Chapter 148
Ying Mian was already speaking as quickly as possible, but he still couldn’t keep up with Xiong Liao’s train of thought.
No matter how much Xiong Liao wanted to stay in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, Ying Mian had to convey what he and Bai Tu had agreed upon today. Besides, this plan wasn’t any worse than staying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe.
“Shut up and listen. Don’t interrupt until I’m done.” Ying Mian said seriously.
Xiong Liao nodded reluctantly in agreement.
Only after getting confirmation did Ying Mian continue, “We’re not staying. Instead, Tu is helping us set up a communal dining hall and a livestock area in our tribe.”
Bai Tu had actually planned for more than just these two constructions—there was also a school. However, those plans would take time since the beastmen of the White Bear Tribe hadn’t even begun learning how to read and write.
With each sentence Ying Mian spoke, Xiong Liao’s eyes widened further.
By the time Ying Mian finished, Xiong Liao was frantically pointing at his own mouth, signaling that he wanted to speak.
Ying Mian quickly ran through what he had just said in his mind to make sure he hadn’t left anything out, then nodded, “Alright, go ahead.”
Xiong Liao immediately blurted out, “Tu is coming back to our tribe with us? Does that mean the cubs can return too?”
The only reason Ying Mian had stayed in the Snow Rabbit Tribe was to hatch the cubs. If Bai Tu was going back with them to the White Bear Tribe, then they could finally bring the wolf cubs back for hatching!
Ying Mian: “???” That’s what you were thinking about???
“Why would Tu go back with us?” Ying Mian asked. “He’s staying in the Snow Rabbit Tribe—he can just arrange for people to build the houses for us.”
“Is that so…” Xiong Liao looked extremely disappointed. “Then I’ll wait for you to return to the tribe before I go back.”
Ying Mian sighed helplessly. “If you don’t go back, who’s going to manage the tribe? Do you really want the cubs to hatch into the mess that the White Bear Tribe is right now?”
That was the only way he could convince him.
As expected, the mention of the cubs made Xiong Liao start thinking seriously.
Seeing this, Ying Mian finally let out a breath of relief. At least he hadn’t let down Bai Tu’s trust.
*
On the other side, Bai Tu had just finished inspecting Hei Xiao’s three eggs. The Hawk Tribe often encountered complications during incubation, such as embryo hypoxia or other fatal issues. Eagle beastmen took hatching very seriously, but there was also an element of leaving things to fate. Since they were all feather species, Bai Tu figured it was better to be extra cautious with the eggs.
Hei Xiao trusted him completely—not only was he fine with Bai Tu holding the eggs, but he wouldn’t have minded if Bai Tu left them on the table either. Hai Yan, however, was different.
“Be careful,” Hei Yan watched the eggs nervously, afraid that Bai Tu might accidentally drop one. “Handle them gently!”
Bai Tu: “…”
Hei Xiao: “…”
Hei Xiao: “Tu is an adult. He even takes care of several cubs—do you really think he wouldn’t know how to handle pups?”
No matter how you looked at it, Bai Tu was far more knowledgeable about cubs than any of them. He had interacted with all sorts of beastmen, whether they were feather or from other tribes.
Bai Tu was long used to Hei Yan’s overprotectiveness. Every time he visited, as long as Hei Yan was around, this scene would inevitably play out.
After finishing the egg inspection, Bai Tu adjusted the cotton layers covering them before bringing up the cooperation plan with the White Bear Tribe to Hei Xiao. He also took the opportunity to ask whether the Black Hawk Tribe wanted to send more people to learn new skills.
Previously, some beastmen had come to study brick-making and other crafts, but there were still many important aspects they hadn’t learned—such as managing a communal dining hall. At the time, they hadn’t sent anyone for that because, without their leader present, their tribe was more vulnerable to attacks. Having more people in the tribe meant better security.
Now that the rainy season was over and Hei Yan was returning to the tribe, the Black Hawk Tribe could send more members to continue their studies. As for tasks that required on-site guidance, they could arrange for the construction team to travel there and oversee things, then return before winter.
