Chapter 13
“Whiskers? Is this thing made of whiskers?”
“Not whiskers, bamboo.”
“Oh, so it really is made of whiskers.”
“It’s not whiskers, Grandpa Qing! Bamboo, the bamboo that grows in the forest!”
There were only a few people in the firelit clearing, but it didn’t feel deserted at all. The elderly, women, and children sat around the fire, looking at the exquisite bamboo utensils they had never seen before, discussing them animatedly.
This wasn’t their first encounter with such containers. The tribe used to make rattan baskets, but compared to the small, simple rattan baskets that fell apart at the slightest touch, the sturdy and exquisite back baskets were simply a work of art.
The tribe members examined them over and over in the firelight, asking one question after another.
What were the back baskets and winnowing baskets for, what were they made of, and how were they made… Hong Yinglan explained to the tribe members without a break, her mouth dry from talking.
After dealing with the hard-of-hearing old man, a woman sitting beside her patted Hong Yinglan’s arm and pointed to the enormous back basket, which could fit a whole person, and said excitedly, “Girl, have you learned how to weave it yet?”
“You have to teach us when you have free time. This, this back basket is a good thing. If everyone in the gathering team takes one out, we won’t have to worry about how to carry the wild vegetables and fruits anymore!”
“That’s right!” another pale-faced girl, who had not yet recovered from her injuries, chimed in. “I’m so bored staying in the tribe all day. Although I can’t do heavy work yet, I also want to do something for the tribe. Weaving this back basket shouldn’t be difficult or strenuous, right? Can you teach us?”
Not difficult? Recalling Hua Shi’an weaving with the bamboo slats, circle after circle, Hong Yinglan couldn’t help but shiver. But their words were exactly what she had hoped for. Hong Yinglan smiled and said:
“If we let the beastmen cut and split the bamboo, and we’re only responsible for weaving, then it’s not strenuous. But weaving this is still very difficult. It requires patience and time, and you have to be skillful with your hands.”
The girl’s eyes instantly lit up. “I can’t go out now anyway, so I have plenty of time and patience. I want to learn, I want to learn! Sister Yinglan, when are you free? When can you teach us?”
“My injuries are almost healed. Count me in.”
“We can’t keep holding the tribe back. I, I want to learn too!”
It was just as the Lord Priest had said. At this critical moment of rebuilding the tribe, everyone wanted to contribute, even the injured whose wounds had not yet healed, even the elderly.
A lump formed in her throat. Hong Yinglan sniffled and forced a calm smile. “Don’t worry, everyone. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you all how to weave bamboo utensils.”
The distance wasn’t far, and Hua Shi’an heard everything from the fire clearly. He was squatting at the foot of the crooked-necked tree, fixing the bamboo door with bamboo skin. He didn’t even lift his head from beginning to end, but a faint smile played on his lips.
Taking on a little apprentice first was indeed a wise decision. Otherwise, how could he be a hands-off manager?
It was already completely dark, and the gathering team had not yet returned. With a rare bit of free time for himself, Hua Shi’an installed the bamboo door and quickly returned to the tree hollow. He used a stone knife to clean up the rotten wood and smooth the walls and ceiling.
After sweeping the residue and wood chips out of the tree hollow and re-laying the coir sheets on the ground, Hua Shi’an closed the door, turned to look at the tree hollow, and felt a little more comfortable.
But a little was just a little. The tree hollow was low and narrow, making it difficult to even stand up straight, which was inevitably a bit oppressive. And with the entrance at the foot of the tree, it didn’t get any sun, making the inside a bit damp. Finally, sleeping on what couldn’t be called a bed was really uncomfortable!
The ideal life was still far away. Hua Shi’an sat at the entrance, his chin in his hand, pondering where to start the renovations.
First, he would make a low-legged single bed out of bamboo. It wasn’t good to sleep on the ground for a long time; he might get rheumatism. The mattress could be replaced with coir sheets. If he found more and stacked several layers, it probably wouldn’t be so uncomfortable.
Speaking of coir sheets…
Hua Shi’an looked down at the increasingly shabby grass skirt he was wearing and sighed heavily.
Forget it. He would put the tree hollow aside for now and cover his behind properly first.
“The gathering team is back! They, they seem to have caught some prey!”
A cheerful shout came from outside the tree hollow. Hearing the last few words, the motionless Hua Shi’an suddenly looked up and hurriedly pushed open the door and squeezed out.
