Chapter 59
When it came to preparing food, Lang Shuo had put in no small amount of effort. The meat the tribe ate most often was curved-horned beast, but they almost never ate it for two meals in a row. With three meals a day—morning, noon, and night—the ingredients in two neighboring meals were always different. Only when the tribe had no other meat would they eat the same meat for all three meals, but even then, the cooking method and side dishes would change, ensuring that even picky sub-adults would not grow tired of it after eating.
Even meats were spaced out, let alone various leafy vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients. Lang Shuo would do his best to pair different ingredients with one another. Even though they did not have many seasonings, the variety of food he made was still considerable.
With his previous experience, before the crops outside had even matured, Lang Shuo had already planned out part of the menu in advance.
Potatoes were resistant to storage and could be kept for a long time. He planned to eat this batch of potatoes from now until the end of harvest season. As for during snow season, of course they would eat the ones harvested in harvest season. Potatoes had a short growth cycle, so planting two rounds was completely possible.
A crop that was easy to care for and highly productive like this was a rare good ingredient. Moreover, potatoes were versatile and could be cooked with almost any ingredient. Lang Shuo did not want to waste a single potato they grew.
But if they ate them too often, the sub-adults might become unwilling to eat them. The best method was to start eating them early and space out the timing. Eating them for ten days straight and eating them once every three days for a month felt completely different.
The sub-adults’ current behavior also proved this point. They had not eaten potatoes since after snow season. After so long, eating them again made something originally only five parts delicious become ten parts delicious. The several pots of ribs and potatoes Lang Shuo stewed ultimately did not even have soup left at the bottom.
After eating and drinking their fill, the sub-adults of both tribes all lay on the prepared cool mats, closed their eyes, and comfortably went to sleep.
However, just after closing their eyes, the sub-adult black wolves were patted awake.
“Wake up. Go back to your tribe to sleep.” Lang Shuo patted awake the sub-adult black wolves, who had completely forgotten where they were. “It’s too late. Hurry and go back to your tribe.”
They had arrived a little late today. The sub-adults only stopped working when the sky was beginning to darken. Bathing and eating had taken quite a bit of time too. Now the sky had already completely darkened. It was time to return to their tribe. Otherwise, the Black Wolf Tribe would probably grow anxious.
Fortunately, yesterday he had told the Black Wolf Tribe’s gathering team that they did not need to come over these next few days. Otherwise, they would definitely run into each other, and at that time, he would have to find an excuse to explain.
The sub-adults opened their eyes blankly. The snow wolves discovered it had nothing to do with them, rolled over, closed their eyes, and continued sleeping. The black wolves suddenly heard this terrible news and wished they could cover their ears and say they had not heard it.
Lang Yong tried to bargain with Lang Shuo. “Shuo, can we stay here?”
If they were only working within their tribe’s territory, they might be willing to leave after eating. But this side was so close to the Snow Wolf Tribe’s residence. If they stayed in the Snow Wolf Tribe, they could start working after eating tomorrow, directly saving the time spent walking back and forth. They also would not need to wake up early. Just thinking about it was wonderful.
“No. Did you forget what your chief instructed?” Before Lang Yan left, he had told them not to run around on the road.
From the moment Lang Yong arrived at the Snow Wolf Tribe, he had only cared about being happy. How could he remember the chief’s instructions? He grabbed the straw mat. “I don’t want to leave.”
The other sub-adult black wolves made the same movement. “We don’t want to leave either.”
Let them stay, let them stay.
Lang Shuo said, “If you tear the straw mats, you’ll sleep on the ground tomorrow.”
The sub-adult black wolves hurriedly withdrew their hands. Immediately afterward, they realized that the meaning of Lang Shuo’s words was that they would still have a chance to sleep here in the future. The sadness of having to leave was lessened by a tiny bit.
“The tribe is still waiting for you to bring coal back. Hurry and get up. Remember, after you go back, you can’t mention where you worked today.” Lang Shuo urged them. Even though he felt sorry that the sub-adults had worked hard all afternoon, he could not possibly keep them here. Otherwise, if the other black wolves thought about it even a little, they would know that the coal must be very close to their tribe.
“Oh.” The sub-adults knew their plan to stay here was destined not to be realized, so they reluctantly climbed up from the straw mats.
Sigh. Why were they not members of the Snow Wolf Tribe? If they were, not only could they eat the food Lang Shuo made whenever they wanted, they could also lie on straw mats and happily sleep right now. At this moment, they were even more envious of Lang Nuo and the others.
Or if their tribe’s residence were just a little closer to the Snow Wolf Tribe, that would be fine too. They could walk less.
