Chapter 31: The Millstone and the Stone Mill

At this thought, Zhao Hai flashed his body and entered the space again. When he was inside the space, he truly didn't like others watching him, but to reassure Merlin and the others, he had to bring them into the space to take a look. Now, the Buda family had to rely on them.

This time, Zhao Hai let Merlin and Meg know the situation inside the space specifically to bolster her confidence. Crises were emerging one after another here in the Black Soil Wasteland; if Merlin and the others lost heart, everything would be ruined.

Upon entering the space, Zhao Hai immediately bought radishes. This time, it was for three seasons' worth, costing a total of 1,500 gold coins. Adding the original 50 gold coins, he now had 1,550 gold coins in hand. If he used these coins to plant radishes, he would have enough to plant for ten seasons.

It wasn't that Zhao Hai didn't want to use the radishes for seed, but radishes were different from corn. When they matured, the primary part eaten was the root, and he wasn't sure if the space would allow them to produce seeds. Furthermore, even if they did save seeds, the quantity would be very small and far less productive than corn, so Zhao Hai chose not to use them for seed.

In any case, selling the radishes could earn him a significant amount of money, and he would earn even more if he sold them outside. Once Green returned, they could go sell the radishes. At that time, he could buy books regarding the plants of the continent, which would allow him to decide what to plant. Currently, his knowledge of the continent's flora was too limited to develop anything.

Zhao Hai had no choice. Having bought the radishes now, he could harvest another season's worth tomorrow. Regardless, he had told Green that he only had 80,000 catties of radishes, which was enough for the time being.

However, although he had over 1,500 gold coins, it wasn't quite enough. The radishes could be harvested three times a day, meaning his current gold was only enough for three days. After three days, he would have to sell the radishes again.

Zhao Hai felt quite helpless. His current level was too low; even if he wanted to buy higher-quality seeds, he couldn't. He could only wait. At this rate, he had no idea when he would be able to upgrade the space.

Coming out of the space, Zhao Hai lay on his bed and fell asleep shortly after. He had noticed that he seemed exceptionally prone to sleeping lately; even though he had clearly taken a nap in the afternoon, he could still fall asleep at night. It was truly incredible.

Early the next morning, Zhao Hai was once again awakened by the sound of ripening radishes in the space. Upon entering the space to check, he saw that not only the radishes but even the corn was nearly ripe.

Zhao Hai immediately harvested the radishes and planted another bag of radish seeds. Checking the corn, he saw it would be ready in a few minutes. Not wanting to go out yet, he washed his face and rinsed his mouth with the water from the space, waiting inside.

Looking at that corn, Zhao Hai felt quite hungry. He used to live in the North; although people had long stopped treating corn as a staple food by then, having it occasionally was wonderful. However, the corn back then was high-yield variety, not as delicious as the old-fashioned waxy corn. Additionally, most was grown with chemical fertilizers, so the taste was far inferior to corn grown with farm manure. Thus, Zhao Hai only ate it occasionally.

But once, while visiting relatives in the countryside, he had eaten something truly excellent: cornmeal pancakes griddled in a large iron pot. They were delicious—absolutely delicious.

Those cornmeal pancakes were entirely different from the ones bought in the city. Although the cornmeal was ground quite coarse, the pancakes were incredibly fragrant. With vegetables stewing in the bottom of the pot, the lower part of the pancake would soak up the vegetable broth, while one side would form a reddish, crispy crust. A single bite offered not only the aroma of cornmeal but also that toasted, savory flavor of the crust. The parts soaked in the broth were even more fragrant.

At this thought, Zhao Hai's mouth watered uncontrollably. Snapping back to reality, he hurriedly swallowed and let out a bitter smile.

Although he had eaten corn grits porridge and cornmeal pancakes, he didn't quite know how to process them. He only knew that processing corn grits was relatively simple—one just had to remove the skin and the germ—but cornmeal was much more troublesome, requiring the corn to be processed into grits first and then ground into flour.

On Earth, processing corn was a very simple matter; one could just find a grain processing plant, turn on the machines, and it would be done in a flash.

But it wouldn't work here. There were no grinders or mills here; there was simply no way to process the corn.

Zhao Hai sighed. Just then, the space's notification sounded again: the corn was ripe. Zhao Hai immediately harvested the corn and planted corn in the two acres once more. He then stared blankly at the cornfield. The yield was high, but the processing was a problem. He truly wondered how people in the past ate corn.

