Chapter 39 Pickling Sauerkraut in Charcoal-Fired Pottery
With the experience gained from previous charcoal burning, everyone worked very efficiently this time.
The whole hardwood log that is cut down still needs to go through a series of processing steps, such as removing leaves and bark, splitting it into strips of suitable length.
To reduce experimental error, Yu Yan asked everyone to split the wooden strips to be roughly the same length and thickness.
The wood strips, processed from different types of hardwood, were stacked separately.
After Yu Yan finished making the notes, she left some of the orcs to continue processing the remaining hardwood, and then sent some sub-orcs to fetch water and mix mud. She then led the last group of people to put the wooden barcodes into the new charcoal kiln.
Lanxiu and Fenggui, who had finished their chores at home, arrived halfway and joined them.
Having learned from the previous experience, everyone stacked the wooden strips in an alternating pattern, leaving gaps for air circulation.
The branches filling the gaps came from the same tree.
The wooden bar is stacked up, and the yellow clay is almost mixed.
Together, they sealed the charcoal kiln with yellow mud, leaving only the air inlet at the bottom and the chimney at the top exposed.
To obtain more experimental data, if the charcoal kiln uses the same type of hardwood, the air inlet and chimney should be made different; if different types of hardwood are used, everything else should be made as similar as possible.
In the end, a total of sixteen charcoal kilns were sealed off.
Yu Yan was very serious. She took her notebook and inspected the charcoal kiln from beginning to end. After confirming that all the information was recorded, she announced that the kiln should be lit.
Upon hearing this, the people guarding the charcoal kiln simultaneously lit the fire.
Soon, sixteen plumes of thick white smoke billowed from the chimney.
People put their efforts into the same goal, and the work went smoothly. However, before they knew it, it was evening, and the sun was setting.
Looking at the handsome faces, Yu Yan smiled and said, "Thank you all for your hard work today! Two people will stay here to keep watch, and the rest of you can call it a day."
Everyone present breathed a sigh of relief.
When Yu Yan got serious, they all felt an invisible pressure, but fortunately, they successfully completed the task.
Senbai raised his hand: "I'll keep an eye on it, or should I call you when the yellow smoke is almost gone?"
Yu Yan nodded: "That's right. The charcoal kiln we dug this time is small, so it will probably be ready by tonight. I'm sorry to trouble you."
Senbo shook his head with a smile: "This little bit of work is not tiring at all. In addition, I am so excited about the fact that our tribe will have metal tools to use. I couldn't sleep anyway, haha."
Many people laughed and said, "Yes, our tribe is getting better and better."
Wen Lie: "Senbo and I will stay here and keep watch. Everyone, go back and cook, eat, and get some rest. We might have to come back later tonight."
Cangfeng: "Okay, Xinyu and I have made some food and brought it to you. Please wait for us here."
Senbo's eyes lit up. "That's wonderful! Thank you!"
Wen Lie smiled and said, "Thank you."
"Don't mention it, we're leaving now."
After saying their goodbyes, the beastmen transformed into their animal forms, carrying their respective mates, while the bird-type sub-beastmen sprouted wings and headed towards the tribe's habitat.
After arriving home, Yu Yan and the other two split up to get busy—Lan Xiu chopped firewood, fetched water, and started a fire; Yu Yan led the sheep to water them, added grass, and milked them; Feng Gui brought the dried vegetables back to the shed and quickly cooked a meal.
Feng Gui might have to get up and work in the middle of the night, so he mainly makes quick and easy dishes like stir-fried wild vegetables, stir-fried meat slices, and steamed stems.
After finishing their meal, the three of them drank some of the freshly boiled goat milk, and each of them showed a satisfied look on their faces after their fatigue had dissipated.
Yu Yan put down the bowl and wiped her mouth: "Leave the rest of the beast milk for Senbo and Wenlie. Lanxiu, if you have nothing else to do, go take a shower and go to sleep. I'll come and wake you up when you leave in the middle of the night."
