Chapter 9: The Almighty Bean

"You mean to say that you can turn soybeans into another kind of food... something soft and smooth that won't choke your throat or cause bloating?" the village chief asked in bewilderment.

"Yes," Chu Jiu nodded firmly.

He finally understood why Aris's statement had felt so wrong to him earlier. In Chu Jiu's previous life, corn and soybeans were essential crops that could be prepared in countless delicious ways. Take soybeans, for instance—a crop native to China. Beyond just boiling them, people would grind them into soy milk, coagulate them into tofu, ferment them into soy sauce, or press them into soybean oil. From there, it branched out into an array of dishes: dried tofu, tofu pudding, fermented bean curd, stinky tofu... In short, the Chinese dining table was inseparable from the various foods and seasonings derived from beans.

Yet, Aris had actually claimed that this godforsaken village "could only" produce corn and soybeans? Were those two things not enough?

However, just as Bean Village didn't know how to weave cotton, the villagers were also unaware of the many uses for their beans. Whether this was due to their technology tree being vastly different from China's or because the monster invasion a century ago had caused them to lose their recipes, Chu Jiu didn't dwell on the reason.

His current plan was to try to turn these difficult-to-digest beans into "tofu," which both the elderly and children could easily eat. If he remembered correctly, one of the most primitive tofu recipes involved using gypsum, which is rich in calcium sulfate, as a "coagulant" to add to soy milk. This caused the protein molecules in the milk to aggregate and precipitate, eventually forming a gelatinous tofu.

And as for "gypsum"... Chu Jiu had seen a relevant entry in his illustrated guide. One of the collection sites listed was the "underground mines on the northwestern edge of the Forgotten Forest." As long as he could collect gypsum, he would soon have fresh, tender, and smooth tofu.

Since the people in this world didn't know how to process soybeans and had never seen tofu, this white, soft, smooth-textured food—which tasted good no matter how it was prepared—would surely win over a large crowd instantly. Once that happened, with Bean Village as the sole producer of tofu, would they still need to worry about traveling merchants not stopping by?

Of course, Chu Jiu couldn't tell the village chief how he knew the recipe for tofu, nor could he explain how universally beloved it was in the world of China.

After hearing Chu Jiu's plan, the village chief remained silent for a long time. He truly couldn't imagine how the distinct, hard beans could turn into the soft and smooth "tofu" the youth spoke of. But he thought of the boy's extraordinary abilities, the delicious screaming mushrooms, Granny Zhu's blunt-headed fish, and Cheng Yue's lamb legs... In this desperate time, perhaps the boy's method really could bring new vitality to the village.

Finally, the village chief stood up and said to the youth, "Xiao Jiu, I will leave this matter to you."

*

Chu Jiu planned to set off the next morning. He didn't know the exact location of the underground mines, but since the guide card stated the "northwestern edge of the Forgotten Forest," he could potentially find them by walking northwest along the outer perimeter of the forest. As for how long it would take, Chu Jiu had no idea.

He "discussed" it with Xiao Guantou, hoping it would stay at the cabin to look after the house. Unsurprisingly, Xiao Guantou waved its paw, its eyes turning into semicircles: Refused! You must take me with you!

Helpless, Chu Jiu had to mince some fish into small balls to serve as portable cat food for Xiao Guantou. The meatballs weren't as aromatic as grilled dried fish, so he hoped they wouldn't attract insects.

Just as he was about to prepare some dry rations for himself, he heard a "ding-ling, ding-ling" ringing sound outside. Opening the door, he saw Granny Zhu, supported by A-Man, standing far away under the signpost. What could this old woman and child want with him?

Chu Jiu hurried over to them. Before he could speak, A-Man stuffed a basket of steamed buns into his hands.

"Big Brother! Grandpa said you’re going to look for something called 'gypsum'."

"The forest is so big and dangerous, and there's no telling how far you'll have to walk... Grandpa asked me to bring you these buns to eat on your journey."

Granny Zhu then took out a scroll made of animal hide. "Xiao Jiu, thank you for your hard work..."

"I have a record here... it was left behind by my son when he used to hunt in the forest... perhaps it might come in handy..."

Chu Jiu hadn't expected them to come specifically to bring him supplies. After accepting them, he expressed his gratitude several times. Granny Zhu shook her head, muttering, "Oh, we are the ones who should be saying thank you..." as she tremblingly walked away.

Just like that, Chu Jiu's backpack gained [Traveler's Rations (Poor Flavor but Easy to Carry) x 10] and a scroll titled "Hunter's Insights."

Chu Jiu spent a few hours learning two useful recipes from the "Insights": [Night Hammock] and [Animal Hide Sleeping Bag].

