Transmigrated to the Beastman World as a Veterinarian – CH24

Jian Mo sighed helplessly at Ban Ming’s comment. “You don’t even know what an ice pop is, so why are you so eager to eat one?”

Ban Ming replied matter-of-factly, “I don’t know, but nothing you’ve made has ever tasted bad. Tell me, what’s an ice pop? Is it a frozen stick?”

“No,” Jian Mo said, pausing as he considered how to explain it. Finally, he just shrugged. “I’ll make some now, and you’ll see for yourself. But you won’t be able to eat them until evening.”

Ban Ming was unbothered. “As long as it’s good, we can wait.”

The group of kids and the furry little ones chimed in at his feet, “We can wait!”

They insisted on helping, and Jian Mo wasn’t shy about assigning tasks. He directed them to gather some non-toxic branches, strip off the bark, and clean them thoroughly.

Meanwhile, he went into the house to prepare. He boiled the stored milk from the Tuo Tuo beasts and cooked some wooden-root stalks. After boiling the stalks until they were tender, he cut them into small pieces and mashed them with the milk and jam.

He pulled out all the wooden tubes in the house, which were typically used for drinking water. After washing them clean, he coated the insides with a layer of beast oil, filled them with the fruit mixture, and inserted the cleaned sticks.

Jian Mo inspected his supply of wooden tubes and frowned. “There aren’t enough. Does anyone have extras at home? Can I borrow some?”

Hefeng eagerly raised his hand. “Brother Jian Mo, we have lots at my house! I’ll go get them right now.”

The other children followed close behind Hefeng, racing to fetch more wooden tubes.

Jian Mo counted the number of children and made a few extra tubes to ensure everyone had enough. The remaining fruit mixture was poured into small bowls—he ended up making eight in total.

He carried everything outside to the snowy field, carefully placing the tubes and bowls on the snow and covering them with clean, dry leaves. Turning to the children, he instructed, “They should be ready by evening. Keep an eye on them, and don’t let anyone mess with them.”

The children puffed out their chests and solemnly accepted the task. “Got it!”

Jian Mo went back to his other chores while the kids stayed outside, vigilantly guarding the ice pops.

To be fair, no one in the tribe would sabotage them anyway. But giving the kids a task kept them from buzzing around him incessantly.

The children supervised each other, keeping a close watch on the wooden tubes. Jian Mo had told them the ice pops needed to freeze solid—hard as ice—before they could be eaten.

They frequently poked the mixture with sticks to check the progress of the freezing.

By the afternoon, the mixture had finally frozen solid. Excited, the children ran to find Jian Mo. “Brother Jian Mo! The ice pops are frozen! Can we eat them now?!”

Jian Mo set down the clothes he was sewing. “Let me take a look.”

The kids crowded around him. “We just checked—they’re definitely frozen!”

Jian Mo chuckled. “All right. Ban Jiu, go call your brother to come eat ice pops with us.”

The little feline called out with a soft meow, “I’m on it!” With that, he scampered off on all fours.

Jian Mo led the children to check on the ice pops. Sure enough, most of them had frozen well. A few were slightly less firm but still edible.

He brought the ice pops home, gently loosening each from its wooden mold by gripping the stick and handing them out to the children. “Here are your ice pops. Remember, the stick isn’t edible.”

For the little ones who couldn’t transform, Jian Mo placed the pops on plates so they could lick them instead. They were hardy creatures, accustomed to eating cold things, so this shouldn’t bother them.

The kids’ eyes sparkled with excitement as they nodded eagerly and began to taste their ice pops.

It wasn’t long before they were completely enchanted by the sweet and tangy flavor, the creamy texture, and the delightful experience of biting into something cold and crunchy.

“Ice pops are not only delicious but also fun to eat!” they exclaimed. The crunching sound as they bit into the pops was entirely new to them, making this treat unique.

The children licked their ice pops while gazing at Jian Mo with adoration. “Brother Jian Mo, these ice pops are amazing!”

Jian Mo smiled. “Glad you like them.”

The kids didn’t wander off—they stuck close to Jian Mo, following him wherever he went while munching on their treats.

Ban Ming soon arrived and spotted the ice pops. “So that’s why they’re called ice pops—you need the stick to hold them while eating, right?”

Jian Mo nodded. “Something like that. They look like sticks too. Better eat it quickly, though, before it melts.”

Ban Ming didn’t hesitate. “All right, let me try one.” He took a bite and exclaimed, “Wow, this is great! Wait, why is there such a large ice pop over here? Is it for the chief?”

