters, there are lots of sea fish! Some are silver, some are colorful, they're especially beautiful!"
"Does anyone want to come down and take a look?"
With a hook, everyone except the two bird-beastmen patrolling in the sky jumped into the water.
There were orcs who could swim, and they even transformed into their animal forms in the water, frolicking around and hunting fish in the sea with their claws and mouths.
The water here isn't deep, and the babies are swimming with their father near the shore, so there's no danger.
Yu Yan also dived into the water. He kept his mouth tightly closed, his arms paddling downwards, and opened his eyes in the sea.
A stunning underwater scene suddenly appeared in his dark pupils.
Sunlight streamed through the sea, illuminating the water like a swaying veil.
Colorful fish swam past him in groups, like a dream.
He also saw an old sea turtle with a large shell on its head, its four feet leisurely paddling in the water.
Surrounded by beautiful scenery, all fatigue vanishes, leaving a feeling of healing comfort throughout the body.
On the seabed, oysters spread out in vast stretches, seemingly endless.
Yu Yan blinked and spotted a black spiky ball among the swaying water plants.
He swam downstream, picked up the spiky ball, and then floated back up.
"Splash!" He burst out of the sea, shook the water off his head and face, and squinted at what he was holding.
It's a round, plump sea urchin!
It's so big, there must be a lot of meat inside!
Yu Yan's mouth was watering from the drool.
The sea urchin's spines are long and sharp, and it uses the buoyancy of the seawater to support itself.
Other people surfaced one after another and asked Yu Yan, "Shall we go oyster fishing?"
Yu Yan: "Go get some! Besides this, if you see any sea urchins, like the ones in my hand, please help me get some too."
Heng Qing transformed into a black panther, its body submerged underwater except for its large, furry black head.
His bright yellow eyes looked over, and his mouth opened and closed: "This thing is edible? It's so ugly."
Yu Yan laughed and said, "Anyway, no one's watching over it in the sea, so it can just grow however it wants. Sea urchins are delicious."
Heng Qing laughed heartily and said with high spirits, "Great!! Let me get you lots of it!"
They usually learn this and that from Yu Yan, and they also rely on Yu Yan to treat illnesses and save lives. They all really want a chance to repay Yu Yan.
When everyone heard that Yu Yan wanted sea urchins, they all rushed to scoop them out for him.
Even the orcs from the highland tribes and the peninsula tribes were secretly competing with each other.
They would take a deep breath and dive down, and wouldn't come up until they had used up all their air.
Unable to speak in the water, they even resorted to hand gestures used when hunting!
There are three here!
Those few are yours!
[The ones over there are big, hurry and fish them out!]
After Cangfeng surfaced with several sea urchins in his arms, he said to Senbo, "I'll stay here. You guys swim a little further out and catch more. We can't let the people from the highland tribes outdo us."
Senbo nodded emphatically: "Understood!"
Cangfeng watched Senbai swim around before he couldn't help but grin, "Ouch, that's too prickly! I need to go get a net."
Seeing this, Heng Qing and the others also dived down with their nets.
The beastmen didn't participate in their competition because they couldn't even keep up with the demand for oysters.
Large baskets and baskets of oysters were carried ashore by everyone.
Cang Feng, Heng Qing, and the others were so engrossed in the competition that they were grimacing from the sea urchins that they didn't even notice that Yu Yan wasn't in the sea.
After a while, someone swam up to Cangfeng.
He turned his head and gestured with his eyes: Yu Yan!
Yu Yan nodded to him and handed him something made of twisted wire, with a loop at the front and a handle at the back.
Under Cang Feng's puzzled gaze, Yu Yan demonstrated—by pinching the handle and gently pulling with the iron ring, the sea urchin went into the net.
Cang Feng's eyes lit up, and he gave Yu Yan a thumbs up.
Yu Yan smiled with her lips pursed, made the same gesture to him, and turned to look for other people catching sea urchins.
With the tools, everyone was able to fish much more easily this time.
Moreover, watching the round sea urchins roll one after another into the net, filling the net little by little, gives a special sense of accomplishment from the harvest.
Yu Yan had a great time swimming in the sea. When she came ashore, she found that sea urchins were piled up like small mountains and oysters were piled up like big mountains.
Harvesting food brings joy, and everyone laughed, saying, "If we keep scooping, we definitely won't be able to finish it all, but I just can't stop."
"Yeah, it was so satisfying to catch them."
"I'll be able to have a good meal when I get back."
"Maybe it can even yield beautiful seawater pearls!"
Yu Yan walked over and said, "No need to wait to go back, let's make a fire and have a picnic right here? I brought a lot of seasonings."
"Great! I have some with me too!"
"Then I'll go gather firewood!"
"I'm going to fetch some fresh water."
Yu Yan called Feng Gui and Xin Yu over, and, holding scissors, demonstrated to them how to prepare sea urchins.
"...This is its mouth. Cut it open from here, then remove the black internal organs and intestines, leaving only the orange-yellow sea urchin roe. Gently rinse it clean with water..."
The scissors were sharp and easy to use, and a sea urchin was quickly processed.
The people in the Beast World don't know what "stress relief" means; they just feel like they're completely engrossed in watching it.
Xin Yu said, "I only realized that this stuff is actually edible when I saw the sea urchin roe."
