Building a Civilization and Raising Cubs in the Beast World – CH10

Chapter 10

Early the next morning, just as Bai Tu got up, Bai Qi came rushing over with excitement. “Tu, my brother’s awake!”

“Really? I’ll go check on him.” Bai Tu didn’t even bother tidying himself up and immediately went to see Bai Chen.

Bai Chen had been moved back to his own cave the night after he was injured. Tu Bing, along with Bai An and Bai Qi, took turns feeding him medicine and food. Bai Tu only had to prepare the medicine.

However, since Bai Chen was unconscious and could only swallow instinctively, neither food nor medicine could be given in large amounts. While his wounds showed no signs of infection and were gradually healing, everyone had been on edge. Now that he was awake, they could finally relax.

Bai Chen was still weak from just waking up, but his spirits seemed good. Tu Bing was beside him, carefully feeding him water. During his coma, the lack of sufficient food and water, combined with his injuries, had caused him to lose a noticeable amount of weight in just three or four days.

Bai Tu examined Bai Chen’s wounds and found that they were healing well. With a few more days of rest, the injuries would start to scab over. He gave some advice: “Even though you’re awake now, don’t move around too much. Stay lying here, and if you need to go out, have Bai Qi carry you.” 

Moving too much before the wound fully healed could lead to long-term complications, and in hunting, speed and strength were crucial, so it was important to recover properly.

Bai Chen agreed without hesitation. When he woke up, he had been told that it was Bai Tu who had saved his leg. His emotions were a mix of surprise and immense gratitude. 

The wound had been so severe that, before losing consciousness, he thought he’d never wake up again. Now, he felt as though he’d been given a second chance at life.

After checking on Bai Chen, Bai Tu returned to his cave and started drying the beef strips that had been marinating overnight. During the butchering process the previous day, he had intentionally cut the beef into long strips to make drying easier. 

Bai Tu tied several peeled vines across the entrance of his cave, which was well-ventilated. The frequent movement of people in and out of the area ensured there was no risk of animals sneaking in to steal the meat.

Having eaten so much the night before, Bai Tu wasn’t very hungry in the morning. He opted for a light breakfast—a small apple about the size of a fist and a plate of chilled wild vegetables. The lack of staple grains in his diet was starting to bother him. Over the past few days, he had explored the area and found plenty of wild vegetables and fruit trees, but there were no signs of rice or wheat. He could only hope to find them in more distant regions in the future.

After breakfast, Bai Tu went to check on the potato chunks he had set aside. They had started to sprout. In the end, Bai Tu hadn’t been able to bring himself to eat them and had instead covered them in sandy soil to encourage sprouting. 

Eating them now would provide only a few meals, but planting them could yield dozens of pounds of potatoes. Once the sprouts grew a bit more, he planned to plant them. Satisfied, he replaced the grass mat that he had been using to block the light.

Perhaps because the nearby prey hadn’t yet learned to avoid the traps, the tribe managed to catch more over the next two days. They captured a wild sow along with her seven piglets and, later, another wild bull.

The hunting team had remembered Bai Tu’s advice and brought the piglets back alive to raise in the tribe. The wild bull, an old male, was only slightly smaller than the first bull they had caught. With these additions, the storage cave now held two more large animals alongside the still-remaining beef. Combined with the wild vegetables and fruits the gathering team had collected, even the children in the tribe were eating their fill.

However, the beastmen who had driven the wild bull to the traps reported that the herd had already left the tribe’s territory. Next time, they would need to find different prey or wait for another herd of wild cattle to pass through.

Even so, the tribe’s current resources were far more abundant than before. Moreover, the hunters had started digging smaller traps near the wild sow’s den to catch more wild pigs in the future.

Everything in the tribe was proceeding in an orderly fashion. After dinner, Bai Tu called a few children to help him retrieve the dried beef jerky.

After two days of air drying, the beef was now fully dried and ready for the next step: steaming.

Over the past two days, the sight of Bai Tu drying beef strips had sparked plenty of discussion in the tribe. 

Some people in the tribe also dried meat, but most didn’t like it—it was too dry and still tasted bad even after cooking. Bai Tu’s response to the comments was simple: he wanted to try a different way of eating it.

There were many methods for making beef jerky, but Bai Tu chose one that was simple and didn’t require much seasoning: slicing, marinating, air-drying, and steaming. No frying or boiling was involved.

The steaming equipment had already been prepared over the past couple of days. Bai Tu had made a steamer out of bamboo strips, reeds, and other plant materials. Though its shape was somewhat irregular and it was sturdily woven to the point of being a bit clunky, it worked just fine.

Unlike roasting or frying, steaming didn’t produce a strong aroma. Because of this, the children helping Bai Tu didn’t pay much attention to the jerky at first.

Even Bai Qi wasn’t very interested in the jerky. The thrifty beastmen in the tribe occasionally stored food this way too, drying it out to either roast or boil later, but the taste never compared to fresh beef. Bai Qi still preferred meat that was freshly roasted.