Jian Mo chuckled as he denied it. “This wooden mold just happened to be extra large. Please step aside, I’m taking it to feed Chirpy.”

Jian Mo removed the large ice pop he had frozen in a bowl, taking it to Chirpy, the winged beast, who was happily waiting. The other little ones followed closely behind him.

Even after their earlier squabble, the children and the winged beast coexisted peacefully once food was involved.

Or rather, both sides were too busy eating to bother each other.

Jian Mo poured the ice pops into the winged beast’s feeding bowl. These ice pops didn’t have sticks, making it easier for the beast to bite or lick them.

The winged beast sniffed the air, analyzing the aroma. It quickly realized that its treat was the same as what the children were eating, indicating fair treatment for all. Flapping its wings in excitement, it chirped, “Chirp chirp chirp!”

Afraid it might start gulping the food down too quickly, Jian Mo patted its leg. “Take your time. Once it’s gone, there’s no more.”

The winged beast chirped again in response and sat down. Using its front claws to cradle the bowl, it slowly began licking the ice pops.

Jian Mo used this moment to clean its nest and replace the old straw with fresh, dry bedding. Snow had fallen again over the past couple of days, leaving the existing straw damp. The new straw would be more comfortable.

The children crowded around Jian Mo, chatting as he worked. “Brother Jian Mo, will you make ice pops again tomorrow?”

Jian Mo shook his head. “I don’t have enough ingredients to make them often.”

The children immediately offered, “We can bring supplies from home!”

Jian Mo turned to them with a smile. “Your families don’t have much wooden-root stalk either.”

In a small tribe like theirs, everyone was more or less aware of each other’s stock of resources.

During the winter, hunting and foraging trips were infrequent, leaving most households with limited food supplies. Any tasty ingredients were usually consumed first and wouldn’t last this long into the season.

Hearing this, the children became visibly disheartened, their enjoyment of the delicious ice pops tinged with sadness. Once they were gone, there wouldn’t be anymore.

At that moment, no one noticed the gleam in the winged beast’s eyes as it continued licking its treat.

After finishing the cleanup, Jian Mo led the children back home to check up on Tai Yan’s injuries.

The young beastman had remarkable healing abilities. Apart from the fur around the wound—which had been shaved off and wouldn’t grow back for a while—the injury had mostly healed.

Jian Mo cleaned the wound, carefully washing away any remaining pus before applying fresh herbal medicine. He instructed the children firmly, “If you ever get sick like this, come find me immediately. Waiting too long could make things worse.”

The children chorused obediently, “Yes Brother Jian Mo!”

As evening approached, Jian Mo sent the children back to their homes.

At that moment, Wu Jiong returned. Jian Mo handed him the largest ice pop he made that day, drawing envious stares from the children.

Wu Jiong calmly bit into the ice pop, savoring it as the children continued to watch, wide-eyed. Once they were sure he wouldn’t share, they reluctantly went home.

Since Tai Yan’s injury was nearly healed, Jian Mo decided it was fine for him to return home the next day when his fathers came to visit.

But early the next morning, just as dawn broke, De Jiang came rushing over, his face pale with urgency. “The winged beast flew away!”

Jian Mo, still groggy from being woken up, couldn’t process the words right away. “What do you mean it flew away?”

De Jiang explained, “It flew off! We saw it flapping its wings and soaring through the sky during patrol. At first, we thought you’d taken it out early, but then we noticed there was no one on its back. Turns out it left on its own.”

Jian Mo was stunned. He hadn’t expected the winged beast to run off. After a moment, he managed to say, “I’ll go check.”

When they reached the back of the house, the winged beast was indeed gone. All that remained were freshly chewed pieces of rope.

Jian Mo glanced at Wu Jiong, his emotions a complicated mix. He didn’t know what to say.

Originally, the tribe had tied the winged beast with multiple ropes that were kept short enough to prevent it from reaching them to chew through. Escape was impossible.

But Jian Mo had thought the setup was too restrictive and uncomfortable for the beast, so he’d removed the extra ropes, leaving only a single long one tied to its hind leg.

Now that the winged beast had run off, it was clearly his fault.

Wu Jiong met Jian Mo’s gaze and reassured him. “You were the one who rescued the winged beast, so it’s okay if it got away while under your care. Besides, with the food shortages in winter, its departure means less pressure on us to feed it.”

Standing nearby, De Jiang glanced at Wu Jiong but said nothing.

