Shuxin nodded in understanding and then asked, "What is the function of the females?"
"...Uh, probably to have cubs and solve the heat problems of male beastmen?" Shuyue stated the facts.
In the beastmen continent, females, besides procreation, had very little other purpose.
Hunting was out of the question; those with weaker physiques struggled even to carry things. Diligent females would cook, managing to feed themselves and their children. The lazy ones didn't manage anything, sleeping all day and wandering around chatting when not sleeping. However, females were more tired at night than during the day...
This was probably just a difference in division of labor.
Shuxin didn't have any discriminatory thoughts about females being useless, only saying, "The physical difference between males and females is too great. Every race has its way of surviving and continuing."
Her gaze shifted to her still-not-showing belly, and she asked, "How long does a dragon beast's child take to gestate?"
This question stumped Shuyue. She replied blankly, "I really don't know. I'll ask Wente when he gets back."
She didn't know if dragon beasts were viviparous or oviparous, let alone if they had one cub or multiple per litter!
If they gave birth to seven or eight at a time like snake beasts, wouldn't she be exhausted to death?!
Heavens! Absolutely not!
Seeing her troubled expression, Shuxin asked with concern, "What's wrong, Yueyue?"
Shuyue's face was glum. "Sister, I'm a little scared. What if I have several cubs at once?"
"..."
Shuxin chuckled and patted her hand. "Are you silly? If you could have so many at once, would dragon beasts be so rare?"
Reminded, Shuyue finally realized, "Oh right. Dragon beasts are so rare, it's impossible to have many even if they wanted to..."
She smiled sheepishly. "Where we come from, they say pregnancy makes you foolish for three years. Has it taken effect on me already?"
Shuxin shook her head and smiled helplessly. "Being a little foolish is quite good."
Shuyue disagreed. "I think being smart is better. Smart people can pretend to be foolish, but foolish people are truly foolish and wouldn't even know if they were being tricked."
"..."
Shuxin, however, said, "Nothing is absolute. As the old saying goes, foolish people have foolish blessings."
"You are much happier here than in Huaxia. Isn't that a blessing?"
Shuyue thought about it and it seemed true. She said with a sigh, "I always thought I was being punished by heaven and thrown here. I didn't expect to be living quite well now~"
If she were given a chance to go back now, she might hesitate and not want to leave, not wanting to make that beastman sad...
"Ahem, Sister, are you speaking philosophically now?" She used to speak sharply and with a venomous tongue.
Shuxin glanced at her. "What style do you prefer?"
She chuckled. "Of course, normal is best."
"Heh heh."
...
As dusk settled, the beastmen flew back.
All clean and refreshed, they immediately got to work processing the ingredients.
Wente made grilled fish and fish soup.
Leite fried oil on a large shell, while Ashui and the other two cleaned the insects.
Shuyue looked into the basket and saw a good half-basket of cicada pupae. Good... she was already sick of it before even eating.
She had intended to soak them in salt water for a while, but the beastmen couldn't wait, so eating them like this wouldn't affect anything. She'd let them be.
The courtyard was bustling with activity. Exaggerating a bit, the aroma filled the entire tribe. Balun, who had planned to eat grilled meat before coming, was directly drawn over.
He pushed open the courtyard door. "What are you doing? It smells so good?"
As soon as he appeared, Leite and Ashui quickly stuffed their mouths. Balun rushed over and snatched two to taste.
While eating, he playfully hit these brats. "Eating without me?"
Leite was quick and dodged him.
The large Ashui couldn't dodge and was hit squarely. He cast a reproachful glance at the disloyal ones behind him!
Balun grabbed two more. "What is this? It's quite tasty."
"Uncle, you're eating insects," Wente said, grilling fish nearby and not participating in their squabble.
Having eaten them many times, he wasn't as curious.
Balun only raised his eyebrows in surprise. He had no aversion to insects and was even curious about what kind of insects they were.
The half-basket of insects was finished amidst their scramble.
They finished eating, and the fish soup was also ready.
Balun hadn't had any last night, but he had a bowl today and praised, "This fish soup is delicious!" As he spoke, he took a bite of grilled corn.
It was quite good as a snack.
Ashui and the other two also ate with relish. In front of them was a large grilled fish. The females couldn't finish it and gave them a lot.
"Shuyue, Wente said you know how to preserve this corn for an entire moonless season?"
Shuyue replied, "Yes, Uncle. But it needs to be processed. It's very suitable for females and children to eat."
Balun nodded upon hearing this. "That's wonderful. I'll leave the matter of corn to you. Just tell me what you need us to do."
Hearing this, Shuyue was taken aback and asked hesitantly, "Entrusting it to me, aren't you afraid I'll mess things up?"
Balun laughed heartily, his eyes filled with affirmation for her. "Go ahead. If you hadn't mentioned it, we wouldn't even know corn was edible. Besides you, no one else knows how to process it. What does it matter if it's messed up?"
Hearing this, Shuyue thought to herself that Balun, as the chieftain, was not simple.
She smiled and agreed, "Since Uncle trusts me, I'll just fiddle with it. However, the corn can wait a couple of days. The drainage problem during the rainy season is more important."
Balun didn't understand this. "What do you mean?"
Leite said, "Father, Xin'er suggested digging drainage ditches today. I think this method is feasible. If it's really effective, we won't be flooded this rainy season."
Balun looked at Shuxin in surprise, his expression becoming more serious. "Tell me more?"
Then Shuxin briefly explained. The Warrior Tribe was situated on higher ground, so the chance of being flooded was small. However, if the rainfall was too heavy, water would accumulate on the ground, making it unavoidable to walk through water. This was something Shuxin couldn't tolerate.
Balun nodded continuously as he listened to her words, and asked in surprise, "How did you come up with this method?"
Shuxin smiled and said, "I got inspired while playing with dirt."
The beastmen were stunned. Playing with dirt could lead to inspiration?
Leite, however, was very proud. The female he fancied was indeed smart.
After discussing the drainage ditches, Leite began to show off the cellar they had just dug that day. "Father, what do you think of Wente's pit?"
If he hadn't mentioned it, Balun wouldn't have noticed.
"Did you dig this today?" Balun went to the cellar entrance and touched it here and there.
Leite nodded. "Father, why don't you go down and take a look?"
"Alright," Balun went down curiously.
There was a wooden ladder at the entrance. The beastmen jumped down one step at a time. Upon arriving inside, he realized it was different from the tribe's underground dwellings.
He couldn't quite pinpoint the difference.
Leite also came down and suggested, "Father, Xin'er said this kind of cellar is resistant to collapse and dampness. I want to convert all the tribe's underground dwellings to this type."