Chapter 76: Let Him Go
Lu Qingyan’s guess was indeed correct.
The “Azure Icefield Map” deciphered by Tata did have both text and pictures.
Just like yesterday, Lu Qingyan wrote out the text first, then Chu Jiu drew the pictures.
Chu Jiu finished drawing the complete schematic diagram and turned his head excitedly, wanting Lu Qingyan to come and see his achievements together.
However, where was Lu Qingyan’s shadow on the chair?
Only a small black cat was sitting upright, looking up with curious and expectant ice-blue eyes at Chu Jiu.
…Oh, right.
Lu Qingyan said he would wait until Tata finished deciphering the map. And it had indeed been deciphered now.
Chu Jiu sighed softly, reached out and hugged Little Can into his arms, his hand habitually starting to scratch the little cat’s chin.
While being scratched comfortably and unable to help but purr, Little Can tried hard to perk up and ask about serious matters: “Meow meow, meow meow?”—”Lu Qingyan came? Did he help you?”
Chu Jiu: “He did. He helped a lot.”
Chu Jiu rubbed Little Can’s head, buried his face and gave it a soft kiss, and whispered, “Thank you, Little Can.”
Little Can raised its face and rubbed against Chu Jiu’s lips in a very cooperative manner.
Chu Jiu put Little Can down beside him and began to examine the freshly deciphered “Azure Icefield” map.
The Azure Icefield, as the name suggests, was a snow-covered plain.
This plain was located at the northernmost end of the Carrot Continent, giving it a somewhat “isolated from the world” feel.
The only area connected to the Azure Icefield was called the “Frost Shadow Hills.”
To enter the Azure Icefield, one had to cross the Frost Shadow Hills.
However, the Feathered Clan ancestor’s description of “how to cross the Frost Shadow Hills” was only one sentence: [Fly over the Frost Shadow Hills to land on the icefield].
…Having wings is really nice.
Chu Jiu frowned.
He didn’t have wings, and Wind Breath Fruit was only suitable for vertical take-off and landing in windless areas, not for long-distance travel.
“Looks like I still have to go through these hills…” Chu Jiu muttered to himself while holding Little Can.
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tata, who had been floating in the air, softly fall onto the page, its eyes half-closed, turning from a small jellyfish back into a small rice cake.
A thought flashed through Chu Jiu’s mind, and he quickly said, “Tata, are you hungry?”
It had been helping to read and write for the past two days, it must have used up a lot of energy.
Could it be that its energy supply couldn’t keep up?
Tata replied softly, “A little…”
“But, it’s okay… I’ll be full soon.”
“The children in the village really like to read… I can eat a lot of nourishment every day…”
“As long as they read every day… I won’t go hungry…”
Chu Jiu knew that the adults in the village now welcomed this “cafeteria” very much and would try their best to send their children there.
So there shouldn’t be a situation where the children stop reading and Tata doesn’t get enough to eat, right?
Doesn’t get enough to eat…
The moment this thought flashed through Chu Jiu’s mind, he had another idea.
An idea that could guarantee all the children would go to read.
*
As Chu Jiu walked towards the “cafeteria,” he saw Aman happily walking in the same direction.
It was spring now, and the boy had changed out of his winter padded clothes and cotton shoes, and was wearing coarse linen clothes and wooden shoes again, with a straw-woven basket slung over his arm.
The boy saw Chu Jiu from afar and started waving hello early, running towards Chu Jiu while waving, then reaching out to protect the basket as if afraid the things inside would be jostled out.
Chu Jiu quickly gestured for him to stop running so he wouldn’t fall. Aman then slowed down and finally stood in front of Chu Jiu with a silly grin: “Brother Chu Jiu!”
Chu Jiu patted his head: “Going to the ‘cafeteria’? Is Grandpa Village Chief ‘selling food’ again today?”
This was a “secret code” understood by everyone in the village.
Everyone knew what it meant and tacitly only called the place “cafeteria.”
Aman said, “Mmm-hmm! Going to the cafeteria! But Grandpa Village Chief is at home today, Uncle Wu is coming to be with us!”
