Chapter 198: Stone-Ground Soy Milk
Chapter 197: Stone-Ground Soy Milk
Jiang Xuan took a tour around the shipyard. With the current progress, it would be great if the first wooden boat that could actually be launched could be built before next summer.
As the saying goes, all things are difficult at the beginning. As long as the first wooden boat can be successfully manufactured, the subsequent manufacturing speed will become faster and faster, laying the foundation for the manufacture of larger ships.
"Take your time. You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry."
"Wait...Tofu?"
Jiang Xuan suddenly thought that the Teng tribe had beans, and they were very large black beans. Should they be able to be used to make tofu?
At worst, you can still make soy milk!
It tastes much better than eating beans directly, and you don’t have to worry about getting bloating if you eat too much.
"Yes! How could I forget the soy milk and tofu!"
Jiang Xuan encouraged several people in the shipyard, then left the shipyard and headed for the stone workshop.
Not long ago, almost all the workshops of the Teng tribe were moved to the east coast, including the stone workshop.
The advantage of doing this is that it separates various workshops from residential areas, ensuring a better living environment in residential areas and avoiding the impact of various pollutions and noise from various workshops.
The stone workshop is easy to find because you can always hear the sound of grinding.
Jiang Xuan walked into the stone workshop and found the Black Stone Old Man.
"Chief, what kind of stone tools do you want to make?"
Old Man Heishi looked at Jiang Xuan expectantly. Because of the emergence of bronze ware, many tribesmen no longer relied entirely on stone tools, resulting in less work in the stone tool workshops.
This made old man Heishi very sad. Compared with bronze tools, he preferred various stone tools. Even the various bronze hammers and bronze chisels sent by Jiang Xuan were rarely used by him.
He stubbornly uses the old tools because he feels they are more convenient to use.
But some of those young apprentices had already started using bronze tools when making stone tools, and Old Man Black Stone did not object.
In the transition between old and new tools, Old Man Blackstone was more stubborn towards himself but more tolerant towards others, and did not restrict his apprentices from using new tools.
This is also one of the reasons why Jiang Xuan respects Old Man Heishi very much.
"I want to make a stone mill that can grind all kinds of grains into powder."
"Stone mill?"
The old man Black Stone frowned, his eyes full of confusion, because he had never heard of this kind of stone tool.
Jiang Xuan thought for a moment and said, "I'll make a model for you out of mud, okay?"
Old Man Heishi nodded. Jiang Xuan had made models out of mud several times before and it was very useful.
Jiang Xuan took a stick and dug some soil outside the stone workshop. He added a little water and made it into a mud ball. He then molded it into the shape of two millstones. He used a small wooden stick as the millstone axis and drew the patterns on the two millstones.
"Look, the millstone is divided into the upper and lower halves. The hole is called the grinding eye, the middle is called the millstone shaft, and the lines on it are called grinding teeth."
"The upper part of the millstone is connected to a wooden handle, which can rotate along the axis, while the lower part is fixed and does not rotate."
"When the grain is put into the millstone through the grinding hole and then the millstone is pulled, the teeth will grind the grain into powder little by little, and then it will flow out along the edge."
Jiang Xuan thought for a moment and explained, "It's just like when we eat with our teeth, grinding back and forth to chew things up bit by bit. The same principle applies to stone mills."
Old Man Heishi looked at the stone mill model made of mud in Jiang Xuan's hand, and his eyes became brighter and brighter as he listened to his explanation.
He is an old stone tool maker, and he only needs to learn a little bit to know whether this thing can be made.
At the same time, he showed great interest in this very practical Neolithic tool.
"Chief, put this mud millstone here, and I will make a real millstone!"
Jiang Xuan smiled and said, "I believe in your stone-polishing skills."
Jiang Xuan hesitated for a while, then said, "I have another suggestion. I wonder if you can accept it."
"Just say it, Chief."
Jiang Xuan said: "This millstone axle is very important. If it is made of wood, it will be easily worn out and broken. If it is made of stone, ordinary stone will break easily, and it will be a bit of a waste to use high-quality stone to make an axle."
"Because we will need a lot of these stone mills in the future, it is impossible to use high-quality stone to grind all the axes."
"So, I think using bronze to cast the millstone axis is a good choice. It is both wear-resistant and not easy to break..."
