Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Boiling Syrup

“Boil hot water? What for?” Nan Feng asked suspiciously.

Changxia sniffed herself and muttered, “For a bath, of course! I was so tired last night I went straight to bed, and now I feel all sticky and uncomfortable.”

“Oh!” Nan Feng nodded, then asked, “Elder Yami wanted me to ask you—when should we start boiling the maple syrup?”

“Anytime is fine. It depends on how the tribe arranges things—we’re building kilns and collecting maple sap at the same time. Can the tribe handle it all?” Changxia replied, a bit worried. Thankfully, the tribe was big enough; otherwise, it really would be too much.

“The elders who fire pottery are in charge of boiling the syrup. No one in the tribe knows how to control the fire better than they do. They all stayed in the tribe last night, so they can start boiling syrup whenever,” Nan Feng explained.

The tribe had a group dedicated to making pottery.

Most of them were elders, along with some injured or disabled tribe members who didn’t need to hunt or gather. They were supported by the tribe and focused solely on pottery.

“Hurry up and get breakfast ready. After I eat and wash up, I’ll head over to the tribe square,” Changxia said. “Nan Feng, do you know how many clay jars the tribe has in storage?”

“There should be quite a few,” Nan Feng answered hesitantly.

Pottery was the tribe’s most precious asset, and the kiln area was off-limits to most people. Even though Nan Feng was the chief’s daughter, she wasn’t allowed near the kilns.

“We’ll need clay jars to store the finished maple syrup,” Changxia reminded her.

Changxia planned to turn two-thirds of the sap into maple sugar, and the remaining third into syrup. The maple sugar could be taken to the Normandy market next year to trade with the bird and fish tribes, while the syrup would be for their own use.

“Changxia, can maple syrup be stored for a long time?” Suye asked softly.

Changxia replied, “Maple syrup can be stored for a while, but for long-term storage, it’s better to make maple sugar. I want to use part of the sap to make syrup for the tribe to eat, and the rest to make sugar for storage and for trading at the Normandy market next year.”

“Delicious—” Baiqing suddenly blurted out.

He was licking a maple syrup lollipop, his mouth filled with the rich, caramel aroma of maple syrup. At first, he’d felt a little regretful that once he finished it, there’d be no more. But now, hearing Changxia’s words, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Delicious!”

Nan Feng crunched up the maple syrup lollipop in her mouth and nodded in agreement. “Good taste! These maple syrup lollipops really are delicious.”

Whenever the various beast tribes harvested honey, they usually sent it to Kana Sacred Mountain. However, Su Ye always used that honey for medicine, so she rarely ate any herself. That didn’t mean she didn’t like sweets—like all beastfolk, Su Ye had a sweet tooth. In the past, there simply hadn’t been any sugar to eat. Now that Changxia had discovered how to boil sugar from red maple sap, there would be no shortage of sweets in the future. Thinking of this, Su Ye’s gentle expression grew even kinder and more benevolent.

The Heluo tribe was thriving, and soon, it would lead all the beast tribes forward. As a shaman, how could Su Ye not be overjoyed?

“Don’t worry, Baiqing. I’ll definitely save enough maple syrup and maple sugar for you,” Changxia promised with a smile. It was rare to see Baiqing act so childishly, and of course she was happy to share some maple syrup and maple sugar with him.

Once the water was boiled, Changxia told Su Ye and the others to eat first. She carried the hot water into the beast den, planning to take a quick bath before breakfast. She didn’t linger—just a quick wash, then she got dressed and joined the others at the long table for breakfast.

“Grandma Su Ye, are you coming to the tribe with us?” Changxia asked after the meal.

Su Ye thought for a moment, then shook her head. “I’ll go check on Nuanchun later. She’s due to give birth in a day or two, so I need to keep an eye on her.”

Hearing this, Changxia remembered that Nuanchun hadn’t come with Nan Feng that morning.

“Nan Feng, is Nuanchun still not up?” Changxia asked.

Nan Feng shook her head lightly. “I’m not sure. I was just about to head to Hongye Ridge when I ran into the shaman and Baiqing, so I brought them over here.”

It was still early, so Nuanchun probably hadn’t gotten up yet.

“Nan Feng, is Nuanchun living in the tribe or over here at White Lake?” Changxia suddenly asked. If Nuanchun had moved to White Lake, Su Ye wouldn’t need to go to the tribe—she could just visit from Changxia’s place.

Nan Feng replied, “I think she moved to White Lake. The tribe started building kilns yesterday, and it was noisy, so Nuanchun couldn’t rest well. Shankun moved their things to a cave dwelling here at White Lake. They should have stayed here last night.”

“No problem, I’ll go check. If they’re not in the cave, I’ll head to the tribe,” Su Ye said.

With Baiqing accompanying her, Su Ye was familiar with every corner of the Heluo tribe. She didn’t need anyone else with her, and since everyone was busy, she didn’t want to add to the chaos. Besides, she was eager to try the maple syrup and maple sugar—this was important for the future of the beastfolk.

“Alright, I need to head to the tribe,” Changxia said, getting up without hesitation and heading out with Nan Feng. While the weather was still dry, it was important to process as much red maple sap into syrup and sugar as possible. It could be done indoors during the rainy season, but large batches were better cooked outside.

A short while later, Changxia and Nan Feng arrived at the tribe.

Elder Yami was directing the tribe members to set up pots and prepare firewood. When he saw Changxia, but not the shaman, he asked, “Changxia, where’s the shaman? Is she resting at your place or did she return to Kana Sacred Mountain?”

“She went to check on Nuanchun—she’s worried about her,” Changxia replied.

“Nuanchun’s child is truly blessed,” Elder Yami said with a smile.

In the past, Nuanchun’s life hadn’t been so easy. Thanks to the delicious foods Changxia provided, the tribe no longer worried about food shortages. With more variety in their diet, everyone had more choices, and life was steadily improving.

“Changxia, what’s that you’ve got there? I smell a special kind of sweetness.”

“These are maple syrup lollipops I made from red maple sap—especially for the little ones to try,” Changxia explained.

When they heard that the sweet aroma came from boiled red maple sap, the surrounding tribe members gathered around. Changxia handed the bundle of lollipops stuck into a straw stalk to Elder Yami, letting everyone take a look. These were gifts for the children, so the adults wouldn’t take any for themselves—besides, they’d get to taste them soon enough.

Changxia’s arrival meant they could start boiling the red maple sap at any time. They were willing to wait a little longer—after all, it was sugar! Not only was it rare in the Twilight Forest, but even the Qinghai Plateau and the East Sea regions might not have any. Only the Western Lands had sugar; the Eastern Lands were more primitive and hadn’t yet developed sugar-making techniques.

After some discussion, Elder Yami told the tribe members to light the fire and begin boiling the red maple sap.