Chapter 47 Food Diplomacy, The Miracle of a Bowl of Life-Giving Porridge...
Lin Yue's passionate speech, filled with the aroma of roasted potatoes and stewed meats, echoed in the deathly silent cave, bringing a faint ripple of hope. However, the ripple quickly subsided.
Those surviving Silent Ones, though their eyes flashed with a hint of longing for food, were more deeply rooted in vigilance and suspicion, as well as a sense of resentment and rejection toward all outsiders born from the destruction of their home.
"Outsiders..." Elder Farador's aged and weary whisper echoed in Lin Yue's mind once more, but this time, it carried a chilling coldness. [...We thank you for bringing Graeme back...for giving him life...but...we don't need your pity...nor do we believe in the hope you speak of...]
[...Every time an outsider steps into the Valley of Tears...it brings misfortune...your appearance...maybe it is part of the calamity itself...]
"Hey, hey, hey! Elder! You can't say that! You're putting the victim-blaming argument on us!" Lin Yue almost jumped up. "We risked our lives, traversing that fog that could drive anyone insane, to find you. We're allies, a rescue team that came with international humanitarian spirit and a backpack full of dried potatoes!"
However, his explanations seemed so pale and powerless in the face of these people whose hearts were already shrouded in despair and prejudice.
A Silent Man with a scar on his face, who looked like a guard, pointed his dulled short sword at Lin Yue and his companions warily, letting out a low warning growl. The other Silent Men also stared intently at Lin Yue, Amu, and Old Barton—the three complete outsiders—with unfriendly, even hostile, gazes.
The atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point, so cold that Lin Yue wanted to pull out a down jacket and put it on.
Caught in the middle, Graeme was sweating profusely with anxiety. He tried to calm his people while casting pleading and apologetic glances at Lin Yue, looking just like a pitiful man caught between his wife and mother.
"Fine, fine." Lin Yue looked at this group of ancient noble descendants who were unyielding, preferring to starve rather than accept charity, and possessing a certain ancient spirit of refusing to eat handouts. The slight sympathy he felt was instantly replaced by an inexplicable anger of "I refuse to believe it!" "I've figured it out! There's no point in reasoning with you artsy youths. Dignity, huh? Backbone, huh? Fine! Today I'm going to show you what the 'law of 'it smells so good' really means!"
Too lazy to waste any more words, he turned around and waved to Amu and Old Barton, who were equally bewildered: "Let's go! Let's go outside and not bother with them. We'll cook for ourselves and let them just stare helplessly at the smell. I want to see if their bones are tougher or if my broth smells better!"
Having said that, Lin Yue completely ignored the astonished or disdainful looks of the Silent Ones, strode out of the dark and damp cave, and began his performance, which could be described as a kind of performance art, on a relatively clean and flat open space outside the cave entrance.
He first directed Amu to set up the large stone pot they had brought as quickly as possible, and then asked Old Barton to find some relatively dry firewood nearby. Then, he himself, like a Michelin three-star chef about to perform on stage, solemnly took out his precious items one by one from his backpack.
"Damn it, I think I, Lin Yue, am destined to be obsessed with porridge for the rest of my life! Last time, when I was helping those hundreds of refugees, I cooked a huge pot of porridge to fill their stomachs; this time, to win over these aloof noble descendants, I still have to rely on cooking porridge! Porridge, oh porridge, you really are an all-purpose magic weapon for breaking the ice, resolving conflicts, and winning people's hearts!"
However, this porridge is not the same as that porridge.
The last batch was just a relief meal to fill our stomachs, focusing on large portions and filling meals, with the taste being subjective. This time, however, it's a meticulously planned psychological assault, using our taste buds as the breakthrough point!
"System! Show me the Silent One's medical report! I need to find the right treatment and implement precise measures," Lin Yue silently prayed.
[Target Group: Silent Individuals (Survivors)]
Main symptoms: Severe energy deficiency: caused by prolonged starvation, manifested as extreme weakness and muscle atrophy.
Nervous system damage (mild): Erosion by impure energy (unknown energy pollution), manifesting as lethargy, slow reaction, and emotional numbness. Key mineral imbalance: Deficiency in salt, iron, and calcium leads to fluid imbalance, anemia, and osteoporosis.
