All The Furry Creatures In The Beast World Are Farming With Me – CH48

Chapter 48

Most tribes’ beastmen cherished cubs of their own race, but this way of cherishing them, like Lang Shuo did—forget their tribe, Lang Yu had never seen it in any other tribe either.

Cubs not liking leafy vegetables was an old problem. It was not only this batch of cubs; all cubs were like this. Even after growing up, they would not change. They would only slowly get used to it.

Before, in order to make the tribe members, especially the sub-adults, eat more leafy vegetables, Lang Shuo had taught everyone to make all kinds of meat soup. Back then, Lang Yu had already felt that Lang Shuo spoiled the sub-adults a little.

Lang Shuo’s explanation was that he was not spoiling them.

At the time, Lang Yu had not believed it. Now, looking at how he took care of cubs, he completely believed it.

Compared with the treatment given to cubs, his attitude toward sub-adults indeed could not be called spoiling.

But wasn’t this treatment a little too good?

Lang Yu looked at that group of cubs whose color was obviously different from their tribe’s. No matter how he looked at them, they were unpleasant to the eye, but there was nothing he could do, because his younger brother liked them.

With an almost imperceptible sigh, Lang Yu comforted himself. It was fine. In any case, they were only cubs. Their presence was far lower than that noisy group of sub-adults from the Black Wolf Tribe.

The Black Wolf Tribe would eventually think of a way to take the cubs back. Otherwise, if they kept raising them, wouldn’t they become cubs of their tribe?

Thinking of this, Lang Yu felt reassured and walked over to ask whether help was needed.

“No need.” Hearing the question, Lang Shuo reflexively answered. After saying it, he felt the voice sounded like his brother. Raising his head, he saw that it was indeed Lang Yu. “Brother, you’re back?”

Lang Yu nodded. Breeding season was about to pass. At this time, every tribe’s members were either busy accompanying their partners, busy hunting, or thinking of ways to raise newly born cubs. Generally, they would not be thinking of invading other tribes’ territory. In addition, there were many prey animals, and prey could be easily caught within the tribe’s territory. When patrolling, there was no need to inspect every area. They only needed to circle the edge of the territory and confirm there was no scent of other beastmen.

In order to return earlier, Lang Yu had split the patrol team into two groups and used only half the usual time.

Lang Yu pointed at the pot and asked, “What is this?”

“Fish balls. Balls made from fish. Three flavors. I’ll serve you some to taste later.” Lang Shuo’s hands did not stop moving. He had already explained this many times, so the words came very smoothly.

“No need. Leave them for the cubs.” Lang Yu refused. It was not that he did not want to eat the food his younger brother prepared, but fish balls sounded troublesome. Last time, the method for meatballs had already been complicated, let alone fish meat that needed its bones removed, then made into three colors. Even with people helping, it would take half a day. Adult beastmen could eat anything. There was no need to eat this kind of food that was clearly specially prepared for cubs.

“Just taste the flavor,” Lang Shuo explained. “There’s enough for the cubs.”

“All right.” Lang Yu did not continue refusing his younger brother. Seeing the group of members gathered around, he asked, “Do you want to try some too?”

Hearing this, the surrounding members immediately scattered. The fish balls looked good and smelled fragrant, but this kind of complicated food—how could they eat it? That was what Lang Shuo had prepared for the cubs. There were so many people in the tribe. If each person ate a few, would the cubs still get to eat?

Seeing them run away, the sub-adults helping out reflexively followed and ran outward too. But just as they stepped out, they suddenly remembered—wait, they were helping.

Thinking of this, the sub-adults retreated again. For the first time, they were this confident in front of the adult members.

With the surrounding area suddenly empty, Lang Yu sat beside his younger brother and glanced at the unusually hardworking sub-adults. Once again, he recognized a fact: in their eyes, food came first.

Fortunately, his younger brother could manage them.

Lang Shuo slid the last few balls into the pot, washed his hands, took a spoon, and stirred the fish balls in the pot. After they were cooked, he first served out portions for the few of them, then divided out half of his own portion and handed it to Lang Yu beside him. “Brother, help me taste it.”

The members who had left just now but had not gone far looked at Lang Yu with envy.

Lang Yu accepted it openly and swept his gaze around.

What? It was his younger brother’s food. Was he not allowed to eat it?

The other members silently withdrew their gazes.

The chief was eating Lang Shuo’s portion, so there was no problem.

