“I’m full.” Xue Tuan finished his dinner early, his mind already preoccupied with how to catch fish.
Being small and weak, he definitely needed his older brother’s help. So, Xue Tuan didn’t leave after finishing his meal, he stood beside his brother, and watched him eat.
Bing Qiu, seeing Xue Tuan staring intently at him, immediately understood what Xue Tuan meant: his little brother definitely wanted him to play with him!
This put invisible pressure on Bing Qiu. His little brother needed him so much, and he couldn’t let him down!
“I’m finished too!” Bing Qiu devoured his food in a whirlwind.
“Keep an eye on your little brother,” Feng Yan’s deep voice instructed Bing Qiu.
“Mmm, mmm,” Bing Qiu replied to his father with his mouth full of fresh roasted meat, then followed Xue Tuan into the house with puffed-out cheeks.
Feng Yan and Rong Shan didn’t care about the children’s playtime, as long as they were safe, that was fine.
“Brother, let’s go fishing tomorrow!” After entering the house, Xue Tuan looked around and began rummaging through the belongings.
Bing Qiu finished swallowing his food and scratched his head. “Where are we going to fish?”
Before leaving their tribe, they usually used animal-shaped fishing gear or harpoons. But the ice on the river hadn’t melted yet, making fishing difficult.
But his little brother wanted fish. What to do? Bing Qiu went over and helped Xue Tuan bring out several wicker baskets that their mother had repaired the day before.
“Let’s pick two lighter ones,” Xue Tuan said. Their mother had split wicker of varying thicknesses. Thicker baskets were better for carrying weight, but lighter ones were better for putting in the water.
Bing Qiu moved the contents of the lighter baskets into the larger ones. If his mother, who always liked to tidy up, found out, Bing Qiu had already planned to use Xue Tuan as a shield.
Not only that, he saw that Xue Tuan was even eyeing the bone needles which his mother treasured greatly.
To sew exquisite animal clothing, finer bone needles were usually needed, and his father had spent a lot of time polishing these few needles so that his mother could use the best.
Now, seeing his little brother’s hand taking out the bone needles, Bing Qiu thought he was really in for a beating, so he quickly rushed over to stop him: “Xue Tuan, be good, let’s not touch these.”
Xue Tuan wanted to tie some bone needles to the bottom of the wicker basket, but Bing Qiu quickly took them all away.
Looking at his empty hands, Xue Tuan thought about it and decided against it, it was just icing on the cake anyway.
Fish baskets usually have a small opening for the fish to swim in and a closed, round belly so the wicker basket would have to be modified.
Xue Tuan rummaged through the remaining vines his mother had left and took a few strands, handing them to Bing Qiu: “Brother, thread these onto the vine basket.” Xue Tuan gestured as he spoke, showing Bing Qiu what he was told.
The opening and gaps in the vine basket were quite large, so the vines needed to be wrapped around it to make it more like a basic basket. Fortunately, Bing Qiu had been with his mother, Rong Shan, since childhood and had learned some handicrafts so his weaving wasn’t bad.
While Bing Qiu was busy modifying the fish basket, Xue Tuan ran outside to collect some leftover white-feathered beast bones, which could be used to secure the bottom as bait.
The two worked tirelessly until their mother urged them to go to sleep.
Bing Qiu looked at the finished fish basket in his hands, a little puzzled. Could this really catch fish?
Feng Yan and Rong Shan, seeing that the two little ones had found something to do for them the next day, were happy to let them play.
Bing Qiu and Xue Tuan, having worked on their craft all night, were incredibly tired when they woke up the next day.
The morning mist hadn’t yet dissipated when Feng Yan and Rong Shan went out hunting early. Xue Tuan and Bing Qiu tossed and turned in bed for a while before finally getting up, ready to set off.
Bing Qiu yawned widely, and stuffed his still-sleepy younger brother into a wicker basket. He hoisted it onto his back, and picked up several modified fish baskets, heading towards the riverbank.
Gray, who had been resting on the roof, saw Xue Tuan and the others leave and flew down, landing on Xue Tuan’s shoulder. Xue Tuan struggled to keep his eyes open, fighting off sleepiness, and casually patted Gray’s head.
Although they had already reported their whereabouts to their father and mother, and adult beastmen had been patrolling around the tribe, Bing Qiu and Xue Tuan hadn’t told their parents their true purpose.
Mainly, they were afraid of being stopped since being allowed to come out and play was already a great favor.
Xue Tuan sat dazedly in the wicker basket, not fully awake, and felt something poking him in the basket.
“Sweetie, I put some fruit in the basket, did you see it?” Bing Qiu, who was munching on a fruit, noticed the movement in the basket and reminded Xue Tuan to eat something to fill his stomach.
“I saw it—” Xue Tuan replied in a drawn-out tone, realizing the fruit had been poking him. Xue Tuan found a comfortable spot to sit cross-legged in the basket and picked up a fresh fruit to eat.
Xue Tuan glanced at the approaching ice, and considered which point to break through. The good news was that it wasn’t the coldest time of year anymore, meaning the ice wouldn’t be too difficult to break. And the ice was usually about ten centimeters thick which was enough to walk safely on.
