Chapter 54: Chapter 54: The Wind Rises

After the meal,

the tribespeople dispersed.

Some went to visit Nanfeng and Nuanchun’s new cave dwellings, others set out to decide where to build their own caves. The usually lively beast den was now unusually quiet.

Su Ye chatted with Changxia for a while longer,

then Gen arranged for totem warriors to escort her and Baiqing back to the Sacred Mountain of Kana. As the shaman of the beast tribe, Su Ye had to visit not just the Heluo tribe, but also the other beast tribes in the Misty Forest every few days. Each tribe would send their own totem warriors to the Sacred Mountain, either to deliver food or to report on their tribe’s situation.

Recently, Su Ye and Baiqing had visited the bird tribe on the Qinghai Plateau.

There must be a lot of things piling up at the Sacred Mountain.

That’s why Su Ye wanted to return to the Sacred Mountain first, and then come back to the Heluo tribe to oversee Nuanchun’s childbirth. She valued the Heluo tribe, but couldn’t neglect the other beast tribes.

Changxia had prepared some things for Su Ye and Baiqing, but Su Ye politely declined, saying she’d be back in a day or two. She asked Changxia to clean up the rooms in the new cave dwellings, as she planned to bring Baiqing to stay for a few days.

Nuanchun’s twins were a big deal.

Su Ye planned to stay at the Heluo tribe for a while to ensure a smooth delivery.

“Changxia, what are you doing this afternoon?” Nanfeng asked.

Now, only Changxia and a few others were left in the beast den.

After being busy for so long, Nanfeng felt a bit lost with nothing to do.

Changxia stretched and yawned. “Now that the cave dwellings are built and the rainy season is near, we should start stockpiling food for the season.”

“Oh! Where are you going?” Nanfeng perked up.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m planning to go back to the den and take a nap. Aren’t you going to check out your new cave and ask Yadong to make some furniture?” Changxia blinked, turning the question back on her.

She really didn’t plan to go anywhere.

Even if she did, it would just be to walk around White Lake and get familiar with the area, since they’d be living there from now on. She also needed to clear out any wild animals nearby.

“My mom already had my dad finish the cave a while ago,” Nanfeng shrugged, spreading her hands helplessly.

Nuanchun smiled, “Mine’s done too—Shankun finished it.”

Once they decided to build caves, whatever Changxia’s den had, they made sure to have the same in their own homes. Things like rice noodle sieves and vine baskets—if they’d seen it in Changxia’s den, they’d ask Chen Rong how to make it.

By the time they moved in,

everything they needed for the caves should be ready.

“Changxia, have you decided when to move?” Nanfeng asked. Seeing that Changxia had no plans for the afternoon, she immediately asked about the moving date.

Previously, Chen Rong estimated it would take three to five days to build the kiln.

But now, with Kongshan and the others helping, it took just over two days to finish the kiln cave.

For a moment, Nan Feng didn’t know what to do with herself.

“When Granny Suye comes down from Mount Kana, that’s when we’ll move in. In the meantime, I’m planning to go explore around White Lake and see if I can find some fresh ingredients. That way, we’ll be prepared for the hotpot feast,” Chang Xia said.

After today’s meal, everyone was looking forward to the hotpot feast.

Judging by how much the tribe liked the kiln caves, by the time the feast came around, there would probably be quite a few new kilns built around White Lake.

By then, hosting the whole tribe at White Lake shouldn’t be a problem. Right now, though, Chang Xia was worried the kilns wouldn’t be able to fit over a thousand people—after all, there were only four kilns, enough for a hundred or so people, but any more would be a stretch.

“Chang Xia, are you really planning to invite the whole tribe to the hotpot feast?” Nan Feng asked nervously. With over a thousand people, they could eat Chang Xia out of house and home! Plus, with so many people, Nan Feng was worried she wouldn’t get her share.

Chang Xia noticed the odd look on Nan Feng’s face.

“Nan Feng, you’re not worried the others will steal your food, are you?”

Nan Feng’s expression changed instantly. She waved her hands and protested, “Chang Xia, do I look like that kind of person?”

“You kind of do,” Nuan Chun chimed in. “With so many people, it’ll be like today—eating cold rice noodles and salad. If we add some grilled meat, fish balls, and other dishes, it should be much easier.”

Actually, inviting the whole tribe to the hotpot feast wasn’t much different from the harvest festival.

This time, though, Chang Xia was using the move into the kiln caves as an excuse to invite everyone. Of course, besides Chang Xia, Nan Feng and Nuan Chun would also be moving into the new kilns.

“Nuan Chun’s right, that’s what I was thinking too. We just need to prepare the food in advance. On the day of the feast, the tribe will help with the rest. I never said just the few of us would prepare everything…”

Preparing a hotpot feast for over a thousand people with just a few people—what was Nan Feng thinking? Even a totem warrior couldn’t handle that!

“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Nan Feng let out a sigh of relief.

After chatting for a while, Nan Feng and Nuan Chun couldn’t wait to get back to their own kiln caves, thinking about what else they needed to furnish them with. Since everything was new, maybe it was time for some new clothes too?

They left, their steps full of excitement and anticipation.

“Tired?” Chen Rong asked gently.

He had tidied up the beast den inside and out, and seeing Chang Xia looking sleepy, he couldn’t help but ask.

Chang Xia yawned. The breeze brushed her face—it was the perfect time for a nap.

“I’m tired, I want to sleep for a bit,” Chang Xia mumbled. “Chen Rong, why don’t you take a nap too? When we wake up, let’s go for a walk around White Lake.”

“Mm, sounds good,” Chen Rong replied with a smile and a nod.

With Suye promising to help detoxify him, Chen Rong felt he’d be able to hunt again soon. Then, the pressure on Chang Xia would be much less.

He didn’t really understand why Chang Xia was anxious, but he wanted to help ease her worries.

He even wished he could shoulder her anxiety for her.

With that, the two of them went into the beast den to take a nap.

White Lake gradually quieted down.

But the allure of the kiln caves and delicious food quickly spread throughout the tribe as people returned.

Soon, more tribe members, without even waiting for Gen to say anything, gathered in groups at the village square.

They talked excitedly about the kiln caves and all the delicious food Chang Xia had made.

Before long, the Heluo tribe decided to build more kilns.

First, they determined how many people wanted to build kilns at White Lake, then planned to convert the beast dens of those moving out of the main village.

All afternoon, the renovations in the Heluo tribe went smoothly.

White Lake, once on the outskirts, suddenly became the new center of the tribe.

The new Heluo tribe would expand outward from White Lake, tripling the size of the original settlement.

Although this meant more work for the patrol teams, everyone felt it was worth it.

Gen, holding the newly drawn map of the Heluo tribe, thought about discussing it with Chang Xia. She had said that if the tribe really wanted to expand, they’d need to re-plan everything.

Road construction would need to be put on the agenda.

Next, they’d need to build sewers and toilets.

Gen was a bit confused, but Chang Xia was very serious, so he didn’t dare slack off. Looking at the sky, he decided to wait until tomorrow to find Chang Xia at White Lake, and turned back to his own beast den. As dusk fell, the mouthwatering aroma of food drifted over the Heluo tribe.