Chapter 54
After two days of weaving day and night, Hua Shi’an’s coir shirt was finally finished.
He tucked in the loose ends and took off the bamboo needle. Hua Shi’an pulled the coir shirt over his head and straightened it out. Finally, his chest and back, which had been suffering with him, were wrapped in the coir shirt and gradually warmed up. His cold belly was also covered.
Unfortunately, there were no sleeves, so his arms were still exposed to the cold.
This was not entirely a technical problem. If Hua Shi’an had wanted to, he could have pieced together a pair of sleeves. But the coir thread made from coir fibers was always a bit lacking in flexibility. A stiff sleeve on his arm would make it difficult to work.
With limited materials, he could only make do. Next year, he would go to the forest to look for more suitable materials, such as ramie or flax.
“Shi’an, Shi’an, it’s getting late.”
A rustling sound came from the entrance of the hollow, followed by a familiar call.
Hua Shi’an replied, “Coming.” He slid off the bamboo bed, stuffed the bamboo needle and ball of thread under the table, and walked unhurriedly to the entrance, pushing open the bamboo door.
It was almost evening. The sky was hazy, and the sunless forest was cold and gloomy, shrouded in a thick layer of mist. The chilly wind and the gloomy atmosphere made people feel oppressed. The world was a gray, and the beastman standing in front of the entrance of the hollow became the only color of the harsh winter.
“Shi’an.”
Seeing the bamboo door open, Mo Huaishan quickly came forward and, as if presenting a treasure, held out his hands to Hua Shi’an, saying with a smile, “I was bored, so I polished some bones in the tree hollow. See if you can use them.”
There were four things in the beastman’s hands: a sharp and thin bone knife made from a diagonally polished sheep’s leg bone; a small bone from an unknown part, split in half and polished into a sharp-tipped bone awl; and two bone needles, thinner than coir thread, longer than a middle finger, sharp at one end and flat at the other.
Hua Shi’an was amazed. He picked up a bone needle and looked at it over and over, then looked at Mo Huaishan with a happy expression. “Did you polish all of these? Your craftsmanship is not bad. How did you polish this bone needle so thin? And this bone knife, it’s so light and sharp. It must be better than a stone knife for cutting meat and vegetables.”
He was a little embarrassed by the praise. Mo Huaishan pursed his lips and chuckled. “I just, I just split a piece of bone, pressed it on a stone, and polished it repeatedly. It slowly became smaller and sharper.”
“Not bad, not bad. They’re all useful.” Hua Shi’an praised him unstintingly, playing with the bone needle with great fondness, and then cheekily asked, “Especially this bone needle. I can use it. Can you give me one?”
Mo Huaishan was slightly taken aback. “N-No—”
“Not even one bone needle?” Hua Shi’an’s eyes widened in disbelief.
That’s not what I meant!
The beastman wanted to explain, but the more anxious he was, the more he couldn’t speak. In the end, he simply grabbed Hua Shi’an’s hand and stuffed all the bone tools he had painstakingly polished into his hand, stammering, “N-No need to share. They’re all yours. They’re, they’re for you, Shi’an.”
“All for me?” Hua Shi’an raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably lifting. “Polishing bone tools is a lot of work. It takes a lot of time and patience. You worked so hard to polish them. You’re not keeping any for yourself and giving them all to me?”
Mo Huaishan nodded quickly, and for fear that Hua Shi’an would not accept them, he quickly explained, “I polished them for you in the first place. I have a stone knife, which is enough. There are still bones in the tree hollow. I can polish more if I need them.”
“Thank you, Huaishan. Then I won’t be polite.”
Hua Shi’an no longer refused and thanked him with a smile. He then put the bone awl and bone needles back in the tree hollow.
The konjac tubers that had been brought back from the warehouse were still piled at the foot of the tree. After coming out of the tree hollow again, Hua Shi’an immediately got busy with Mo Huaishan, starting a fire to boil water and peeling the konjac.
The mud-covered konjac tubers were dark reddish-brown and pitted, and they really didn’t look delicious. But with one thick slice, the brown skin was removed, and the milky white flesh was exposed to the air.
The flesh looked very similar to taro, as if it would become soft and mealy when cooked. But unfortunately, konjac could not be eaten directly and had to be processed repeatedly.
