Chapter 25: Chapter 25: A Fragmented Morning

“Chang Xia, are you guys still not up?”

The next day, Chang Xia was woken from her sleep by someone calling her. When she opened her eyes, the beast den was still dim—clearly, Chen Rong was also still asleep.

Last night, Chang Xia had used her power to nourish Chen Rong’s body,

Allowing Chen Rong, who had been suffering from pain, to finally get a good night’s sleep. It was the most comfortable night she’d had since being poisoned.

Yesterday, Chang Xia had suggested to Gen that the tribe’s elders should sleep on beds instead of on the ground. Gen went back to the tribe and talked to the elders. They didn’t ask much about the wooden beds—just asked Gen to get Chang Xia to make some for them.

Besides trusting their own tribe’s cub,

They also remembered the delicious fish balls and fried meat she’d made, so they believed the beds would be just as good.

Gen tried to make one that night,

But found he couldn’t put it together.

So, before dawn, Gen came over.

“Chief, is there something you need so early?” Chang Xia mumbled.

Gen looked a little embarrassed, glancing sheepishly at Chen Rong as she pulled back the beast-hide curtain. Hearing Gen’s voice, Chen Rong quickly woke up and got out of bed. After a good night’s sleep, she was in a great mood.

She pulled back the curtain and greeted Gen with a smile.

“I just need to ask Chen Rong something. You go back to sleep,” Gen said, remembering Chang Xia’s weak health, and immediately pulled Chen Rong out of the den. He felt a bit guilty for coming so early.

These past few days,

Chang Xia had moved out of the tribe’s old beast den,

And had been busy without much rest.

Although Wu said that Chang Xia’s health would gradually recover after adulthood, Gen still couldn’t help but treat her like a cub, regretting that he’d come so early.

Changxia waved her hand and replied, “It’s fine, I’m already awake.”

Gen had come to discuss something with Chen Rong, so Changxia got up, washed up, and started preparing breakfast. Perfect timing—she could let Gen try her fruit flour pancakes. She was sure he’d love them.

“…So that’s how you lock it in place,” Gen muttered, squatting beside Chen Rong and watching him assemble pieces of wood. In no time, Chen Rong had crafted a wooden chair. His beast-like claws were sharp and nimble, quickly smoothing out any rough edges and splinters until they gleamed. He used a kind of rivet-like structure to join the wood together, making it so sturdy that even if you threw it around, it wouldn’t come apart. This was a technique Chen Rong had figured out himself.

“We could also try drilling holes and filling them with resin. That should make it even stronger,” Chen Rong said, pointing to the slot where the wood joined.

In the Western Lands, people used low stools, and nobles had a custom of kneeling to sit.

When Changxia mentioned tables and chairs, Chen Rong thought of those low stools and, making the connection, easily built the kind of table and chairs Changxia had described. The finished product far exceeded Changxia’s expectations.

“Won’t it be too hard to lie on with just wooden planks?” Gen hesitated.

The wooden beds were meant for the elders of the tribe, and Gen wondered if they’d be too uncomfortable.

Chen Rong gestured toward some vines nearby and said, “If it feels too hard, just weave a few vine mats to lay on top. Or, add some grass and leaves, then cover it with animal hides.”

If it’s too hard to sleep on, that’s an easy fix.

Gen hadn’t thought of that, which was why he asked.

Sure enough, as soon as Chen Rong finished, Gen slapped his forehead, annoyed at himself for being so slow.

Changxia had already discussed this with Shankun earlier.

“All right,” Gen said, standing up. “I’ll go back to the tribe and try it out myself—”

“Chief, don’t rush off!” Changxia quickly called out, stirring a wooden bowl of fruit flour batter in her hands. “I’m making fruit flour pancakes. Why not try one before you go?”

In the mornings, Nan Feng and the others would go out to gather or hunt.

Changxia figured they’d probably come by in the afternoon to help with the kiln. Since the beast den had food delivered by other tribe members, she and Chen Rong weren’t in a hurry to go out and gather. They could try making the kiln first and check how moist the loess layer was. If it was too wet, they’d need to slow down to avoid a collapse.

“Fruit flour pancakes—” Gen stopped in his tracks, scratching his head as he curiously peered into Changxia’s bowl.