"As for your father, we don't need that many people to seal the kiln, so you don't need to get up. Just rest well."
Feng Gui felt sorry for Yu Yan and still wanted to go with her.
"Really, no need," Yu Yan said with a smile. "There are so many of us, and the work isn't tiring. I can just catch up on sleep tomorrow morning."
Feng Gui: "Alright then. What about the white root vegetables and leafy greens that were sun-dried this afternoon?"
Yu Yan: "I originally wanted to make pickled vegetables, but I don't have time today. I'll do it tomorrow during the day."
Lanxiu got up, cleared away the dishes, and then washed them.
Feng Gui stopped him, saying, "I'll take care of it. You should all go take a shower or go to sleep. You've all had a long day."
Yu Yan didn't stand on ceremony with him anymore: "Then leave it to your father."
He flew to the stream, and under the cool moonlight, washed his face and body, and brushed his teeth.
After changing into clean clothes, he returned to the bird's nest, lay down on the straw mat covered with burlap, closed his eyes, listened to the chirping of insects on the summer night, and soon fell asleep.
He slept very soundly. When he opened his eyes again, he heard someone calling softly from below the bird's nest: "Yu Yan, it's time to go to the charcoal kiln."
Yu Yan rubbed her eyes, yawned, and said, "Coming."
On the other side of the straw curtain, Feng Gui also woke up and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure you don't need me to share?"
"No need, just sleep peacefully, we'll be back soon."
Yu Yan put on her clothes and straw sandals, flew down from the tree, and besides Sen Bai, Lan Xiu was already waiting for her below.
After a brief greeting, Yu Yan went to the thatched shed, found the earthenware jar containing goat milk, took it out and handed it to Senbai, saying, "This is animal milk that I left for you and Wenlie. Take it and share it with him. We can take care of the charcoal kiln. You two get some rest and don't need to come back."
After keeping watch for most of the night, Senbai was indeed tired.
His eyes lit up slightly when he smelled the milky aroma.
"There's even animal milk! Thank you, Yu Yan!" He happily accepted the pottery jar and said, "Then we're going back to sleep. Be careful, everyone."
"Uh-huh."
After saying goodbye to Senbai, Yu Yan and Lan Xiu headed to the charcoal kiln.
Not long after they landed, Cangfeng, Moye, Yinqing, and others also arrived one after another.
The yellow smoke from the charcoal kiln became very thin, and everyone lit torches to dispel the darkness of the night, chatting as they kneaded the clay.
With so many people around, everyone's sleepiness disappeared.
Yin Qing even said excitedly, "It's been a long time since I've gotten up this early to work. It feels quite interesting, haha."
Something occurred to Yu Yan, and she asked, "Has the pottery kiln started firing yet?"
Cangfeng: "It started burning before dark yesterday, and it probably hasn't finished burning yet."
Yu Yan: "I'll go check on things after this is over."
Jin Xia said expectantly, "I wonder what the pottery will look like this time."
Yin Qing: "It will definitely be very good!"
As dawn broke and the yellow smoke from the charcoal kiln completely disappeared, Yu Yan immediately led everyone to quickly seal the kiln with the prepared mud.
"Alright, everyone go back now. We'll come back later to open the kiln," Yu Yan said, clapping her hands.
"Mmm." People talked to each other about how hard it was, and headed towards the tribe.
Yu Yan lagged behind the group, turning her head to scan each of the charcoal kilns.
Despite his calm demeanor when facing others, he was actually quite nervous inside.
He murmured to himself, hoping that some of the charcoal in this batch would contain the white charcoal they wanted.
Cangfeng and the others returned to the tribe, while Yu Yan and Lanxiu went to take a look at the pottery kiln.
The two places were close to each other, and they walked there.
When they were still a few hundred meters away, Yu Yan could clearly feel a wave of heat coming over him, and he had to take off his cotton coat and hold it in his hand.
Bathed in the glow of the rising sun, the pottery kiln glowed red-hot, billowing steam rising from the chimney, the space itself seeming to distort from the heat.
