Epoch 10: Too much work.
Earlier, while cooking, his dilemma was the cookware, because there were no pans and spatulas he could use to fry and no pots and ladles he could use to make soup or sauce.
Now that they have food to eat, the problem is that they don't have any utensils to use. No plate, no spoon, and no fork.
In the past few days, he has been staying with the tribe. Tang Tang didn't care too much about this problem.
First, because he is not the one who cooks, when it is already time to eat, Hou or Xue will call him. Second, their foods are monotonous; it is always roasted meat and boiled red roots, both of which can be eaten with hands.
'This world needs some development!'
[Why don't you help this world have a proper civilization like Earth, Tang Tang?]
'Hmm, I don't want this world to be like Earth.'
[What do you mean?]
'I mean, I would love it if this world would flourish in a way that it wouldn't ruin its natural beauty, unlike Earth.'
[But Tang Tang, development always has pros and cons. Like the engineers and scientists who developed your favorite Internet.]
[The reason they developed it was for them to be able to communicate and share information even at great distances. But they don't have any idea that their work will cause cyberbullying, fraud, addiction, and many more.]
[Even if you have good intentions, it doesn't mean that the next generation will have the same mindset.]
[So for now, let's do anything we can to improve their way of life and let time tell what the future holds.]
Tang Tang was dumbfounded because this was the first time Ude talked too much.
But Ude has a point, if he doesn't do anything now, it doesn't mean there will be no one in the future. It will only delay the development of the tribe.
'But I don't know where to start.'
[You don't need to rush. Start with the small things first, like teaching the females to make a basket. Remember, you can live up to 500 years old.]
'Right! We have a lot of time.'
[Small steps at a time, and complete the quest on the way. The rewards will greatly help you.]
'Waaah! Ude, I don't know what to do without you.'
[ᕙ(⇀_↼)ᕗ]
'Help me make a list of all the things I need to do, okay?'
[Okay! ( ꈍᴗꈍ)]
"Ahh, there is so much to do!" Tang Tang exclaimed.
Xue flinched when he heard the sub-beast.
"I-I can help," Xue offered.
He thought that the sub-beast was complaining because he was tired of preparing their food.
Tang Tang smiled and said. "I will really be needing your help. But before that, let's eat first. Taste this." Using a makeshift spoon, he scoops a sauteed bittermelon and gives it to Xue.
"What do you think?"
"Delicious; it doesn't taste bitter anymore." Xue's expression didn't change, but his eyes lit up.
"Then try this." Tang Tang takes the fried meat slightly deep in the chili oil and gives it to Xue to taste.
"How about it?"
Xue didn't answer, but his eating became faster and faster. Tang Tang felt happy seeing Xue enjoying the food he made.
"Slow down; all of the fried meat is yours." After saying this, he also started eating his portion.
When he tasted the sauteed bittermelon, he thought that the taste was a little bit lacking because it was really much better with eggs on it.
But eating this kind of food already gives him fulfillment and, at the same time, determination to find more edible plants that exist in this world.
After eating, Xue volunteered to clean up. All of the things they used were disposable, so all of them were burned by Xue.
This is how they dispose of garbage. They either burned it or buried it.
'They need to learn waste management!' Tang Tang thought.
When Xue finished cleaning, Tang Tang invited him to walk towards the stream. It will help him digest the food they eat, and at the same time, he can wash up.
"Do you remember what I said earlier before we ate?" Tang Tang asks as they walk.
"Yes."
"You see, I will be needing your help." He paused and looked at the man beside him.
"There are many things I want to do, but I can't do them alone, like looking for edible plants, cooking different foods, making a basket, making utensils, building a house, and many more things." Tang Tang looked up and met Xue's eyes. "I need you. Will you stay by my side and help me?"
[Why does it sound like you're proposing?]
'I am proposing!'
[For Marriage?]
'For Cooperation! He is the future chieftain, so isn't it best to start with him?'
