Chapter 7
After listening to Lang Shuo’s explanation, Lang Yu brought over two cubs and placed them inside the grass nest to test it. Lang Shuo was right. Even with two cubs inside, there was still a small space left. Three cubs would fit without any problem.
Lang Shuo pointed at two spots on the opening of the grass nest. “If we secure these two sides with some soft willow branches or rope, it can be carried. Brother, we can also weave larger willow baskets to hold things for the gathering team.”
The containers the gathering team used to carry food were made of animal hides. Right now, the entire tribe did not have many hides left, so there simply were not enough. After transforming from beast form into human form, each person also only had one piece of animal hide on them and nothing extra. Lang Shuo had heard a member mention it earlier, so he had started thinking about improving their tools.
Lang Yu was puzzled. “What are willow branches?”
“They’re the kind of very thin branches that hang down toward the ground.” Lang Shuo described them. In his memory, there were trees like that, but beastmen rarely gave names to trees that did not bear fruit.
Once he finished describing them, Lang Yu immediately thought of them. Their previous territory had trees like that, and this place had them too. He had seen some yesterday while hunting, not too far from here.
“Do we need them now? I’ll go cut some.”
Lang Shuo tried to recall whether willow branches could be used during the snow season. He vaguely remembered that people usually cut willow branches more often in spring and summer. After the leaves had fallen, willow branches needed to be treated before they could be used. Thinking of this, Lang Shuo decided to try.
“Yes, but they can’t be used immediately after being cut. They need to be dried in the sun for a few days.”
Lang Yu nodded. After everyone finished dividing the meat soup, he called two members of the hunting party to follow him and cut willow branches. Then he called Lang Nuo over to help Lang Shuo before going to get tools.
Lang Shuo grabbed him. “Brother, if you come across vines that can’t be snapped apart, bring some back too.”
There was a lot of dry grass outside the cave they had found. Once the snow was shaken off and the grass was dried in the sun, it could be used. Vines, however, were relatively scarce. Since they were going out anyway, they might as well bring some back. If the vines they brought back were suitable for weaving, they would be able to weave a few baskets for temporary use without waiting for the willow branches to be processed.
Lang Yu agreed and left with the others. The other two members had just finished their extra meal and had no complaints at all about being called to work. They went off cheerfully.
After Lang Yu and the others left, the only one helping beside Lang Shuo was Lang Nuo. Before long, Lang Yun, who had cleaned up the fire pit, also came over to help.
Soon, a few more people gathered around.
Seeing that there were more people now, Lang Shuo asked, “Do you want to learn how to weave these? The more people there are, the faster it’ll go. If each person weaves a few, the cubs will be able to use them today.”
Hearing this, the beastmen who had cubs immediately said they wanted to learn.
In fact, everyone wanted the cubs to be more comfortable. It was just that conditions had not allowed for it before. Now that Lang Shuo was specifically weaving sleeping nests for the cubs, of course they wanted to help.
Lang Shuo had them sit around him and learn from him.
The method for making a grass nest was very simple. Use tough grass stems that would not snap to bind the straightened dry grass together. First coil the base, then wind upward, constantly adding more dry grass in the middle to keep the thickness of the nest even, and finally close it off.
The more difficult parts were the beginning, the first upward coil, and the final closing step.
Lang Shuo did not know what beastmen from other tribes were like, but most of the members in their tribe were very clever. After following along twice, they figured out the method. Although some wrapped too loosely because they did not use enough strength, and a few added dry grass too slowly, causing their nests to become thinner and thinner as they wove, overall, they were improving.
By the time everyone produced finished pieces, it was already afternoon. The starting and finishing work had been handed over by Lang Shuo to Lang Yun, whose technique was the best. The others only had to weave the middle sections.
Lang Shuo was injured and could not work for too long. Seeing that everyone had learned, he stopped weaving himself and went to check whether the finished nests were suitable for the cubs.
The others moved to another side, afraid that if they stayed here too long, they might accidentally bump into the cubs. Only Lang Nuo did not go over. After weaving for half a day without producing a finished nest, he continued helping by smoothing out dry grass.
Lang Nuo was someone who could not stay idle. While working, he kept chattering to Lang Shuo. “Shuo, how did you think of weaving this? I never would have thought of it.”
A small grass nest lined with animal hide looked warm at a glance. Even he wanted to crawl inside and lie down.
