When the tribe heard about the communal feast, everyone brought out their own contributions of food.
In addition to his share of the food, Jian Mo also brought the spice powder and scallop powder he had prepared earlier.
For the stew, Jian Mo first stir-fried the ingredients on a stone slab before simmering them in the pots. This extra step gave the dishes a much richer aroma compared to simple stewing.
Everyone crowded around him, watching intently and trying to learn his techniques.
Jian Mo had cooked several batches of meat on the stone slab when he turned around and found himself facing a line of eager, focused eyes. Even the non-transformed little beastmen and sub-beastmen were in the front row, sitting on their haunches or standing on hind legs to get a better look. Jian Mo couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
Zhou Fu sniffed the air and sighed. “I’ve been trying to cook like this lately, but the taste is way off. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”
Jian Mo replied casually, “It’s probably the heat control and seasoning. Uneven heat can leave food overcooked or undercooked, and the wrong amount or type of seasoning can ruin the flavor.”
Zhou Fu let out a long sigh. “When will I ever be able to make food as good as this?”
Jian Mo chuckled and patted his shoulder. “Practice makes perfect.”
Jian Mo took a small ladle and sampled the broth from each stew pot to ensure the salt levels were just right. Once satisfied, he left the pots to bubble away.
With no pressing tasks, the group gathered around the bonfire to chat.
Children ran about, playing with the younger cubs who hadn’t yet learned to shapeshift.
Jian Mo, observing the warm and lively atmosphere, felt a rare sense of relaxation.
He picked up the leftover mien fruit cakes, skewered them on small sticks, and placed them over the fire to roast slowly.
As the cakes roasted, their exteriors developed a golden, tiger-skin-like crust, while the insides grew softer and more glutinous, releasing a faint, enticing aroma.
The little ones were quickly drawn to the scent. They crept closer, gathering at Jian Mo’s feet.
The little spotted kitten Ban Jiu, who was most familiar with Jian Mo, hopped lightly onto his lap. It kneaded his legs with its tiny paws, and seeing no sign of disapproval, it settled down comfortably. The kitten turned its round head and stared fixedly at the freshly roasted mien fruit cakes.
Jian Mo moved the cakes to the side to cool, tore off a piece, and popped it into his mouth to test the flavor. Finding it neither strange nor too hot, he tore off another piece and placed it in front of Ban Jiu.
“Meow,” Ban Jiu chirped softly.
The kitten sniffed the piece of cake, then extended its pink tongue to scoop it into its mouth. It alternated chewing on the left and right sides, fully absorbed in its treat.
The other little ones at Jian Mo’s feet couldn’t wait any longer. They clawed at him and whined in protest, making it clear they wanted some too.
Laughing, Jian Mo tore the remaining mien fruit cakes into small pieces and fed them to the eager cubs one by one.
Seeing this, the adults began roasting their own mien fruit cakes over the fire. Soon, the pleasant aroma of roasted mien fruit filled the air around the bonfire.
Watching the scene, Jian Mo felt something was still missing. After a moment’s thought, he beckoned one of the older children over.
Jiang Xing, who had been squatting nearby waiting for food, leaped up eagerly. “Brother Jian Mo! What do you need?”
“Can you run to my house and fetch a jar of jam?” Jian Mo asked. “It’s the one on the shelf—the yellowish sand fruit jam.”
Jiang Xing had often peeked into Jian Mo’s kitchen while he cooked and knew exactly where the jam was kept. “Do you want me to bring the whole jar?”
Jian Mo nodded.
“Wait right here!” Jiang Xing shouted as he and the other kids raced off toward Jian Mo’s house to retrieve the jam.
Jian Mo brought over several more mien fruit cakes to roast while waiting.
Not long after, Jiang Xing came back, panting heavily and hugging the jar of jam. “Brother Jian Mo, here you go!”
Jian Mo took the jar with a smile. “Thanks. Wait a moment—don’t leave just yet.”
He stopped Jiang Xing, opened the jar, and used a clean stick to scoop out some jam, spreading it over the freshly roasted mien fruit cakes.
The sticky, hot cakes, now topped with the fragrant jam, released a sweet, tantalizing aroma.
The children’s eyes lit up, and they were practically drooling.
Jian Mo handed skewers of roasted mien fruit cakes to the kids who had helped him fetch the jam and then gave a skewer to Wu Jiong.
The children couldn’t wait and began eating right away, while the adults glanced at Jian Mo and Wu Jiong with subtle, knowing smiles.
Zhou Fu, however, was focused entirely on the jam. “You can eat it like this?”
“You can,” Jian Mo said, placing the jar in front of them. “Help yourselves.”
All attention turned to the jar immediately. Zhou Fu was the first to reach for it. “It smells amazing! Don’t mind if I do.”