The sub-adult black wolves left the Snow Wolf Tribe with deep regret, carrying their back baskets.
Seeing that the sub-adults were quite tired, Lang Shuo only filled each back basket halfway with coal. In any case, the final calculation would be based on the total amount, and the amount brought back each day was not fixed. It was still far from snow season, when firewood would be used in large quantities. As long as they ensured there was enough to use, it was fine. Once the sub-adults got used to the work, they could carry more.
After the sub-adult black wolves left, Lang Shuo looked at the remaining sub-adult snow wolves, pulled out several animal hides, and threw them to them. “Cover your stomachs when you sleep.”
The sub-adults had long formed the habit. Hearing this, they closed their eyes and fumbled around, draping the animal hides over their stomachs.
Lang Shuo had an obsession with covering stomachs while sleeping. Everyone in the tribe knew this. The sub-adults were now so skilled that even in their dreams, when they heard the words “cover your stomach,” they would automatically reach out.
Lang Shuo used a fan and fanned beside them several times, driving away the large mosquitoes that were trying to bite.
Seeing that the mosquitoes around them were reluctant to leave and still wanted to continue looking for places to land, Lang Shuo directly took out mosquito incense and lit it.
The mosquito incense contained scents mosquitoes disliked. When the smoke drifted out, the annoying buzzing around them became much lighter.
Lang Shuo calculated the stock of mosquito incense and decided to make more tomorrow. The hotter the weather grew, the more rampant these mosquitoes and insects became. Sub-adults and adult beastmen were still fine. What Lang Shuo mainly worried about were the young wolves of a few years old and the cubs who had not changed into human form.
The color of the beast form was only reflected in hair color when changing into human form. Beastmen with different fur colors did not differ much in skin tone. Differences were usually caused by sun exposure. The gathering team and hunting party had skin tones leaning toward wheat color, while beastmen who spent long periods at the tribe residence and less time under the sun had paler skin.
The young wolves of a few years old had only recently changed into human form. These days, Lang Shuo had been feeding them all kinds of things, and their arms and legs were all fair and tender, especially cute. Looking at them made one want to take a bite. When a mosquito bit them, the red bump would be as large as a thumbnail, making one feel heartache just seeing it.
There was even less need to mention the cubs in the cradle. Because their bodies were covered in fluff, the mosquitoes preferred biting fragile places like their ears, the sides of their mouths, and their bellies. Cubs that were bitten could not even sleep well. Therefore, recently, wherever there were cubs, mosquito incense and fans were always prepared, and mosquitoes were driven away the moment they were seen.
Even so, some still slipped through the net, irritating people beyond endurance.
Lang Shuo sighed. If only he could directly eliminate all the mosquitoes nearby.
Mosquitoes were one of the most annoying creatures, with only flies and cockroaches able to compare.
The mosquito incense inside the cave had just been lit, and the mosquitoes had not all been smoked out yet. They still had to wait a while.
This had already become a necessary task every day after making mosquito incense. Every night, after driving the mosquitoes out of the cave, they would go inside. This way, everyone could sleep well at night. Although there were still mosquitoes, there were far fewer of them. Otherwise, every morning when they woke, everyone’s hands and faces would be covered in bumps.
But doing this every day was truly a little troublesome. From lighting the mosquito incense to ventilating the cave, it required at least half a day. During this period, the cubs could not go inside, because the smell of the smoke from the burning mosquito incense in a closed space was a bit strong, and the cubs would feel uncomfortable.
Continuing like this was really not ideal. Lang Shuo sighed and pondered another method.
After driving away another mosquito circling near the cubs, Lang Shuo suddenly thought of a tool.
A door curtain.
There were no gauze nets or nails here, but the wild had all kinds of plants in abundance. Even if he could not make a gauze door curtain, he could still make something with a similar effect as a barrier.
Lang Shuo thought for a moment, found some grass beads, and asked Lang Rong whether there were more nearby.
Lang Rong studied them for a moment. “There are. What do you need these for?”
Lang Shuo described a door curtain. “String them together with thin rope and hang them at the cave entrance to block mosquitoes.”
The cave had to be ventilated, so covering it with animal hides or stones would not work. But if they did not block it, mosquitoes would come in and out every day. If they hung a door curtain, the ventilation would be a little worse, but the mosquito and insect prevention effect would be very good. At worst, they could dig a few more ventilation openings in the back of the cave and use curtains there too, ensuring it was both comfortable and quiet inside.
