Chapter 974: Wash Clean First

The Suiren tribe did not have such good conditions to allow a cook to prepare meals in a dedicated kitchen; he could only be arranged to work on the open ground nearby, where he had the tribesmen build a stove out of stones and mud according to his requirements.

Subsequently, the cook set up his large pot and used the Soybean Oil brought from Huaxia to cook meat from the Suiren tribe. The cook's task was not just as simple as cooking for Baoxi and the others every day; he also had his own mission.

That was to search for spices and wild vegetables. Although it seemed more like something that should be done by Changle's students, the cook was far more knowledgeable and proficient in these things.

As for what could be eaten and what could not, the people of the Suiren tribe had long been very clear about it. Their entire tribe, much like Shennong, would stuff everything that looked edible into their mouths when there was no food or a shortage of food; if they didn't die, it meant it was edible, and if they died, it meant it was not.

Then, among those edible things, they would look for the ones that tasted better and were more delicious to serve as items that must be gathered and prepared every year. The cook only needed to look among those edible wild vegetables for the ones that could be eaten, or rather, the kind that would taste very good when prepared.

Spices were also very important to Huaxia; they were an important guarantee for everyone to be able to eat well and eat deliciously. Of course, this was not to say it was for covering up one's body odor like the savages in certain regions.

The variety of spices in Huaxia was still very scarce, but fortunately, it was already close enough. The main thing was the lack of chili peppers, missing a very important flavor, which resulted in the meals of the Huaxia people, despite being heavy in oil and salt, still being quite bland in taste.

At the same time, the cook had another task, which was to continue training cooks and teaching more of them, so that in the future, the dietary habits of the Suiren tribe would slowly change and shift toward those of Huaxia.

This would prevent a situation where the Huaxia people ate well and refinedly, while the people of the Suiren tribe still acted like savages, continuing to roast food over fire and sprinkling poisonous salt on it when finished.

The tea of Huaxia had already been brewed, and now everyone was waiting for Huangpin and Chengqie. Everyone was already very familiar with Baoxi, and what needed to be said had long been said; now it was time for Baoxi to convey this news that shocked everyone to Huangpin and his tribesmen.

Huangpin had come running the entire way, sweat streaming down his face and leaving distinct, colored streaks; Chengqie was in the exact same state.

Seeing the two of them in this state, Baoxi suddenly felt a sense of disgust. The two most important Leaders of the Suiren tribe were even more wretched than the farmers tilling the land in Huaxia. If he hadn't known before, he felt it was mortifying now.

Huangpin stared at the people before him, finding them more unfamiliar with each passing moment. He looked around, trying to find his Tribal Chief, but he couldn't see him. A stranger was now sitting in the seat that originally belonged to his Tribal Chief. Chengqie was the same; he did not see his father.

Now, Huangpin felt somewhat reserved. He felt that perhaps his Tribal Chief was not here; otherwise, how could they have set up such a reception area here so quickly?

So he straightened his body, summoned the presence he ought to have, and asked, "You are the envoys from Huaxia, right? Where has our Tribal Chief gone? Why do I not see him?"

Everyone pointed their hands toward Baoxi, their faces filled with confusion. A doctor even added, "Isn't your Tribal Chief right there? What is it? How long has it been since he left, and you already don't recognize him?"

Huangpin stared at Baoxi as if he had seen a ghost, shocked beyond measure. He rubbed his eyes hard and continued to stare, only then realizing that it really seemed to be his Tribal Chief.

Baoxi was also a bit angry: "Are you blind? What is it, you can't even recognize me? And you, Chengqie, what about you? Did you not recognize me either?"

Chengqie lowered his head and said timidly, "Father, your change is too great; you don't look like the same person at all."

Baoxi did not pursue the matter further and pointed to a seat at random: "Fine, sit down first; I have a major matter to tell you."

"Oh, alright." Chengqie nodded hurriedly and agreed, walking toward the spot, but Huangpin kept blinking his eyes at Baoxi.

"Huangpin, what is wrong with your eyes, blinking non-stop? What, are you going blind?"

Huangpin hurriedly explained: "No, no, Tribal Chief, my sweat just got into my eyes, and now they hurt; I can't open them." After saying this, he rubbed them hard with his dirty hands a few times.

Baoxi felt even more speechless. Fortunately, the doctor reminded him from the side: "Alright, stop rubbing. You should hurry and rinse them with clean water; if you keep rubbing, I'm afraid your eyes will go blind."

Although Huangpin did not know who this person was, the suggestion seemed very reasonable, so he hurriedly called for a tribesman to bring him a Pottery Bowl of clean water. Then he tilted his head back and had someone pour it directly into his eyes; a large Pottery Bowl of water even washed his head directly.

Although the behavior was silly, it was at least effective. Huangpin stopped rubbing his eyes and could see things again, although his eyes were a bit red now.

Immediately, he rushed to sit down beside Chengqie, but Baoxi felt very dissatisfied looking at the dirty water dripping from Huangpin. Both of them were a bit too dirty, so Baoxi said again: "You two, go wash your faces and hands before coming back; wash them clean."

Although they did not understand why, in the face of Baoxi's absolute authority, the two of them had to comply. But when they returned after washing, Baoxi looked at them and saw they were clearly just going through the motions without washing seriously, so he spoke directly to his servants: "Go scrub them clean; it doesn't matter if you scrub off a layer of skin."

Immediately, to the terrified expressions of the two, they were taken by several servants who looked respectful to the side of a large pottery water vat. Then, using the vat, they scooped out water and began a fierce scrubbing of Huangpin and the others' faces; strips of mud fell off with a swish.

Chengqie was still a bit angry, but the servants did not give him the slightest chance to be angry; the water and hands churned back and forth on his face, leaving him no chance to speak.

It was impossible to wash their hair now; it would require enough time and a large enough place for a full-body bath.

Their hands were also pressed into the water vat and rubbed slowly. After they finished washing, the water in the vat had turned murky.

The people of Huaxia looked at their teacups at this moment and felt they didn't want to drink anymore, because their water was scooped from that very vat, and the first time Huangpin and the others washed their hands, they had reached their hands directly into it to wash.

Baoxi only had some basic concepts of hygiene now, but compared to Huaxia, it was still far from enough; he did not feel there was any problem at all.