She Only Cares About Cultivation-Chapter 743: [734] Beast World Farming 44 (2 updates)

The Vine Mountain Tribe’s addition made the Nandi Clan livelier, and although saying "much remains to be done" might be an exaggeration, it was undeniable that they had a lot to prepare. With a serious shortage of firewood, they had to venture out during the day, but fortunately women, children, and the elderly all had safe places to stay, allowing the others to work without worrying about those at home.

Tangtang’s family kept to their usual routine; usually, it was Lili who led them out to play. Though it was cold, whether in Beast Form or not, the children’s nature was the same. Luckily, without them causing trouble, Tangtang could focus more on cooking delicious food at home.

Today, she planned to smoke some cured meat and sausage in the courtyard. With so much meat, simply frying or braising it was tasty, but nowhere near as aromatic as this unique smoked flavor. During the rainy season, she had made air-dried cured meat and even had leftovers. However, she liked variety, believing that multiple options made meals richer.

Beastmen were curious about this cooking method, but the process wasn’t something that could be completed in just a day or two.

The fresh meat was marinated with Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, cooking wine (home-brewed), and then gently smoked over low heat with fragrant cypress branches.

Once the cured meat was steamed, it was richly aromatic, fat but not greasy, lean but not stiff, offering an endless aftertaste with each bite.

So, the first step she had to do was marinate the meat. The longer the marination, the deeper the flavor, so today’s task for her and the Beastmen was to rub salt and seasonings into the washed meat and let it marinate.

After marinating, it would be left indoors to absorb the flavors, being turned daily. After about seven or eight days, they would hang the meat up by strings.

Their house’s most suitable place for hanging was the kitchen, which was cool and well-ventilated, and occasionally used to boil hot water, allowing an opportunity to start smoking the meat first.

Since the weather in Beast World was relatively cold, there was no worry about the meat spoiling. Roughly ten days later, once the surface was dry and the inside tender, it could be moved outside to a specially made grilling rack. They would hang it there and smoke it over low heat, enclosing the surroundings. It was smoked daily and usually two to three times were enough. If you wanted a stronger taste, you could smoke it a few more times. Once sufficiently smoked, the cured meat’s surface turned brown. It was then hung in a cool place, ready to be grabbed and eaten anytime.

This smoked meat, when stir-fried with chili, was particularly satisfying. After making it just once, they were already eager for a second time—truly a group of food lovers.

Pitiable was the cook, always thinking up ways to prepare delicious meals for them.

That day, while she walked around the tribe, she saw Beastmen dragging back freshly chopped trees. From one of the trees, a dark fruit rolled down. She casually kicked it and it split open, revealing the white flesh inside.

Initially, she didn’t pay much attention and continued walking two more steps forward. However, she suddenly stopped, turned around sharply, and her pupils contracted in an instant.

She sprinted back, picked it up for a closer look, and her mind exploded. She almost asked Yin Ye with a trembling voice,

"What is this fruit? It’s from the tree we just cut down, right? Quickly go check where they chopped it."

Yin Ye casually took it and sniffed it by his nose, then with a frown, handed it back to Tangtang.

"You don’t need to ask, I know. This fruit is especially stinky during the rainy season and even worse when it turns black in winter. It’s called stinky fruit, usually untouched by anyone. What’s the matter?"

Stinky fruit?

She brought it close to her nose for a gentle sniff. The pungent smell nearly knocked her out. However, as she drew the flesh from the fruit layer by layer, the soft, fluffy texture told her it was cotton. But with such a foul smell, even if it was cotton, how could anyone stand wearing it?

Tangtang quickly turned to Yin Ye, "Go gather these stinky fruits, as many as possible. I’ll go home and try to see if there is a way to wash off this stench."

Tangtang took two stinky fruits home, pulled out the somewhat moist cotton, took a bit, and gently rubbed it in water.

After a while, she took it out, shook it in her palm, then gently sniffed it. Her eyes instantly lit up.

"It seems the smell isn’t as harsh now, but, this cotton can’t be washed in water, can it? Washing would ruin its shape."

Yet looking at the cotton in her hand, it seemed that washing hadn’t altered its form—it was just as resilient as silk floss from her previous life.