Chapter 91

“Brother, Boss Kong and the others went to the weaving house.”

“Let me take a look.”

Zhuo Yan ran to the cave entrance. A short walk up the slope gave him a clear view of the house by the river behind the mountain. Everything was covered in a vast expanse of snow and ice, with frosty air forming ice crystals with every breath. In the sky, five large peacocks flapped their wings hard, landing under the eaves of the house. Behind them were Shitou and Boss Kong—Shitou carried a rattan basket on his back, while Boss Kong was bundled up tightly in fur and also had a basket strapped to his back.

“We just saw them yesterday, and they’re already going to weave today?” Zhuo Yan understood Boss Kong’s intentions—parents who love their children always want to work harder and become stronger.

“A-Yin, go ahead first and help them sweep the snow off the roof again. I’ll stay home and cook. Tell Shitou that I’ll take care of lunch, so he doesn’t have to run back and forth.”

Yesterday, A-Yin had only roughly pushed the snow off the roof. Since they were going to work, it was better to clean it thoroughly and double-check everything.

A-Yin responded with a quick “Got it,” shifted into his beast form, and set off.

It might have been the fighting spirit ignited by Shitou and Kong Xingxing, but Zhuo Yan felt that although it was still cold, it wasn’t like during the blizzard when no one could step outside to work. He, too, perked up, starting to tidy up the cave, take stock of the food, and clear the snow off the outdoor stove. As for the shed roof at the entrance of his cave, he decided to put it up in a few days.

In the past, the Leopard Tribe was used to hunkering down for the winter. They would only leave their caves once the snow began to melt and the weather warmed up slightly—because there was simply nothing to do. At that time, there was hardly any prey outside for the beastmen to hunt, and not a single blade of grass for the sub-beastmen to gather.

That made winter and early spring hard to endure. Every year, a few people would die—quite a significant number for a tribe of just over sixty. Sometimes, if there was a beast tide, more than a dozen lives could be lost.

With beastmen and sub-beastmen struggling to reproduce and the tribe’s population gradually dwindling, things looked bleak. If Zhuo Yan hadn’t come through, picked up A-Yin, and introduced salt, farming, and pottery—boosting their safety and filling their stomachs—then the population wouldn’t have stabilized over the past two years, let alone shown any growth, with the births of Xiao Xian, Xiaopan, Xiaoyun, and Shitou.

Otherwise, the Leopard Tribe’s population would have continued to decline.

Zhuo Yan steamed all the cornbread. The six peacocks didn’t eat much and preferred grains, while Shitou loved meat. So, he also made a big pot of braised meat, tossing in potatoes, some taro, and salted meat, seasoning it with Sichuan peppercorns and chili. A little numbing and spicy kick was just the thing to warm everyone up in the winter.

Once the food was ready, A-Yin came running back, shifting into human form while pulling on a fur wrap. “Brother, I told them. They brought the stuff down after the blizzard. Shitou said he’ll wait for you.”

“This is just right. Let’s take the food over first, and then we can eat.”

A-Yin didn’t bother wrapping himself in the fur properly. Zhuo Yan bundled the cornbread in a grass mat for carrying food, placed it in a small basket, and poured the braised meat and broth into a wooden bucket, covering it with a lid. He carried the bucket, hopped onto A-Yin’s back, and they set off.

They arrived quickly. Zhuo Yan touched the outside of the bucket — it was still warm.

“Eat while it’s hot,” Zhuo Yan said as soon as he entered, skipping any formal greetings.

Earlier that morning, Shitou had carried a rattan basket down, packed with food and charcoal, while Kong Xingxing brought the bowls, chopsticks, and furs for everyone. Now, they wasted no time digging in — even the peacocks, usually concerned with appearances, focused on filling their stomachs first.

Kong Yue took a bite, and her eyes lit up.

“This is delicious!”
“Wow, what is this? Is it meat soup? It’s so good!”
“This millet cornbread is tasty too — did you put peanuts in it?”

Even the six peacocks, who normally didn’t care much for meat, were full of praise for the meat stew and soup in the bucket.

Shitou was clean and particular about hygiene, but when it came to cooking—well, the taste was decent. Compared to the other sub-beastmen in the tribe, his skills were pretty good. But as for seasoning, controlling the heat, or frying techniques, he still wasn’t as skilled as Zhuo Yan.

