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In the beast world, Flame Hemp got its name due to its leaves resembling flames. Its characteristics were similar to modern hemp fibers.
However, plants in the beast world grew much more vigorously. Flame Hemp was more than five times taller than the hemp he had seen before. Its leaves were broader and thicker, and its stems were sturdier.
Following his memory, he braved the rain and arrived at a patch of Flame Hemp. He picked the mature Flame Hemp with good qualities and cut it down using a sharp, curved shell knife.
The shell knife is not as practical as the sickle. Wen Ze patiently kept cutting, missing the metal tools he used in modern times.
In the southern part of the tribe’s territory, there seemed to be some areas with soil of a special color. If there’s time, he should go and take a look; maybe he could find some minerals.
If he had some metal tools, the tasks wouldn’t be so tiring anymore.
After bundling the cut Flame Hemp, Wen Ze walked in the afterglow of the setting sun and returned to the outside of Zhuo Mu’s cave.
The beastmen had sharp hearing. Even from a distance, Yin He came running to greet him, with the panda ears on his head bouncing up and down.
“Brother! Let me help you carry it!”
The young boy, satisfied from his meal and full of energy, didn’t give Wen Ze a chance to refuse.
Contrary to his expectations, Zhuo Mu didn’t go to the underground floor to rest. Instead, he stood nearby and watched him.
“The water is already boiling,” he said. “Does this Flame Hemp need to be peeled?”
Wen Ze nodded. “Yes, they need to be peeled off one by one.”
Zhuo Mu nodded and walked toward Yin He.
Wen Ze couldn’t persuade him, so he simply gave up and turned to walk to the stove.
It had been raining recently, so a simple grass shelter had been set up above the stove. When the wind blew, raindrops drifted inside.
The dry firewood piled next to the stove had become a little damp.
The wood ash he wanted had already been collected and placed in a worn-out pottery jar, covered with tightly packed leaves.
The wooden barrel next to it was filled with clean water.
In the beast world, there are flint stones and fire starters, so starting a fire isn’t difficult.
Wen Ze squatted down, took some dry grass and small firewood, and lit the fire on the stove. Then he scooped the water into the pot and added a handful of wood ash.
Without “dish soap,” the only option for cleaning the pot was the wood ash.
Wood ash is alkaline, and it works well for removing grease. Wen Ze carefully scrubbed the pot three times, ensuring it was clean, then looked to see how Zhuo Mu and Yin He were doing with the Flame Hemp peeling.
When he turned his head, he almost bumped into Zhuo Mu’s strong chest.
“!” After spending a long time with him, he had become familiar with his overwhelming presence, but he didn’t even notice the sound of him approaching.
Zhuo Mu reacted quickly, taking half a step back and showing him what he had. “Is it okay to peel it like this?”
The skin of the Flame Hemp was peeled off completely, one by one, curled up and stacked in his large hands.
“Perfect!” Wen Ze praised. “You did even better than I did! Can you help me throw it into the pot?”
“Okay.”
The clear water submerged the skin of the Flame Hemp, and the firewood beneath the pot burned fiercely.
With a stone slab as the lid, the water takes a bit longer to boil.
Wen Ze then said, “You can just sit over there or go back to the cave.”
Zhuo Mu nodded and turned to wait in the straw shelter.
Once the water boiled, Wen Ze took a stick and stirred it, carefully cooking the Flame Hemp skin. Then he took it out and let it cool.
He asked Yin He to bring more fresh water, then mixed the hemp skins with the wood ash and scrubbed them in the water.
Yin He had seen others deal with hemp skin but had never seen this method of cleaning. He squatted down and asked curiously, “Brother, why do you need to add wood ash?”
Scrubbing was also hard work. As night fell, the temperature dropped, but Wen Ze was sweating all over.
Wiping his forehead with his arm, he said, “I’m not sure about the exact explanation, but after scrubbing the hemp skins with this, they come out cleaner, more beautiful, and they can last longer.
Just like he said, after washing the hemp skins, they shined with a beautiful silvery-white sheen.
“Wow…” Yin He’s eyes widened in amazement. “This color is so beautiful! It’s just like Brother Zhuo Mu’s hair!”
Wen Ze: “…”
He gave Zhuo Mu a slightly awkward glance, but fortunately, there was no reaction on Zhuo Mu’s composed and handsome face.
In the beast world, there are many types of “hemp” that can all be processed into hemp thread.
Wen Ze chose flame hemp because it is tough, durable, relatively soft, and the color is clean.
He hadn’t actually thought about Zhuo Mu’s hair when choosing it…
After taking out the processed hemp skin, the next step was spinning it into thread.
But Wen Ze looked at the sky and saw that it was already dark, which was not suitable for doing delicate work like spinning.
Since his injury hadn’t fully healed, he decided not to push himself.
“We’ll do the rest tomorrow. I’ll clean up and get some sleep,” he said to the two of them.
Yin He felt sleepy all of a sudden and yawned. “I’m tired too.”
Zhuo Mu in the straw shelter also stood up and was about to walk toward the cave.
“Wait, Zhuo Mu!” Wen Ze called out to him.
The man turned slightly, his wild, long eyes gazing calmly in his direction.
Wen Ze walked toward him and said a little embarrassedly, “Yin He and I are staying here for now, and I don’t have any supplies to give you at the moment. How about I pay you with cooking? Of course, cooking alone is not enough. When the weather clears up, I’ll also go gather some food to repay you.”
When he met Zhuo Mu’s eyes, he became nervous. He scratched his face and, with some hesitation, he began to compliment himself.