How did fruit flour porridge turn into fruit flour pancakes?

Was Changxia inventing something new to eat again?

With that thought, Gen decided to stay and not rush off.

Chen Rong left some wood for Gen and went to collect the fish traps at White Lake.

Down by the waterhole next to White Lake, they’d already raised dozens of fish. Chen Rong brought shrimp and crabs back to the den every day. The shrimp were dried and ground into powder by Changxia and stored in clay jars. As for the crabs, they just ate them directly.

Right now, the crabs didn’t have any roe.

Changxia wasn’t interested in experimenting with them for now.

There wasn’t much shrimp powder, so Changxia was saving it for later.

Once she had a bigger stockpile, she’d share it with the tribe. She didn’t dare tell them how she made it, though, worried they’d just toss the shrimp straight into a stew.

After all, the memory of those chaotic stews was still vivid.

“For the fruit flour pancakes, I add bird eggs, minced meat, chopped wild greens, and so on, then fry them in a stone pot with some oil until both sides are golden and crispy. They’re thin and crunchy, with a rich, toasty aroma. When Chen Rong gets back with the fish traps, I’ll add some shrimp or fish, too…”

Listening to Changxia’s description, Gen’s mouth started to water.

He tried to hide it, but couldn’t help swallowing.

Coming to see Changxia in the morning definitely had its perks—just hearing about these fruit flour pancakes made them sound delicious.

Looking back, they really shouldn’t have restricted Changxia so much.

If they hadn’t, maybe they wouldn’t have spent all these years eating nothing but chaotic stews and fruit flour porridge.

Thinking about it, Gen felt a twinge of regret.

That regret peaked when Changxia finished frying the first pancake with minced meat, bird egg, and wild greens.

“Chief, have a taste—” Changxia handed over the freshly fried pancake, motioning for Gen to use wooden chopsticks so he wouldn’t burn his hands.

Gen ignored that, grabbed the pancake with his hand, and stuffed it into his mouth.

Crunch!

The crisp sound surprised him.

With just a gentle bite, a burst of rich flavor filled his mouth.

The combination of minced meat, bird egg, wild greens, green onions, garlic, and tangy fruit made the pancake incredibly delicious—savory and fragrant, thin and crispy, with a hint of roasted meat flavor.

One bite, and he was amazed.

The stone pot didn’t heat as quickly as an iron griddle, but fruit flour batter wasn’t like mung bean flour—it had more bite and chewiness. The more he chewed, the more flavorful it became.

In that moment, Changxia realized that fruit flour batter was more like ground rice flour.

Noodles were probably out of reach for now.

But she could make rice noodles.

Once the batch of white fruit she’d collected was dried and ground into flour, she’d get to work making rice noodles.

Compared to all kinds of rice noodles, even these fruit flour pancakes didn’t seem as tempting.

When Chen Rong returned with the fish traps, Gen took the spatula from Changxia and started frying up more pancakes himself. He planned to make a few extra to take back for Muqin to try.

Every household in the tribe stockpiled white fruit—it was the only thing they’d go out of their way to store. Whether they actually ate it was another matter.

Once dried, white fruit could be stored for six months to a year without spoiling, as long as it wasn’t ground into flour.

But once it was ground, the flour couldn’t be kept for long—it would get damp or attract bugs.

“Chen Rong, hurry up and get me some shrimp meat,” Gen urged.

Chen Rong glanced at the pancakes on the table—he knew exactly what was going on. He grabbed his basket, squatted by the stone vat, and quickly processed some river shrimp.

A short while later, Gen happily took a basket of fruit flour pancakes back to the tribe.

Before leaving, he told Changxia that Nan Feng would come by in the afternoon. In the morning, Nan Feng was digging yams in the shrubland for the shaman, so Changxia didn’t need to go herself.

Changxia smiled in response, understanding that the chief just didn’t want her running around.

Back then, if Gen and the others had found out in advance about her and Chen Rong going to the salt lake to collect salt, they probably wouldn’t have been able to go at all.

Afterwards, even though Gen and the others didn’t say much, their words and actions made it clear how they felt.

This made both Chang Xia and Chen Rong feel a bit awkward.

In terms of strength, they really weren’t weak. It was just that doing something so rebellious felt so exhilarating—they couldn’t help but want to try it…