Seeds and Fine Salt
Equipped with simple Ma'an and stirrups, the ponies quickly developed a new rapport with the Fire Tribe's Hunting Team. The previously clumsy riding training progressed rapidly. The warriors no longer needed to struggle against the bare, slippery backs of the horses; with their feet firmly planted in the wooden stirrups, their bodies naturally found their balance, and controlling the horse, turning, and even trotting became effortless. The grasslands were no longer a scene of disarray, but instead, increasingly fluid marching formations and the rudiments of basic tactical drills. The Youth Team was not to be outdone; during training breaks, selected key members, under the guidance of their instructors, carefully mounted saddled and stirruped ponies, their youthful faces filled with curiosity and excitement.
After completing the design and initial guidance of the Ma'an and stirrups, Wang Yan entrusted the secret production to Jianya and a reliable craftsman leader. He then turned his attention to another important harvest from this autumn fair—various seeds obtained in exchange from the Fish Tribe.
In a dry wooden hut that served as a makeshift storeroom, Wang Yan carefully unfolded several small packets wrapped in hay and burlap. These seeds were ones he had specifically sought out and exchanged at the Fish Tribe's autumn market. They came from channels further downstream from the Fish Tribe, and might even have come indirectly from the Valley Tribe. For the Fire Tribe, most of them were novel things that they had never seen or tried to cultivate.
He picked up each grain, examined them carefully, and compared them with the knowledge in his memory, feeling a surge of joy in his heart.
Seeds similar to rapeseed. "Great stuff!" Wang Yan's eyes lit up. Rapeseed can be pressed for oil! Although oil extraction technology is practically nonexistent now, it's still an excellent supplement even if eaten as a vegetable. In the long run, it's a potential source of plant-based oils.
The seeds resemble those of cabbage. This will be an important leafy vegetable variety in the future, enriching the family's diet and providing more vitamins.
Similar to kudzu tubers: although they look shriveled, they are still alive. Kudzu has a high starch content and can be eaten or used as medicine. The vines can also be used for weaving or as animal feed.
Roots/seeds similar to ginger and scallions. The prototype of seasonings! With them, the flavor of food will be significantly enhanced, and they can also play a certain role in sterilization and preservation.
Wild chili seeds. Their spicy flavor can stimulate appetite, dispel cold, and even act as a mild preservative.
A tuber similar to yam. Yam is rich in nutrients, has a strong satiating effect, and is an excellent food supplement and medicinal plant.
In addition, there are some other seeds that he cannot yet fully identify, but which appear to have considerable potential.
"With these... our vegetable garden and the newly cultivated plots will be bustling next year." Wang Yan smiled. Crop diversification not only improves the nutrition and taste of food, but also enhances the resilience of the agricultural system. He categorized and labeled the seeds, preparing to hand them over to the Farming Group so they could select suitable land for trial planting next spring.
After counting the seeds, Wang Yan left the warehouse and headed towards another, more heavily guarded area—the tribe's "secret burial place," the place responsible for refining fine salt.
The refining of fine salt is another core secret spearheaded by Wang Yan. He began experimenting as early as after the first soybean harvest this year. Coarse salt contains many impurities, is bitter, and is not beneficial to health in the long run. He tried various methods and finally figured out a primitive but effective process:
First, dissolve coarse salt in clean water to obtain saturated brine. Then, boil the brine with freshly ground soybean milk. The protein in the soybean milk can adsorb a large amount of impurities and heavy metals, forming flocculent precipitates. After repeating this process several times, filter the preliminarily purified brine through multiple layers of burnt charcoal (which has adsorption and decolorization effects) and fine linen cloth. Finally, carefully steam the resulting clear brine in a ceramic vessel. The crystallized salt is snow-white, fine-grained, and has almost no bitter taste.
The whole process is tedious, time-consuming, and has a low yield, but it is of great significance. At this moment, in a special earthenware jar inside the secret place, there is about a dozen kilograms of the most recently refined, snow-white and crystal-clear fine salt.
Wang Yan scooped up a little with a small wooden spoon and put it in his mouth. The pure saltiness melted on his tongue, without the slightest unpleasant aftertaste. This was a world of difference compared to the coarse salt he used to have, which was earthy and bitter.
"Captain Yan, this salt... is really good." An old craftsman responsible for guarding and assisting in the refining looked at the jar of fine salt with awe and pride in his eyes. He had personally participated in the entire process and knew how difficult it was.
"Yes, in the future, everyone in our tribe will gradually be able to eat this kind of salt." Wang Yan closed the earthenware jar, feeling relieved. Cleaner salt means that the tribe will have fewer diseases caused by impurities and harmful substances, and their bodies will be healthier and stronger. This is also one of the implicit cornerstones for the long-term development of the tribe.
Currently, the production of fine salt is very low, only enough to supply the core members of the tribe, the wounded, and for important occasions, and it is kept absolutely secret from other tribes. However, with the expansion of soybean planting area and the continuous improvement of refining technology, Wang Yan believes that one day, every member of the Fire Tribe will be able to enjoy this pure white taste on a daily basis. This technology will also be an important trump card for the Fire Tribe in the future.
Stepping out of the secret chamber, the winter sun shone coldly and brightly. Wang Yan gazed at the figures of warriors galloping across the distant grasslands, then looked back towards the warehouse and the residential area where smoke curled from the chimneys. Horses enhanced mobility, new seeds brought agricultural diversity, and fine salt improved health and quality of life...