Chapter 30

For Ye Chuan and Ye Shuo, fabric was something far beyond their reach. They didn’t even dare to think about it. Even the animal hides used for clothing in the tribe were considered precious.

Each year, the tribe carefully saved the best hides, exchanging them for essential supplies at the market before winter arrived. The pottery, needles, and scissors they used now had all been obtained through trade at the market since stitching animal hides requires needles and thread.

Ye Baizhi believed that if they had mulberry trees, they could raise silkworms. However, the skill of silk weaving was possessed by only a handful of beastmen. If they found mulberry trees, she could teach the tribe how to make silk. But right now, that wasn’t the priority—the most urgent issue was securing enough food.

The primary purpose of making ramie rope was to create fishing nets and sacks.

Ye Baizhi explained, “Many materials can be used to make fabric.”

“It’s not just silk that can be woven—other materials can be used too. The texture of the fabric depends on the source.”

“Ramie, for example, can be made into coarse cloth.”

“It can also be used to make simple, rough clothing.”

“There’s no rush to start working on that yet. As we gradually learn new skills, our tribe will have everything it needs.”

“By the time winter arrives, our tribe might have stored plenty of supplies.”

“Perhaps we won’t even need to trade precious animal hides anymore.”

There might be many things they could exchange at the market. If they managed to produce summer cloth before winter, they could trade it at the market as well. But now wasn’t the time to think about those things—the most pressing issue was food.

Ye Baizhi patiently explained everything to them.

Ye Shuo and Ye Chuan gradually understood. Their energy surged as they quickly peeled the ramie bark.

Soon, the ramie bark was completely stripped.

“Little Sister, what do we do next?”

Both of them eagerly anticipated turning the ramie into fabric.

Ye Baizhi replied, “First, soak it in water. After a few days, I’ll tell you the next step.”

Ye Shuo and Ye Chuan discussed going to the nearest river to submerge the ramie bark, weighing it down with large stones. When they returned, a delicious aroma filled the air.

The tofu was ready—Ye Baizhi was cutting it with a knife.

Ye Shuo and Ye Chuan stared at the tofu in awe. They had no idea how the soybean liquid had solidified like this. It felt like magic.

Ye Baizhi sliced two pieces of tofu and handed them to Ye Chuan and Ye Shuo. “Big Brother, try the taste.”

Ye Shuo and Ye Chuan felt the warmth of the tofu as they took a bite—it was incredibly soft and fragrant.

“Delicious!”

Ye Shuo exclaimed excitedly, “Sister, with such soft food, beastmen with weaker teeth won’t have to worry about struggling to chew anymore.”

Ye Chuan added, “Even finely chopped and slow-cooked meat turns soft and tender after a long stew—it can be eaten just the same.”

Ye Shuo suddenly smacked his forehead. “Ah, I almost forgot!”

“That’s right—things aren’t like before. Now that everyone knows how to steam and boil food, we can cook it for longer.”

“We have plenty of firewood anyway.”

“And there are sweet potatoes—they’re soft, fragrant, and naturally sweet. They taste amazing too.”

“Every kind of food is delicious.”

That was Ye Shuo’s honest thought. As he looked at his sister, the morning sunlight cast a radiant glow upon her. It gave him the feeling that as long as she was with them, the tribe would only continue to flourish. He felt an overwhelming sense of hope for their Rabbit Tribe’s future. And that feeling—warm and reassuring—spread through his entire body.

Ye Baizhi smiled and said, “This is just the beginning—there’s plenty of food in these mountains.”

“By the way, Brother Ye Shuo, you can organize the tribe to gather soybeans later.”

“We can teach everyone how to grind soybeans to make soy milk. As for making tofu, we’ll need lemons.”

“Once we’ve harvested lemons, I’ll teach everyone how to make tofu.”

Ye Shuo asked, “Wouldn’t it be too troublesome for each household to build a stone mill?”

Ye Baizhi replied, “There’s no need for that. The tribe can build a shared house where the stone mills are kept.”

“Any beastmen who need to use the mill can go to the grinding house.”

If every household had to build a mill, the workload would be overwhelming. Besides, her brother had fifth-tier strength, which made crafting stone mills easier. Many beastmen in the tribe lacked the strength or skill to make mills themselves. It wouldn’t be practical for her brother to do nothing but craft mills instead of hunting—an inefficient use of his time. So, a communal grinding house would be enough.

“Before winter arrives, we can take goods to the market for trade—perhaps even tofu.”

When the time came, there might be more surplus food, and they wouldn’t be limited to trading just tofu.

She had never visited the northern market, only heard her mother and brother talk about it—it was lively, bustling, and vast. Even spending an entire morning wouldn’t be enough to explore it all.

She was quite eager to see it for herself. She believed the market would have great opportunities.

However, a man without strength should not flaunt his treasures. Since the tribe was still weak, it wasn’t wise to draw attention at the market just yet. It would be better to wait two or three months and then take a look. By then, the tribe’s strength should have improved.

Ye Shuo, excited, said, “Right! Why didn’t I think of that? Sister always has a way!”

“It feels like this year, our Rabbit Tribe will be able to get through winter properly.”

“We shouldn’t have to go hungry.”

The thought alone made Ye Shuo feel relieved. Smiling, he continued eating his tofu.

For lunch, Ye Baizhi prepared a radish and tofu stew. It was slow-cooked with radish, tofu, and five kinds of meat.

Ye Shuo and Ye Chuan each had two large bowls.

Ye Shuo felt a slight guilt. “It feels like I haven’t done anything all morning—just eating.”

“Is eating lunch a waste of food?”

He felt like they had eaten too much today. But his body felt comfortable, his strength surging within him. He felt energized. Still, having been accustomed to eating only once or twice a day for so long, it had become a habit. He thought that was how it should be. Eating more made him feel guilty.

Ye Baizhi understood him and said, “Brother Ye Shuo, if food is plentiful, it’s best to eat three meals a day. That way, your body gets proper nutrition and has the strength to recover.”

“Otherwise, if you’re hungry, you won’t have any strength.”

“Besides, don’t you want to break through to the sixth tier sooner? Eating more food will help.”

If he only ate breakfast and skipped lunch, then went hunting vigorously in the afternoon, he would easily become exhausted.

Ye Shuo nodded. “You’re right, Sister. I’ll listen to you.”

“It does feel good to eat well—I feel full of energy.”

Over the next few days, Ye Shuo led the tribe in gathering and storing soybeans.

Meanwhile, Ye Baizhi discovered a few new food sources in the forest.

Ye Shuo also organized the construction of a large grinding mill in the center of the tribe, with a sizable stone mill for future use. He remembered his sister mentioning that they might need to grind many things in the future, so it was best to build a larger mill. With that in mind, he led a group to construct a bigger milling house, placing two stone mills inside.

While everyone was busy, one afternoon, Xue Youchen arrived—dragging a bound and restrained Kasai before Ye Baizhi.