He had already decided to tell Bai Tu after the jerky was done that this method wasn’t worth it. Their tribe’s storage cave could preserve meat for a long time without spoiling. They didn’t need to dry meat like other tribes that lacked storage caves. To Bai Qi, there was no reason to eat this kind of tough, dried meat.

That mindset completely changed the moment Bai Tu lifted the lid of the steamer.

In an instant, the rich aroma of beef mixed with the light, earthy fragrance of bamboo filled the air—a strange and tantalizing new scent.

Bai Tu poured the steamed jerky onto a freshly cleaned grass mat to cool and replaced the first steamer basket with the next.

The freshly steamed jerky gave off a thick, inviting fragrance. Bai Tu picked up a piece, tore off a small strip along the grain, and placed it in his mouth.

The seasoning was simple, and the freshly steamed jerky still retained a bit of moisture, but it would dry out further as it cooled. The flavor, however, was excellent.

“Try it,” Bai Tu said, handing some to Bai Qi and the children helping him. He took another piece for himself and began eating it slowly.

What set the jerky apart from other preparations was how the flavor intensified the more you chewed. It was the kind of food that made you want to keep eating and couldn’t stop. Thanks to the marinating process, the jerky wasn’t as tough as the dried meat simply roasted for storage, and it tasted far better.

Of course, it was still jerky, so eating it was slower than eating fresh meat. It was perfect as a snack. Each person held a piece, chewing away, and before they realized it, the second batch was ready.

Out of the original 50 kilos of beef, only about 15 to 20 kilos of jerky remained after drying and steaming. Bai Tu steamed the rest in three batches, then divided the jerky into portions using clean leaves. He set some aside for the children helping him and sent Bai Dong to deliver portions to the large cave where the tribe kept its young animals. Since the women who cared for the cubs didn’t often participate in activities like tilling the soil, they contributed in other ways by making backpacks, baskets, and grass mats—more than half of which were their handiwork.

Each person received about 1 kilos of jerky. After distributing the shares, Bai Tu still had nearly 10 kilos left. He carried the jerky into his cave for storage, walked the children back to the main cave, and planned to take a bath afterward.

On his way back, he noticed Bai An still awake, standing by the cave where the animals were kept, holding a torch and mumbling to himself.

“Chief, what are you doing?” Bai Tu asked.

Before Bai An could answer, Bai Qi explained. “The market is starting in about ten days. My father is checking how much prey we’ve got.”

“That’s right,” Bai An nodded. He had recently begun organizing the prey they would take to trade for supplies in a few days.

Knowing Bai Tu might not fully understand, Bai Qi offered further clarification. On the Beast God Continent, there were two major markets every year—one before the rainy season and one before the snowy season.

The market was some distance from the Snow Rabbit Tribe, so they had to set out a few days early. Arriving at the market at the same time as the coastal tribes was the most profitable because that was when salt was the cheapest. By the end of the market, when the coastal tribes had traded enough food and were preparing to leave, salt prices would rise.

“At the start of the market, you can trade a basket of meat for two bowls of salt. By the end, you’d only get one and a half bowls. Going early gets us more salt,” Bai Qi explained.

With Bai Qi answering Bai Tu’s question, Bai An continued counting the prey stored in the cave. “Two bulls, one large wild boar, seven piglets, sixteen chickens…”

“Wait…” Bai Tu interrupted, surprised. “Are the calf and the piglets also going to be traded for salt?” These animals were still too young—they would need at least six more months of feeding to grow. Trading them now would be a huge loss.

Father and son were both taken aback by his question. The tribe had always operated under the same system: prey caught after winter was traded for supplies before the rainy season, and prey caught after the rains was traded before the snowy season. 

When the salt-trading team set out, the tribe would usually only keep a small amount of food to eat during the trading period.

Seeing their confusion, Bai Tu patiently explained, “These animals are still small, and trading them now won’t fetch much salt. It’s better to keep them in the tribe and raise them. Once they’re fully grown, they’ll be worth much more at the next market. Besides, the tribe can still catch more prey in the coming days.” 

To Bai Tu, these young animals were so valuable that he was even considering trading for more young livestock to raise.

Bai Qi nodded silently. “A calf like this would only get us three bowls of salt at most.” 

While live animals were worth more than dead prey, the small size of the calf and piglets worked against them. After accounting for bones, internal organs, and skin, there wouldn’t even be enough meat to fill one basket—a few large meals for a single beastman would finish it off.

Bai An, however, was hesitant. “If we take the calf and piglets out of the equation, the remaining prey might not be enough.”

Traveling to the market took over ten days round trip, so they had to trade as much as possible to last until the next market in six months. Otherwise, they’d have to buy salt at high prices from tribes with excess stock.

“How much salt does the tribe usually bring back from the market?” Bai Tu asked.

“About forty bowls,” Bai An replied.

Hearing this, Bai Tu quickly calculated. A basket of meat weighed around 50 kilos, and the tribe’s bowls were large, holding about 2 kilos of salt each. That meant it took roughly 5 kilos of meat to trade for 500 grams of salt. Forty bowls would be about 100 kilos of salt, which required at least a ton of raw meat. With prey yielding around 50–60% usable meat, two adult wild bulls would be enough to meet the target.

