White River Beach, Shrub Forest

"Never mind. It's not my place to be nosy about this." Nan Feng covered her mouth with her hand, shrugged, and muttered, "When Chang Xia's house cave is finished, let's see. If it's really comfortable, I want a second house cave built."

Root smiled mysteriously but said nothing.

Chen Rong chopped the fish and began to cut the onions to remove the fishy smell. At the side, Chang Xia brought the onions to Root and Nan Feng. At the same time, she told them about the ginger and garlic.

Nan Feng cocked his head, thinking.

"I've seen the ginger and garlic you mentioned."

"Nan Feng, where have you seen ginger and garlic before?"

"The shrub forest south of White River Beach."

Chang Xia and Chen Rong looked at each other.

Root's expression changed slightly.

"Chang Xia, White River Beach isn't far from the tribe. You haven't been there before because you're not well," Root explained. "There's a riverbank up the White River. The area of the riverbank is about the size of the White Lake in front of your beast lair. There are large bushes growing to the south. Usually, the tribal cubs go to the bushes to pick and collect."

"Chief, is the shrub forest a white fruit forest?" Chang Xia asked, pleasantly surprised.

"There are quite a few white fruit trees growing in that shrub forest." Root nodded when Chang Xia called it a white fruit forest. "There are other trees growing in the shrub forest besides white fruit trees like prickly fruit, sour fruit, pine trees, and astringent persimmon trees."

The shrub forest was the most prized picking place in the tribe.

It was also the territory closest to the tribe.

"Patriarch, can I go to the shrub forest to pick them?" Chang Xia changed her mind quickly, not at all conflicted about whether the white fruit forest and the shrub forest were the same. Compared to Elephant Peak, the shrub forest was closer and more convenient. In addition, Nan Feng also said that he had seen ginger and garlic in the shrub forest, which made Chang Xia even more tempted.

"Why can't you go?" Root glared at Chang Xia.

Was the child stupid?

What kind of question was that?!

"The prickly fruit, sour fruit, and bitter persimmon only ripen during the cold season. Now, other than white fruits, only large patches of wild vegetables grow in the shrub forest. If you want to eat wild vegetables, you can go over anytime. However, if you just want to pick wild vegetables, the wild vegetables near the white lake are enough for you and Chen Rong to eat. You don't have to run to the shrub forest." Root patiently explained.

In the end.

He was worried about Chang Xia leaving the tribe.

He was worried that the child would be in a corner where he and his people couldn't see, and be hurt or wronged.

"I want to pick some ginger and garlic and see if I can find anything else." Chang Xia was extremely excited. She had found out that the ginger, shallots, garlic, chili, pepper, and dried tangerine peel were not far away.

Although they were talking about picking, Chang Xia actually wanted to transplant more.

What was more convenient to plant them in her own vegetable garden?

"Wait here. I'm going to the shrub forest now." Nan Feng stood up and was about to make a beeline for the shrub forest.

Chang Xia reached out and grabbed her.

"Nan Feng. When you meet your mother, remember to call her over for lunch. Also, find ginger, onion, and garlic. Remember to dig the soil and return with the stem and roots. I've plowed a few plots beside the beast lair. I plan to use them to plant ginger, onion, and garlic."

"Alright!" Nan Feng wrote down Chang Xia's instructions and walked out of the beast lair. She transformed into a beast and headed straight for the bushes in White River Beach.

Today, Mu Qin was also picking wild vegetables.

After this trip, she met Mu Qin and they went to Chang Xia's house for lunch.

Chang Xia prepared lunch.

Root and Chen Rong were outside the den flipping the white fruits.

The dazzling sunlight shone on the white fruits, and the green and jade-green white fruits were dyed silver-white bit by bit. It looked like they were covered in a layer of frost.

"Smells good!" Root craned his neck, peering into the beast lair.

At this moment.

A tantalizing aroma of food wafted from the den.

"Chang Xia is a good cook!" Chen Rong said. After flipping the white fruit, Chen Rong moved the remaining vines from yesterday to the beast lair and prepared to weave some more baskets while he had the time. Of course, the focus was on the dustpan and vine sieve that Chang Xia had mentioned. These things were convenient for storing excess things in the house.

