Chapter 1097, Corn and Bone Broth

Translator: Silavin

 

Yu Ying had her arms full. She came hurrying back to the Yong’an Building, her delicate face bright with a smile.

 

At the second floor entrance she slipped off her shoes and ran inside, setting down her armful of lovely things onto the table with barely contained excitement.

 

“I wonder if the Shaman will be pleased.” Yu Ying flicked her fox tail in anticipation.

 

Yu Ying looked at what she had arranged on the table, felt it was still not quite right, and adjusted it several more times.

 

“I didn’t think this Sweet Grain would ripen so quickly. I wonder what it tastes like.” She rubbed her small hands together eagerly.

 

What Yu Ying had brought back from the fields was the Sweet Grain that the Giant Bear Tribe had given them.

 

Sweet Grain was a plant unique to the Giant Bear Tribe, growing only in the land around their settlement. It was one of their main sources of food. But the last time, in order to trade with the Flame Dragon Tribe, they had offered some of it up.

 

In Su Bai’s words, Sweet Grain was corn. The moment he had seen Yan Jiao bring it back from the Giant Bear Tribe, he had recognised it at once.

 

But he had not planted it straight away. There had been a number of factors at the time.

 

The biggest was the weather. After that came the state of the fields.

 

The Flame Dragon Tribe’s farmland had been undergoing reforms at that point, so the corn had been held back. It had only been planted a few days ago. And before planting, he had used the Growth Acceleration Skill on it.

 

*Creak.*

 

Su Bai pushed open the bedroom door and stepped out, stretching as he went. His warm, unhurried voice carried across the room. “What are you so happy about this early in the morning?”

 

He sometimes found himself thinking: if modern Humans had never quite finished evolving, if people had kept their ears and tails, what an interesting world that would be.

 

Every emotion was written plainly for the other party, unable to hide it.

 

Happy or eager, their tail would not stop moving. Unhappy, and it would droop along with their ears. That sort of thing.

 

He had also occasionally wondered whether, if everyone still had tails, people would hold tails instead of hands when they walked together.

 

“Shaman, look! The corn you mentioned last time is ready to harvest. I didn’t know if it was alright to eat yet.” Yu Ying scooped up the corn on the table with both hands, beaming.

 

“Oh? Let me have a look.” Su Bai’s interest came alive at once.

 

He walked over quickly and began peeling the corn. Yu Ying had brought it back still in its outer leaves. The husks had not been removed.

 

“Shaman, what are you doing?” Yu Ying watched his every move with wide, curious eyes.

 

Su Bai stripped the outer leaves off one ear in quick, practiced movements, and the golden kernels appeared beneath.

 

He smiled and passed it over to her. “Here. This is what corn really looks like. When it looks like this, it’s ripe.”

 

He had wondered at first how she could possibly have known when to harvest corn if she had never seen it before. But she had brought it back to the Yong’an Building all intact. He suspected she had simply gone by the size of the corn.

 

“I see. I thought you just looked at the size of the outside and that was enough.” Yu Ying stared at the golden corn, then gasped softly. “So this is what corn looks like inside. It smells so good.”

 

As more were peeled, a light, clean fragrance drifted through the living room.

 

The people of the Flame Dragon Tribe knew nothing of corn. This was the first time any of them had caught its scent. It was the kind of smell that made a person feel suddenly clear-headed.

 

“More or less. Next time, when you see corn that’s this size and you’re not sure if it’s ripe, you can peel back the outer leaves a little and check the kernels inside.”

 

Su Bai picked up one and held it close to take in the smell. “As long as the kernels are this plump, it’s almost always ready to be harvested.”

 

“I’ll remember that, Shaman.” Yu Ying nodded several times. “Shaman, how do we cook this corn?”

 

The first thought that had crossed Yu Ying’s mind. If the smell alone was already this good, Yu Ying was certain the taste would be even better.

 

“Corn has so many uses. Dropping it whole into water to boil, steaming it, stir-frying it, all of these are good. You can even use it in broth.”

 

A familiar dish surfaced in Su Bai’s memory. “A big bone cooked down with corn into a broth, there’s nothing quite like it. I’m sure you’ll love it.”

 

There was no shortage of things corn could be made into. Back on Earth there had been no end of corn-based foods, from the finest restaurants to the smallest street stalls. Some people even ground the kernels into powder and made corn noodles.

 

Su Bai had not eaten anything made from corn in quite some time. Looking at the golden kernels now, his appetite was stirred.

 

“Teach me how to make it, Shaman. I’ll make the broth for you from now on.” Yu Ying’s eagerness to learn woke up immediately.

 

“Broth is actually quite straightforward. You take bones with a bit of meat still on them, wash them clean, blanch them briefly in boiling water and then fish them out…” Su Bai walked her through it patiently, and finished with. “Once the water comes back to the boil, add a little coriander. That’s the broth done.”

 

“I understand. I’ve got it all.” Yu Ying turned and set about gathering the ingredients at once.

 

There was already breakfast laid out on the table, but Yu Ying was not one to sit still. The moment she learned something new, she wanted to try it immediately.

 

Su Bai knew her well enough by now. He made no move to stop her as she hurried off.

 

He stayed where he was and turned his thoughts to other uses for corn. Grilled corn over a fire. Corn boiled in water. Drying the kernels and grinding them into powder.

 

The nutritional value was high. In the modern world it had been one of the most important staple crops.

 

Su Bai took out a piece of paper and began writing down the various ways to prepare corn, including how to make corn flour.

 

The Tribe already sold wheat flour and rice flour. Now with corn flour added, the foods made from it would have a different texture altogether.

 

Yu Ying gave her full attention to the bone broth, though her eyes kept drifting sideways toward the corn.

 

It suddenly occurred to her that Su Bai had said corn could be eaten raw. Yu Ying could not help herself, so she picked one up and took a bite.

 

The moment the raw corn hit her tongue, her pink eyes went wide.

 

Her taste buds had been thoroughly won over. She turned back to the fire and began stoking it faster.

 

Silavin: Oh, I didn’t know corn could be eaten raw.