For two days, the tribe members carried stones, and only then did they realize they were building houses. They showed great interest, and people came to watch every day.
The mates of the females treated by Shuxin during the rainy season offered to help, but they were politely declined by Leite. They were still in the exploratory phase; while the general direction was set, this was their first practical attempt, and they needed to discuss it amongst themselves.
Not too many people were needed; the assistance of Ashui and the other two was sufficient.
In two days, the mushrooms vanished without a trace. Wild grasses and other plants slowly emerged from the soil, and flowers, unwilling to be outdone, began to bud. In a few more days, vibrant blossoms would compete to bloom.
The females of the Warrior Tribe welcomed their first foraging day.
"I'm going out foraging this time," Shuxin said while eating breakfast.
As a healer, she couldn't just sit at home waiting for herbs to fall from the sky. Ever since she witnessed the effects of the hemostatic grass and detoxifying grass, she realized the potent medicinal properties of the herbs here. There were surely other herbs waiting to be discovered.
Shuyue took a bite of her runny egg. "Then I'll go too. We're out of vegetables at home, so I'll go find some."
The two beastmen frowned. Wente said, "We're building houses these two days..."
Shuyue replied, "You can just drop us off, and then come back to pick us up when you return."
Wente, still worried, said, "Yueyue, why don't I accompany you? Brother will stay home and build the house."
Leite reminded him, "I forgot to tell you, I'm going hunting today. It's been a few days since we last went, and it wouldn't be right not to go today."
Wente's brow immediately furrowed.
Shuxin, having finished eating, wiped her mouth with a leaf. "You two just focus on your own tasks. The grandmothers are all going, and the two of us won't be bullied."
Shuyue wished Went could accompany her, but there was so much work at home, and time was of the essence. After finishing the house, they still wanted to fire the pottery before winter. If he accompanied her foraging, it would be a wasted day.
"Wente, just drop us off. There are so many people in the tribe, we'll be fine."
Wente remained uneasy, fearing that the incident of females being snatched might happen again.
Leite shared the same thought. "Xin'er, why don't you let Wente go hunting, and I'll accompany you?"
Shuxin looked up at him. "I plan to look for herbs. If I find any, I'll be going out every day for a while. If you accompany me every day, when will the house be finished?"
Leite appeared conflicted. "Don't you need that many herbs?"
Shuxin shook her head. "Only I know the herbs. If I stay at home, the tribe members will only ever know hemostatic grass and detoxifying grass. When they get sick, they'll still be at the mercy of fate. This is not what we want to see."
She wasn't a savior, but she lived here. Since she possessed this ability, she was willing to contribute, adding another layer of security for their future survival.
"..." Leite couldn't argue with her and could only agree with her decision, as it was ultimately for the good of the tribe.
After much persuasion, they finally convinced the two males to abandon their idea of accompanying them, as if they would be useless without them!
Women should have their own space and not rely on males for everything. If they could do something themselves, they should insist on doing it. Look at Hu Sha and the others; Balun managed the large tribe and didn't have time to manage their daily lives, yet they lived perfectly well.
Isn't there a saying that women should be independent, confident, and beautiful?
Let the males handle the heavy work; these small foraging tasks were for them.
After breakfast, they headed to the tribal square to wait for assembly. As long as the weather was good, they could go foraging every day; it wasn't mandatory, and it was entirely voluntary for the females.
The females, tired of eating meat, expressed their urgent need for various wild vegetables to change their taste.
More and more females gathered in the square. Seeing the two of them waiting there early, everyone would smile and greet them. They were now the most popular among the females in the tribe.
Shuyue smiled and responded to each one, her face starting to feel a little stiff.
Shuxin merely gave a faint smile and a nod. Fortunately, everyone knew the personalities of these two sisters—one lively, the other quiet.
Compared to Shuxin, the females preferred Shuyue a bit more. After all, who could resist delicious food?
~
Yiyi watched the Shuxin sisters, surrounded by the crowd, from the edge of the gathering. A flash of jealous hatred flickered in her eyes.
Miaomiao thought she had seen wrong and rubbed her eyes. By then, Yiyi had already regained her usual expression, and Miaomiao thought she must have been mistaken.
"Yiyi, are you going foraging too?"
Yiyi hummed in response. "The herbs ran out during the beast tide. I'm helping my mother find some herbs today."
Of course, she couldn't do it alone. The beastmen accompanying them for protection would help with the picking this time.
"Yiyi, you're so kind, always considering the tribe. I'll help you," Miaomiao said, always admiring her friend.
Yiyi shook her head. "No need. You go dig for wild vegetables with your mother. You don't know herbs anyway."
Miaomiao thought about it and agreed, so she didn't insist further.
When most of the females had arrived, they set off.
The leader of the guard team this time was Hu Mao. Since Yiyi had no mate or suitor, Hu Mao was temporarily responsible for escorting her.
The obsidian-like scales reflected a cold gleam under the sunlight. Everyone looked up, marveling at the two figures seated on the back of the giant beast, beings they couldn't catch up to.
Jiaojiao, riding on the mammoth, looked at the dragon beast ahead and pouted. "Ashui, if you can surpass Wente, I'll let you be my mate."
The surprise came so suddenly that Ashui was stunned. "Jiaojiao, are you serious?"
Jiaojiao nodded. "I am!"
Ashui was so excited his elephant trunk even perked up. However, he then thought of something and asked uncertainly again, "Jiaojiao, will you only mate with me?"
Jiaojiao gave a firm answer. "Of course! As long as you can surpass Wente, I'll only be your mate and won't want any other males!"
Upon hearing this, Ashui immediately became excited, and his proud elephant trumpeting echoed through the air.
This attracted the curious gaze of other tribe members.
Ashui sped up towards Wente. "Wente, wait up!"
Wente heard the roar and slowed down, looking back. "What is it?"
Ashui roared, his beast blood boiling, "Wente, I want to race you! How about we see who reaches the foraging spot first?"
Wente looked at him inexplicably, as if asking why they would race at this moment.
Shuyue, on his back, asked, "Isn't it nice to fly slowly? Why race?"
Ashui replied, "Jiaojiao said that if I can win against Wente, she'll agree to be my mate."
Shuyue raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked at her former love rival. "Really?"
Jiaojiao snorted lightly. "Of course, it's true."
"Oh~" Shuyue nodded and then asked Ashui, "Do you like Jiaojiao? Do you want to mate with her?"
Ashui replied without hesitation, "Of course! I've liked Jiaojiao for a long time, and I've wanted to mate with Jiaojiao for a long time. So, Wente, you must race me!"