I've been transported to the orc continent.

The cubs are all very cute, with big, round, and clear eyes, and soft, fluffy fur. All the cubs have mastered a trick: they look at you with big, wet eyes, which makes you soften your heart and unable to say no. You will only want to fulfill the cubs' requests.

Bai Ling is also very curious about why the cub is making noise, but he really can't understand what the cub is saying.

Bai Ling casually grabbed a baby long-tailed rabbit and pinched its long ears: "Why are you all surrounding me? Is there something you need?"

The long-tailed rabbit cub opened its round eyes, placed its two front paws on its chest, swayed slightly, and squeaked several times.

Bai Ling couldn't understand it at all, so he rubbed the cub's ears and put it back.

A tribesman behind them laughed and said, "Ling, they came to you because they want food. They really liked the hot pot you made yesterday and are asking when you're going to make it again."

So that's what it was about. Bai Ling pinched the rabbit's long ears again and said with a smile, "I'll make something delicious for the New Year. You should all go back and ask your parents when the New Year is."

One of the children, who hadn't yet transformed into their beast form, called out loudly from behind Bai Ling, "Really?"

Bai Ling started getting dressed: "Of course it's true."

The children cheered, and with a shout, the cubs scattered from Bai Ling's side.

Bai Ling understood everything now. The children and cubs wanted to eat something delicious, but they were afraid that Bai Ling would refuse, so they transformed into their beast forms to ask Bai Ling.

*

Bai Ling and Yue brushed their teeth and washed their faces together. Bai Ling told Yue about how she had been surrounded by the cubs that morning. Yue replied, "Yes, the children who sleep with us also discussed it. All the tribe members are waiting for you to cook something delicious again."

The cave was divided in the middle by a fire wall. Females slept on one side and males on the other. The older children were separated by gender, while the younger children either slept with their fathers or their fathers.

Bai Ling hadn't expected his hot pot to be so popular with the tribespeople. He had already washed his face and leaned closer, saying, "Yue, what do you like to eat? I'll make it for you during the New Year."

Yue whispered, "Anything is fine. Ling, you cook so well, I'm willing to eat anything you make."

When the moon was in full bloom, her earlobes turned a subtle red. Bai Ling felt a little itchy and wanted to reach out and pinch her pale red earlobes, but he held back in the end.

Orcs are generally cheerful and outgoing, and there aren't many rules between males and females. However, intimate things like pinching ears can't be done casually; only males and females who have established a relationship can do it.

Bai Ling stopped the thought in her mind: "Then I need to think about it carefully. What delicious food should I make for the New Year? I'll tell the clan leader and start preparing two or three days in advance."

Yue nodded: "The New Year is just around the corner. Let's tidy up what we have on hand, get everything done, and then we can start preparing for the New Year."

Bai Ling really liked hearing Yue say "we," because it made Bai Ling feel that the two of them had some kind of unbreakable, substantial connection.

It was as if they were no longer just clansmen, no longer just friends, and no longer just good friends, but had a more important and solid relationship.

“Yes, we need to make a stone mill,” Bai Ling said. “With a stone mill, it will be much easier to grind grains. I’ll make some snacks for you and your father.”

Yue didn't know what desserts were, but that didn't stop him from squinting his eyes: "Hmm."

*

Making a stone mill is not complicated, but it takes a lot of time. In the orc world, there are no electric milling tools, and the tools are not complete. They can only rely on their hands to use chisels to polish it little by little.

Fortunately, Bai Ling had plenty of time. He also asked other family members to help him find the stone. His father, his younger brother, and his uncle Lin all came to help.

The snow in the tribe was already thick. Bai Ling had forgotten to prepare stones in advance. To find stones, he had to sweep away the snow on the ground. Fortunately, his father was very familiar with the tribe. After Bai Ling explained his request, his father led him to a hillside.

Father Cang pointed to the hillside and said, "Ling, the stone you want is over here."

Bai Ling wanted a rock that she could hug with both hands, that was relatively hard, and that didn't easily shed stone dust. The rocks on this hillside met her requirements.

Bai Ling took a broom made of tree branches and began to sweep the snow. The whole family worked together and soon cleared a large open space.

Just as Cang said, most of the stones on this hillside are bluestone, which is quite hard. They vary in size, with the larger ones being more than a person's height and the smaller ones being about half an arm's length.

Bai Ling carefully selected several stones. Once Bai Ling had chosen the stones, the group began to move, pushing the stones towards the tribe.

Orcs are very strong, and going uphill and downhill along the way is not too strenuous for them. Lin even complained that it was too slow and wanted to carry the stones to walk faster.

They rolled the stones into the ironworks, where the furnace fire never went out, making it very warm. Work that was inconvenient to do in the caves they lived in would be done in the ironworks.

Bai Ling and his family rolled stones in. The clansmen who didn't work as blacksmiths all put down their work and began to ask what they were doing.

Bai Ling said, "We need to make a stone mill."

"What is the stone mill for?" a member of the tribe asked.

As Bai Ling pushed the stone into the corner, she said, "It's something that can grind food into powder."

"Why do we grind food into powder? Does it taste better when it's ground into powder?" a member of the tribe asked.

Bai Ling nodded: "Yes, some foods taste great when ground into powder."

The family piled white stones in the corner of the iron smelting room, and the clansmen stopped working and stood there watching Bai Ling make a stone mill.

Bai Ling placed the largest stone down. This stone was an irregular quadrilateral, with relatively flat surfaces on both sides. Bai Ling simply wiped the stone with a tattered animal hide, then held a wooden stick in one hand and charcoal in the other, using the stick as a compass to draw circles on the stone.

He drew two circles, a larger circle inside a smaller circle, with about half an arm's length between them. Then he drew an ellipse about the thickness of an arm outside the larger circle.

After the circle was drawn, all that was left was the ink painting technique. The family wanted to stay and continue to help, but Bai Ling persuaded them not to.

“Making a stone mill requires slowly chiseling away the excess parts little by little. If there are too many people, there won’t be enough room for everyone. It’s enough for me and Yue here.”

Seeing that their son didn't need any help, the father, uncle, and other relatives didn't stay long. However, Chen was very interested in Bai Ling making the stone mill and stayed to watch for most of the day.