Chapter 69 Cement
At some point, the trees on the hills and roadsides in the tribe began to grow gray buds.
One morning, when they woke up, the flowers all over the hills were in full bloom, with pink petals and tender white cores. The tribe, which had seemed desolate during the long winter, suddenly became bright and beautiful.
The faint fragrance of the flowers wafted out, and the whole tribe was immersed in that sweet fragrance.
Now no one needed to explain, everyone knew that spring had really come.
Everyone's attention instantly shifted from the small details such as algae and wild fruits, and began to get busy going out to hunt and gather.
Last year, when Jian Mo first came, he didn't know much, but this spring, he found that the tribe's hunting and gathering teams totaled more than 30.
Last year, he didn't know most of the people, but this year was different. He had someone he could talk to in every team.
Different teams have different purposes for collecting. In fact, the people who make up the team can also be different.
It’s just that everyone is used to going out with familiar people, and generally they won’t change.
Jian Mo is different. He really wants to go out with different people and try it out.
On this day, he heard that one of the old orc collecting teams in the tribe was going out to collect wild vegetables. He was instantly excited and called out to them: "Xiao Duan, can I go out with you today?" Xiao
Duan smiled and said, "Sure, it’s just right that a young man with nimble hands and feet can help us collect wild vegetables from the top of the branches."
Jian Mo said something to Qing Kuang and the others, and trotted over to Xiao Duan and the others with his backpack on his back: "I'll try my best."
Jian Mo, who has been here for so long, has already trained his skills well. As long as the tree is not hundreds of meters high, he can climb it easily. Liu
Duan and his friends were very happy: "We just want to pick some wild vegetables, but unfortunately not many people like them."
Jian Mo said: "I like wild vegetables, too. We've been eating frozen meat and bacon for a long time, and I just want a touch of freshness."
The people from the neighboring team heard them talking and said to them with a smile: "We like wild vegetables, too. We like wild vegetables and fruits. It would be even better if we could pick wild vegetables that are not bitter."
Liu Duan smiled: "That's a bit difficult."
Jian Mo: "It's okay if it's a little bitter. Just blanch them in water."
While they were talking, Ye Luo came over: "Can I pick them with you today?"
Liu Duan accepted everyone who came, and said with a smile: "It would be better to have one more young person."
After accepting Ye Luo, Liu Duan's team was full and started to walk out of the tribe.
Their team was composed of middle-aged and elderly beastmen, and they walked relatively slowly. Jian Mo felt more relaxed following in the middle of the team than with other teams.
They did not go up the mountain, but went down along the river. The moist wind in the valley brought the breath of spring, and Jian Mo felt a lot lighter as he walked in it.
Soon they saw the first tree with edible buds.
This tree had just sprouted, and the buds were tender yellow and tightly clump together. If you gently break them, you can hear a crisp "pop" sound.
Jian Mo had never eaten this kind of wild vegetable before, so he couldn't help but put it under his nose and smelled it out of curiosity.
This wild vegetable has a very fresh scent, and smells like cucumber, but a little more fragrant than cucumber.
Jian Mo took it down from under his nose in surprise, and looked at it again and again: "It smells good."
Ye Luo: "It's just a little bitter. You try it."
Jian Mo: "Can we eat it now?"
As he said that, Jian Mo still broke off a small piece and stuffed it into his mouth. With the crisp sound of biting, a bitter taste instantly spread between his teeth.
Bitter, but not unpleasant.
Jian Mo looked at the small leaf ball: "It's okay, I can eat it."
Lu Duan smiled and said beside him: "Then eat more."
They have to be particular about picking young leaves. They can't pick all of them. At most, they can pick two-thirds. They have to pick them in a staggered manner, so as not to affect the survival of the tree.
Jian Mo stretched out his hand and broke them quickly. He broke them accurately every time, and felt a great sense of accomplishment.
After picking the tree buds, they went to dig wild vegetables on the river bank.
Jian Mo had seen this kind of wild vegetable before. Last autumn, he had picked this kind of wild vegetable as a herbal medicine to reduce fever.
