Hearing these familiar words, Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of foreboding.

After putting away her new bundle of salt, she stepped outside to see her second brother, Hu Qinggao, standing in the yard, flashing her a warm, radiant smile. His strikingly handsome fox-like eyes were nearly squinting shut with joy—something that only happened when he was with her.

“Second Brother…”

She had barely greeted him when Hu Qinggao strode over, holding out a small animal-hide pouch. “Little Sis, don’t worry about running out of salt this winter! I’ve brought some for you. It’s not much, but it should get you by for a while. And if you need more, I’ll find a way to get it—trust me, you won’t be going without salt!”

The familiar words, the familiar tone… Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help but notice the eerie resemblance between her brothers. Even their reasoning and speech were the same.

“Second Brother, I actually…”

“Sis, just take it! Don’t be polite with your brother—if you don’t, I’ll be upset!”

Without giving her a chance to refuse, Hu Qinggao pressed the salt pouch into her hands. Then, as if remembering something, he glanced around cautiously before leaning in and whispering, “Don’t mention this salt to anyone, okay? Not even our brothers.”

Before she could respond, he added, “Oh, and don’t ration it too much. If I find out you’re not eating salt, I’ll be mad.” With that, he ruffled her hair, leaving it a mess before turning and rushing off.

Handsome as he was, his wild, hurried movements made him seem like a gust of wind. The whole encounter left Hu Jiao Jiao without a single chance to speak. By the time she finally processed what had happened, he was already out of sight.

Smiling and shaking her head, she peeked into the pouch. Inside was salt, similar in quality to what her older brother had given, just slightly less. She figured this was probably all her second brother had saved up.

She carefully stashed the salt. But just as she was preparing to finally go see the chief, another visitor arrived.

Her third brother, her fourth brother, even her parents each took turns bringing her more salt, as if they’d all coordinated to take turns, arriving one by one and somehow never overlapping.

By the end of the morning, Hu Jiao Jiao found herself staring at the collection in her cabin—a large stone jar and five animal-hide pouches, each filled with salt. She sat in a thoughtful silence.

Did her whole family form a team to steal salt? How else did they manage to bring so much, as the rest of the tribe worried about the shortage?

The whole situation reminded her of her childhood in the countryside. Whenever she was down, her grandparents always seemed to have some small gift or snack to cheer her up—nothing extravagant, but things that were deeply precious to her.

She packed the salt in a wooden box, arranging it carefully to keep it safe from prying eyes. To her, this was one of the most precious gifts she’d received since arriving in this world.

With that settled, she finally stepped outside, relieved to see no one else approaching. After waiting a few more moments to be sure, she set off toward the chief’s house.

When she arrived, it was already noon. From a distance, she could see several beastmen gathered outside the chief’s house, deep in conversation with him. Unsure if she should interrupt, she considered waiting until they finished. But the chief spotted her right away and waved her over.

“Hu Jiao Jiao, just in time! Come here, come here!”

The chief’s face lit up, and his cheerful expression suggested he was in high spirits. The beastmen with him turned to look at her, smiling warmly.

As Hu Jiao Jiao approached, she noticed that each of the beastmen held various types of small fruits, some as tiny as sesame seeds, others as big as fingernails, in different shades of red, yellow, and more.

“You came just at the right moment. I was about to come find you!” the chief exclaimed, gesturing to the beastmen to show her what they’d brought. “Come take a look—is any of these the salt fruit you mentioned?” he asked eagerly.

The beastmen stepped forward, holding out the fruits for her to examine.

“Let me have a look,” Hu Jiao Jiao nodded, carefully examining each one.

The forest had many poisonous fruits, so beastmen rarely ate the smaller ones, opting for larger fruits that were better suited for sustenance. No one typically harvested these smaller fruits because of the unknown risks.

After checking each fruit, she almost shook her head when her eyes suddenly landed on a small black fruit hidden among some red ones. It was the size of a black bean, with a layer of white crystalline dust on its surface, and felt rough to the touch. It looked almost identical to the salt fruit she remembered.

Rubbing a bit of the white crystal off the fruit, she placed it on her tongue. Instantly, a bitter, salty flavor filled her mouth. Though it tasted more bitter than regular salt, it could definitely work as a salt substitute.

“It’s this one! This is the salt fruit!” she said excitedly, holding it up for the chief to see.

She’d thought finding the salt fruit would take a lot longer, but the beastmen had delivered it within a day. Their efficiency was truly remarkable.

“Really?!” The chief’s eyes widened in surprise, then he broke into a broad grin, laughing so hard that the wrinkles on his face creased. “Haha! That’s wonderful—the tribe is saved!”

Turning to the beastmen, he asked, “Who collected this one? Do you remember where it was found?”

“It wasn’t me,” one beastman said.

“Not me either,” another chimed in.

The beastmen looked at one another, none of them recalling picking up this specific black fruit. The chief’s joy deflated slightly.

Realizing the predicament, Hu Jiao Jiao quickly spoke up. “It must have been mixed in with the other fruits by accident. You should check today’s gathering spot closely—it’s likely you’ll find more there.”

“We have a lead to follow now, right?”

Her suggestion lifted the chief’s spirits again. With a serious expression, he turned to the beastmen and ordered, “Search again and don’t miss a single spot. Focus on finding this specific fruit.”

The beastmen nodded, carefully studying the salt fruit before setting off to resume their search.

Once they had left, Hu Jiao Jiao turned to the chief, finally ready to bring up the reason for her visit.