Chapter 177

“In the mountains, there were no roads, but with enough people walking, a path was formed.”

Just like the narrow path the returning beastmen were now walking on.

Towering trees stood on both sides, and the earth had been compacted into a trail.

Qi Bai sat cross-legged on Lang Ze’s back, his face bathed in the shadows cast by moonlight filtering through the tall trees.

This kind of peaceful, scenic wilderness was something Qi Bai had never encountered in the modern world.

He leaned in close to Lang Ze’s large ear and whispered, “It’s so beautiful.”

Lang Ze twitched his ear. He was born on the plains—no towering mountains there—but he was no stranger to the nighttime forest.

Hearing the joy in Qi Bai’s voice, Lang Ze couldn’t help but observe the environment more closely.

The sounds of frogs and insects echoed softly. If he lowered his head, he could nudge the moss-covered rocks.

This once-familiar landscape now seemed transformed through Qi Bai’s eyes.

Lang Ze’s pace slowed unconsciously, allowing the yak tribesmen behind them to overtake.

But all roads must end eventually. Just after they rounded a thick patch of branches, Qi Bai and Lang Ze saw a warm light ahead.

Yang Luo held up a torch. “What took you two so long? Come into the settlement—dinner’s ready and nearly finished.”

Qi Bai smiled and gave a quick reply, then patted Lang Ze’s back and slid down to the ground using his lifted forelimb.

Inside the wooden gate, the inner wall had several rows of wooden planks with hooks for hanging beast hides. These hooks weren’t often used by sub-beastmen, who usually stayed in human form. It was mainly the horned beastmen, who transformed into beast form when leaving, that used them.

Qi Bai, however, was familiar with this setup. He quickly found Lang Ze’s hide garment and handed it over as Lang Ze shifted back into human form.

When beastmen transformed into human form, they were only modestly covered—females wore tube tops and short skirts, and males a simple hollowed skirt.

Though this was normal for beastmen, Qi Bai’s gaze caught on Lang Ze’s defined abs and the bulge beneath his fur skirt.

Nope. That’s not for public viewing. Cover that up.

Beneath the big tree between the school and the cubs’ house, shadows bustled everywhere.

Since spring work began, the tribe returned to communal meals. And with the warmer weather, they no longer crowded into the cubs’ house or school to eat.

The long stump tables brought out for the Spring Festival hadn’t been taken away, now perfect for serving food.

Beastmen were never formal about eating—many just grabbed a bamboo bowl of food and squatted or stood in corners to eat. Most were now gathered around the yak tribe who had just returned.

Quan Nan chewed a bone blankly. “Really? You just pull the dirt and it turns over?”

Niu Xin looked at him like he was clueless. “Of course. You all saw how big that land was.”

As others nodded, Niu Xin drank some bone soup and continued under everyone’s urging: “Back then, we needed tons of people to clean that land. But today, with just twelve plows, we nearly turned over the entire field! And we did it in neat rows—looked amazing.”

“Wow.”

The tribespeople showed appropriate amazement, fueling Niu Xin’s enthusiasm. He held up a finger: “Bai Bao said, by tomorrow morning, we’ll finish plowing everything.”

Li Li waved eagerly, “Niu Xin, don’t stop! Tell us more—how do the plows even move through the soil?”

A few sub-beastmen chimed in, “Lang Ze’s smaller plow looked like even we in human form could pull it. Why not make more?”

Niu Xi sighed, “Those plows already used up all the iron in the smithy. We can’t make more without more iron.”

A horned beast youth jumped in, “We saw loads of red stones in the Red Ridge Mountains last year. Let’s go dig them tomorrow!”

Niu Xi shook his head, “Bai Bao said everyone’s too busy. No one to spare for mining.”

The crowd sipped soup with silent sighs. If only one person could do the work of two…

Groups like this one gathered in several places. Bursts of excitement rang out now and then, with lively expressions on every face.

Perhaps even the tribespeople themselves didn’t realize how monotonous their old lives had been—daily hunting and gathering had little novelty.

Qi Bai and Lang Ze were the last to return. As they and Yang Luo walked to the food bins, the queue just cleared. Hu Xue and She Li were tidying the tables, debating whether to move the cooking to the curing house.

Lang Ze asked casually, “Something wrong with the cubs’ stove? Should I get Xiong Feng to check?”

Hu Xue ladled food for them. She Li waved, “No, Zhu Zhu said the kang bed-stove in the cubs’ house is too hot. The kids can’t sleep.”

During the seasonal change from winter to spring, the inside of houses should be cooler than outside. But in the cubs’ house, tribe members made butter at the firebed, then cooked meals in the evening, meaning the fire was always going.

Even with the flue sealed, the heat had nowhere to go, making the place unbearably warm.

Qi Bai nodded.

It had been helpful in winter, but now the rapidly warming weather turned it into a problem.

More importantly, the cubs’ house wasn’t designed with a separate kitchen. Cooking there daily built up grease and smoke—it wasn’t sustainable.

As few people were queuing for food now, Qi Bai stood nearby with his bowl.

“We don’t need a temporary setup anymore. I think it’s time to give you a proper big kitchen,” Qi Bai said.

Hu Xue and She Li now oversaw meals for the whole tribe. Just prepping ingredients took a huge space.

