Chapter 36: Konjac Flour and Reed Mats

Seeing Mu Tong staring at their hair, A-Ku and his father smiled sheepishly. They had actually followed A-Yu’s lead and cut their hair because they thought he looked very sharp and energetic. However, because the stone knives they used were not very sharp, the cuts were not as neat or as good-looking as A-Yu’s.

Still, they felt much lighter in the head, and washing their hair was no longer as troublesome as it used to be.

The shaman arrived as well, though it was unclear who had called him.

Mu Tong explained the process of processing the konjac tubers she had harvested: remove the fibrous roots and the black skin, slice them, and soak them in water for two to three days, changing the water two or three times a day. Afterward, they should be dried over charcoal fire until about thirty to forty percent dry, then removed and sun-dried completely to create dried konjac slices. Finally, these slices could be ground into powder for later use. This konjac powder could be used to make various foods such as konjac tofu and konjac noodles.

Naturally, Mu Tong could only handle the initial steps today: washing, peeling, and slicing the konjac, then soaking it in the only stone vat in the house. To make the dried slices and powder, they would have to wait until the soaking process was complete.

She explained the steps while demonstrating, eventually placing the sliced konjac into the stone vat.

"We can only do this much for today. It needs to soak for three days, and the water must be changed three times a day. Once the three days are up, we will take them out to dry over the fire and then in the sun," Mu Tong explained. She added that this tedious process was necessary to remove the toxins from the raw konjac; otherwise, eating it directly would lead to poisoning.

The shaman and A-Ku nodded repeatedly. They marveled at how much the Divine Envoy knew; had they eaten it recklessly, they surely would have been poisoned again.

With the konjac dealt with, Mu Tong began to handle the reeds. First, she fashioned a reed broom and demonstrated how to use it. Next, she selected several reeds of equal size, split each into five strips, and had A-Yu place them by the edge of the courtyard and sprinkle them with water to soak. Tomorrow, they could be pressed flat with a stone roller. While the tribe certainly lacked a proper stone roller, a heavy, round stone would serve as an adequate substitute.

Hearing that they had to wait until tomorrow to continue working with the reeds, the crowd dispersed.

The shaman was meticulous and had someone record all the steps Mu Tong had taken to make these items. Once he saw the finished products and understood their utility, he would certainly have others replicate them. That "broom," in particular, was truly convenient for sweeping away fallen leaves and debris.

Seeing everyone leave, A-Yu and Duo Ji looked at Mu Tong with eyes full of adoration. Mu Tong felt a little embarrassed; such minor crafts were hardly worth such reverence.

"Cough, A-Yu, aren't you going hunting? Duo Ji, let’s go gather some rattan," Mu Tong said, beginning to organize the two of them as she noted the lack of supplies in the house.

"We still have the wild rabbit we caught yesterday. Why don't I go with you to cut rattan?" A-Yu was reluctant to part with Mu Tong; he could just as easily go hunting tomorrow.

The three of them went out and quickly returned with a large amount of the same type of rattan Mu Tong had used to make her backpack.

Seeing the abundance of rattan, Mu Tong had A-Yu and Duo Ji weave a few more backpacks. These were versatile tools, useful both for carrying items and for storage at home, so the more, the better.

Mu Tong herself selected four reeds of similar height and planted them into the mud at the edge of the courtyard. After securing two pieces of rattan between them, she had created two simple clotheslines.

Clapping her hands together, she watched with satisfaction as the two brothers became increasingly deft at weaving. Surveying the bare, empty house, Mu Tong sat on a stone and began to weave a rattan storage box.

She first wove a small, open-mouthed rattan basket to hold food and miscellaneous items. Because it was small, it was finished quickly.

A-Yu, having finished his backpack, saw the new object Mu Tong had created and his eyes lit up. "What are these? My A-Tong is so clever."

"These are baskets. You can use them to store food or other things," Mu Tong said, satisfied with the basket. She decided to make a larger storage chest next.

"What are you making now?" A-Yu asked, watching her start on a new project.

"A rattan chest. It can be used to store things, like furs," Mu Tong said, using furs as an example since there was little else in the house. She couldn't help but wonder if they would only have these few furs when winter came; she had heard the winters here were very cold.

A-Yu joined her in the work, though the one he produced was two sizes larger than hers.

A-Yu was very dexterous. Even just by watching Mu Tong, he could replicate her work perfectly, and his results were no worse than hers. He even learned how to make the lid for the rattan chest with ease, despite having never done such work before.

By the time they finished the chest, Duo Ji had also completed two backpacks. In total, the three of them had made three backpacks, one basket, and two chests of different sizes.

With the rattan exhausted and the time approaching noon, Mu Tong prepared to cook lunch.

"Cooking now?" Duo Ji looked at Mu Tong in confusion. "Aren't we supposed to wait until evening to eat? Is it because the Sister-in-law didn't eat enough this morning and is hungry now? It’s all my fault for being greedy and eating her chicken," he thought, bowing his head in shame.

It was noon; surely one didn't wait until night to eat? Mu Tong suddenly realized: did the primitive tribe only eat two meals a day, morning and evening? She felt dizzy. If they waited until night, wouldn't they develop stomach problems from hunger?

"If you're hungry, let's cook and eat," A-Yu said, feeling a pang of heartache for Mu Tong. He decided he would go hunting later; if he couldn't find big game, he would find smaller prey. At the very least, he could gather some purple rice berries and wild vegetables to fill their stomachs.

Duo Ji was delighted to hear they could eat; as long as his brother was around, he wasn't afraid of going hungry.

After quickly putting the backpacks, baskets, and chests into the house, Duo Ji took the stone pot filled with water, placed it on the stone stove, and started a fire.

Since there were two wild rabbits left, Mu Tong made a braised rabbit with green beans and cooked a large pot of purple rice.

She used seasonings like cinnamon, star anise, soy sauce, and sugar, which she had taken from the backpack she had carried since she arrived at the tribe, claiming they were from her hometown.

Of course, in addition to the seasonings, Mu Tong also contributed her own stone pot. It was much more refined than the one A-Yu owned. She didn't know how she would have managed to cook both rice and a dish without it. She actually had many cooking utensils, but this was the only one made of stone; she dared not reveal items made of other materials just yet. It seemed she would need to find time to make more stone pots or containers, otherwise, there would be nowhere to put the food once it was cooked.

A-Yu did not suspect anything; he had never opened that bag Mu Tong always carried. Having never seen such a bag, he had no way of knowing how much it could hold.

However, when Mu Tong added the soy sauce, he gave it a few confused looks. "What is this smell? Why does it feel like I've smelled it somewhere before?"

Still, he only looked at it a few times and let it go. His attention was soon captured by the fragrant braised rabbit with green beans. "So, green beans can be eaten like this? And purple rice can be cooked until it's dry?"

Duo Ji was drooling. "The food the Sister-in-law makes is just so fragrant!"