The Survival of the Wild Tribe

139

With the children's help, the radish collection proceeded smoothly. Once the children transferred all the radishes out of the greenhouse, Luo Zhen brought out a pack of seeds and instructed Shan Yi to continue planting.

These were still white radish seeds that Luo Zhen had gathered during the summer, sufficient for their needs until the next winter. White radish was the only plant Luo Zhen knew well, being robust and suitable for their diet.

The newly harvested vegetable plots required plowing and fertilizing once more. Lu Zhan enlisted the help of two experienced soldiers from the Dahu tribe, roughly the same age as Shan Yi. Although the two soldiers weren't fully familiar with the task, under Shan Yi's guidance, they managed it competently.

A fire blazed in the square, where Ajiao and Acao directed people to bring out the stone pot. The vast square was the only space large enough to accommodate the entire tribe for dinner.

Nighttime temperatures plummeted rapidly, with recent nights often accompanied by wind and snow. Thus, tribal activities were scheduled during the day.

"Da Wu, what should we make with all these radishes?" Axue's eyes gleamed as she reached for the bamboo baskets carried by the children. Despite their young age, apart from the thinner children, such as Ah Shui, those well-fed by the tribe, like Ah Hua, had considerable strength. They effortlessly carried the baskets to the square, aided by the short distance.

"I've instructed Heifu to slaughter the bison. Has he done it yet?"

"No wonder I saw A Qing chasing people out of the beast shed early this morning. It's been a while, so it should be nearly done," Axue remarked with a light chuckle.

Currently, many orc warriors had to make do with sleeping in the animal shed. While there was plenty of hay for bedding, the main inconvenience was the high flammability, necessitating restrictions on lighting. Only a small oil lamp was allowed on each of the stone piers in the four corners, casting dim illumination.

While the two conversed, Ah Qing approached with a bucket of bull blood, followed by two orc warriors carrying wooden boxes filled with beef.

"These radishes are fresh. You can use them to make radish beef stew," Luo Zhen instructed.

Axue smiled in response. Although her cooking skills were not exceptional, Ajiao and Acao were proficient. Having tasted this dish in summer, she had a basic idea of how to handle these ingredients.

Returning to the house after giving the order, Luo Zhen retrieved a small bag of cassava flour. Seizing the rare opportunity of everyone gathering today, Luo Zhen planned to prepare some sweets for them.

Since winter, the ewes had produced little milk. The goat's milk had been reserved for the tribe's children, with the surplus stored outside. Despite the simple conditions, Luo Zhen checked the goat milk blocks, finding them undamaged by freezing.

Observing Luo Zhen take out tapioca flour and goat's milk cubes, A Shui and the others understood his intention to make sweets. Although Luo Zhen had found some beets, their growth cycle was too long to harvest more than once in the summer. Consequently, Luo Zhen had to preserve them, leaving no way to extract sugar. Currently, the only sugar available in the tribe was the nectar in Luo Zhen’s possession.

While the nectar was sweet, its quantity was limited, tightly regulated by Lu Yi. While Lu Yi might protest when Luo Zhen shared it with others, he didn't object when it was used in food, knowing Luo Zhen would partake as well.

With tapioca flour, Luo Zhen knew he could make tapioca cakes or bubble tea. Opting for the latter, Luo Zhen had made it once before, and even Lu Zhan, who typically disliked goat milk, enjoyed the taste of milk tea.

Lacking other tea leaves, scalp Konoha served as a substitute. With the stored goat's milk insufficient for the entire tribe, Luo Zhen diluted it with water when boiling. Combining the sweetness of nectar and the tea aroma of scalp Konoha, the resulting light milk fragrance was just right—not too strong, acceptable even to those who typically disliked goat milk.

The melted nectar is added to the tapioca flour, kneaded into round balls, a task easily completed by the group of children. It was their first time doing such a thing, and they were curious and excited, perhaps overly concerned with making each small ball exactly the same size as the one demonstrated by Luo Zhen before he intervened.

Luo Zhen didn't rush them either, knowing that the beef stew would take some time. After assigning the children the task of forming the pearls, Luo Zhen headed to the small bamboo forest to check on his recent progress.

Ordinary bamboo thrived without needing Luo Zhen's special care, but bamboo that bred crystal fruits was different. After experimenting for a while, Luo Zhen discovered that these crystal fruits absorbed energy from him as a nutrient, leaving him drained each time.

Relieved, Lu Zhan followed along. With Luo Zhen's current strength, he could only provide energy for one bamboo per day. Among the bamboos that had sprouted, there were only ten in total, with five bearing crystal fruits. However, the aura of these crystal fruits was weak, as if it could dissipate at any moment. After several days of work, Luo Zhen had barely stabilized them.

Since identifying which bamboos bore crystal fruits, Luo Zhen noticed they appeared more sluggish than the others, with slightly yellowed bamboo leaves. Previously, he attributed this to winter, but now he realized it was because the crystal fruits couldn't absorb enough power, resorting to tapping into the life energy within the bamboo.

Initially unsure how to provide energy to these crystal fruits, Luo Zhen discovered that when he used his ability to recognize plants on the bamboo, warmth flowed from his palm through his fingers, absorbed by the bamboo upon contact.