I woke up to find myself transmigrated into a disabled child.

Chapter 102 Jade Face

"Huh, what's this..." As soon as she woke up early in the morning, Lezhi found a wicker basket next to her, which was full of freshly picked Sichuan peppercorns.

The furry ball, which he was using as a bed, received Lezhi's questioning look and returned an innocent look, indicating that it knew nothing.

This little guy is usually very alert, especially now that we're out and about. Anyone who wants to get close to him has to ask for his permission first. If he doesn't say anything, he's just pretending to be stupid.

Judging from Maoqiu's current attitude, Lezhi immediately guessed who had put the basket of Sichuan peppercorns there.

Aside from Lei Xiu, who else could possibly get past the fur ball's obstacle and approach his sleeping self without making a sound?

Reaching out to wipe away the lingering dewdrops on the Sichuan peppercorn peel, Yuezhi's lips curled into a slight smile, her chest filled with joy.

Lei Xiu, who had already tidied up, walked in quietly from outside. Seeing that Le Zhi had already sat up, he slowly walked over to Le Zhi and knelt down on one knee.

"Zhizhi, good morning." Because Lei Xiu was in a half-squatting position, his eyes were just level with Lezhi's.

Le Zhi is familiar with this posture. In the past, when he was playing with someone's child or pet, he liked to squat down and lower his posture so that he could easily get along with them!

"Good morning, Lei Xiu." She pursed her lips, yet still feigned ignorance, asking, "This Sichuan pepper fruit..."

"Yes, didn't you want some yesterday? I asked Leting for the exact location and went to pick some this morning."

Lei Xiu described his special trip to pick Sichuan peppercorns as if he had just casually drunk a glass of water in the morning, leaving Le Zhi unsure how to press him further.

Without giving Lezhi a chance to hesitate, Lei Xiu raised his hand and rubbed Lezhi's head, directly interrupting his thoughts, "Alright, put it away. You're awake now, so get up, wash up, and eat. We're about to leave."

Perhaps because Lei Xiu's attitude was too matter-of-fact, Le Zhi was unconsciously led astray by his attitude and even felt that it was not a big deal.

He casually put away the wicker basket, then reached out and used Lei Xiu's seemingly unintentional outstretched hand to help him stand up, and was pulled by him to finish washing up.

By the time he came to his senses, the campsite had been completely cleaned up and restored to its original state. He himself was already sitting on Maoqiu's back, ready to set off.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but hesitated. It seemed inappropriate to express her gratitude now that the opportunity had passed. She stared at Lei Xiu, who was flying beside the furry ball, for a long time before finally biting her lip and continuing on her way, lost in thought.

The next few days passed peacefully. Under Leshan's leadership, their team steadily traversed most of the misty forest. When they set up camp again, Leshan gathered everyone together for a small meeting.

"If all goes well, we should reach the Windwalker Clan's territory by tomorrow evening. Until then, everyone must remain vigilant. Although we are close to the Windwalker Clan, it doesn't mean there is no danger. Everyone must be on high alert, understand?"

"Oh..." "Got it~"

The excitement of almost reaching their destination made everyone a little distracted; their responses remained enthusiastic, but not entirely coordinated.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the group. Leshan then turned to the guards and instructed them to increase vigilance, as relying solely on the self-discipline of the tribespeople was definitely not enough.

As the team leader, he has to anticipate all risks in advance and make all arrangements properly.

In stark contrast to Le Zhong, if we were to say who in the team is the least stressed, it would definitely be Le You and his group, who are protected in the middle of the team and don't have to worry about anything except taking care of their underage teammates.

At the hot pot gathering a couple of days ago, Sichuan peppercorn fruit, with its unique flavor and the wonderful chemical reaction produced when paired with fire grass, successfully won over a large number of tribesmen. Spicy hot pot has also successfully become one of the most popular delicacies among the Spirit Feather tribe.

This was followed by a surge of enthusiasm among the tribespeople for collecting Sichuan peppercorns.

After Lei Xiu brought back a basket of Sichuan peppercorns for Le Zhi that day, in the following days, the other tribesmen would also take advantage of any spare moment between gatherings to search for them, and gradually accumulated several baskets of Sichuan peppercorns. They knew that Le Zhi definitely wanted them, so without discussion, everyone unanimously brought the Sichuan peppercorns they had gathered to Le Zhi.

Lezhi initially refused, but Leyou persuaded her, "You were the one who discovered the Sichuan pepper fruit, and so far, only you know how to use it most effectively. Everyone is doing this to thank you. If you really can't accept it, you can always make some into finished products and share them with them after you figure out how to preserve the Sichuan pepper fruit for a long time. I guess that's what they're thinking too."

Yes, the most difficult part of preserving Sichuan peppercorns compared to Sichuan peppercorns from the previous life is their preservation.