Dietary therapy recommendations:
Recommended core ingredient: Dried wild boar meat: Rich in a special protein that the system cannot fully analyze, but has the potential to repair damaged nerve tissue.
Fragrant pine needles (powder): Their aromatic hydrocarbon compounds have a calming effect and purify the air in the microenvironment.
Subterranean moss powder (specially supplied by Shiquan): rich in various unknown trace elements that are beneficial to mental stability.
Potato (powder): Provides stable, easily digestible carbohydrate energy.
Salt: the source of life, needs no further explanation.
Recommended recipe: [Rejuvenating Minced Meat and Potato Porridge (Beginner)]
[Cooking suggestion: Use a long, slow simmering method to allow the effective components of various ingredients to fully dissolve into the broth, making it easier for weak individuals to absorb. The cooking process should emphasize a sense of ritual, using a complex aroma as a starting point to awaken their survival instincts.]
"Wow, this is exactly the prescription they gave me! Professional!" Lin Yue's confidence soared as he looked at the system's professional analysis. "Alright! Today I'll show you what true culinary science and skill really mean!"
He took out the precious piece of wild boar meat, dried to the point of being as hard as stone, and smashed it with the back of an iron hammer, then patiently ground it into fluffy meat floss with a stone mill.
Then, he lit a fire, placed the meat floss into the warm stone pot, and slowly stir-fried it with a wooden spoon. Soon, a rich, wild aroma of meat, mixed with the smoky scent of burning firewood, began to fill the damp, chilly air!
This domineering, vibrant aroma was an irresistible temptation for the Silent Ones who hadn't smelled meat in so long!
Next, Lin Yue mixed the potato powder with cold water and slowly poured it into the pot, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. The originally clear broth gradually became thick and smooth, and the sweet, starchy aroma of the potatoes began to intertwine with the aroma of the meat.
Then comes the finishing touch!
He carefully pinched up a small pinch of salt and sprinkled it evenly into the pot, as if sowing seeds of hope. He then picked up a small pinch of fragrant pine needle powder and a smaller amount of ground moss powder with a strange, earthy smell, and added it as well.
"Sizzle—!"
The moment these seasonings come into contact with the boiling porridge, a more complex and layered aroma bursts forth!
It wasn't just the aroma of meat, the sweetness of potatoes, and the saltiness of salt; it was also a blend of the crispness of pine needles, the depth of moss, and an indescribable, soothing fragrance. It was an extremely complex and multifaceted aroma they had never experienced before. Unlike the food they usually ate, which had only the simple taste of boiled or roasted food, it was full of layers, full of... the taste of life.
This aroma, as if alive, stubbornly penetrated the stench and chill of the valley, directly entering the nasal cavity of every Silent One, brutally awakening their long-dormant taste buds and their almost extinguished survival instincts.
The commotion inside the cave grew even more pronounced. Some people were unconsciously swallowing, others were staring intently at the steaming stone pot outside the cave entrance with longing eyes, and even the scarred guard who had been on guard the whole time slightly loosened his grip on his knife.
Finally, with Lin Yue's patient simmering and constant stirring, a pot of [Rejuvenating Minced Meat and Potato Porridge], with its slightly yellow color, thick and smooth texture, and miraculous aroma, was officially ready.
Lin Yue ladled out a bowl of porridge. The porridge smelled delicious and was steaming hot. Just looking at it made one's mouth water.
However, when he carried the porridge into the cave, he was once again stopped by the guard with the knife. Although they longed for it, their long-standing vigilance and their pitiful pride remained their last line of defense.
At that moment, Graeme could no longer hold back. He rushed to the guard, shoved his sword aside, and cried out into the cave in an almost pleading tone, "Elders! Fellow tribesmen! Lin Yue and the others truly want to help us! This bowl of porridge is proof! Please... please at least try a bite! Just one bite!"
Seeing that everyone remained unmoved, he gritted his teeth, took the bowl of porridge from Lin Yue, and took a deep gulp himself. The warm and mellow taste almost brought tears to his eyes. Then, he turned to the weakest girl in the crowd, who was being held in her mother's arms. She was only five or six years old, skin and bones, and her breathing was so faint that it was almost inaudible.
"Aunt Tana, let little Leah... have a taste... If this continues... she won't be able to hold on..."