At that moment, Shitou chuckled and said, “Zhuo Yan’s cooking is really good. We’re in for a treat.”

Just then, Baoxue poked his head out, wobbled, and almost plunged face-first into his father’s bowl. Kong Xingxing was so startled he nearly fell over backward, but he couldn’t bear to scold Baoxue. It was Shitou who grabbed Baoxue by the scruff of the neck with one hand and tossed him into Zhuo Yan’s arms.

“Go play,” Shitou said, still holding his bowl of food in the other hand. “You’ve been staring at him for a while now.”

Zhuo Yan: …You’re really a great dad.

Baoxue stared wide-eyed at Zhuo Yan, and Zhuo Yan, holding Baoxue, went over to A-Yin, giving the little snow leopard a fierce rub on the head. Baoxue let out a series of “awoo” sounds, and A-Yin joined in with a howl of his own. The moment Baoxue heard it, his ears perked up, and his leopard instincts kicked in—he bared his tiny baby teeth.

Thin, sharp little fangs.

Suddenly, a question popped into Zhuo Yan’s mind. “Shitou, what did Baoxue eat after he hatched?”

“Dudu fruit mixed with minced meat,” Shitou replied.

Zhuo Yan let out a breath of relief—he’d just been wondering about the whole “milk-feeding” situation. “So in our tribe, is that how all the cubs are fed?”

“Yeah,” Shitou said.

“Including Qiao and the others—” Zhuo Yan hesitated, unsure how to phrase his question.

Shitou looked confused, but Kong Xingxing quickly caught on. “Are you asking about how females have milk and males don’t? But in the grassland beastmen tribe, isn’t there no distinction between male and female?”

“Qiao is a sub-beastman like us, so why would she have milk?” Shitou asked.

Zhuo Yan: …Oh no. He realized he didn’t know how to explain this. While beastmen and sub-beastmen were broadly categorized, he himself still thought in terms of male and female. But in the tribe, those distinctions were barely acknowledged—it was almost like they didn’t exist.

It was similar to how appearances worked.

Some sub-beastmen preferred women, and some beastmen preferred men—in this tribe, gender seemed more like an aesthetic preference than a biological one.

“Then what happens if the dudu fruit isn’t ripe, but there are cubs in the tribe?” Zhuo Yan decided to change the subject.

Shitou answered easily, “That’s simple—we just boil some meat broth.”

“But newborn cubs don’t have teeth, so don’t give them too much meat—just the broth will do. If you don’t know how to handle it when the time comes, I can help you take care of them.”

Zhuo Yan nodded, not daring to dig deeper into the topic. Suddenly, a thought struck him—he had never seen Qiao or any of the tribe’s women have a menstrual cycle.

So in this tribe, the distinction between male and female really wasn’t emphasized. Strength, toughness, and skills mattered far more.

“That’s great,” Zhuo Yan let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness—he had been dreading the thought that after having a cub, he might have to… nurse them. Every time he thought about it before, his scalp would tingle with fear.

Who could understand?!

Thank goodness.

Once they finished eating, Zhuo Yan picked up the wooden bucket and strapped the rattan basket to his back, ready to leave. But Shitou handed him some of the food they had brought. “We can’t just eat your food all the time. You’ve already worked hard cooking for us.”

“Alright then,” Zhuo Yan accepted Shitou’s grains and meat without argument.

Shitou seemed pleased, grabbing Baoxue by the scruff of his neck. “Wave goodbye to Uncle.”

Baoxue flapped his little wings.

Kong Xingxing, standing behind them, looked on nervously, practically ready to catch Baoxue if he fell.

Zhuo Yan: …Hahahahaha.

It looked like in Shitou’s household, the parenting style was “strict mother, kind father.”

Over the next few days, Shitou and Kong Xingxing went back and forth between their cave and the weaving hut, moving charcoal and food. Zhuo Yan and Aman helped cook, delivering meals separately. Eventually, Kong Huo and the other four simply started sleeping there.

“I think this house is pretty warm.”
“Yeah, warmer than our cave.”
“Going back and forth every day is freezing me bald.”
“There’s no heat back home anyway—might as well sleep here.”

Even Kong Xingxing, looking around at the house and the glass windows, said, “This is much, much warmer than the bamboo house I built.”

“And it’s so bright.”
“The cave is so dark.”