After Jiang Xuan finished speaking, he looked at Old Man Heishi sincerely, because he knew that Old Man Heishi didn't like bronze ware very much. Jiang Xuan wasn't sure whether he could accept adding bronze ware to the stone tools he had polished.
Old Man Heishi's face froze and he was silent for a moment. He then looked at the bronze tools that other apprentices in the stone tool workshop were using, and finally compromised reluctantly.
"Since the chief thinks bronze is suitable for casting millstone shafts, then... let's use bronze to cast them."
Jiang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that old man Heishi was too stubborn and conservative. If that were the case, the durability of the stone mill he made would be much worse.
Jiang Xuan wanted to leave, but when he saw that old man Heishi looked a little lonely, he stopped.
"How about we go outside and talk?"
Old Man Heishi nodded, then followed Jiang Xuan outside.
Walking outside the stone tool workshop, Jiang Xuan and Old Man Heishi sat on several large stones.
"Let me tell you a story."
Old Man Heishi nodded, his eyes still looking rather lonely.
Jiang Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "A long, long time ago, our ancestors only used stones, sticks, and animal bones as hunting tools."
"Because these kinds of things can be picked up anywhere and used, it's very convenient."
"Later, some people discovered that sharp-edged stones were very good at cutting animal skins and meat, so they began to use sharp stones."
"Not long after, someone discovered that tying sharp stones or animal bones to a stick could cause greater damage to prey, so they combined stones or animal bones with sticks to make stone spears and bone spears."
"Later, our ancestors discovered that grinding stones into various shapes could be used for better purposes, so they invented the technique of grinding stone tools."
"This shows that the tools used by our ancestors were all created slowly by themselves. In order to make the tools more powerful, our ancestors often combined two or three materials to make new tools."
"If our ancestors hadn't combined stones and sticks, we wouldn't have stone spears."
"If our ancestors could combine several materials, why can't we do it now? As long as the tools we make are useful, it doesn't matter whether they are made of stone or bronze."
After listening to Jiang Xuan's words, a thoughtful expression appeared on Heishi's face. He was touched by Jiang Xuan's words.
Yes, as long as the tool is useful, what does it matter whether it is made of stone or bronze?
After a long while, the Black Stone Elder said solemnly: "Chief, I understand. I will try to accept the bronze."
Jiang Xuan smiled and nodded, feeling relieved. All he had said was not in vain.
Old Man Heishi stood up again, and the loneliness in his eyes disappeared.
Although he was old, he was not a stubborn old man, otherwise he would not have allowed the apprentices in the stone tool workshop to use bronze tools.
Now, after Jiang Xuan's enlightenment, he has figured it out. He should not cling to that pile of old tools any longer. If there are better tools, why not use them?
After Old Man Heishi figured it out, he returned to the stone tool workshop and immediately began to study the stone mill model left by Jiang Xuan. He was very interested in this new stone tool that could grind grain into powder.
Jiang Xuan also returned to the west bank residential area, because there was a very important thing waiting for him to do, which was the autumn sacrifice.
The Teng tribe holds many sacrifices a year, but there are only two large-scale sacrifices a year, namely the spring sacrifice and the autumn sacrifice.
Among them, the autumn sacrifice is the most grand.
Because autumn is often a time of harvest, the tribe has plenty of food and is suitable for holding large-scale sacrifices.
Moreover, the number of Teng tribe members will increase significantly during this year's autumn sacrifice.
Because when attacking the Raptor Tribe, Jiang Xuan promised that as long as the captives did not run away, did not make trouble, and fought bravely, all of them could join the Teng Tribe and become true members of the Teng Tribe.
The battle has been won, and this year we have a good harvest. It is time to fulfill our promise.
After returning to the residential area, Jiang Xuan immediately summoned all the leaders and began to arrange the sacrificial matters.
Both hunting teams and the fishing team have to go out to look for suitable sacrifices, the more the better.
The planting team has to select the best grains and vegetables, and the guard team has to clear out threats around the tribe to ensure that the sacrifice goes smoothly.
Other teams also need to prepare various sacrificial items, as well as do tasks such as cleaning the tribe.
When the entire Teng tribe began to prepare for the great autumn sacrifice, the happiest ones were the captives.
Because they can finally escape from their status as captives and join the Vine Tribe!
After more than a year of running-in, they have truly adapted to the Teng Tribe and have a full understanding of the strength of the Teng Tribe.