After spreading jam on his own mien fruit cake, Zhou Fu first handed a skewer to Jian Mo, then distributed more to his mate and cub. Finally, he took a bite himself. “Mmm! So good! It’s sweet and soft—delicious!”
The others, tasting the jam-slathered cakes, had similar reactions, their faces glowing with delight.
Watching them enjoy the simple combination of carbs and sugar, Jian Mo smiled. “Eat as much as you’d like.”
As the group enjoyed the cakes and discussed plans to gather more mien fruits, the sub-beastman Ye Luo spoke up. “I think our tribe might have mien fruits too.”
Ban Ming immediately dismissed the idea. “Impossible! We’ve been all over the tribe’s land and have never seen a single mien fruit.”
Ye Luo, who was close friends with Qing Kuo, didn’t take offense. Instead, he asked, “Have you ever gone behind the mountain near Green Marsh Spring?”
Ban Ming hesitated. “We don’t like eating fish. Why would we go there?”
Ye Luo shrugged. “That’s probably why you never noticed the mien fruits.”
Qing Kuo lightly knocked Ban Ming on the head and turned to Ye Luo. “When did you see the mien fruits?”
Ye Luo squinted, trying to recall. “It was a few years ago. The area’s pretty far, so I haven’t gone back since.”
The beastman De Jiang, after giving his roasted mien fruit cake to a child, added, “There are a lot of lakes in that area, and it’s low-lying. I think it’s worth checking out. It’s much closer than going all the way to the Zhengchi Tribe.”
Qing Kuo eyed the mien fruit cakes thoughtfully. “If they’re as good as this, we should take a look.”
All eyes turned to Wu Jiong.
Wu Jiong nodded. “Sounds good. We’ll leave early tomorrow morning. If we can’t find any mien fruits, we’ll catch some fish from Green Marsh Spring and make salted fish for winter storage.”
Everyone agreed. The tribe hadn’t paid much attention to that area before, mostly because they weren’t fond of fish. Now that their views on fish had shifted, it seemed worth the trip.
After finishing the roasted mien fruit cakes, the stew pots were ready.
The group enjoyed the hearty food, expressing their gratitude to Jian Mo, saying that the tribe’s meals had become much richer thanks to his efforts.
Before heading home for the night, Qing Kuo presented Jian Mo with a sealed jar of fruit wine as thanks for his contributions to the tribe.
Jian Mo accepted it somewhat bashfully, but everyone encouraged him to take it with smiles and cheers.
At dawn the next day, the group set out, frost still clinging to the ground, heading toward the mountain behind Green Marsh Spring to search for mien fruits.
When they arrived, they immediately spotted the mien fruit plants growing in the lake.
Ye Luo’s memory had been accurate—there were indeed mien fruits here.
Although the plants weren’t as abundant as in some of the lower-lying lakes, there were still enough fruits on the branches to fill their baskets.
The only downside was that this lake was quite deep, with depths ranging from four to five meters in most areas and over ten meters in the center. This meant they couldn’t simply wade in to harvest the fruits; they would have to swim.
As everyone prepared to enter the water, Jian Mo quickly stopped them. “Wait! Warm up first. Stretch and loosen up your muscles, or you’ll risk cramping.”
Having grown up with physical education classes, Jian Mo wasn’t about to let anyone recklessly jump into the cold lake like the beastmen and sub-beastmen were inclined to do.
Though they didn’t fully understand the need, Jian Mo’s reputation in the tribe carried weight, so everyone followed his lead, mimicking his warm-up exercises.
Jian Mo led them through stretches for their arms, legs, and torsos, making sure everyone was ready before they got in the water.
Unexpectedly, while everyone else swam gracefully, Jian Mo turned out to be the most awkward. As soon as he entered the cold, deep water, he floundered, struggling to maintain his balance.
—The water was freezing, and its depth was far greater than he was used to, completely throwing off his sense of swimming.
Qing Kuo couldn’t bear to watch. “Why don’t you let the chief shift into his wolf form? You can ride on him to pick the fruits. Beast forms float easily in the water.”
Jian Mo sputtered, “No need… gurgle gurgle… I’ve got this…”
But as soon as he got distracted, he sank beneath the surface, sending up a flurry of bubbles.
Alarmed, Qing Kuo rushed over to help, but Jian Mo managed to right himself, resurfacing with a gasp and wiping water from his face. “It’s just the cold. I’m not used to this environment. I’ll be fine once I adjust.”
The wild lake was far more challenging than any swimming pool he’d been in before.
Still unconvinced, Qing Kuo called out to Wu Jiong. “Chief, you’d better keep an eye on him. We don’t want any accidents.”