Suddenly, a realization struck him. He realized that corn must have appeared much earlier than machines like grinders and flour mills. In the years before machines, did people just boil the kernels and eat them? People back then couldn't have been that foolish. How did they process the corn?

Zhao Hai paced around the space, habitually rubbing his forehead, wondering how people in the past processed grains and flour.

Suddenly, he slapped his forehead. He finally remembered two things he had only seen people use on television but had never used himself, nor had he seen modern villagers use them.

A millstone and a stone grinder!

Yes, those two things. When Zhao Hai visited his rural relatives before, he had seen a millstone—though it was one that had already been dismantled. No one in the countryside used them anymore, but out of curiosity, he had once asked what they were for. Only then did he learn that millstones and grinders were exactly what people used to grind rice and flour.

Most importantly, the primary materials for these two items were stone and wood. Stone was manageable; although there wasn't much stone available for mining in the mountains now, it should be enough to make a grinder and a millstone. Stone wasn't used in large quantities, and it didn't require high-quality material—the small trees growing on the mountains would suffice.

At this thought, Zhao Hai could no longer sit still. He immediately exited the space, checked the sky, and figured Meg and the others should be up by now. He pushed the door open and walked out.

As soon as Zhao Hai emerged, he saw Meg and Ju walking toward his room carrying copper basins. Seeing him, Meg was startled and quickly said, "Young Master, why are you out? You haven't washed up yet."

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "It's fine, I got up a while ago and have already washed. Ju, is your brother ready? Is he up?"

Ju, who had been standing behind Meg with her head lowered, quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Young Master. An is ready and is waiting outside to pay his respects."

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Why so formal? There's no need for all this 'paying respects' business. Come, let's go to the living room first. Call An in; I have something to ask him."

Meg and Ju were both momentarily stunned, but neither said anything. They immediately complied and followed Zhao Hai toward the living room.

In the living room, Meg set down the copper basins and stood behind Zhao Hai, while Ju went outside to fetch An.

This inner fortress was divided into the main manor and the servants' quarters. The main manor was where Ye Hai and the others lived, while the servants' quarters consisted of small houses for the staff located behind the main manor. Currently, Ju and An lived in the servants' quarters. Although they were now commoners and Zhao Hai had granted them his surname, their status was still far below that of Meg and the others. Meg and her group were confidants, while Ju and An were merely ordinary servants.

A moment later, Ju led An inside. To be fair, An was quite handsome with a tall build; he was a bit thin, but he looked sturdy.

He was no longer in the deathly state he had been in before, but he still kept his head lowered, appearing somewhat hesitant to speak.

Ju walked up to Zhao Hai and said with her head bowed, "Young Master, An has arrived."

Zhao Hai nodded, glanced at An standing not far away, and smiled. "Call him over. There's no need for such strict etiquette; I have something to ask him."

Ju immediately called An over. As soon as An reached Zhao Hai, he dropped to his knees with a thud and kowtowed, "An greets the Young Master. Thank you for your great kindness in saving my life."

It seemed Ju had instructed him before he arrived, which was why he called Zhao Hai "Young Master" instead of "Master." Zhao Hai nodded and said, "No need to be so polite. You are now a member of the Buda family, so saving you was only right. Stand up and speak."

An kowtowed once more and said, "Thank you, Young Master." Only then did he stand up, though he remained half-bent with his head lowered, not daring to look at Zhao Hai.

Seeing An's demeanor, Zhao Hai couldn't help but frown. He did not like people acting this way toward him; it was the look of a slave, and he disliked it. Zhao Hai said sternly, "An, lift your head. Remember, you are now a member of the Buda family, a commoner. In the future, if you go out to do anything, you represent the dignity of our Buda family. Do not always walk with a hunched back and a slave-like expression; that will make people look down on the Buda family."

Seeing that Zhao Hai seemed angry, both Ju and An knelt down and kowtowed to him simultaneously, saying, "Please punish us, Young Master."

Feeling helpless, Zhao Hai could only say, "Alright, stand up. Don't go kneeling every time something happens." Once they both stood up and An's back straightened a bit, Zhao Hai continued, "An, let me ask you, do you know any stonemasonry?"

An quickly replied, "Yes, Young Master. My father was a stonemason, and I have learned some of the craft. Although I am not an expert, I can still make ordinary items."

Zhao Hai nodded. "That's good. In a moment, I will draw two designs. See if you can make them. If you can, immediately organize people to mine some stones and produce what I need as quickly as possible."

An's heart tightened, but he bowed and said, "Yes, Young Master."