The snow outside reflected off the glass, lighting up the room so well during the day that there was no need for lamps — it was bright without being harsh on the eyes.

As the six peacocks got more and more familiar with their work, Kong Huo and the other four simply laid out bedding on the floor and started sleeping there. A-Yin and Daen even helped move a bed down, placing it against the wall. At night, the five of them shifted into their original forms, curling up under the furs and squeezing together for warmth.

During this time, Daen and Aman often came to Zhuo Yan’s place to hang out. They helped him put up a roof over the stove, and in the end, they just used the big stove at Zhuo Yan’s house to cook. Once the food was ready, Daen and Aman would deliver it, then come back to eat at Zhuo Yan’s place.

Day by day, the weather grew clearer. You could hear the sound of the river rushing as the thick ice began to thin. Qiao and Ada also came by — but there was no sign of Xiao Xian.

“Don’t you remember? Both his older brothers have mates now — they don’t have time to carry him around.”

Zhuo Yan: A moment of silence for Xiao Xian.

Xiao Xian loved to play.

“A-Tou and A-Ri went to Snow Deer Mountain this year,” A-Yin added from the side.

Ada joined the conversation, “A lot of people went this year.”

Zhuo Yan kept feeling like he was forgetting something. He kept staring at Qiao, making her a bit confused. She finally asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

“No, I just forgot something I wanted to tell you… but I can’t remember what it was.” Was his memory starting to fail him now?

A-Yin tried to help him think, but he couldn’t figure it out either.

It wasn’t until they all arrived at the weaving house that A-Yin suddenly spotted his brother and shouted, “Baoxue!”

“What Baoxue? What happened during the snowstorm?” Qiao asked, puzzled — but before she could finish speaking, something flew straight toward her.

Ada immediately took a defensive stance, raising his hand —

In that split second—

Zhuo Yan blurted out, “That’s Shitou’s cub!”

“Baoxue, Baoxue! That’s Shitou and Boss Kong’s cub.”

He finally remembered what he had forgotten — to tell Qiao and Ada about Baoxue.

Ada stopped his hand just in time, and Baoxue, completely unbothered, landed smoothly on the stranger’s arm. His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he stared at the new faces.

Kong Xingxing rushed over, looking like he was about to have a heart attack. Shitou also seemed a bit worried. When they both saw that Baoxue was unharmed, they let out a sigh of relief.

Ada stood there, stunned, glancing between Shitou and Qiao.

Qiao was equally bewildered.

A… a leopard with wings?

…It wasn’t until the two of them heard the full explanation that Ada apologized. Shitou simply said, “Baoxue isn’t hurt. It’s fine.”

Zhuo Yan, still a bit shaken, added, “When the rest of the tribe returns, we should introduce Baoxue to everyone so they know who he is.”

Kong Xingxing nodded, though he silently resolved to keep a closer eye on Baoxue. He couldn’t let the cub fly off again — at least not until Baoxue was a little older.

When the river ice finally melted and the water rushed freely, the river widened considerably.

At last, Xiao Xian was able to leave his home again. Around the same time, a large group of beastmen returned from the forest near the tribe, carrying the sub-beastmen on their backs. The sub-beastmen were still bundled tightly in cloaks, wrapped up against the lingering cold.

Once they reached the tribe and spotted Zhuo Yan and the others, they eagerly jumped down.

“Zhuo Yan! There really are hot springs on Snow Deer Mountain!”

“The hot spring water is so warm!”

Beneath their furs, the sub-beastmen’s faces were rosy, glowing with warmth and happiness.

A-Yin went to corner Da Ya again, chatting with A-Tou. The sub-beastmen gathered in a circle, still buzzing about their trip to Snow Deer Mountain. Some were shy, others excited, and someone finally asked: “Is it true that we might get pregnant with cubs?”

Everyone turned to look at Zhuo Yan.

Zhuo Yan: …I’m not an ultrasound machine.

“I can’t guarantee anything. You’ll know in a while.”

“Hehe, even if we don’t get pregnant, we can always go again next time.”
“It was really fun.”
“Those snow deer are so clumsy… and they smell bad. You can’t eat them.”
“There are so many hot water pits in the mountains.”
“We brought loads of food with us. If the weather wasn’t warming up and we didn’t have to come back to work, we would’ve stayed longer.”

