Wen Ze’s heart skipped a beat, thinking something was wrong with the food. He quickly looked over to see what was happening.

Through the gaps in the crowd, he saw Qin Shu, one of Yin He’s friends who was holding a piece of stuffed lotus root with a bite taken out of it. His tongue was sticking out, and tears were welling up in his eyes.

Wen Ze asked nervously, “What’s wrong? Does it taste bad?” 

That couldn’t be it; he had tasted them after frying, and they were perfectly fine. 

“It’s not that…” Qin Shu mumbled through his tears. “It’s too hot…” 

Wen Ze let out a sigh of relief, both amused and helpless. “It’s just been fried and still has the batter on it. How could it not be hot? Take a smaller bite and let the inside cool down before you eat.” 

Qin Shu nodded pitifully. “Okay…” 

Qin Shan, who had also joined the gathering, looked at his brother and couldn’t help but laugh. “I told you not to rush.” 

Li Shui picked up a lotus root slice and also chuckled. 

Meanwhile, at his feet, Jia Yi was hugging his leg with two little panda paws, rocking back and forth and whimpering impatiently. 

Li Shui tried to shake him off but failed. Frustrated, he turned to his partner and said, “You shouldn’t be laughing at your brother. Look at your own kid, isn’t he the same?” 

Qin Shan paused for a moment before replying, “Isn’t he your kid too?” 

Li Shui: “…” 

The couple exchanged a glance and then both burst into laughter. 

After learning from Qin Shu’s earlier mistake, Wen Ze made sure to avoid the small hands and paws when serving the lotus root stuffed with fillings. 

The teens and cubs could only gather around the adults, eagerly asking for more. 

There was plenty of lotus root and beast meat to go around. Wen Ze taught everyone how to fry their own, so they could make more if they wanted. 

Having been busy since the morning, Wen Ze’s stomach was growling. He ate about ten lotus roots before moving on to stir-fried lotus root slices. 

This dish didn’t require much skill. Whether it was stir-fried for a short or long time, it didn’t affect the taste. 

The only thing to note was that the slices should be soaked in water beforehand to wash away the starch on the surface. This step made the dish crispier when fried. 

Since the stir-fry was meant to highlight the natural flavor, Wen Ze kept it simple. He added just a few ingredients and used only salt as seasoning. 

Despite being such a simple dish, it received unanimous praise from everyone. 

Sang Hui sighed, “No wonder what we made before didn’t taste good. We just steamed it without any seasoning, and it was all stringy. It’d be strange if it tasted good.” 

Aside from the fried slices, Bai Ling’s favorite was the cold lotus root salad. He couldn’t stop eating it. 

“Father, you’ve got to try this! The lotus root slices are so tender and crispy, perfectly balanced with salty, savory, sour, and sweet flavors. Even the scallions are crunchy and sweet—it’s just amazing!” He eagerly recommended the dish. 

Sang Hui nodded in agreement. “The taste really is excellent, and it’s easy to make. We should definitely make this more often.” 

Bai Ling’s eyes sparkled. “Yes, yes! Lotus root is truly a treasure!” 

Ji Sha added, “Exactly, we owe Wen Ze for helping us discover such a delicious new food.” 

Everyone agreed wholeheartedly. 

Wen Ze, who was the center of attention, was sitting on a rock, enjoying the moonlight, the cool evening breeze, and the pleasure brought by good food. 

Hearing familiar footsteps approach, he didn’t even need to look to know it was Zhuo Mu. 

Sure enough, Zhuo Mu squatted down beside him and handed over a bowl of meat soaked in broth. 

“Oh, is this black-armored beast meat?” Wen Ze asked. 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “Yes, and there’s also some fluffy beast meat in there. I noticed it’s about ready. I’ve also rendered the fat from the fluffy beast and stored it in a clean jar.” 

Wen Ze’s eyes lit up with surprise. “Thank you! I really needed that! Zhuo Mu, you’re so capable—you’ve been a huge help!” 

Zhuo Mu was so reliable that Wen Ze didn’t even have to explain things; he’d just take care of everything. 

“No need to thank me.” Zhuo Mu pushed the bowl forward. “Want to try it?” 

“Of course!” Wen Ze replied eagerly. 

The bowl was still hot, so instead of handing it over, Zhuo Mu held it himself and let Wen Ze eat from it. 

His movements were so natural that Wen Ze didn’t even think to refuse. He picked up a piece of black-armored beast meat with his chopsticks, blew on it before putting it in his mouth. 

