That day, Jian Mo had spent the entire day gathering herbs. When he returned to the He’an Tribe, Wu Jiong still wasn’t back.
He wandered around the house, finding everything in order, and realized there wasn’t much to do. Sitting down, he poured himself a cup of hot water to sip on while thinking about how to pass the time.
The sun had yet to set fully—it was still early.
Deciding he might as well take a bath in the river, Jian Mo started rummaging through his things to find a change of clothes. Heating water at home was troublesome, and with the weather already warm, bathing in the river wouldn’t be an issue for someone with his constitution.
Just as he was halfway through digging for clothes, someone called out from outside:
“Brother Jian Mo! Are you home?”
“I’m upstairs,” Jian Mo responded, heading down with the clothes in hand. “What’s up?”
The voice outside sounded excited. “Brother Jian Mo, your custom pots are ready! We brought them over!”
Delighted, Jian Mo quickened his pace. “Let me take a look!”
Ban Ming and Ah Hu carried in two enormous pots, one on each of their sturdy backs.
“Here they are,” Ban Ming announced as they carefully set them down. “Check if these are what you wanted. If there’s anything off, we’ll take them back and have De Jiang’s team make adjustments.”
Jian Mo had commissioned the tribe to craft large metal pots some time ago. However, the process of making metal cookware was intricate, requiring skill and time.
Over the course of the project, Jian Mo had visited the smithy multiple times, providing sketches and explaining the design in detail. The process had been challenging, and he hadn’t wanted to rush anyone, knowing it wouldn’t help. So he had refrained from following up recently.
He hadn’t expected the pots to be finished so soon.
“I can’t wait to see them!” he said eagerly.
Ban Ming and Ah Hu placed the two massive pots before him.
Each pot had a diameter of over a meter and resembled the traditional large cooking pots commonly used in rural areas.
The design perfectly matched the double-stove layout of Jian Mo’s kitchen.
Crouching down, Jian Mo ran his hand lovingly over the rim of one pot, inspecting every detail inch by inch.
The craftsmanship was superb. The pots were evenly weighted, with no side feeling too heavy or too light. The thickness of the metal was consistent throughout, and the surface was meticulously smooth, free of any sharp edges or burrs.
The fine hammer marks across the pots spoke of careful and precise forging. Likely made from a single large sheet of iron, the pots had no seams and felt solid in his hands.
These pots, Jian Mo thought, were even better crafted than most he had seen on Earth.
Standing by, Ban Ming watched his reaction nervously. “Brother Jian Mo, how are they?”
Jian Mo’s eyes sparkled. “They’re perfect! Exactly what I wanted!”
Ban Ming grinned. “That’s a relief! Everyone was worried you wouldn’t like them.”
“How could I not?” Jian Mo said, beaming. “I’ve been dreaming of these pots for ages! Let’s go, help me move them to the kitchen and see how they fit.”
The group carried the pots into the kitchen, placing them on the stove. As expected, they fit perfectly, flush against the stove’s edges.
No doubt about it, these custom-made pots were top quality.
Jian Mo couldn’t stop marveling at them. “Alright, let’s take them outside and season them before use.”
“Season?” Ban Ming asked, tilting his head.
“Yes,” Jian Mo explained. “Before using new pots, you heat them up, coat them with salt, and finish with a layer of oil. It makes them more durable and prevents food from sticking during cooking.”
Ban Ming and the others looked confused but curious.
Jian Mo waved them off. “It’s hard to explain. You’ll see once I do it. For now, could you help me set up a simple firepit outside?”
The pots had sturdy iron handles, making them easy to carry.
Once the firepit was set up, Jian Mo placed one pot over the roaring flames, planning to season them one at a time.
No one left—they all stayed to watch, intrigued by the process.
First, Jian Mo heated the pot until it glowed red-hot. Then he added a generous amount of salt, spreading it around with a spatula. After thoroughly heating the salt, he poured it out and added some beast oil, using a cloth soaked in the oil to coat every inch of the pot inside and out.
The crowd watched in fascination.
“What’s the purpose behind this?”
“Does this only work for pots, or can we do this for other metal tools?”