Ye Luo saw what Jian Mo was thinking: "The wild vegetables that have just grown up now have no medicinal effect, so they can be eaten as vegetables."
Lu Duan said beside him: "The main thing is that they are tender. When they grow up, they are not tender anymore. They are also bitter and will get stuck in your teeth when you eat them."
Jian Mo nodded. He had also seen vegetables that can be used as both medicine and food, but he was just a little surprised.
Lu Duan: "After we have picked all the wild vegetables here, let's continue to go down and try to fill up the backpacks."
Everyone responded.
Jian Mo followed them for a day and found that everyone had very good physical strength and was very agile. After all, he was the only rookie in the team.
This made him a little helpless.
Even after training, his physical fitness was indeed worse than others.
Let's see if we can train for another year this year, will we be better next year?
When Jian Mo and his friends returned to the tribe, most of the people had already returned.
They handed over part of the wild vegetables they collected and waited for the tribe to distribute them.
Ye Luo, as the distribution person, went directly to help with the distribution.
This year, Jian Mo was more familiar with the affairs of the tribe, and he no longer had to go in person to get his share of supplies. He just had to say hello to Wu Jiong, and Wu Jiong would bring back both of their supplies.
As for Jian Mo, he could save this little time and focus on doing household chores.
It was finally spring, and with fresh wild vegetables, Jian Mo had to make some noodles.
He kneaded the dough first, made preparations, and then went to blanch the tree buds.
They brought back a lot of tree buds, and they certainly couldn't finish them in one meal. After blanching them, they added salt and rubbed them, stuffed them into jars to ferment, and then they could be made into sauerkraut.
Making sauerkraut will further reduce the bitterness of the wild vegetables, and the taste will be better when eaten.
In addition, eating a small amount of sauerkraut is also good for the body.
Jian Mo hummed a song while making sauerkraut slowly.
Wu Jiong's tall figure came back with the dishes: "Today we were given a large piece of lean meat and two large ribs. Which one do you want to eat?"
Jian Mo originally wanted to make fried noodles, but when he went to take a look, he was surprised that the ribs he brought back were fat and lean, tender, and looked very tempting, so he changed his mind: "Let's eat the ribs, one will do."
Wu Jiong: "Then I'll hang the remaining meat under the eaves."
Jian Mo nodded: "It's still cold now, hang it under the eaves overnight, and eat it tomorrow morning, the meat will still be fresh."
Wu Jiong held the ribs and asked again: "How small should the ribs be chopped into pieces, or cook the whole piece together?"
Jian Mo shook his head like a wave drum, raised his hand to indicate: "No, no, no, just use an axe to chop it into pieces as big as two fingers, there are too many, we can't eat them all."
Wu Jiong then carried the ribs and went to chop them on the wooden stakes in the yard.
Jian Mo continued to prepare side dishes at home.
It's a rare opportunity to eat noodles. Although I feel a little sorry for the noodles, I can't put too little noodles.
Jian Mo was thinking about the process of cooking noodles while working.
First, knead the noodles, roll them out and let them sit for a while, then prepare boiled water, so that it will be convenient to rinse the noodles after they are cooked.
Bird eggs are a must, this is called a sense of ritual.
Two sausages are also needed. The fat and lean sausages are fried until the tiger skin is formed and then cut into thick slices. They are best used with noodles.
Today's wild vegetables must not be missing, and pepper sauce and large leaf garlic powder are also added. A small handful of nuts can increase the taste and replace peanuts.
Jian Mo took out two large bowls of noodles and hummed a song while preparing.
He was boiling water to cook noodles, but he suddenly remembered that the soup base had not been made yet, so he went outside to get some bacon, and then cut a piece of fresh animal meat to make the soup.
Anyway, the leftover ingredients could be given to Jiujiu, so they wouldn't be wasted.
The room soon became steaming hot, and the soup in the pot was boiled white. The bacon gave the soup a mellow aroma, and the animal meat brought out the freshness of the soup.
Jian Mo picked up the cut noodles, shook them, and put them into the boiling water to start cooking.
As soon as they were cooked, he immediately picked them up and put them in cold water to cool them down, and also washed off the excess starch - the cold boiled water would also be given to Jiujiu later, so it wouldn't be wasted.