Knowing that this would benefit the tribe, Hei Yan immediately listened attentively. Seeing this, Bai Tu let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Hei Yan might be young, but at times like these, he was reliable—unlike a certain Xiong Liao on the other side.
Not sure if Ying Mian managed to explain everything clearly to Xiong Liao, Bai Tu thought.
Just as Bai Tu finished talking with Hai Xiao and Hai Yan and stepped outside, he ran into Ying Mian, who was about to head out as well.
The moment Ying Mian saw Bai Tu, his face lit up with excitement. “Tu! I was just about to look for you.”
“They agreed?” Bai Tu asked.
Ying Mian nodded. “Of course they did! Everyone supports it.”
Aside from Xiong Liao getting sidetracked with his own thoughts, the rest of the White Bear Tribe was even happier about Bai Tu’s plan than when they were initially allowed to stay temporarily in the Snow Rabbit Tribe. After all, staying in someone else’s tribe was one thing, but developing their own tribe was an entirely different matter!
No matter how great another tribe was, even if they wanted to join, even if they wanted their loved ones to be part of it, there was no comparison to transforming their own tribe into something just as good. If given the choice, they would undoubtedly prefer improving their own home.
After explaining things to Xiong Liao, the rest of the process had been quick and easy. Ying Mian had just been on his way to find Bai Tu when he coincidentally ran into him.
Hearing the commotion coming from the room behind Ying Mian, Bai Tu guessed that the White Bear Tribe’s beastmen were still gathered inside. He instructed, “Tell them to pack up their belongings today. We’ll set off tomorrow morning.”
Given the distance between the White Bear Tribe and the residential area, the journey would take a full day. If they left in the morning, they would arrive by nightfall.
“I’ll tell them right away,” Ying Mian agreed immediately. Since everyone was still there, he could take advantage of the moment to inform them. That way, the tribe could start setting up the livestock area and dining hall a day earlier.
During his time in the Snow Rabbit Tribe, what Ying Mian envied most was their livestock area. With it, they never had to worry about food shortages, whether during the torrential downpours of the rainy season or the harsh cold of winter. What surprised him even more was that the food here was always fresh—meat was never stored for too long, nor was it left to develop unpleasant odors.
The Bear Tribe could hibernate through winter, sleeping until the season passed, but the Feather Tribe didn’t have that luxury. Every winter, they had to stress over whether their remaining food supply would last. And during the rainy season, the entire tribe would be in distress—no matter how keen the Bear Tribe’s sense of smell was, it was useless if there were no prey to hunt.
By raising their own livestock, they could ensure a steady food supply. Even if they couldn’t rear as many animals as the Snow Rabbit Tribe, as long as they had enough to sustain themselves through the rainy season and winter, it would be more than enough. For the rest of the year, they could continue hunting as usual. As long as they secured food during the two most difficult seasons, their tribe would only grow stronger.
Though conflicts still arose within the tribe from time to time, Ying Mian genuinely hoped for the White Bear Tribe to prosper. Only a strong tribe could ensure their safety. Right now, they weren’t in any position to repay Bai Tu, the Snow Rabbit Tribe, or the Blood Wolf Tribe for their help. They needed to become stronger first—only then could they even think about gratitude.
“Tu, thank you,” Ying Mian said earnestly. “We’ll make sure to raise those animals properly.”
Since part of their compensation to Bai Tu included the livestock they raised, Ying Mian had already decided that as soon as they returned to the tribe, they would start preparing feed for the animals.
Bai Tu waved his hand dismissively and gave him a few more reminders before heading off to find Bai An. He needed to discuss the cooperation plans with both the Black Hawk Tribe and the White Bear Tribe, as well as the White Cat Tribe’s involvement.
“The Cat Tribe isn’t large—this time, they sent a little over a dozen people. There are about thirty more on the way, so in total, less than fifty.” Bai Tu explained. “With so few people, it’ll be easier to manage, which makes them a good test group for new systems.”
Hearing that the White Cat Tribe was so small, Bai An couldn’t help but be surprised. “Their cubs must be a lot.”
For a tribe with fewer than fifty members, having nine cubs under the age of three was an unusually high ratio—higher than most other tribes.