Bing Qiu and Xue Tuan hadn’t noticed the dark figure following them when they went out.
It was the little black lion, Chong Yan.
Elder Mu Shi was always busy and rarely had time to spend with Chong Yan. Chong Yan himself, needless to say, had no friends. The tribe’s cubs treated him like a jinx and wouldn’t play with him, but he didn’t care.
But ever since that day, the tiny round figure had lingered in his mind, and for the first time, he felt a desire to make friends.
Although Chong Yan had no one to talk to, he overheard a lot of gossip in the tribe. He knew the little dumpling’s family had been very busy lately. They had just moved there, and their food supplies were low, with the adults busy hunting and gathering.
The little black lion Chong Yan silently followed behind the little dumpling and the others, thinking, “The adults are out hunting, so it’s better for the little dumpling to stay home. What are they going to do?”
They seemed to be heading towards the river.
Chong Yan was a little worried, the ice was very slippery, and playing there was dangerous!
The little black lion continued to follow cautiously. He saw the little dumpling’s older brother put down the wicker basket and take the little dumpling out.
The two of them paced back and forth on the riverbank, doing something unknown.
When Chong Yan saw them about to step onto the ice, he couldn’t hold back any longer.
Just as Bing Qiu and Xue Tuan were about to begin their “ice-breaking project,” a loud “Awooo!” came from behind them.
Xue Tuan, who had just lifted its short legs, immediately realized its collar had been bitten and began to fly backward.
Xue Tuan: ?
Bing Qiu, startled, didn’t immediately understand what was happening. He instinctively turned around and reached out to snatch Xue Tuan back.
Then he realized that the one biting Xue Tuan was a black lion cub. This cub moved incredibly silently and swiftly, he hadn’t even had time to react.
Bing Qiu immediately remembered the little black lion his mother had mentioned before and asked, “Tuan’er, is this your friend?”
Xue Tuan, already put down, turned and saw the little black lion and seemed quite happy. He nodded obediently and replied, “Yes.”
Chong Yan’s eyes lit up when he heard the little boy readily admit to being his friend, a hint of joy flashing across his face.
Bing Qiu and Xue Tuan looked at the little black lion together, recalling its earlier actions, and asked:
“Do you not want us to walk on the ice?” Xue Tuan guessed the little black lion was concerned about them.
Chong Yan, remembering their dangerous actions, looked at Xue Tuan with worry and nodded.
Xue Tuan gently patted the little black lion’s head and said, “Don’t worry, we won’t fall.” He and his brother had already tested it, the ice thickness was just right.
The little black lion’s gaze swept over the two of them, and understood what Tuan’er meant. He had indeed heard from the tribe before that cubs had run onto the ice and fallen into the river.
Seeing how confident the two of them were, Chong Yan was somewhat convinced, but he still didn’t want the little dumpling to take the risk.
So, Bing Qiu and Xue Tuan saw the little black lion, who had initially tried to stop them from going onto the ice, take the lead and go up first.
“Hey—” Bing Qiu called out.
Chong Yan ignored Bing Qiu’s call and ran back and forth on the ice a few times. Finding that it seemed he really wouldn’t fall in, he was relieved.
“Don’t run around everywhere,” Bing Qiu casually instructed the little black lion who was running around on the ice.
In Bing Qiu’s mind, keeping an eye on Xue Tuan was the most important thing, and secondly, it was still Xue Tuan. The other cubs were just secondary, and besides, the little black lion was from the tribe and was definitely more familiar with the surroundings than they were.
Bing Qiu and Xue Tuan walked to the ice they had chosen earlier, intending to start chiseling.
The two brothers squatted on the ice. Bing Qiu took out a stone shovel he had prepared beforehand from his bag while Xue Tuan held a miniature version and helped by chipping away at the ice.
Bang! Bang! Bang—
“…” The two brothers were speechless for a moment. How long would this take? A miscalculation…
Chong Yan watched Xue Tuan and the others for a while, realizing they were trying to break the ice.
So Chong Yan moved to a distance away on the other side. He closed his eyes, seemingly preparing something. Then, Chong Yan opened his eyes wide, raised his front paw high, and slammed it heavily onto the ice.
Bang—! A loud crash.
Xue Tuan and Bing Qiu were startled, and quickly turned to look at the source of the sound.
The ice only trembled slightly after the impact, the thick ice remained solid.
Xue Tuan and Bing Qiu froze, forgot what they were doing, and stared blankly at the little black lion.
Chong Yan didn’t stop. His eyes were resolute, his muscles tense like a fully drawn bow, and brimming with astonishing power. He raised his explosively powerful forepaw once more and slammed it down onto the ice.
Bang—!!
This strike was even more ferocious than the last as if it would shatter the entire ice surface. The ice emitted a low “crack,” and tiny cracks rapidly spread from beneath Chong Yan’s claws.
Without the slightest hesitation, Chong Yan struck again with tremendous force. This time, he used all his strength, his claws slamming down with thunderous force.
“Splash!”
The ice finally succumbed to the pressure, bursting open along the cracks with a deafening cracking sound.
The ice surface instantly collapsed, shattering into pieces that fell into the river, splashing up icy water.
Author’s Note:
Happy Lantern Festival everyone~