Lu Mian’er was by the river washing Ying Yuan’s animal hide skirt when she suddenly noticed a pair of small feet appear at the riverbank.

“Cui Cui? What are you doing here?” she asked, puzzled, lifting her head to see Lu Cui Cui standing there, looking upset.

Since the last incident where Hu Jiao Jiao exposed Cui Cui’s actions, Lu Mian’er had cut off contact with her.

“Sister Mian’er, I know I was wrong about what happened last time. Please don’t be mad at me. I was really out of my mind…” Lu Cui Cui’s eyes were teary as she approached, grabbing Lu Mian’er’s arm with a pleading look, as if truly remorseful.

Seeing her like this, Lu Mian’er sighed.

“Cui Cui, it’s good that you realize your mistake. Just make sure not to have such thoughts about hurting other females again, or the tribe leader will punish you,” she warned, her distant expression gradually softening.

“You’re right, Sister Mian’er. I won’t dare to do such things again,” Lu Cui Cui nodded obediently.

But a flash of jealousy passed through her downcast eyes. Why was it that Lu Mian’er had Ying Yuan all to herself, while Hu Jiao Jiao shamelessly pursued him too? She decided then that she would get rid of both of these females once and for all. Ying Yuan would be hers.

Her gaze flickered to the large animal hide skirt in Lu Mian’er’s hands, obviously sized for a male.

Moving closer, Lu Cui Cui offered eagerly, “Sister Mian’er, let me help you with that. I’m really good at cleaning animal hide.”

It was Ying Yuan’s skirt after all…

But Lu Mian’er gently dodged her hands.

“No need, I can handle it. Ying Yuan doesn’t like others touching his things,” she explained with a light smile.

Lu Cui Cui’s smile froze slightly. She gritted her teeth in silent frustration. Just wait until she had Ying Yuan, then she would see how Lu Mian’er could show off anymore.

A moment later, Lu Cui Cui’s face lit up with a smile again. “Sister Mian’er, I haven’t had the chance to talk to you in so long. Can I visit your place later?”

She had been looking for an excuse to see Ying Yuan but hadn’t had the opportunity.

“Sure, I’m almost done here. Let’s head back,” Lu Mian’er replied, unaware of Cui Cui’s ulterior motives. She shook the water from the animal hide skirt and invited her to come along.

When they arrived home, Ying Yuan was in the courtyard, half-naked, his muscular body exposed as he used his claws to tear into a fresh kill.

Lu Cui Cui couldn’t help but stare, her eyes wide with infatuation, rushing forward, “Brother Ying Yuan, long time no see, I—”

But before she could finish, Ying Yuan set aside the prey and walked past her, heading straight to Lu Mian’er. “Mian’er, you’re back. Didn’t I say I’d wash that? Why did you do it yourself again?”

He didn’t even glance at Cui Cui, leaving her seething with jealousy, her hands twisting the fabric of her skirt in rage.

As the two of them talked, Lu Cui Cui quietly slipped into the house, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on a white feather on the animal hide bed. She quickly hid the feather in her clothing and walked out as if nothing had happened.

…

The next morning, before Hu Jiao Jiao could even get out of bed, she heard someone shouting urgently outside her door.

“Hu Jiao Jiao, something’s wrong! The tribe leader needs to see you immediately!”

Startled awake, Hu Jiao Jiao jumped out of bed. The noise had also woken the cubs. She hurriedly reassured them, “Mom is going out for a bit. If you get hungry, roast some meat to eat.”

The kids knew how to take care of themselves and could manage something simple like roasting meat.

Before they could respond, Hu Jiao Jiao was already rushing out the door.

“What’s going on? Why does the tribe leader need me?” she asked, spotting a tall man at her door, his expression filled with urgency.

“The potato Seedlings have died! The tribe leader needs you to check what happened,” the man replied anxiously.

Hu Jiao Jiao’s eyes narrowed slightly. She had just informed the tribe leader of the precautions for growing the potatoes the day before, and now the sprouts were suddenly dead. It was all too coincidental.

“Alright, let’s go check,” she said, already sensing something was off.

The man nodded, about to offer to carry her in his beast form, but Hu Jiao Jiao had already set off at a fast pace ahead of him.

When they arrived at the fields, a crowd of beastmen had already gathered, forming layers of onlookers around the potato patch.

“Make way, make way!” the man shouted, helping Hu Jiao Jiao push through the crowd.

Once inside, Hu Jiao Jiao saw the tribe leader standing near the riverbank with a heavy, sorrowful expression on his face, as if on the verge of tears.

“Hu Jiao Jiao, you’re finally here!” he exclaimed, rushing over like he’d just seen his savior. “Please, take a look. What’s going on?”

Everything had been fine just the day before, so how had the potato Seedlings died overnight? Would they still be able to harvest anything before winter?

The tribe leader’s anxiety was palpable. If the potato plants could talk, he would have already asked them what went wrong.

“Don’t worry, tribe leader. Let me take a look first,” Hu Jiao Jiao replied with a calm smile, reassuring him.

She had anticipated something like this might happen, so the seeds planted near the riverbank were not from her space supplies. Even if some were lost, it wouldn’t impact the overall yield much.

“Alright, alright. Please check quickly,” the tribe leader urged, stepping aside to give her room.

Hu Jiao Jiao scanned the field. The potato seedlings closest to the river had wilted, lying limp on the ground, completely lifeless. However, the seedlings farther from the river were still growing strong, unaffected.

She knelt down, inspecting the wilted plants and pressing her pale fingers into the soil. It was noticeably damp.

Her eyes darkened, immediately understanding the problem.

“Well? Did you find out what caused it?” the tribe leader asked, hurrying over as she stood up.

Hu Jiao Jiao nodded, her voice serious. “Tribe leader, these potato seedlings died from overwatering.”

“Overwatering?” The tribe leader looked confused, shaking his head. “That’s impossible. I only sent the beastmen to patrol today, and I specifically told them not to water the plants.”

He had made sure to instruct them not to water the seedlings.

“How could they have been overwatered?”

Hu Jiao Jiao pursed her lips and suggested calmly, “Perhaps someone watered them secretly before the patrol arrived, intending to sabotage the seedlings.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a male beastman stepped forward.

“Tribe leader, we found this by the river. Take a look,” he said, respectfully handing something over.

Hu Jiao Jiao turned to see the man holding a white feather. It was pure white with soft down at the base, clearly from a bird-beast’s important plumage.

Seeing the feather, the tribe leader’s expression darkened.

The surrounding beastmen also recognized it and gasped in surprise.

“Sister Mian’er, isn’t that the feather you always carry with you?” Lu Cui Cui exclaimed, covering her mouth in shock.

—
They used to call it Earth Fruit but now they call it Potato 🥔

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