I've been transported to the orc continent.

Bai Ling plans to use half of the sweet grass she brought back to make sugar.

Peel the outer skin of the sweet grass and cut it into small pieces. Squeeze out the juice of the sweet grass with a stone. Add water to the remaining residue and put it in a small earthenware pot to start cooking.

The juice squeezed from the sweet grass was being simmered in another small earthenware pot. Both pots were being stirred while cooking. Bai Ling and Yue sat on a stone, each holding a wooden stick and stirring.

Chen sat on another rock, his eyes shining as he stared at the two small earthenware pots, practically drooling.

Chen ate one of the sweet grasses that Bai Ling brought back. He wanted to eat the rest, but his brother wouldn't let him, saying that he wanted to use the sweet grasses to make a new kind of food.

Upon hearing that her older brother was going to use sweet grass to make a new food, Chen immediately put aside her dissatisfaction and followed Bai Ling around busily, just to eat that new food as soon as possible.

Chen, holding a piece of firewood, asked, "Brother, do you need more firewood?"

Bai Ling shook her head: "This can't be cooked over high heat; it needs to be simmered slowly over low heat."

Chen asked again, "Brother, what's this new food called? Is it good?"

Bai Ling: "The food we make is called sugar. Sugar is sweet, even sweeter than sweet grass."

Chen's face immediately lit up with anticipation. He really loved sweet grass, and that food even sweeter than sweet grass must be incredibly delicious.

Chen smiled expectantly: "Brother, can you make more candy in the future?"

As Yue slowly stirred the sugar water in the small earthenware pot, she said, "Making sugar requires sweet grass, but even the Snow Mountain Tribe has very little sweet grass, so it's impossible to make too much sugar."

Bai Ling's mind suddenly stirred. He remembered something, then patted his head and said, "Look at my brain, how could I forget about maltose?"

"Moon, Morning, besides boiling sugar with sweet grass, we can also make maltose. In that world, people make maltose with wheat and glutinous rice. I don't have glutinous rice on hand, but sorghum can be used instead. I'll try making it when it's almost New Year's and see if I can make maltose."

Chen listened attentively, and after Bai Ling finished speaking, he asked, "Brother, is Mai Zi the one who made noodles for me?"

Bai Ling nodded.

Chen's smile widened: "Brother, next year I want to plant with you, plant lots and lots of wheat, so we can make lots of candy to eat."

*

When the sugar syrup in the small earthenware pot has been boiled until it can be easily broken with a wooden stick, it can be poured into an earthenware basin. After the syrup has cooled slightly, it is cut open with a dagger and then picked out and placed in a clean, larger earthenware basin to cool.

While Bai Ling was doing these things, Chen watched eagerly from the side. When Bai Ling said it was time to eat, Chen immediately grabbed a piece.

Bai Ling used his dagger to pick up a piece of candy and handed it to Yue: "Yue, try it and see if it's good."

Yuewei glanced up at Bai Ling before picking up the candy with two fingers and slowly putting it in her mouth.

The rich sweetness immediately filled her mouth. This candy was really sweet, much sweeter than sweet grass. Yue's eyes widened first, then narrowed slightly.

Chen's expression was even more exaggerated than Yue's. His eyes widened, filled with surprise and excitement: "Brother, this is really delicious."

Because he had a candy in his mouth, Chen's speech was not very clear.

Bai Ling also ate a piece. In his opinion, the candy made from sweet grass wasn't very sweet, but it had a faint, refreshing plant fragrance, so the taste was quite good.

Bai Ling chewed twice, swallowed the candy in his mouth, and then picked up another candy from a ceramic bowl.

This is made by boiling the residue left after juicing sweet grass with water. The sweetness is already very weak, and the texture is a bit rough. However, it can still be eaten as a snack.

Bai Ling offered half of the candy to Yue, but Yue refused to accept it. Bai Ling then said, "Yue, don't be so quick to refuse. I need your help with something."

Yue looked up at Bai Ling, a hint of expectation in his eyes that he himself didn't realize: "Ling, what do you need my help with?"

Bai Ling smiled and said, "Yue, you know that my body is a bit weaker than other orcs. I want to take advantage of this winter to train properly. Can you train with me?"

"I'd like to find some useful things in the tribe. You know I rarely leave the tribe before, and I'm not familiar with the tribe's territory at all. I need someone to accompany me when I'm looking for things. Yue, can you come with me?"

Yue pretended to think for a moment, then said, "Ling, I can help you."

Bai Ling's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Alright, consider these candies as payment." Bai Ling stuffed the candies wrapped in leaves into Yue's hand: "Yue, please don't refuse, otherwise I'll feel bad troubling you."

"Moon, it's settled then. We'll help out in the ironworks for a few days, then we'll go out and collect materials."

The tribesmen are already able to forge ironware, but they still need Bai Ling's guidance. Bai Ling also wants to make some ironware such as scissors, saws, and nails, so he will stay in the ironworks for a few more days.

Yue nodded: "Okay, then it's settled."

*

In winter, there's no need to go out hunting or gathering. The beastmen are also quite active. Recently, many beastmen have been going to the riverbank to collect iron ore. The ironworks are clanging and banging all day long, and the tribesmen are lining up to have ironware made.

Bai Ling's family has enough ironware for now. His father, Feng, and father, Cang, recently gathered a lot of wild grass, intending to weave some grass ropes and grass mats.

Bai Ling and her younger brother Chen, carrying baskets on their backs, found their father and uncle working in a corner of the square. Uncle Lin and his partner Qu were also there. The four of them sat in a pile of hay, their hands busy.

Bai Ling walked over, put down the basket on her back, and said with a smile, "Father, Father, Uncle, Little Uncle, please rest for a while. Chen and I made some delicious candy. Please try some."

Chen laughed happily: "Father, this candy is delicious. It's made from sweet grass."

As he spoke, he stuffed a piece of candy into Feng's mouth, then said triumphantly, "Father, I told you this was delicious."

Bai Ling also shared a piece of candy with her father, uncle, and great-uncle. They all stopped what they were doing and slowly savored the sweetness in their mouths.

Orcs actually have a sweet tooth and will look for any sweetness they can get their hands on. However, because all-natural desserts are hard to find, sweets have always been very precious among orcs.

Take Sweet Grass for example. Bai Ling used four pieces of jewelry to exchange for Sweet Grass. These pieces of jewelry could have been exchanged for at least four baskets of dried, high-quality meat, but she only got a small half basket of Sweet Grass in return.

At every Chada Conference, the Snow Mountain Tribe's Sweet Grass is the most sought-after item. Adults even have to bring their young children to exchange for it, and if you arrive late, you can't get any at all.