Wu Jiong nodded and swam over. When Jian Mo began flailing again, Wu Jiong reached out and grabbed him by the waist to steady him.
The contrast between the icy water and Wu Jiong’s warm touch startled Jian Mo. He shivered, lost his balance entirely, and flailed like a fish out of water.
After finally regaining his footing, Jian Mo pressed a hand against Wu Jiong’s shoulder, trying to push him away. “Don’t—I can manage on my own.”
Sensing Jian Mo’s discomfort, Wu Jiong released him and said, “I won’t touch you. Just hold on to me when you need to balance yourself.”
Jian Mo nodded, using Wu Jiong’s solid form to stabilize himself.
Wu Jiong was about to say something when Jian Mo’s gaze fixed on the water below. Suddenly, he dove back in with a splash.
“What’s wrong?” Wu Jiong immediately grabbed his arm to prevent him from sinking too far.
Jian Mo resurfaced, panting heavily. “I think I just saw mien fruits on the lakebed.”
Wu Jiong looked puzzled. “There are mien fruits down there.”
Jian Mo shook his head, clarifying. “Not the ones on the branches. I mean the ones that have fallen off—the lakebed is covered with them!”
The commotion drew the attention of the others, who turned to see what was happening.
Explaining seemed futile, so Jian Mo pointed down, indicating that they should see for themselves.
Confused but curious, a few dove underwater to take a look.
Opening their eyes beneath the surface, they spotted it—between the branches and leaves, countless round, plump mien fruits lay quietly on the lakebed.
Not just a few scattered here and there—an entire expanse of the lakebed was blanketed with mien fruits!
It was an awe-inspiring sight.
Evidently, no one had ever harvested the fruits from this lake before. Year after year, the mien fruits must have fallen from the branches, accumulating at the bottom over time.
The result was this spectacular scene.
Wu Jiong dove to the bottom, scooping up a handful of mien fruits to bring back to the surface.
Everyone immediately swam over to him, gathering around.
In their excitement, they forgot about the fruits’ usual unpleasant flavor and started grabbing them to taste and check if they had gone bad. One by one, they bit into the tough shells, chewed the kernels inside—and then began to retch.
Jian Mo watched in stunned disbelief as they cracked the shells with their teeth and began gagging after just a few bites.
“Hey, wait, you—”
Qing Kuo managed to choke out between gags, “They’re still fresh… gagh… not spoiled… gagh…”
Jian Mo splashed at the water, exasperated. “You don’t need to eat them raw just to check if they’re spoiled!”
Qing Kuo turned away to finish retching, then looked back at Jian Mo. “Then how do you tell?”
Caught off guard by the question, Jian Mo fell silent.
Zhou Fu, holding a recently sampled mien fruit with teary eyes, interrupted, “This one’s good too… gagh…”
Ye Luo chimed in, “Mine’s fine as well.”
Ban Ming spat out bits of fruit, grimacing. “Mine’s spoiled! Bleh! Spoiled ones taste even worse!”
Everyone returned to the shore and sorted through their findings, realizing that the vast majority of the mien fruits from the lakebed were still good.
Zhou Fu looked at the growing pile of mien fruits and marveled, “Who knows how long these have been sitting here? These things are ridiculously durable!”
Jian Mo was reminded of lotus seeds on Earth, which were said to remain viable even after a thousand years. Perhaps mien fruits had similar properties.
Wu Jiong met Jian Mo’s gaze and said, “Let’s collect as many as we can and see.”
The lake was deep, and the water’s buoyancy made diving to the bottom a skillful task that not everyone could manage.
Wu Jiong selected a few strong swimmers among the beastmen and sub-beastmen to dive for the fruits while the rest continued gathering those on the branches.
To their surprise, there were even more mien fruits on the lakebed than expected. The baskets they had brought were nowhere near enough, so they emptied the harvested fruits onto the shore before returning to dive again.
Luckily, the fruits had formed dense clusters on the lakebed, making them easy to scoop into baskets. Each dive yielded a full basket in just a few sweeps.
The group was thrilled, running back and forth between the lake and the shore in high spirits, seemingly unfazed by exhaustion.
By the afternoon, they had nearly cleared the lake of its bounty.
On the shore, a towering heap of mien fruits now resembled a small mountain. Exhausted but exhilarated, the group flopped down around the pile, too tired to move.
“I’ve never been this exhausted,” Zhou Fu said, staring at the mound in disbelief. “This is even more than what we’d get traveling all the way to the Zhengchi Tribe. It’s like a whole mountain!”
Qing Kuo laughed. “Thanks to Jian Mo and Ye Luo, no one in the tribe will go hungry this winter.”
Ban Ming added, “Forget going hungry—I’m worried we won’t finish all these mien fruits before next winter!”
Di Ya gave his son a playful smack on the head. “Don’t exaggerate.”
