I've been transported to the orc continent.

Bai Ling waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's take it one step at a time. If we can't bring these persimmons back, we'll just give them to someone else."

Yue blinked and asked, "Ling, is that dried persimmon you mentioned delicious?"

His eyes were bright, hoping to get a positive answer from Bai Ling.

Bai Ling smiled and said, "Yes, it's delicious. After the persimmons are dried, there will be a thin layer of frost on the surface. That's because the sugar in the persimmons has been released during the drying process. The astringent taste in the persimmons is also gone. Besides being sweet and soft, there's no other flavor."

Bai Ling wanted to describe the texture of the persimmon cake in detail, but considering that Yue hadn't eaten so many delicious things, he thought for a moment and said, "It's like the soft and glutinous texture of a steamed melon, plus the sweet juice of a sweetworm."

Yue's eyes brightened even more: "Tomorrow we'll go pick some red berries and have Grandpa dry some persimmons so we can eat them in winter."

Bai Ling pointed to the mountain of red persimmons beside her and laughed, "No need to pick them. I don't know what to do with so many persimmons. Yue, you can take some back with you."

Yue felt embarrassed: "This is so inappropriate, it was given to you by someone else."

"Aren't we friends?" Bai Ling said with a smile. "If we're friends, what's wrong with giving you the things I can't eat or take with me?"

Bai Ling's words convinced Yue, and the two of them, each carrying a basket on their backs, went to Yue's grandfather's house. As soon as the two old people saw Bai Ling and Yue bringing red fruits, they knew why.

It must be because my grandson wanted to eat those dried persimmons. Not only did he not keep the red fruit he sent, he also brought back an extra basket of them.

The two elderly people greeted Bai Ling and invited her to stay for dinner.

The Great River Tribe arranged for orcs to deliver food to Bai Ling, but Bai Ling couldn't accept their cooking skills. So, Li had someone deliver animal meat, wild vegetables, and fruits to Bai Ling, so that Bai Ling could cook whatever he wanted to eat.

The clansmen who came with Bai Ling also invited him to their relatives' homes for meals, but Bai Ling declined them all.

Just then, Yue's great-uncle invited Bai Ling to have dinner at his house. Bai Ling waved her hand, about to refuse, but Yue stopped her: "Ling, you can eat at Grandpa's house. Grandpa made stewed meat and melon pancakes today. They taste very good."

Yue's great-uncle laughed and said, "Yue, you haven't even eaten yet, how do you know that my cooking tastes good?"

Yue said matter-of-factly, "I can smell it."

Bai Ling was naturally willing to spend more time with Yue. Although he wasn't particularly eloquent, his experience of living two lives still made Yue's grandfather and great-uncle laugh heartily.

*

The territory of the Dahe tribe is very large, and there is a small stream not far from the tribe.

The streamside was lush with vegetation. Bai Ling, Yue, and Yue's great-grandfather each carried a basket on their backs and searched slowly in the grass with their heads down.

They came out to find wild vegetables they had never seen before. The three of them did not pick the common wild vegetables. After walking for most of the day, they did not find any special wild vegetables, but they did pick some wild fruits.

The three of them didn't go back at noon. They simply ate some dried meat and fruit and drank some water from the stream.

Orcs are physically strong, and even at home they don't have the concept of drinking hot water; they drink raw water. Bai Ling wanted to bring some hot water with him, but he hadn't found suitable materials to make a water pouch yet.

After eating something, they continued walking forward. Ahead was a reed marsh, the reeds so tall they could completely submerge Bai Ling. Birds flew around in the air above the wetlands, all of which were species that Bai Ling did not recognize.

Bai Ling wasn't very familiar with this place, so he didn't dare to go any further and started exploring the edge of the wetland.

Yue put down the basket on her back, walked barefoot over, and went into the water.

As Yue moved, ripples spread from his legs. Bai Ling called him back, and Yue turned around and smiled, "It's alright, I'm very familiar with this place. Every time I come to stay at Grandpa's house, I come here to look for bird eggs." The reeds around swayed gently in the wind, as if echoing Yue's words, or as if welcoming a friend from afar.

Yue's great-uncle also laughed and said, "Let him go. This child loves to eat bird eggs. Every time he comes to the tribe, he has to go find a few bird eggs."

Yue stepped into the reeds, while Bai Ling and Yue's great-uncle continued searching for wild vegetables by the water.

Because it was right next to the reeds, there were plenty of wild vegetables here. Bai Ling spotted some wild onions, so he quickly took out his bone knife and started digging them up.

Grandpa Yue also knew that this was a good thing, and that adding some when cooking meat would make it taste better, so he started digging for wild onions with a bone knife.

Bai Ling casually tossed aside the wild onions he had dug up. There were quite a few wild onions here, clump after clump. Bai Ling became more and more enthusiastic as he dug, not even noticing the commotion behind him.

Yue returned with several bird eggs in his hands. Seeing Bai Ling and his grandfather digging for scallions, he put the bird eggs aside and started digging for scallions as well.

Although scallions don't taste good, they are perfect for cooking, especially when making fish soup. Sprinkling a handful of chopped scallions on top can make the fish soup taste even better.

The three of them each dug up more than half a basket of wild scallions. Yue casually grabbed a plant next to her and pulled it. This plant looked similar to reeds, with only stems and no branches. The leaves grew directly on the stems, and there were clumps of it everywhere.

Yue was strong; even with a casual tug, she managed to pull out the roots of the plant. Bai Ling, who had been watching Yue's movements, immediately shouted, "Yue, don't move!"

*

Yue raised her head, her ice-blue eyes wide open, filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Before he could say anything, Bai Ling grabbed his arm: "Yue, we found Jiang."

His expression was so full of surprise, his eyes practically sparkling. Yue, who was being stared at by him, suddenly felt embarrassed, and her heart started beating a little fast.

Yue turned her head, her tone not as clear as usual, but with a hint of imperceptible panic: "Ling, let me go first."

Bai Ling then realized what was happening. He quickly let go of Yue's hand and apologized repeatedly, "Yue, I'm so sorry, I was just too happy."

"Yue, we found ginger! This is ginger, ginger that is absolutely essential for cooking."

Yue's great-uncle also pulled up a weed that looked exactly like the one his grandson was holding and asked, "Is this it?"

Bai Ling nodded emphatically: "That's it."

There were a few ginger plants not far from Bai Ling. He walked over and pulled one up. When he saw some whitish ginger under the grass, Bai Ling was so happy that he almost kissed the ginger.

Seeing Bai Ling so happy, Yue knew it must be something good. He stood up, walked to Bai Ling's side, and asked, "Ling, how should we eat this ginger?"

Bai Ling said, "Ginger, like scallions, is a seasoning ingredient. In that world, scallions, ginger, and garlic are indispensable for cooking."

"Moreover, ginger can be boiled into ginger water. Drinking a bowl of it in winter will warm you up."