“Brother Jian Mo, should I season my knife like this too?”
Jian Mo hesitated. “I’m not sure about other tools—this might only apply to pots. This method is just based on experience from where I came from.”
Though unconvinced, the spectators didn’t press further and continued to watch the show.
Once both pots were seasoned, Jian Mo rinsed them thoroughly and asked for help carrying the cooled pots back into the kitchen, setting them in place on the stove.
By the time they finished, Wu Jiong had returned, bringing even more people to gather and observe. The kitchen quickly became crowded with curious onlookers.
“So this is what a kitchen looks like with proper pots!”
“Brother Jian Mo, are you going to show us how to cook with these?”
“Are you planning to make metal pots for yourselves?”
“Definitely not. We don’t have enough metal at home. The metal used just to forge these pots probably weighs more than the pots themselves! If we had spare metal, we’d rather make a few extra tools instead.”
“Exactly! It’s fun to watch, though.”
Seeing everyone’s excitement, Jian Mo decided to give them a demonstration. “Alright, give me a moment to prepare some ingredients.”
The crowd immediately offered to help. “What ingredients do you need? We’ll get them for you!”
Jian Mo didn’t refuse and listed off a few items: slices of beast meat, cured meat, fresh fish, and bird eggs. The group eagerly set to work washing and cutting the ingredients.
In no time, everything was ready, and the fires beneath the stoves were lit.
With everyone watching closely, Jian Mo started by pan-frying the cured meat.
As the meat sizzled, its edges crisping to a golden brown, he added fresh wild greens to the pan.
A loud sizzle erupted, and the kitchen was instantly filled with the mouthwatering aroma of sautéed greens and cured meat.
The crowd behind him gasped in unison.
“Wow!”
The corner of Jian Mo’s mouth twitched, but his hands didn’t stop moving.
With a quick, high flame, he stir-fried the greens and cured meat, plating the dish on a brown ceramic plate.
The wild greens were still vibrant green, glistening under a light coating of oil. The cured meat’s crispy edges gave off a rich, smoky aroma, making the dish irresistibly inviting.
Under the eager gazes of the crowd, Jian Mo picked up his chopsticks and tasted a bite. “Not bad, just as I imagined.”
He handed the plate to Wu Jiong, letting him try first before passing it to the others.
Everyone was intrigued by the greens, but after tasting them, they were amazed by the dish’s crisp, tender texture and fresh flavor.
Qing Kuo couldn’t help but exclaim from the back, “I didn’t know wild greens could taste like this.”
Ye Luo added, “So tender and fresh.”
Meanwhile, Jian Mo had already washed the pot and was preparing to stir-fry some beast meat. He turned to Ban Ming, who was tending the fire. “Keep it on high heat this time too.”
Ban Ming nodded earnestly. “Don’t worry, I won’t let the fire drop even a little.”
The beast meat had been sliced thin, then marinated with starch and powdered pepper. The preparation had completely transformed it from ordinary meat.
Jian Mo added a bit more oil than usual to the pot. Once it was sizzling hot, he threw in the marinated meat.
As the juices and oil met the heat, the pan erupted with pops and sizzles, sending tiny oil droplets flying.
The onlookers yelped in surprise and stepped back in unison.
But Jian Mo didn’t flinch. His spatula flew across the pan, expertly tossing the meat to ensure it cooked evenly. In just ten seconds, the dish was ready.
He poured a spoonful of cold water into the pot, lowering its temperature temporarily, and plucked a piece of meat to taste.
The result? Perfectly tender meat.
The pieces were smooth to the eye, without the fibrous appearance typical of grilled meat. Back on Earth, Jian Mo could only achieve this texture by marinating and boiling the meat, but that method lacked the explosive aroma of stir-frying.
Satisfied with the dish, he handed it to Wu Jiong to try and then shared it with the others.
The crowd erupted in amazement.
No one in the tribe, apart from Jian Mo, had ever cooked such tender meat before.
Watching him stir-fry the dish felt like witnessing magic. After tasting the results, all they could do was nod fervently and declare, “Delicious!”
