After ripening inside the cave for two days, the berries had become even deeper in color. Besides their rich fruity aroma, they also carried a faint scent similar to wine.
Minho walked over on his own initiative and helped her sort through the basket and wash the fruit together.
Hayoon thought to herself that if she gathered too much fruit in the future and could not finish eating it all, perhaps she could try brewing some fruit wine with the ones that did not taste very good.
The problem was that she had no fermentation starter, and she did not know whether relying purely on natural fermentation would work.
What if the wine failed and the fruit ended up wasted too?
Besides fruit, grains and milk could also be used to brew alcohol. There was no need to mention grains because she did not have any.
As for milk... she had no idea how that process worked.
Even while thinking all this, her hands never stopped moving.
After washing the purplish red berries clean, she used a spoon to gently scoop up the crystal-clear berries that still carried tiny droplets of water and carefully placed them in the center of the double skin milk as decoration.
The purplish red and pale yellow colors complemented each other beautifully, while the completely different fragrances intertwined together perfectly.
It was pleasing both to the eyes and the nose.
Looking at her finished product, Hayoon clapped her hands in satisfaction and declared, "Time to eat!"
Haeun had been waiting for exactly those words. He eagerly picked up one of the bowls before hesitating over where to place the spoon first.
"Sis, this looks so beautiful that I almost do not want to eat it."
Hayoon laughed loudly. "What is there to hesitate about? We are raising dairy Bubalos now. From now on, we will always have milk to drink."
Only after hearing that did Haeun finally scoop up a spoonful and solemnly place it into his mouth.
Seeing that Minho had not moved, Hayoon asked, "Why are you not eating?"
Minho replied, "You two eat it. I will pass."
"No way."
Hayoon grabbed his arm and directly stuffed a bowl into his hands. "Not only did you help milk the Bubalo, but the honey blocks were also traded using sulfur soap. You are the biggest contributor here, so you have to eat some too."
Minho looked at her quietly for two seconds. Unable to refuse her insistence, he finally curled his lips into a faint smile and accepted the bowl.
Hayoon was the last one to eat.
As for the taste, perhaps because she had eaten too many modern foods filled with artificial flavorings and additives, it was not quite as mind-blowing as she had imagined.
The texture was also not especially silky smooth.
But what made it special was how natural and rich it tasted.
As she gently chewed, the silky double-skin milk seemed to flow from her mouth down her throat.
The fresh breeze drifting over the grassy field brushed against her face, and for a brief moment, she felt as though she were floating among soft clouds while the sweet-and-sour berries became tiny islands around her.
She hopped from one little island to another, savoring the especially rich sweetness of the milk.
Most importantly, something so easily obtained in the modern world had required her to put in several times more effort here.
Food mixed with sweat and a sense of accomplishment could never taste bad.
She knew she would never forget the flavor of today for the rest of her life.
She and Minho ate slowly, savoring every bite, while Haeun finished much faster than the two of them.
Before long, he had already emptied his entire bowl.
"It is so fragrant and sweet... especially the honey chunks inside. They are unbelievably delicious." As Haeun spoke, he looked almost emotional enough to cry. "Sis, double-skin milk is my favorite food now."
Feeling the happiness that sweets brought him, Hayoon burst into laughter and reached over to rub his fluffy head.
"This time I traded sulfur soap with the tribe for some honey chunks, so if you like it, I can make it for you again later. Though before this, when I made shredded root stir-fry with meat and fried mushrooms, you also said they were your favorite foods. And then later..."
Haeun automatically completed the unfinished sentence in his mind.
Later, you got tired of them.
His face immediately turned red as he hugged his empty bowl and declared solemnly, "This time I definitely will not get tired of it! I will love it forever!"
Hayoon laughed loudly. "Hahaha!"
Listening to the siblings talk, the smile on Minho's lips deepened slightly.
There were still two bowls of double-skin milk left, but neither he nor Hayoon ate any more of it.
They left both bowls for Haeun instead.
While Hayoon cleaned the bowls and chopsticks, she noticed that Minho still had not left and asked, "Are you not going hunting today?"
Minho looked at her meaningfully. "Mm. I have other plans."
Hayoon did not think too deeply about it and instead brought up another matter.
"I promised the tribe that I would make another batch of sulfur soap. Can you point me toward the hot springs? I want to go collect more sulfur ore."
"When are you planning to go?"
"Tomorrow morning I need to clear the land first. If everything goes smoothly... probably this afternoon?"
"Then I will take you there. The road over there is difficult to travel, and it is easy to get lost."
Hayoon's eyes instantly brightened. "That would be great! Oh right, I also want to find some time to collect saltwater and pick up some clam shells."
"Are you running low on salt?"
"There is still enough salt. I just want to try adding it into the soap. The soap we are making now still feels rather soft even after hardening, so the texture is not very good. But you do not need to guide me there for this one. I already know where the Salt Sea is."
"We will see."