“They’re here! They're here!” We were just a few steps away from the front yard when I spotted Cree running towards me. Uncle Jiang and Seeley quickly emSecond brotherd and helped us carry our loads.
“ You've made quite a harvest in the mountains, huh?” Uncle Jiang remarked as he took the two trophies from my hands.
“Wah! It’s meat! it's meat!” Cree exclaimed with excitement.
“ You greedy rascal, always thinking about meat,” Elder Brother teased, playfully tapping Cree's forehead. This earned him a pout from Cree. Once inside, Seeley fetched chairs for both of us and personally handed me a cup of water.
“ Thank you, Bal,” I smiled at him, reassuring him that I was fine. He simply nodded and gently lifted my legs, giving them a soothing massage.
“ Uncle Jiang, I need you to make some bamboo traps later so that we can go back and set them up. Oh, and I plan to make some adjustments to them,” I explained. I had noticed some traditional and primitive traps in the mountains, but they relied heavily on luck. My plan was to create foolproof traps to save time and effort.
“ Sure, just let me know what you need,” Uncle Jiang agreed. Since it was getting late, I decided to prepare lunch.
“ Bal, please start the fire and boil some water. Uncle Jiang, please clean the pigeons. Older brother and Younger brother, clean enough cassava and mushrooms for all of us,” I instructed.
With that, I grabbed a wooden tub and headed out through the back door. We were fortunate that the previous owner had been well-off despite being an old villager. Perhaps their son, who owned a store in the nearby county, had supported them. As I surveyed the yard, I noticed a row of planted garlic and onions, as well as chili and tomato plants. There were also coiled cucumber plants, although the fruits had been harvested and the plants were not in the best condition. In my past life, I had always longed for a backyard like this, but living in a commercial building never allowed it. However, this time, I was determined to create a backyard full of bountiful meals.
“Sister, what's that?” Cree curiously peered over my shoulder.
It's a surprise,” I replied with a wink, then proceeded to place the clean jelly leaves into the wooden tub and pour in a generous amount of hot water. I stirred until it thickened and transferred it to a 'bilao' that allowed the liquid residue to flow freely into the wooden tube below. After covering it with a white 'katcha', I left it outside.
Then, I made my way to the kitchen and started cooking. First, I placed the cleaned pigeons in an earthenware pot and added some salt and yellow ginger to make a simple Pigeon Soup. Next, I sliced some garlic, onion, ginger, and mushrooms.
“ Sister, what dish are you making?” Cree asked eagerly, his eyes fixed on the meat.
“ Ha! You little rogue. It's just a simple stir-fried dish with mushrooms and wild plants,” I chuckled, explaining the dish to Cree. After cooking it, I placed the cassava in a wooden steamer at the bottom and arranged the cooked stir-fried dish on top to keep it warm.
“ You kids should go and rest outside. I'll take care of things here,” Uncle Jiang suggested. I nodded, leaving him with some instructions before making my way outside.
“ Older brother, I noticed that some parts of our fence are broken,” I pointed out.
“ Hmm, I see,” he responded, calling Seeley over. The two of them grabbed small machetes and headed towards the bamboo grove.
“ Cree, come here. We need to plant these around the perimeter of our fence,” I called Cree and started digging.
I showed him a couple of times, and then we both began planting. After a while, Elder Brother and Seeley returned, and they started fixing the broken fence. I told them to add some sharp and pointy shards to each point so that the yard would be difficult to breach. It was a habit of mine, developed from my past life, to always add some extra protection, considering the unpredictable nature of my previous job.
We were almost finished when Uncle Jiang called us to eat.
We washed up and went inside. On the table, there was a simple meal, but it brought warmth to everyone's hearts. The steamed cassava had been cut into bite-sized pieces for easy eating. Seeley placed the meatiest part of the pigeon into my bowl, and Elder Brother did the same for Cree.
“ Thank you, Bal,” I said, putting some meat into his bowl.
“ Thank you, Elder Brother! Wah! It's been so long since I last had meat,” Cree exclaimed, and we all laughed, forgetting about the customary silence during meals. He eagerly dug into his food.
