Chapter 70: Sweet Rice Wine Dumplings
Chu Feng appeared in Crescent Village with a large batch of supplies.
Gray bounced over excitedly. “Brother Feng, you’re here! The item you requested is ready.”
Chu Feng was surprised. “So fast?”
Gray nodded. “Yes. The dwarves sent over a sample and gave it to Big Brother.”
Chu Feng grinned. “How powerful is it?”
Gray nodded. “Very strong. Big Brother tested it in the forest and easily killed a tiger with it.”
“A tiger?” Chu Feng lit up. Tiger skin, tiger bones, tiger… everything is valuable!
“Do you really like tigers?” Gray asked.
Chu Feng: “…” He did like them, actually.
He thought of his grandfather’s arthritis and chronic leg pain—tiger bone wine was said to be very effective. But tigers are protected animals. Selling or buying tiger parts is illegal.
“Where’s the tiger now?” he asked.
“There’s barely space at home, so we put it in the village warehouse. Want to see it?” Gray asked.
Chu Feng nodded. “I’ll go take a look later.”
Gray sniffed and looked at Chu Feng curiously. “Brother Feng, did you bring a lot of alcohol? It smells so good!”
Chu Feng nodded. “Mainly alcohol this time. Some is rice wine—for the upcoming Autumn Festival. I’ll make you all some rice wine dumplings.”
Gray nodded eagerly. “Sounds good!”
He didn’t know what rice wine dumplings was, but he was already looking forward to it.
The Autumn Festival was a major day in this world, much like the Mid-Autumn Festival back on Earth. People prayed for good harvests and a smooth winter.
From a distance, Illya approached. “You came a bit late this time,” he said with a hint of doubt.
Chu Feng nodded. “Some things came up, so I didn’t try to shorten the travel time. Did you wait long?”
Illya shook his head. “No.”
Gray puffed up his cheeks. “You weren’t here, and Big Brother was really worried.”
Illya shot him a glare.
Chu Feng: “…” Was Illya really that concerned? He glanced at him and couldn’t help but feel a bit happy.
Chu Feng had three large pots set up in the village and began cooking rice wine dumplings.
The white dumplings floated in the fragrant broth, mouthwatering and inviting.
The sweet and slightly sour flavor of the dessert brought pure joy to the village children.
A few kids jumped and danced around the huge iron pot.
Duoduo held his little rabbit and gently pressed its head down, troubled. Though the rice wine was mild, it was still alcohol—and not for bunnies.
With delicious food right in front of it but unable to eat, the little rabbit was so angry it kept stomping its feet.
Delice held a bowl in her hands, eating the dumplings in small bites. “So delicious!”
Shirley nodded and said, “Yeah!”
She glanced at Chu Feng, thinking to herself: Chu Feng is truly amazing. It’s like he has an endless supply of good things.
Shaya had a huge appetite. While others had just finished their first bowl, he was already helping himself to a third. The clan member in charge of serving the dumplings looked at Shaya’s way of eating and wanted nothing more than to smack him with the soup ladle…
Illya smiled at Chu Feng and said, “Everyone’s really enjoying the food.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Seems like it.”
Illya couldn’t help but sigh. “The food from your world is endless—always something new.”
Chu Feng smiled. “The food here is getting better too.”
Recently, Illya’s cooking skills had improved a lot. And the ingredients in this world were fresh and pure. Chu Feng really enjoyed eating here.
“Has the rice wine dumplings been sent to the Highland tribe?” Chu Feng asked.
Illya nodded. “Yes, it has. But the dwarf tribe hasn’t received any yet.”
Chu Feng smiled casually. “That’s fine. The dwarves already tried the rice wine themselves and gave up on it.”
He had let a few dwarves try the rice wine earlier. They thought it was too sweet and sour, not strong enough, and decided to pass on it.
Illya shook his head and said with some schadenfreude, “Those dwarves really don’t know a good thing when they see it.”
Chu Feng nodded in full agreement. “Exactly.”
“Oh right—how powerful is that pistol the dwarves made?” As soon as Chu Feng mentioned the pistol, Illya’s eyes lit up.
“It’s very powerful—much more useful than throwing knives.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Didn’t expect them to finish it so fast.” As descendants of the God of Craftsmanship, the dwarves did have real skills.
Illya took a deep breath. “It was a huge help that Hughes has shaping abilities. Without him, it would’ve taken much longer.”
Chu Feng thought to himself: Having abilities really is an advantage.
“Do you want to test out the gun?” Illya asked.
Chu Feng shook his head. “No rush. Let’s go take a look at that tiger first.”