Lang Rong looked at the sky. There was still a while before they would go back to sleep. Right now, after finishing dinner, they did not have much to do. She said, “I’ll call a few people to pick some back now.” There were many of this kind of plant by the river, so there was no need to go far.
After Lang Rong spoke, she did not wait for Lang Shuo to answer before calling several gathering team members out.
The group did not go far, so they returned very quickly. However, they did not bring back few things. Each person carried around a bowlful of grass beads.
Lang Rong explained, “There were only these on this side. The rest are too far away. We’ll go pick them tomorrow.” They could originally have gone to the other side of the river to pick more, but fearing they would delay Lang Shuo from using them if it got too late, they returned first.
Lang Shuo poured the grass beads together. “There are already plenty. These are enough for tonight.” The first time stringing beads, the speed would not be fast. They might not even use all of them tonight.
For the first attempt, Lang Shuo did not use long ropes. Instead, he cut the ropes to around one meter, letting everyone help together.
With many people, the speed was very fast. Each person strung two or three strands, and the grass beads were used up.
“Will something this short be useful outside the cave?” Lang Nuo, who had heard the noise here and come over to join the excitement, asked.
“These won’t be placed at the cave entrance.” Their tribe’s cave entrance was large and also very tall. A curtain less than one meter like this naturally would not be used at the cave entrance. They would first test it with the cubs.
Lang Shuo took out several smooth wooden sticks with the bark removed, used a knife to carve grooves into them, then hung the ropes strung with grass beads on them. He tied knots and fixed them into the grooves.
After making the curtain, Lang Shuo fixed a small straw mat onto both sides of the cradle. This way, only the two ends were open. Once the curtain was hung, the cubs were enclosed inside.
Lang Shuo’s movements were relatively light, but while installing the curtain, he still woke the cubs. The cubs did not fuss after waking. They hummed twice, and when they heard Lang Shuo’s voice, they quickly quieted down. They curiously looked at the extra thing above them and could not help hooking it with their paws.
When they moved, the cradle also moved with them. The curtain gently swayed left and right with the motion of the cradle.
The cubs, who had originally still been a little sleepy, were now completely awake. Their eyes shone as they stared at the swaying curtain.
Lang Shuo installed the straw mats and curtains on both cradles, then clapped his hands. “All right. This way, mosquitoes can’t get in.”
Not only could it prevent mosquitoes, it was also equivalent to adding a toy for the cubs. These cubs were very interested in swaying objects.
Lang Nuo looked at the cradle surrounded by straw mats and curtains, then looked back at his own sleeping place and asked, “Shuo, can we make one for our side?”
Since the cubs’ cradle could be enclosed, could the place they slept also be enclosed?
Sub-adults had thick skin and tough flesh, but they still hated mosquitoes. In previous years, when there was no mosquito incense, if they wanted to sleep outside but did not want to be bitten by mosquitoes, they would first fight. Whoever lost had to drive mosquitoes away for the rest.
This year, the bottom of the tribe’s mountain was much cleaner. Added to frequent lighting of mosquito incense, there were far fewer mosquitoes. Also, only a few companions of the same age remained, so it had been a long time since they had driven mosquitoes away for one another. If mosquitoes occasionally appeared, they just swatted blindly with their eyes closed. Now that they saw the curtain, they wanted one too.
Lang Shuo thought for a moment and answered, “Your side will need a lot. I’ll finish making the one for the cave entrance first. When you have nothing to do, go look around for grass beads nearby. Later, I can provide rope, and you can string them together. I’ll fix them in place for you.”
When the weather was hot, sleeping outside at night was quite comfortable. Lang Shuo remembered that in previous years, the sub-adults often ran outside. Since that was the case, after making the curtain for the cave entrance, he could also help improve their living conditions.
Hearing this, the sub-adults rubbed their hands together, preparing to go look for grass beads after finishing work tomorrow.
They had seen this kind of thing before. It was everywhere. They could bring back a pile after going out once. Even if it was not enough, it did not matter. They could ask the Black Wolf Tribe’s sub-adults to help gather them.
The few sub-adult snow wolves made their work plan for tomorrow, then finally looked enviously at the cubs catching the curtain a few more times before returning to lie down on the straw mats.
On the other side, the sub-adult black wolves also returned to the tribe.
They did not deliberately run around. It was only that halfway there, they saw a group of sharp-horned beasts and drove them a little toward the Snow Wolf Tribe. Although they did not drive them very far, it still consumed some time. When they returned to the tribe, everyone had already finished dinner. Many members had already gone back to rest, and only Lang Yan, Lang Lan, and a few others were still there.
The sub-adults happily went to find Lang Yan. “Chief, we’re back!”