…

Zhuo Yan figured this spring might be a bit less chaotic for the tribe.

As the snow melted, the ground turned muddy for a few days. Zhuo Yan and A-Yin went to check the bamboo forest — the bamboo was growing well, already reaching up to Zhuo Yan’s thighs. By autumn, they’d be able to use it. That was a relief.

Then they checked the ramie fields. The snow had seeped deep into the soil, leaving only hand-thick stalks and roots visible. It wasn’t clear if the plants had survived the winter.

Zhuo Yan crouched down, nearly ready to knock his head against the dirt in prayer. “Please, you all have to stay alive!”

As the tribe gradually awakened from winter, everyone began tidying up their caves and clearing out the kiln yard.

The long-absent sound of bang bang bang echoed through the air, summoning the crowd to the central square.

The chieftain stood there with a solemn expression and delivered bad news — two elders from the large cave had passed away.

They hadn’t died from hunger. There was plenty of food in the cave — uneaten meat and grain, along with firewood and charcoal. They even had their share of furs. It was only today that their deaths were discovered — they had frozen to death.

There was fuel for the fire, yes, but winter had dragged on too long. The elders’ bodies had grown weaker. Perhaps, one night, the charcoal fire in their cave went out, and no one woke up to rekindle it. Just like that, they succumbed to the cold.

The tribe, having long grown accustomed to life and death, didn’t react too strongly — everyone knew their time would come. The elders had lived for many years, and at least they hadn’t starved. They had passed away with full bellies.

For the people of the tribe, starving to death was the most unbearable fate.

The chieftain assigned a few beastmen to carry the elders’ bodies beyond the tribe’s borders, out onto the grasslands — following the custom shared by the four tribes, returning the dead to feed the prey.

After that, life moved forward. The days were spent firing the kilns, turning the soil, and sowing seeds.

There were many teams that went to Snow Deer Mountain, so they brought back plenty of the transparent stones — far more than Zhuo Yan had expected. Not just the Leopard Tribe, but the other three tribes as well. Their populations had similar age distributions: very few elders, almost none at all, mostly young adults, and only a small number of cubs.

Because of this, most of the young adults brought their partners along to Snow Deer Mountain. Only a few stayed behind — like A-Senlin and Rong, who had two cubs to care for — or those who were single and without partners.

Gu He went too, but Gu Tian didn’t.

Zhuo Yan heard this from Qiao.

Zhuo Yan: ?

“I thought you’d be curious,” Qiao said.

Zhuo Yan replied, “…I did ask Shitou about it before, but I figured it out later. It’s got nothing to do with me or A-Yin.”

“Alright. Then I won’t tell you next time.”

“…We can still gossip and chat. Just let me know if there’s anything important,” Zhuo Yan thought to himself — preferably news about Gu He’s death.

Qiao chuckled and agreed. “You really like A-Yin.”

Since Qiao had known Zhuo Yan, he had always been a smiling, easygoing person — never losing his temper, playing with Xiao Xian, goofing around with everyone. Even during spring, when he had something serious to explain, Zhuo Yan would still speak with a cheerful grin.

The only time Zhuo Yan ever showed a temper was when it came to A-Yin.

“Of course I do. A-Yin is my partner,” Zhuo Yan replied confidently. He firmly believed that if he were ever wronged, A-Yin would definitely get angry for him too — they were the same in that way.

As they worked, they chatted, while A-Yin led the beastmen in grinding the transparent stones into powder. Hearing his brother and Qiao’s conversation, A-Yin’s eyes sparkled — his brother really did like him a lot. And he liked his brother the most too!

Zhuo Yan continued making the clay molds, pulling Qiao and Xiao Xian — the two with the most nimble hands — to help. Before long, the other sub-beastmen gathered around, curious about what they were doing. Zhuo Yan patiently explained each step.

Although the snow had melted, the ground was still partially frozen and difficult to plow, so it was the perfect time to finish making tools for planting.

When Zhuo Yan explained this, the sub-beastmen eagerly joined in to help. Those who couldn’t find a spot to work simply squatted nearby to observe or carried over soil.

“You don’t need yellow clay, and it doesn’t have to be too fine. This is just a clay mold — we’ll be taking it off later,” Zhuo Yan explained.

Everyone nodded in understanding:
“Oh, got it.”
“So that’s how it works!”

