Chapter 218: Sha Yi

Startled by her sudden action, Masa froze for a long moment before hesitantly speaking up: “It was Garo who brought it over, but he said it’s best not to reveal where this thing came from, and not to mention having seen him.”

“When did you meet him, and where?” Not expecting Garo to reappear within just a few days, Sha Yi was also slightly surprised. “Aside from telling you not to mention these things, did he say anything else to you?”

“This morning, when I went to the shallows to process the shrimp, he was there too,” Masa answered honestly. “He said these things came from over there, something about a cooperation, and that this was only for you. Once everything is resolved, there will be more. They have plenty of seeds over there, and the people there know how to plant them.”

“People over there?” After a moment of thought, Sha Yi was somewhat uncertain. “Didn’t Garo make it clear to you where ‘over there’ is?”

“No,” Masa shook her head. “And judging by his appearance, I think he must have gotten into a fight with someone.”

“A fight? Was he injured?” The unresolved doubts in her mind multiplied within seconds, leaving Sha Yi genuinely puzzled. “That shouldn’t be the case…”

“Yes,” Masa nodded firmly, gesturing to her own face and body. “He had several bruises and some scrapes that were bleeding. Plus, he seemed very upset—after handing these things to me, he was still muttering angrily.”

Sha Yi was baffled.

What Masa described did align with Garo’s temperament, but something still felt off.

Logically, their side had already tacitly agreed to let Garo represent them in the cooperation with Kasan. Moreover, these grain-like items definitely didn’t belong to their group. Recalling Tuge’s initial words, this should be something Yeli’s people specialized in cultivating.

Yet, after delivering the goods and passing along a message, how could a conflict have arisen?

Could it be that Garo was discovered by Yeli’s people when meeting with Kasan?

This speculation didn’t quite add up, but it was all she could think of. After all, only those directly involved would know the full story.

Still, she wasn’t too worried.

Garo hadn’t mentioned his injuries at all. Perhaps this was Kasan’s way of testing them, or maybe Garo had just run his mouth again. Otherwise, if there were any real trouble, he would have surely notified them—not just stormed off in frustration as Masa described.

Lost in thought, she reached out to taste a few more grains.

The flavor was strikingly similar to modern rice, yet slightly different—drier, rougher, with some softness but lacking the chewiness and moisture of properly cooked rice. Earlier, she had been too excited upon first seeing it and hadn’t paid full attention, so she hadn’t fully discerned the nuances. Now, after a second taste, she had a much clearer understanding.

Even so, this was still cause for celebration—a rare and valuable opportunity.

She had long considered the idea of cultivation. Initially, the obstacles were tools and labor, followed by the issue of seeds. Now, Kasan’s side had ready-made solutions.

Sha Yi also began to understand why, despite Yeli’s leader being so cold and ruthless, some people still endured his oppression.

Having a stable source of food and clothing was an immense privilege in ancient times.

Setting aside the low productivity levels, the harsh living conditions and fierce competition between groups were staggering. Add natural disasters to the mix, and survival became an enormous struggle.

Her own lack of deep understanding was partly due to her environment.

She reflected that perhaps Xi Yi’s original territory had been quite favorable. Even with the snake infestation from early summer to early winter, the forest was never short of prey. During the rainy season, the main challenges were the worsened natural conditions and intensified snake threats. If they could secure salt crystals early and stockpile food in summer, most survival issues could be resolved.

Yet, many difficulties remained. Take salt crystals, for example—had they not seized the opportunity last rainy season, and had she not applied modern knowledge, Xi Yi’s group might have fared no better, and she would have gone hungry too.

Comparing this to Yeli’s side, cultivation during the rainy season might not be feasible either. But if they could grow crops like these in winter, summer, and transitional periods, they could manage without the hassle of hunting for salt. At the very least, they wouldn’t be as severely constrained during the rainy season as Xi Yi’s group.

As for Garo’s people, they likely lacked both salt crystals and cultivation skills, forcing them to resort to raids during critical times. If lucky, they’d secure some supplies and return triumphant; if not, they might lose everything—a gamble with no guarantees.

Of course, this wasn’t entirely the fault of any group or individual. From what she’d seen, no one in this ancient era was lazy or idle.