In truth, Lang Nuo was only asking casually. He did not expect Lang Shuo to answer. After all, Lang Shuo had ignored people before. Compared with the past, he had already changed a lot.
Lang Shuo only had one hand that could exert force. The other hand could at most press things down and could not move much, so he wove rather slowly. Hearing the question, he casually explained, “I thought of it when I saw the cubs. I wanted to weave them a warm nest.”
Adult beastmen were not very sensitive to cold. They could sleep even when it was a bit chilly, but cubs could not. Being carried around with their bellies exposed also made them prone to catching cold. With grass nests, two problems could be solved at once.
Lang Nuo looked impressed. “Shuo, you’re amazing.”
Originally, in Lang Nuo’s heart, Chief Lang Yu was the most amazing person in the entire tribe. Now, Lang Shuo’s position in his heart was about the same as Lang Yu’s—perhaps even a little higher. After all, there were many beastmen who were good at hunting, but very few beastmen who could make food delicious. Not to mention, Lang Shuo could also make grass nests.
In short, no matter what someone knew how to do, it was amazing in Lang Nuo’s heart. Lang Shuo knew more than one thing, so he was even more amazing.
Lang Shuo looked at Lang Nuo. The other’s eyes were sparkling, exactly the same as when he had begged Lang Yu for food that morning. A sub-adult who had just turned sixteen would, in modern times, only be a first-year high school student. Lang Shuo’s heart softened.
Lang Shuo said, “Once I finish weaving for the cubs, I’ll weave one for you.”
Lang Nuo’s eyes instantly lit up. “I get one too?”
Lang Shuo nodded. “If there are extras, I’ll give them to you all. One each.”
Once they learned how to make grass nests, they could weave several in a day. Several cubs only needed one nest to sleep in, so the ones they made in a day definitely would not all be used. There would certainly be extras. Not just Lang Nuo—the other children around ten or so would have one too. Anyone under sixteen was a cub, and someone who had just turned sixteen was still a little wolf. He could not treat one side unfairly.
Hearing this, Lang Nuo worked even harder.
Lang Shuo did not keep working the whole time. When he got tired, he leaned against the side to rest, while also observing the members. As he watched, he noticed that there seemed to be some problems with everyone’s clothing.
Beastmen were generally tall. Sub-adult and adult beastmen were all over one meter eighty. The animal hides they wore came from medium to large prey. Although they did cut the hides, they only trimmed off the excess parts around the edges. Anything more complicated than that was beyond them.
The way the tribe wore animal hides was very simple. It was currently the snow season, so members wore at least two pieces of animal hide. One piece was wrapped around the waist, while the other covered the upper body.
The upper garment was a little more complicated, with three ways to wear it.
The first was to drape a whole piece of animal hide over the back and tie it in a knot at the chest, similar to wearing a cloak.
The second was to cut a hole in the middle of the hide and pull it over the head. Holes would be made on both sides of the hide, and soft animal hide would be used to tie the sides together. It looked somewhat like a vest.
The third was to pass it under one armpit, wrap it around the body, then tie two corners together over the opposite shoulder. Holes would also be made along the side and tied together.
In order not to affect their work, the animal hides beastmen wore were broad and large. But this not only wasted a lot of hide, it also made them less warm. The beastmen’s current craftsmanship simply was not enough to make clothing that was both warm and comfortable.
Lang Shuo thought about how they could process the current animal hides. This was a little difficult. They did not have suitable tools, and even needles and thread would have to be made by hand. It would be best to make them as soon as possible, because the weather would only get colder from here on.
As Lang Shuo thought, he supervised the others’ progress. By evening, they had woven enough grass nests to place all the cubs inside.
Everyone first put the cubs who had woken up and were crawling everywhere into the nests.
The cubs who were caught wanted to run outside, but unfortunately, the sides were taller than they were. The cubs were too small and lacked strength, so in the end they could only hook their two front paws over the edge and look out.
Lang Shuo teased the cubs for a while before reminding Lang Yun, “Yun, send the cubs back into the cave.”
During the day, there was sun, so it was very warm outside. But after the sun set, the temperature dropped quite a bit. He could move closer to the fire, but the cubs could not. Cubs were born curious about unknown things and did not understand danger. Once they got close to the fire, they would absolutely reach out with their paws.
The grass nests could not be near the fire either. Dry grass was flammable, and a single spark could set it alight. For the cubs’ safety, they had to be sent back into the cave quickly.
Lang Yun also realized this. She agreed and began moving the cubs. Just as she finished sending them in, Lang Yu and the others returned.