The group burst into laughter.
De Jiang, a powerful feline beastman who had once competed with Wu Jiong for the position of chief, remarked, “Either way, this will be the easiest winter we’ve had in years.”
The group fell silent, surprised by his words, and turned to look at him.
De Jiang, avoiding their gazes, stared off toward the distant mountains.
Qing Kuo broke the silence. “This year, we can hibernate comfortably in the tribe without braving the snow for food.”
The thought of avoiding winter hunts and foraging brought a collective sense of relief.
Despite their exhaustion, everyone agreed to carry the mien fruits back to the tribe immediately. After returning to the He’an Tribe, the beastmen enlisted others to help and made a second trip to haul the remaining fruits.
By nightfall, the entire harvest had been brought back.
The beastmen were so tired they could barely lift their arms, so Qing Kuo rallied the sub-beastmen to set up another feast on the open grounds. This way, everyone—whether partnered or single—could enjoy a warm and hearty meal.
Under the starlit sky, Qing Kuo and the others divided the day’s harvest.
Since most of the tribe had contributed to the gathering effort, the mien fruits were pooled and then redistributed fairly.
No one raised any objections.
Still, Qing Kuo ensured that Jian Mo and Ye Luo each received an extra share.
Jian Mo, now faced with two portions of mien fruits, couldn’t help but feel uneasy. “Isn’t this too much? I feel like I’m taking more than my share…”
Qing Kuo glanced up. “You think this is a lot?”
Before Jian Mo could respond, Qing Kuo waved dismissively. “Just take it. We managed to harvest so many mien fruits thanks to you and Ye Luo. Besides, don’t you have a Winged Beast and Tuo Tuo Beasts to feed? No matter how much you’ve got, it’ll never be enough for them. Why would you worry about having too much?”
Jian Mo thought of the insatiable Chirpy and swallowed his words.
After receiving his share, Wu Jiong came over to help carry the mien fruits back home.
For the first time, Jian Mo’s haul was larger than Wu Jiong’s.
Standing in his house, gazing at the two piles of mien fruits—one large, one small—Jian Mo felt a swell of pride.
Though he didn’t have the sheer strength of the beastmen or sub-beastmen, he wasn’t weak either. If he ventured out on his own, he could still provide for himself.
Wu Jiong, noticing Jian Mo staring at the fruits, said, “Wash up and get some rest. You can look at them again tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Jian Mo replied, turning to him. “There’s no space left downstairs. Why don’t you move upstairs tonight?”
Jian Mo had suggested this once before, but Wu Jiong, likely out of shyness, had declined. This time, with the first floor completely filled with mien fruits, he wouldn’t have much of a choice.
As Jian Mo took in the sight of the packed room, he felt a bit happier.
Since Jian Mo started living here, Wu Jiong has been sleeping downstairs. Jian Mo had felt a twinge of guilt, as though he were taking over Wu Jiong’s space unfairly. While beastmen and sub-beastmen tended to respect boundaries, Jian Mo, being human, didn’t feel as bound by such conventions.
Wu Jiong said, “I’ll move later. With all these mien fruits, are you planning to turn them all into cakes, or will we store some raw?”
Jian Mo followed Wu Jiong’s gaze toward the piles of fruits. “If we make them all into cakes, we won’t be able to eat them in time. If they spoil, it’d be a waste.”
Wu Jiong nodded. “How much should we process? I’ll borrow a de-shelling knife tomorrow so we can prepare some.”
Jian Mo hesitated. “I haven’t decided yet.”
After a moment’s thought, he said, “I’d like to try using mien fruits to make wine.”
“Wine?” Wu Jiong asked.
Jian Mo nodded. “Yes. With how high the starch content is, they should ferment into alcohol. I’m not completely sure, though.”
The tribe’s fruit wine worked well for cooking but had a relatively low alcohol content. Jian Mo wanted to experiment with fermenting mien fruits into wine and possibly distilling it multiple times to produce high-proof spirits that could be used as alcohol.
As a veterinarian, not having alcohol on hand felt limiting.
Wu Jiong said, “If you want to try, go for it. With so many mien fruits, wasting a small amount isn’t a big deal.”
Jian Mo thought for a moment. “It probably won’t be wasted. Even if the fermentation fails, the spoiled mixture shouldn’t be too bad—it could still be fed to Chirpy or the Tuo Tuo Beasts.”
“Then we’ll give it a shot,” Wu Jiong said. “I’ll peel extra mien fruits tomorrow.”
Jian Mo sighed. “The problem is, I don’t really know much about winemaking.”
Different skills require different expertise. While Jian Mo excelled in his field, brewing was an entirely different matter.
Who would have thought he’d one day need to personally learn how to make wine?
