Every year after the rainy season, a lot of mushrooms would grow in the tribe’s territory, making them an important source of food for everyone. 

Roasted mushrooms, fried mushrooms, mushroom stew… In addition to these common dishes, people would also dry some mushrooms and store them for the winter. When food was scarce, they could soak them in water and use them for cooking. 

The meat slices in the mushroom soup pot weren’t particularly different from the stewed meat they had made before, just a bit more tender. 

What truly amazed them, however, was the dipping sauce Wen Ze taught them to prepare. 

The tender animal meat, combined with the flavor of mushrooms, was already incredibly delicious and paired with the rich dipping sauce… 

The gamey taste was washed away, leaving behind only the rich taste of the meat and mushrooms, which was enhanced multiple times. 

Bai Ling not only grew fond of the peppery numbing taste but also loved the sweet and sour fruit. He put a lot of sour fruit in his bowl and smashed it. The sour, spicy, and numbing smell made his mouth water. 

He stacked the meat slices and mushrooms together, dipping them into the crushed pepper and fruit sauce before popping them into his mouth. 

It felt like a little person was dancing on the tip of his tongue. The wonderful taste made him shake his head and love it so much. 

“Ha, ha.” He put a little too much of the chopped pepper. He exhaled and gave a thumbs up. “Wen Ze, this way of eating is great! In the past, when my family made mushroom stew with meat, I felt full after a few bites. But now I feel hungrier the more I eat.” 

Yin He also enjoyed all the dishes today, his cheeks puffed up as he ate while nodding along. 

Wen Ze smiled and said, “When the food is this good, you always feel like you can never get enough.” 

Sang Hui, amused by his own son, sighed, “Good thing we brought our own ingredients today, or it wouldn’t have been enough for Bai Ling alone.” 

Bai Ling turned red. “Father! I was just joking; there’s no way I’d eat it all!” 

Everybody burst into laughter. 

Sang Hui tried the pepper-flavored mushrooms and Ji Sha’s dipping sauce. 

It’s not that he couldn’t eat the thorny fruit, but he didn’t particularly like it. In the end, he only added the crushed scallions bits to his bowl, squeezed in some sweet and sour juice, and, thinking creatively, poured a bit of hot oil in as well. 

“Sure enough, the flavor of the scallions became even richer after being drenched in oil,” Sang Hui said approvingly while eating the meat. 

Wen Ze said, “This scallion is indeed very useful. Didn’t everyone help me dig up a lot before? I selected some and planted them in the field over there. I also plan to plant the saplings of the thorny fruit tree there.” 

Everyone looked over that way. Bai Ling muttered, “There are plenty of scallions and thorn fruit on the mountain. Can’t we just pick them if we want to eat them?” 

Wen Ze knew that the people in this tribe didn’t have much concept of farming. He smiled and said, “If you grow them yourselves, it’s more convenient to pick them.” 

Bai Ling said, “But farming is so troublesome.” 

Wen Ze replied, “Mm, I guess everyone has their own strengths.” 

Sang Hui understood his meaning and nodded. “Actually, if you have the energy to spare, you can plant some. Do you need our help with planting?” 

“No need, it’s just a few saplings. I can finish planting them quickly.” 

As they ate and talked, Sang Hui commented on the dish Wen Ze made. “This mushroom hotpot method is really convenient. It’s quick to prepare, and the flavor is so good. We can have it more often when we get home.” 

Bai Ling eagerly agreed, “Sure, sure!” 

While everyone was talking, Zhuo Mu, who was sitting next to Wen Ze, hardly said anything. 

However, he was eating very attentively, picking up his chopsticks faster than usual, and beads of sweat appeared on the tip of his nose. 

The bottom of the pot needed to be heated constantly, and whenever the firewood in the stove was almost burned out, he would take the initiative to get firewood and fill it in. 

If there was less water, he would scoop more and add it to the pot. 

Wen Ze silently observed him and thought, “He’s really thoughtful.” 

The six of them start eating late into the afternoon until the sun disappeared behind the horizon. 

After eating for a while, Wen Ze and his other half-beastmen were so full that they put down their chopsticks first, while the Beastmen kept “fighting.” 

Especially Yin He. Despite being much smaller than the other two, his stomach was simply a bottomless pit. 

Wen Ze watched him eat and worried that his belly would burst. 

In the end, over a hundred pounds of animal meat, large amounts of fresh wild vegetables, and two large bowls of fried mushrooms were all finished off by them. 

Wen Ze fetched some cooled water and poured a large bowl for each of them so they could drink and to help digest the food. 

Bai Ling burped shyly, “Today’s meal is so satisfying, Wen Ze, thank you for treating us.” 

Sang Hui also said, “Yes, we also learned from you how to create starch, fry mushrooms, and make mushroom hotpot. I don’t know how to thank you. I will give you half of the mushrooms we picked today.” 

Wen Ze quickly waved his hands. “No need, as you said, there are plenty of mushrooms in the wild, and I’ll be picking more later. So don’t be so polite.” 

Sang Hui and the others smiled and said, “Okay, then come to us if you need anything in the future.” 

Wen Ze nodded, “Mm-hmm.” 

After resting for a while, everyone cleaned up the stove and washed the dishes. 

If one person had to do all the work, it would take a long time. But with this division of labor, they finished quickly. 

As Sang Hui and the others were about to leave, a group of half-beastmen walked over from the distance, led by Li Shui, the skilled and handsome person Wen Ze had met earlier that day. 