After greeting Lang Yan, the group of sub-adults went to look at Lang Lan. “Lan, did you leave food for us?”
Lang Lan: “…”
Lang Lan said, “No.”
She had not gone back to rest yet only because she wanted to confirm whether the sub-adults would come back. Although this group of sub-adults was overall unreliable, it still would not do to take them away in exchange for supplies.
Seeing that they had returned, Lang Lan was too lazy to continue staying here and said to Lang Yan, “I’m going to sleep.”
Lang Yan felt complicated and nodded, then looked at the sub-adults who had no idea what had happened. “You didn’t eat dinner?”
“We ate.” The sub-adults told the truth. They could not lie about this point. They could not let the chief think Lang Shuo did not give them food.
“Then why ask whether food was left for you?”
Lang Yong honestly said, “After eating, we can still eat a little more.” After walking for so long, space had opened up in their stomachs again. Eating another meal would also be fine. Even if the taste was a little worse, it did not matter. They would not dislike it.
The other sub-adults nodded. “We really can eat more.”
“If there’s no food, can we make some ourselves?”
Lang Yan: “…”
If the sub-adults started cooking, he could forget about sleeping tonight.
Every time he faced the sub-adults, he felt his hands itch.
Lang Yan endured and endured. Thinking that he would still need this group of sub-adults to work tomorrow, he said, “Don’t eat. Stay hungry for one night. Tomorrow, go to the Snow Wolf Tribe on an empty stomach and eat more.”
He was willing to send more ingredients to the Snow Wolf Tribe, several times more if needed, as long as this restless group of sub-adults could quiet down.
Hearing Lang Yan’s words, the sub-adults who had originally planned to cook for themselves immediately seemed to discover a new continent.
Right. If they prepared food now, they could only eat the unpalatable food they made themselves. But if they endured, tomorrow at the Snow Wolf Tribe, they could eat even more delicious food!
The sub-adults immediately stopped preparing to cook for themselves. The food they made themselves was merely at an edible level, far inferior to the Snow Wolf Tribe’s food. Staying hungry for a while was worth it.
“Go back and sleep. Once you’re asleep, you won’t be hungry anymore. Tomorrow, bring more food to the Snow Wolf Tribe.” Lang Yan was rarely this patient with the sub-adults. Right now, he only wanted them to return to the tribe, obediently sleep, and not cause trouble everywhere.
The temptation of going to the Snow Wolf Tribe to eat was too great, and added to their exhaustion from the afternoon, that night, the sub-adults did not continue making trouble. Not long after returning to the cave, they fell asleep.
Lang Yan finally slept peacefully.
In this sleep, no one shouted, and no sub-adults disturbed him. Even the buzzing mosquitoes flying around did not affect his sleep.
Sleeping straight until dawn was truly good.
A moment later, Lang Yan, who had opened his eyes, realized what he had dreamed of and instantly froze.
After being stunned for a while, Lang Yan glanced at the cave entrance. Seeing there was no one, he quietly let out a breath of relief.
It was still early. There was still some time before the hunting party set out. There was time. Lang Yan changed into a different set of animal hide and followed the path to the river, soaking the animal hide in the water and scrubbing hard.
After scrubbing, he changed into beast form and jumped into the water to bathe. Refreshed, he jumped ashore and shook the water droplets from his body before returning to the cave.
Lang Qi was looking everywhere for him. Seeing him arrive, he immediately came forward. “Boss, where did you go? Something bad happened. The tribe is missing two prey!”
Compared to Lang Qi’s anxiety, Lang Yan was much calmer. “Are the sub-adults here?”
“They’re not, but this has nothing to do with them, right? Aren’t they…” Halfway through, Lang Qi suddenly reacted. The sub-adults had gone to the Snow Wolf Tribe. The Snow Wolf Tribe provided food, but they had to prepare the ingredients themselves. It went without saying where the two missing prey had gone.
But even after knowing where the prey had gone, Lang Qi could not help clicking his tongue. “Even so, there was no need to bring this much, right?” It had frightened him. He had thought a thief had entered the tribe.
“Prepare more for their portion in the future,” Lang Yan instructed. After thinking for a moment, he added, “From now on, if food is missing, first check whether they’re around.”
Hearing this, Lang Qi muttered, “It’d be better if it were thieves.”
If thieves came in, they only needed to strengthen precautions and patrol more in the future. Whoever came would at most steal this once. But the sub-adults were different. This time, they could move two prey. Next time, they could move three.
