Chapter 24 Bai Yi arrived at her loyal kitchen
"Master, you're here!"
The temporary granary for handling rice was set up by Bai Yi behind the giant tree next to the farmland.
Turning around the tree, Bai Yi saw several machines for processing grain and a big pot, and of course, there were skins on the ground holding slightly yellowish rice.
Seeing Bai Yi appear, several farmwives gathered around.
"Master, these, all these were milled by me!"
"Ah, master, master, look these were all sifted by me! Do they look clean?"
"Master, master..."
Finally calming down everyone's enthusiasm, Bai Yi grabbed a handful of rice from the furry mat on the ground.
It felt warm, not as smooth as the store-bought kind, with a bit of rough texture, and some uncleaned husks, slightly prickly on the hands.
But Bai Yi was already very satisfied.
This was her...
No, it was their first batch of food ever produced!
And this was just the first step!
The food produced in the territory would only increase and improve.
First, set a small goal—
Quietly stockpile three years' worth of rice!
"Today, let's use this rice for dinner, how about that?"
Feeling the rice slip through her fingers, Bai Yi's face also wore the joy of a bountiful harvest, and she asked aloud.
"Great!" *6
......…
One hour later
"Master, I think...
Maybe next time, let me do it."
The farmwife named Nong Yi had a solemn expression.
Beside her, Bai Yi also shook her head seriously:
"No, let me try one more time!
I have a feeling, this time it will work!"
"But master, you've already knocked over the pot twice and burnt the rice three times, if it happens again, whether we can have dinner tonight is doubtful."
The few onlookers deeply agreed, nodding earnestly and advising:
"Master, for the sake of our future meals, you better not touch the iron pot anymore."
Nong Er spoke tactfully, but Bai Yi could hear the deep helplessness.
Tossing the spatula into the pot, Bai Yi gave up:
"Alright, alright, I'll step back. The kitchen is yours."
Yielding her place at the stove, Bai Yi muttered under her breath:
"It shouldn't be, logically speaking, just add rice then water, and boil it over the fire.
Where could have gone wrong?
I just threw in some meat and honey, why didn't it work?
It couldn't be because of those wild vegetables and mushrooms..."
Seeing that Bai Yi seemed to be pondering returning to the kitchen, Zhan Yi and Zhan Er exchanged a glance, understanding each other's intention, they hurriedly persuaded Bai Yi to leave the temporary kitchen.
The four Nong family members left, looking at the indescribable mess in the pot that was supposed to be food, fell silent.
"How did the master manage to mix a bunch of normal food into this?"
Nong Yi's eyes were filled with confusion.
"Logically speaking, although master's method was 'a little' off, it shouldn't have turned out like this?"
"But then again, even though this pot... the food, looks unsightly, since master added so many things, it shouldn't taste too bad?"
Nong Er's tone was somewhat uncertain, but the other three cast weird glances at her and silently moved away from Nong Er.
"Hey hey hey, what's wrong, this is just being realistic!"
"Why don't you give it a try?"
Nong San's words blocked Nong Er's, who quickly waved her hands.
"Never mind, never mind..."
"So, what do we do with this pot of stuff?"
"The old method!"
```
.........
After being busy for about half an hour, Bai Yi finally managed to eat fresh white rice before it got completely dark today.
Paired with honey-brushed grilled meat and some unknown wild vegetables, while it couldn't compare to the taste of home, Bai Yi still enjoyed the meal.
White rice...
Being brought to this foreign land, this is also considered a rare taste of the past...
As for the last pot of what could barely be called food, of course, it was not wasted; Nong Yi, with the authority given by Bai Yi, packaged it up and listed it for sale in the market.
This authority had already been granted a couple of days ago.
To facilitate the transport of materials and the collection of spoils, Bai Yi had given storage authority to several farmers and the initially conscious swarm of bees.
After dinner, Bai Yi stopped Nong San, who was preparing to clean up the stove, and the smile on his face also faded.
Originally, Bai Yi had planned to give some inspiring speech, but in the end, he got straight to the point:
"I have decided to start counterattacking the Undead Mage tomorrow."
"Great!"
"Master, what do we need to do?"
Zhan Yi and Zhan Er sprang to their feet, their faces filled with uncontrollable excitement.
Two days had passed, and their injuries had already healed.
Having been defeated in the last battle, both of them were already harboring frustration, ready to clear their disgrace.
Bai Yi pressed his hands downward, signaling for them to sit first, then continued:
"What I need to clarify in advance is, you might not be the main force in this battle.
Zhan Yi, Zhan Er, you too should prioritize your safety this time; after all, without the Rune Sword, your combat power is greatly reduced."
"I'm sorry, Master, it's my fault that the Rune Sword was lost..."
Zhan Er looked apologetic, quite dejected.
"The best outcome is that you came back alive, we can always retrieve the Rune Sword later.
How about you guys, are you coming along this time?"
Bai Yi scanned over Nong Yi, Nong Er, Nong San, and Nong Si, the four exchanged glances, and eventually Nong Si stepped forward and said:
"Master, I want to go."
"Good."
Bai Yi didn't ask why, his gaze continuing to sweep over the other three.
Confirming that they had no intention to come along, Bai Yi continued:
"Later, I will give you the authority to make purchases, go to the market to select a weapon that suits you, and make sure to protect yourselves tomorrow.
Next, I will explain the weaknesses of the Undead, listen carefully.
Nong Yi, you can listen as well, just in case."
Actually, Bai Yi had already covered this knowledge with Zhan Yi and Zhan Er over the past two days; this time was mainly to confirm Nong Si's participation in the battle.
But Zhan Yi and Zhan Er still listened attentively without any impatience.
Another half an hour passed, and this improvised night class came to an end.
Returning into the tree hollow, Bai Yi still wasn't feeling very sleepy, so he opened up the panel to pass the time.
"That pot just now...
It actually sold out?
Indeed, I guess I do have some talent after all!"
Bai Yi suddenly felt a renewed confidence in cooking.
Resolved to give it another try tomorrow, Bai Yi continued browsing through channels, secretly observing.
Probably thanks to the good start on the first night, the chatting channels these past two nights were still harmonious.
Even if there might be quarrels during the day over some matters, by evening everyone seemed to put aside their masks and began chatting and joking.
After watching for a while longer, Bai Yi felt his eyelids grow heavy and drifted into a beautiful dream.
The next morning, Bai Yi woke up early.
However, Zhan Yi and Zhan Er were up even earlier than Bai Yi, each holding a long-handle hammer with a hefty iron block, having already packed the materials and waiting for Bai Yi.
He took honey and Blood Flesh from the panel and added them to the Hive.
After waiting for a minute and feeling the feedback from the swarm of bees' consciousness, Bai Yi's Spirit instantly connected to the Insect Swarm.
All preparations being ready, Bai Yi waved his hand towards the north.
"Let's set out!"
.........
[Unknown concoction]: A substance mixed from various high-nutrition ingredients. If you can manage to eat it, it definitely won't disappoint, providing the nutrition needed for a normal person for one day, permanently increasing Magic Power by +10, and boosting Magic Power recovery speed by 100%, lasts for 24 hours.
[Note: Just do it!]
```