[Night Hammock: The best bedding for spending the night in the forest, a great invention from the forest dwellers. No need to worry about having your ears chewed off by army ants in the middle of the night, or fearing that a wild boar might trample over your head. Required materials: Vine x5, Hay x2, Rope x1]

[Animal Hide Sleeping Bag: Bedding with excellent warmth. Just think about how blissful it is to have a warm sleeping bag to shelter you during a desolate, cold desert night. Required materials: Animal Hide x5]

Used alternately, these two items were enough to handle most nights spent camping. Chu Jiu went into the forest to cut some vines and, following the recipes in the book, produced [Tanned Leather] and [Grass Rope], finally crafting the hammock and the sleeping bag. With this, the essentials for "long-distance exploration" were complete.

*

The next day, as dawn broke, Chu Jiu set out with the sleepy Xiao Guantou in his pocket. The goal of this long journey was no longer to collect various strange monsters, but to find the underground mines as soon as possible and gather "gypsum." Therefore, Chu Jiu didn't stop to chop mushrooms or dig up roots as he had before. To save stamina, he decided to gather as little as possible along the way.

However, when he walked by and saw [Treasure Spider's Web], [Incredibly Fluffy Foxtail Grass], or [Red Flowers That Can Be Used as Dye]... he still couldn't resist and collected two of each. There was no helping it; seeing good things beside him and not collecting them was simply too torturous.

As Chu Jiu traveled north, the system map gradually lit up. By the time he stopped to rest at noon, the exploration progress of the Forgotten Forest area had reached 15%. By dusk, the map completion was at 25%.

Chu Jiu wiped the sweat from his forehead, drank some water, and fed a few drops to Xiao Guantou before deciding to find a place to spend the night. He walked a few steps into the woods, intending to look for a tree suitable for hanging his hammock, when he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a faint blue glow flickering in the grass ahead.

Walking closer, he saw that it was "little stars" everywhere, shining with a weak light in the twilight. Xiao Guantou let out a "meow" and immediately poked its head out, wanting to pounce on the ground, seemingly very interested in the starlight.

Chu Jiu knew these were [Fluorescent Grass], a type of plant that glows at night; they were non-toxic, harmless, and non-aggressive. He didn't stop Xiao Guantou, but instead gently lifted it and placed it on the soft grass. "Play here for a while, I'm going to cut some grass to make a lantern."

"Don't run around, okay?"

Soon, Chu Jiu had harvested [Fluorescent Grass x30]. He bundled these together with some branches to make a crude [Cold-Light Torch].

Just as he finished the torch and held it in his hand, the system emitted a pleasant chime:

[Area exploration progress increased to 0.3%]

[Host level increased, now a Level 3 Explorer]

[Host has learned the active skill "Camper's Intuition," please use it flexibly]

"Camper's Intuition"? Chu Jiu opened the menu and smiled:

[Camper's Intuition: When the host needs to camp in the wild, this skill can be used to find the 'overnight spot' in the vicinity that is least likely to be attacked by monsters or wild beasts.]

This skill came at just the right time. Chu Jiu immediately spent spirit points to use it once. In an instant, in front of Chu Jiu appeared a... a chubby, round, golden little hamster with wings? A flying hamster?

The little hamster flapped its wings in the air, weaving through dense branches and flying forward, apparently to lead the way for Chu Jiu. Chu Jiu marveled internally at how novel the system's signpost was, while he held the cold-light torch and followed the little hamster deep into the forest. Xiao Guantou, which he had tucked back into his pocket, was also extremely curious about the flying hamster, constantly stretching out its claws to try and scratch at it.

After about half an hour, the little hamster disappeared. In front of Chu Jiu stood a towering tree—

[Dream Tree: A strange tree peculiar to the Forgotten Forest. Regardless of the species, any creature that approaches this tree at night will feel drowsy. Some suspect that these trees emit a scent that aids sleep, but unfortunately, no special substances have been extracted from the roots, leaves, or sap. Leaves and branches detached from the trunk also have no sleep-inducing properties.]

Perhaps even monsters, upon approaching this tree, would forget to attack and simply fall into a deep, sound sleep.

Chu Jiu ate some rations and climbed up the tree using his hands and feet. The Dream Tree had a dense canopy and sturdy branches, making it very secure for hanging a hammock. Chu Jiu unfolded the hammock and lay down. He adjusted his position to ensure he wasn't pressing on Xiao Guantou in his chest pocket, then closed his eyes.

The power of the Dream Tree was truly strong. Within half a minute, Chu Jiu was already feeling dizzy. He gently pressed his hand against the warm little creature on his chest and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I'm holding you."

"You won't fall..."

Although Xiao Guantou was also incredibly sleepy, it still grumpily scratched Chu Jiu's hand with its tiny paw:

*Hmph, I'm not afraid! I'm a very impressive cat; cats aren't afraid of heights—wait, I'm not a cat! What am I again? ...Forget it, doesn't matter, so sleepy...*