In addition, those captives with the most resistance were killed, and the remaining captives just wanted to live a peaceful life. The idea of revenge for their former tribes had become increasingly faint.
Because in the Teng tribe, their lives are much better than in their previous tribes, it can even be said that the gap is huge.
In this situation, joining the Teng Tribe became the best option for most captives.
On September 29th, after the sun rises, the Teng tribe's autumn grand sacrifice officially begins.
“Wuwuwu…”
As the horn sounded, the members of the Teng tribe, dressed in their best clothes, and a large number of captives gathered in the open space in front of the altar.
Everyone wore their best animal skin clothes, hung various ornaments symbolizing glory, and had the totem patterns of the Vine Tribe and warrior patterns painted on their faces.
“Ka-ka-ka…”
Under the control of Shen Teng, the four gates on the vine wall were temporarily closed, and all those who did not belong to the Teng tribe were expelled.
Afterwards, the sacrificial ceremony officially began.
Chishao walked up to the altar and began to chant the witch spell to summon the gods.
“Buzz!”
As Chishao chanted, the divine vine on the stone mountain burst out with such intense divine light that people dared not look directly at it. The terrifying divine power was surging.
Dozens of giant dragonflies flew up, bathing in the sunlight and divine light, and danced around the stone mountain continuously.
When Chishao finished chanting the incantation, a soldier shouted, "Offer a sacrifice!"
The warriors of the Teng tribe lifted up various offerings, lined up and walked onto the altar. After putting down the offerings, they walked down from the other side.
Soon, the offerings on the altar piled up into a small hill.
Chishao bowed again: "Please, God of Teng, enjoy the offering."
“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…”
Countless roots burst out of the soil and quickly wrapped around the various offerings on the altar, soon covering the entire altar.
When the sacred vine has enjoyed all the offerings, its roots will retract into the ground.
Chishao on the altar did not take the next step, but looked at Jiang Xuan.
Seeing this, Jiang Xuan nodded to Chishao, walked to the left side of the altar, and faced the nearly two thousand captives. He first affirmed their efforts and performance on the battlefield, and then announced that all the captives would join the Teng tribe.
After Jiang Xuan finished speaking, all those who had escaped from being captives cheered excitedly. They had been waiting for this day for a long time.
After these people cheered, the sacrifice continued. Chishao stood on the altar and began to chant the blessing spell.
“Clatter…”
Countless vines appeared above everyone's heads, and then sprinkled large amounts of divine liquid, as if heavy rain was falling from the sky.
These divine liquids were absorbed into the bodies of the members of the Teng tribe. Many people who had not yet become warriors became warriors after absorbing the divine liquids.
Those who were already warriors became stronger.
After the grand sacrifice, the number of members of the Teng tribe reached more than 2,500, and the number of adult warriors alone reached 2,000, which was a very exaggerated number.
This is because the Teng tribe absorbed adults from other tribes, which was equivalent to absorbing all the young and middle-aged people from several tribes at once.
This is because Jiang Xuan is more restrained.
If he is not afraid of risks and expands with all his strength, it will be easy for the number of people in the Teng tribe to increase several times.
But Jiang Xuan was unwilling to do so because the infrastructure could not keep up and the risks were too great.
For a tribe that has only been established for five years, the current population growth rate is already terrifying.
After the sacrifice, the weather gradually became colder.
On the Tengshen Mountain, more than sixty giant dragonflies flew a few circles under the bright sunshine at noon, and then lay motionless on the sacred vine.
Their lives are almost coming to an end.
On the second day of October, after a night of cold wind, the forest near Teng Village was covered with white rime, and everything was white, as if it had snowed.
After that night, the giant dragonflies became completely motionless.
Everyone in the Teng tribe knew that they should be dead.
Every year, water scorpions transform into giant dragonflies, and every year, giant dragonflies die. This is how life continues in a cycle.
On October 13, after the cold wind had been howling for a long time, snowflakes began to float in the sky.
"It's the winter solstice again."
Jiang Xuan stood in the yard, stretched out his right hand, caught a snowflake, felt the coolness of the snowflake, and watched it quickly melt into snow water in his palm.
"Snow water is a good thing."
Jiang Xuan suddenly thought of something, so he cleaned the yard and then spread a large reed mat on it.
The snow was falling heavily, and it wouldn't be long before the reed mats were covered with clean snowflakes.
Jiang Xuan wants to use the snow water to make a delicacy from his memory.
(End of this chapter)
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