I Became The Chief Of A Primitive Village

Chapter 1098, Popcorn

Translator: Silavin

“Shaman, why are we taking the kernels off one by one?” Yu Ying asked, curious.

The wooden basin was already holding quite a large pile of kernels. Yu Ying was shelling them with ease.

“We’re making a little sweet snack for you to try something new.” Su Bai said with a smile.

He was helping shell kernels alongside her. Seeing the corn had reminded him of something else. Something that quite a lot of people were fond of.

“Alright.” Yu Ying picked up her pace.

A little over ten minutes later, the two of them had a fair amount of kernels ready. Su Bai carried the wooden basin over to the iron pot.

He had someone rinse the iron pot clean, then poured in a small amount of wild boar lard.

“Shaman, are you stir-frying the kernels? Won’t that make them a bit salty?” Yu Ying blinked her pink eyes curiously.

“We are stir-frying the kernels, yes. But whether it’s salty or not, you’ll just have to wait and see.” Su Bai said, keeping his air of mystery.

He tipped the washed, well-drained kernels into the hot oil, gave them a few turns, then added a measure of white sugar.

Yu Ying watched carefully from the side. When she saw the sugar go in, she understood, thinking that the sugar would make it sweet.

“A few more turns to let the kernels take on the oil and sugar properly, then we can put the lid on.” Su Bai kept his air of mystery intact.

“But Shaman, didn’t you say before that if you don’t keep stirring, things burn?” Yu Ying was a little worried about the corn being ruined.

“Just watch.” Su Bai tapped the tip of her nose lightly.

“Yes.” Yu Ying blinked on instinct, a small playful smile crossing her face, and nodded.

*Pop pop pop…*

While the two of them were talking, the iron pot began to sound off.

The sound was crisp but muffled at the same time. The lid was trapping most of it.

“Ah! Shaman, is the corn going to explode? This is dangerous, let’s move back.” Yu Ying startled badly.

She grabbed Su Bai’s hand and pulled him sideways, placing her own slight frame in front of him.

Su Bai blinked, then felt something warm and quiet settle over him. He gently drew Yu Ying behind him instead.

He turned and rested his hands on her shoulders, calm and easy. “Don’t worry. This is a step the dish has to go through. It’s completely normal. It’s not a real explosion.”

His tone was gentle. His broad hand found hers and held it steady, so she would feel safe.

“There are dishes that actually need to go through an explosion as a step? That really is strange.” Yu Ying blinked her pink eyes, thinking it over.

Her attention was not on the popping iron pot. It was on Su Bai.

She was leaning against a broad chest, and the feeling was steadying in a way that surprised her.

It also made Yu Ying feel a little shy. A faint flush had already crept across her delicate face.

Su Bai noticed the change. The corner of his mouth lifted just slightly. He let himself enjoy the moment.

*Pop pop pop…*

The muffled sounds from inside the iron pot went on for a while, then gradually fell quiet.

What Su Bai had been making was popcorn. It had been the first thing he thought of when he saw the corn.

Perhaps it was that he had not seen a film in quite some time. Back on Earth, cola and popcorn had been the standard pairing for the cinema.

The corn had brought back a memory of going to the cinema with a girl. It was a brief but pleasant memory.

“Shaman, is that dish you were talking about ready?” Yu Ying looked cautiously in the direction of the iron pot.

It had gone quiet, but she was still not quite ready to step any closer.

“It’s done. Pass me a plate. The fresh, piping hot popcorn is ready.” Su Bai laughed.

He lifted the lid and looked at the popcorn carefully. Every piece had burst open nicely, and each one was a good size.

The moment the lid came off, the deep, rich scent of popcorn rushed out. It made anyone nearby swallow without thinking.

“Shaman, the popcorn smells amazing. It must taste incredible.” Yu Ying was immediately won over by the smell.

The word ‘popcorn’ was new to her, of course. But it was not hard to understand. After it burst open, corn did look a bit like a flower. Calling it popcorn seemed right enough to her once she thought about it.

“Come try some. It’s light and crispy and very sweet.” Su Bai was quite pleased with this batch.

He ate one piece after another. Strictly speaking, it was handful after handful.

“Shaman, popcorn is really so simple to make. And eating it like this is wonderful.” Yu Ying kept feeding pieces into her mouth.

Yu Ying had already tried raw corn and found it clean and a little sweet. Popcorn was an entirely different kind of taste. She found that she loved them both.

Girls, after all, do tend to like sweet things. And the method of making popcorn was strange and wonderful enough to satisfy a girl’s curiosity on top of everything else. Of course it was a success.

“I’m thinking of opening a shadow puppet theatre, and selling popcorn inside it.” Su Bai had a new idea taking shape.

The first thought that had come to mind was film. But there was no way to show a film in this era.

If film was out of reach, then they could go for the next thing, which was drama acting or shadow puppetry. These were still possible.

So, Su Bai had landed on the idea of setting up a shadow puppet theatre in this primitive era. Something for people to enjoy in their spare time.

“Shaman, what is shadow puppetry? Is it the shadow of an animal hide?” Yu Ying could only go by the words themselves.

“Ha, not quite like that, but you’re a little bit right.”

Su Bai laughed. “Shadow puppetry, also called shadow theatre, is a kind of performance where figures cut from animal hide or board are used to act out stories.”

“Shaman, how is the performance actually done?” Yu Ying asked, following about half of it.

“The performers stand behind a white cloth screen, operating the shadow figures while telling the story through song and speech. Percussion and string instruments accompany the act. It’s a very interesting performance.”

Su Bai thought back to the shadow puppet shows he had seen as a child. The memory was still clear in his mind.

“I see. I’ve never seen one, so I can’t quite picture it.” Yu Ying shook her head, a little lost.

Yu Ying tried as hard as she could to imagine it, but people of the primitive era had simply never encountered such things.

She could follow the meaning of the words. But no image formed in her mind to go with them.