Yin Qing: "It looks like a cooked egg yolk, so beautiful! It smells so sweet... Can I eat it directly?"
Yu Yan said seriously, "It's better not to eat it raw. There might be insects inside that are invisible to the naked eye, which are harmful to your health."
Everyone: "Okay."
"Okay, you guys take care of it first. I'll go into the woods and gather some bird eggs. We'll make steamed sea urchin eggs later."
"Okay, I'll be waiting for you!"
They took out scissors, moved some stones to sit down, and chatted while processing the sea urchins.
Feng Gui said, "Give me all these internal organs and intestines, I'll feed them to the green-headed birds when I get back."
Xuefei said enviously, "Your green-headed birds are so beautiful, and it's so convenient for them to eat bird eggs. Moye and I both want to raise them."
Feng Gui: "Sure, we're so close to the sea, it'll be easy for us to find food for them."
Yin Qing: "It feels so troublesome. I have to feed them several times a day and clean up their poop."
"You'll find it's not so bad after raising it for a while," Feng Gui whispered. "It's easier than raising a baby."
Xuefei: "Haha, I'll think about it."
...
Yu Yan flew into the woods and searched for bird nests in each tree.
Many birds are not incubating their eggs, so most nests are empty. Yu Yan was not discouraged, and like a treasure hunter, she searched one nest after another.
He gently placed the bird eggs he had found into his basket.
The most numerous of these are the eggs of the Weaver Bird.
The Wenliebird looks rather clumsy and is not very big. Its meat is not bad but not particularly delicious either. It has a straightforward and stubborn temperament. Its advantage is that it lays a lot of eggs, hatching five or six broods a year.
Just then, a pheasant flew back and caught Yu Yan, the "thief," red-handed.
Yu Yan suddenly felt guilty, as if she had stolen someone else's child, and quickly climbed down from the tree.
But the jay was not satisfied; it cried out angrily and chased after him, pecking at him.
Yu Yan covered her head and ran forward.
"Stop pecking! Stop pecking! It's not like I can't beat you. I'm letting you win," Yu Yan said in a flustered manner.
The eagle wouldn't give up, and started scratching at his head with its claws!
Yu Yan nimbly dodged to the side, and the Wenlie bird missed its target, crashing into a bush with a "bang" and being knocked unconscious.
"Hahaha! I told you not to arrest me, but you still did. You delivered yourself into this mess."
Yu Yan walked over, restrained the bird's wings, and tied it tightly with a rope before throwing it into the basket.
"We can have an extra meal today," he said happily.
Just as it was about to sprout wings and fly back, it suddenly felt something hit its head.
His expression changed, and he dodged sharply to the side.
"Thump," something purple landed at his feet.
"Hmm?" Yu Yan picked it up and saw that it was actually a wild eggplant!
Although it was wild, it was larger than modern eggplants, but unfortunately it was overripe and rotten.
Yu Yan immediately searched the surrounding bushes and ground, and sure enough, she found a lot of eggplant vines. Before long, she had picked more than half a basket of eggplants.
He didn't even let the rotten ones go; he washed them and dried them to make seeds.
He hummed a song and flew back to the shore with the bird eggs, the finches, and the eggplants.
They started a fire and processed a large quantity of oysters, sea urchins, and fish.
Seeing that Cangfeng and the others were still soaking in the sea, Yu Yan gestured with her hand like a megaphone and shouted, "No need to fish them out—come ashore and get something to eat!"
The beastmen then swam back.
Once ashore, they didn't rush to put on their shirts. Bare of their strong, muscular upper bodies, they shook the water off their hair and walked this way.
Yu Yan smiled as she gazed at the beach fashion show.
As he got closer, he heard Cangfeng and Hengqing arguing amongst themselves, "I alone caught hundreds, so we definitely caught more."
"You guys just grab any sea urchin you see, right? Unlike us, we only pick the big ones."
Lan Xiu swept his wet hair back, making his face look even more handsome.
He smiled and asked Yu Yan, "Would you like to eat oysters?"
Yu Yan: "Not only that, I also found a pheasant. Let me tell you, it was so funny..."
He and Lanxiu walked forward, the sunlight casting two intertwined shadows at their feet.
"...And sea urchins too, we can eat our fill this time."
Heng Qing and Cang Feng behind them gave up.
For the first time today, the two reached a consensus, whispering to each other: "Sea urchins look like that, are they really edible?"
"If I weren't thick-skinned, my hand would definitely be bleeding from the sea urchins. I don't want my mouth to get pricked too."
"Ouch, now that you say that, my mouth hurts."
"How can Yu Yan eat anything..."
Upon arriving at the campsite where they started a fire, Yu Yan handed the Wenlie bird he had "picked up" to Feng Gui, gave the bird eggs he had taken to Xin Yu, asked Xue Fei to chop garlic and Lan Xiu to wash eggplants, while he himself soaked potato vermicelli.
While waiting for the noodles to soak, he prepared bird egg liquid and poured it into the cleaned sea urchin shells.
Then steam the sea urchin shells.
After about five minutes, spread plenty of sea urchin roe on top of the egg and continue steaming.
A rich aroma spread out.
Heng Qing and Cang Feng gradually fell silent, their eyes fixed intently on the steamed sea urchin egg, swallowing hard.
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