Several orcs guarded the kiln, taking turns pumping the bellows to make the charcoal in the combustion chamber burn even more fiercely.
It was so hot that they had already taken off their shirts, their strong, muscular chests bare, sweat pouring down their backs.
Upon noticing Yu Yan, everyone immediately greeted her: "Yu Yan, Lan Xiu, what brings you here?"
He added, "Don't get too close, it's very hot here!"
Yu Yan stopped a dozen meters away and said, "Let's come and see how the pottery kiln is firing."
The orc guarding the spot exclaimed excitedly, "Excellent! You can feel it too, it's much hotter than before!"
"The charcoal was hot, and the bellows made it even hotter. I drank a lot of water all night because of the heat."
Yu Yan nodded: "Thank you all for your hard work. How much longer will the charcoal burn?"
"It's not hard work at all. We're all very happy to be able to look after the pottery kiln!"
"Yes! We want to be the first to see what the new pottery looks like!"
"As for how long... the charcoal will probably burn for another half morning, right?"
"Yu Yan, did you come from the charcoal kiln area?"
Yu Yan: "Yes."
Everyone's eyes lit up: "How's the charcoal kiln going?"
"Can it be burned into white charcoal?"
They had witnessed firsthand how good white charcoal was.
Yu Yan: "I'm not sure, but things are going smoothly so far."
"Okay, take your time, we believe in you."
"You must have been very busy from yesterday to this morning, right? We can keep an eye on the pottery kiln here. You should go back and have some food and rest!"
"Yes, Yu Yan, Lan Xiu, let's go back quickly."
Urged on by their enthusiastic urging, Yu Yan had no choice but to wave and turn away.
Just as he was about to conjure wings, Lan Xiu beside him said, "Yu Yan, let me carry you on my back."
Yu Yan was somewhat surprised: "Hmm?"
His image was fully reflected in Lan Xiu's icy blue eyes. "You can rest for a bit."
Whether it was making charcoal or pottery, Yu Yan put in a lot of effort, and Lan Xiu always felt that he hadn't helped enough.
So he wanted to share some of the burden with Yu Yan as much as possible, even if the journey back was short, it would be good if it could make her feel more relaxed.
Yu Yan and Lan Xiu gazed at each other silently for a few seconds, then smiled faintly.
"Okay, thank you."
In the early morning, the forest was shrouded in mist, and the air was moist. Sunlight filtered through the branches of the trees, dappling the skin and warming one's body and soul.
The enormous white tiger moved slowly through the forest. Yu Yan lay on the tiger's thick, warm back, listening to the sound of dew dripping and the wind rustling through the trees, enveloped in the fresh, natural atmosphere.
On this simple morning, neither of them spoke, silently enjoying the tranquility of the moment.
Feeling warm and cozy, Yu Yan pressed her cheek against Lan Xiu's fur, closed her eyes comfortably, and let out a satisfied sigh.
Good times always pass too quickly.
Not long after, the tiger-shaped carriage stopped.
Yu Yan opened her eyes, feeling as if her whole body was filled with electricity.
He jumped off Lanxiu's back and walked towards the ginkgo tree not far away.
Feng Gui had not only gotten up, but had even prepared breakfast and fed the sheep.
Upon seeing the two, he came out of the thatched hut, wiping his hands as he said, "You're back? Wash your face and hands, and dinner is ready."
Yu Yan: "Mmm. I can smell it, it smells so good! I love the food my father makes the most."
Feng Gui was overjoyed by his words, his eyes filled with laughter.
During breakfast, Yu Yan took the initiative to talk about the charcoal kiln and pottery kiln, which made Feng Gui listen with great anticipation.
"Do you want to sleep a little longer?" Feng Gui asked.
Yu Yan thought for a moment and said, "Never mind, I'm not going to sleep anymore. I'm past the point of being sleepy."
Lan Xiu: "Then I won't sleep either."
Yu Yan chuckled and looked at him: "No, go to sleep if you want to."
