Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Moving House

“Grandma Suye, I’m going to trade the use of white fruit with the Tian Lion Tribe for chili peppers,” Changxia said.

With the tribe’s support, Changxia was very firm in her attitude. Chili peppers have many uses, and exchanging the white fruit’s uses for them was a good deal for her.

From the start, Changxia never intended to keep the uses of white fruit a secret. White fruit trees grow everywhere in the Misty Forest. The beastfolk always said white fruit was a gift from the Beast God, and Changxia never thought about monopolizing it.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle this for you,” Suye promised.

Changxia and the Heluo Tribe taking the initiative to share the uses of white fruit with the Tian Lion Tribe meant that this knowledge would soon spread throughout the Misty Forest. At that point, all beastfolk would be able to benefit from it.

Of course, Suye wouldn’t let Changxia suffer any loss and would naturally help her secure the best deal. But she didn’t say this out loud—she’d wait until after the negotiations with the Tian Lion Tribe.

“Grandma Suye, don’t forget there are other beastfolk tribes too,” Changxia said excitedly. There are thousands of beastfolk tribes in the Misty Forest. With the help of the major tribes, how could they not live a good life?

Suye smiled and tapped her finger in the air at Changxia, nodding quietly to show her agreement.

Actually, even if Changxia hadn’t brought it up, Suye had already planned to do the same.

With Suye’s support, Changxia was overjoyed.

Very soon, they finalized the menu for tomorrow night’s hotpot feast. Muqin took the menu, told Nanfeng to stay at Nuanchun’s house to help out, and hurried back to the tribe to give the menu to Elder Yami so she could start preparing the necessary ingredients.

At the same time, the air above White Lake was filled with a rich caramel sweetness. All the busy tribe members looked up, breathing in the caramel-scented air, and couldn’t help but smile in unison.

As the sun dipped westward, Changxia led Suye and Baiqing back to her own beast den.

Tonight, they had decided to move house. After saying goodbye to Nanfeng and Nuanchun, and with time to spare, they returned home to pack up, hoping to move into the cave dwelling before sunset. They would also have dinner there tonight.

Nanfeng regretted not being able to help, as she needed to help Shankun take care of Nuanchun.

When they returned to the beast den, they saw Chenrong was already awake and had neatly packed everything outside, just waiting for Changxia to return before moving it all to the cave dwelling.

“Chenrong, you’re awake?” Changxia waved with a smile. “Let’s hurry and move so we can have dinner early. After we eat, we’ll need to help make rice balls in the tribe square to prepare for tomorrow night’s hotpot feast.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve already packed everything. We can move any time,” Chenrong replied efficiently. The big items had already been moved to the cave dwelling; only some daily odds and ends were left, scattered but numerous.

However, thanks to Chenrong’s organization, all these small items were placed in rattan baskets or backpacks, making them much easier to carry.

“Let’s not delay—let’s move now,” Suye decided, urging them on.

With Suye’s word, Changxia and Chenrong didn’t hesitate. They picked up the baskets and headed for the cave dwelling. There weren’t many small items left. Chenrong told Changxia to stay at the cave dwelling to organize things while he and Baiqing went back for the rest.

Meanwhile, Changxia, who stayed behind, didn’t start sorting the odds and ends right away. Instead, she led Suye to the cave dwelling where she would be living.

“Grandma Suye, this cave dwelling is for you. It’s a bit simple now, but after the rainy season, I’ll have Chenrong rebuild the kang bed into a canopy bed.”

“What’s a canopy bed like?”

“A canopy bed is also made of wood, but it’s more elaborate than a regular wooden bed.”

The Heluo Tribe’s winters are very cold, and kang beds are good for keeping warm. However, they aren’t very pretty, so Changxia thought of combining the kang bed with a canopy bed. That way, it would be both warm and attractive.

Most importantly, Changxia would finally get the rosewood bed she wanted.

As Changxia explained, gesturing as she spoke, Suye’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She was really looking forward to the canopy bed Changxia described.

As they chatted, they organized the animal skin quilts and other items Nanfeng had brought over. Then they went to Baiqing’s cave dwelling and made up the bed there too.

After that, they went outside to tidy up the things they had moved.

With the rainy season approaching, the weather was hot and humid. There was no need to light a fire in the kang bed.

In their spare time, Chenrong and Changxia had converted the leftmost cave into a kitchen, and the two adjacent ones into storage rooms. After all, the one next to the main room was connected to the cellar. Although the cellar hadn’t been renovated yet, these caves weren’t suitable for living in, but they made great storage rooms.

As for the bathroom, Changxia hadn’t figured out how to build it yet. She guessed it would be like the toilet and built near the kitchen. The drainage ditch was already dug, so renovations would be easy.

By the third trip, Chenrong had brought everything over, and Changxia and Suye had finished organizing. Suye stood in the yard in front of the cave dwelling, her back to the setting sun, looking at the spacious, bright cave with satisfaction. “Changxia, you’ve done very well.”

The child she always worried would never grow up—now she didn’t have to worry anymore.

For a moment, Suye didn’t know whether to feel excited or melancholy; her feelings were complicated.

“It’s all thanks to your protection, Grandma Suye, and the tribe,” Changxia said, hugging Suye’s arm and resting her head on her shoulder. The faint scent of medicine on Suye made her feel comfortable and safe.

“Changxia, where’s my room?” Baiqing asked, setting down a rattan basket.

At this point, all the miscellaneous items from the animal den had been moved into the cave dwellings—tables, chairs, and benches included. Shen Rong carried the tables and chairs into the storage room next to the kitchen, where they would eat from now on.

With the rainy season approaching and heavy downpours expected, leaving things out in the courtyard was obviously not an option.

The corridor’s eaves hadn’t been built yet, so the whole courtyard felt empty and exposed. Once the rains came, it would feel as if the entire world was surrounded by water.

“The first room on the right, the animal skins and bedding are all set up for you,” Chang Xia said, pointing to the cave on the right. “The other two rooms are empty, so you can use them to store things if you need.”

There were few people in the household, but plenty of rooms.

Chang Xia generously told Bai Qing to use whichever rooms he liked.

The cellar was large enough for Chang Xia to stash all sorts of supplies.

And if that wasn’t enough, there were still two empty caves on the left.

“I’m going to check it out!” Bai Qing said excitedly.

His youthful enthusiasm shone through as he happily ran toward his cave.

Su Ye watched with a smile, saying nothing.

“Wu, what do you want for dinner?” Shen Rong asked.

They’d need to head to the tribal square later, so even though it wasn’t dark yet, Shen Rong started preparing dinner.

“I’m not picky. You and Chang Xia decide,” Su Ye replied casually.

“I want your roast meat,” Chang Xia said. “You make the roast, I’ll slaughter a chicken and make spicy chicken stir-fry.”

She suddenly remembered Bai Qing mentioning chili peppers. She’d originally planned to make chicken soup, but quickly changed her mind to spicy chicken.

With that, she ran off to rummage for the chilies Bai Qing had brought.

Watching the energetic Chang Xia, Su Ye and Shen Rong exchanged a glance.

“Shen Rong, make sure you take care of your health. After the hot pot feast, I’ll help detoxify you,” Su Ye said seriously. “The poison has been in your body for a long time. After detoxification, you might feel weak for a while.”

“The rainy season is the perfect time,” Shen Rong replied.

Su Ye nodded in agreement, approving of Shen Rong’s decision.

In her heart, she couldn’t help but feel happy for Chang Xia and Shen Rong. It was as if the Beast God was watching over them—how wonderful!