“There don’t seem to be as many older cubs,” Bai Tu noted. He recalled that Mao Chuan had mentioned the White Cat Tribe’s total cub count. Most were under three years old, meaning there were significantly fewer between the ages of three and adulthood.
“Our tribe doesn’t have many people either,” Bai An sighed. “You handle this however you see fit.”
Lately, he had been focused on figuring out which tribe they could trade their salt with for supplies, gradually leaving the tribe’s internal affairs to the younger generation.
Bai Tu nodded. Even though Bai An wasn’t as involved in managing things lately, it was still necessary to keep him informed to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.
Just as Bai Tu was about to head home, Bai An suddenly called out to him.
“Tu, wait a moment. There’s something I need to discuss…” Bai An hesitated.
“What is it?” Bai Tu thought back but couldn’t recall anything unusual happening in the tribe recently.
“Our tribe and the Wolf Tribe,” Bai An finally said, “when are we merging into one?”
At this point, there wasn’t even a physical separation between the two tribes. Their residences were all mixed together, and buildings like the communal dining hall, school, and livestock area had been built as a single shared space. Even patrol duties had been entirely handed over to Lang Qi, who was essentially overseeing both tribes on his own.
Since everything was already being managed together, Bai An figured they might as well make it official. A unified tribe would make things more convenient—especially when he went out to trade salt for supplies. That way, they wouldn’t have to worry about outsiders seeing them as easy targets.
“I’ll ask Qi about it,” Bai Tu said.
He hadn’t given it much thought yet, but this wasn’t just a simple decision. There were many things that needed to be addressed—such as leadership. Previously, each tribe had its own chief, but after merging, who would take on the role?
There were also outstanding debts between the two tribes. Would they cancel each other out, or would they need a structured repayment plan?
Even seemingly small issues couldn’t be overlooked. These matters involved everyone’s personal interests, and if left unresolved, they could pile up and lead to bigger conflicts.
“You’re with Chief Lang Qi every day anyway, so just discuss it whenever,” Bai An said casually. “Decide soon so I can take the salt out to trade.”
Ever since the rainy season ended, Bai An had been eager to use their salt to exchange for resources. Between now and winter, he had plenty of opportunities to travel for trade, and just thinking about the potential goods he could bring back put him in a good mood. That was why he was so eager to shift tribal affairs onto Bai Tu, Bai Chen, Bai Qi, and the others.
Bai Tu: “…”
Yes, he was with Lang Qi every day, but that didn’t mean they could constantly be discussing these things. However, seeing Bai An so excited about his upcoming trade trips, Bai Tu could only sigh and say, “I’ll sort it out as soon as possible.”
With a growing list of things to handle, Bai Tu rarely procrastinated unless absolutely necessary.
As soon as he got home, he immediately started going through bamboo slips, looking for the construction team and the beastmen working in the dining hall.
The construction team was relatively easy to arrange. Most of the tribe’s building projects were already in their final stages, and the school and kindergarten were expected to be completed within the next few days. This meant that more people would be available for other tasks.
However, the number of beastmen working in the communal dining hall was directly proportional to the tribe’s overall food consumption—the faster food was eaten, the more people were needed to keep up with demand. Right now, the workforce was perfectly balanced; losing even one worker could overburden the rest.
Bai Tu studied the roster for a moment before deciding to assign a few beastmen who weren’t currently working in the kitchen but knew how to cook. They would train under the experienced dining hall staff, allowing him to send a few seasoned cooks to teach the White Bear Tribe.
Lang Qi noticed the number of cooks Bai Tu had selected and took another look at the list. Realizing they were being sent to the White Bear Tribe, he raised an eyebrow.
“The Bears love our tribe’s food,” Bai Tu reminded him.
He hadn’t forgotten how the White Bear Tribe beastmen had been reluctant to leave simply because of the food. Of course, it wasn’t the only reason, but for most of them, it had played a significant role. Since they were going to cooperate, it only made sense to help them improve their cooking.
“The way they handle food is way too crude,” Bai Tu continued.
