I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 207 Making Soybean Paste

The orcs who went to the Great River Tribe to exchange wheat have returned. There were five of them, and each of them carried two baskets of wheat on their backs when they came back.

Zhan was somewhat disappointed. He saw the fields planted by the Dahe tribe, and they had planted quite a lot of wheat. Why were the Dahe tribe so stingy, exchanging such a small amount of wheat for them?

The orc carefully unloaded the baskets of wheat and placed them inside the cave.

The orc leading the group told Zhan, "Chieftain, Chief Li of the Great River Tribe said that although their tribe grows a lot of wheat, they need to eat it themselves and also exchange it with the surrounding tribes, so they really can't exchange too much with us. Other tribes can only exchange for six baskets, while our tribe exchanged for ten baskets, which is already out of respect for Ling."

Zhan didn't say anything more. He directed his people to bring over several earthenware jars, poured all the wheat into them, and then covered them with thick stone slabs.

These wheat grains are crucial to whether they can eat steamed buns; they must be stored properly.

*

Yue also planted a lot of cassava. Bai Ling asked several orcs from other tribes to help Yue harvest the cassava, while he and Yue tidied up Yue's house together.

The house for the moon has been built, the kang (heated brick bed) has been installed, the ground has been leveled with cement, the walls have been plastered with lime, and the yard has been tidied up. The house for the moon is now ready.

Originally, the tribespeople who were building the houses should have come to help, but there were still a lot of bricks and adobe left in the tribe. The beastmen unanimously decided to build two large houses, one as a place for the tribespeople to gather and the other as a place for carpentry work. Now that the tribespeople who were building the houses were busy there, only Bai Ling came to help.

Fortunately, there wasn't much work to do in the ward, and the two of them finished cleaning the house in three or four days.

Bai Ling first tidied up the two bedrooms. After the bedroom floors and walls were plastered, Yue brought some firewood and started heating the kang (a traditional heated bed).

After the kang (heated brick bed) was set up, it was left to air dry for several days. The surface of the kang had dried a bit, but the inside was still damp and needed to be dried with firewood.

Besides the fire burning in the kang (heated brick bed), two braziers were also placed in the cleaned room. The house had only been built a short time ago, and the room was still quite damp. It wouldn't be enough to let it air dry naturally; a fire had to be lit inside to warm it up so that it would dry faster.

However, you shouldn't burn a large fire. Just light the charcoal in the earthenware pot and let it burn slowly.

After the house was tidied up, braziers were lit in every room, and all the windows and doors were open. Heat and steam rose from the house. Bai Ling walked around the house, squinted, and came out.

"Moon, the house is covered in a layer of dust. We'll have to clean it thoroughly when people move in."

Yue nodded: "Yes, that's for sure."

Bai Ling: "Then we'll clean up together."

Yue didn't speak, but pulled Bai Ling into the yard. He pointed in a direction and said, "Ling, I want to build a flower bed here, the same kind as yours. I can plant some flowers next year."

"There's a path paved with stones here, but I don't have time now. I'll do it in winter."

"This is where we grow vegetables, and this is where we grow fruit trees. When I go to the Dahe tribe, I want to dig up two persimmon trees."

Yue told Bai Ling her thoughts, and he was already looking forward to how lively and wonderful the house would be next year.

Flowers are in full bloom, vegetables abound in the garden, and fruit trees are laden with fruit; every spot you look at is a beautiful picture.

As Yue spoke, she gestured as she went, while Bai Ling watched quietly. As Yue described the scene, a beautiful picture appeared in Bai Ling's mind: bright sunshine, a gentle breeze, flowers blooming in the yard, vegetables growing vigorously, and fruit trees laden with fruit, their branches weighed down...

After Yue finished speaking, Bai Ling grasped Yue's hand tightly and smiled, "Yue, just do what you want to do, I'll help you."

He leaned closer to the moon, his voice brimming with undisguised amusement: "When we build our houses in the future, we'll have the experience and know how to fix them up."

"Moon, when we go to other tribes, let's collect more flower seeds, and I'll make you a little garden."

Although the two were already quite familiar with each other, Yue was still not used to getting so close to Ling when there was a high chance they would be seen by others.

“I don’t want a small garden,” Yue moved slightly to the side, “I’ll just make a small flower bed.”

Bai Ling: "Okay, then let's make a few more flower beds."

*

The cassava from the tribe has been harvested, and as agreed, the orcs from other tribes can return home.

However, they did not leave immediately. Instead, they found Bai Ling and wanted to learn how to make cassava noodles from him.

Vermicelli is really delicious. It can be cooked with meat and vegetables, or cooked and eaten with bone broth. Now, cassava is widely available in the surrounding tribes, and there is still a lot of it. Just steaming it is too monotonous. Making it into vermicelli gives you another way to eat it.

Bai Ling promised his people that he would teach them how to make vermicelli. Now, orcs from other tribes want to learn together, and Bai Ling has agreed to that as well.

Making vermicelli requires tapioca flour, which takes several days to make. While the tapioca is being peeled, cut into chunks, and soaked, Bai Ling starts making the sauce.

He was making soybean paste, which is very simple to make; all you need is soybeans, flour, and salt.

Actually, what Bai Ling really wanted to make was soy sauce and vinegar. With soy sauce and vinegar, the dishes would not only taste better, but also look more beautiful. However, making soy sauce and vinegar was too troublesome, and Bai Ling didn't have the ingredients on hand. So he decided to make soybean paste first and use it instead of soy sauce when cooking.

The family sat together, picked out the bad soybeans, washed them clean, and then put them in a pot with salt to boil.

When cooking, pay attention to the heat. The heat should not be too high. Use soft firewood such as straw, dry grass, and leaves to prevent the fire from being too strong and the beans from boiling over too quickly.

After the beans boil, don't take them out immediately. Cover the pot and let them simmer slowly. Bai Ling started cooking the beans in the morning and let them simmer in the pot until the afternoon. Only after the pot lid had cooled down did Bai Ling take the beans out.

By this time, the beans had become soft and had a pleasant bean aroma. Chen ate a handful of beans and found them quite delicious. He then scooped out a bowl of beans from the earthenware bowl, intending to eat them as a snack.

Bai Ling didn't stop him. He took the beans to the main room and put them on the table to cool. He planned to move on to the next step tomorrow once the beans had cooled down.

When Yue asked what the next step was, Bai Ling said it was to ferment.

Yue is very interested in fermentation, and he immediately asked, "Do beans also grow bigger, like dough?"

Bai Ling shook her head: "No, dough fermentation is done by yeast, while soybean paste fermentation is done by a different kind of bacteria. It won't make the soybeans grow bigger, but it will make the soybeans much tastier."