The taro plants here were surprisingly like sweet potatoes with vines growing along the ground. The taro plants Xue Tuan had seen before were much taller with much larger leaves.
After digging away more than half the soil, Xue Tuan still hadn’t reached the bottom. This taro was much bigger than his head!
“Ah, it’s an itchy taro! Xue Tuan, don’t touch it!” Qing Miao grabbed Xue Tuan’s hand, stopping him from digging.
Xiao Shu: “I don’t get itchy, I’ll dig!”
Actually, Xue Tuan’s hands hadn’t even touched the taro, he’d been digging with a small hoe the whole time.
However, it turned out the cubs all recognized taro and even called it “itchy taro”—quite descriptive. Some people are indeed allergic to a certain component of taro, causing their hands to itch.
The itchy taro was quite large, and digging it up was rather strenuous, with a single vine connected to a large bunch. Xue Tuan figured two would be enough for the cubs, so he told the adults to dig the rest.
Xue Tuan: “Don’t be sad, we’ll fry some itchy taro for you.”
Hearing about food, Sha Hu paused in his sobs, then looked at Xue Tuan with teary eyes: “R-really?”
“Let’s go to our house.” Xue Tuan led his friends back to their cave.
The hearth at the cave entrance was ready. Xue Tuan instructed the other cubs to bring out the stone slab and secure it to the stones at both ends. Xue Tuan also secretly stole some of the ointment his mother had saved, intending to use it later.
While the adults were away, the little ones began to cook for themselves.
“Shall I go borrow a fire?” Qing Miao asked, seeing Xue Tuan preparing to cook something delicious.
“Let’s start a fire ourselves, quick!” Xue Tuan had already taken out his flint, which he’d secretly smeared with sulfur powder. He didn’t dare use too much for fear of being discovered. Although he could fool them, it was better to avoid trouble.
However, even with just a little, Xue Tuan started a fire in no time.
“Wow!” the cubs exclaimed, “Xue Tuan starts a fire so fast!” The little ones, unaware of the trick, simply thought Xue Tuan was lucky.
“Brother Qing Miao, go get me some more wood.” They needed to make the fire bigger. Qing Miao was the most reliable among the cubs, and Xue Tuan often asked him for help.
“Okay.” Qing Miao was quick and efficient, and immediately went to fetch wood.
Everyone was busy building houses lately, so there was plenty of wood, and they didn’t need to chop any.
Xue Tuan wanted to ask his other friends to help peel the taro, but looking at the cubs and then at his own hands, he suspected they might cut off their fingers.
Finally, Xue Tuan remembered something and said to Xiao Shu, “Xiao Shu, go to Chong Yan’s house and call my brother back.” He’d almost forgotten about his brother. Xue Tuan then remembered that Bing Qiu was still at Little Black Lion’s house, and no one had notified him to come.
“Gray can come along too.” Seeing Gray looking bored, Xue Tuan wanted him to go out and play for a while.
“No problem.” As soon as Xiao Shu finished speaking, a chipmunk darted out, faster than Gray.
The little black lion wanted to help, but as soon as he stood up, Xue Tuan pressed his head down, “suppressing” him: “You don’t need to help, you just wait obediently.”
Unable to do anything else, the little black lion could only lie down beside Xue Tuan, intently watching the little dumpling bustle about: “Okay.”
Not long after, Bing Qiu returned with his fish basket. Seeing Xue Tuan and the others looking like they were about to cook, he assumed they were hungry.
Then he saw the large creature by the fire pit. Bing Qiu raised an eyebrow, this was food he had never seen before. Whatever it was, his first thought was, what good stuff has Xue Tuan found this time?
Bing Qiu had never actually eaten itchy taro, but seeing the other cubs in the tribe seem unfazed, he knew they must have eaten it before, so it couldn’t be poisonous. He could rest assured.
Xue Tuan: “Brother, peel it.”
Hearing his younger brother finally ask for help instead of doing something dangerous himself, Bing Qiu was pleased: “Good, at least you know to call your brother when it comes to using a knife.”
Watching his brother skillfully use the bone knife to peel the taro, Xue Tuan thought he hadn’t made a mistake in choosing him. Without his brother, where could he find a “peeler”?
Then Xue Tuan directed Bing Qiu to slice the peeled taro into thin slices as much as possible.
The stone slab had already been washed clean with water from the wooden bucket beside it. After heating it over the fire, Xue Tuan took out the large seashell he had just “stolen,” opened the lid, scooped out the lard, and spread it on the stone slab.