As the flavor unfolded, his eyes gradually widened. “This is delicious! The texture is a bit like bird meat, but it’s much more tender. Who would’ve thought something that looks so dark and ugly could taste this good? There’s no gamey flavor at all. Do you have chopsticks? You’ve got to try this!” 

Zhuo Mu: “I brought them.” 

He picked up a piece of black-armored beast meat and tasted it. His dark eyebrows arched slightly. 

Wen Ze: “What’s wrong?” 

Zhuo Mu: “It’s much better than what I’ve had before. It must be the way it’s prepared.” 

Wen Ze was overjoyed. “So adding the fluffy beast to the stew was a lucky accident after all?” 

Zhuo Mu smiled faintly: “Mm.” 

Wen Ze: “Then let me try the fluffy beast meat! Oh, and the root vegetables too!” 

With each bite, he loudly exclaimed how delicious it was and wouldn’t forget to offer some to Zhuo Mu. 

The bowl of stew, with both meat and broth, was soon shared between them, one chopstick after another. 

Seeing Wen Ze still unsatisfied, Zhuo Mu stood up and said, “I’ll go get another bowl.” 

Wen Ze, feeling too lazy to move, stayed seated and waited for him. 

By the pot where the black-armored beast meat was stewing, a large group of people had already gathered, eagerly scooping meat into their bowls. 

Those who got the first serving of meat all exclaimed in surprise: “So fresh and tender! It slid right down my throat without much chewing. What a wonderful feeling!” 

“Even the root vegetables soaked in the broth are delicious!” 

“The soup is amazing! Hey, don’t take too much, leave some for me!” 

Wen Ze burst out laughing and shouted, “There’s more black-armored beast meat over there! Get them to stew a couple more pots! Oh, and the lotus root soup should be ready now, everyone, try it!” 

“Wen Ze, thank you! We won’t be polite! When you go back, bring the beast meat I brought!” 

“No need, no need. Go ahead and eat!” 

Those who came late turned to the lotus root soup and were just as full of praise. 

“The nights in the mountains are cool at night and drinking a bowl of this hot and delicious lotus root soup really makes me feel so comfortable.” 

“Yes, the soup has this nice, sticky texture. It tastes really unique.” 

“I didn’t see Wen Ze add much seasoning, but it’s so flavorful!” 

“Back then, we used to toss out beast bones, but now, simmering them with lotus root turns them into a dish!” 

“Also, have you noticed? The lotus root is even tastier than the bones!” 

“My favorite is the bone marrow. It’s incredibly rich and fragrant.” 

“Lotus root can be fried, stir-fried, chilled, or made into soup… Wen Ze really opened my eyes today!” 

“I still prefer the black-armored beast meat. I have to ask Wen Ze if I can exchange for some.” 

At a gathering like this, there were fewer rules. People ate while talking, and when the mood struck, they would sing and dance. The atmosphere was lively and harmonious. 

Wen Ze not only ate his own cooking but also tried dishes and fruits brought by others. Some of the half-beastmen had roasted meat that was especially juicy and tender. 

After eating his fill, he sat on a rock, clapping along with the beat as he watched everyone sing and dance. 

The tiredness from the day slowly faded away with the beautiful singing and bright, satisfied smiles. 

As for those who asked to exchange for the black-armored beast meat, Wen Ze smiled and waved his hand, saying, “That’s the meat Zhuo Mu hunted. Why are you all asking me?” 

The newcomers suddenly realized and laughed. “Oh, we forgot you two aren’t family yet.” 

Wen Ze thought that sounded a bit strange.

Before he could figure out how to respond, Zhuo Mu, who had been silently sitting nearby, calmly said: 

The meals at home are taken care of by Wen Ze. You can talk to him if you want to exchange. 

A person rushed over to Wen Ze and said, “See? I told you we should find you!” 

Wen Ze turned his head and met Zhuo Mu’s gaze. Zhuo Mu’s red eyes mirrored the dark night sky, and his expression was completely calm. 

Wen Ze chuckled inwardly, feeling he had been overthinking. 

After all, exchanging meals for a place to stay was something he had agreed on with Zhuo Mu from the start, so Zhuo Mu wasn’t wrong to say that. 

They had shared two black-armored beasts during the gathering, leaving six more. It was impossible for the three of them to finish them all anytime soon. 

Wen Ze moved a little closer to Zhuo Mu, who naturally leaned down to listen as Wen Ze softly asked, “Do you need anything?” 

Zhuo Mu replied, “Can’t think of anything for now. What about you?” 

Feeling full and relaxed, Wen Ze said, “I’d like to exchange for some stones to build the foundation for my house.” 

Zhuo Mu nodded. “Then let’s exchange for stones.” 

