I've been transported to the orc continent.

The things the two of them had gathered were mostly dry, and they could be stored away after drying for two or three days. Bai Ling and Yue worked together to collect the things they had gathered before. There were many small baskets in the cave, filled with leaves, bark, roots and the like.

"Moon, we've already collected quite a lot. We won't go out tomorrow. I want to taste these things and stir-fry the bark and stuff."

After Bai Ling collected these things, she fed them to the sheep beast. The roots and stems of two of the plants were poisonous, and the sheep beast became lethargic after eating them. Bai Ling had already thrown away the roots, stems, and leaves of those two plants, and what remained were safe.

Bai Ling only smelled these things; she hasn't tasted them yet.

Yue nodded and said, "Okay, let's do it together. Didn't you say we were going to stir-fry it? Do we need to prepare an iron wok?"

"Let's cook it the day after tomorrow. I need to taste it first."

Yue stopped what she was doing: "Ling, although the sheep beast was fine after eating these things, you can't be careless. Eat a little bit at a time, just to taste it."

Bai Ling looked at Yue Xiao and said, "Don't worry about that, I know what I'm doing." He then looked at Yue Xiao and said, "Yue, thank you."

Yue was bending down, sorting through the grass roots they had collected. These were the roots of a perennial vine, purplish-black in color, about the thickness of a thumb, and had a faint fragrance. The two of them brought back two whole baskets full.

Hearing this, Yue raised her head, her eyes seemingly filled with confusion: "Ling, why are you thanking me?"

“Because you didn’t think I was joking,” Bai Ling pointed to the various baskets in the cave, “Yue, look at all these things I’ve gathered. They’re all inedible. Not only did you not think I was being silly, but you also gathered so many inedible things with me. Of course I have to thank you.”

The family supported Bai Ling's decision to spend time gathering many inedible things. His father, Cang, and father, Feng, both believed that Bai Ling was old enough to do whatever he wanted. This year, the family had plenty of food, and everyone could have a good rest this winter. The two sons could also do what they wanted. Bai Ling spent his days going out with Yue to gather inedible things, while Chen played wildly outside with his companions all day long. Neither Cang nor Feng said anything about it.

However, some people in the tribe didn't think so. It wasn't that they were against it, but they found it very strange. What was the point of Bai Lingcai, which couldn't be eaten? If they found staying in the tribe boring, they could go out and play with the other young orcs.

Bai Ling explained it to them, but the tribespeople still couldn't understand and remained very curious about Bai Ling collecting these things.

Yuehe's attitude towards his tribe was completely different. He wasn't curious at all about what Bai Ling was doing with these things; he completely trusted Bai Ling.

Yes, trust. Throughout these days together, Bai Ling could feel Yue's trust in her at all times.

Even when she collected things that looked completely inedible, Yue wouldn't ask a single question. Instead, she completely trusted Bai Ling and collected them with him.

This kind of trust is almost blind.

"Moon, isn't this enough for me to thank you?"

Yue stopped working and stared at Bai Ling with his icy blue eyes. He said very seriously, "Ling, you said these things can make food taste better. I believe you."

His eyes narrowed, and a smile appeared on his face: "Ling, no matter what you do, I believe in you."

"I support you too."

Yue's attitude was so serious, and her smile so natural, that Bai Ling felt as if an arrow had pierced his chest.

Bai Ling knew that she was doomed to be stuck with Yue for the rest of her life.

*

Bai Ling made a simple fire pit with stones, then lit firewood and placed the iron pot on the fire pit.

Ever since the invention of the iron pot, Bai Ling has always used it for both boiling and stir-frying. Today, she is going to stir-fry the leaves, bark, and roots she has picked, and she will also use an iron pot.

These things were already completely dry and needed to be stir-fried slowly. Bai Ling didn't dare to use a high flame, so he added a few pieces of charcoal to the fire pit. After the iron pot was hot, he put the roots of the red leaves in and stir-fried them.

The red leaves were picked by him and Yue in the snow mountain tribe. The leaves and roots of this herb have a special flavor, which is very suitable for adding when stewing meat. Bai Ling wanted to try stir-frying it. If the flavor was even better, it could not only be used for stewing meat, but also ground up as a seasoning.

Yue sat on a rock, while he tended the fire pit. The two were working together more and more seamlessly now. Bai Ling didn't need to say anything; Yue knew exactly what to do.

The roots of the red grass were thinly sliced ​​and stir-fried in a hot iron wok. Soon, a strange aroma wafted out.

The aroma was a caramelized fragrance. Bai Ling picked up a piece with a spatula, blew on it a few times, and put it in her mouth. The flavor was even stronger than before it was cooked.

Bai Ling has already decided that after it cools down, she will chop it up and use it as a seasoning. Even if she can't use it now, she will definitely be able to use it in the future.

Bai Ling stir-fried each ingredient one by one, tasting each one as he cooked it. Some tasted better and some tasted worse. He set aside the ones that tasted better and discarded the ones that tasted worse, intending to give them to the sheep beast later.

Anyway, we can't waste them. These were all collected by him and Yue with great effort, and we absolutely can't waste them.

There are now many people in the tribe, and the orcs from other tribes are also learning to cook like the orcs from the High Tree Tribe. They heard that Bai Ling has come up with something that makes the orc meat taste better, so they all come to learn from Bai Ling.

Bai Ling didn't hold back. He and Yue took the beastmen out and told them exactly which plants he had picked. The beastmen were curious as to why these inedible things made the meat taste better, but they also carefully remembered what Bai Ling said. When they returned, their baskets were full.

Bai Ling also explained how to stir-fry these things, which piqued the interest of the beastmen. They set up earthenware pots and slowly stir-fried the ingredients according to Bai Ling's instructions.

For a moment, the aroma and the smell of burnt food wafted out, only to be dispersed by the wind.

*

Bai Ling yawned and slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on an animal skin, and his body was also covered with an animal skin. The kang (heated brick bed) was already cold, but the fire wall at his feet was warm. Bai Ling moved his body further in and put his feet on the fire wall through the animal skin. Soon, a wave of heat came from his feet, and then his whole body warmed up a lot.

His younger brother, Chen, was sleeping next to him. He was still asleep, his eyes tightly closed. The seat next to him was empty; their father had already gotten up.

Inside the cave, many tribesmen began to move around. Even though they tried to keep their footsteps as quiet as possible, there were still sounds. Bai Ling closed her eyes and yawned again.