No matter what they hunted, they simply chopped it into chunks, threw it over a fire, and sprinkled some salt on top. If their food tasted good, it would be a miracle. Even Ying Mian’s initial misunderstanding with Xiong Liao had partly stemmed from the fact that White Bear Tribe food was notoriously unappetizing.
By sending a few extra cooks, they could teach the White Bear Tribe how to properly prepare food. That way, their people wouldn’t constantly be longing for the Snow Rabbit Tribe’s dining hall.
Lang Qi nodded. He didn’t mention that before meeting Bai Tu, their own tribe had been the same.
In reality, most tribes cooked this way. Whether it was the busy summer or the freezing winter, as soon as they got their share of food, they would roast and eat it immediately. In the minds of beastmen, food was only safe once it was inside their stomachs—if left uneaten, who knew if someone else might steal it?
Of course, tribes still tried to store food, but their preservation methods weren’t much different from their cooking: drying it in the sun, roasting it, or smoking it. Whether the dried food tasted good or not was never a consideration.
After meeting Bai Tu, their food had improved meal by meal, and their variety had expanded. Only now did they realize that the plants they had once ignored actually tasted pretty good. As a result, their tribe’s diet had become far more diverse.
While Lang Qi was deep in thought, Bai Tu had already moved on to another calculation—how many young livestock animals they would allocate to the White Bear Tribe.
Their tribe currently had plenty of cubs and other livestock, but deciding which ones to send required some thought. Chickens, ducks, and geese were the most numerous, but before handing over chicks, ducklings, and goslings, they needed to teach the White Bear Tribe how to properly contain them. Otherwise, the animals might wander into neighboring territories.
Next were piglets. Wild boars typically gave birth to large litters, sometimes over ten at a time. Since their numbers increased so rapidly, their food consumption skyrocketed as well. Sending some piglets to the White Bear Tribe would not only help them but also ease the workload of the beastmen in charge of livestock back home.
Cattle and sheep were fewer in number, but they could still spare some. Additionally, they could teach the White Bear Tribe how to train oxen for transportation. The last time they visited the marketplace, many people had envied how their tribe didn’t have to carry supplies on their backs.
Bai Tu carefully listed out all the animals they could provide, along with their respective breeding durations. The latter detail was important for calculating compensation.
For example, if it took three months to raise a chicken, how many would the White Bear Tribe have to give back, and how many could they keep?
The longer an animal’s breeding cycle, the lower the percentage taken as compensation. For short-cycle animals like chickens and ducks, the tribe’s share was higher, though in those cases, eggs could be used as a substitute for repayment.
After spending most of the night finalizing the details of the cooperation with the White Bear Tribe, Bai Tu immediately started working on the collaboration plan for the Black Hawk Tribe.
The Black Hawk Tribe’s arrangement was much easier to handle since they had already been in contact before. Unlike the White Bear Tribe, the Black Hawks didn’t need them to provide any prey.
Last year, when Bai Tu’s tribe began capturing wild animals for breeding, the Black Hawk Tribe had done the same. The only difference was that their captured cubs were still being raised in caves.
What Bai Tu needed to decide was which members of the construction team should be sent. The round trip to the Black Hawk Tribe took half a month, so if the beastmen sent there kept coming back frequently, it would be a hassle for both tribes. The Black Hawk Tribe, in particular, would suffer greater losses.
Those with mates or young cubs obviously couldn’t be away for months at a time, so Bai Tu divided the candidates accordingly.
The ones going to the Black Hawk Tribe were mostly younger beastmen without mates, as well as some older ones who had no interest in finding a mate or had lost their partners unexpectedly.
Meanwhile, the beastmen assigned to the White Bear Tribe were those with mates and cubs. Since the White Bear Tribe was much closer, a round trip home only took two to three days. If they traveled nonstop, they could even make it back within a day.
Lang Qi had wanted to remind Bai Tu several times that it was getting late, but seeing how focused he was on choosing the right people, he swallowed his words and quietly helped with the selection instead.
Compared to Bai Tu, Lang Qi had a much deeper understanding of the wolf beastmen. Bai Tu often had to check the records to confirm whether someone had a mate or cub, whereas Lang Qi could recall the details instantly just by looking at a name.
