“You’re a female, so you need to eat salt,” Long Mo said, frowning seriously. “This may not be much, but take it for now. I’ll figure out a way to get more.” He looked as if he’d handed Hu Jiao Jiao a tiny pinch of salt instead of a whole jar.

This was salt Long Mo had traded from the chief after they’d mated. Back then, salt in the tribe was plentiful, so the chief had reluctantly given him a portion.

Originally, he’d planned to give it to Hu Jiao Jiao , but after that day, she had refused him, kicking him out of the tribe. He’d hidden the jar in the forest and never brought it up again.

Hearing him say “it’s not much,” Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

Not much? This entire jar of fine salt? If she hadn’t had the salt in her space, this jar alone would be enough to last through the whole winter!

She was starting to think Long Mo was being modest on purpose.

“Oh, I don’t need more, really! This is plenty already—no need to worry about salt!” Hu Jiao Jiao quickly tried to reassure him, anxious he’d go to extremes over “not enough.”

Long Mo took her words as just trying to comfort him. Though he didn’t personally need salt, he’d seen how sparingly it was used in the tribe. It had to be precious.

“Just let me know if it runs out. You don’t need to worry about it,” he insisted.

“More than enough,” Hu Jiao Jiao replied quickly. Even if it wasn’t, she still had her own secret stash.

Taking the jar, she wrapped it carefully in animal hide and tucked it in her little cabin. Salt was invaluable here, and it must have taken him ages to save up this much. She may not be short on salt herself, but this jar felt precious.

This was salt the villain himself had given her!

After safely storing it, Hu Jiao Jiao called Long Mo to join them for breakfast, glad she’d already set food aside for him. Once they’d finished eating, he headed out to hunt.

With their firewood running low, the five little ones set off to gather more, and Hu Jiao Jiao went to tend to her garden. The radish and rapeseed sprouts were coming along nicely, and down in the southern field, the potatoes were thriving too.

Aside from the salt shortage, everything was progressing well.

Only…

Hu Jiao Jiao glanced at the quickly dwindling stack of firewood in the yard. They’d been using a lot lately with all the cooking, and though the cubs diligently collected more, it wouldn’t last forever. When winter came, they wouldn’t be able to gather any.

No matter how much they stockpiled, it would burn up in no time. If they ran out, they wouldn’t be able to keep warm through winter—even in a stone house, the cold would be brutal.

They would need to produce charcoal, which would last longer, burn more efficiently, and keep well. It would be perfect for both cooking and heating.

With this in mind, Hu Jiao Jiao decided to bring it up with the chief. If they could start making charcoal before winter, everyone could have enough stored to keep warm through the cold months.

After watering her radish and rapeseed, weeding, and finishing up in the garden, she was just about to leave when someone called from the yard.

“Sis! Are you home? Look what I brought for you, Sis…”

She recognized the voice and stepped out to see her strong, broad-shouldered brother, Hu Qingshan, standing in the yard.

“Big Brother? What brings you here?” she asked, surprised. This time of day, he was usually out hunting.

“Sis, I came to bring you something. Check this out,” Hu Qingshan said with a smile, stepping forward and retrieving a large animal-hide bundle from behind his back.

He unwrapped it layer by layer, revealing a small heap of coarse white salt.

More salt?!

Hu Jiao Jiao stared, wide-eyed. “B-Brother, where did you get so much salt?”

Though not as fine as Long Mo’s, nor in a large quantity, the salt was in solid lumps and undoubtedly valuable.

Hu Qingshan wrapped the salt back up and handed it to her with a gentle smile that softened his usually tough features.

“This is salt I saved over the years,” he said warmly. “Take it, Sis. If you need more, I’ll find a way to get it.”

“Don’t worry—Big Brother won’t let you go without salt!”

Pleased with his promise, he patted his broad chest, his tone full of pride and care.

Still stunned, Hu Jiao Jiao tried to push the salt back. “Brother, this is too precious. You should take it back for Father and Mother. I don’t actually need salt right now, truly.”

But Hu Qingshan gently pushed it back into her hands. “Don’t worry about Father and Mother—I’ve already left some for them. This is just for you. So go on, keep it,” he insisted firmly.

This was his beloved little sister, and of course, the salt he’d saved was meant for her.

Otherwise, what was the point of his strength, if he couldn’t even take care of his sister?

“Brother, honestly, I don’t need it. Long Mo already brought me quite a bit of salt today, enough to last us,” she laughed, exasperated.

But Hu Qingshan only frowned slightly, his tone a bit disdainful. “Long Mo? How much salt could he have brought you, anyway? Just keep this, Sis, and make sure to hide it. We don’t want other beastmen getting ideas.”

In the tribe, salt was shared property, and anyone wanting their own stash had to trade food for it. Only a few had enough extra food to trade, so the vast majority depended on the tribe’s supply. If anyone found out they had this much salt, there could be trouble.

“I’ll keep it safe, don’t worry,” Hu Jiao Jiao assured him, smiling at his concern. She wasn’t about to waste the salt Long Mo and Qingshan had both saved just to hand it out.

Still, seeing her brother’s misunderstanding of Long Mo, she couldn’t help but try to clear things up. “Brother, Long Mo really isn’t as—”

But before she could finish, Hu Qingshan clapped a hand on her shoulder, interrupting her. “I’ve gotta get back to hunting. If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll always take care of it for you!”

And with that, he was gone as quickly as he’d come.

Hu Jiao Jiao could only sigh. Her big brother never gave anyone else a chance to get a word in.

Shaking her head, she went back inside and placed Hu Qingshan’s salt alongside Long Mo’s. But before she could get comfortable, she heard yet another voice calling from outside.

“Sis! Look what Second Brother brought for you!”