The smaller wild bull they caught yesterday, combined with the wild boar, would yield about half a ton of meat. To meet their goal, they’d need to catch at least two more large animals. Otherwise, they’d have no choice but to bring the young animals to the market.

Unless it was absolutely necessary, Bai Tu was reluctant to trade away the calf and piglets. Both were hard to come by—it wasn’t every day they were lucky enough to catch young animals alive.

Suddenly, Bai Tu thought of the beef jerky he had just made. Bai Qi was holding a pouch of it, so Bai Tu took it, opened it, and handed a piece of jerky to Bai An. “Chief, try this. I think the beef and pork we caught over the past two days can be turned into this kind of jerky for trading. We could ask for a higher price than usual.”

Drying or roasting meat for storage was a very common practice—almost every tribe did it. However, those methods often resulted in tough, dry meat. Bai Tu’s jerky, on the other hand, was different. The marinated meat had a better flavor and texture, making it far superior to the typical fire-roasted or sun-dried meat.

Bai An took a bite of the jerky, surprised by the unfamiliar yet pleasant texture and taste. “Did you add salt to this?”

“Not just salt. I also used green onions and ginger,” Bai Tu explained. He felt it was a shame that he didn’t have spices like pepper, cumin, or chili. Those would have made the jerky even more flavorful, but for now, salt was the only seasoning he had access to, limiting his options.

“Is it difficult to make this kind of jerky?” Bai An asked.

“The cutting part takes a bit of effort, but once that’s done, it’s not hard at all,” Bai Tu replied, giving a brief overview of the preparation process. They had processed nearly 50 kilos of beef in just one night and one morning. If their tools were sharper, they could have worked even faster.

“Wait here for a moment.” Bai An didn’t immediately answer Bai Tu’s initial question. Instead, he went to gather a few of the older beastmen from the tribe.

Tu Cheng had always complained that the older beastmen in the tribe were a waste of resources, but this wasn’t true. Aside from helping care for the cubs, the elderly brought a wealth of experience that the younger generation couldn’t match.

Most beastmen only left their tribes twice a year for the market. Meanwhile, the outside world continued to change. The older beastmen, having witnessed more over their lifetimes, often played a critical role in making important decisions.

Today’s beef jerky was a good example. While Bai An thought it was promising, he didn’t want to make the decision alone. Turning all the meat into jerky was a significant undertaking, and they needed to be sure it would fetch better prices than simply roasting it.

Soon, Bai An returned with three elders, including Tu Cai, who Bai Tu was familiar with. The other two were less familiar to Bai Tu—one had a scar on his face, and the other was the oldest beastman in the tribe.

Tu Cai tasted the jerky first and nodded approvingly. “It’s much better than the roasted meat we usually make.”

The scarred beastman, however, looked concerned. “If we make it like this, will the other tribes even want it?” Coastal tribes had different eating habits, and some preserved foods, while acceptable for trading other goods, weren’t acceptable for salt. If the coastal tribes didn’t want it, they wouldn’t get salt.

The oldest beastman didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he asked for another piece of jerky and slowly chewed it. After a while, he nodded thoughtfully. “I think it’ll work. This jerky is more flavorful than roasted meat. As long as it tastes good, the coastal tribes will want it.”

After discussing for a while, the group asked Bai Tu, “How many days will it take to make all the jerky?”

Bai Tu replied, “Cutting the meat is the slowest part. Once that’s done, it’ll take two days of drying before it can be steamed.”

Bai An calculated the timeline. “The White Bear Tribe is leaving in five days, the Blood Wolf Tribe in seven days, and the Spotted Deer Tribe in eight days.” 

The Snow Rabbit Tribe was the smallest tribe in the area and rarely traveled alone. For safety, they usually traveled with other tribes. These were the departure times for the nearby tribes, and once the Snow Rabbit Tribe decided which group to join, they would need to set out on the same day. 

Falling behind would leave them too far away from the others, making the journey just as dangerous as traveling alone.

Bai Qi added, “We’ll need to leave with either the White Bear Tribe or the Blood Wolf Tribe. The Spotted Deer Tribe is too fast, and we wouldn’t be able to keep up.” 

The Spotted Deer Tribe always left the latest because of their incredible speed, which allowed them to minimize the time spent on the road. However, the Rabbit Clan couldn’t match their pace, especially when carrying heavy prey. Even though the two tribes were on friendly terms, it wasn’t practical to travel together.

Bai Tu thought for a moment. That left them with five or seven days to prepare. With the entire tribe working together, they would have no problem turning the remaining prey into jerky. “That’s enough time. If we start tomorrow morning, we’ll finish in time.”

If all the prey was processed into high-value jerky, they wouldn’t need to sell the calf or the piglets. And if they got lucky and managed to catch more prey in the next few days, they might not even need to trade the ten or so hens they had.