Wen Ze froze for a moment and quickly whispered, “But that’s not right—these are the beasts you hunted, and the house I’m building…” 

Before he could finish, someone couldn’t wait any longer and shouted, “Stones, right? What kind? How big? Tell me, I’ll go get them when I come back from hunting tomorrow.” 

“I want to exchange some too!” 

“Count me in!” 

Zhuo Mu glanced at Wen Ze. Somehow, the coldness in his eyes had disappeared, leaving only a soft warmth. 

Faced with everyone’s enthusiasm, Wen Ze had no choice but to describe the type of stones he needed. 

Everyone promised to find Wen Ze as soon as they collected the stones. 

Wen Ze carefully remembered everyone who wanted to exchange, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder how he could properly repay Zhuo Mu for looking out for him so much. 

***

The next morning, Wen Ze woke up early. 

While preparing breakfast, Zhuo Mu told him he’d be leading a group to hunt some long-haired, curved-horned beasts today and would be out the entire day. 

He also mentioned that Sang Hui had arranged for people to start repairing the pottery kiln, then asked Wen Ze what his plans were. 

Wen Ze didn’t feel the need to keep anything from him and answered, “The Rainbow Sun Tribe ordered some sulfur soap and regular soap from me. I’ll be making it with Yin He in the morning.” 

Zhuo Mu nodded, “Okay.” 

Seeing Zhuo Mu’s composed expression, Wen Ze hesitated but eventually spoke up out of concern, “I heard those long-haired, curved-horned beasts are aggressive and love to fight. Be careful during the hunt.” 

Zhuo Mu was adding firewood to the stove. Hearing this, his cold, serious expression softened a bit, and he let out a low “Mm.”

He also reminded Wen Ze, “Be careful when making the soap. Don’t let the animal fat splash on you.” 

“Okay.” 

The two quietly focused on their tasks, the atmosphere between them was inexplicably warm. 

Even the crackling of the burning firewood felt comforting. 

Suddenly, the hurried footsteps of Yin He echoed. 

The hardworking young man was carrying a wooden bucket. As he hurried toward the cow, he loudly shouts, “Brother! Brother Zhuo Mu! I’m off to milk the cow!” 

After Yin He left, Wen Ze and Zhuo Mu exchanged glances and burst into laughter. 

Wen Ze said, “I’ll go check on Yin He.” 

Zhuo Mu replied, “Go ahead.” 

Since there was no shortage of food at home, Wen Ze boiled the leftover lotus root from the previous day, mashed it, added some animal fat, and mixed it with fresh grass. 

He wasn’t sure if it tasted good, but it smelled really nice. 

Without grains, this could at least serve as extra nutrition for the two cows. 

He poured a big basket of mixed greens in front of the two cows. They stuck their heads down, flared their nostrils, and quickly started eating. 

Meanwhile, Yin He had already become skilled at milking. With his sleeves rolled up and a slight bend at the waist, his ten fingers moved swiftly. 

The two cows were familiar with him as well. He focused on milking while they continued eating, undisturbed by each other. 

If the big cow moved and made it difficult for him to collect the milk, he would even push it, despite its much larger size. 

Wen Ze smiled in satisfaction and said, “Yin He, you’re doing a great job.” 

Without looking up, Yin He responded with pride, “Of course! When you and Brother Zhuo Mu weren’t around, I did most of the milking! Qin Shu and the others came to help, but none of them were as good as me.” 

“Oh, and I even took them to the river for a bath!” 

“No wonder they look so clean. Not bad, not bad. You’re really capable—keep up the good work.” Wen Ze praised him a few more times, fully boosting Yin He’s motivation. 

Seeing him work even harder, Wen Ze chuckled to himself: I really am a cunning adult. 

The cows were docile, so Wen Ze reached out to touch them. Their short, dense fur and firm skin felt strong and warm—pleasant to the touch. 

He smiled like a landlord with high expectations. “Eat more. I’m counting on you to produce more milk and help with more work.” 

For breakfast, they still had meat and lotus root, accompanied by fresh, delicious milk. Everyone ate heartily. 

After breakfast, Zhuo Mu changed into his beast form and left. 

Wen Ze asked Yin He to clean up, while he took a walk around the field. 

The scallions had grown lush and didn’t even need watering. 

Most of the thorn fruit trees had survived, so he added some water to their roots. 

The tomato seeds he’d planted not long ago hadn’t sprouted yet, but there were some small holes in the soil, probably from insects or birds. 

Luckily, they hadn’t dug up all his seeds, so he replanted a few. 

Once he was done, he went to the river to fetch two buckets of water before returning to the straw shelter in front of the cave. 