“You ate the meal I cooked today, so you should know that I’m not bad at cooking and I cook quickly too, so I won’t delay you from hunting or working. It’s just that… I’ll need you to provide the ingredients for now.”
Zhuo Mu lowered his eyes and said, “No need.”
Wen Ze’s heart sank instantly. He stared at him, his mind going blank.
If he doesn’t cook, how else can he repay Zhuo Mu?
The rejection was so straightforward. Could it be that he was going to drive him and Yin He away?
Fortunately, Zhuo Mu explained: “What I mean is that you don’t have to give me the supplies you collect later. Just cooking is enough. In addition to the ingredients that I already have at home, you can tell me if you need anything else.”
Wen Ze sighed, and the paleness of his face slowly turned back to its natural color.
That really scared him just now…
“That won’t do. You’re losing out too much.”
“It’s settled then.”
After saying that, without giving Wen Ze any chance to negotiate, he turned around coldly and walked into the cave.
Today, Wen Ze didn’t hear the usual rustling sound but rather the sound of footsteps walking down the stairs.
He and Yin He were staying on the first floor of the cave. When he lay down, he thought about what he was going to do tomorrow and then uncontrollably focused on Zhuo Mu’s presence before closing his eyes to sleep.
***
It rained all night long.
The rain intensified the next day.
Whether inside or outside the cave, a lot of moisture had gathered.
As a result, the firewood they collected yesterday had started to mold, and it took a long time to get the fire going.
For breakfast, Wen Ze kept it simple—boiled porridge with stems and roots, fried meat patties, and bird eggs.
The people from the Beast World were all hardworking. Yin He and Zhuo Mu both woke up early and helped him with a few tasks.
Yin He asked expectantly, “Brother, what are we having for dinner?”
“The sun hasn’t even risen yet, and you’re already thinking about dinner?”
“I was just asking…”
Wen Ze calmly turned over the golden fried bird eggs. They smelled fragrant and looked tempting.
“So, what do you want to eat?” he asked.
Yin He grinned. “I want to eat that meat from yesterday! Is that okay?”
Wen Ze looked at Zhuo Mu. “What about you?”
Zhuo Mu, “I’m fine with it.”
Wen Ze smiled and said, “Alright, then I’ll make stir-fried lamb with scallions again tonight.”
Stir-frying mountain rock beasts was a bit of a mouthful, so he changed the way he said it, and thankfully, the other two understood.
Yin He jumped up and down with excitement. “Yes!”
During breakfast, he was just as amazed as yesterday.
“Brother, why is this meat patty so tender? It’s so easy to bite into, and there’s so much juice!”
Wen Ze answered, “I used a stone to gently pound the meat. Then I marinated it with egg whites, salt, and scallions.”
Yin He looked at him with admiration. “So that’s how you do it! Brother, you’re really amazing at cooking! I’d say you’re definitely the best cook in the tribe—no, in the entire Beastman continent!”
Wen Ze couldn’t help but laugh. “How many people’s cooking have you tried to say that so confidently?”
Yin He took a bite of the meat patty and hummed with satisfaction. “I just know! Brother Zhuo Mu, you’ve been to many places. Tell me, is my brother’s cooking the best?”
Zhuo Mu swallowed the fried egg in his mouth and moved his eyes from Yin He to Wen Ze’s face.
Wen Ze’s face turned red, and he wished he could cover Yin He’s mouth.
“Just eat quickly and stop talking!” he told his younger brother.
Afterwards, he lowered his head awkwardly and drank his porridge.
He also added some wild vegetables in it, but he didn’t cook them too much, so they were still green and tasted very tender and fresh.
Just as he was trying to forget the embarrassing situation, Zhuo Mu’s deep and magnetic voice came.
“I haven’t been to many places, but your cooking is indeed the best I’ve ever had.”
Wen Ze almost choked on the porridge in his mouth. He rolled his throat a few times and said casually, “Then you should eat more.” He then awkwardly changed the subject. “That reminds me, with all this rain, will the tribe still go hunting today?”
“We won’t be able to go for the next few days. Why?”
“Nothing, I was just asking.”
“Mm.”
After a hearty meal, Wen Ze took the spindle and the hemp skin that he had prepared yesterday to the straw shelter and prepared to spin.
Although his eyesight is good now, he still prefers a brighter place to a dim cave. He plans to build a house like that in the future.
The raw materials for making a spindle were easy to find—wood, stone, or even animal bones, as long as the shape was right.
The original owner’s spindle was made of animal bone. Since it had been used frequently and well-maintained, it felt smooth and polished.
Yin He and Zhuo Mu also had spindles, but as Beastmen, they didn’t spin much, so their spindles were rougher.
Since it was raining and there was nothing else to do, the three of them spun the thread together.
Wen Ze understood the principle, but his hands weren’t used to it, so he spun slowly.
He was patient and could sit still, but Yin He was at an age where he loved to play and be active. After spinning for a while, he felt uneasy and looked around.
Wen Ze chuckled and didn’t force him. “Go ahead and play. Just come back before dinner.”
Yin He pretended to refuse twice, but Wen Ze said, “If you don’t leave now, I won’t let you go.”
This time, he quickly left. “Brother, Brother Zhuo Mu, see you later!” and ran away.
Suddenly, the only sounds in the straw shelter were the rain, the spinning sound, and the two of them breathing quietly.
Wen Ze wasn’t talkative, and neither was Zhuo Mu. But quietly spinning the thread still felt oddly peaceful.
By the afternoon, Yin He returned.
And with him were several half-beastmen from the tribe!
Wen Ze put down the spindle, stood up to stretch his stiff shoulders, and wondered what was going on.
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