Chapter 93 Assessment of the Bletilla striata glue weaving workshop
After Yu Yan and Cang Feng finished exchanging information, Feng Gui pulled Yu Yan aside and whispered, "Who witnessed your marriage outside?"
Yu Yan said innocently, "Father, we're not married yet."
"Then why does everyone say..."
"It got like this as it was passed around."
Feng Gui paused for a moment, then, having figured it out, shook his head with a smile.
"So, when are you planning to get married?"
Yu Yan glanced at Lan Xiu and curled her lips: See, I told you they already knew.
Lan Xiu: "..."
"There are so many things to do in the tribe right now, let's wait until we're done with this," Yu Yan said.
Feng Gui nodded: "Alright."
He already considered Lan Xiu as family, and now he found him even more pleasing to the eye, asking with a smile about their experiences on this trip.
Lan Xiu said with a smile.
"It's so good that the orc was saved, and there's rice too. I'm getting hungry just hearing about it."
Yu Yan smiled and said, "We brought back quite a lot. Once they're dried, we can thresh them."
Ruihua offered, "I'll take some people to move it to the drying ground."
"Yes, thank you, Father."
Thinking of how hard Yu Yan and Lan Xiu had worked on the journey, everyone advised them to go back and rest, as Cang Feng, Xin Yu, and others were there to help.
Yu Yan didn't refuse: "Okay, let's go put our things away first, and we'll talk about it later."
The two were young and in good health. After going home, washing up and eating, they rested for a while and were full of energy.
When Cangfeng came looking for someone, he walked briskly and looked radiant.
Yu Yan asked with a smile, "So happy?"
Cangfeng sat down and laughed twice: "We counted, and people from ten tribes have already arrived. More will definitely come in a couple of days. Our tribe will be famous now."
Yu Yan: "There are so many people, the tribe can't accommodate them all, so you arranged for them to stay outside?"
"Well, I had already arranged with Jiang Kuo and Fan Su to let these people stay in their tribe, but they said they still want to stay in our tribe."
"Although we can only stay in the wild, I have arranged for many orcs to patrol, and we have prepared plenty of firewood, water, and food. Everyone gets along very well, so don't worry, we will definitely be able to complete this assessment successfully."
Yu Yan nodded: "Thank you for your hard work, clan leaders. I haven't been able to help much."
Cangfeng waved his hand: "Thanks to you, the weaving workshop was able to be set up. We would feel bad if we couldn't help at all. By the way, have you decided on the assessment content yet?"
"I've thought about it enough. Now that you're here, let's discuss it..."
A few days passed quickly.
On the day of the official assessment, a whopping thirty-three tribes arrived!
People came from the surrounding tribes, and even from far away.
The vast majority of those participating in the assessment were sub-orcs, requiring orc escorts, so each tribe's team was very large.
Needless to say, almost the entire population of the tribes that are right next to the peninsula, such as Mingyuan, Shenhu, and Qingqing, came!
Yu Yan clicked her tongue in surprise and asked them, "Are you all here to take the assessment?"
Chief Jiang Kuo laughed and said, "No, only fifty people from our tribe participated in the assessment. The others are just here to watch the fun."
Chief Shuyu chimed in, "Yes, everyone was curious, and since it was convenient to come and go in the same day, they all came."
Chief of the Fansu Clan: "We will absolutely not delay your assessment."
Yu Yan smiled and nodded: "Of course I believe everyone. Now that everyone is here..." He looked at Cang Feng, "Clan leader, let's begin."
"good."
Cangfeng told everyone participating in the assessment to step forward. They were all curious and excited, not knowing what the assessment would entail, and looked at Yu Yan with admiration.
Once everyone was in position, Cangfeng cleared his throat and loudly announced that the assessment of the Highland Tribe's weaving workshop had officially begun!
Yu Yan led the applause, and the others immediately followed suit.
With so many people watching, Cang Feng's heart was also pounding.
He said loudly, "After discussing it, we decided that there will be three parts to this assessment: a physical examination, a face-to-face interview, and a handicraft activity."
The people had never heard of such novel assessment content before, and there was some commotion.
Cangfeng raised his hand, signaling them to be quiet.