Suddenly, a few members in the crowd who were related to the sub-adults had their eyes light up. They looked toward the sub-adults, then fell silent.

They saw that the sub-adults who had received food were all eating with their heads lowered, not even minding that it was hot. After eating, they drank the soup clean as well. If Lang Shuo had not forbidden it, they would have wished to lick the bowls clean too.

The sub-adults, who had finished eating like a storm sweeping through clouds, raised their heads and saw the complicated gazes of the surrounding members. Their faces were full of confusion. “What are you looking at?”

The other members: “…”

Forget it, forget it. They should leave.

This time, they really left, going to catch a few fish and try it themselves. At worst, they would thicken their skins and ask Lang Shuo for guidance. In matters of cooking, Lang Shuo always answered whatever was asked.

Lang Yu watched them group up and head toward the river, then withdrew his gaze and poured most of the fish balls in his bowl back, leaving only three. When he said he would taste the flavor, he really meant tasting the flavor.

Lang Yu picked up a green one with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth. It did not need chewing at all. With a gentle press, it broke apart. He did not know what had been added inside. Even though it had been boiled, there was no fishy taste. There was only the fresh fragrance of fish meat, plus a faint hint of leafy vegetable fragrance.

“How was this made? There’s no fishy taste. It’s better than meat.” The fried fish chunks and fish soup from the past few days had tasted good, but they still carried a little fishy smell. Lang Yu knew this was unavoidable. All food was the same. It was impossible to completely remove those flavors. But today’s food overturned his previous understanding. He really could not taste any fishiness.

“This time, I added scallion and ginger water to remove the fishiness,” Lang Shuo explained. “I added some before too, but there wasn’t this much back then, so adding a little didn’t show much effect.”

After confirming that many plants that had been treated as medicinal herbs were actually seasonings, Lang Shuo had asked the gathering team to bring some back whenever they saw them. If the plant was too small, they could dig it up with the roots and transplant it to the open ground nearby. This way, when they needed it in the future, they would not have to specially go so far to find it.

It was just that all kinds of plants had only been sprouting for two months now. The seasoning plants were all not very big. Most had been transplanted into the fields. Only a few that could not be transplanted because their roots were broken while digging or for other reasons would be used directly. Their quantity was very small. There were many people in the tribe and a lot of food too. That little bit of scallion and ginger added in could only serve the purpose of existing.

But yesterday, the amount sent over by the Black Wolf Tribe’s gathering team was large. Even though most of it had been planted in the open ground to slowly grow, the rest was enough for several days.

“Can scallion and ginger be planted?”

“Yes, but this year, we can only transplant them. They can only be planted next year.” He had woken too late. Harvest season had long passed, and he had not collected any seeds. Therefore, the crops planted this year were limited. Next year would be different. During harvest season, they could collect all the seeds of the plants they needed to plant and, after snow season, plant the surrounding open ground full.

Lang Yu nodded. For matters he did not understand, he would do everything according to what Lang Shuo said.

Lang Shuo also tasted a few. There really was no fishy taste. The scallion and ginger plants here were smaller than those he had seen in his previous life, but their flavors were rich, and their fishiness-removing effect was very good.

Some chili and garlic had also been transplanted, but the flavors of these two were a little stronger, especially chili, whose taste was too stimulating. Lang Shuo planned to save up more before using them.

As Lang Shuo was thinking, the cubs waiting beside him could not endure it anymore. They raised their paws, patted the edge of the cradle, and whined and barked at him, reminding Lang Shuo.

For several days now, after Lang Shuo finished eating, he would divide food for them. The cubs had already gotten used to it. When they saw Lang Shuo eating, they knew it would soon be their turn. At this time, they would not make trouble and would quietly wait. But today, after Lang Shuo finished eating, he only chatted and did not serve them food. The cubs could not wait anymore.

Hearing the sound, Lang Shuo lowered his head and looked at the cubs whose eyes were full of anticipation. He raised his hand and stroked their heads. “I’ll serve your food right away.”

The sub-adults were serving the fish balls. When it came to fairness, no one was more serious than sub-adults. Not only did they have to make sure each bowl had the same number of fish balls, they also had to count how many of each color there were.

Fortunately, there were many of them. Each person was only responsible for several bowls.

Each cub had one small bowl. The rest was for the young wolves. Although they had not helped cook, Lang Shuo would arrange other work for them, so when making food for the cubs, he would leave some for them too. The amount was not much, just enough to let them taste something new.

