A single, soft sentence made Beichuan’s heart pound faster and faster.
“Yeah, I’m back.”
Beichuan took a few quick steps, reaching Bai Ning and crouching down in front of her. “Someone was looking for me, so I stepped out for a bit. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
Bai Ning glanced at the bruise on the corner of Beichuan’s mouth and shook her head. “No, I was walking slowly. If you’re busy, you can tend to your matters first; I can take care of myself.”
Did he get into a fight?
Beichuan smiled slightly. “I’m fine. The Clan Leader said I don’t have to do anything these few days except take good care of you.”
Does taking care of me require getting into a fight? Bai Ning muttered to herself.
As if reading her thoughts, Beichuan touched the corner of his lip and explained, “I wasn’t fighting. I just made Mu Ye cry from anger, and her older brother came over to vent his frustrations on her behalf.”
So that’s how it is…
It must be nice to have a brother. If her own brother were here and someone bullied her, he would definitely stand up for her too.
Bai Ning’s eyes dimmed as a wave of bitterness surged in her heart. She really missed her parents and her brother.
Seeing Bai Ning’s change in expression, Beichuan thought that his injury had reminded her of her own tragic experiences. He cursed Mo Yi in his mind—of all the places to hit, why the face every time? It’s made the little female sad again.
Back at the tribe, Mo Yi let out a violent sneeze. He rubbed his nose and sniffed, completely oblivious.
Bai Ning’s emotions came and went quickly. After a brief moment of feeling down, she returned to normal. She looked at the wood on the ground and changed the subject. “What is this for?”
Following her gaze, Beichuan smiled. “I thought there was nowhere to sit inside the cave. The stones are too cold, so I wanted to make a stool out of a log. Once it’s covered with animal hide, you’ll be more comfortable sitting on it.”
“I see!” Bai Ning nodded, feeling touched. Small details like this were truly endearing.
Since it was for her to sit on, Bai Ning became interested. If she was going to sit, she might as well make it comfortable. Under Bai Ning’s direction, Beichuan used longer sticks to surround the back of the log, binding them together with strips of hide and trimming the excess wood. A simple wooden stool with a backrest was complete.
Once the hide was laid over it, Bai Ning, with Beichuan’s support, sat down to test it. It felt decent—not luxurious, but certainly much better than sitting on cold stone.
Using the remaining wood and sticks, and following Bai Ning’s suggestions, Beichuan crafted several wooden crates to hold firewood and miscellaneous items.
By the time the crates were finished, it was almost time for dinner. Seeing the meat Beichuan brought out, Bai Ning felt a bit depressed. Just two days ago, she was a poor soul struggling to survive in the apocalypse, barely able to eat or sleep. But two days later, looking at meat didn’t give her a single thrill; in fact, she felt a hint of revulsion.
Eating meat every single meal was taking a toll on her digestive system. Although there were fruits, they didn’t seem to help much. In the two days she’d been here, she hadn’t managed to “do her business” once!
“Beichuan, do you guys only eat meat every time?”
Beichuan froze, unsure why she was asking. They were Wolf Tribe beastmen—of course they only ate meat. “Yeah. Do you not like eating meat?”
Bai Ning waved her hands hurriedly. Having anything to eat was a blessing; how could she not like it? “Of course I like it. It’s just that in our tribe, besides meat, we occasionally eat some green vegetables. It’s better for the body.”
If I can’t “go,” no matter how much I like it, it’s no use!
“Green vegetables?” Beichuan was confused. Recalling the beastmen from the herbivore tribes, he asked uncertainly, “Do you mean those green grasses?”
Green grass… fine, close enough.
Bai Ning nodded. “Yes, green grass.”
Beichuan frowned and thought for a moment. “I’ll go ask around later to see if any tribesmen know about those green grasses. If not, I’ll go to the herbivore tribe to trade some for you.”
“No need, I know which ones are edible. But I might need to trouble you to take me to find them.” Bai Ning shook her head excitedly, her face filled with anticipation.
Gathering wild greens? She was an expert! Plus, she could collect system points—killing multiple birds with one stone.
Beichuan looked at Bai Ning’s leg and arm, his face showing hesitation. “Your injuries…”
“We won’t go far, just around the vicinity! If I see something I recognize, I’ll point it out to you, and you can dig it up. I won’t move.”
Bai Ning wouldn’t give up such a good opportunity. Even if not for the points, she had to go for the sake of her stomach. Seeing the expectant look in her eyes, Beichuan finally agreed. He felt that if he didn’t, she would likely sneak out on her own when he wasn’t looking. It was better to take her himself and keep her right under his nose.
Finding that Beichuan had agreed, Bai Ning was even happier, and her smile became much more genuine. Seeing her like this, Beichuan felt he had made the right choice. At least this time, he wasn’t seeing the little female’s polite and distant fake smile.
Since they were going to gather wild greens, they needed something to carry them in. Beichuan originally intended to just take her there to identify them and return later to harvest, but seeing how excited she was, he swallowed his words. He silently took a hide bag from the cave, tied it to his waist, and then carried Bai Ning toward the nearby riverbank.
Bai Ning had said there would be more greens near the water.
At the river, Beichuan found a large, clean stone and placed Bai Ning on it. She had originally wanted to search with him, but he sternly refused.
“Stay here and sit quietly. I’ll go look.”
“But you don’t recognize them!”
“I’ll dig up one of every kind of weed and bring them to you. You just tell me which ones are the right ones.”
Fine… that’s the reality of being an injured patient.
Once Bai Ning agreed, Beichuan smiled and began searching the area. After watching him for a bit with nothing to do, Bai Ning turned her gaze toward the small river. The water was crystal clear, and she could occasionally see shadows darting around inside.
Fish! It’s fish!
Bai Ning’s eyes lit up. Those big fish looked delicious! But… how could she catch them? The system mall had fishing rods, but it wasn’t realistic to bring one out. She had to find another way.
“Sister, the mall has a ‘Comprehensive Weaving Manual’ that includes how to weave fish baskets!” Tongtong, sensing Bai Ning’s thoughts, chimed in with a suggestion.
Bai Ning was delighted. “A weaving manual? What a great find!”
She opened the mall and searched for the manual. Sure enough, she found it. But after looking at the price in points, Bai Ning felt that… maybe she didn’t need to eat fish after all!