"Don't be nervous, these assessments are not difficult, just participate normally. But as you can see, there are many people participating in the assessments, while our workshop can only recruit a maximum of forty people. If you are not selected, it is because our workshop is too small. Don't be discouraged."
One of the orcs who had come from afar was so nervous that his face turned pale: "They're only recruiting forty people, which means that our tribe can probably only keep one person..."
The person next to him chimed in, "Beast God, this is too difficult."
"I wonder how amazing one has to be to stay."
"I...I have a bit of a stomachache..."
"I guess I'll have to go back to my tribe tomorrow."
"Cheer up! The exam hasn't even started yet, don't say anything discouraging!"
"Even if we weren't selected, we saw so many wonderful things at the Peninsula Tribe and met Yu Yan. Wasn't that worthwhile?"
"You're right! It was worth the trip!"
Yu Yan remained silent, observing everyone and occasionally jotting down notes in her notebook.
Now that everything that needed to be said has been said, the assessment will officially begin.
Xin Yu, Xue Fei, and Yin Qing were in charge of giving physical examinations to the sub-beastmen, while Lan Xiu and Mo Ye were in charge of giving physical examinations to the beastmen. They were checking whether the beastmen had any major physical defects, such as color blindness or color weakness.
The color chart for testing eyesight was made by Yu Yan herself.
The vast majority of people passed the physical examination, but two people had color vision problems and were informed on the spot.
After completing their physical examinations, people couldn't wait to chat with someone.
"Among the people in my group just now, there was someone who mistook red for green! This is the first time I've ever heard of this condition."
"Huh? What should we do then?"
"He probably won't pass the assessment. Xin Yu told him to go see Yu Yan later."
"Well, I heard that weaving workshops not only weave cloth, but also dye it. You can't do it if you can't distinguish colors."
"No wonder an assessment was arranged."
"Looking at it this way, the assessment isn't too difficult after all." Everyone gradually calmed down.
The interview was personally conducted by Yu Yan, along with Feng Gui, Cang Feng, and Xin Yu.
Yu Yan's presence was particularly imposing, but when he spoke, everyone participating in the assessment immediately felt as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.
The interview questions were quite simple for them, such as their names, which tribe they came from, their family situation, what they usually liked to do, and what they were good at. If they brought their own woven baskets, Yu Yan would take a look at them.
In their view, it was just a chat, and the assessment was over.
When I went out and asked around, I found that everyone was experiencing the same thing.
"Is it that simple? How do I know if I passed or not?"
"I don't know. Anyway, Yu Yan's gentle smile and way of speaking make me feel so warm and friendly. I like him so much." The speaker was a young and handsome orc.
The people around him immediately turned to look at him: "Yu Yan is about to get married to Lan Xiu."
The orc was stunned, his face turning bright red: "...That's not what I meant, I just like it! Uh, admire it!"
Everyone burst out laughing.
Those who participated in the assessment were unaware that the interviewers understood Yu Yan's intentions.
Through conversation, they can learn about everyone's situation, personality, and whether they have the ability to communicate with others.
After looking at the things they wove themselves, one can also get a sense of their skill level.
Yu Yan made a scoring sheet for Xin Yu and the others. He had taught them how to write the character "正" before, and now if the "examinee" had something that satisfied them, they would draw a stroke.
After two rounds of physical examinations and interviews, the number of strokes on the forms has already revealed their relative strengths and weaknesses.
After exchanging ideas, Yu Yan tallied up the names of the people who were considered good and memorable, and there was a significant overlap among them.
Cang Fengchong gave Yu Yan a thumbs up and said admiringly, "Your assessment method is really good. It immediately shows who is more suitable to weave cloth."
Yu Yan smiled.
Xin Yu asked impatiently, "We've prepared the paper, wood, and dye. What's the third exam about?"
Yu Yan put away the form, stood up and said, "Come with me."
He led his men to the open space outside.
The once noisy crowd immediately fell silent, and everyone stared intently at him.
Yu Yan said loudly, "The first two assessments are over, thank you all for your hard work. For the third assessment, I'm going to lead you in making something. Today, let's go to the wild to dig up some tubers."
"They can even go out to collect things in the wild!"
Is this also an assessment?