At first, Bai Tu had been working through the list on his own, but after realizing how useful Lang Qi was, he immediately abandoned his manual search and started asking him directly.
With Lang Qi’s help, the process sped up dramatically, and Bai Tu quickly finalized the lists. These rosters needed to be handed to the construction team first thing in the morning.
The beastmen from the White Bear Tribe were set to leave in the morning, but the construction team didn’t need to head out as early. After all, there was no point in them arriving before the raw materials were ready.
Moreover, since they weren’t from the White Bear Tribe, showing up unannounced might make the uninformed beastmen wary. Bai Tu decided to let the White Bear Tribe beastmen return first and inform the rest of their tribe about the plan. Only after that would the construction team and cooks be sent over.
This also gave the selected beastmen a day or two to prepare—whether it was saying goodbye to their families or taking the time to rest and recharge before the intense, nearly non-stop work that lay ahead.
With everything sorted, Bai Tu placed the finalized lists on the table and headed to rest with Lang Qi.
Before falling asleep, they spoke softly about what Bai An had mentioned earlier.
“The chief asked me today when we’re merging the two tribes,” Bai Tu said. “When do you think is the right time?”
“It’s up to you,” Lang Qi replied without hesitation. Personally, he wanted the merger to happen as soon as possible. The sooner their tribes became one, the sooner he could truly put his mind at ease.
“I told him it’ll take a little more time,” Bai Tu said, yawning. He was already feeling exhausted and answered with his eyes closed. “But not too long. Once we settle the outstanding accounts, we can start discussing a new name for the tribe.”
The accounts in question were naturally for the past month during the rainy season. Apart from the daily meals, basic lodging, and clothing, all other supplies had to be exchanged using personal contribution points, which were calculated on a monthly basis.
Since the previous month had just ended, the account records from the nearby dining halls, warehouses, and other supply stations had already been delivered. However, Bai Tu had yet to complete the final reconciliation. Once everything was sorted, he could finally focus on deciding the name for the new tribe.
Previously, both the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe had names based on their beast forms. That kind of naming wouldn’t work anymore—after all, the two tribes were merging as equals. If they used the name of one tribe, it might give the impression that one was merely an extension of the other.
“Alright,” Lang Qi nodded in agreement.
The next morning, while Bai Tu was out organizing the White Bear Tribe’s departure, Lang Qi stayed home, watching over the wolf cubs while going through the account books for the month.
Bai Tu had a full schedule ahead of him. After sending off the White Bear Tribe’s beastmen, he met with Hai Xiao again to confirm some final details before handing the travel roster to Bai Chen, who was responsible for notifying the chosen beastmen.
In addition to that, he had to find time to arrange work for the White Cat Tribe’s beastmen. This wasn’t a simple task either. Although there were only about a dozen of them—and a few were just cubs—if their work assignments weren’t handled properly, it could impact their impression of the tribe.
Even though Bai Tu knew that other tribes were unlikely to offer them the same level of treatment, he still wanted the White Cat Tribe’s beastmen to feel at home in their new environment.
In the end, he assigned them to the textile team and the gathering team. As for the cubs, they were temporarily placed under Tu Ca’s care. With other young ones of their own kind to play with and plenty of toys, they quickly adapted, having fun despite the unfamiliar surroundings.
Perhaps due to their limited contact with other tribes, the cat beastmen were naturally shy when interacting with outsiders. The day before, when they had finally worked up the courage to confide in Bai Tu after dinner, it had likely taken every ounce of bravery they had.
Mao Chuan, in particular, had barely voiced any personal opinions the entire time and had simply followed Bai Tu’s arrangements. If even Mao Chuan was like this, there was no need to mention the rest of the White Cat Tribe. Essentially, whatever Bai Tu said was taken as a given.
Bai Tu actually liked dealing with tribes like this—it made things much easier.
While guiding them to their new work assignments, he also took the opportunity to introduce them to the tribe.
“You’ve probably already heard that this area used to be home to two separate tribes—the Snow Rabbit Tribe and the Blood Wolf Tribe,” Bai Tu explained. “But we’re now in the process of merging into one, with the transition expected to be completed sometime next month.”