[...]
Under the moonlight, Tang Tang's eyes are bright as the light of day. His slightly parted, red lips are soft and inviting.
On a quiet night, Xue can only hear the rippling of the stream and the loud beating of his heart as he slowly leans in and softly kisses the sub-beast.
'eh?' Tang Tang didn't expect that Xue would initiate a kiss.
'This should not be the right response to his question. Right?'
[You are the only one thinking that. ಥ‿ಥ]
It was just a simple kiss, sweet and full of tenderness, but the atmosphere became ambiguous.
"As long as it will not harm the tribe, I will do anything I can to help you," Xue replied after.
Tang Tang smiled. "Thank you. I will make sure that you will never regret your decision tonight."
Then he pulled the man into the stream. After they washed up, Xue asked him to sit on a big rock so he could apply medicine to his bruises.
"When did you make this?" Tang Tang remembers that earlier it was still an herb, but now it is already like an ointment.
"After we eat."
"You also know how to make medicine?"
"Yes, I always help my mother gather herbs and make medicine," Xue said, and he started applying medicine to the bruises on his knees.
Since he was a child, they were already taught all of the things they needed to know about leading a tribe. Together with Hou, they both enjoy their parents teaching.
Their father, as the chieftain, taught them how to hunt and fight. While their mother, as the clan's witch, taught them to identify different herbs and how to make medicine, as they grew up, people started comparing him to Hou. Their relationship became strange, and Hou distanced himself from him. He also stopped learning from their parents.
He still remembers what Hou said to him when he asked him once why he didn't want to learn with him anymore.
'Learning from the Chieftain and Clan Witch is your privilege as the next in line. I am different!'
"Xue?" Tang Tang called out when he noticed that the man stopped applying medicine and became lost in thought.
"Hmm?"
"Are you already tired?" Tang Tang asked.
"No. I just remember something."
"I see."
Xue became dejected, so Tang Tang changed the subject. "Xue, do you know how to carve?"
"A little. I once watched a beast the winged python tribe carved."
"You just watched it, and you already learned how to carve?" The astonishment in Tang Tang's voice cannot be concealed.
"Yes. Do you need to carve something?"
'Is this what they call genius?'
"I plan on making utensils and pots for cooking, but I don't know how to carve, so I will need you on this."
"What are utensils?" is another new word from the sub-beast. He heard Tang Tang mention this utensil several times, but he doesn't know what it means.
"It is used for eating. Like the one I used earlier, the branch with a flat end."
Xue remembered the branch the sub-beast used when they were eating; he called it. "Spoon?"
"Right! That should be a spoon; a spoon is a kind of utensil, but since I don't know how to carve, it ended up looking like that."
"There are many kinds of utensils that are used for eating and cooking. We should make them; we also need to make a plate, cups, and bowls."
Tang Tang continued rambling about all of the things he planned to make in the future. While Xue listened attentively, he asked if there was something he didn't understand or if it was new to him.
"I also want to build a house before winter."
"What is a house?"
"House is like a tent; it is also a place where we can live. But it is much stronger because it is made from stones and bricks."
"Bricks?"
"It is a rectangular-shaped man-made stone. I will teach you how to make bricks."
He patiently answered all of Xue's questions. Because if he wants Xue to help him effectively, He needs to share his knowledge with him.
Xue is really a fast learner; Tang Tang only explained it once, and he already understands it.
They both enjoy talking to each other so much that they didn't notice they had already arrived in front of Tang Tang's tent.
"You should rest now," Xue said flatly, but in his heart, he is reluctant to part with him.
Talking to Tang Tang strengthens his hunch that the sub-beast is from a faraway place. Because his ideas and all of the things he described didn't exist on the Gaia Continent.
"You too! We will need to go out early tomorrow. Wake me up, okay?"
Xue nodded.
Tang Tang kissed him on the cheeks and said, "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."