Yang Luo nodded, “And we should move the milk processing out too.”

Qi Bai glanced into the distance. “There are three unused houses between the curing and fodder rooms. Let’s repurpose two—one for the kitchen, one for dairy. They’re side by side, easier to manage.”

She Li’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Qi Bai smiled, “We should’ve done this sooner. Hogging the cubs’ space all this time? That’s just bullying the kids.”

“That’d be amazing. We’ve got tons of tools and seasonings—it’s a pain to move them around every day.” Hu Xue added, “But we’ll need your help planning. One stove and oven isn’t enough. We need at least three!”

Qi Bai thought for a moment. “Since we’re dedicating that whole house to cooking, tear out the kang—keep the back half near the wall. In the inner room, build three stoves and use leftover bricks for large ovens. That way we can roast for the whole tribe without building campfires outside.”

These houses had been built quickly, with no special layouts. Now that they’d serve specific purposes, redesigns were necessary.

But better to do it right than half-heartedly.

As the tribe’s main cooks, Hu Xue and She Li’s eyes lit up brighter with each word. They wished the kitchen could be built tomorrow.

She Li said, “If we get those stoves and ovens, we’ll cut our cooking time in half!”

“I’ll go get Xiong Feng,” Hu Xue tossed her spoon in the basin and ran off.

“Bring Hu Huo too,” Qi Bai called after her.

With time ticking, Qi Bai and Lang Ze quickly ate their food: three dishes and a soup—bamboo shoots with meat, mushroom beef chunks, wild veggie mash, and bone soup.

Using fresh ingredients from the tribe, they varied the meals daily. Lang Ze could tell Qi Bai had a hand in the menu.

In a tribe without entertainment, food was the simplest way to boost morale.

So meals were now a priority: two dishes and a soup in the morning, two snacks at noon, and three dishes and a soup at night.

Bone soup was the star—it came with a large bone for every person.

The hunting team had smoked and cured the big meat chunks. Leftover bones—piled like a hill—weren’t wasted either. They were chopped and stewed.

Qi Bai gnawed his bone. Hours of boiling made them tender and flavorful, almost like soft coarse biscuits.

Truly, the Black Mountain Tribe wasted nothing—not even bone scraps.

Soon, Hu Xue returned with Xiong Feng and Hu Huo. Mouse Lin and a four-legged baby Xiong Shan came to watch too.

Xiong Shan had finally learned to shift between forms—still not smooth, occasionally startling himself with sudden transformations.

Qi Bai waved at Mouse Lin, “Just in time. Help me brainstorm.”

Qi Bai squatted by the firelight and sketched out a plan for the kitchen and dairy rooms. He reviewed everything carefully with Xiong Feng.

Qi Bai and Xiong Feng were used to this kind of collaboration. Honestly, the end result rarely matched Qi Bai’s exact vision—but that wasn’t necessary.

They weren’t building a factory line. And often, Xiong Feng and Mouse Lin’s teamwork brought unexpected improvements.

As for Hu Huo—he was there to build wooden shelves and buckets.

Tribal tableware mostly consisted of large bamboo bowls—sturdy and portable.

But there was no proper storage. Bowls were dumped together, sometimes even left soaking, and it was hard to tell whose was whose.

Solution?

Three wooden racks outside the kitchen, each with a bucket beneath. Everyone could grab their bowl from the rack, and drop it in the bucket after eating. The cleaning crew would wash and replace them.

Of course, people who preferred eating at home could still do so—just wash their own bowl.

Hu Xue and She Li wouldn’t need to carry food back and forth anymore either. Just place it on a large table outside the kitchen.

Yang Luo pointed at the sketch, “Good idea. Since the kitchen’s near the entrance, folks can eat as they come or go—saves time.”

Qi Bai gave Yang Luo a look—no need to race the clock that hard.

“We can park the gathering carts near the wall, facing the kitchen. Easier for unloading,” he offered.

Yang Luo stroked his chin and barked orders, “Start building tomorrow morning. Prioritize the kitchen. If we can free up sub-beastmen from cooking, send them to the gathering team.”

Xiong Feng nodded seriously and grunted his approval.

Cooking for 300+ people wasn’t easy. Prepping alone took a dozen people half a day. Stir-frying was constant labor.

Sure, it wasn’t sun or rain, but after a day your hands were pruney and your arms sore from stirring.

Qi Bai didn’t expect extra manpower—fixing the workspace was the real goal.

Everyone went off to handle their tasks. Qi Bai and Lang Ze carried the wild grass they had gathered earlier toward the small vegetable garden beside the cave.

Because it grew outdoors, Qi Bai’s jujube-berries ripened later than Niu Xi’s, but the scent of ripe fruit already lingered.

The small gate between the garden and duck pen stayed closed lately.

Qi Bai entered the garden and checked the fruit under the leaves. Seeing them red and plump, he grinned, “This year I’m keeping more seeds. We’ll expand the jujube patch.”

Lang Ze chopped fresh wild grass and added crushed shrimp shells, dumping the mix into the duck trough. He smiled, “Good idea. Let’s plant more.”

Then he reached under the hay nest and pulled out three duck eggs.

Holding them, he turned and asked, “So… how do we get new ducks to hatch?”