“So you don’t have to worry—no one here will mock you because of your fur color or anything like that. And you certainly don’t need to be concerned about safety.”
The cat beastmen listened attentively as they tried out textile work. Gathering was an even smaller challenge for them—during their free time, they often enjoyed climbing around for fun, and since gathering required climbing, it was naturally their specialty.
Bai Tu had always known that the feline tribe had exceptional climbing abilities, and today confirmed it once again. Although they weren’t exactly the same as the cat beastmen originally in the tribe, their tree-climbing skills were just as impressive. Both tasks were easy for them to pick up—not only was Bai Tu satisfied, but the cat beastmen themselves were also delighted. Having work meant they could stay here permanently.
After spending an entire day arranging tasks for three different tribes, Bai Tu felt an ache in his lower back by the time he finally got home. The moment he stepped inside, he noticed that there were quite a few visitors today.
Glancing toward the living room, he saw several young wolf cubs, each holding a brush and a wooden board, scratching their heads in frustration. Some were even holding their brushes upside down.
Seeing them, Bai Tu was pleasantly surprised. “You guys are here?”
The wolf cubs used to visit frequently, especially Lang Ze, who had practically lived here throughout the entire rainy season—eating all three meals here and even napping at times. But ever since the rains ended, the cubs had been running wild outside every day, and Bai Tu hadn’t seen them for two or three days now.
The moment they heard Bai Tu’s voice, the previously dejected cubs instantly lit up with excitement, jumping up from their seats.
“Tu!” Lang Ze looked as if he had just found his savior. “I really can’t figure this out!”
“What?” Bai Tu changed into a different pair of shoes and stepped inside.
Looking around, he noticed that Lang Qi wasn’t home, and the youngest cub was sound asleep in the inner room. Feeling a bit puzzled, he asked, “Where’s your brother?”
“My brother said he was going to get two more account books and told us to start calculating these first.” Lang Ze pointed at the bamboo slips and wooden boards in front of him, which were filled with records.
He had no idea that adding up some simple numbers could turn into such a nightmare. After just calculating his own records, his brain already felt like it was going to explode.
“Account books?” Bai Tu flipped through them and quickly realized that they were the ledgers tracking beastmen’s contribution points for exchanging goods.
That was supposed to be his job—why had Lang Qi started working on it ahead of time?
Each month, the tribe conducted an inventory check to make year-end calculations easier and to prevent beastmen from taking more supplies than they had earned, which might discourage them from working.
These books contained last month’s records, and once the calculations were done, Bai Tu would compile the final numbers. At the same time, he would issue a new ledger to each management team, recording every beastman’s remaining points as of the end of the previous month.
This system placed clear limits on spending. For example, if a beastman had 500 points remaining, they could only spend 200 at the warehouse and another 200 at the communal dining hall. Other minor expenses were capped even lower.
With this restriction, even if someone used up all their available points, they wouldn’t fall too deeply into debt—at most, it would take ten days to half a month to pay it back.
Without such controls, some beastmen might think, Well, since I’m already in debt, I might as well owe even more. And once they owed too much—so much that they couldn’t repay it in a year or two—they might give up entirely, choosing to do nothing while still receiving meals from the tribe.
To ensure timely updates, Bai Tu usually organized the accounts once a month, but with the ongoing inter-tribal collaborations being a higher priority, he had planned to postpone the calculations for a couple of days.
Yet before he even got started, Lang Qi had already recruited helpers.
Looking at the group of wolf cubs struggling with math problems, Bai Tu couldn’t help but laugh.
“Tu! Why are there so many numbers?!” Lang Ze was on the verge of pulling his hair out.
He had never thought much about how often he exchanged goods, but now that he had to calculate everything, he realized that just his own records took forever to tally up.
“Alright, clean this up, and I’ll take care of the calculations later,” Bai Tu said, not wanting to make things too difficult for the young wolves, who hadn’t been learning math for long. “And remember to wash your hands before you eat.”
The wolf cubs had been using ink brushes, and whether they had been fighting or just messing around while writing, their hands and faces were completely smudged with ink. There was no way they could go eat like that.