“ Delicious!” “ Wow, it's so yummy!” “ It's full of flavor!” Each of us commented on the food. It was a simple dish, but the freshness of the ingredients added a delicate touch, making both the soup and the stir-fried dish delightful.
After finishing our meal, Uncle Jiang cleaned the utensils, and we resumed our work. Later, Uncle Jiang joined us and began making the bamboo traps based on my instructions.
“ Euno, go take a nap for a while,” Seeley insisted, tugging at my arm.
“ Yes, both you and Cree are still growing, so you need a bit more sleep. We're almost finished,” Elder Brother added. I nodded, holding little Cree close.
“ All of you should also rest. It's still too early to go up the mountain,” I suggested. I tucked Cree in and lay down beside him. It was early afternoon when Seeley woke me up, and the three of us headed to the mountain. We managed to collect some wild mushrooms. We planned to have an early dinner since we didn't have enough fuel for an oil lamp. I simply made a cassava porridge and prepared some chili-seasoned mushrooms. We enjoyed our meal together, feeling the warmth, and then worked a bit more. After washing up, we ended the night, ready for another day ahead.
I woke up in the middle of the night and began cultivating my internal energy, drawing upon the memories stored in this body. According to the knowledge of the previous owner, cultivators are highly esteemed in this era. A single cultivator can defeat ten or more martial artists based on the strength accumulated through their internal energy. In my previous life, the organization I was part of researched similar techniques, but they yielded no results. Perhaps the pollution in the modern world prevented them from absorbing the earth spirit energy. My mother, who clearly had a significant background, taught me how to cultivate. My father was also involved, but the previous Bellona was sworn to secrecy about it. I continued my cultivation until I heard a noise in the nearby room, prompting me to get up and change into a different robe. “ Good morning.” Elder Brother greeted me as he proceeded to wash up. Seeley, still half-asleep, followed suit but stopped when he saw me and asked why
As soon as Cree returned, we gathered around to eat. He couldn't contain his excitement and began talking with a mouthful of food. “ Wow! Elder sister, I never knew something like this existed!” he exclaimed, chewing happily. “ Who would have thought that a simple green leaf could turn into Green Tofu? It's amazing! Does this mean I can have Green Tofu every day? That would be awesome!” We all chuckled at his enthusiasm. “ You greedy little rascal, all you care about is eating,” Eldest Brother teased, playfully tapping his forehead, which earned another round of laughter. “ Well, it's made from a jelly plant, so regular leaves won't have the same effect,” I said, pouring cold water on his thoughts while placing another piece of green tofu on his plate. “ Really? Is it rare then?” he asked, looking down and muttering to himself. “ I better eat more, just in case. This might be the last time I get to have it. I need to savor the moment!” His words didn't go unnoticed by us, ma
After cultivating for at least three hours, I decided it was time to prepare lunch. I planned to make braised rabbit meat with cassava starch, but first, I needed to pound the cassava to extract its juice. Although I possessed internal energy that could turn the cassava into fine powder, just like modern starch, I chose to keep this ability a secret. While I trusted my family, I wanted to reserve this skill as a trump card for crucial times. As I heard them training outside, I looked at the plate filled with cassava in my hand, pondering for a moment before heading outside with it. “ Older brother, Bal, I need you both here,” I called out. I placed all the cassava in a white katcha I found in the kitchen and placed it on a stone slab. “ What do you need?” they asked in succession. “ Eh? What is this?” They looked at the cassava with confusion. Instead of answering, I pulled them apart and positioned them on opposite ends of the stone slab. I instructed Cree to fetch some fiber ro
