Chapter 76

Hearing those words, Jian Ping froze in place. He stood there dazed for a long moment, unable to react. He honestly thought he’d misheard.

When he came back to his senses, he looked excitedly at Ye Wulan. “Little Brother Ye, did I hear you right?”

“You’re really willing to teach us how to make that carrying pole?”

Ye Wulan nodded. “That’s right. It was my wife’s idea.”

As he spoke, he took Ye Baizhi’s hand. “This is my wife.”

Ye Baizhi smiled. “We’re all neighbors, and making a shoulder pole is simple. There’s no need to trade anything for it.”

“It’ll just make fetching water easier for everyone.”

Jian Ping was deeply grateful. “Thank you, thank you both!”

“I’ll go tell my wife right now!”

He ran home in excitement but suddenly remembered something and turned back.

“Uh, Little Brother Ye—where exactly do you live?”

“Just right here.”

Only then did Jian Ping realize they were just one stone house apart. They lived that close. That made him even more excited and happy.

“Thank you, Little Brother Ye. Thank you, miss.”

Ye Baizhi waved a hand. “No need to be so polite. Just come by the courtyard later to learn.”

“You can also tell the others who wanted to buy the pole—they’re welcome to come too.”

“Alright!”

Jian Ping hurried home with the bucket of water he’d drawn.

After telling his wife, Zhu Ling, the news, he rushed back to the well to inform the others who had originally asked about buying the carrying pole.

The other four male beastmen were stunned.

“Jian Ping, are you serious? Did we hear that right?”

“Yeah, Jian Ping—this is their craftsmanship, and they’re just going to teach us how to make it?”

They all found it hard to believe.

The beastmen living in this part of the estate were a mix of various species, unlike tightly-knit tribes—everyone more or less kept to themselves. At most, they’d exchange a few polite words in passing.

Jian Ping assured them, “It’s absolutely true. Little Brother Ye and his wife are genuinely kind.”

“They’re happy to teach us.”

“I’m heading over to their courtyard now—it’s the second house west of mine.”

Seeing Jian Ping’s sincerity, Cang Fei, one of the beastmen, said, “If that’s really the case, then I, Cang Fei, will remember Little Brother Ye’s kindness.”

With that, he transformed into his beast form—a hawk—gripped his water bucket in his beak and flew home, eager to join the lesson. The other three, now fully convinced, were equally excited and quickly followed suit. But no one arrived empty-handed—everyone brought a few wild fruits along.

When Jian Ping and Cang Fei arrived, they expressed their heartfelt thanks.

Ye Wulan said, “We’re all neighbors—there’s no need to be so formal.”

“We’re new here ourselves, so we’ll be relying on everyone going forward.”

Cang Fei replied earnestly, “Rest assured, Brother Ye. If you ever need anything, just call. We live at the easternmost house in the alley up front.”

Jian Ping added warmly, “I’m even closer—just give a shout and I’ll be there in no time.”

The other three neighbors lived farther away, but they were also genuinely grateful to Ye Wulan.

In this estate, everyone had grown used to keeping to themselves. People mostly minded their own business and didn’t interact much.

Ye Wulan had broken that unspoken distance, and many of them felt almost overwhelmed by the kindness—both surprised and touched.

It warmed their hearts and made them instinctively want to treat this little household well in return.

Watching the group gathered in the courtyard, Ye Baizhi thought to herself: most beastmen on the Beast Continent had simple, straightforward minds—few hidden agendas. And that was a good thing. Since they were new to the area, making connections with a few good neighbors would help. She didn’t mind teaching them a few skills—especially since these people seemed sincere and well-meaning.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Ye Wulan got to work teaching everyone how to make a carrying pole. His instructions were clear and detailed—he even made one on the spot and explained how to balance and use it properly.

When everyone saw how easily Ye Wulan crafted the shoulder pole—especially how effortlessly he split and polished the wood—they realized just how powerful “Little Brother Ye” truly was. Their expressions were full of admiration. Among male beastmen, strength was revered. Of course, those with ill intent, no matter how strong, were always kept at a distance. But Little Brother Ye and his family were warm-hearted and kind—everyone genuinely wanted to get closer to them.

They each tried carrying water with the new poles they’d just made.

Ye Wulan even brought out two buckets of water for them to test it with.

“This is incredible—it feels so light! I can barely feel the weight.”

“How does that work?”

“Yeah! We’re carrying two buckets—it should feel twice as heavy, but it doesn’t at all.”

“Little Brother Ye, you’re amazing—being able to make something like this!”

“Fetching water will be so much easier from now on.”

“Exactly. With so many kids at home, we go through a lot of water—we used to have to make several trips every day. Now we can save effort and time.”

Naturally, none of them knew the shoulder pole operated on the principle of leverage. They excitedly chatted with Ye Wulan, faces glowing with admiration.

That reverence needed no words—it radiated from every glance. It was as if everyone was ready to declare Ye Wulan their leader on the spot.

Even so, Ye Wulan remained calm and composed. No one knew why exactly, but in his presence, they instinctively felt a sense of respect—no one dared to be careless or act out. But their gratitude was absolutely genuine.

They’d never imagined there were such good people in the world. If it had been anyone else, this kind of craftsmanship would have never been shared—at most, the poles would be sold for a hefty price, demanding all sorts of goods in return. Skills like this were usually guarded closely and never willingly passed on. Shoulder poles might look simple, but there were techniques to make them well.

Inside the house, Da Bao was still napping. Meanwhile, Ye Baizhi was in the courtyard washing shepherd’s purse and mushrooms—she had spotted them while returning from rescuing her brother and decided to dig some up along the way.

Cang Fei hesitated for a while, then couldn’t help but speak up: “Little Brother Ye, those are just weeds. They’re not edible, and they’re not even good for kindling. I’ll help gather proper firewood later.”

Cang Fei was naturally upright and warmhearted—he never forgot a favor.

Jian Ping also scratched his head. Truth be told, he had been thinking the same thing but hadn’t dared to say it.

Ye Baizhi smiled and said, “These aren’t weeds—this is shepherd’s purse, a type of wild vegetable.”

“It’s edible,” she said.

In the apocalyptic days, shepherd’s purse was one of the most prized wild greens—completely natural, free of pollution, and expensive. Even if you had the money, it wasn’t easy to find.

Ye Baizhi especially loved making dumplings and wontons with it.

Tonight, with stuffed eggplant on the menu, she planned to make shepherd’s purse and wild bird egg soup alongside it. She liked to pair a staple dish with soup at every meal.

Lintu, Shilu, and Shifan—three beastmen—were all stunned.

“You can eat it?”

Just hearing the word “food” left them wide-eyed and a little dazed. It seemed too unbelievable.

That wild green grew everywhere in the nearby mountains. They saw it all the time while chopping wood—and had always assumed it was just a weed. Unless someone were truly starving, no one would go foraging for weeds in the hills.

Unknown greens could be dangerous. Eating the wrong one could make you seriously ill. There was no doctor in the village either, so everyone lived very cautiously. If they didn’t recognize a plant, they’d rather go hungry than risk it—one wrong bite could be fatal.

Even the slightest discomfort couldn’t be treated—there were no shamans in the village. And most of the time, even if they wanted to gather herbs, medicinal ones were far too expensive.

Ye Baizhi smiled and explained, “Yes—not just these. These mushrooms are also edible.”

There were mushrooms scattered all over the hills, yet no one gathered or ate them. Since she still had plenty of food stored in her space, she didn’t mind sharing knowledge about shepherd’s purse and mushrooms with everyone.