Sub-adults could already eat a lot. When the tribe’s food tasted average, they already ate more than the other members. Now that they had entered the Snow Wolf Tribe, whose food was delicious, and stayed there all day during a season when food was abundant, it would not be strange even if they ate several meals a day.
Lang Yan did not care about this point. Eating more was fine. Their tribe could afford it. Compared to the current peace, the food eaten by them was not a loss at all.
After speaking about this, Lang Qi was just about to leave when he saw that Lang Yan was still holding dripping wet animal hide. He said in surprise, “Boss, you washed your animal hide?”
What was wrong with the chief today? Bathing early in the morning and washing animal hide too.
“Mm.” Lang Yan switched the animal hide to his other hand, blocking Lang Qi’s line of sight. “Go handle your work. I’ll come in a while.”
Lang Qi still had some muttering in his heart, but obeying Lang Yan’s orders had already become instinct. Hearing the other party’s words, he immediately agreed.
After walking for a while, Lang Qi suddenly thought of something. His steps paused, and he could not help looking back in the direction Lang Yan had left.
Breeding season had already passed. Surely not?
He did not know whether the chief regretted not courting a partner this year. If he had known this would happen, when the other members had advised him to find a partner, why had he refused so decisively?
It seemed their tribe would have another chief next year.
Wolf tribes were different from other beastmen. Under normal circumstances, a wolf tribe did not only have one chief. Many wolf tribes were managed by a pair of partners together. However, in the past, before becoming chiefs, two wolves would have already become partners, and then they would become the new chiefs together, managing the tribe jointly.
Lang Yan’s situation was rather special. Lang Yan’s parents, Lang Shun and Lang Bing, had been the previous two chiefs.
When Lang Yan was very small, Lang Bing suddenly disappeared. When Lang Yan had just reached adulthood, the previous chief, Lang Shun, also disappeared on the way to the market. Lang Yan, whom Lang Shun had designated as heir, hurriedly became chief without a partner.
Before, some members in the tribe had been unconvinced by Lang Yan, partly because he did not have a partner. There were always people whose own strength was insufficient, yet felt that if they added a partner, they could defeat Lang Yan and become the new wolf king.
The funniest one was Lang Lan’s partner. The year Lang Yan became chief, he instigated Lang Lan to compete with him for the chief position.
Lang Yan did not have a partner. He could not beat Lang Yan, but adding Lang Lan would make things different. Lang Lan’s strength far surpassed the other female beastmen. With Lang Lan there, he could also beat Lang Yan.
Of course, that person’s plan failed that very night. Lang Yan did not even need to make a move. After listening, Lang Lan dealt with him herself.
Thinking of that person’s ending, Lang Qi could not help shuddering. Sigh, wasn’t living good? Why were there always people who thought their lives were too long? If Lang Lan really wanted to become chief, wouldn’t choosing a stronger partner give her a greater chance of winning? A male beastman who had become Lang Lan’s partner by relying on his face had actually failed to understand his own position. Lost his life, didn’t he? Of all people to provoke, he provoked Lang Lan, who had beaten up everyone of the same age since childhood.
Among wolves of the same age, only Lang Yan could beat Lang Lan. Lang Lan was strong, but her personality was too similar to her father’s, who was Lang Shun’s younger brother.
Shaking his head, Lang Qi pulled back his thoughts, which had drifted farther and farther. In any case, Lang Yan alone could firmly sit in the chief’s position. Whether he found a partner or not, and who he found as a partner, seemed to be fine.
His only hope was that the chief’s partner would have a slightly better temper. Spending all day with the siblings Lang Yan and Lang Lan, Lang Qi felt his lifespan growing shorter and shorter.
He had heard that the previous Chief Lang Bing had a good temper. Unfortunately, when the other party disappeared, he had still been too young and had not interacted much with him. From the time he had memories, Lang Shun had been chief.
Lang Shun’s temper… Lang Qi shook his head. Better not think about it.
Comparing them like this, the one with the best temper was actually Lang Yan.
Thinking of this answer, Lang Qi sneezed. How was that possible?
Their chief’s temper had never been good. He had only been enduring it all along. Whenever he stopped enduring, it would be a disaster for everyone.
Please, let the chief never erupt. Or someone come and suppress the chief’s temper. At worst, having good news from time to time would also work.
Some time ago, the chief had been gloomy and unpredictable all day, and Lang Qi had almost suspected he was about to erupt. Fortunately, yesterday at the Snow Wolf Tribe, they discovered something good like coal. Although there had been a slight problem during the negotiation process, the final result was good. After receiving the coal yesterday afternoon, Lang Yan had been in a good mood the whole time.
Hopefully, this state could continue, Lang Qi thought.