The sky was just beginning to brighten, clearing the white mist between the mountains and wilderness. 

People began to show up, some looking to rent the spinning wheel. Wen Ze got busy again, earning some honey blocks, dried fruits, and hemp thread. 

Later, he and Yin He went over the supplies in the cave. 

“The beast meat won’t stay fresh for long. I exchanged four black-armored beasts yesterday, so we still have two left… There’s a little over one fluffy beast remaining… The river clams have been spitting out sand all night—we need to remember to change their water later… And there’s still so much lotus root?” Wen Ze mumbled to himself. 

Yin He took note of everything and then tilted his head. “Brother, should we exchange some of the lotus root away?” 

Wen Ze shook his head. “We brought back too much lotus root yesterday. Everyone in the tribe got some, so it might be hard to exchange. How about this: grab the stone hoe, and we’ll pick out some of the sprouted lotus roots. Let’s find a pond nearby and plant a batch.” 

“If we don’t finish eating it all, we can dry it and save it for winter.” 

Summer isn’t the best time to plant lotus roots, and the ones they brought back were big, which is not ideal for planting. 

Still, he wants to give it a try. If they grow, that’s great; if not, Wen Ze won’t be too disappointed.

Yin He followed his lead without hesitation. “Alright!” 

When planting the lotus roots, Yin He noticed Wen Ze digging holes by the pond and asked in surprise, “Brother, don’t we just plant them directly in the water?” 

Wen Ze replied, “No, if there’s too much water, the roots will absorb too much and rot. We need to let them grow a bit first, then bring the water in.” 

He carefully placed the lotus sprouts into the dug holes, patiently explaining to Yin He. “Look, when planting, tilt them at an angle to protect the buds. When covering them with soil, make sure to leave the tip and the tail exposed.” 

Yin He nodded repeatedly. Once he felt he had understood, he followed Wen Ze’s method and started planting as well. 

Wen Ze occasionally gave him some guidance and praised him. 

Farming wasn’t an easy task, and with the intense sun overhead, both of them quickly broke into a sweat. 

Though Yin He didn’t stop working, he still grumbled, “This is such a hassle. We don’t even know if they’ll survive. It feels easier to just go and harvest them directly.” 

Wen Ze responded, “But this is close to home. If they grow well in the future, we can just come over and pull out a few whenever we want. Isn’t that convenient?” 

Yin He nodded. “That’s true. But Brother, how did you know how to recognize lotus roots? I don’t even remember us eating them, and yet you know how to plant them.” 

Wen Ze laughed casually, “I heard about the planting method from others. And don’t forget, I’m ten years older than you. Just because you haven’t eaten them doesn’t mean I haven’t.” 

Being younger, Yin He took his word for it and nodded. 

After they finished planting the lotus roots, the brothers took a short break before starting a fire to heat up the oil and salt water they had previously collected—they were going to make soap. 

With more practice, Wen Ze went through each step smoothly. 

As he heated the ingredients, he said to Yin He, “Go get a few clams that don’t look too great. Scald them in hot water until they open, then remove the shells and crush them.” 

“Got it! How fine should I crush them?” 

“The finer the better. Then grind them with stones until it’s powder. I’m going to mix it into the soap later.” 

“Got it!” 

Before, Wen Ze had tried adding wood ash water to the oil, but filtering it was troublesome, and the texture wasn’t great. The salt water they had collected this time solved that problem. 

More importantly, he was using the fluffy beast fat, which gave off a delicate, oily scent with a faint gamy aroma when mixed with the salt water. 

Before long, Yin He returned with the crushed clam shell powder. Wen Ze carefully added it to the oil bit by bit. 

“Brother, what’s this powder for?” 

“The soap we made before was too soft. Adding this should make it harder.” 

“Ah, I see.” 

They made two batches of soap, one regular and one with sulfur, using up most of the fluffy beast fat. 

After adding the clam shell powder, both soaps had a gritty texture but were still smooth when stirred. 

The regular soap liquid was light gray, while the sulfur soap liquid was a grayish-brown, and they had different smells. 

Interestingly, the sulfur’s scent was neutralized by the oil, so it didn’t smell bad. 

Wen Ze signaled to Yin He to stay a bit further away so he wouldn’t get burned. 

Using both hands and a piece of animal hide as insulation, he carefully poured the thickened soap mixture from the clay jar onto large, broad leaves in batches. 

Once done, he set the jar down and examined the soap, which hadn’t fully solidified yet. “Doesn’t it look a bit ugly?” 

The modern soaps, whether round or square, are quite refined and are likely shaped using molds. 