At this time, the snowmelt mixed with the river water was ice-cold and bone-chilling, but everyone was used to it. They didn’t feel the cold — they were working with great enthusiasm, and no one wanted to go back to the cave to rest because it was just too boring!

Zhuo Yan understood everyone. He himself had become more talkative and social. People at the kiln factory were chattering away about trivial matters. Even if he didn’t join the conversations, just listening was quite entertaining.

It was the same here as it was in the weaving house.

However, the sub-beastmen only went there to watch and didn’t dare to get involved. Of course, the news that the egg laid by Shitou and Peacock hatched into a winged leopard had spread throughout the entire tribe.

On the surface — Zhuo Yan didn’t hear any malicious or disdainful words. Most people were curious and surprised, and no one said anything in front of him or Qiao. That was good enough.

When the molds for rakes, shovels, hoes, and sickles were ready and being fired, good news also came from the weaving house. Xiao Xian rushed over, panting heavily:

“Brother Zhuo Yan, the clothes you mentioned — Boss Kong and the others have finished making them!”

The sub-beastmen at the kiln were all curious.

“Are they very beautiful?”
“What do they look like?”
“Do the dresses have their feathers on them?”

“No, no,” Xiao Xian’s eyes sparkled as he gestured with his hands. “I’ve never seen anything like them before — they’re not skirts, and they’re different from leather skirts…”

In fact, Zhuo Yan already knew. Kong Xingxing and the others had started weaving fabric day and night with their tribesmen about half a month ago. Although there were only two looms, the six of them took turns, working at an impressive pace. The warp threads took a long time to wind, so while half of them wove, the other half kept winding threads nearby whenever the warp hadn’t run out yet.

Essentially, except for nighttime, the looms hadn’t stopped running during the day.

The fabric had already been woven a few days ago, and they had accumulated quite a lot.

Kong Xingxing and a few others found Zhuo Yan, intending to present the fabric to the chief. When Zhuo Yan saw it, he was thrilled — finally, they no longer had to wear animal hides! They could now wear pants, T-shirts, and once the fabric was mass-produced, even make underwear. It was a sign of progress.

After the excitement settled, Zhuo Yan calmed down and said, “Boss Kong, you’ve been rushing to weave fabric, surely you want to prove that the Peacock Clan staying in the tribe is useful — even extremely useful — right?”

“Not entirely,” Kong Xingxing replied honestly. “The six of us can survive no matter what. Of course, for Shitou’s sake, I’d push them to work harder, but not to the point of braving the cold in winter to weave fabric. What I really want is for the Leopard Tribe not to resent Baoxue.”

Even without Baoxue, Kong Xingxing would still have his people diligently weaving fabric. But as he said, once spring arrived and the weather warmed, they could weave then — it wasn’t like the tribe was in urgent need of new clothes.

“…” Zhuo Yan thought to himself: They really are one of us now — speaking so frankly.

Shitou chuckled cheerfully.

“Why not go a step further and make clothes out of the fabric? That would be even more impactful than just presenting the cloth,” Zhuo Yan suggested.

Kong Xingxing nodded — making clothes was fine. After all, they had already promised to make skirts for the Leopard people, and it wasn’t too much trouble. Kong Lü and the others were eager, even thinking about adding some feathers to make the skirts look more beautiful.

Zhuo Yan: Erkang hand gesture — Please, no.

“I have some animal hides picked out for the skirts. It took so much effort to weave this fabric — using it to make skirts would be a waste… not that skirts are bad, of course.”

It was just that, at this moment, he really wanted to wear pants.

The newly woven summer cloth was a bit stiff because it had been starched. It needed to be washed — the more it was washed, the softer it would become. They soaked the fabric in the river, with two people holding each end, repeatedly rinsing it, wringing it dry, and hanging it out to air before it could be cut and sewn into clothes.

Zhuo Yan brought out some bone needles from home, but the Peacock Clan had their own “plant needles,” which were even thinner than bone needles. They couldn’t be used to sew hides, but they worked perfectly for ramie cloth.

As for making clothes, Zhuo Yan demonstrated this and that, showing the Peacock Clan how to stitch and cut.

And so, when Xiao Xian came to deliver the good news today, it wasn’t exactly a surprise. The tribe had already seen Kong Xingxing washing and drying the summer cloth — but the Peacock Clan had insisted the clothes weren’t ready yet and asked everyone to wait a little longer.