Uncle Wu was another employee of the cafeteria, usually working with Grandpa Village Chief.
Chu Jiu nodded and looked at the basket on Aman’s arm: it was full of cornmeal and bean flour buns, packed tightly. No wonder Aman had been protecting the basket while running.
Without asking, this must have been made by Grandpa Village Chief himself for Aman to bring over and share with the children.
Sure enough. Aman had already lowered his head and rummaged through it, finally finding the biggest-looking one for Chu Jiu: “For Brother Chu Jiu!”
Chu Jiu didn’t refuse and took a big bite.
Chu Jiu still remembered the cornmeal bun that the old village chief had given him more than half a year ago.
That bun was basically pure cornmeal, very dry to eat, and felt like it was choking him as he swallowed.
This time’s bun clearly had more flour added, making it more palatable than before, and the unique sweetness of corn was more noticeable.
Although the taste of this bun couldn’t compare to the pancakes Chu Jiu made himself, Chu Jiu still finished it bite by bite.
While eating, Chu Jiu thought:
It looks like… the old village chief has already considered what I was planning to do.
*
Chu Jiu found the old village chief and started by saying that “Old He had entrusted the book spirit to him,” and went on to say that “the book spirit Tata needed to rely on the children reading to obtain sufficient energy to help him decipher the map, so that he could continue pioneering.”
“So,” Chu Jiu looked at the old village chief sincerely, “I’m very worried that some children won’t be able to come to read because their families are too busy, or for other reasons.”
After all, it was the busy spring farming season, and even a young, undeveloped child could be considered half a laborer.
Chu Jiu continued, “I’ve thought about it, to ensure that all the children come to read, why not make this ‘cafeteria’ really sell lunch?”
“As for the lunch materials, I will provide them.”
“This way, even if their families are too busy, or if some families think reading is boring, they will think about having lunch to eat and will still send their children over.”
“That way I won’t have to worry about Tata not having enough nourishment.”
Chu Jiu finished speaking in one breath, then asked the old village chief in a tone of discussion, “What do you think?”
The old village chief was stunned for a moment, then smiled helplessly, “Little Jiu…”
Chu Jiu: “Eh?”
Old Village Chief: “Little Jiu, you… you really found a lot of reasons from every nook and cranny just to give the children a meal…”
Chu Jiu: “Ah… I’m really worried that Tata won’t get enough to eat, it looked a bit listless today…”
Old Village Chief: “I believe that’s one reason.”
“I also believe that you want the ‘cafeteria’ to provide the children with a full meal.”
Completely seen through, Chu Jiu scratched his head, his face red: “Well, Grandpa Village Chief, aren’t you doing the same thing?”
Otherwise, why would the old village chief have paid out of his own pocket to buy so much flour and make so many buns?
This time, the honest old village chief became a little shy.
He waved his hand and changed the subject: “You’re mostly running around outside, who are you planning to find as a cook?”
Chu Jiu smiled: “I have someone in mind.”
“Our Bean Village will have a new resident moving in.”
*
The “cook” Chu Jiu found was a little chestnut spirit.
The little squirrels only ate vegetarian food and were very skilled at roasting nuts, but they had absolutely no idea how to handle meat. The Feather Folks, on the other hand, were true carnivores, whose favorite thing was to “eat large chunks of meat and drink large bowls of wine,” and they had no idea how to cook vegetarian dishes.
Only the little chestnut spirits were omnivores, loved to eat everything, had tastes very similar to humans, and were full of interest in handling ingredients. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have frequently gone to [Chu Jiu’s Little Shop] to purchase various seasonings.
When Chu Jiu proposed it to Eleanor, Sheldon was the first to clamor to come—
Then, Sheldon’s “apprentices” also scrambled to come.
Yes, Chu Jiu’s apprentice Sheldon had his own apprentices now.
In the end, Sheldon brought eight little chestnut spirits and became the glorious “first specially hired chef of the Bean Village Cafeteria.”
*
Having hired a reliable chef, Chu Jiu also needed to find a stable supply of ingredients.
If it were half a year ago, it would have been quite difficult to find “non-monster ingredients with a balanced mix of meat and vegetables and comprehensive nutrition” in Bean Village.