Simply put, it all came down to geography and environmental influences.

While the situations weren’t entirely comparable, their current approach was primarily hunting and domestication, supplemented by foraging. Yeli’s side, on the other hand, focused on cultivation with hunting as a secondary activity—the exact opposite. But there was much to learn from them. If conditions allowed, she’d love to combine the strengths of both approaches.

By now, Sha Yi had mostly figured things out. As for future plans, she already had some feasible ideas in mind. She stopped pressing Masa for details and instead pointed to the large wooden basin. “Did Garo only give you this much?”

“He gave quite a bit,” Masa replied, gesturing to a hide-wrapped bundle in the corner of the room. “That’s all of it.”

Following Masa’s direction, Sha Yi spotted the bundle. By her estimate, it weighed around ten pounds—yet Masa had only cooked a tiny portion.

Puzzled, she asked, “Masa, why did you cook so little when there’s so much here?”

“Garo said it’s only for you. I figured even this amount would be more than you could eat,” Masa answered earnestly.

“You’re actually listening to Garo now? He’s unreliable most of the time…” Sha Yi sighed, eyeing the wooden basin of grains with resignation.

With this much, they could have cooked enough to share with others. Right now, Xi Yi and the others were exhausted after digging trenches all night. Eating too much roasted meat wasn’t ideal, and if everyone tasted these rice-like grains, it might even help with future cultivation efforts.

Unfortunately, even though the wooden basin looked sizable, the cooked portion barely covered the bottom—hardly enough to go around.

Masa, however, disagreed, shaking her head. “I’m not just obeying Garo. I just think he’s right this time. He mentioned you haven’t been well lately, which I already knew. He also said these grains would be good for you, so I prepared them just for you. As for the others, like Xi Yi, roasted meat suits them better. Besides, there isn’t that much here anyway.”

Masa’s words warmed Sha Yi’s heart, and she couldn’t help but smile. But recalling Garo’s remarks as relayed by Masa, she felt a twinge of exasperation.

So, that one instance of nausea had led him to assume she was sick?

But… she distinctly remembered the odd look on his face at the time. She’d been afraid he’d clash with Xi Yi over it and had tried hard to hide the truth. Could it be that Garo, like Xi Yi, was completely clueless about such matters?

Hard to believe!

Still, his words confirmed he didn’t know about her pregnancy—a relief to Sha Yi.

Turning back, she instinctively asked Masa, “Did Garo tell you what these grains are called?”

Masa nodded. “He said they’re called ‘shen.'”

Shen?

Quite different from “wheat,” but it didn’t matter. As long as it was edible and nutritious, the name was irrelevant. Whether it was called “wheat” or “shen,” the taste and appearance were close enough.

What intrigued her more was how Masa had cooked the shen.

The dryness and roughness she’d noticed made her wonder—was this the grain’s natural texture, or had Masa prepared it poorly?

After a brief pause, she pointed to the cooked shen and asked, “How did you cook this?”

“Garo said to boil it in water.”

“Did he specify how much water to use?”

“No…” Masa scratched her head, looking slightly embarrassed. “I didn’t dare use too much. I was afraid it would all dissolve…”

“Dissolve?” Sha Yi stared in disbelief. “How could it dissolve with this kind of heat?”

“I… I’ve never seen anything like shen before, so I didn’t know… Before cooking, it looked like it might just melt away…”

Masa’s voice trailed off, further piquing Sha Yi’s curiosity.

Now, looking at the cooked shen—so similar to rice—Sha Yi assumed the uncooked grains must resemble rice as well. She stood up and walked over to the hide bundle, sifting through the shen to inspect it.

The sight surprised her.

The shen grains looked nothing like rice. Instead of the pale grayish-white she’d imagined, they were completely transparent and significantly larger than modern rice grains. Only their shape was similar—rounder, though.

Holding a few grains in her palm, Sha Yi grew even more convinced that properly cooked, these shouldn’t taste dry or rough.

Hesitating for a moment, she tossed the grains aside and returned to squat beside Masa.

Confused, Masa looked up at her. Sha Yi simply took a long wooden stick from the shrimp soup and poked at the opposite side of the wooden basin—away from where she’d stirred the shen earlier.