He put two portions of noodles in two bowls, one large and one small, and then topped them with soft-boiled bird eggs, fried sausage, and pickled vegetables. He then placed fresh and green sprouts on the noodles and poured the thick white noodle soup into the bowl.
Instantly, the aroma filled the air.
Jian Mo then topped them with fried spareribs, chili sauce and garlic powder, and sprinkled with chopped nuts.
Two bowls of rich noodles were ready, with dark yellow pickled vegetable pieces, orange-red bird egg yolks, brown fried spareribs, and green tree sprouts. The collision of various colors and the interweaving of various aromas made it look fresh and beautiful.
Jian Mo couldn't help it, so he picked up two bowls of noodles and trotted to the table. He shook his red fingers and shouted, "The noodles are ready, come on!"
Wu Jiong strode in from outside: "I just smelled the fragrance, and my stomach has been rumbling."
Jian Mo: "I was also rumbling while cooking the noodles. I didn't particularly like eating noodles before, but now I can't stand seeing this rich noodle dish."
Wu Jiong: "Let's eat."
Jian Mo sat opposite him, picked up a large chopstick of noodles with chopsticks, and ate it hot.
The noodles were soft and chewy, and the unique aroma of starch filled his nose.
He finished the noodles and drank a sip of noodle soup, and he was so refreshed.
After the noodles, he had another chopstick of tree sprouts.
After blanching, the tree buds were no longer so bitter. They were fragrant and crisp. When you bite them, they crunched, as if you were biting off spring.
Jian Mo couldn't help but sigh again.
Only someone who hadn't eaten much vegetables for the whole winter could imagine how he felt when he ate such fresh vegetables. Although they were a bit bitter, they were delicious. They were so refreshing, like a breeze blowing in your face.
Jian Mo's nose was sweating from eating so much that he stopped for a moment and asked Wu Jiong, "How is it?"
Wu Jiong, "Delicious."
Jian Mo bit the pork ribs and said, "I think it's delicious too. Spring is so great."
Wu Jiong, "Tomorrow the two of us will go out alone, and I'll take you to pick another kind of wild vegetable on the cliff."
Jian Mo became interested, "What wild vegetable?"
Wu Jiong, "A kind of wild vegetable that is tender and not bitter. You can eat it after blanching it. It's very fresh, but there is only a small amount, and not many people know about it."
Jian Mo immediately made a decision, "Let's go, let's go early tomorrow morning."
However, the two of them did not go early the next morning.
Qing Kuang came to them early in the morning and said, "It seems that cement has been made in the tribe."
Jian Mo was stunned and woke up from his sleep: "What do you mean by it seems that cement has been made?"
Qing Kuang: "Didn't you tell us before? Cement is hard, gray-black, and harder than lime after drying. It is also more solid than lime when used to bond stones. When we went to the mine just now, we found a large piece of this stuff."
Jian Mo was confused and not sure what it was. He immediately said, "Let's go and take a look."
So the three of them hurried to the mine and soon saw a large lump not far from the mine.
The large lump was gray-brown and looked like a stone from a distance.
Jian Mo had seen it several times in the winter, but because half of it was buried under the snow, he didn't pay much attention and thought it was really some discarded stone that was transported here.
Unexpectedly, it was actually a man-made product.
Qing Kuang kicked the hard block and said, "I have asked, and no one remembers who made it. They just remember that some waste lime was burned at that time, and they threw it directly into the pit. Later, some slag and waste clay were thrown into the pit, and it became like this in the end."
Jian Mo thought for a while and said, "It might be an accident."
Jian Mo guessed, "Our lime is quicklime, and it won't be a problem when it's dry. It snows in winter, and the snow melts, and then it becomes a rock." Once the water seeps in, it turns into slaked lime slurry. The lime slurry holds other things together, and it becomes this hard lump, right?"
Qing Kuang suddenly realized: "So it wasn't made by humans at all, it was just made by accident, right?"
Jian Mo: "It's possible, let's test what this is first, can it be considered a cement lump?"
If they really made cement, they can put the construction of their kitchen on the agenda.
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