The new bone knife was very handy, and peeling was quick and clean. But after peeling only four or five konjac, Hua Shi’an’s left hand, which had been in direct contact with the konjac, underwent a subtle change. A fine itch spread from his palm to his fingers.
Konjac contains a large amount of calcium oxalate needle crystals, and direct contact with the skin can cause redness and itching. Hua Shi’an had expected this, but he hadn’t expected it to come so quickly and so intensely.
After peeling another konjac, the slight itch had developed to an unbearable degree, like ten thousand ants crawling through his skin, gnawing at the flesh of his palm, making Hua Shi’an’s heart itch with frustration.
He couldn’t take it anymore. Hua Shi’an threw down the small knife and quickly ran to the large stone pot, scooping water and rubbing his hands frantically. But unfortunately, he was a step too late. Even after washing between his fingers and under his nails, the bone-deep itch did not subside.
This is too unbearable.
Hua Shi’an rubbed his palm against his coir skirt repeatedly, which only brought a little relief.
“What’s wrong, Shi’an?”
Seeing his strange movements, the beastman threw down his stone knife and hurried forward, his brow furrowed with deep worry. “Did you cut your hand? Let me see.”
“No, I didn’t cut it. It’s the konjac biting my hand. It’s itchy.” Hua Shi’an’s brow furrowed, and he rubbed and scratched, trying his best to relieve the itch in his palm.
Mo Huaishan was stunned for a moment. He looked back at the konjac, then at Hua Shi’an’s hand, his eyes filled with disbelief. “The konjac bit, bit your hand? Let me see your hand. Is the wound big?”
The idea of a plant biting a person was clearly beyond his understanding, but he unconditionally believed Hua Shi’an’s words.
Hua Shi’an was amused by his dazed expression and explained gently, “It’s not a real bite. Konjac has a special component. When you peel it and your hand comes into direct contact with it, it will become very itchy. It’s also called biting your hand.”
“Look, there’s no wound. It’s just a little red.”
Hua Shi’an endured the discomfort and held out his left hand for him to see.
Now he understood. Mo Huaishan looked at Hua Shi’an’s slightly reddened palm, then held out his own right hand and brought it to his face. “I also touched the konjac. I’m not itchy.”
Hua Shi’an glanced at it. Goodness, his palm and fingers were covered in a thick layer of calluses. It would be strange if he were itchy. Hua Shi’an gave a dry laugh and said, “Maybe… everyone’s constitution is different.”
This was also true, but he couldn’t make himself seem too weak by saying it specifically.
Seeing Hua Shi’an constantly scratching his palm, Mo Huaishan’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter, his expression becoming more and more solemn. “Then what do we do? Will it always be itchy? Will it be better if you soak it in water? Why don’t I, I help you scratch it.”
He didn’t mind the beastman helping him scratch, but business was important. Hua Shi’an suppressed his messy thoughts and looked up at the beastman with a smile. “It’s okay, don’t mind me. It will stop itching in a while. It’s getting dark soon. We should hurry up and process the konjac.”
Hearing this, Mo Huaishan turned and ran.
“Don’t touch it. I’ll peel it. I have a good constitution. I won’t get itchy.”
In the time it took to say that, the beastman had sat back down at the foot of the tree and was peeling the konjac even more nimbly and quickly.
Coincidentally, the water in the stone pot had also boiled. Hua Shi’an left the konjac to him.
To neutralize the alkaloids in the konjac and remove its toxicity, the all-purpose plant ash was indispensable. His own small stove had only been lit for a few days, so there wasn’t enough plant ash. When the itch in his hands had gradually subsided, Hua Shi’an took a coir sheet and went to the camp, bringing back three large bags.
There was a lot of konjac, and there weren’t enough containers. Hua Shi’an put down the plant ash, ran back and moved a small stone pot, and then called the beastman to help him move the other large stone pot over.
Everything was ready. Now they could finally begin.
He cleaned the plant ash a little, removing impurities and unburnt withered branches, and poured it into the stone pot. He then poured the boiling water into the pot and used a bamboo sliver to stir the plant ash, scalding it inside and out.
There was no need to soak it for a long time. After stirring it evenly and letting it sit for a short while, he could start filtering. Hua Shi’an spread a cleaned coir sheet on the small stone pot with boiling water, scooped up the plant ash water, and filtered it bit by bit.