A few days ago, people at the kiln were already talking about the summer cloth.

“I secretly touched it — it’s so soft and thin! It won’t be warm enough for winter, not like animal hides.”

Zhuo Yan heard this but didn’t chime in, because another sub-beastman responded, “Zhuo Yan already explained — this fabric isn’t for winter; it’s summer cloth. In the future, we won’t have to wear leaves anymore.”

Someone else asked, “How soft is it? Is it sturdy?”

“I only touched it for a moment, so I’m not sure how strong it is, but it’s really soft. The Peacocks said it’s not ready yet — they still have to make clothes. They said it’ll be done in a few days, so I didn’t dare touch it again.”

…

For the past few days, everyone had been looking forward to the summer cloth.

So the tall grass growing in the fields — the ones that looked just like wild reeds — could really be turned into clothes!

“Let’s go have a look,” Zhuo Yan said.

Even Qiao grew curious. “What about the fire here—”

“We’ll watch it,” Ada said, smiling from ear to ear. “You go ahead.”

A-Yin also stayed behind, guarding the kiln. He wanted his brother to go see the excitement, promising to keep an eye on the fire.

So Zhuo Yan nodded and led the group in a grand procession toward the weaving workshop — building up momentum for Kong Xingxing.

The area in front of the weaving house was spacious, and the summer cloth that had been drying earlier had already been gathered.

Shitou and Kong Xingxing were still inside the weaving house, using charcoal fire to warm the fabric.

When everyone arrived, they all looked at Zhuo Yan. Zhuo Yan then asked, “Boss Kong, we heard that the clothes are ready?”

As soon as Baoxue saw the crowd — all unfamiliar faces — he flapped his wings and tried to dash outside, but Shitou, quick as ever, caught him and tucked him into his arms. Baoxue behaved for a few seconds, then started chirping again in his soft, childlike voice.

Kong Xingxing’s heart softened, and he gave Shitou a pitiful look, mirroring Baoxue’s expression.

“Alright, but you have to behave and stop flying around,” Shitou said, placing Baoxue on his shoulder. Then he turned to Kong Xingxing and added, “Zhuo Yan brought everyone — they’re all waiting for the clothes.”

“Come inside, everyone,” Kong Xingxing said.

But Zhuo Yan replied, “The room is small, and there’s a lot of us. If we get too excited and knock something over, it won’t be good. Why don’t you bring the clothes outside?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”
“We can look from outside.”
“It’s brighter out here.”

Kong Xingxing called for Kong Huo and Kong Lü to bring out the clothes. Originally, the clothes were neatly folded on a table inside, but since they had to be shown outside now, the two picked them up carefully.

Everyone craned their necks, eager and curious to see what the clothes looked like.

“These aren’t like what we wear now.”
“Are they skirts? So long?”
“Can’t be, right?”

Kong Xingxing glanced at Zhuo Yan. Zhuo Yan stood in the crowd, occasionally nodding along with the murmurs of curiosity — “hmm, hmm” — but when Kong Xingxing looked his way, he simply smiled, showing no intention of stepping forward to explain.

After all, this was the result of the Peacock Clan’s hard work. Whether Kong Xingxing cared or not, it was only right for the Peacocks to present their own achievements.

Back when Kong Xingxing was the clan leader on Peacock Mountain, he had faced plenty of admiration and endless questions from the other four tribes. He had never paid much attention to such “honors” — they were just a hassle to him. But now, looking at Zhuo Yan’s expression, two things became clear:

First, Zhuo Yan wasn’t trying to take credit. Though Kong Xingxing didn’t care about that, it was still obvious that Zhuo Yan wasn’t pushing himself into the spotlight. After all, the ramie, the loom, and the process of making clothes — these were all things Zhuo Yan had taught them.

He deserved a lot of the credit.

Second, since all this hard work was for Baoxue’s sake, they were at the final step now. Kong Xingxing couldn’t just stand back like he used to — avoiding people and dodging attention.

So Kong Xingxing stepped forward.

Ah, what a refreshing sight — Boss Kong, standing with confidence.

Zhuo Yan couldn’t help but marvel. This Kong Xingxing was nothing like the one he met for the first time.

Truly, having a child changes everything — whether you want to grow stronger or not, you have to.

