Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Looking for a Free Meal

“Chang Xia, what are you making?”

Ya Dong’s lively voice came closer.

He and Shan Kun were carrying meat—they’d gone hunting with the tribe’s hunting party today and had a good haul.

Thinking they’d try to score a meal at Chang Xia’s place, they brought some meat and hurried over.

“Shan Kun, hurry up! Chang Xia’s frying yam fruit flour cakes!” Nuan Chun waved, calling her mate over. She couldn’t beat Nan Feng to the food, let alone Chen Rong, who was Chang Xia’s favorite.

The yam fruit flour cakes were golden, crispy on the outside, and sweet and tangy inside. Two different fillings meant double the deliciousness—they were amazing!

Hearing this, Ya Dong and Shan Kun quickened their pace.

The fruit flour cakes from this morning had kept them thinking about them the whole time they were out hunting.

“Don’t stare—there’s no more fruit flour left at home. If you want more, you’ll have to wait until the white fruit outside dries and gets ground into flour.”

After a round of grabbing and eating, everyone was still craving more.

So they all clamored for Chang Xia to make more.

Chang Xia shook her head and broke the bad news: the fruit flour the tribe had given her was all used up after the past few days. There wasn’t even enough for plain fruit flour cakes, let alone yam ones.

“Let Shan Kun run home—I still have half a jar of fruit flour,” Nuan Chun said.

She was pregnant and got hungry fast, and fruit flour porridge was the easiest food. Chang Xia liked to make it with hot water, but the tribe usually just mixed it with cold water and fed it to the beast cubs.

Chang Xia shook her head, stopping Shan Kun from getting up. She pointed to the yam stew and roasted meat and said, “Don’t bother—let’s just eat lunch first.”

The white fruit she’d been drying for two days was gradually turning white, like it was dusted with frost.

With another half day of sun, it would be ready to grind into flour.

Immediately, everyone around let out a collective sigh, their faces full of regret. But no one insisted on eating, since lunch was already prepared.

They took their seats and picked up their bowls and chopsticks.

“Chen Rong, how’s the kiln digging going this morning?”

“Very smoothly.”

He was already working on the second kiln chamber.

If they kept at it in the afternoon, they’d be able to finish digging out the three chambers on the west side.

Chang Xia did some quick calculations. With Nan Feng and the others helping, it would only take two or three days to finish all the kilns. After that, they could tidy up the kiln walls.

It was entirely possible to get the kilns built before the rainy season.

At the fastest, ten days; at the slowest, half a month or twenty days.

Chang Xia would be able to move into the new cave-dwelling and no longer worry about wind or rain.

“With your help, the kilns might be finished in just half a month!” Chang Xia gave everyone a thumbs-up and marveled, “According to my original plan, if it was just Chen Rong and me building slowly, we’d only be able to move in before the cold season. But now, with all of you, I think we can move in before the rainy season—and even get all the furniture ready.”

By the Earth calendar, it was April in the Misty Forest, almost May.

There was just over a month left until the rainy season—that is, until summer.

Summers in the Misty Forest were rainy, with more than half the days in these three months seeing rain.

“Chang Xia, can I move over here and be your neighbor?” Nuan Chun asked.

As soon as she spoke, Shan Kun’s eyes lit up. The tribe’s houses were close together, so building kilns wasn’t convenient. Moving over to Chang Xia’s area was actually a great idea.

Chang Xia smiled and nodded. “Of course!”

The area around White Lake was huge, and the loess soil was perfect for building kilns. Plus, it was close to the lake for easy access to water. In fact, it was even more convenient than living in the tribe.

The Heluo Tribe had developed for hundreds of years, and space inside the tribe was already tight. Building nests was fine, but building kilns was a problem. After all, as beastfolk, they had a certain sense of territory and didn’t like living too close together.

“Me too! Count me in!” Nan Feng squeezed past Shan Kun and said quickly.

Everyone immediately turned to look at Nan Feng.

Nuan Chun smiled and asked, “Nan Feng, have you found a suitable partner?”

