Chapter 87: Chapter 87: A Male’s Romance

"Shen Rong, are you up?"The next day, just as dawn broke,

the sky was still gray, tinged with the faintest hint of light.

Chang Xia was still lost in her dreams when a sudden loud noise exploded in her ears.

"Ah! Was that an earthquake?"Chang Xia’s eyes flew open, still bleary with sleep and fear. She looked around in confusion, not quite sure where she was.

Shen Rong reacted quickly, pulling Chang Xia into his arms.

"Chang Xia, it’s okay,"he said gently,

his hand softly patting her back to calm her nerves.

"It’s so loud. Did someone come over?"Chang Xia asked sleepily.

With Shen Rong’s soothing, her fear slowly faded. She yawned, nestled in his arms for a while, mumbling to herself.

"It’s Ya Dong,"Shen Rong replied.

He was probably here to call him to go fishing at White Lake.

But wasn’t it a bit too early? Shen Rong regretted agreeing to go fishing with them last night.

"Sigh, let’s get up then."Chang Xia pouted. She’d left the dough to ferment last night, and today she needed to prepare the other ingredients. Chicken, duck, and fish were easy enough, but for other game, it depended on whether the tribe went out hunting or just used what they’d stored in the cave.

"It’s still early. You can sleep a bit longer,"Shen Rong said. He savored the lingering warmth in his palm, his deep, reserved eyes growing even more intense.

Though he wore a smile, it somehow made him look a little scary.

"Forget it,"Chang Xia shook her head, placing her hand on Shen Rong’s wrist. "How’s your body? I was so tired last night, I just lay down and fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed."As she said this,

a faint blush crept up Chang Xia’s cheeks.

"I’m fine, just waiting for the shaman to help detoxify me,"Shen Rong said, enjoying her closeness and pretending not to notice her embarrassment.

After a quick check,

Chang Xia confirmed he wasn’t lying.

"You’re recovering well,"she said with relief, happily.

Ever since she brought Shen Rong back from the Normandy market, Chang Xia had worried about his health. Now, a month later, seeing him almost fully recovered, she couldn’t quite tell if she was excited or feeling something else—after all, the two of them would be together for life now.

Once Shen Rong was fully healed, she could finally go hunting and foraging in the tribe’s territory again.

Going with the tribe’s hunting party was too restrictive.

If she went out alone with Shen Rong, she could choose the time and place as she liked.

"Shen Rong—"Shen Rong, get up and go fishing!"While Shen Rong was busy chatting with Chang Xia in the cave, he ignored Ya Dong’s shouting outside. But instead of giving up, Ya Dong and the others just got louder…

"Those little brats!"Su Ye muttered. She knew Shen Rong wasn’t as gentle as he appeared. If Ya Dong and the others were trying to mess with Shen Rong and Chang Xia for fun, they’d better watch out—Shen Rong would definitely get back at them later.

"Argh!"Chang Xia angrily pounded the bed, then got up, ready to go settle the score with Ya Dong.

Shen Rong stopped her, patiently helped fix her hair, and said gently, "Don’t be mad, leave it to me."Are you sure? Ya Dong and the others are always causing trouble—they’re not easy to deal with,"Chang Xia said. The beast tribe was never short of troublemakers, and Ya Dong and his friends were the most outstanding young totem warriors of the Heluo tribe—when it came to causing mischief, they were way better than Shan Que and his group.

"You don’t believe me?"Shen Rong raised an eyebrow, giving Chang Xia a mischievous look.

"Uh!"Chang Xia froze, a chill running down her spine. Shen Rong looked a little scary like this, and she didn’t dare meet his eyes.

"I’ll get up first. You can sleep a bit more or get up if you want,"Shen Rong said, pinching Chang Xia’s cheek before stepping over her and getting out of bed. He dressed neatly, opened the door, and faced Ya Dong and the others.

