Ze Yu finished washing the last wooden bowl and, turning around, caught sight of Li Zhu sitting on a wooden stool at the cave entrance, watching him with sparkling eyes that seemed to hold two little stars.
He walked over, bent down, and scooped her up in his arms, making Li Zhu gasp softly and instinctively wrap her arms around his neck.
“It’s dark. Time to go back to our nest.”
His voice was deep in the night, gentle yet with an authority that allowed no refusal.
Inside the cave, only a small glowing grass lamp was lit. Ze Yu placed her carefully on the thick pile of furs, leaned down to kiss the corner of her lips, and let his fingertips slide lightly along her spine, radiating warmth.
Li Zhu’s breath caught. She could clearly feel the shift in his body, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.
“Ze Yu…”
“Hm?”
His lips moved to the hollow of her neck, letting out a low, husky sigh.
His breath enveloped her, like the mist in a forest—gentle but with an irresistible, intimate closeness.
Li Zhu bit her lip and placed a hand on his chest, her voice barely above a whisper. “I… I’m still carrying our cubs. Will… will it be…”
She worried, remembering that in modern times, the first trimester was particularly delicate, and strenuous activity could be risky.
Though the physiology in the Beast World might differ, she wouldn’t take the chance.
Ze Yu didn’t stop, only adjusted his movements to be gentler.
“It’s fine, as long as I’m gentle, it’s okay…”
“Then… please be careful…”
Before she could finish, he captured her lips in a kiss.
This kiss was gentler than any before, like a feather brushing her heart, carrying a careful, cherished tenderness.
His hands lightly cradled the back of her neck, so gentle it felt as though he feared breaking a precious treasure.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the fur curtains, landing on his silver-white hair and scattering tiny glimmers.
Li Zhu could feel his rising desire, his body burning with heat, and her own body gradually responding, letting out a small whimper.
Night deepened. The cave held only their mingling breaths and the soft, suppressed moans.
Ze Yu was as gentle as he had promised, every motion restrained to the extreme, as though safeguarding a priceless treasure.
It wasn’t until Li Zhu was too exhausted to keep her eyes open that he finally stopped, holding her close, his chin resting atop her head, listening to her breathing steady, warmth of satisfaction in his eyes.
“Sleep now.”
He kissed her forehead, fingertips brushing the golden mark on her chest.
Li Zhu snuggled into him and soon drifted into a peaceful sleep, her dreams calm and safe.
…
The next morning, Li Zhu woke to find the space beside her empty, but the scent of rich meat filling the air.
Sitting up, she saw Ze Yu crouched by the stove, stirring the stone pot of meat soup. Sunlight streamed into the cave entrance, tracing golden edges around him, giving an indescribable feeling of cozy domesticity.
“Awake?”
He turned to her, a faint smile on his lips.
“The soup’s ready. I added some sweet berry bits you like. There’s also fried meat on the table.”
Li Zhu walked over, wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pressing her cheek against his warm back.
“When did you get up?”
“Not long ago.”
Ze Yu rubbed her hair with one hand.
“Hurry and get the soup; it won’t taste good if it cools down.”
Breakfast was warm and satisfying. Ze Yu’s meat soup was rich, slightly sweet, and Li Zhu drank two big bowls in one go.
She also ate three pieces of fried meat. Once they finished and tidied up, Ze Yu remembered Li Zhu mentioning making salt yesterday, and asked:
“Making fine salt today?”
“Yes!”
Li Zhu’s eyes lit up.
“Ze Yu, first go tell my parents, and have Dad notify the tribe. Then have everyone bring wooden basins to the water pool.”
This salt was meant to be shared with the tribe.
“Ze Yu, would you mind if I distributed this salt to the tribe?”
After all, salt was precious.
“Not at all. If you want to share it, you must have your reasons. Besides, now I’m part of the tribe too. Why would I mind?”
Ze Yu smiled faintly.
“Exactly. I want to share it not just because my father is the chief, but also because they’ve all treated me so well.”
Li Zhu had always been restless as a child, often running around the tribe with A Tang and A Ning, occasionally scavenging meals along the way.
Honestly, she felt lucky to have been born into this tribe. Though not powerful, the members were united and caring.
“Okay, I’ll go tell my parents now.”
Ze Yu said this while heading out.
The tribe fetched water from a nearby small creek, a hidden spot with a natural pool of calm, crystal-clear water.
By now, many tribe members had gathered at the pool. Li Cheng and Ming Yuan were also there, and seeing them approach, Ming Yuan waved cheerfully.