We ended up eating a little later than usual. All my brothers devoured their food hungrily. I could tell they appreciated the effort we put into making the dish. “ This meal is the result of our hard work and dedication. I'm savoring every last bite,” they thought, making their enjoyment quite evident once I served the plate. I couldn't help but laugh and let them have their fun. We finished every last bit of the steamed taro and braised meat. I had already taken care of all the vegetable plants in the backyard, ensuring they were thriving. Older brother and Second brother continued to prepare the small plot for planting seeds later. Uncle Jiang and Cree had just returned from the bamboo grove when I heard Elder Brother Zhong's voice calling from outside. We all washed our hands and greeted him. “ Bellona-Sister, you're quite lucky this time! Our trophies were purchased directly by a restaurant. Your pheasant fetched 30 liang, and the two big rabbits were sold for 40 liang,” he sa
We have noodles made with fine and buckwheat powder for breakfast. According to Zhong-Older brother, one jin of white rice costs 10 liang, while fine powder costs at least 5 liang. Luckily, buckwheat is much cheaper, only 2 liang for a jin. It's a luxury for a small farming family like ours to have fine rice with a meal because they usually sell all of their harvest to buy necessities. Currently, we have 3 jin of white rice, 2 jin of pine powder, and 3 jin of buckwheat flour, which is just enough for about two weeks of daily consumption. Fortunately, I have discovered a great source of cassava, but since winter is coming, I need money to buy new quilts and fuel for oil lamps. “ Uncle Jiang, are those bamboo arrows ready? I plan to head to the inner mountain this time,” I ask Uncle Jiang, whom I had previously requested to make many bamboo arrows. “ Bal, you and Cree will collect our trophies, then give them to Zhong-Older brother to sell, but please save some for us,” Seeley prot
“My beautiful Elder sister, what are you doing?” Little Cree looked at me with curiosity. I scooped the slightly softened lard from the tiger's meat and mixed it with some wood ash. Then, I asked my twin to pound the soapwort flower to extract its juice, while everyone watched me work. “This is called soap. It can be used for bathing or washing,” I explained, dividing the mixture into two portions. I asked Cree to grind some mint leaves to add to one portion, along with lemon zest and juice. “ But most importantly, it will make us rich!” I exclaimed. I had originally planned to add lavender to the other portion, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any. “ I don't know what to add to the other one to give it a sweet smell for the ladies to use,” I pondered aloud. “ Hmm. Did you see any sweet-smelling flowers anywhere in this village? I really need them,” I asked. “ I only saw wildflowers in the nearby forest. I didn't even come across a normal sunflower, so I don't think they ha
I asked Older brother to borrow some salt and pepper from Uncle He because I planned to smoke the leftover meat to preserve it. I also asked him to gives one thigh and a portion of the belly meat to them as payment. Seeley went to the mountain entrance to gather some wormwood and anahaw leaf. Uncle He went to Uncle Fred's house to deliver the meat, and I asked him to given him two thighs since he helped us carry the whole tiger all the way home. Cree and I started the fire and slowly roasted the meat. Soon, the pleasant smell of the roasted meat filled the air, making everyone's mouths water. They all returned with smiles on their faces, their eyes fixed on the barbecue meat. I noticed the sound of Little Cree's stomach growling and couldn't help but chuckle. Currently, I was cooking one thigh and the tiger's rib. We gathered around the small fire and talked freely. “ Elder sister, why don't you sing?” Little Cree, who was originally singing a folk song, asked while I played with
I asked Older brother to borrow some salt and pepper from Uncle He because I planned to smoke the leftover meat to preserve it. I also asked him to gives one thigh and a portion of the belly meat to them as payment. Seeley went to the mountain entrance to gather some wormwood and anahaw leaf. Uncle He went to Uncle Fred's house to deliver the meat, and I asked him to given him two thighs since he helped us carry the whole tiger all the way home. Cree and I started the fire and slowly roasted the meat. Soon, the pleasant smell of the roasted meat filled the air, making everyone's mouths water. They all returned with smiles on their faces, their eyes fixed on the barbecue meat. I noticed the sound of Little Cree's stomach growling and couldn't help but chuckle. Currently, I was cooking one thigh and the tiger's rib. We gathered around the small fire and talked freely. “ Elder sister, why don't you sing?” Little Cree, who was originally singing a folk song, asked while I played with