Jian Mo then proceeded to pan-fry fish, scramble eggs, and, at the crowd’s insistence, demonstrated how to stir-fry some tubers. These too came out crispy and flavorful.
Every dish he made surprised the onlookers.
Initially, most of them thought crafting such large, expensive metal pots was unnecessary. But after tasting Jian Mo’s dishes, they all agreed: if resources allowed, making a couple of pots to enhance their meals was worth it.
Even Jian Mo was taken aback.
These pots exceeded his expectations, far outperforming stone slabs and ceramic pots.
Dishes cooked in these pots truly had that “wok hei” flavor.
That evening, Jian Mo gave himself a thorough scrub from head to toe, washing away the smoky residue of the day’s cooking. Only then did he feel truly refreshed.
He turned to Wu Jiong and said with heartfelt gratitude, “Looking back, the best decision I made last year was visiting the Jin Tuo Tribe. Metal is just so useful.”
Wu Jiong nodded. “That’s why Jin Tuo is the richest tribe. Everyone values metal so much.”
Jian Mo sighed. “There’s no way not to love it.”
The two large pots they had made weren’t just for stir-frying. They could also double as boiling pots, and unlike ceramic ones, they were far more durable and wouldn’t crack under heat. Boiling water or making soup was now much easier.
For days, Jian Mo reveled in the versatility of his new pots, barely stepping out of the house.
One day, Qing Kuo came looking for him. “The dyeing grasses have grown in. We’re heading out to gather them soon. Want to come along?”
Lately, Jian Mo had been joining various foraging teams to collect edible greens, so he hadn’t paid much attention to Qing Kuo’s plans.
“What colors can you dye with them?” Jian Mo asked.
“Yellow-brown and blue,” Qing Kuo replied. “Every year the shades vary slightly. We’ll have to see what we get after processing them.”
Jian Mo’s interest was piqued. “Are those the same grasses used to dye the yellow-brown fabric I received?”
“Exactly,” Qing Kuo confirmed. “Those grasses and a few others.”
Jian Mo quickly made up his mind. “I’m coming! Wait for me.”
He had never seen the dyeing process before and was curious to learn more.
Slipping on an old, worn-out outfit as Qing Kuo advised, Jian Mo shouldered his large pack and set off with the group.
The dyeing grasses grew far away, requiring a long trek that only the able-bodied could undertake.
Jian Mo followed, walking until his legs felt like they would give out.
Eventually, the group arrived at a gorge where the first patch of dyeing grasses grew.
The grass had large, hand-sized leaves that were deep blue in color. When Jian Mo pinched a leaf and rubbed it between his fingers, blue juice immediately stained his palm.
Qing Kuo set down his basket. “Start cutting, but leave the center leaf intact.”
Everyone nodded, pulling out their shell knives to harvest the grass. To avoid staining their precious metal blades, they had specifically brought these tools.
Jian Mo, however, used his metal knife.
The grass leaves were thick and tender, making them easy to cut. Before long, he had half-filled his basket.
But the sap was so abundant that it left multiple stains on his beast-hide robe. Despite scrubbing, he couldn’t remove the blue marks.
No wonder they’d advised wearing old clothes. If he’d worn anything nice, he’d be heartbroken by now.
Once they finished harvesting this patch, the group moved on to the next.
Since dyeing grasses grew in predictable locations each year, they didn’t have to search randomly. They simply walked to known spots to harvest.
By the time they were done, Jian Mo was sore all over. His legs, thighs, and even his backside ached from the constant movement.
After filling his basket with grasses, the group set off to find the yellow-brown dyeing fruit.
Qing Kuo explained, “These fruits aren’t edible. Only the yellow peel is useful. Last year’s harvest was poor due to bad weather, so we couldn’t dye much fabric. Hopefully, this year will be better.”
While resting and catching his breath, Jian Mo shared the sentiment. After traveling such a long way, it would be a shame to come back with only a handful of fruits.
After much stop-and-go trudging, Jian Mo was out of breath, but fortunately, this year’s harvest had been plentiful.
They gathered a decent amount of thumb-sized thick-skinned dye fruits, likely enough for their current needs.
