5 Chapter 5
◎Pilaf, pineapple bun◎
Upon hearing this, Burke snorted again: This Batur really has no good intentions!
He is older than Helian Xiao, but he managed to survive until the Black Thyme disaster before he found an opportunity to get rid of Tuge, who was oppressing him, and take the position. Helian Xiao is a famous young talent in the tribal alliance. He was famous for his riding and shooting when he was young. He took on the burden of the Canglang tribe steadily when he was ordered to do so, and there has been no mistakes until today.
Even though this marriage was considered a shame within the Black Hawk Tribe, the Princess Nansheng they welcomed was so talented and...beautiful.
Li Hengqing turned to Helian Xiao, nodded slightly, and continued, "The Great Khan is right. No work, no food. This is the way of heaven. The Canglang Tribe is willing to provide shelter, but those who seek refuge in the Canglang Tribe will also need to earn food with their own hands. Please rest assured that the Canglang Tribe's conditions are by no means harsh."
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the people in the Black Hawk tribe changed.
Living in someone else's territory and being fed by someone else, what's the difference between this and surrender?
Hu Shan glanced at Burke's dark face, fearing he would say something shocking again. He smiled awkwardly and said, "Princess, you came from Nansheng, so you naturally understand that people in the Central Plains don't accept charity. I'm afraid this will hurt the pride of the Black Hawk warriors."
Burke's thick, black, caterpillar-like eyebrows knitted together. "Outrageous! Isn't this about annexing the Black Hawk Tribe?"
"I earned a place to stay with my own hard work, so I don't think Cang Qiong will blame me too much." Li Hengqing's smile remained unchanged. "Or, do you have a better way to get the black thyme?"
Tana, who had been silent all this time, suddenly looked up and said, "Princess, in addition to the warriors in their prime, the Black Wolf Tribe also has children and elderly people who can barely walk."
Li Hengqing: "It's okay. The Canglang Tribe wouldn't be so cruel. The elderly, the weak, women, and children will be given priority. We will consider providing them with jobs within our capabilities."
Upon hearing this, Hu Shan frowned imperceptibly and wrinkled the hem of his jacket with his fingers.
The two sides were at a stalemate for a moment. Li Hengqing gestured to the maid and said with a smile, "It's better to eat mutton while it's hot. Since there is no result for the time being, why don't you warriors eat your fill before continuing the negotiations?"
During the conversation, the overpowering aroma of the roasted whole lamb subsided unconsciously. Maids came in one after another carrying large covered bowls, and slowly lifted the lid when they reached the center.
The unique fragrance of mutton immediately gushed out from the cracks. The whole sheep was chopped into large pieces with a machete, and the skin was roasted into an attractive deep honey color. When you tear open a leg of lamb, the tender and chewy meat fibers are dripping with thick gravy. It is hard to imagine how delicious it tastes when you put it in your mouth.
The small bowl contains a paste that is finer than fresh winter snow. It may not look very eye-catching at first glance, but you can smell the rich milky aroma and the light sweet fragrance.
There was also a large bowl of pilaf rice, the crystal clear rice with distinct grains fried in mutton fat to a light golden color. The mutton was cut into generous large slices, and bright yellow radish and carrots cut into strips were dotted in between. Upon closer inspection, there were also crystal onions and raisins that had been soaked and had become cute round shapes.
There are no extra seasonings, but the aromas of the several ingredients are blended perfectly, not to mention the fragrance of the new rice itself.
The Northern Di people didn't have the custom of eating rice; this was a modern way of making hand-pulled rice. The spring pasture had been quite good, and Li Hengqing, who had finally had some free time recently, had taken a dozen of his best lambs to personally thank the old farmer who had traded him the iron plow. The farmer, in tears, insisted on sending him a cartload of new rice.
The days of eating all-you-can-eat milk tea, beef and mutton were enjoyable, but Li Hengqing still had the stomach of his homeland, so he accepted it. After all, it was a mutually beneficial thing.
Many people had never seen this kind of food before, but when hungry, people are often not picky. Without much hesitation, they put it into their mouths and immediately started to eat. For a while, only the sound of chewing and the clinking of bowls and spoons could be heard. Those who were less picky would just start eating.
Li Hengqing laughed, but then thought, isn't pilaf meant to be eaten with the hands? It could be considered a return to basics.
She was sitting here with nothing to do. She just scooped a spoonful of snow soup, but her eyes were suddenly attracted by the young man next to Burke.
The other party just now looked calm as if the sky was falling and he was not embarrassed even to smile. But now, he seemed to be worried about the slightest movement. He quickly met Li Hengqing's gaze, then looked away like a guilty thief.
Why?
Before she could figure out what was going on, the meal she had wolfed down was almost over.
Burke gazed at Li Hengqing's exceptionally gentle face illuminated by the campfire, and his heart relaxed. He waved his hand roughly, signaling the archers ambushing on both sides of the mountain walls to retreat temporarily.
Helian Xiao took in the entire scene. His hand holding the dagger tightened unconsciously, and his eyes darkened slightly.
The people of the Black Wolf Tribe were still discussing the matter, and others, including Tana, retreated.
She met Li Hengqing's gaze and quickly walked towards the latter, glancing at Helian Xiao with a half-smile.
Helian Xiao remained unmoved. Li Hengqing, seeing this, smiled helplessly and said, "Great Khan, I have some private conversation with Tana Gege. Can you please keep watch for us?"
Helian Xiao nodded and said, "Okay."
Tana, who was watching from the side, was slightly surprised, but she didn't show it on her face. She smiled timidly at Li Hengqing and said in a low voice, "The princess said she is willing to take in the elderly, the weak, women and children. Is that true?"
