"Vine shoes—"
'OK, something new again.'
Chen Rong was stunned for a moment and said, "I'll go collect the fish basket and take the new one over to replace it. Is there anything you want me to do?"
It was getting close to dusk.
It signaled the end of the day. He calculated the supplies at home and wanted to go out hunting, but he understood that Chang Xia would not agree, so he wanted to catch more fish and prawns.
"Dig a puddle by the lake," Chang Xia instructed casually, not looking up as she gestured with the thin vine at her feet.
He listened.
Chen Rong's thoughts stirred.
"You plan to raise the fish and prawns you catch?"
Chang Xia looked up at Chen Rong and said in surprise, "You're very smart. That's right. I plan to raise the fish and prawns I can't finish first. When there are enough, I'll invite my clansmen over. The tribe is close to the White River, and there's no lack of fish and prawns. It is enough for all the clansmen to eat during the warm season. Once it's winter, the food supply will decrease drastically, and the beasts will become abnormally fierce. At that time, the clansmen will need to eat sparingly. Now that I've found new food, the tribe will definitely be able to survive this winter safely."
In the past, she had been raised by the tribe. Now she had a chance to repay it.
Chang Xia was not petty, so she naturally hoped to repay her clansmen for raising her.
"You should," Chen Rong agreed with Chang Xia's decision. "Shall we dig a few more puddles?"
"There's no need." Chang Xia shook her head and explained, "I'm only responsible for teaching my people to make fish balls. My people can go into the river to catch fish themselves if they want to eat. Besides, we still have to build the house cave. I want to repair it before the cold season comes."
Constructing the house cave was a big deal.
It was even more tedious than building a beast lair. At the same time, they had to go out to gather. Time was tight, and there was not enough of it.
"Okay, I'll submerge the basket." Chen Rong took the fish basket he'd woven in the afternoon and walked toward the lake. He was carrying a basket on his back. The broken fish basket from the morning, which Chang Xia hadn't thrown away, was still sitting by the lake.
Now, they might get something.
Chang Xia watched Chen Rong leave and looked at the sky. Her weaving speed increased.
At night, she prepared to eat the piece of meat the patriarch had given her.
Recently, the temperature had gradually increased.
Meat could not be preserved easily. If you didn't eat it, it could easily spoil.
As she thought about dinner, Chang Xia didn't stop what she was doing. After almost all the twists and turns, she really did make a pair of solid rattan shoes. Chang Xia took off the animal hide grass shoes on her feet and put on the rattan shoes.
She wore them and tried to take two steps.
She took them off again and reworked them twice. Finally, a pair of vine shoes with moderate softness and hardness were worn on Chang Xia's feet. Looking at the thin vines piled up on the side, Chang Xia was in no hurry to start a fire for dinner. She turned around and made another pair.
When she brought Chen Rong back to the tribe, she promised food and shelter.
That was hardly a lie.
However, the conditions were still somewhat poor.
In the future, she still wanted Chen Rong to help her build the lair, so she naturally had to treat him better.
A pair of rattan shoes was a friendly starter gift.
When she was done, Chang Xia cleaned up the scattered doorway and ended a busy day, preparing to reward herself and Chen Rong.
It was getting dark.
Chen Rong carried a basket with two black carps in it. There were more river prawns than in the morning. A female was with him. The two of them did not talk as they walked quietly to the door of the house.
"Chang Xia—" Nan Feng called softly, and stepped into the den.
Chang Xia looked up at the door.
"When did you get back, Nan Feng?"
Nan Feng was the child of Patriarch Root and was older than Chang Xia. Chang Xia was brought up by Nan Feng, and the two of them were very close.
Unlike the weak Chang Xia, Nan Feng was very strong. She was not at a disadvantage when fighting with the males of the tribe. It could be said that she was not inferior to men.
This time, Nan Feng was out hunting and did not participate in the Great Normandy Market.
When she returned to the tribe, she heard from her clansmen that Chang Xia had found a sick male as a mate. Nan Feng was furious. Immediately, she abandoned her prey and ran out of the tribe to Chang Xia's beast lair.
"You didn't even tell me you were getting married?" Nan Feng raised her hand and flicked it several times toward Chang Xia's brain. She hadn't expected Chang Xia to go to the Great Normandy Market, because in the past, Chang Xia had always said that she did not want to get married and didn't want to find a male.
Unexpectedly, Chang Xia got married just a few days after she left the tribe.
"Hehe!" Chang Xia covered her head and giggled.
She could not say that the marriage was because she was too annoyed by her clansmen's nagging. In addition, the food was too unpalatable.
Chang Xia understood that if she dared to say that, Nan Feng would definitely beat her up.
Ever since she was young, Nan Feng had doted on her and taken care of her the most. Of course, Nan Feng had never been soft-hearted.
"Don't flick her forehead. You'll hurt her."
Chen Rong reached out to block Nan Feng's hand, which was about to strike Chang Xia's head.