His mother’s practice of storing lard stemmed from a childhood habit. Years ago, food was scarce in the Snow Fox tribe. Families in difficult circumstances would store the lard dripping from roasting meat. When there was no meat, they would add a little to their vegetable soup, thus getting a little oil.
The fat from hunted wild animals is usually eaten on the spot by the beastmen in their beast forms. For them, it’s a “delicious delicacy” for replenishing energy. If meat isn’t scarce, the humanoid beastmen don’t actually like eating plain fat since the taste is just awful.
After Xue Tuan spread the lard all over the stone slab, the oil heated up, and a sizzling sound came from the slab.
The cubs stared wide-eyed with mouths agape, and looked on with amazement.
The stone slab was somewhat thick, so the heating time was longer.
“Brother, put the taro slices on it.”
Xue Tuan, controlling the timing, sprinkled a little salt and pepper on the taro slices.
Grilling things on stone slabs wasn’t common, but the cubs had seen it before, though grilled meat was more common.
Would this grilled food taste good? Even with this question in mind, they couldn’t help but swallow their saliva as they gradually smelled the aroma.
Bing Qiu might be good at peeling, but his slicing skills were limited. Some slices were cut too thin with the edges slightly curled up, and the thicker slices just needed to be fried a little longer.
The side of the taro slices that had been touching the stone slab had already turned into a slightly golden, crispy crust. Xue Tuan used two clean twigs to hold the taro slices and flip them over to continue frying.
Seeing that they were almost done, Xue Tuan ran back into the cave and brought out their huge seashell bowl. Using the twigs, he picked out the thinner taro slices and shared them with the little ones.
The taro slices were golden and crispy on the outside, but still soft and fragrant on the inside, melting in their mouths. Although the flavor wasn’t strong, it already felt like eating black pepper taro chips, Xue Tuan thought happily.
Xue Tuan picked out several slices and placed them in another bowl. He silently put them in front of Little Black Lion, then winked at him: You eat up.
Looking at the bowl full of taro slices, the little black lion slowly lowered his head, stuck out his tongue, and picked up a slice to eat. The taro slices given to him were quite large, and just enough for him to taste. Before, he wasn’t picky about food as long as it filled his stomach. Now, being with the little dumpling, he gradually discovered that food could be so delicious.
“Ahem.” Seeing Xue Tuan’s actions, Bing Qiu coughed a few times.
“Brother’s is here.” Xue Tuan handed his bowl to Bing Qiu, his bright eyes melting hearts.
Bing Qiu: “That’s more like it.” He happily ate the taro slices his younger brother had given him. Speaking of which, these two small wooden twigs looked quite useful. Perhaps mother should make a small pair for Xue Tuan, so his younger brother could use them more easily.
Seeing how carefully the other cubs ate, and were reluctant to finish, Xue Tuan knew they must also really like these taro slices.
“It’s so delicious! Can we go dig up some more?” Before he could even mourn his lost front tooth, Sha Hu was completely captivated by the taro slices.
Xiao Shu: “Is there enough for everyone?”
Xue Tuan had only let them dig up two before leaving, and they hadn’t paid much attention. Now, discovering that these itchy taro were so delicious, the cubs were itching to dig up more and take them home.
Xue Tuan, while eating taro slices, remembered something else: “Sha Hu, when you tell your father and mother that they found the itchy taro,” Xue Tuan said, swallowing a piece of taro, “remember to ask if they want to try growing it.”
Huh? Hearing that Xue Tuan was going to waste such delicious food to try growing it, the little guys’ faces showed disappointment.
Xue Tuan: ?
Seeing the cubs all looking dejected, Xue Tuan hadn’t expected that even the cubs knew how difficult it was to grow things in this world.
But Xue Tuan wouldn’t give up without trying it himself, and wanted to know the reason.
Even if Shi Hu and the others ignored Sha Hu’s “opinion,” Shi Hu would usually divide the taro into portions and distribute them to everyone. That way, regardless of whether the tribe planted it or not, Xue Tuan could use his family’s portion for the experiment.
Bing Qiu didn’t interrupt, he naturally knew it was impossible to grow anything. However, his Xue Tuan always liked doing strange things and was always full of curiosity, and he didn’t want to stifle this nature. If his younger brother wanted to plant something, he would plant it with Xue Tuan.
After all the taro slices were divided up, it was almost lunchtime. With the adults not home, the children had already learned to solve the problem of eating.
As the oldest, Bing Qiu led everyone in grilling some meat to fill their stomachs. Only after eating and drinking their fill did the children remember that they had just been going to find elder grandpa.
Several elders and their disciples were assigned to work separately in a large cave.
This was something Xue Tuan hadn’t noticed before, it turned out that workshop-like places already existed in the Beastman World.