He poured it back and forth between the two small stone pots, filtering it a full five times. The plant ash water was still turbid, but there was no longer a trace of impurities.
At the same time, the beastman had also finished peeling the konjac. He put the konjac in a back basket, carried it to the river to wash it clean, and then, under Hua Shi’an’s direction, used a stone knife to cut the large pieces of konjac into small pieces.
The konjac had to be made into a paste, which a stone knife certainly couldn’t do. So Hua Shi’an ran back to the camp and brought back the wooden stick from the roasted whole lamb the other day. He then used a stone knife to sharpen one end into a round arc, making a simple wooden pestle.
He poured the cut konjac into the large stone pot. Hua Shi’an raised the pestle and started pounding.
A sub-beastman’s stamina was always a bit lacking. After pounding for a short while, Hua Shi’an was tired and sweating. Fortunately, Mo Huaishan had finished cutting the konjac. He washed his hands, took the wooden pestle from his hands, and started pounding with his head down.
During the pounding process, he added the plant ash water in small amounts and multiple times so that it would be more fully incorporated.
The dull thudding sound echoed in the forest for a long time. The sky above gradually darkened. The konjac in the stone pot, after thousands of poundings, had turned into a sticky, grayish konjac paste, much like a pot of glue.
It was basically done. Finally, he flattened the konjac paste and let it sit in the pot.
The wooden pestle, stone pot, and coir sheets still needed to be washed. The two of them ran to the river a few more times, cleaned up the mess, and rested with their backs against a large tree.
The skin was peeled by the beastman, the cutting was also done by the beastman, and the pounding was also done by the beastman. Hua Shi’an had just done some odd jobs and used his mouth. Resting was superfluous. Of course, his body was resting, but his mouth was never idle, busy answering the beastman’s questions.
For example, why the konjac had to be pounded into a paste, why the plant ash water had to be added…
The konjac needed time to solidify. After sitting at the foot of the tree for a while, Hua Shi’an, who was not very tired to begin with, patted his coir skirt and stood up, starting to prepare dinner.
Eating meat every meal was not realistic. For dinner, they would have something simple: potatoes boiled in clear water.
He picked some small potatoes and washed them. There was no need to peel them. He just put them in the pot to boil. After they were soft, he took them out and drained them. After they had cooled down a little, they could be eaten, peeling them as they ate.
The original flavor of the potatoes was a bit bland. For this reason, Hua Shi’an prepared two dipping sauces. One was a salty dip made from roasted and mashed tree tomatoes, with chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and salt. The other was something Hua Shi’an couldn’t accept—a blueberry honey jam dip.
Dipping potatoes in jam made Hua Shi’an frown, but the beastman ate it with relish, praising it endlessly, saying that the soft potatoes and blueberry jam were a perfect match.
Probably the taste of a small cake? Hua Shi’an did not have the courage to try.
After eating and drinking his fill, he rested in the tree hollow.
He didn’t know how long had passed. Anyway, Hua Shi’an was leaning against the bamboo bed and was about to doze off when a joyful cry came from outside the tree hollow, “Shi’an, Shi’an, come out and see! The konjac in the pot has solidified! It’s become a whole piece!”
Waving goodbye to the Duke of Zhou, Hua Shi’an quickly stood up, yawned, and squeezed out of the tree hollow, rushing to the stone pot under the night sky.
The coir sheet that had been covering the stone pot to block the dust had been removed. As the beastman had said, the sticky “glue” in the stone pot had completely solidified, becoming a complete, large piece, like jelly or tofu. It would even bounce back when you patted it, duang duang.
“Did it succeed? Can we eat it now?”
Seeing that Hua Shi’an hadn’t spoken for a long time, Mo Huaishan couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s done, but we can’t eat it yet.” Hua Shi’an picked up a bone knife from the stone slab beside him and, with a few swift cuts, he cut the complete konjac into fist-sized small pieces.
A full pot, at least several dozen pounds. He would be busy tonight.
Hua Shi’an put down the bone knife and shrugged helplessly at the beastman. “Start a fire and boil some water. We have to cook it before we can eat it.”
The beastman was very obedient and immediately walked to the small stove.
But after picking up the dry wood, he seemed to have thought of something. He turned to look at Hua Shi’an and smiled, pursing his lips. “Shi’an, what’s the name of this dish we’re making?”
Hua Shi’an said without thinking, “Konjac tofu.”
