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Watching Jian Mo stir-fry the meat slices was like watching magic. After tasting it, they could only nod repeatedly to show how delicious it was, and had nothing else to say.

Jian Mo fried fish and scrambled eggs, and with encouragement from the tribe members, she even demonstrated how to stir-fry stems, which turned out equally crisp and delicious.

Jian Mo's cooking always surprised everyone.

At first, everyone felt it was not worth the effort to make two pots. However, after tasting the delicious dishes, everyone agreed that if there was a lot of metal involved, making two pots to solve the problem of meals was indeed a good option.

Not only were everyone surprised, Jian Mo herself was also very surprised.

These two pots were much better than he had imagined, far superior to stone slabs and earthenware pots.

Dishes with a wok hei (the smoky aroma imparted by a wok) are indeed delicious.

That evening, Jian Mo took a thorough shower from head to toe, only feeling more comfortable after washing away the cooking fumes.

He remarked to Wu Jiong, "Now I realize that the luckiest thing that happened to me last year was visiting the Jintuo Tribe; metal is just so incredibly useful."

Wu Jiong: "That's why Jin Tuo is the wealthiest; everyone loves metal."

Jian Mo sighed, "Yes, how can you not like it?"

Their two pots can be used as frying pans or boiling pots.

Metal pots are much more durable than earthenware pots; they won't crack no matter how much you cook them. They're much more convenient for boiling water and making soup than before.

Jian Mo has been so engrossed in the various ingenious uses of the large iron pot that she hardly wants to go out.

That day, Qing Kuo found him and asked, "The herbs that can be used for dyeing have grown out. We're going to pick them in the next couple of days. Do you want to come along?"

Jian Mo has been going out with different gathering teams every day to collect all kinds of edible vegetables lately, and hasn't really noticed Qing Kuo's situation.

Jian Mo: "What colors can it be dyed?"

Qing Kuo: "The yellowish-brown and blue colors vary slightly each year. We'll have to wait and see when we get the samples."

Jian Mo immediately remembered. "Weren't those pieces of yellowish-brown fabric I received dyed with those dyeing plants?"

Qing Kuo: "Yes, basically just those few types of dyeing herbs."

Jian Mo: "I'm going now, wait for me."

Having been here for so long, Jian Mo had never been exposed to dyeing cloth before, and was quite curious.

He carried a large basket on his back, and following Qing Kuo's instructions, changed into an old set of clothes before setting off with them.

The place where the dyeing grass is located is very far away; it's impossible for anyone who isn't young and strong to go that far.

Jian Mo followed along, her legs almost giving out.

They found the first patch of grass that could be used for dyeing in a canyon.

The leaves of this grass were larger than Jian Mo's palm, and were a deep blue color. If you pinched off a leaf and rubbed it, blue sap would appear in Jian Mo's palm.

Qing Kuo put down his basket. "Everyone, start cutting. Just leave one leaf in the center."

Everyone nodded and took out their shell knives to start cutting grass—they had specifically switched to shell knives to avoid staining their beloved metal knives with the grass.

Jian Mo took out a metal knife and began to cut as well.

The leaves were thick and tender, so they were quick to cut. In no time, he had cut half a basketful.

There was just too much juice, and his animal skin robe was accidentally stained in several places. He tried rubbing it with his hands, but he couldn't remove the stain.

No wonder they wear old clothes when they go out to cut lawns; if they wore new clothes, they would be heartbroken.

They quickly finished cutting down this patch of dyed grass and moved on to find the next one.

The dyeing grass grows in roughly the same places every year, so they don't need to spend too much time searching for it; they just need to go to the specific location and cut it.

Jian Mo followed along, stopping and starting, until her buttocks ached, not to mention her thighs, calves, and feet.

After cutting most of a basket of grass, they went to find dyeing fruit that could produce a yellowish-brown color.

Qing Kuo said that the dyed fruit is inedible; the usable part is mainly its yellow peel.

Last year the weather wasn't very good, and they didn't find much, so the tribe didn't dye much fabric. Hopefully, this year will be better.

As Jian Mo rested, supporting her knees, she hoped that the crop would grow more fruit this year. They had come all this way, and it would be a huge loss if they didn't harvest many fruits.

After a long and winding journey, Jian Mo was exhausted and out of breath, but thankfully this year's harvest was indeed quite good.

They collected quite a few thumb-sized, thick-skinned dye fruits, which should be enough for their use this time.

Having gathered enough, they began their journey back to the village.

Jian Mo was so tired from walking that she almost threw up. At this moment, she missed Jiujiu. If Jiujiu had carried them here, they wouldn't have had to walk so far.

But that's not realistic. They've been going up and down mountains and down valleys, burrowing through the jungle. Even if Jiujiu arrives, most of the time they'll still have to wait outside.

Moreover, even if Jiujiu carried them here, they still walked quite a distance while searching.

Jian Mo's mind was racing with a jumble of thoughts, but her feet were moving forward mechanically.

Having finally returned to the tribe, everyone immediately took the dyeing herbs and fruits to the stone mortar, preparing to grind them into a paste and use them while they were still fresh.

Jian Mo then realized that both of these plants used for dyeing were prone to oxidation or becoming stale—there's no concept of oxidation here, people just say the plant colors fade easily.

They first pounded the dyeing grass, then washed the stone mortar and began pounding the dyeing fruit.

Everyone worked together, putting the pounded dye grass directly into a large earthenware pot and starting a fire to cook it.

After the liquid inside is boiled, everyone puts the fabrics they want to dye into the dyeing pot, and then adds mineral salts to boil and dye.

Qing Kuo said to boil it overnight so that the color would hold.

Jian Mo was completely unfamiliar with tasks like boiling and dyeing, so she followed instructions and assisted from the sidelines.

The family isn't dyeing a large quantity of fabric this time, only ten rolls in total, five rolls to be dyed blue and five rolls to be dyed yellowish-brown.

It wasn't that he didn't have enough fabric at home, but rather that he wasn't sure how well the dyeing would turn out, or whether it would be suitable for further processing. So he simply dyed a small amount and planned to wait and see how it went.