On the other side, Hu Shan leaned close to Burke's ear and whispered stealthily, "They're taking the elderly, the weak, women, and children. That's like trying to find leverage against the Black Wolf Tribe. They deserve to be killed."
"I have a plan. We might as well counter it and let them experience the power of our leader."
…
In the end, the two sides reached a preliminary agreement: the Canglang tribe would first accept 300 elderly, weak, women and children from the Black Hawk tribe as a sign of sincerity.
*
Li Hengqing was supervising construction on a sunny, sheltered slope, carefully checking the strength of the delivered building components. This was also a product from the system's primary blueprint library, a modified, simple Mongolian yurt. Since Mongolia hadn't existed in this world, she had named it "Hezhang."
All they had to do was erect the prefabricated frame and drape it with felt, and they had a spacious and bright new home. After the training of Nansheng's craftsmen before the land was opened up, the tribe's relatively simple carpentry and blacksmithing skills had become identical. Although this time, they had been rushed and lacked some decorative patterns, achieving this level of skill in just a few days was a real achievement. She looked at her own land and nodded in satisfaction.
At this time, someone hurriedly came to report that the people from the Black Wolf Tribe had arrived early.
The messenger who brought the news was even more hesitant: "... They say it's the elderly, the weak, women and children... Hey, hey! Khatun, please come with me and take a look for yourself!"
Li Hengqing frowned.
Sure enough, among the group of sallow-faced, frail, elderly, women, and children, there were a few rather strikingly strong young men, who seemed to have been seen at the bonfire party a few days ago. She met Tana's gaze, and Tana slowly shook her head: It wasn't her idea.
That was Burke doing some shameful little moves again - and he even brought them out, openly declaring that he had ulterior motives.
Li Hengqing went straight to one of them, bowed, and asked, "Excuse me, where is the warrior injured?"
The sturdy man was stunned by her question, then stiffened his neck and pointed at his legs: "I... my legs are not in good condition!"
"Oh?" Li Hengqing nodded, his expression unchanged. "That's perfect. I'm short of help, so I'll sit in the tent and carve wooden toys for the new kids. I've seen the warrior's incredible arm strength, so I'm sure he can do the job."
She then looked at another young man who was trying to hide in the crowd: "Where is this warrior?"
"I... my eyesight is not good!"
"That's even better," Li Hengqing said. "We're just about to set up a night patrol team specifically responsible for listening. Their eyesight may not be good, but their ears must be very sensitive, right?"
In a few words, she laid out the trap that Burke had planted. Those people wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to cause trouble, but she pushed them back in a neither soft nor hard way. They either had to admit that they were not sick or go to work obediently. They were at a loss as to what to do and were in a dilemma.
Finally, it was Tana who stepped forward and said with a smile to the bewildered men, "Brother's order is for you to escort them. Since the Khatun is magnanimous and won't bother with you, why don't you go and help set up the tent?"
Only under the command of Tana, the legitimate princess, did the strong men reluctantly join the labor team.
A small disturbance was resolved, and Li Hengqing immediately gathered everyone and announced the management system of the new camp.
"From today on, you will all follow the local customs and comply with the management of the Canglang Tribe." She looked at Tana. "Princess Tana is extremely intelligent and capable. I appoint her as the general manager of this camp, acting as the centurion, with full authority to manage your daily affairs and work assignments. All of you will obey her command."
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then a burst of astonished whispers broke out. Firstly, no one had expected the Canglang Tribe to hand over power to someone they knew; secondly, no one had expected that this person would be the usually unknown Tana.
Still a woman!
Tana showed a look of surprise at the right moment, and after a while she solemnly bowed to Li Hengqing: "Tana will never let Khatun down!"
With Tana, a "family member" as the manager, subsequent arrangements went much more smoothly. She quickly divided all the women and children into different groups based on their abilities.
This camp also has a special working area, which is separate from the resettlement area, and everyone is assigned work according to the process.
The more skillful ones learned to make milk tofu and butter. Under Li Hengqing's guidance, they learned to use lamb stomachs as a coagulant, turning fresh milk into snow-white curds, which they then filtered and pressed through gauze. The first batch of delicate, soft and springy milk tofu soon emerged.
Women with more strength were responsible for tanning leather, sewing clothes, and other products. Older women, along with their children, would spin wool, weave ropes, or gather wild vegetables. Each had their own division of labor and responsibilities.
The new campsite quickly overcame its unfamiliarity and became full of life; the streamlined workshop had a surprisingly good effect on improving production efficiency, which was particularly striking against the lush summer weather.
That evening, in order to celebrate the initial completion of the camp, Li Hengqing specially had some pineapple buns baked.
The fermented dough is brushed with a layer of golden egg liquid and syrup mixture, and then quickly expanded in a newly built earthen kiln and baked into small golden breads as crispy as pineapple skin.
The bread was cut in the middle while still hot, and a piece of cold, salty butter was sandwiched in it. Each one was round and looked very cute.
"This is a snack from my hometown," Li Hengqing handed the first one to Tana, "Try it."
The contrast between cold and hot, salty and sweet, can be described as ice and fire; the crust is crispy and crumbly, while the inside is soft and warm, just like the wool of a lamb that has been exposed to the sun all day. The cool temperature neutralizes the greasy taste of butter very well, complementing the bread itself.
Even the indigenous people of the Canglang tribe had their doubts and rejection of these new neighbors reduced a lot after tasting it.
Li Hengqing looked at the happy scene before him and felt a little relieved. It was a long road, but this was undoubtedly a good start.
However, glass is fragile, and a scream suddenly broke the warmth.
"Someone's beating someone up! The little cubs from the Canglang Tribe are beating someone up!"
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