HCB Chapter 134 Pastries
Chapter 134 Pastries
"...Anyway, Leyou and Leting were very happy to receive that color-changing fabric. I don't quite understand it. Aside from looking nice, clothes that change color in different weather don't seem to have much use, but as long as they're happy."
Lezhi turned over the wheat seeds by the stove to check how dry they were, and whispered to Lei Xiu, who had just returned from hunting.
At this moment, Leyou and Leting were already outside showing off the rare fabric to Qingze and Qingping, completely unaware of what was happening here.
"Color-changing fabric does have a unique aesthetic appeal when made into clothing, and many people like it. The Longtail Tribe doesn't produce much of it each year, which makes it especially precious," Lei Xiu explained.
"Oh, a limited edition, no wonder." Lezhi nodded knowingly. Clothing is an essential necessity in human life, along with food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
The Treant race in Jormungand didn't have a low standard of living; according to Lezhi's observations, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were middle-class on average. Under such circumstances, pursuing fine clothing was quite normal. Lezhi's own clothes were initially mass-produced by the tribe, but later Lei Xiu had them custom-made, and the styles were all pretty much the same. He didn't usually pay much attention to this aspect.
Seeing how excited Leyou and Leting were to see the cloth, Lezhi realized that ordinary tribespeople needed to gather things daily, and the guards needed to hunt. Since they all had to work, their clothing was generally simple and elegant, so as not to hinder their movement.
However, the people who came to the trade fair these past two days have been wearing a wider variety of clothes. Although Lezhi stayed in the kitchen, she could occasionally see that people from her own tribe or other tribes were wearing a lot more varied clothing.
It seems that the tree spirits also make a point of wearing beautiful clothes to show off when they travel; this is something they all have in common.
Lei Xiu, who had been observing Le Zhi's expression, noticed that he didn't seem very interested in the color-changing fabric, so he didn't continue the topic.
"Did the Windwalker Clan give us this seed?" As soon as Lei Xiu and the others returned, they were bombarded with news of the color-changing cloth by the overly excited Le You, so Le Zhi hadn't had a chance to tell him about the suspected appearance of the wheat seed.
Nodding, Lezhi explained the whole story to Lei Xiu.
"So you want to try and see if this can be made into the food you want?" Understanding Lezhi's thoughts, Lei Xiu's attitude towards such harmless activities was always supportive. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"Hmm, could you please bring me the blender?" Lezhi pinched the seeds with her fingertips to make sure they were almost dry, then ordered Lei Xiu to do the work without looking up.
It's a waste of talent for two people to grind this little bit of seed into powder. Oh right, we also have to add the fluffy ball on Lezhi's head. But there's no way around it, Lei Xiu and the fluffy ball are always by Lezhi's side, and Lezhi has gotten used to it.
The machine roared to life. The mixer from Lezhong Publishing was quite powerful, and the blades were also very efficient, so it quickly ground the seeds to the fineness that Lezhi wanted.
With flour in hand, Lezhi was a bit stumped. In fact, his hands-on skills weren't very strong, and he was a complete novice when it came to making noodles. At most, he had some theoretical knowledge, but something was better than nothing. In the early stages, he would guide people. As long as the methods of using flour spread, there would always be talented people who would emerge. Isn't that how food culture develops?
Before attempting anything, Lezhi never discouraged herself; she believed in trying it to see if it would work. So without much thought, Lezhi quickly divided the prepared flour into a bowl, added water little by little, and kneaded it into a dough that looked quite decent.
Currently, Lezhi doesn't have any leavening agents, so for now, they can only make foods that don't require leavening, such as dumplings, potstickers, and pies.
Making dumplings was a bit of a challenge for Lezhi, who was rather clumsy with his hands. He hadn't been very good at it in his previous life, so he simply gave up on dumplings at first and instead made the relatively simpler potstickers and pies. After covering the dough in the bowl and letting it rise naturally for a while, Lezhi began to prepare the ingredients for tonight's dinner.
Seeing that Lezhi had already prepared the flour, Leyou and Leting stopped slacking off and hurried in to help. Lezhi assigned tasks to everyone: Leyou and Leting were responsible for preparing the other dishes for dinner, while Qingze and Qingping assisted, mainly by cleaning up the meat they had hunted.
"Lei Xiu, please help me chop the vegetables and mince the meat. I'll prepare the filling." The taste of the filling determines the quality of the final product, so Le Zhi decided to do it herself.
Everyone was busy at their stalls and didn't notice the group of people approaching from outside.
"Enjoy travel, enjoy knowledge, here we come..."
Led by Leshan, they arrived smoothly at Lezhi's booth. Le Nian couldn't help but loudly announce his arrival.
His voice was like a thunderclap, startling Lezhi and his team who were focused on their work. Lezhi, in particular, visibly trembled.
There's no way around it; he gets so engrossed in cooking that even the slightest disturbance can startle him.
The first to react was Le You, who, along with Le Ting, put down their work and quickly went out to greet them.
"Ah, Le Nian, Le Ju, you have finally arrived."
When old friends and partners meet, a round of pleasantries is inevitable. Lezhi patted his frightened heart, smiled, and walked out, first greeting Lezhong behind Leshan.
"Uncle Le Zhong, you've arrived."
"Hmm, your stall looks pretty good." Le Zhong's facial expression always softened when he was with Le Zhi. In addition, his recent training and recovery had been very effective, and his complexion looked much better. His gloom had been swept away, and he had regained his former aura.
"Of course, they don't even know who we are." Le You, having finished arguing with Le Nian and Le Ju, turned around and continued.
"Lezhi, I've heard from Leyou and Leting that you've worked hard these past few days." Leju greeted Lezhi gently as always.
"Yes, we're here now, and our partner team is finally all here. Just tell us what to do next." Le Nian patted his chest casually, indicating that he was full of energy.
Infected by Le Nian's mood, Le Zhi smiled and said, "You've come at the perfect time. I just received a new food and was about to try it. You've just arrived, so you probably haven't had dinner yet. You can join us."
Having received Lezhi's invitation, they naturally had no reason to refuse. They had just finished packing and couldn't wait to come find Lezhi and his group, as they were originally hoping to freeload a meal.
"Okay, we'll help. What's for dinner?"
When there are many people eating, the most convenient thing to do is to make hot pot. It's simple, delicious, and doesn't require much cooking.
"For hot pot, I have the broth ready here. Everyone just needs to prepare the ingredients they want to eat."
Lezhi pulled Lezhong aside and whispered something to him. Lezhong nodded thoughtfully, "It should be fine. I'll give it a try."
Yes, we can't let the master craftsman go when he comes. Lezhi wants Lezhong to help modify the table so that it can be used to cook hot pot.
With flint as an energy source, this idea was not difficult to realize. Before Lezhi's pie was even baked, Lezhong's table was already completed. Everyone present worked together to make a large round table, the kind with a turntable on it. Lezhi had only put forward a concept, but unexpectedly, Lezhong had also successfully made it.
Everything is ready, let's start the hot pot meal.