“Kong Huo, Kong Lü, Kong Yuan, Kong Yu — hold the clothes up so everyone can see.”

The five of them spread out the clothes they were holding.

“Wow!”
“What’s this?”
“Why is this one so long? Are these… legs?”
“This isn’t a skirt.”
“What’s that part on top?”

The sub-beastmen stepped closer, eyes full of curiosity, firing off questions one after another.

Kong Xingxing said, “Kong Yue, put it on so everyone can see.”

Kong Yue obediently listened to his older brother, removing his rough, crudely stitched leather vest — something Shitou had sewn together. The leather was tough, so it took a lot of force to punch the holes for stitching. Even the “thread” used was just thin strips of leather, making the openings large and uneven. It was wearable, but barely.

The sub-beastmen of the Leopard Tribe all wore similar tops — like vests or sleeveless jackets — loose and baggy. No one thought much of it before since that was just how everyone dressed. The only real differences were who had neater stitches, whose leather had nicer patterns, or whose vest was softer and didn’t smell.

But now, with everyone watching, Kong Lü and Kong Huo held up the new shirt. Kong Yue slid his arms through the sleeves — which reached just above his elbows.

For the sub-beastmen, who were used to working all day in sleeveless leather vests, long sleeves felt strange — impractical, even. Showing off their arms was just a part of how they dressed, so this sudden change caught them off guard.

Zhuo Yan’s suggestion was: take it slow.

The first step was to get everyone in the tribe to wear clothes — starting with practical designs.

The second step would be to let everyone get used to wearing clothes, and then gradually introduce more styles and variations.

The current design was a simple, loose-fitting, front-tied T-shirt — a one-size-fits-all for the sub-beastmen. On Kong Yue, it looked far too big.

Shitou, noticing this, took off his leather vest and put on a shirt as well. Kong Xingxing stepped in and personally tied the straps for him, forming two neat little bows.

The shirt fit Shitou much better — slightly loose, but not as oversized as it looked on Kong Yue. The hem fell just below his stomach, and the neckline dipped a bit lower.

Neither beastmen nor sub-beastmen liked wearing anything too restrictive, so this simple design was a good starting point.

Even Zhuo Yan had to admit — the shirt looked beautiful. The stitching was tight and secure, using matching flax thread, making the seams strong and durable. The shirt Shitou was wearing seemed to have been dyed with duduguo pulp, giving it a natural, rustic grayish-white color.

“I’ll go inside and change into the pants,” Shitou said. In the past, he wouldn’t have thought twice about stripping off his leather in front of everyone, but things were different now. Shitou liked Xingxing, and he didn’t want to expose himself in front of others anymore.

He went into the house to put on the pants.

Meanwhile, Kong Yue, having taken off his leather vest, demonstrated how to wear the pants right there on the spot.

He carefully slid both legs into the pant legs while Kong Huo and the others held his arms steady. Once the pants were on, he tightened the drawstring at the waist. The pants almost reached his ankles — practically long trousers on him.

With a creak, the door opened again, and Shitou stepped out. His pants fell just below his knees, the wide legs hanging loosely around his calves.

The gathered sub-beastmen finally snapped out of their stunned silence.

Murmurs broke out — some stammered, some gasped in surprise, others asked curious questions, and a few seemed a bit skeptical.

They had never seen this kind of clothing before — it wasn’t a skirt, nor was it a vest.

“What… what is this?”

“These clothes… they don’t have little holes. How were they made?”

They were referring to the tight, even stitching.

“So pretty, really pretty. I like it.”

“But the ones Shitou and Kong Yue are wearing—why are both legs wrapped up? That can’t be as comfortable as a leather skirt, right?”

Some were still a little skeptical.

Shitou immediately squatted down, spread his legs apart, and grinned, showing his white teeth. “This thing—Zhuo Yan calls it ‘pants.’ From now on, when we squat, it’s better than a leather skirt. Others won’t be able to see inside anymore.”

“And besides, sitting on your partner’s back with your legs spread apart, the leather skirt won’t ride up to your waist. This way, both legs can stay warm.”

As soon as these words were spoken, even the sub-beastmen who had doubted earlier had their eyes light up.

“Yeah!”

“Why didn’t I think of that!”

“What is this called? This is great, this is great!”

“It’s called pants,” Zhuo Yan said with a beaming smile. He finally had pants to wear.

So happy~