A hint of unease flashed across Lan Xiu's handsome face as he said in a low voice, "I don't want to sleep."
Yu Yan said "okay" but her eyebrows twitched in disbelief.
Lan Xiu: "..."
To prove he wasn't sleepy, after breakfast, Feng Gui went out to chop grass, while Lan Xiu followed Yu Yan, busying himself with her.
Seeing Yu Yan pull out three jars—two large and one small—from the pottery at home, Lan Xiu asked knowingly, "Are you going to make that... pickled vegetable dish you mentioned?"
Yu Yan nodded: "Yes. If you're free, could you go and collect some stones for me? I need them this big, oval-shaped, bluish-green, and with a smooth surface."
Lan Xiu thought for a moment: "There are many such stones by the river. I'll go pick them up now."
"Uh-huh."
After Lan Xiu left, Yu Yan gathered firewood, lit a fire in the stone stove, and boiled several pots of water.
He first used a container to boil a large basin of water.
Then, all the tools needed for making pickled vegetables—earthenware jars, earthenware bowls, chopsticks, bone knives, etc.—were carefully scalded with boiling water and left to dry to ensure they were free of water and oil.
Just as they were carrying radishes and mustard greens out, Lanxiu returned.
With a "splash," a large pile of blue pebbles was dumped on the ground.
"Is this enough? If not, I'll go get more."
"That's enough," Yu Yan said approvingly, noticing the water stains still on the stone. "You washed it?"
"Um."
“Pick out twenty pieces, there’s water in the pot, blanch them.”
"good."
After moving the vegetables, Yu Yan dragged over the large jar containing lake salt.
With everything ready, he finally began pickling the vegetables.
The mustard greens were pickled first. He specifically told Feng Gui yesterday that after picking off the yellow and rotten leaves, they should be dried directly in the sun without washing them, because washing them before pickling would make them spoil easily.
The radishes were washed, cut into crescent-shaped pieces, and then dried. The diagonal cuts increased the fermentation cross-section.
The mustard greens, after being dried in the sun all afternoon, lost water and became soft and slightly wrinkled.
Yu Yan washed her hands, sat on a rock, and layered the wilted mustard greens, along with salt, into a large pickling jar.
He rubbed each layer of leafy greens vigorously until the leaves released their juices.
After filling most of the jar with water, he poured cooled boiled water into the earthenware jar, submerging the vegetables inside.
Actually, it would be even better if you had glutinous rice water or rice water, as it can promote fermentation.
Unfortunately, I don't have any right now, so I can only pickle it in water.
After pouring the water, he took the pebbles that Lanxiu had heated and pressed them down on the vegetables.
With stones pressing them down, the vegetables won't float to the surface.
Finally, he poured water onto the rim of the earthenware jar and placed an inverted earthenware bowl on top to block out light and air.
He would drag the jar of pickled mustard greens to the stone stove and let it ferment using the heat of the stove.
Seeing this, Lan Xiu took over the work from his hands: "It's heavy, let me drag it. Is it okay to put it here?"
Yu Yan nodded: "Okay."
After pickling mustard greens, they become radishes.
The pickling methods are similar, but the difference is that after pickling, the jars need to be moved to a cool place to ferment.
To prevent spoilage, Yu Yan used almost lethal amounts of salt in these two jars of pickled vegetables.
Lan Xiu was still the one who moved the jars. He carried those heavy jars without any effort at all.
After setting the jars back, Lanxiu saw Yu Yan peeling the skin off the white roots that hadn't been dried in the sun.
The bone knife in his hand moved up and down, making a "swish" sound as it shaved the white bark, strips of white skin falling onto the cutting board below.
Lan Xiu asked curiously, "Is this also pickling vegetables?"
Yu Yan didn't look up: "Yes, but this is a quick-pickled vegetable, so it has to be eaten within a few days, otherwise it will spoil."
Lan Xiu nodded: "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Hmm... do you know where in our tribe we can find long-handed roots?"
"I know. But the base of my hands is still very tender and small."