Illya nodded. “Let’s go.”
Chu Feng followed Illya to the warehouse and saw the tiger’s corpse. One of the tiger’s eyes had been shot through, the bullet firmly lodged in its brain.
Chu Feng shook his head and thought: No matter how mighty the king of beasts is, a shot to the brain is still a death sentence.
“What a huge tiger!” Chu Feng took a deep breath. Even though it was now a corpse, the remaining ferocity in its body still made it intimidating.
“No one’s dealt with the body yet?”
Illya looked at Chu Feng and said, “I figured you’d be coming soon, so I left it alone. Want someone to process it?”
Chu Feng nodded. “Yeah, let’s get someone to handle it.” A tiger this size would take a lot of work to break down.
“Skin the pelt and tan it, sort the meat and bones into piles.”
Illya nodded. “Alright, I’ll find people to help.”
Chu Feng nodded. “Great.”
*
Highland Tribe
A group of tall, burly Highland tribesmen were eating dumplings from large bowls. Three massive pots of dumplings had been finished in no time.
“So good!” Shi Li patted his belly with satisfaction.
Chui Shi walked up to Shi Li and asked, “Little brother, how many bowls have you had?”
“This is my fourth! Working here is amazing! We’ve got clothes to wear, meals to eat, pickles on the side, and even get sweets from time to time!”
Chui Shi looked a bit troubled. “Boss Chu Feng said no one under 12 is allowed. You’re still not old enough. Maybe you should…”
“Big brother, my strength is no less than any 12-year-old’s!” Shi Li cut in.
Chui Shi shook his head. “That’s not it. Boss Chu Feng isn’t judging by strength. He just thinks 12 is too young. The work here is too stressful.” (The word “stress” was one Chui Shi had learned from Chu Feng.)
Shi Li pouted. “I’m not that young. And what stress? No one’s dying here.”
Chui Shi nodded. “True enough.” Hunting was life-and-death work. Risky, and exhausting—sometimes you’d spend the whole day without a reward. In comparison, building houses here was hard work, but at least you ate well every day.
Shi Li was Chui Shi’s third younger brother, born with brute strength and a much bigger appetite than most Highland tribe members. Because of this, he was often hungry. Even though their father was the tribe leader, he didn’t abuse his power—instead, he often had to support the tribe members.
Shi Li was often dizzy with hunger. But lately, the construction base’s conditions had greatly improved, and rules and systems were becoming more organized.
Chu Feng had brought in people from Crescent Village to cook. Anyone working with the Highland tribe at the base could eat freely and also received monthly wages.
When Shi Li heard meals were unlimited, he’d run over excitedly. At first, he worried Chu Feng might be lying, but once he saw it was true, he was overjoyed.
Chui Shi frowned. “You’re growing fast. You don’t look under 12, but still—be careful.”
Shi Li grinned. “Don’t worry. Boss Chu might be rich, but he’s a bit clueless. He won’t notice. I’m taller than most in the tribe. I totally look 12!”
Chui Shi growled, “What nonsense are you spouting? Who are you calling clueless? Want a beating?”
At first, the Highland tribe didn’t really trust Chu Feng. But after being bombarded with his sugary kindness and generosity, everyone’s opinion of him improved a lot.
Shi Li thought to himself: I’m not the only one who thinks that—lots of people say the same! Though… only behind his back.
Shi Li darted away with a swish. “I’m off to eat more dumplings. If I don’t hurry, those big oafs will eat them all!”
Kalan looked at Shi Li and said, “Kid, this is your fifth bowl, isn’t it?”
Shi Li nodded. “Yep! Didn’t Boss say we could eat as much as we want?”
Kalan nodded. “That’s true, but man, you sure can eat.”
Shi Li patted his belly and grinned. “No problem, I’ll make the most of it.”
Kalan added, “Of course. Boss Chu said as long as you can eat it, go ahead. Just don’t take any with you.”
Shi Li nodded again. “Don’t worry, everyone knows the rules.”
With a smug smile, Shi Li thought to himself: Boss Chu’s rule is perfect for me! It’s like it was made just for me. I eat enough for a few people—it’s a huge win!
Then he asked, “Boss Kalan, when is Boss Chu coming to check on us?”
Kalan looked at him and said, “You want the boss to visit?”
Shi Li scratched his head. “Of course! When most nobles visit, it’s to push for faster work. But Boss Chu is different. He just checks in and brings us all sorts of treats.”
Kalan rolled his eyes. “Forget it. Boss is busy.”
Shi Li sighed. “Alright, fine.”