This is also a headache for Lezhi. He has recently tried various methods, such as air drying, baking, and making sauce, in order to preserve them for a longer period of time before they rot.

Persistence pays off. After many experiments, Lezhi discovered that making it into Sichuan peppercorn sauce was the simplest and most effective method. He also added some sour fruit juice to the sauce, which did not affect the taste but could effectively delay the spoilage of the Sichuan peppercorn sauce.

This inspiration comes from an experience in a past life of making jam with lemon juice.

It would be even better if there were strong spirits, but unfortunately, Lezhi has not yet discovered that the Lingyu tribe has a habit of drinking alcohol.

Lezhi himself is not a big fan of wine, and he only has a general understanding of winemaking methods, not the specific production process.

All he knew about the raw materials was that, in addition to starchy plants, he also needed yeast. Oh right, he seemed to have seen somewhere that sweet potatoes could also be used to make wine, but he had no idea how to do it.

Therefore, the brewing plan has to be put on hold for now. We'll get back to it when we have all the materials.

A salted fish is happy to lie flat and not make things difficult for itself.

Anyway, we have plenty of food and drink now, and alcohol isn't a necessity, so let's just put it aside.

Back to the present, in the past two days, he has taken advantage of his free time to gradually cook the Sichuan peppercorns into Sichuan pepper sauce.

The flavor of the dried Sichuan peppercorn pulp had dissipated significantly after drying and sun-drying, but the peel was barely usable.

Lezhi didn't waste any of it. She collected all the dried fruit peels, along with the specially gathered seeds, and put them away. Once she returned to the Lingyu Clan, she could plant them. If the planting was successful, achieving freedom in Sichuan peppercorns would not be a dream.

After packaging the prepared Sichuan peppercorn sauce, Lezhi delivered it to the tribespeople who had given him Sichuan peppercorns, explaining the preparation method along the way. Only then did Lezhi breathe a sigh of relief.

There was no way around it; he really disliked owing people favors.

Seeing this, Leyou, who was helping with the cooking, could only feel that Lezhi was conflicted.

“You’re overthinking it. The tribespeople won’t care at all. Even if you don’t give them the Sichuan pepper sauce, no one will say anything. After all, you’ve already treated everyone to a meal.” Leyou deftly sliced ​​the meat into thin slices. He was so skilled that he didn’t even need to keep an eye on it and could even find time to talk.

"I know, but I just feel bad. It would be better if we didn't owe each other anything." Although relationships are supposed to be built on mutual debts, Lezhi just wasn't used to it. He knew his personality was a bit awkward, but at least it was his true feeling.

They're having hot pot again today, which is a good opportunity to use up their remaining food supplies.

I took out a portion of the broth that I had prepared a couple of days ago and put it into the bone broth that had been simmering until it turned milky white. I stirred it until the broth was completely dissolved and the spicy aroma wafted out. I tasted it and added some more seasonings to the broth. The broth was then ready.

Lezhi turned around and carried the ingredients that Leyou and the others had already washed and chopped to the fire pit, then loudly called his teammates back to eat.

When Lei Xiu, who arrived late, finally sat down, the group, who had been dining together before, didn't stand on ceremony. They waved their chopsticks, called out to each other, and prepared to start eating immediately.

Just then, before the chopsticks could even be placed down, a commotion suddenly broke out on the outskirts of the camp.

The commotion caused everyone to pause in their work, and Leyou, who loved to join in the fun, immediately stood up curiously to look around.

"What's going on over there?"

Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, completely confused. Only Lei Xiu glanced in that direction and immediately understood.

"It must be visitors from outside the tribe. It's alright, everyone go about your business. If anything happens, someone will come to notify you."

Lei Xiu's composure was contagious, instantly putting the team members, who already considered him the backbone of the group, at ease. Le You also sat down, casually adding a plate of meat to the pot, muttering, "Nothing is more important than eating. Since this has nothing to do with us, let's ignore it and eat!"

"Okay..."

"I think you're just greedy."

Amidst everyone's teasing, Lezhi relaxed and joined the food-grabbing frenzy. Hot pot is all about the atmosphere; when everyone's gathered around, jostling and jostling, even the food tastes better.

With Lei Xiu's help, Le Zhi was not short of food and quickly filled her stomach to half full. Lei Xiu was even more amazing. While taking care of Le Zhi, he could also feed Mao Qiu. Because of this, Mao Qiu and Lei Xiu became much closer.

While they were enjoying their dinner in a pleasant atmosphere, Leshan was rubbing his teeth in front of the uninvited guest.

"Yu Yan, you've already given your greetings, is there anything else?"

The beautiful woman he called Jade Face blinked her amorous peach blossom eyes upon hearing this, and a soft, bell-like laugh escaped her throat, "Leshan, we're neighbors, for goodness' sake, why are you so impatient..."