But now it wasn’t difficult at all.
Now the village had a market twice a week, with Marco and Anthony bringing goods from Emerald Town and Amber Town respectively.
Chu Jiu placed a long-term order with them for flour and rice, solving the “staple food” problem.
Flour—the village didn’t have a surplus of wheat yet, nor a mill to grind it, so Chu Jiu could only purchase it from the traveling merchants. Once the village’s wheat had a good harvest and the mill was built, he would be able to buy flour directly from the villagers.
Rice—the village naturally didn’t have any. Chu Jiu had to buy it from Marco whenever he wanted to make bamboo tube rice or fried rice.
Actually, the rice here was all “dry rice.” Compared to the paddy rice Chu Jiu often ate in his previous life, the taste of this dry rice was slightly inferior, but its advantage was that it was easy to grow, and even in this backward otherworld, there were villages that grew it. Chu Jiu had already made a mental plan that once Bean Village had more manpower, he would have Rawr Rawr Rabbit cultivate paddy rice and then try opening paddy fields in Bean Village.
At that time, whether he wanted to eat rice himself or make nutritious meals for the children, he could directly purchase rice in the village.
Compared to “staple food,” vegetables were much easier.
Every household had stored some cabbage and radishes, enough to last until the next harvest.
With staple food and vegetables, all that was left was protein.
Chu Jiu directly found Little Gray Bird.
Little Gray Bird had just returned from Rin Wind Rock and was extremely proud that “he had facilitated the opening of a Feathered Clan shop in the underground plaza.”
Now, hearing that Chu Jiu wanted him to “purchase eggs every day,” he became even more proud, firmly believing that he was the most reliable and useful little bird-person!
Thus, the protein problem was also solved.
In the city where Chu Jiu lived in his previous life, “eating eggs every day” might have been something that many people were tired of. But in this land, “having eggs to eat” was already something that made people envious and drool.
*
The chef and ingredients were settled, and a dedicated kitchen was also built.
The kitchen was converted from a dilapidated house by the village craftsmen according to the facility blueprints Chu Jiu provided.
Inside, there was a stove, firewood, water buckets, and everything else needed. Based on the characteristics of the “chestnut spirit chefs,” they had specially prepared spoons “convenient for the chestnut spirits to stir together” and a lighting device “that the chestnut spirits could safely use to start fires.”
For the first meal, Chu Jiu planned to cook himself for a “demonstration meal.”
He chose to make “steamed egg custard, brown rice, paired with cabbage and tofu soup.”
The fresh eggs were steamed until they were tender, yellow, and soft, drizzled with a little soy sauce—this soy sauce was brewed by Bean Village last year and was just right to be opened these days. The salty umami of the soy sauce, combined with the unique aroma of the eggs, made the children drool even before it was served.
The brown rice grains were plump and had a firm texture. For the children who had never eaten rice and usually ate coarse wheat flour and rye flour, this brown rice was already considered refined grain, and they couldn’t bear to swallow it immediately after putting it in their mouths.
For the cabbage and tofu soup, the tofu was pan-fried with a little oil and salt beforehand. This way, when cooked with the cabbage, the originally light vegetable soup would have a bit of oiliness. Just this little bit of oiliness made the children wipe their mouths and ask in low voices, “Did this vegetable soup have meat added? Why is it so delicious?”
Once the dishes, rice, and soup were on the table, the large bucket of rice was empty in less than ten minutes.
The children who came to eat had already learned from the old village chief that “there would be a free meal every day at noon from now on,” but they never dreamed it would be such a delicious meal.
For the vast majority of children here, they had never eaten such palatable and delicious food since they were little, not even during the New Year or their birthdays.
And the farmers who sent their children over were even more surprised.
When Fan Na learned that her six-year-old son’s lunch at the “cafeteria” was actually fresh steamed eggs with brown rice, and tofu and cabbage soup with oil and salt, tears immediately fell from her eyes.
“So good… so good…” She kept wiping away her tears with the back of her hand.
She had lived to this age and still didn’t know what eggs tasted like.
But her child was already eating eggs every day!
And these eggs were even free!