“Ah Zhu, Xiao Ze, you finally made it! Ah Cheng said you were going to make salt that’s not bitter, and everyone’s been dying of curiosity!”
Li Zhu walked to the pool, pointing to the wooden basins and the thick furs they had brought along.
She greeted everyone and began explaining the process.
“Step one: dissolve the coarse salt in water. Ah Ze, help me break the salt into smaller pieces.”
“All right.”
Ze Yu nodded and waved his hand. The salt chunks instantly crumbled into fine grains, like sand.
“There’s too much salt. I’ll use a portion for demonstration. The rest will be distributed by Dad to each family so you can make your own.”
“After processing, the fine salt will taste better and be healthier.”
Li Zhu poured some coarse salt into a wooden basin.
“Now, add clean water to the basin and stir until all the salt dissolves.”
She stirred with a wooden spoon, and the water quickly became cloudy with swirling ripples.
“The impurities from the coarse salt settle at the bottom. But that’s not enough—we need to add some alkaline water.”
She instructed Ze Yu to bring a bundle of dried reeds and burn them into ashes.
In another basin, she mixed some water with wood ash to make alkaline water.
“Now, filter it, and the alkaline water is ready.”
Li Zhu filtered the ash-water mixture through prepared furs.
“Add the alkaline water to the saltwater and stir. The alkaline water helps draw out impurities. Let it settle for a while.”
Everyone squatted nearby, watching the bottom of the basin. Slowly, cloudy sediment formed, and the surface of the water became clear.
Li Cheng reached out to touch it but was playfully swatted away by Ming Yuan.
“Don’t mess with it. Let Ah Zhu handle it.”
After about half an hour, Li Zhu took a piece of specially tanned thin fur, tied its edges with vines on a wooden frame to make a square filter.
“Now we filter. Slowly pour the settled saltwater through the fur. Don’t stir up the sediment at the bottom.”
Ze Yu stepped forward to help, carefully lifting the basin and pouring the clear water into the fur filter.
The saltwater trickled through the fine pores into the stone pot below, much clearer than before, with not a speck of impurity in sight.
“This step is done. Next, we just need to boil it.”
Li Zhu pointed to a makeshift stove by the stream.
“Place the pot on the stove, light a fire, and let the water evaporate.”
Several tribe members quickly added wood. Flames licked the bottom of the stone pot, and tiny bubbles appeared in the saltwater.
Li Zhu occasionally stirred with a wooden spatula to prevent sticking. As the water slowly evaporated, a thin layer of white crystals formed along the pot’s sides.
“Almost done!”
Ah Ning’s eyes shone, and she leaned closer in curiosity.
When most of the water had evaporated, the pot bottom was coated with snow-white crystals, far finer than the original coarse salt, glistening with a delicate luster.
Li Zhu used fire tongs to lift the pot onto a stone slab to cool, then scooped a little with a spatula, blew on it, and offered it to Ming Yuan.
“Ah Ma, try it!”
Ming Yuan cautiously licked a pinch, and her eyes widened in surprise.
“Not bitter anymore! Really not bitter! Delicious!”
Everyone cheered and crowded around to taste.
Li Zhu, however, continued instructing.
“The final step is to stir-fry it.”
She poured the crystallized salt into a clean stone pot over low heat, stirring and breaking up clumps with a wooden spatula.
The heat removed any remaining moisture and purified the salt’s flavor.
Soon, a faint salty aroma filled the cave, making several little beastlings swallow in anticipation.
“Done!”
Li Zhu scooped the fine salt into clay jars. The snow-white crystals shimmered in the sunlight, delightful to behold.
“Here’s our fine salt. Now, Dad can distribute the coarse salt, and you all can try making it yourselves.”
She stepped aside so the tribe members could queue up for the salt.
Li Cheng picked up a piece of fine salt, examined it in the sunset, and couldn’t stop smiling.
“Ah Zhu, you really are our tribe’s lucky star!”
Li Zhu blushed a little and leaned against Ze Yu.
Ze Yu put an arm around her waist, his eyes gentle and overflowing with warmth.
“Yes, we’re all lucky stars together.”
“Parents, you can start distributing the coarse salt. Ze Yu and I will go back to prepare dinner. You haven’t seen Ze Yu’s cooking yet! And with this fine salt, tonight’s meal will be absolutely delicious!”
“Go ahead.”
Li Cheng busied himself immediately, while Ming Yuan nodded casually and joined in.
The evening breeze brought the coolness of the stream, washing away the day’s fatigue.
Li Zhu looked at the smiling faces of the tribe members, then at Ze Yu by her side. Her heart felt as if it had been filled with honey, and the two of them walked hand in hand back home.