Chapter 353 - 153: The Magical Little Red Chunks
Sharing the skills you possess with others can be quite an interesting endeavor.
Especially when teaching them to the indigenous people.
From their eyes, filled with curiosity, shock, and even admiration, Chen Zhou harvested a substantial amount of emotional value.
These genuine emotions are something no modern person could provide him.
Besides, engaging in communication with people again, instead of talking to animals or monologuing, brought back some sense of life to Chen Zhou.
After all, humans are social creatures by nature, with an innate need for interaction, a fundamental logic dating back to the ape-man era.
The need for emotions, the role one plays in society, or a sense of belonging are all things humans strive for.
...
Taking two idle rattan hanging racks from the storeroom, and selecting a pair of clay pots of similar size and shape from the kitchen, Chen Zhou returned to the cabin.
He demonstrated to the two indigenous people how to secure the clay pots onto the racks and then placed them over the fire to boil water.
During the process, he also emphasized the importance of protecting the racks while boiling water and the critical importance of fire safety.
Particularly the issue of fire prevention.
Currently, it's the dry season. Although the island is humid, if someone carelessly lights the grass and the wind blows, the fire would become uncontrollable, at best burning a whole hillside.
If it becomes serious and ignites the forest, the island might turn into a burning torch.
By that time, don't even mention the timber needed for building, the fuel for starting fires, or the various fruits.
If the fire grows, the smoke rises, and whether or not to continue living in the cave becomes a concern.
Chen Zhou was really worried that the two indigenous people lacked fire safety awareness; after getting the fire striker, they might recklessly cause a big mistake, so he repeatedly emphasized fire safety, even teaching them how to extinguish fires quickly—
If water is available, pour it directly on the fire; if not, bury it with soil.
Seeing the two indigenous people looking somewhat confused, Chen Zhou couldn't rest assured and decided to supervise them seriously for a while.
He had to ensure they didn't treat making fires as a game or use the fire striker as a toy before feeling secure.
...
After the fire-making lesson ended, with continuous wood being added to the bonfire, the water in the clay pots also boiled.
Chen Zhou immediately conducted a "test," ordering the two indigenous people to extinguish the fire and remove the clay pots.
The two listened to the class attentively, and upon seeing Chen Zhou's serious face, they immediately ran to the side, picked up a bucket of water, and poured it on the bonfire.
Accompanied by a sizzling sound, the burning wood emitted a cloud of white smoke, turning into black charcoal.
Chen Zhou was about to praise the execution of the two indigenous people when unexpectedly, their firefighting efforts hadn't ended. After pouring the water, they hurriedly scooped up soil with their hands to cover the charcoal.
Thinking that an extra layer of insurance was better, Chen Zhou didn't stop them, letting them bury the charcoal with soil entirely whereupon he finally called a halt.
...
The two indigenous people dug the soil with their hands frantically, combined with the tense atmosphere Chen Zhou set for them, they worked hard enough to sweat.
Upon hearing Chen Zhou call for a stop, they who already understood some words immediately halted their actions, swiftly knelt on one knee, pressing their mud-stained right hands on their chests, which moved Chen Zhou—a lump formed in his throat—
Your clothes!
He quickly patted the heads of the two indigenous people, pulling them up, thinking he must teach them how to change and wash clothes today. He started instructing them to wait for the water to cool, pour it into a container, then cover it, and drink the cooled boiled water when thirsty.
The concept of drinking boiled water was complicated, an unheard-of rule for the indigenous people who had drunk cold water since childhood.
Chen Zhou couldn't explain the concept of raw water containing parasites, bacteria, or harmful substances; he could only use his authority to enforce the drinking of boiled water.
Fortunately, drinking boiled water wasn't against human nature, and once the indigenous people understood, they quickly embraced this new lifestyle habit—
They even thought it was a custom of the Celestial Kingdom.
...
By the time the lesson on drinking boiled water was over, it was already noon, and the bonfire Chen Zhou lit was still burning.
Utilizing the remaining fire, he started cooking dough drop soup beside the cabin.
The cooking clay pot had a large capacity; Chen Zhou intentionally added more noodles, along with some jerky, chopped green onions, and a bit of chili to the dough drop soup, filling the pot with an enticing aroma.
The vibrant red Sichuan pepper combined with the fresh green onion gave it an enticing appeal.
The two indigenous people, holding bowls, caught the fragrance and eagerly began to taste.
Apparently, their tribe didn't have spicy food, and the two regarded the red chili chunks floating in the soup as some delicious fruit, targeting it as the first bite.
The result was obvious; the extraordinarily spicy chilies, like flames, scorched their taste buds, making them blow out breaths incessantly.
Ironically, the dough drop soup was scalding; they couldn't pour the soup into their mouths to relieve the spiciness, leaving them quite anxious.
Chen Zhou, savoring the dough drop soup in small sips, appreciating the perfect spiciness and meat aroma, almost burst into laughter seeing the two's reddened faces and tearful eyes due to the spice.
However, considering his image and the possibility that the two youngsters had never eaten chili, he kindly poured each of them a cup of cold water to alleviate the spiciness.
...
To humans, spiciness indeed represents a type of pain.
When capsaicin stimulates the human body, the burning pain in the taste buds leaves a profound impression, and subsequently, the brain secretes endorphins, a pain mediator, converting pain into pleasure.