Even if a god appeared, their miracle would be no more than this, right?
All of this was because she had been bold enough to come to this village. All because this village had such a capable and kind pioneer, and such generous and enthusiastic village chief and villagers…
*
Seeing that the “free nutritious meals at the cafeteria” were on the right track, and the chestnut spirit chefs could serve up decent meals, Chu Jiu finally no longer worried that Tata would one day starve into a transparent rice cake.
He began to pack his backpack, preparing to go to the [Frost Shadow Hills].
It was April.
According to the map, the [Azure Icefield] had a long “icebound period” every year, making it difficult for both humans and the Feathered Clan to set foot there.
The most suitable time to enter the Azure Icefield was every year from April to August.
Now was the most suitable time.
Chu Jiu thought for a moment and decided to bring the spirit beasts along again this time.
Firstly, after returning from Galewind Rock last time, every baby was very happy and reminisced about the trip for a long time.
Secondly, the spirit beasts each had their own strengths. If it hadn’t been for Rawr Rawr Rabbit’s plowing, Gulp-Glup’s construction, and Kakaba’s communication, he wouldn’t have been able to build the terraced fields and brew the spirit spring water.
Who knew what they would encounter when crossing the Frost Shadow Hills this time?
So, it was better for everyone to go together.
Although the spirit beasts would all follow him, the pioneer hut would still be so lively.
Quick Feather still came to occupy the sofa every noon; although the chestnut spirits had their own houses, they still preferred to cook at the pioneer hut; and the little squirrels needed to come every day to help watch the grazing three-horned oxen, and by the way, taste the nuts roasted by the chestnut spirits.
As for the little book spirit Tata, the Tata who didn’t need to eat, the Tata who looked like a jellyfish, the Tata who was shy and gentle in front of others, would sometimes pretend to be a little ghost and float in front of Quick Feather, scaring the little prince into screaming and flapping his wings wildly, before giggling and floating away again.
In short…
The little guys were all quite lively.
That morning, just as Chu Jiu rode the Bodo bird into the “underground secret passage,” the system finally sounded a prompt:
[The status of the Honorary Area has changed, please click to view.]
[Honorary Area: Bean Village]
[Village Evaluation: In a small village, humans are farming, the Feathered Clan are raising chickens, chestnut spirits are cooking, and dwarf beastmen are blacksmithing…
Being able to gather so many races in one place is a very rare thing in this world.
This is truly a village beyond ordinary imagination, full of fantasy.
The administrator of this village, with their astonishing generosity and foresight, has maximized the farming enthusiasm of the humans. The actions of the village administrator are expected to attract a steady stream of farmers to settle here.
With sufficient arable land and labor, this village is expected to provide enough food and clothing for its residents.]
[Village Specialties: Soy sauce, eggs, tofu, frozen tofu, honey, forged goods from the “Dwarf Beastman Blacksmith Shop”]
[Resident Status: The village administrator’s incentives have given the villagers a rare sense of belonging; “overcoming the locust plague” has filled all the villagers with confidence in the village’s future; the newly opened “cafeteria” and the free lunch provided by the “cafeteria” have given the villagers an unprecedented affection for this village.
Farming carried out with such emotions and determination will surely yield surprisingly good harvests!]
[Please note: Whether this village can possess more land is highly correlated with the “subdue the sea monster” commission accepted by the host.
The host should continue to treat this commission with caution, including but not limited to paying attention to the commission deadline, repeatedly reading relevant materials, and verifying with eyewitnesses.]
Hmm… it seems that even if I go to the Azure Icefield to get the branches of the “Primal Tree,” I still need to do more homework.
Chu Jiu noted down the “precautions” given by the system.
He originally thought this prompt would end here, but unexpectedly, the system paused for a few seconds and continued to prompt:
[The host has achieved the “First time the regional map openness reaches 100%” achievement!] [The host has achieved the hidden condition of “Joyful Gathering”!]
[The host has achieved the hidden condition of “Family Outing”!]
[Based on the host’s recent achievements, the system is settling special rewards for the host!]
Wow!
So the reason the regional map being fully opened didn’t give a reward before was to accumulate it for a big one!
