I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 223 Rules in the Tribe

We're having hot pot for dinner, so we can't skimp on lunch. Bai Ling brought some sauce from home and made a stew for the beastmen.

The stewed meat with soybean paste not only looks better, but also tastes better. It has a salty and savory flavor. Although salt is salty, the salty and savory flavor after adding the paste is completely different from the saltiness of salt alone.

The orcs originally intended to save room for more hot pot later that evening, but Bai Ling's stewed meat was so delicious that many of them ended up overeating.

The orcs, having eaten their fill, sat for a while. Those assigned tasks began to work, while those not assigned tasks simply transformed into their beast forms and went outside to run and digest their food.

The fish caught yesterday have been slaughtered and made into fish balls, meat balls have been made, dried vegetables, vermicelli and glass noodles have been soaked, and green vegetables and radishes have been chopped. Now all that's left is to chop the mutton.

To enjoy hot pot, the mutton slices must be cut very thinly. Several orcs who were best at cutting meat sat together, none of them speaking, just carefully cutting the mutton.

Bai Ling cleaned the lamb bones she had removed and started simmering the bone broth. She made a clear broth, adding nothing but scallions, ginger, and salt.

After simmering the bone broth, Bai Ling began to stir-fry the spices, all of which he had collected this year, and some of them would be even more fragrant after being stir-fried.

Ever since they decided to have hot pot, the beastmen had been looking forward to it, so even when the sun was still high in the sky, Bai Ling started cooking the hot pot.

Today it's cloudy, but there's no wind or rain, so we can cook the hot pot outside.

Today, the tribespeople didn't cook in the square, but in the courtyard in front of the tribe's largest council room. To facilitate discussions among the tribespeople, the beastmen built a large house with a large open space in front of it. Several large pots were set up in the open space, where bone broth and water were first poured in and boiled together. After boiling, various ingredients could be added.

The first ingredients to be added are vermicelli, fish balls, meatballs, dried vegetables, and sausage. Once the meatballs and fish balls float to the surface, the lamb, radish, and greens are added next. The firewood under the iron pot is burning brightly, and the pot soon boils again.

This time, three large iron pots were used to cook hot pot, and each orc could get a bowl. Bai Ling also got a bowl. This time, he didn't find a secluded place to sit with Yue, but sat with Yue's grandfather and great-uncle.

This kind of tribal gathering is open to all orcs in the tribe, so not only Yue's grandfather and great-grandfather, but also other orcs who spend the winter in the High Tree tribe came to eat together.

Grandpa Yue and great-uncle Yue both raved about hot pot. They had eaten hot pot at the Chada Conference, and at home, they had tried to make fish and meat balls and cook them at home, just as Yue had suggested. However, the taste was not as good as Ling's. Their hot pot only had a salty taste and was not as fragrant as Ling's.

Praised by Yue's grandfather and great-uncle, Bai Ling didn't feel embarrassed at all. Instead, she straightened her chest and said, "Grandpa, great-uncle, I can cook lots of delicious food. After Yue and I become partners, I'll definitely be the one cooking. I will absolutely..."

Before Bai Ling could finish speaking, Yue reached out and covered Bai Ling's mouth, saying, "Stop talking and eat."

Although Yue didn't shy away from discussing her relationship with Ling in front of her grandfather and great-uncle, there were people all around, and every word Ling said could be heard by the clansmen sitting next to her.

Bai Ling's mouth was covered by Yue's hand. He blinked his eyes gently, a smile in them, and nodded slightly.

Yue then withdrew his hand, and a clean piece of animal hide was stuffed into his hand. He glanced at Bai Ling, then wiped his hands with the hide and resumed eating the hot pot.

Grandpa Yue and Grandpa Wu exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with smiles.

*

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, before it got dark, Zhan stood on the steps, raised his hands, and called out, "Come here for a moment, I have something to say."

The orcs, who were standing in twos and threes, were stunned when they heard this. Then they surrounded Zhan and asked all at once, "Chieftain, what's the matter?"

"Just tell us what's on your mind, we're all listening."

"Yes, clan leader, what exactly is the matter?"

Bai Ling knew what Zhan wanted to talk about. The day before yesterday, Zhan had asked Bai Ling to stay behind to discuss this matter.

Once the clansmen had gathered around, Zhan Cai called out, "I've discussed this with some of the elders in the clan. From now on, if you want to exchange for something, such as furniture made by the carpentry team, ironware made by the ironworks, bricks and tiles fired by the brick and tile team, or things like lime, cement, and glass, you'll have to bring something in return. It can't be like this year, where you could get something just by bringing a little something."

In the past, the tribe would keep only a portion of the prey caught by the hunting team, and the rest would be distributed among the members of the hunting team according to their contribution.

As for gathering, orcs who go out to gather do not have to hand over their produce to the tribe. The fruits and vegetables stored in the caves of the low mountains are all gathered by the miscellaneous task force.

The orcs in the chores team are supported by the tribe, so they have to help the tribe gather resources and do chores. Other orcs are not supported by the tribe, so the resources they gather do not belong to the tribe.

This year, all the orcs in the tribe lived together. All the prey and fruits and vegetables they hunted were shared equally among the orcs in the tribe. In return, the orcs in the tribe did not use any of the tools they obtained in the tribe to exchange for anything; they were all distributed by the tribe.

Now that everyone has their own houses, they no longer live or eat together. So if they want something, they have to exchange it for something of equal value.

The beastmen had no objections to the exhibition, because they had been doing it this way for years.

If you want something, you have to exchange it for something of equal value. Even in winter when everyone lives and eats together, you still have to hand over dried meat and dried vegetables.

This year, however, we have to farm, build houses, and do many other things together, so all the tribe members live and eat together, work for the tribe, and also receive benefits from the tribe.

Starting tomorrow, we won't be eating together anymore, and we won't be doing any work for the tribe. Naturally, we can no longer take things from the tribe for free.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Zhan said, "We discussed it and decided that we should continue farming next year. Each beastman family will receive a plow, a harrow, a hoe, and a shovel, and three families will share a seed drill."

"The buckets have already been distributed. If you want anything else, you'll have to exchange it for something else."