"I need the tender ones. Go dig some up for me, wash them, and bring them over."
Without saying a word, Lan Xiu went to dig up the roots of the hand.
On Yu Yan's side, he cut the radish into strips, then took out some honey cubes and dissolved them with a little water.
Next, mix the radish strips, salt, and honey water in a certain proportion and knead them evenly.
He glanced at the sun's position; it was probably around ten o'clock. By noon, most of the moisture in the radishes would have been evaporated, and then he could proceed to the next step.
During this time, he did some housework and then went to check on the fields.
A few days later, even more cucumber seedlings sprouted, and Yu Yan pulled out some of the extra seedlings. In a little while, she'll be able to build trellises for the cucumbers;
Most of the garlic we planted has survived, so we don't have to go so far to dig for garlic anymore.
The good news is that the beet and sweet potato seedlings have also sprouted!
The beets, in particular, had a high germination rate and the seedlings grew very strong, which made Yu Yan breathe a huge sigh of relief.
He stood between the ridges of the field, looking at the tender seedlings, like an old father gazing expectantly at his young offspring.
It's already summer, you all must grow taller!
Yu Yan originally wanted to pull some weeds out of the field, but it turned out that someone had already done it, and the field was clean.
There were only a few weeds on the ridges, probably because the person pulling the weeds was afraid of uprooting the seedlings, so they didn't dare to be too harsh.
Before leaving, he looked into the distance.
Those were fields cleared by the tribe, where sweet potato and cucumber seeds were planted.
Before long, two patches of lush green seedlings will sprout here.
When I got home, it was just past noon. Feng Gui was there, but Lan Xiu was not.
Before Yu Yan could ask, Feng Gui said, "He went to work at the pottery kiln. He fed the sheep beast before he left."
Yu Yan smiled and hummed in agreement. She walked into the thatched shed and saw a pile of clean, tender ginger on the stone slab.
Feng Gui leaned forward and asked, "I didn't touch anything because I was afraid you'd be useful. Is there anything you need me to do?"
Yu Yan took down a string of hanging garlic cloves and handed it to Feng Gui.
"Then, Father, please help me peel the garlic, wash it clean, and then cut the garlic and the root of the hand in half."
"good."
Yu Yan turned around and found a clean, scalded ceramic bowl. She added cooled boiled water, honey, salt, and squeezed in a lot of lime juice.
To achieve the desired effect, he was quite generous with the amount of honey and lime juice he added.
Just smelling the sweet and sour aroma of the sauce makes my mouth water.
If we had flour, we could make some sweet and sour cold noodles, that would be so delicious!
After preparing the sauce, he washed his hands and squeezed the previously marinated radish strips to remove excess water until they shrank by more than half.
Next, put the radish strips, garlic cloves, and young ginger into the prepared small jar, and then pour in the sauce.
He used the right amount of sauce; it just covered the radish strips.
The final step is to seal the mouth of the jar with water and then move it to a cool, shady place for storage.
"Alright!" Yu Yan and Feng Gui said, "The leafy greens by the stone stove and the large jar of white root here can be eaten after about five days of pickling. The small jar of white root will be even faster, we can eat it tomorrow!"
"I added a lot of salt to the large jar, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, it can be stored until early autumn. The small jar won't do; I'll have to finish it in the next few days."
Feng Gui watched him pickle radishes in a small jar and said sincerely, "The small jar has so much honey and lime juice, and it's also seasoned with sesame seeds and garlic. It must taste delicious."
Yu Yan smiled broadly and said with a sense of accomplishment, "That's for sure!"
The only downside was the lack of chili peppers. The radish strips, with their perfect blend of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors, were even crisper and tastier!
Oh, chili pepper, where are you?
In the afternoon, Yu Yan took a nap at home.
When I woke up, Lanxiu had already returned. He said that the charcoal in the kiln had finally burned out, and now we just had to wait for it to cool down.
In the evening, after the three of them finished dinner, they went to the charcoal kiln to check on the newly fired charcoal.
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