Hearing that Bai Tu was willing to handle the calculations for them, the little wolves were so excited they almost howled. Fortunately, they remembered that there were younger cubs sleeping inside, so they quickly clamped their hands over their mouths before any noise escaped.
“Go play,” Bai Tu waved them off. Letting the cubs do the math would only result in a headache for them—and he’d still have to go over everything afterward. He might as well handle it himself from the start.
As for why Lang Ze had gotten himself completely stuck, it was because he had somehow managed to turn his contribution points into a negative balance. No wonder he couldn’t figure it out.
Still, Bai Tu hadn’t expected Lang Qi to have such a double-sided personality. Yesterday, he had seemed completely unbothered about the accounts, yet now he was suddenly in a rush to get everything calculated.
Since he had started doing this work before winter, Bai Tu was already used to it. What was a complicated task for the wolf cubs was something he could complete quickly—after all, it was just basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The cubs struggled because they hadn’t quite grasped multiplication yet.
At this thought, Bai Tu suddenly paused in his calculations.
Had he forgotten to teach them the multiplication table?
Thinking back, he realized he had. Since division and multiplication weren’t frequently needed outside of balancing the books, it had simply slipped his mind.
Bai Tu pulled a sheet of paper from the drawer beside him and wrote down the words Multiplication Table.
This was supposed to be part of the lessons for beastmen when the school officially started. Back when they had been constructing the residential area, getting housing ready had been the priority, so the school and kindergarten had only been built as bare frames. It wasn’t until the rainy season ended that they finally started working on the inner partitions.
The curriculum was something Bai Tu adjusted on the go—if he hadn’t encountered the wolf cubs struggling today, he probably wouldn’t have remembered this for a while.
The wolf cubs, of course, had no idea that they had only gotten a temporary break from math and that even greater challenges awaited them in the future.
After washing their hands and faces with well water, they happily ran off to the dining hall to get food.
Lang Ze, after picking out his own meal, suddenly remembered that his brother wasn’t home and that Bai Tu was helping them with the calculations. Without hesitation, he grabbed an extra portion for Bai Tu and, while he was at it, took a whole pile of food for the younger cubs.
When Lang Qi returned, he was greeted by the sight of Lang Ze holding four meal boxes, one in each hand, struggling to carry them back home.
Lang Qi: “???”
“Why aren’t you coming in?” Bai Tu had just finished calculating one of the account books and had stepped outside to stretch when he noticed Lang Qi standing frozen at the entrance. Seeing the blank look on his face, Bai Tu asked casually.
Lang Qi slowly shifted his gaze away from Lang Ze and stepped into the courtyard, bringing the account books inside.
Bai Tu also caught sight of Lang Ze following behind, practically looking like he wanted to hang a fifth meal box around his neck.
He fell silent for a moment.
Normally, he and Lang Qi, along with the five cubs, could fill a single meal box just fine.
Lang Ze had brought back four.
Was there a whole other person in his stomach?
“Tu! I brought back food for you and the cubs!” Lang Ze announced proudly, eager for praise.
“What did you get?” Bai Tu asked as he washed his hands. Since the food was already here, there was no need to cook, though… the amount of food was a bit concerning.
“Ze, has your appetite gotten bigger again?” Bai Tu questioned.
No wonder Lang Ze always ended up with negative points every month and had to rely on Lang Qi and Lang Ya’s support. With a stomach like his, if he wanted to eat even a few snacks, he’d burn through an entire month’s worth of points in a day.
“It’s not that bad, just a little more than usual,” Lang Ze replied casually as he opened the meal boxes and started laying out the food.
One by one, he emptied the boxes, filling the entire table.
Not every meal box had been packed to the brim, but when combined, it was still three times the amount they normally ate.
Bai Tu picked up the younger cubs and carried them to the dining area, feeding them first while witnessing the full extent of Lang Ze’s appetite.
It wasn’t exactly a bottomless pit.
But it was pretty damn close.
Bai Tu wasn’t sure if Lang Ze’s appetite had influenced them, but even the young cubs ended up eating much more than usual. Lang Qi had likely skipped lunch since he had been busy the whole time, so he also ate more than usual. The only one whose portion remained the same was Bai Tu himself.