The word “prey” was like a raging fire, and the firelit clearing instantly erupted. The old and the injured supported each other as they stood up. Women held onto their jumping children, looking toward the source of the sound with anticipation and nervousness.
It had been too long since he had tasted meat. Hua Shi’an’s own cravings were stirred. He hadn’t even seen the people yet, but he was already fantasizing. Was it a wild chicken, a wild boar, or a wild ox or sheep?
Not far away, the bushes that blended into the night shook violently, and then four tall beastmen emerged. They walked side by side in pairs, their breathing heavy, clearly carrying a heavy object. Every step was exceptionally heavy.
As the distance closed, Hua Shi’an squinted and finally saw it clearly.
The plump prey was being carried belly-up by four beastmen. It wasn’t a pig, and certainly not an ox or sheep. It was a reptile with a tail longer than its body, greenish-brown, with comb-like scales—a lizard.
His brow furrowed uncontrollably, and Hua Shi’an felt his vision go dark.
But the beastmen didn’t notice his resistance. They were all immersed in the joy of the harvest, walking toward him with flushed faces. They then unloaded the enormous and slightly ferocious lizard in front of Hua Shi’an.
“Lord Priest, look, what kind of beast is this? Do you recognize it? Is it edible?” Without even catching his breath, Hong Yong pointed at the dead lizard and asked three questions in a row.
The lizard was over four meters long, comparable in size to an adult saltwater crocodile, and weighed at least four or five hundred pounds. A large, drooping dewlap, a tail with annular stripes, and a “third eye” on top of its head—although its size was enormous, it was indeed a lizard.
It was easy to identify, a male green iguana.
If it had been any other monitor lizard, he would have said it was inedible, because those things, like vultures, were scavengers. But it just had to be a green iguana, a purely vegetarian green iguana.
Looking at the expectant gazes of the tribe members, Hua Shi’an’s brow furrowed tightly, and he nodded very reluctantly. “It’s called a green iguana. It’s… edible.”
The desire for meat reached its peak at this moment. The forest, which should have been quiet with the night, erupted in deafening cheers.
“It’s edible! Did you hear that? It’s edible! Today wasn’t a waste of effort!”
“Hahahaha, it was worth all my effort!”
“Wow, that’s great, that’s great, we have meat to eat!”
“It’s been so long since I’ve had meat. See? My mouth is watering.”
“The gathering team is so amazing, catching such a big beast.”
“But this beast looks so, so strange. Can it be tasty?”
“This is meat, meat! How bad can it be?”
…
Just like the first time they found food in the Giant Tree Forest and saw hope for survival, everyone’s face was filled with excited and satisfied smiles.
Strangely, the green iguana suddenly seemed less ferocious. Hua Shi’an’s brow slowly relaxed, and he smiled along with the tribe members.
The green iguana needed to be processed before cooking. Probably too lazy to fetch water back and forth, the beastmen, each holding a leg, grunted and heaved as they carried it to the creek.
Worried that the beastmen wouldn’t handle it properly, Hua Shi’an was also preparing to go over and take a look. But before he could take a step, Chief Mu called out to him, “An, no, Lord Priest, you go back first. They also picked a lot of strange fruits today. You need to go and help identify them.”
“Then the green iguana…”
“Let the beastmen handle it.”
Recalling the “one-pot stew” of whole beasts that the original An used to eat in the tribe, Hua Shi’an didn’t hesitate and quickly added a few more instructions, “The green iguana is different from the animals in the Clear Sky Forest. Some parts are not edible. Chief, go and tell them later to remove the head, skin, and internal organs, and also to remove and discard the fat inside the body.”
Chief Mu’s hand trembled slightly, and he looked troubled. “What will be left after removing all that?”
Hua Shi’an smiled and comforted him softly, “Eat what should be eaten, and throw away what should be thrown away. Don’t be reluctant. It’s not worth it if you get sick. The beastmen are very capable. They will definitely be able to catch more wild beasts in the future.”
“Hahaha, that’s true.” That little bit of reluctance vanished. Chief Mu grinned and waved to Hua Shi’an. “I’ll go over and help first. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can eat. I wonder what that green iguana tastes like.”
The taste? He had seen people on the internet say that lizard tasted like chicken. Hua Shi’an was also curious if it was true. But the lack of seasonings was still a big problem. The original flavor of lizard meat might be overwhelmingly fishy.