Good, good, good! Chu Jiu rubbed his hands together, waiting for the system to give him something big.
A new skill? Tens of thousands of Pioneering Points? 10% Pioneering Degree—ah, that’s too greedy, unlikely, hahaha.
[Special Reward: The host is eligible to exchange the following service from the system—”Mirror Repair and Upgrade Service”!]
[Mirror Repair and Upgrade Service: Does the host still remember a small mirror that allowed you to record vivid video diaries? Later, this mirror malfunctioned during the upgrade process and has not been able to be used since.
Now, the host only needs to pay a certain amount of Pioneering Points to repair this mirror!
The upgraded mirror will have more powerful and unexpected functions!]
Hmm? That little mirror?
That little mirror didn’t have any other use besides recording videos and rewarding Pioneering Points.
…Speaking of which, the Pioneering Points I currently get from the villagers’ transactions far exceed the rewards for recording videos back then.
But since it says there will be more powerful functions… then I might as well take another look.
Chu Jiu continued to read:
[Specific function details can be viewed after paying the Pioneering Points!]
So how many Pioneering Points is it…
[Exchange this service now for only 20,000 Pioneering Points!]
………”Only” 20,000 Pioneering Points.
Tsk.
What an outrageous service.
Chu Jiu directly closed the background.
*
If he went directly to the [Frost Shadow Hills] from the ground, it would probably take a month for a one-way trip.
But Chu Jiu chose to take the underground secret passage, going all the way to Sanctuary Valley and then back to the surface, passing through Sanctuary Valley and Galewind Rock, heading north all the way.
This way, the one-way trip would only take fifteen days.
One evening fifteen days later, Chu Jiu had already stepped into this land covered with coniferous forests, dotted with ponds and swamps after the permafrost thawed, and with the outlines of distant glaciers visible.
“Ah, finally here…” Chu Jiu jumped off the Bodo bird and stretched his arms.
The air here was colder than in other areas, and the wind carried the unique chilly scent of boreal trees.
“It’s getting late, let’s figure out how to find the way to the Azure Icefield tomorrow morning. Let’s camp here tonight first.” Chu Jiu released “Golden Hamster” and found a suitable campsite.
“Roar roar roar yay, I’ll go gather firewood!”
“Gulp glup, I’ll set up the yurt…”
“Dang dang dang, I’ll help organize the fruits and vegetables!”
After traveling all this way, the spirit beasts were very clear about “what they could do when camping.”
Without Chu Jiu needing to give extra instructions, everyone started working with great understanding.
In no time, the large yurt was set up, and the campfire was lit.
Chu Jiu started cooking, while Rawr Rawr Rabbit and Kakaba, as usual, wrestled in a ball in the campsite.
These two little ones loved to wrestle at home, and they didn’t forget to continue wrestling outside, and they didn’t forget to have Gulp-Glup as the referee.
Little Can was too lazy to even glance at such childish behavior, and dozed off on Chu Jiu’s shoulder by itself.
“Roar roar roar! Kakaba, do you admit defeat—aiya!” Rawr Rawr Rabbit, who had been riding on Kakaba, was twisted and pressed down by the little capybara, and was instead held down by the little capybara!
“Dang dang dang, you’re going to lose this time!”
“Dang dang dang, do you admit defeat!” Kakaba asked with a smile.
“Roar roar roar no way, I haven’t lost yet!” Rawr Rawr Rabbit’s limbs continued to struggle, constantly hitting the ground.
Chu Jiu grilled meat while looking up at this scene:
Hmm… all small hands and short legs, and they’re fighting so vigorously…
Looking at it, it looked like a capybara plushie was pressing down on a lop-eared rabbit plushie.
So… so cute.
Chu Jiu turned the skewers in his hand, his eyes full of smiles.
Just then.
Several snow-white fur balls rushed out of the bushes, one pointing a spear at Kakaba, and another aiming an arrow at Chu Jiu.
A slightly trembling voice echoed above the campsite:
“You damn two-legged beast!”
“Let go of that rabbit!”
Where’s chapter 75?
Chapter 75 is missing panda-san…
Please check now~