Yu Yan smiled and said, "You can treat this as an assessment."
These people present were all skilled collectors and weren't afraid at all.
When are we leaving?
Yu Yan: "Let's go now."
"Can we, the onlookers, join in?"
"Sure, but we don't have that many tubers. You can collect something else."
"good!"
Yu Yan conjured wings and flew through the sky, leading the way.
Many bird-beast people and bird-type sub-beast people from the peninsula tribes also took flight.
Below, the beastmen transformed into their beast forms, carrying the sub-beastmen and their cubs.
Tigers, pythons, rabbits, totoro, leopards, foxes, wolves... all sorts of animals gathered together and ran around, creating an exceptionally grand scene.
The wild beasts had never seen anything like it before, and they fled in terror.
It was the first time for so many tribes to move together, and both orcs and sub-orcs were very excited.
Everyone ran forward laughing and singing happily. It seemed like in the blink of an eye, they arrived at the edge of a damp valley.
Xin Yu said, "Is this the valley where we caught the sheep beasts before?"
Yu Yan: "Yes, the Bletilla striata stems I'm going to dig up are growing inside."
He landed, and Lanxiu transformed into human form, escorting him into the valley.
Soon, Yu Yan found the white atractylodes leaves that looked like orchids, and took out a hoe to dig them up.
A palm-sized, flat-shaped tuber was dug out.
The tuber is thick, yellowish-white in color, firm to the touch, and has no roots.
He carried the whole Bletilla striata plant out of the valley and showed it to everyone: "This is Bletilla striata. What we need to dig up is its tuber. It takes three to five years to grow."
Everyone was looking at the white atractylodes plant, and Xuefei asked, "It takes so long to grow? Are we going to dig them all up?"
Yu Yan nodded: "Dig them all up. If we don't, the tubers will grow more and more, crowding each other and rotting."
"Okay, I've got it. Shall we get started?"
Yu Yan hummed in agreement, and the people immediately pulled out their tools or conjured claws, rushing into the valley.
This year should be the peak season for Bletilla striata. The tubers are large and plentiful, so you don't even need to move them; you can dig up a basketful in just a few minutes.
With many hands making light work, it didn't take long to dig up all the Bletilla striata in the entire valley.
Yu Yan led everyone back home with a full load of goodies.
Upon arriving at the tribe, he first led the people to the water's edge and thoroughly washed the Bletilla striata stems several times.
Then a portion is set aside for slicing and processing the medicinal materials.
The other part was taken to the mill, where it was cut into pieces, ground, and sieved, resulting in a large amount of powder.
Everyone was fascinated by the various tools used by the peninsula tribes, and the atmosphere was great with so many people working together, so their enthusiasm was high.
Thinking that they could live, eat, and work with everyone in the weaving workshop like they do today, they were especially eager to stay.
When processing Bletilla striata, someone said, "Why is this tuber so sticky? Won't it stick to my mouth if I eat it?"
"Yes, look, my fingers are all stuck together!"
Yu Yan smiled and said, "These stems aren't for eating. Can you guess what I'm going to do with them?"
Having worked with him a lot, the people from the peninsula tribe were quick-witted and answered first, "It's not like you're going to stick something on, is it?"
Yu Yan praised, "It's just glue for sticking things together."
"Haha, I guessed right! The potato starch we made before became very sticky after adding water."
People from other tribes asked, "Potato starch, what is that?"
"Potato starch is..."
Everyone chatted without neglecting their work.
Yu Yan built a fire pit, added Bletilla striata powder and water to the pot, and simmered it over a low flame.
While we waited, he explained to everyone: "Cook it until sunset, and when you can pick up the gelatinous liquid with chopsticks and it can be pulled into threads, it's about done. If it's powder made from dried stems, cooking it for half the time is enough."
Everyone, including the tribes on the peninsula, cherished this opportunity and listened attentively.
Someone asked, "We don't see any Bletilla striata growing in our tribe. The potatoes you mentioned are food, and we're reluctant to use them to make glue. Are there any other ways to make glue?"
Yu Yan smiled: "Yes, the paste made from flour can be used as glue, but since it's food, I can't bear to use it. Other methods... we could try making glue from animal hides or fish bladders, but that would take much longer than boiling Bletilla striata. For example, animal hides would take several days and nights to boil..."
