I've been transported to the orc continent.

Hot pot is very easy to eat.

First, pour the bone broth into the pot, then add scallions, ginger, and several spices, along with the base ingredients stir-fried by Bai Ling. Once the bone broth boils, add fish balls, meatballs, sausages, smoked meat, dried vegetables, and so on.

Bai Ling explained the hot pot cooking method to the tribespeople. Cai, who was in charge of cooking, smiled and said, "Okay, I understand. This method is very simple, similar to cooking meat. You should all go back and eat now; you've all been busy all day."

Bai Ling had been busy with the young people in the tribe since morning, and they hadn't even had a proper lunch. They must be tired and hungry now, so let's hurry up and have some hot pot.

Smelling the fragrant aroma of the bone broth, she smiled and waved her hand as if to shoo people away: "You should leave now, don't get in the way."

Bai Ling and the young orc waved to Cai and the others, then turned and walked toward another cave.

The young beastmen roared and howled, and some of the more impatient ones even started jogging, ignoring the snow on the road.

Bai Ling and Yue walked side by side, not very fast, but rather rather slowly, and ended up at the back of the group.

Winter always brings darkness quickly. When they arrived, the sun was just peeking out, but by the time they turned back, the sun had completely set, and the sky had turned from blue to grayish-blue.

Whether it was the distant mountains or the nearby rocks, a thick layer of snow had accumulated, and the white snow still shone brightly against the gray-blue sky.

Looking at the distant mountains and snow, Yue suddenly whispered, "Ling, my birthday is just before spring arrives."

Bai Ling turned her head to the side, and even in the twilight, she could still see Yue's expression clearly. Yue seemed to be smiling, as if she had remembered something.

“When I was born, spring was just around the corner. My father said that year was particularly cold, and spring arrived just a few days after I was born.”

“I was born at night. My father said that the moon was particularly big that day, and the moonlight made me look especially beautiful, so he named me Yue (Moon).

Bai Ling thought to herself: Yue, this name really matches the temperament of the moon.

Yue turned his head, and his gaze met Bai Ling's in mid-air. Because they were so close, Bai Ling could even see the expectation and longing in Yue's eyes.

“Ling, when we went out hunting today, Chen was bragging to us that you made noodles for his birthday,” Yue’s voice was very soft. There were tribesmen not far in front of them, and Yue didn’t want them to hear what he was saying, so he kept his voice very low.

"Ling," Yue Bing's blue eyes looked at Bai Ling, clear and transparent yet seemingly containing a gentle, watery light, "Are the noodles really that delicious?"

Bai Ling, stared at by Yue, had no idea where he was, what he was doing, or even his own name. All he could do was mechanically nod and say, "Delicious."

Yue then asked, "Then, on my birthday, could Ling make me a bowl of noodles?"

"can."

Yue's eyes curved into crescents, her gaze carrying a hint of smugness and cunning: "Ling, it's settled then. You have to make noodles for me on my birthday."

He could barely hide the smile on his lips, and before Bai Ling could say anything, Yue had already strode forward.

As they approached the cave entrance, a cold wind blew in from somewhere, finally bringing Bai Ling's feverish mind back to normal.

His grin widened to a crescent moon shape. It turned out Yue wanted a bowl of birthday noodles. Of course, he would make it for her. Not only would he make it, he would also find a way to make the most delicious one.

*

Bai Ling walked at the back of the group. He didn't immediately return to the cave where he cooked hot pot. Instead, he turned a corner and went to the cave where he kept his own things.

Because of the delay, Bai Ling returned a little later. By now, it was already dark, and only the firelight coming from inside the cave illuminated a small area at the cave entrance.

Several clansmen stood at the cave entrance, looking around. When they saw Bai Ling approaching, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

Yue and Chen came to greet them. Yue's tone was a little anxious: "Ling, what have you been doing? I was just about to come look for you."

Chen's eyes lit up as he stared at the earthenware jar Bai Ling was holding: "Brother, bring the wine!"

His tone even shifted slightly, indicating he was genuinely overjoyed.

Wine is as precious as sweet grass, or even more precious than sweet grass. At least you can harvest a roughly equal amount of sweet grass every year, but wine is not so guaranteed.

According to the people of the Greenwood Tribe, they don't know how the wine is made. How much wine they receive each year depends entirely on the weather. Sometimes they can get a large vat, sometimes only a small jar, and sometimes they don't receive a single drop of wine all year.

The wine was delicious, but very precious, and extremely sought after. Ordinary orcs couldn't get any wine because the tribe had already traded it all for.

At the annual Chada Conference, neighboring tribes would bring out their best items to exchange for alcohol from the Greenwood Tribe. The alcohol obtained in exchange would become the tribe's public property, and the tribe would only bring out the alcohol to celebrate the New Year or when something particularly important happened in the tribe.

This year, Bai Ling discovered a way to eat the large root grass, and Chief Zhan really wanted to bring out some wine to celebrate. Unfortunately, the Green Wood Tribe did not exchange wine at this year's Chada Conference, so Zhan had to give up his idea.

Later, Bai Ling built a kang (heated brick bed), and the Greenwood Tribe sent the old and young to the Tall Tree Tribe to spend the winter. Among the gifts sent by the Greenwood Tribe were two jars of wine. The chief gave one jar to Bai Ling. Today, Bai Ling was having hot pot with the young members of the tribe, so he took the wine.

How can you eat hot pot without a drink? This low-alcohol fruit wine is just right.

When Bai Ling brought a jar of wine, the young tribesmen cheered. Before Bai Ling could say anything, several tribesmen ran out like the wind. They were going to get bowls from the tribe. Right now, there were only bowls for eating hot pot in this cave, not bowls for drinking wine. They had to hurry and get some.

Several more clansmen ran out, while the rest of the clansmen surrounded Bai Ling, staring longingly at the pottery jar in Bai Ling's hand.

Bai Ling laughed and said, "Everyone can get some, but it's agreed that each person can only get a little bit, no more."

All the fire pits in the cave were lit, but only one fire pit had an iron pot on it, with bone broth bubbling inside. Bai Ling waved his hand and said, "Alright, you can put everything in now."

The orcs surrounding the iron pot immediately put the food they had into it.

The ingredients they use for hot pot are all very easy to cook. The fish balls are semi-cooked and just need to be cooked in the bone broth. The sausages and smoked meats are cooked and float to the surface in no time. All kinds of dried vegetables are also easy to cook. Thin slices of meat can be eaten after a quick dip in the broth. Some of the dried vegetables can even be eaten raw.