Food that was originally enough for six or seven adult beastmen had been completely devoured by just a few of them.
Bai Tu glanced at Lang Ze, who was now sitting back on his stool, burping contentedly, and couldn’t help but ask Lang Qi, “Is it really okay for them to eat this much?”
Lang Qi also looked at Lang Ze, taking a moment to reassess him. The only one who didn’t seem to think his appetite was a problem was Lang Ze himself.
“Everyone eats this much,” Lang Ze said matter-of-factly. It wasn’t just him—his entire team ate like this. In fact, he felt like he could eat a little more if he really wanted to.
Bai Tu frowned. Something felt off.
The wolf cubs had already had big appetites before, but now they were eating even more than usual.
It wasn’t that Bai Tu was unwilling to feed them—he was just concerned about their health. Overeating put stress on the stomach, and while beastmen could indeed eat ten or even twenty jin of food in a single meal, that was usually under extreme conditions—like after starvation or before heading into a period of food scarcity, where one meal had to last for several days or even weeks.
But in the tribe, food was plentiful. They never went hungry. They could eat as much as they wanted, whenever they wanted. So if they were eating this much at every meal, was that really normal?
Lang Qi had never encountered this situation before either, but he agreed that something didn’t seem right. He glanced at Lang Ze and decided to skip asking him altogether. Instead, he turned to Bai Tu and said, “I’ll go ask around.”
Asking the elders in the tribe would probably be the best course of action.
Bai Tu nodded in agreement. After all, it wasn’t just Lang Ze—the entire team of young wolves was acting the same way. It was best to figure out the cause of their sudden increase in appetite.
Since Lang Ze had eaten way too much at dinner, Bai Tu didn’t dare let him run off outside right away—the first thing he’d do would probably be to start playing like crazy. Instead, Bai Tu assigned him to take the wolf cubs to the room and play with them there while he continued calculating the remaining accounts.
Lang Ze had wanted to run outside for a bit, but since Bai Tu had given him a task, he naturally had to listen—after all, Bai Tu was helping them with the calculations!
Thinking about how he had spent half the day struggling and still couldn’t even figure out his own accounts, Lang Ze decisively picked up a few wolf cubs and headed toward the other room.
But the wolf cubs didn’t want to go with him—they wanted their dad.
The three younger cubs simply struggled in his arms, but the two older ones had already learned to shift into human form and started calling out for their father.
“Can’t you just let Uncle play with you for a while?” Lang Ze sighed. If it were just one or two unruly cubs, he could handle them, but all of them? That was too much for him alone.
Seeing this, Bai Tu had no choice but to put down his work and take the cubs himself.
With a cub in his arms, he tried to soothe them while continuing his calculations. He mentally worked out the numbers while letting Lang Ze write them down.
This task should have been easy for Lang Ze—he only had to write, not think.
But before long, he started zoning out again.
Bai Tu: “……”
He glanced down at the wolf cub nestled in his arms, who was already on the verge of falling asleep. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Lang Ze. “Go play.” It had been a while since dinner, so it was fine for him to run around now.
After coaxing the cubs to sleep and tucking them into bed, Bai Tu finally saw Lang Qi return—with a rather complicated expression on his face.
“What’s wrong? Did you find out anything?” Bai Tu asked, a bit anxious.
“I did,” Lang Qi nodded. “They’re about to come of age.”
Bai Tu: “……”
Beastmen nearing adulthood typically began thinking about finding a mate, and their behavior would often change in various ways. However, not everyone reacted the same—some went through rather odd transformations.
For some reason, instead of looking for potential mates, this particular group of young wolves had simply developed enormous appetites—each one out-eating the next.
Bai Tu: “……”
He absolutely hadn’t expected this to be the reason.
He couldn’t help but start worrying about these little wolves. At this rate, would they even be able to find mates in the future?
Even Xiong Liao knew to save food for his partner.
But these guys?
Bai Tu had a sneaking suspicion that instead of sharing food, they’d probably end up eating their mate’s portion too.
Thanks for the chapter!