Nan Feng was slightly stunned, but she did not reveal any expression on her face. In her heart, she had more recognition for Chen Rong. Chang Xia was too weak. She did not even dare to leave the tribe with her people to participate in the gathering, afraid that she would be injured.
The beasts were strong and unafraid of pain or injury.
However, Chang Xia had been in poor health since she was young, so how could she be a typical member?
"Chen Rong, I'm fine." Chang Xia came back to the present and introduced them. "Chen Rong, she's Nan Feng, my best friend."
Chang Xia took Nan Feng's hand happily.
She kept asking her about the hunt.
Chang Xia had never left the tribe, let alone participated in the tribal hunting team. She yearned for the outside world. Back then, she had agreed to go to the Great Normandy Market not only to find a pleasing male to marry, but also to broaden her horizons.
It was a pity that it ended so fast.
Knock!
Nan Feng slapped her forehead in frustration. "Wait here. I'll go back to the tribe. I'll bring you a piece of meat…"
Previously, Nan Feng had been worried about Chang Xia.
She had left her prey at the tribal clearing area and did not even return home. It was only when Chang Xia asked her about her hunting that Nan Feng remembered.
Before she could finish, she turned and ran out of the den toward the tribe.
In the den of beasts.
Chang Xia and Chen Rong looked at each other.
Apparently, they'd all been shocked by Nan Feng's actions.
In Chang Xia's impression, Nan Feng was steady and calm, full of the demeanor of an older sister. The reason why she became like this today should have something to do with her.
"Chen Rong, deal with the black carp. At night, I'll teach Nan Feng how to make fish balls and ask her to hand over the method to make fish balls to her clansmen." Chang Xia thought for a moment and decided to give the fish ball task to Nan Feng. She would have more time with Chen Rong to build a house cave.
"Are you sure?" Chen-Rong asked.
Chang Xia said, "Positive. We're building a house cave. We don't have time to teach our people how to make fish balls."
"Alright, I'll listen to you." Chen Rong nodded and followed Chang Xia's decision. He carried two fish and squatted outside the beast lair to deal with them quickly.
Chang Xia didn't want to eat barbecued meat, so she planned to stew the meat.
Without any ingredients, she stewed it in cold water and slowly removed the blood foam. This could more or less eliminate any trace of the smell of meat. Of course, she did not forget to put some onions in it to remove the smell.
As she added cold water to the pot, she removed the blood foam in the pot. Chen Rong walked into the beast lair with the cleaned black carp. Without needing Chang Xia to say anything, he began to peel the black carp, remove the fish bones, cut them, and chop them.
Seeing this, Chang Xia was extremely satisfied.
She suddenly remembered the rattan shoes she had made and said, "Chen Rong, I made you a pair of rattan shoes. Try them on later to see if they fit. If they don't, I'll change them for you…"
As she spoke, she planned to make a pair for Nan Feng.
After Nan Feng had one pair, she could not forget the Patriarch, the shaman, and the indigo.
The shaman sent Chang Xia to the Heluo tribe and would visit every few days. It had been more than a month since the last time the shaman came to the tribe. Calculating the time, it was estimated that within three to five days, the shaman might come. Bai Qing was the shaman's disciple and would take over the shaman's position in the future to guard the Twilight Forest. He was still underage and small, but he always had a serious expression on his face. Chang Xia liked to pinch his face and watch his expression change.
"Okay." Chen Rong smiled.
Actually, he had seen the rattan shoes on Chang Xia's feet when he returned just now.
It was very similar to the feather shoes of the bird race, but not as exquisite. The bird race was vain and narcissistic, and the beast race was not used to wearing feather shoes. The vine shoes were very in line with the rough aesthetics of the beast race. They were durable and simple.
The man and woman in the beast lair didn't say anything else, but they had a tacit understanding.
Their shadows blended with the fire and this scene seemed especially warm.
"Chang Xia, if you give me vine shoes, I'll give you something too." Chen Rong smiled and untied the Miracle necklace around his neck again. He handed it to Chang Xia. This time, he deliberately raised his voice and said gently, "This is called Miracle. It's said to be a relic left for me by my mother. I've been wearing it. Now I want to give it to you…"
"Are you sure…" Chang Xia took the Miracle Necklace hesitantly. This snowflake-like Miracle Necklace was the color of yellow jade. It was warm to the touch and faintly carried a hint of sunken warmth. Chang Xia felt a little prickly.
Especially if—
Chen-Rong had said it was a relic of his dead mother. It meant something.
"You are my companion. From now on, you and I will spend half our lives together. I have nothing to give you except it," Chen Rong said softly. Chen Rong remembered his father telling him that if he decided on a companion, he had to be fast and accurate.
Chen Rong felt very comfortable living with Chang Xia.
He longed to spend the rest of his life with the female in front of him.
However, when he thought of his body, Chen Rong's eyes instantly darkened.