The three of them had gone out and not only brought back the items Lang Shuo needed, but also brought back prey.
The first thing Lang Yu did after walking over was tell his younger brother the good news. “Shuo, I caught a long-eared beast. I’ll roast it for you later.”
The other beastmen were somewhat envious.
The tribe’s hunting party did not go out hunting every day. If they caught prey the day before, they would rest the next day. After running for an entire day, their bodies would be extremely tired, and not every member could quickly recover to their best condition. If they went out at that time, they might not be able to keep up with the group while chasing prey. Resting for a day before hunting again would actually increase their success rate.
On this rest day, some members whose strength recovered quickly would go out to search for food. As long as it did not delay regular hunting, the tribe allowed it, and the food they found did not need to be handed over to the tribe.
Not every beastman recovered their stamina as quickly as Lang Yu. Even those who did recover and went out might not necessarily catch prey. Most of the time, they would make a wasted trip. This territory had fewer prey than their previous one, making them even harder to catch. No one had expected Lang Yu to catch prey under such conditions.
The one holding the prey was Lang Yu, and Lang Yu had only said it was for Lang Shuo to eat. That meant this long-eared beast had been caught by Lang Yu himself.
One could only say the chief was worthy of being the chief.
Lang Shuo’s thoughts were different from the other members’. The moment he saw the so-called long-eared beast, his gaze stopped on its belly.
A long-eared beast was a rabbit. The way beastmen named prey was simple and crude.
Those with obvious characteristics, such as deer and rabbits, were named according to those features: long-horned beasts, long-eared beasts.
Those without obvious characteristics, or those with several similar traits, such as cows, sheep, and pigs, were named according to their cries: moo-moo beasts, baa-baa beasts, and oink-oink beasts.
Some feathered prey were named the same way: cluck-cluck birds, quack-quack birds, long-necked birds, and so on.
The long-eared beast Lang Yu had brought back this time was somewhat special. Its belly was especially large. Looking at its condition, it did not seem sick. Then there was only one possibility. This was a pregnant long-eared beast.
Lang Shuo thought of rabbits’ reproductive ability and tentatively asked, “Brother, should we raise this long-eared beast?”
Hearing this, Lang Yu paused. “Raise it?”
The tribe had previously brought back prey and not killed it before, usually to train sub-adults by letting them practice. When Lang Yu heard that his younger brother wanted to raise the long-eared beast, his first reaction was that his brother wanted to train his hunting skills. But the wounds on his body would not heal in the short term. It would be better to eat this one and catch a new one later.
However, although he thought that inwardly, Lang Yu did not say it aloud. Lang Shuo rarely made any requests, and only these past two days had he needed Lang Yu’s help. Lang Yu truly could not bear to refuse such a small request.
Forget it. If his brother liked it, then they would raise it.
At worst, if it died, they could eat it then.
Lang Shuo nodded. “Yes. This long-eared beast is pregnant. If we raise it for a few more days, it’ll give birth.”
There had been several farms in his village in the past, and one of them had raised rabbits. Lang Shuo had helped there before, so he knew this long-eared beast would give birth in just a few days.
Rabbits had a short gestation period. They only needed to raise it for a few more days to gain an entire litter. No matter how one calculated it, they would not lose out.
Even if they failed to keep the little ones alive in the end, the only thing they would lose was a bit of food used to feed the long-eared beast. Long-eared beasts ate many types of food, many of which beastmen did not like to eat. Calculating it that way, they would not waste much.
But if they could keep them alive, that would be different.
Long-eared beasts also had strong reproductive ability. When the time came, they could catch a male one. In two months, there would be another litter. The young ones could continue reproducing after a few months of raising. By the time the weather warmed, the tribe would have several litters of prey to raise.
Their current territory had a lot of weeds and few plants suitable for beastmen to eat. It was practically a natural farm. Of course, they could not possibly let the animals roam freely, but the fodder was nearby, so raising them would not be difficult.
Lang Yu had completely failed to expect that this was Lang Shuo’s plan.
He hesitated a little. They had never thought of raising long-eared beasts and baby long-eared beasts before. They already had trouble raising their own cubs, let alone the cubs of prey animals.
But looking at his younger brother’s enthusiastic expression, Lang Yu could not say anything to refuse. After struggling for a while, he finally nodded.
“All right. Then we’ll raise it.”
He would just treat it as coaxing his younger brother happy.