"Shen Rong—"Ya Dong and his friends, who had been making a racket,

immediately fell silent when they met Shen Rong’s gaze. One by one, they turned into meek little quails, quietly following Shen Rong toward White Lake. Bai Qing’s small figure tagged along as well.

"Chang Xia, you’re up?"It was so noisy, I couldn’t stay in bed even if I wanted to. Where’s Bai Qing?"He went to White Lake with Shen Rong,"Su Ye said, nodding toward the lake with a big smile on her face. She was used to the lively bustle of the Heluo tribe—going back to Kana Holy Mountain would probably feel lonely now. Thinking about it, Su Ye realized it was time for some changes at Kana Holy Mountain.

"Is fishing in the lake really that much fun?"Chang Xia wondered.

Su Ye smiled, "It’s a male’s kind of romance—"Chang Xia was momentarily speechless. Su Ye’s words reminded her of a saying from Earth: "Men are boys at heart, no matter how old they get."Grandma Su Ye, do you want fish noodles for breakfast?"Changing the subject, Chang Xia stopped worrying about Shen Rong and the others, and asked about breakfast instead.

"Sure,"Su Ye nodded. "Let’s also fry some fruit pancakes, and have them with roast meat and fish noodles."Sounds great!"Chang Xia quickly washed up and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. There were two fish in the wooden tub, and even chicken and duck—Shen Rong had prepared all of these ahead of time. When it came to being thorough, Chang Xia had to admit Shen Rong was better than her.

Soon,

wisps of smoke rose above White Lake.

The aroma of food gradually spread through the air.

"Nan Feng, hurry up!"I can already smell the fruit pancakes!"“It’s clearly the smell of barbecue.”

A lively chatter echoed from the slopes of White Lake Hill as Nan Feng led a string of little ones from the tribe, all chattering like sparrows. Originally, they’d wanted to watch Chen Rong and the others fish, maybe even try playing in the lake themselves.

But Nan Feng had no choice but to step in and persuade everyone to leave.

“It’s fish noodles—!” Nan Feng called out cheerfully, leaving the younger kids behind as she dashed off toward Chang Xia’s cave house.

Without a word, Shan Que and Wu Liu followed after her.

Lu You covered his face, speechless at the scene.

“Chang Xia! Chang Xia—!”

Nan Feng waved her hand and shouted.

In the courtyard, Su Ye looked up at Nan Feng and the group of little ones behind her.

“Nan Feng’s getting more and more lively. Mu Qin’s going to have her hands full,” Su Ye muttered under her breath, then said aloud, “Chang Xia’s in the kitchen making breakfast. What brings you all here so early?”

“We wanted to watch the fishing—”

“Ya Dong and the others are fishing in the lake. I saw so many big fish!”

“They wouldn’t let us get close, so we came to find you.”

The kids all chimed in at once, their voices overlapping. The noise made Chang Xia’s head spin.

“Enough. Lu You, you explain,” Chang Xia said, rubbing her forehead.

Lu You came forward and said, “Shan Que woke everyone up early, saying she wanted to go to White Lake to watch the fishing. But when we got there, Chen Rong and the others wouldn’t let us near.”

“Have you all had breakfast yet?” Chang Xia asked.

“No,” Lu You shook his head, eyes shining with anticipation. “Sister Chang Xia, what are you having for breakfast?”

“Fish noodles, fruit pancakes, and barbecue,” Chang Xia replied.

“Sister Chang Xia, can we have breakfast at your place?” Shan Que asked directly, clutching her stomach to show she was hungry. After running around all morning, of course they were hungry.

“Sure, but… you’ll have to help out,” Chang Xia said.

A chorus of soft, eager voices answered her. Chang Xia didn’t spoil the kids, and led them all straight into the kitchen. Su Ye, worried something might happen, followed them in.

The once orderly kitchen quickly descended into chaos.

Strange questions and bursts of laughter soon filled the whole room.