When he spoke, everyone listened attentively and took notes, their eyes shining with a thirst for knowledge.
Yu Yan and the others worked until dark, producing a considerable amount of white glue.
The residue in the pot was filtered out by a fine sieve, and the glue was clear and clean, with very high viscosity.
The glue will solidify slowly. When you need to use it, just add some warm water to dissolve it.
After a long day, Yu Yan told everyone to get some rest and then said goodbye.
Unexpectedly, everyone reluctantly escorted him all the way to his doorstep.
The chores of feeding the livestock, fetching water, chopping firewood, and harvesting vegetables at home had already been done by others, and even the meals were readily available.
After everyone left, Yu Yan took advantage of the fact that Feng Guiruihua wasn't looking this way and quietly snuggled up to Lan Xiu.
"I'm living the good life now, with everything done for me, hahaha."
Lan Xiu naturally put his arm around his slender waist, his expression serious: "I've remembered."
"What did you remember?"
"To give you a good life."
"...Don't you dare feed me!"
He saw a hint of a smile flash in Lan Xiu's eyes, and, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, poked him twice.
Lan Xiu took his hand and kissed his forehead.
Yu Yan smiled brightly and kissed his chin.
Footsteps sounded behind them, and the two men's expressions changed; they quickly separated.
...
The next day, after breakfast, Yu Yan took the materials she needed and went to the tribe's newly built altar square.
Those who were going to take the test were already waiting for him in the square.
Outside the square, onlookers eagerly awaited the results of Yu Yan's assessment that day.
Yu Yan looked up and saw a vast, pale blue expanse, with the autumn wind whipping the clouds into ever-changing shapes.
The wind carries the scent of autumn's harvest.
Yu Yan withdrew her gaze and announced to everyone: "Today's assessment is—making kites!"
One stone stirs up a thousand waves: "What is a kite? Have you ever heard of it?"
"No……"
"I've never heard of it either."
"Looks like they're testing our skills?"
After everyone had discussed it for a while, Yu Yan said, "A kite is something that can fly in the sky with the help of the wind."
"Huh?" Everyone was shocked. "They can fly? Can we fly even without wings?"
Yu Yan chuckled: "It's the kites that are flying, not you guys! Come on, according to the teams we were assigned to yesterday, come over here to get your stuff."
There were still many left after the kites were distributed, so Yu Yan gave them to the onlookers and had them form groups to make kites together.
They were flattered: "Can we do that too?"
Yu Yan smiled and said, "Not only can we do it, we can also fly kites together."
The autumn wind is so strong, it would be such a waste not to use it for flying kites! He's been planning this activity for a long time!
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd.
Yu Yan asked everyone to sit down while she stood and explained to them the things needed to make a kite and how to make one.
Looking at the paper, wood, metal tools, glue, thread, and various dyeing solutions in front of them, people gained a deeper understanding of the abundance of the peninsula tribes.
The "kite" Yu Yan mentioned seemed to be a toy. Recalling the "football" played by the children of the peninsula tribe, everyone exclaimed with deep admiration that with Yu Yan around, even play could be played in a creative way!
Some people said regretfully, "If I had known, I would have taken the assessment. I really wanted to stay in the peninsula tribe and work and learn with everyone."
After Yu Yan finished explaining, she started leading everyone in making kites.
Although he wasn't very good at hands-on work, he had a wealth of knowledge and provided everyone with many novel and interesting ideas.
People are so engrossed in the craft activities that they relax and enjoy themselves, completely forgetting that it is an assessment.
One by one, people made kites. Yu Yan looked around and saw that some were regular in shape, while others had unique designs. The patterns painted on the kites were also different; some had harmonious color combinations, while others used bold and striking colors.
As for the kites he made himself... let's not even mention them, haha.
After most of the people had finished, Yu Yan led them to the wilderness east of the tribe.
The terrain here is flat and open, and the rolling meadows have been dyed golden yellow by autumn.
Yu Yan ran forward, pulling the kite along, just as an autumn breeze swept by, causing golden waves of grass to surge and roll.
Fly!
He let go of the string, and "whoosh—!" the kite soared into the air!
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