This was also why the adult members would not eat the food Lang Shuo prepared for the cubs. Even if there was extra, it would ultimately be divided among the half-grown young wolves. If they ate it, the young wolves would get less. Whether it was snatching food from cubs’ mouths or from young wolves’ lips, they could not do it.

Lang Shuo waited until the sub-adults finished dividing it, then carried the bowls to the cubs one by one. As usual, the white cubs’ portions had soup added, while the black cubs’ soup and balls were separated.

As soon as the fish balls of various colors were placed in, they immediately sparked the cubs’ curiosity.

In the cubs’ understanding, things placed in bowls were food and could be eaten, but the cubs had never seen this kind of food before.

The cubs studied them for a while. In the end, unable to resist the temptation of the aroma, they lowered their heads and began eating. Very soon, Lang Shuo saw the cubs’ tails swaying left and right, their ears also trembling lightly. Clearly, they were eating extremely happily.

After finishing one bowl, the cubs were still unsatisfied. Both front paws clung to the rim of the bowls as they licked the soup inside clean.

The cubs’ bowls were always easier to wash than other members’ bowls.

After they finished eating, Lang Shuo collected the bamboo bowls. Previously, he would wipe each cub’s paws and mouth before putting them back, but now this step was directly moved to before sleep. Because even if he wiped them, the cubs would lick their paws and the corners of their mouths, and at night, he would have to wipe them again.

A group of fluffy little ones nestled in the cradle, hugging their paws and gnawing them. Lang Shuo teased them for a while. Seeing that there was temporarily nothing to do here, and that even the members preparing to make fish balls had the sub-adults helping, he simply handed the cubs over to Lang Yun, got up, and went to check those clay blanks.

Recently, work on making clay blanks had never stopped. Items made at different times were placed separately. The small pieces made during the earliest two days had already dried thoroughly, while the larger pottery jars still needed another two days.

Lang Shuo prepared to first fire a batch of small pieces, and at the same time test how the waterproof effect of the locally sourced ceramic glaze would be.

Lang Shuo picked out the dried clay blanks one by one and glazed them, preparing to fire them tomorrow.

Early the next morning, Lang Shuo woke even earlier than the members who needed to go out. After waking, he first discussed today’s menu for the tribe with Lang Yun, then focused on preparing to fire pottery.

The pottery-firing process would last more than ten hours. He would spend the entire day on it.

The weather during the period before rainy season was relatively dry. The glaze surface had already dried after one night. Lang Shuo placed all the clay blanks prepared last night into the pottery kiln and began firing them.

The fuel was charcoal. Every few days, they made charcoal once. Aside from using some for roasting meat, the rest had all been saved. The amount was enough to fire pottery several times.

This was Lang Shuo’s first time firing pottery, and the other members did not even know what pottery was. Whether making clay blanks or officially firing them now, they were crossing the river by feeling the stones.

When theoretical knowledge was truly put to use, some problems always appeared. For example, the temperature rose more slowly than expected. Fortunately, Lang Shuo was patient. The other members knew that he had been preparing for pottery firing all this time and did not come over to disturb him. They only busied themselves at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, ensuring that if he called for help, everyone could hear.

From morning until night, when the sky had completely darkened, Lang Shuo’s work finally came to a temporary end, and he no longer added charcoal inside.

Lang Yu, who had just returned from hunting, took a clean piece of animal hide and handed it to his younger brother. “When can it be opened?”

Lang Shuo waved his hand and did not take the animal hide. His hands and face were both too dirty. Wiping would not clean them and would only dirty the hide. It would be better to directly go wash. “Let it smother overnight. Tomorrow should be about right.” He was not certain of the exact time either, so he could only give an approximate answer.

Lang Yu glanced around.

The members who had been preparing to see the finished product heard that it would only be opened tomorrow. Knowing their curiosity could not be satisfied today, they dispersed to do their own work.

Lang Shuo went to the river and found a shallower place to wash himself. When he returned, Lang Yu had already served the food Lang Yun prepared for him and placed it alone not far from the cubs.

Lang Yu understood Lang Shuo. After finishing work, he would definitely be uneasy about the cubs. Asking him to eat alone would not work. It was better to let him watch them while eating.

Lang Shuo rubbed his stomach. He was indeed hungry. Although the work after the temperature rose was not as troublesome as at the beginning and could be left to other members, he was not at ease. After all, it was the first time firing pottery. He watched the whole process. At noon, he had only taken the time to gnaw two pieces of jerky and had not even dared drink much water.