Once they had finished collecting, they began the long trek back to the tribe.
Jian Mo was so exhausted he felt like he might collapse. He found himself missing Chirpy—if the winged beast had carried them, he wouldn’t have had to walk so much.
But as he thought about it, he realized it wasn’t very practical. They had climbed hills, descended into valleys, and squeezed through dense forests. Even if Chirpy had come along, it would have had to wait outside for most of the journey.
Besides, even with Chirpy carrying them to the area, the paths they had traversed on foot while searching were numerous and challenging.
His mind flitted between random thoughts as his legs mechanically trudged onward.
Finally, they arrived back at the tribe. The group immediately delivered the dye grasses and fruits to the stone pestle area, preparing to grind them into a pulp and use them while fresh.
It was only then that Jian Mo learned these dye plants were highly perishable. Though no one used the term “oxidize,” the tribespeople explained that the color of the plants dulled quickly if not used immediately.
They first ground the dye grass and then washed the stone pestles thoroughly before starting on the dye fruits.
The team divided their tasks efficiently. The ground dye grass pulp was placed directly into large ceramic pots and boiled over open flames.
Once the liquid boiled, the fabric to be dyed was added, along with mineral salts to set the color.
Qing Kuo explained that the fabric needed to boil for half the night to ensure the color would hold.
Jian Mo, unfamiliar with the dyeing process, simply followed instructions and assisted wherever needed.
His family didn’t have much fabric to dye this time—only ten rolls. Five were dyed blue, and five were yellow-brown.
It wasn’t that they lacked fabric, but Jian Mo wasn’t sure how well the dyeing would turn out. He wanted to see the results first before deciding whether to process more.
They worked late into the night, only stopping when it was time to extinguish the fire. The fabric was left to soak in the dye baths overnight, to be checked the next morning.
Jian Mo was so tired he could barely stand. Lacking the energy for further curiosity, he returned home, washed up quickly, and fell straight into bed.
The next morning, Wu Jiong was the first to rise. He retrieved their dyed fabric, rinsed it thoroughly at the river, and hung it to dry in their courtyard.
When Jian Mo woke up, he saw the ten pieces of fabric basking in the sunlight.
The blue fabric had a rich, deep hue, almost resembling indigo.
The yellow fabric had a vibrant orange-yellow tone, with a hint of vermilion that made it exceptionally striking.
He hadn’t expected the colors to turn out so beautifully—far exceeding his expectations.
Circling the fabric to admire it from different angles, Jian Mo thought, If every dyeing session produced colors of this quality, we could dye more fabric for various uses. Bed sheets, tablecloths… they’d all look great. He imagined pairing the dyed fabric with the natural off-white or pale yellow base colors to create unique patterns.
After tending to the Tou Tou beasts, Wu Jiong came to the front courtyard. Seeing Jian Mo inspecting the fabric, he asked, “What’s on your mind?”
Jian Mo held up a piece of fabric. “I was just thinking how beautiful these colors are. We still have plenty of undyed fabric at home. We could dye more.”
Wu Jiong replied, “But we might not use it all.”
Jian Mo raised the fabric again. “How could we not? We need fabric for clothes, bedding, and other daily uses. The only problem is that we don’t have the time to sew it all ourselves. Maybe we could give some of it to others as payment and ask them to sew for us?”
Before Jian Mo’s arrival, everyone in the tribe made their own household goods. But after his influence, exchanging goods and services had become the norm.
While they hadn’t yet developed a formal currency, Jian Mo felt that day wasn’t far off. Fabric and metal were already widely accepted across tribes as valuable trade items.
Wu Jiong agreed, “Go ahead and hire help. Doing it all ourselves is too tiring.”
In their household, both men worked together on handcrafted items. They didn’t divide tasks by beastman or sub-beastman roles; both of them wove fabric and sewed clothes.
But Jian Mo wasn’t particularly patient, making him less skilled in weaving and sewing than Wu Jiong.
Jian Mo nodded. “I think so too. I’ll go find Qing Kuo later and see if he’s available. If not, I’ll ask around—maybe Min Dang or Ye Luo can help.”