Unlike him, who could only wait for the soap to cool and solidify before cutting it into pieces manually. 

Wen Ze stroked his chin. Maybe he should make a batch of molds too? 

Yin He looked at the soap, inspecting it from all angles, and seriously said, “It’s not ugly at all. Look, it even shines under the sunlight. Once it’s done, I’m sure a lot of people will like it.” 

It’s not just the oil that reflects light, but also the ground-up shell powder. 

Maybe it was because most of what they had was dull and grayish, and beastmen had a thing for shiny objects—like pearls, gemstones, and metals.

It was understandable that Yin He liked the soap, especially since he’d never seen anything like it before.

But as for Wen Ze, he wanted to make it better. Even something that reminded him of his past life gave him a sense of purpose.

“When the Rainbow Sun Tribe arrives, I’ll see if I can order a batch of clay molds from them,” Wen Ze made up his mind. 

After noon, Zhuo Mu still hadn’t come back. 

Having done a lot of work in the morning, the two brothers were hungry. Wen Ze quickly stir-fried two dishes and steamed some roots. 

While waiting for the roots to cook, he took the clam meat Yin He dug out, removed the innards, and carefully washed it with plant ash water a few times. 

Then, in a hot pan, he fried the scallions until fragrant, added the chopped clam meat, and stir-fried it on high heat. 

Afraid it would get too tough, he sprinkled some salt and thorny fruit, then quickly served the clam meat in a dish. 

The clams were large, and with just a few pieces of clam meat, he managed to make a full plate of food. 

“Yin He, time to eat!” He placed the dishes on the stone slab and called his brother. 

“Okay!” Yin He hurried over, glancing at the food. “Oh? Is this clam meat?” 

“Yes, try it and see how it tastes.” 

Yin He sat across from him, eagerly picked up his chopsticks, and was the first to grab the clam meat. 

But after chewing a couple of bites, his expression changed, and he looked at Wen Ze, seeming like he wanted to speak but stopped himself. 

Wen Ze had a bad feeling in his heart. 

He also picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The texture was tough, and that fishy taste hit him hard! 

“Ugh!” He couldn’t eat anymore and spat it out. 

Yin He quickly did the same, gulped down some cold water, and then managed to swallow down the nausea. 

After a moment, as Wen Ze stared blankly at the failed dish, Yin He guessed he must be feeling disappointed. 

After all, it was the first time Wen Ze had made something so unpalatable… 

“Brother, it’s not your fault. The clam meat is just naturally hard to eat,” Yin He tried to comfort him. “Back when our tribe had no food, people would rather dig up tree roots than touch clams. They were afraid that instead of filling their stomachs, they’d end up throwing up whatever was already inside.” 

Wen Ze chuckled at his words and said, “I’m fine. I’m just thinking about what went wrong and if there’s another way to prepare it.” 

Yin He’s handsome little face fell. “Huh? You’re not giving up?” 

“This is still food. I don’t want to waste it.” 

The key was that he had eaten delicious clam meat before and regretted not learning how it was made. 

Yin He still looked unconvinced. “I really don’t think there’s any way to make this taste good.” 

“Did you forget about the scallions, lotus root, and black-armored beast meat? Once I found the right way to cook them, they turned out great. I’ll try boiling it next time.” 

Yin He frowned, opened his mouth, but didn’t dare to say it: Wouldn’t the whole pot of soup just smell fishy? 

Once Wen Ze had an idea, he stopped dwelling on it and began eating the other dishes. “Come on, let’s just eat. Don’t overthink it.” 

As he chewed on the roots, Yin He silently prayed: No matter how it’s cooked, please don’t make me try the dish. Let Brother Zhuo Mu do it; he can handle it better. 

After the meal, they rested for a while. 

In the afternoon, Wen Ze took Yin He to wash the starch. 

The large stone mill, which had usually been ignored, had a line today. Fortunately, everyone’s turn didn’t take long. While waiting, they cut the lotus roots and chatted, making the time pass quickly. 

Wen Ze had brought five big baskets of lotus roots, so they wouldn’t have to worry about starch for the rest of the year. 

By evening, Wen Ze was back at it with the clam meat. 

Following his plan, he fried the clam meat and then made a pot of soup. The milky white color and fresh river flavor were still quite tempting. 

When Zhuo Mu came back carrying beast meat, Wen Ze called him over to wash up and eat. 

Yin He’s eyes lit up, and he quickly scooped a bowl of clam soup, placing it in front of Zhuo Mu. 

“Brother Zhuo Mu, you’ve worked hard all day. You eat first!” 

In his heart, he silently apologized: Sorry, Brother Zhuo Mu. 

---

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