Seeing that the food was beside him, Lang Shuo did not stand on ceremony. He picked it up and ate while asking about the cubs’ situation.

“They were obedient in the morning. In the afternoon, they made a fuss for a while. Once we put them somewhere they could see you, they were fine,” Lang Yun explained.

It was not that the cubs absolutely needed Lang Shuo to play with them. As long as Lang Shuo was not far away and the cubs could see him, they would quiet down.

Lang Shuo felt reassured. He asked a couple more questions about how much the cubs had eaten at night. After confirming that they had eaten and drunk well all day, he let out a breath of relief.

Beastman cubs were too small, such tiny little bundles. Even though they had gained quite a lot of weight now, they still weighed only a little when picked up. Even knowing that the cubs inside were all over a year old, he usually still felt they were very small and needed to be carefully raised.

Fortunately, the cubs were relatively sensible. They were clingy, yes, but when he was busy, they would not make trouble.

Lang Shuo cared about the cubs, while the other members were more concerned about the pottery kiln that had burned all day.

“Shuo, what will the fired things look like? What are they used for?”

Although they knew they could see them tomorrow, there were still quite a few impatient members who were curious and wanted to know earlier.

Lang Shuo recalled the information he had once seen and described some of it. “If successful, they should be similar to stone plates and stone bowls, but lighter than stone plates and bowls. They’ll only be a little heavier than those made from bamboo and wood. They can hold water, and when marinating meat, we won’t have to worry about the juices seeping into the bowl.”

The advantage of stoneware was that it did not leak water and could usually be used for marinating food. The disadvantage was that it was too heavy. Some stone bowls needed to be held with both hands. Containers made of bamboo and wood were light and easy to make, but after being used for a period of time, they had to be replaced. Soup and juices would slowly seep into them, and after a long time, they would spoil easily. Bamboo bowls especially could not be used to marinate meat.

Pottery could be considered something that gathered the advantages of both. It all depended on whether it could succeed in the end.

After hearing Lang Shuo’s description, the group of members looked forward to it even more.

What the members of the Snow Wolf Tribe did not know was that while they were looking forward to the finished product, there was another group of beastmen watching eagerly.

“Chief, can we really not go to the Snow Wolf Tribe? I miss the cubs.” Lang Yong held onto the last shred of hope and asked Lang Yan for who knew how many times.

Behind Lang Yong, a large group of sub-adults waited eagerly for Lang Yan’s answer, hoping they would receive a different answer from before.

“No. No matter how many times you ask, it’s still no.” Lang Yan still firmly refused.

The answer was not the one he wanted. Lang Yong lowered his head dejectedly. The other sub-adults had about the same expression as him.

Recently, the sub-adults had developed a habit. Every day, they asked whether the Snow Wolf Tribe had made anything delicious. Even if they could not eat it, hearing about it was good too. They listened to the gathering team’s descriptions while eating their own cooking, pretending the food in their hands had been made by Lang Shuo.

After the gathering team returned today, the sub-adult black wolves surrounded them as usual and learned a new piece of news. Today, they had not made new food. Lang Shuo had been busy beside an earth kiln for an entire day.

Anything that could make Lang Shuo busy for a whole day was definitely a major matter. However, the gathering team only knew that Lang Shuo had been burning a fire the whole time. They did not know what was inside.

After hearing this news, the sub-adults went to find Lang Yan, wanting to go over and help. However, they were strictly refused by Lang Yan. No matter what reason they used, Lang Yan only had one answer: no.

Unable to catch up with the excitement, the sub-adults felt that nothing was interesting at all.

They wanted to go to the Snow Wolf Tribe. They wanted to find Lang Shuo.

The group of sub-adults wished they could change into beast form and lie on the ground rolling around shamelessly. In the end, under the chief’s cold gaze, they gave up.

If they really rolled around, the one greeting them probably would not be Lang Shuo, but a vicious beating from their entire families.

Sub-adults were thick-skinned and tough. Being beaten a few times did not matter to them at all. But being beaten by one person and being beaten by a group of people were completely different. There would always be a few claws that landed somewhere painful.

Black wolves were absolutely not soft-handed when it came to beating their own cubs.

Lang Yan had been watching the sub-adults since the gathering team returned. Only at midnight, when all the sub-adults had gone back to sleep and the surroundings quieted down, did he turn and return to his own cave.

After returning to the cave, Lang Yan did not go rest. Instead, he stood to one side of the cave entrance and waited.