The area by the fire became lively again. The sub-beastmen who had returned from their outing were busy organizing their harvest. They untied the vines and shook out the fresh purslane, and unwrapped the bulging leaf packets to reveal shelled, plump chestnuts.
It seemed they were looking for him. A short sub-beastman with a bit of baby fat on his face was looking around, holding a packet of leaves.
His eyes met Hua Shi’an’s from across the clearing, and they instantly lit up. He started calling out to Hua Shi’an from a distance, “Lord Priest! We found a new fruit today. Come and see if it’s edible.”
It was Yan Zhile, who had asked him for a name yesterday. Hua Shi’an remembered him, a very talkative and cute sub-beastman. Hua Shi’an waved to him in response and quickened his pace.
Curious onlookers and those holding leaf packets crowded around the fire. But as soon as Hua Shi’an approached, the crowd retreated, leaving a very spacious spot for him.
It wasn’t entirely out of respect for the priest, because…
Only when the “chef” got the ingredients could they have a meal.
Without being polite with the tribe members, Hua Shi’an sat down beside Yan Zhile.
“Lord Priest,” the excited little sub-beastman immediately moved the leaf packet in front of him and said as he unwrapped it, “You said some food grows in the soil, so I paid extra attention today. And guess what? I really found some!”
Ha, it’s like a comedy routine.
Hua Shi’an asked with interest, “How did you find it?”
Yan Zhile’s face showed a hint of pride, and he became more animated as he spoke, “That grass grows on the slope, in large patches, everywhere. It also grows strangely. The leaves look like they’ve been chewed by insects, full of holes. I thought it was different from other grasses, so I tried pulling one up, and sure enough, there was the kind of fruit you mentioned under the roots.”
As he finished speaking, the leaf packet was completely unwrapped. Hua Shi’an looked down and saw round fruits resembling longans. The fruits were dark brown. After brushing away the soil and taking a closer look, fine hairs were faintly visible. They looked more like miniature kiwis than longans.
Is this… stone lychee?
Hua Shi’an picked one up and examined it carefully. It was undoubtedly stone lychee.
Stone lychee, also known as sword fern, contained starch. It was slightly sweet and a bit astringent when eaten raw. When cooked, it was mealy and starchy, with a taste inferior to potatoes and chestnuts. But most importantly, it had high medicinal value, with effects such as clearing heat and benefiting the lungs, and relieving coughs and phlegm.
If they hadn’t found chestnuts, Hua Shi’an would have been very happy to see stone lychee. Unfortunately, with a gem already in hand, as a food source, stone lychee was inferior to chestnuts in every aspect, whether in size or taste.
From elation to extreme dejection, the little sub-beastman Yan Zhile seemed to have heard the answer. The anticipation in his eyes faded bit by bit, and he drooped his head listlessly, sighing softly.
Seeing his disappointed look, Hua Shi’an chuckled and patted his arm. “What’s wrong? Why are you sighing? This is a good thing.”
“A good thing?”
His little head shot up, and Yan Zhile became visibly excited. He grabbed Hua Shi’an’s hand and shook it. “Does that mean it’s edible? What’s this fruit called, Lord Priest!”
Hua Shi’an stopped keeping them in suspense and told everyone the name, taste, and use of the stone lychee one by one.
Hearing that the plant he had found could also be used for medicinal purposes, Yan Zhile was overjoyed. He danced with excitement and at the same time, boasted to the tribe members beside him, “Did you hear that? It can be eaten when you’re not feeling well, it can cure illnesses! I’m definitely number one today.”
Before the tribe members could respond, Hua Shi’an asked first, “Number one in what?”
“It’s like this, Lord Priest,” another sub-beastman explained. “We agreed today to each find an unfamiliar plant and bring it back, and then let you, Lord Priest, decide whose plant is the most useful.”
“You guys really know how to have fun,” Hua Shi’an’s interest was piqued. He put down the stone lychee and held out his hand to the others. “Come on, where are the plants you found? Let me see.”
As he finished speaking, four or five sub-beastmen swarmed forward, each handing over their leaf packet.
The first, the second, two in a row were unknown weeds. Judge Hua was inevitably a bit disappointed. Just as he thought Yan Zhile was about to win without any suspense, the third leaf packet was opened, and a pale yellow, rough-skinned “root” was revealed.
With one glance, Hua Shi’an’s hand holding the leaf trembled slightly. The first place was decisively changed. No need to look closely. This strong spicy smell, this familiar shape, this was an essential kitchen seasoning—ginger!