The barrels required wood, and all the wood sent by the tribe was used to repair the beast lair. To make the barrels, they would need to cut wood, and there was no way to make barrels for the time being.

"Chen Rong, what are you making?" Root asked curiously.

"There are no storage items in the beast lair. Chang Xia asked me to weave a few rattan baskets and dustpans. By the way, she named them this way. They're just a little smaller than a back basket and used to store things." Chen Rong pursed his lips. There were a few small rattan baskets placed against the wall of the beast lair.

The wild vegetables that had been washed just now were stored in a rattan basket.

Root sized it up, his eyes filled with amazement.

"Chang Xia is so smart!" Root said, impressed.

He wasn't stupid. These seemed like unremarkable little things. They looked simple, easy to learn, but were very convenient for storage.

The beasts had lived rough lives.

In the beast lair, a beast's pile of items was very messy.

At Root's house, Mu Qin loved to be clean and tidy. His beast lair could not be cleaner in the tribe. However, compared to the beast lair in Chang Xia, it was indeed messy.

Root could imagine how happy she'd be to see all this stuff when he got there. He always thought the den was too messy to clean up.

As a result, Nan Feng had been scolded by Root a lot.

She was scolded the most when she came back from hunting.

With that, Root squatted down beside Chen Rong. He imitated Chen Rong's movements and started weaving with his fingers.

However, the fragrance coming from the beast lair was too strong.

Both Root and Chen Rong seemed a little indifferent.

There were only two clay pots in the house. Chang Xia did not make fishball and vegetable soup first. Instead, she fried the meat and wild vegetables. The other clay pot was used to put the meat and cold water into the pot to simmer. As it simmered, blood foam was removed. The ginger and garlic picked by Nan Feng could only be used another time. Of course, she wanted to plant ginger and garlic in the vegetable garden.

After frying the meat with wild vegetables, she began to make the fish balls.

This time, Chang Xia's stuffed fish ball was twice the size. It was no longer the size of a lychee, but the size of a baby's fist. It was the same size as when she had brought it to the big market in Normandy.

The river prawns and crabs were placed in a rattan basket beside her. They could only be cooked when the pot was empty.

Thinking of the ginger and garlic from Nan Feng, Chang Xia's hands didn't slow down at all. Otherwise, the pot wouldn't be able to withstand the heat and would crack. Chang Xia wanted to make a few stir-fry dishes.

She felt a little pity and pondered.

When he was free, she would Chen Rong to polish a stone pot.

Or, get a slate or something.

Chang Xia's heart ached when she used the pot to stir-fry vegetables. She had used a lot of oil to cook the fried meat and vegetables just now, and was afraid that the pot would crack.

She was poor and could not afford to be sad.

Half an hour later, Nan Feng returned from the bushes with Mu Qin.

"Get down, Mother." As soon as Nan Feng stood still, she urged her mother off her beast form. The scent of food from the beast lair made her so hungry she felt she could eat an entire horned cow.

Scowling, Mu Qin slid off Nan Feng's beast body.

Before she could say anything about the Nan Feng, a tantalizing aroma wafted from the distance.

"Mother, what are you waiting for? Hurry, hurry."

Nan Feng brought her basket and called for Mu Qin to follow. By the smell, she knew that Chang Xia had already prepared lunch. Instantly, she felt her mouth water and she was starving.

Mu Qin glared at Nan Feng. "What's the rush?" she chided.

Her walking pace quickened as she headed straight for the den.

At this moment, Chen Rong and Root put down the vines in their hands and entered the beast lair. They stared blankly at the food boiling in the pot and swallowed hard.

This scene happened to fall into the eyes of the approaching Mu Qin.

"Root, what are you doing?"

Root turned at the sound.

"There you are, Mu Qin," Root said with a sheepish smile. "I just smelled it. Didn't do much. By the way, Nan Feng brought water for you to wash your face. Chang Xia cooked and the food is ready to eat."

Nan Feng tossed the basket neatly into the corner of the den, drew water, and washed her face.

Her movements were as smooth as water.

"Mother Mu Qin." Chang Xia greeted her happily, carefully arranging the basket Nan Feng had left in the corner.