Sure enough, before long, familiar rustling sounds came from all around.

The sub-adults did not know Lang Yan was not asleep. After dawdling for half the day, they finally accepted one reality: the chief would never agree. If they wanted to go, they could not let the chief know.

So they used the method from before.

Pretend to return to the cave to sleep, then wait until Lang Yan went back to sleep before secretly going out.

When doing bad things, the sub-adults had extraordinary tacit understanding.

However, this bit of tacit understanding vanished into thin air when they quietly crept down the mountain and saw Lang Yan standing below.

In an instant, the sub-adults were frightened into collectively puffing up their fur and running everywhere across the ground.

Lang Yan coldly watched the group of sub-adults running around and directly named a few who wanted to use the chaos to run toward the Snow Wolf Tribe.

The named sub-adults unwillingly stopped.

Their plan to fish in troubled waters had also failed.

Lang Yan said, “Return to the cave. Otherwise, starting today, you will be responsible for night watch.”

Hearing this, the sub-adults all shook their heads in unison and honestly returned to the cave.

For a large tribe like the Black Wolf Tribe, night watch was a very safe job. Because their tribe had many people and a large territory, unless other tribes truly had no way out, they would not seek humiliation by coming here to get beaten.

But precisely because it was safe, to sub-adults, this job was only boring. They could not sleep for an entire night and could not go anywhere else either. It was truly tormenting.

Before returning to the cave, the sub-adults looked resentfully at the chief.

Lang Yan was unmoved. He had merely seen from the sub-adults what he would have to face in the future.

Sub-adults who had only eaten a few meals were already like this. Then what about that group of cubs who had stayed in the Snow Wolf Tribe for several days and could no longer even distinguish their own tribe members? Could they really come back smoothly in one month?

These past few days, Lang Yan had heard plenty from the gathering team about how much Lang Shuo cherished the cubs.

This was, of course, a good thing. Everyone wanted cubs to be cared for better, especially frightened cubs. If it were the members of their tribe, they would also do their utmost to treat the cubs better. But the biggest problem was that Lang Shuo did not belong to their tribe and could not always help take care of the cubs.

Just thinking about it, he knew that when they went to pick up the cubs one month later, the cubs probably would not cooperate.

However, given the cubs’ condition a few days ago, they could only stay in the Snow Wolf Tribe. Now they could not possibly ask the other party to treat the cubs a little worse. If those words were spoken, the Snow Wolf Tribe would probably suspect whether the cubs truly belonged to their tribe.

No matter how he thought about it, it was a problem.

Lang Yan’s head ached. His brain, which had been noisy from the sub-adults for an entire night, felt like it was buzzing. He decided to go back and rest.

Problems that could not be solved should be left for tomorrow. What if he was lucky, and tomorrow’s chief was no longer him?

Perhaps because he thought of the Snow Wolf Tribe and Lang Shuo before sleeping, Lang Yan had a strange dream.

In the dream, Lang Shuo was coaxing cubs, but there were not that many cubs, and the scene was not at the foot of the mountain, but inside a cave. He was holding a palm-sized cub.

For some reason, Lang Yan suddenly wanted to know the cub’s color. However, before he could get closer, he suddenly felt the cave begin to shake. The scene in front of him collapsed and disappeared with a rumble. Lang Shuo was gone, and the cub was gone too. Only the sound of someone calling him from outside remained.

Lang Yan abruptly opened his eyes.

Lang Qi, who had shaken Lang Yan awake, was frightened by his fierce gaze and retreated several steps. In his heart, he muttered, it was only calling someone to wake up. His expression was scarier than if someone wanted to steal his partner.

Of course, these words could only be complained about in his heart. He would only say them aloud if he no longer wanted his life.

“Chief, the hunting party should set out.” Lang Qi spoke from a few steps away from Lang Yan. In the past, whenever Lang Yan needed to lead the team, he always went down ahead of time and waited for the other members. Today, everyone had arrived, and only Lang Yan had not come down, so Lang Qi had come to call him.

He just did not know why, but Lang Qi felt Lang Yan’s gaze was a little frightening. Next time, it was better to let another member come, Lang Qi thought. This job tested the heart too much.

“Mm.” Lang Yan sat up. “Get ready. I’ll go out right away.”

Lang Qi could not wait to spend less time in the cave, so he turned and left as soon as he heard this.

Only Lang Yan remained in the cave. Irritated, he rubbed his face.

What a complete mess.

Breeding season was annoying after all.

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