“Wen Ze, we’re here,” Li Shui waved his hand and greeted them. “Uncle Sang Hui, you’re here too.” 

Sang Hui said, “Yes, Wen Ze treated us to a meal today.” 

Bai Ling, who had a good relationship with Li Shui, hurried over and bragged, “You have no idea how good the food Wen Ze made was! I’m so full I can hardly move!” 

Everyone’s noses were sensitive. They sniffed the air and said, “I smell mushrooms and animal oil.” 

“And animal meat and wild vegetables? The remaining smell is a bit strong… Could it be the thorny fruit?” They all saw Wen Ze picking thorny fruits today. 

Bai Ling said excitedly, “Yes! It’s the thorny fruit! Come, come, let me tell you all about it…” 

He pulled Li Shui over and began describing the meal in detail, making everyone’s mouths water as they listened. 

When he finished, Li Shui chuckled, “Good thing we ate before coming, or we’d be starving to death from your description.” 

The other half-beastmen added, “Exactly, Bai Ling, you’re too much. You’ve really made me hungry with what you said!” 

“I can’t stand it. Tomorrow, I’m going back to Changping Mountain to pick a basket of thorny fruits.” 

“And I’ll need to make some starch and try the fried mushrooms coated with it! They must be delicious!” 

“Right, right, it just so happens that the roots at home are about to spoil because we can’t finish eating them.” 

Wen Ze came over and finally found an opportunity to asked, “Li Shui, are you here for the pants?” 

Li Shui smacked his forehead. “Look at us, getting distracted and forgetting the main reason why we came here.” 

Bai Ling was also a little embarrassed and touched his nose: “Haha, blame me, blame me.” 

Wen Ze, feeling satisfied and in a good mood after eating, didn’t mind at all. 

“It’s fine, just wait here a moment. I’ll go inside and take off the pants.” 

After saying this, only then did Wen Ze realize how strange it sounds. But there was nothing he could do; he had only made one pair of pants… 

Sang Hui glanced at the young half-beastmen and smiled, “Well, I’ll head back with Ji Sha. Bai Ling, don’t stay up too late playing.” 

Bai Ling replied, “Got it, Father! I’ll leave with Li Shui and the others in a bit.” 

Zhuo Mu also took Yin He and headed towards the straw shelter, leaving the space for the half-beastmen. 

After Wen Ze took off the pants, he thought for a moment and then called everyone into the cave. 

Soon, his pants were being passed around among the half-beastmen. 

Everyone was amazed, “You can tell at a glance that it is very convenient to move around.” 

“Right, hemp fabric is much lighter and cooler than animal hide.” 

“Wen Ze is amazing, not only can he weave, but he also makes such comfortable clothes.” 

Wen Ze, feeling a little embarrassed from the compliments, explained why he had called them over. “Our body are similar, so if you want, you can try them on.” 

Everyone was surprised. “Really? We can?” 

Wen Ze nodded. “Mm-hmm.” 

“I want to try!” 

“Me too! Thank you, Wen Ze!” 

The half-beastmen were very excited, and each of them tried on Wen Ze’s pants and praised them highly. 

It would have been fine if they hadn’t tried them on, but after trying them on, the thought of “wanting to have a pair of pants of my own” suddenly grew in their minds, and they had the urge to create them right away. 

They always loved to be lively, but for the first time, they didn’t stay long. Instead, they said, “I have to go back. While it’s not too dark yet, my partner and I will spin the threads, and try to get enough fabric for making pants as soon as possible.” 

“I also need to go back and ask my father to help me find some suitable animal hide. I feel like using thicker animal hide for the waistband will be more comfortable.” 

“Wen Ze, we’re leaving now! Thank you so much for today!” 

Wen Ze smiled brightly, showing his two sharp canine teeth, and waved to everyone, “Alright, take it easy on the way back.” 

The half-beastmen also waved their hands enthusiastically and left right away. 

In the following days, Wen Ze went out with the tribe’s half-beastmen group in the morning to pick mushrooms and came back in the afternoon. 

Fried mushrooms, mushroom soup, stir-fried mushrooms with meat, mushroom soup… Yin He went from devouring everything in sight to frowning whenever he saw mushrooms. 

When he found out that the tribe was finally done organizing mushroom gathering, he let out a big sigh of relief, much to Wen Ze’s amusement. 

It couldn’t be helped. Mushrooms spoiled too easily, and without a fridge to preserve them, they were hard to store. 

Apart from eating, he also dried a lot of mushrooms, packed them into clean cloth bags, and hung them in a cool, well-ventilated part of the cave. 

Meanwhile, everyone in the tribe got really into making pants and making dishes using thorn fruit. 

By the second day of learning from Wen Ze, even Zhuo Mu had somehow gotten hold of a big piece of fabric and asked Wen Ze for help in making pants. 

And in exchange, he gave Wen Ze a stone hoe! 

The stone and wooden sticks were firmly glued together with resin to keep them from falling off, and hemp rope was tied around them as well. 

“If this is not enough, I can give you more supplies,” the man, with his sharp looks and cool, composed presence, said calmly. 

Wen Ze blinked in surprise for a few seconds before finding his voice. “This is more than enough! It’s actually too much! The hoe you’ve given me is worth enough to make ten pairs of pants.” 

Tools were so hard to come by in this era! Especially since he wanted to build a house, he needed to open up the land, and the stone hoe was exactly what he needed. 

Once the tribe isn’t organizing any gathering, he can start choosing a spot to build the house. 

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