The mother, named Tana, looked at her daughter, who was barely breathing, in her arms, then at the sincere tears in Graeme's eyes and the bowl of hot porridge that radiated life, and her inner defenses finally crumbled. Tears streaming down her face, she nodded.
Graeme carefully scooped up a little bit of warm porridge with a wooden spoon, blew on it, and then gently brought it to the little girl's chapped lips.
Everyone held their breath at that moment.
The little girl seemed to have lost the instinct to swallow, but the strange aroma seemed to awaken her last bit of life. Subconsciously, and very weakly, she opened her mouth and took in that little bit of porridge.
Then, a tiny but incredibly clear change occurred.
The warm, easy-to-swallow porridge slid down her throat like a faint but real stream of warmth, instantly revitalizing her nearly exhausted body. The salt in the porridge provided her body, which was on the verge of collapse, with the most basic energy and electrolytes.
The little girl's long, butterfly-wing-like eyelashes fluttered slightly, almost imperceptibly. Then, her breathing, which had been so faint it was nearly ceasing, seemed to become slightly steady and deeper. She even unconsciously let out a soft "hmm..." sound, very much like a kitten.
The sound, though faint, was like a thunderclap in the deathly silent cave!
"She...she moved! She reacted!" Tana, the mother holding her daughter, looked at her daughter's transformation in disbelief, so excited that she was incoherent and tears welled up in her eyes.
The cave was deathly silent. Then, an uncontrollable, low gasp erupted!
Elder Farador stared in utter shock! His spiritual power could faintly sense that the porridge contained not some powerful magical energy, but rather a… pure, familiar life force belonging to the earth—the energy condensed from plants growing under the sun, the vitality of wild beasts running through the forest, the fragrance emanating from resilient plants growing on the mountain rocks. These were things they had lost for far too long.
Just then, several other young Silent Ones, equally weak but seemingly more sensitive to energy, noticed the little girl's transformation and, combined with the comforting and reassuring aroma, uttered surprised, indistinct words: "...This...food...has...the...taste...of...the sun...and...the...power...of...mountains..."
At this moment, the psychological defenses of all the silent people completely collapsed!
They looked at Lin Yue, at the still steaming stone pot, their eyes no longer filled with hostility and suspicion, but with shock, longing, and... a rekindled hope for survival!
[System Notification: Congratulations, Host! The [Rejuvenating Minced Meat and Potato Porridge (Beginner)] dietary therapy has shown remarkable results! A critically endangered unit has been successfully saved, and the initial trust of the Silent Ones tribe has been gained!]
[New Recipe Unlocked: Rejuvenating Minced Meat and Potato Porridge (Beginner)]. Effects: Restores a small amount of health, temporarily resists some of the effects of the corrupting energy, replenishes energy, and calms the mind.]
[Gained 1000 experience points and 300 system points! Unlocked achievement "The Miracle of a Bowl of Porridge"! Significantly increased proficiency in cooking, nutrition, and diplomacy!]
Seeing this dramatic scene unfold before him, Lin Yue breathed a long sigh of relief.
Now is the time to press our advantage!
"What are you all standing there for?" he shouted to Amu and Barton. "Quick! Help! Serve a bowl to every Silent One! Remember! Prioritize the elderly and children! For those who have difficulty moving around, we'll deliver it to them ourselves!"
Lin Yue personally cooked, ensuring that each bowl of porridge was of uniform portion. Graeme and Amu were responsible for maintaining order and guiding everyone to line up. Old Barton, along with a few young Silent Ones who had regained some strength, delivered bowls of hot porridge to the immobile patients.
When everyone had drunk the steaming bowl of porridge, which exuded the aroma of life, the entire cave was no longer deathly silent. Instead, it was filled with the sounds of slurping porridge, satisfied sighs, and... the low sobs that had been suppressed for a long time and finally couldn't be contained.
Lin Yue looked at the touching scene before him, holding the almost empty stone pot, and smiled slightly.
"Hey, Gray, am I any good as the logistics support captain?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Lin Yue (hands on hips): System! Can you please stop making me use porridge as a cure-all next time? If this keeps up, I'm going to have to open a porridge shop!
System (indifferent): I suggest you learn how to make pancakes first.
P.S.: The progress bar for returning to the restaurant is loading...
(Friendly reminder: Skipping the foreplay and returning to town directly is a violation of the rules, and the system will automatically trigger a "Is this reasonable?" pop-up.)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
