Clay Pot (continued)

He lit the dry leaves with a tinderbox, and with a roaring flame, the charcoal was quickly ignited, much faster than the firewood.

The charcoal seems to be of good quality.

The two of them stared intently at the charcoal in the earthenware basin.

Charcoal fire is warm, smokeless, and quiet, unlike firewood which can suddenly burst into sparks while burning.

Jian Mo had been burned by sparks several times, and almost every piece of her animal skin clothing had a burn hole in it.

After roasting the charcoal for a while, Wu Jiong said, "It wasn't a waste of time burning this charcoal."

Jian Mo: "Right? Charcoal burns longer than wood; it probably won't go out until noon."

Wu Jiong nodded. "Let's cut more damp wood these next couple of days and make more charcoal."

Jian Mo didn't have any objections, but he reminded them, "Don't let burning charcoal interfere with other things."

Wu Jiong: "It won't be a delay; I still need to chop firewood regularly."

Jian Mo: "Chopping wood is one thing, but making charcoal is much more work."

Wu Jiong: "Everyone is just not skilled enough. The really time-consuming part of charcoal making is building the kiln. Those who are quick can finish it in no time."

Jian Mo thought about it and agreed, "Then you can call me when you want to go out."

After finishing breakfast, Wu Jiong was about to lead his men on patrol to check the situation outside; he estimated they would be out all day.

Jian Mo called out to him, "Would you like some barbecue tonight?"

Wu Jiong looked at the meat hanging under the eaves, frowned, and clearly didn't want to.

Jian Mo found it somewhat amusing and added, "Not the kind of tough, chewy meat that gets stuck in your teeth. I'm planning to grill a new kind of meat skewers."

Wu Jiong finally relaxed his brow. "Then let's eat."

Wu Jiong left quickly, while Jian Mo stayed in the tribe to handle miscellaneous tasks.

He poured some Hairy Root from the jar and marinated the meat with spices.

Animal meat is usually tough and needs to be marinated for a day to become tender and flavorful.

Marinate it now, and it'll be perfect to grill it this evening.

After a busy day, in the evening, Jian Mo checked the marinated meat and saw that it was almost done. He then used skewers to separate the fatty and lean meat.

In addition to pure meat skewers, he also made some Wood-Stabilizing Root meat skewers and Sour-Sour Fruit meat skewers. The addition of vegetables and stems made them less greasy and suited his taste better.

Charcoal-grilled meat is different from wood-grilled meat.

Jian Mo simply sticks the meat skewers around the charcoal fire without worrying about flames burning them.

Because the charcoal fire is exceptionally stable, the grilled meat develops an appealing golden-brown color with a very even finish.

The aroma of roasted meat wafted out, attracting a group of children.

The little ones' eyes sparkled as they stared at the roast meat, their mouths practically watering.

Jian Mo looked at the group of little ones, then at Wu Jiong.

Wu Jiong silently beckoned the little ones over—he was about to divide the meat.

Jian Mo smiled slightly.

Unexpectedly, the little ones didn't come over when he waved; instead, they turned and ran away.

Jian Mo was taken aback for a moment, then asked Wu Jiong, "Are you afraid of me or you?"

Wu Jiong: "The little guys have never been afraid of me."

"What you're saying? The little ones have never been afraid of me." After saying that, Jian Mo added, "At least so far, the little ones haven't been afraid of me."

Wu Jiong seized on the key phrase in his words: "Maybe I'll be afraid of you in the future?"

Jian Mo: "Well, doctors usually have some knowledge of this. But after a few more doctor visits, the kids might run away whenever they see me."

Wu Jiong, unusually curious about his previous work, said, "You're quite good at treating illnesses."

Jian Mo: "That's because the cases we've encountered so far are all minor issues, and the treatments aren't painful. It would be a different story if we encountered a painful case."

Wu Jiong: "What's the most painful thing?"

Jian Mo thought of her previous patients, "Sterilization?"

Wu Jiong was puzzled.

Jian Mo looked at him and explained in simpler terms, "It means cutting off your testicles."

Wu Jiong said nothing and silently adjusted his posture.

While they were chatting, the little guys came running over again, carrying things, this time followed by other little guys who couldn't yet take human form.

"Chieftain— Jian Mo— " Jiang Xing, who was leading the group, ran out of breath, "We brought food to exchange for kebabs, is that alright?"

Wu Jiong nodded.

Jian Mo smiled slightly, "Did your family ask you to bring this?"

Jiang Xing nodded. "Dad said everyone doesn't have much food, and we're not allowed to come and freeload."

Jian Mo took their food and divided the meat skewers among them. The little guy who couldn't yet take human form was given a piece the size of a finger, mainly to have a simple taste.

The little ones took their food to one side, squatted by the fire pit, and ate while making "waa waa" noises.

The meat skewers, grilled over charcoal, are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with absolutely no smoky smell, only a rich meaty flavor, making them incredibly delicious.

The little ones can't keep their mouths shut; they chatter away even while eating meat.

Knowing that Jian Mo wanted to use charcoal to fire pottery, Jiang Xing said, "The clay from our tribe isn't good; the clay from the Dianxin Tribe is much better."

Jian Mo had interacted with the Dianxin Tribe at the Hunting Gathering and knew that it was a relatively developed agricultural tribe, so she laughed and asked, "Where did you hear these things?"

Jiang Xing: "My father said that the pottery made from the clay of the Dianxin Tribe is very beautiful and doesn't crack easily, while the pottery from our tribe cracks very easily."

Jian Mo explained, "Our tribe's pottery is prone to cracking because it wasn't properly shaped during the pottery-making process, leaving air bubbles inside, or because the firing temperature was uneven."

The little ones didn't understand and insisted that the clay from the Dianxin Tribe was better.

Jian Mo turned to look at Wu Jiong, Wu Jiong looked up and gave him a questioning look, without correcting the little ones' idea.

Jian Mo could only tell the little ones that he would visit the Dianxin Tribe if he had the chance.

Charcoal is indeed a good thing. Jian Mo puts a pot of charcoal in the animal shed at night, which can burn until the next morning, saving them the trouble of getting up at night.