“Nope,” Nan Feng replied confidently. “Who says you have to have a partner to build a nest or a kiln?”

Hearing this, Ya Dong was tempted as well.

“Chang Xia, I want to build a kiln near your house too.”

If he lived next to Chang Xia and Chen Rong, wouldn’t he be able to mooch meals all the time?

Maybe it was their shared love of food, but in that instant, Ya Dong’s thoughts synced up perfectly with Nan Feng and Nuan Chun. They exchanged knowing smiles—no words needed.

“No problem. You all helped lay the foundations yesterday, so just pick any spot nearby that’s suitable for building a kiln. But… you should check with the chief first…”

After all, this was the edge of the tribe, not as safe as inside.

Back then, it had taken Chang Xia a long time to convince Gen.

Gen had reluctantly agreed to let Chang Xia move out of the tribe.

Even so, Gen made sure the tribe’s patrol warriors passed by White Lake more often, afraid that if they weren’t careful, the precious Chang Xia they’d raised would be lost.

Chang Xia had always been a source of worry for Gen and the tribe.

And in the future, she probably still would be.

“No problem, we’ll talk to the chief after we pick a spot,” Nuan Chun said excitedly.

She was sure the chief would agree.

Gen had been hoping for Nan Feng to find a mate for a long time. If the chief hesitated, they could just say that once Nan Feng had her own kiln, it would be easier for her to find a male partner.

And afterward, whether Nan Feng found a mate or not—who cared?!

Beastfolk had always done things their own way, not fussing over the details.

Finding a mate was all about following your heart.

Chang Xia shrugged and didn’t say more. She knew with Nan Feng and Nuan Chun’s persistence, it was only a matter of time before Gen agreed.

Besides, improving the tribe’s living conditions was a good thing for everyone.

With this new enthusiasm for building kilns, Nan Feng and the others not only finished digging the three chambers on the right in the afternoon, but even managed to dig out two of the five chambers in the front. Their speed amazed Chang Xia. The remaining three chambers would be done by tomorrow morning.

All told, the caves would be ready in two more days.

Whoa—

Chang Xia felt a little dizzy.

Did this mean it was time to start thinking about making doors and windows?

“Chen Rong, are they crazy?” Chang Xia stood dumbfounded in front of the caves, staring at the nearly finished structure. Satisfaction, happiness, and all sorts of emotions flooded her. By now, Nan Feng and the others had already gone back to the tribe.

Chang Xia and Chen Rong stood in front of the caves, savoring the moment.

Chen Rong smiled and brushed the dust from his hands.

“Cave dwellings are much better than beast nests.”

In the Western Lands, nobles lived in royal courts made of countless animal hides sewn together into yurts. The interiors were very luxurious, but to Chen Rong, not practical at all.

By comparison, these simple, sturdy cave dwellings gave a much stronger sense of safety and comfort.

“Of course,” Chang Xia said proudly, pointing to the cliff face of the cave. “I want to build an awning here with wood and stone, so we can watch the snow, listen to the rain, and bask in the sun. Don’t you think that sounds wonderful?”

Chen Rong tilted his head, trying to picture the awning Chang Xia described.

He hesitated—did she mean a curtain?

“You draw it, and I’ll build it,” Chen Rong said. “But it’ll make the cave a bit darker.”

In the Western Lands, they used oil lamps for light. The Eastern Lands didn’t have oil lamps, but they were easy to make, and Chen Rong knew how. If it got too dark, they could just light an oil lamp inside.

Thinking about it, he felt Chang Xia’s idea for an awning was pretty good.

“Nan Feng said the bird tribe has a kind of glowing stone. When the shaman comes, I’ll ask him about it,” Chang Xia said.

“I know how to make oil lamps,” Chen Rong added.

Chang Xia shook her head. “Oil lamps are fine at night, but it feels weird to use them during the day. Anyway, our cave has skylights, so it won’t be too dark.”

Chatting, the two of them walked back to their beast nest.