Jian Mo felt both touched and disheartened by Wu Jiong’s obvious bias. “We should still try to find it. I wonder why it left.”

Perhaps the winged beast simply valued freedom more. If it were him, he might have done the same.

The thought left Jian Mo feeling even more dispirited.

After a quick breakfast, he left Tai Yan in Qing Kuo’s care and prepared to search for the beast. Wu Jiong shifted into his giant wolf form, allowing Jian Mo to ride on his back, and they set off together.

Other members of the tribe with time to spare joined the search.

The winged beast had flown away, leaving few traces behind.

Despite the giant wolf’s sharp sense of smell and extensive hunting experience, they couldn’t pick up the beast’s trail.

They searched the area all day but found nothing. As the sky darkened, they had no choice but to return to the tribe.

Jian Mo slumped weakly against the wolf’s back. “What a mess. I thought Chirpy loved my cooking so much it wouldn’t run off.”

The wolf turned and nuzzled him as if to offer comfort.

Jian Mo chuckled softly and hugged the wolf’s massive muzzle in return.

Even though Jian Mo knew that Wu Jiong in his beast form was still the same Wu Jiong, he couldn’t help but act differently around him.

The giant wolf looked far too much like a big dog.

As the night fell, they slowly approached the outskirts of the tribe.

Before they could enter, Ban Ming came bounding over in his beast form, meowing loudly. “Brother Jian Mo! Chief! No need to search anymore—the winged beast came back! It just flew back! Meow!”

Jian Mo sat up straight. “Really?!”

Ban Ming exclaimed, “Really! And it’s carrying a whole bunch of wooden-root stalks! You should’ve seen it strutting back with its head held high—it looked so proud! Everyone’s saying it was mimicking us when we go out gathering, like it went gathering all on its own, hahaha!”

Jian Mo found it unbelievable. “Why would it suddenly go out to gather—”

Halfway through his sentence, he froze.

Ban Ming swished his tail smugly. “You figured it out too, right? Yesterday, we said there wasn’t enough wooden-root stalk to make ice pops often. Chirpy must’ve understood and decided to go gather more today.”

Jian Mo stared. “It’s really that smart?”

The winged beast had always been intelligent. If Jian Mo had to compare, he’d say its intelligence was close to that of a Border Collie—maybe just slightly less sharp, but not by much.

Still, the idea that it could recognize the problem, decide to solve it, and actually execute that plan seemed far too complex. Jian Mo found it hard to believe.

Ban Ming, however, didn’t find it surprising. “What’s weird about that? Chirpy loves ice pops so much that its ears perk up every time you mention food. Going to gather wooden-root stalks to make more ice pops? My younger siblings would do the same.”

Jian Mo was immediately on alert. “Your little brothers didn’t run off, did they?”

Ban Ming grinned wide, revealing sharp teeth, clearly enjoying the thought. “They wanted to. Chirpy gave them the idea, but my dad caught onto their plan and gave them a good spanking. Now they’re home, whining and licking their wounds.”

Jian Mo sighed and turned to Wu Jiong. “You’d better remind everyone to keep an eye on their kids. Otherwise, I’m afraid we’ll have copycat incidents soon.”

The giant wolf rumbled in agreement. “Understood.”

Jian Mo and the group went to see the winged beast.

Chirpy was still holding the large bundle of wooden-root stalks and refused to let anyone take it.

When it saw Jian Mo, it immediately straightened up, sitting upright and puffing out its chest. With the stalks still in its mouth, it chirped proudly, “Chirp chirp chirp!”

Jian Mo’s emotions were complicated. “You worked hard.”

Chirpy placed the stalks in front of Jian Mo and chirped again, “Chirp!”

Looking at the beast’s massive head proudly leaning in for praise, Jian Mo couldn’t help but reach out and pat it lightly. “Good job, Chirpy. You’re amazing.”

The winged beast basked in the compliment, flapping its wings enthusiastically and stirring up a gust of wind. “Chirp chirp!”

Jian Mo chuckled.

Then, as if realizing something belatedly, Chirpy glanced around with its round head. It noticed that Jian Mo didn’t seem particularly happy, and the people around weren’t praising it either.

This perceptive creature followed their gazes to a spot nearby, where the severed rope lay on the ground.

Instantly guilty, Chirpy shuffled sideways and plopped down on the broken rope, using its massive body to cover it. In a small, pitiful voice, it whimpered, “Chirr…”

Jian Mo’s feelings grew even more complicated.

For a creature so smart, surely you must realize that pretending nothing happened doesn’t actually work, right?