Three days later.
Outside, the sky had yet to brighten when Ayue returned, carrying a half-grown wild boar in her mouth.
She placed it carefully to the side and lowered her voice, instructing, “Before I get back, don’t run outside under any circumstances.”
Ashi nodded and whispered, “Be careful out there.”
Ayue picked up the large bundle Ashi had prepared beside her, filled with the dried meat they had been curing lately.
Though heavy, Ayue carried it effortlessly, her figure soon disappearing into the darkness.
The cubs made a few faint cries, but once the surroundings fell silent again, they drifted back to sleep.
Ayue set off with the big bundle, swiftly making her way toward the market.
Along the path, she occasionally spotted other beastfolk, each carrying heavy loads and running with agile limbs toward the market’s location.
She recognized that these beastfolk were from their tribe, but she didn’t make any move; she wasn’t familiar with them herself.
The market had been set up early with all kinds of goods, and next to them stood a sign displaying prices.
However, few beastfolk could read.
Someone stood nearby, explaining the items and their prices to the early traders.
Ayue’s goal was clear.
She exchanged the dried meat for a few necessary items, leaving only a small amount of money.
The place was filled with various items, many expensive and unaffordable for the average beastfolk.
Ayue could afford to buy them, but her money wasn’t enough.
She didn’t intend to spend it all and was about to head back when she noticed a stall displaying several small objects: a little rod with several small balls hanging on it.
When they collided, they produced a pleasant sound.
Feathers dangled below the rod, looking beautiful and interesting.
“Does your family have cubs? These are our new toys. The cubs love them! Want to take one home? They’re very affordable — only 1 Bei each,” the stall owner enthusiastically offered, picking up the little toy Ayue had been eyeing the longest and demonstrating how it worked.
Ayue thought silently, I’m just looking, not buying…
One pound of dried meat was equivalent to 1 Bei, and exchanging a pound of dried meat for such a small trinket wasn’t cost-effective…
One minute later, Ayue was carrying four small packages, each containing a different little toy.
She stood still, looking at the 6 Bei left in her hand, then at the four toys.
She had spent so much money on them, but she didn’t feel regret.
It was totally worth it!
Ayue trudged heavily, unwilling to linger longer at the market.
There were so many delicious and fun things here.
If she stayed any longer, she’d probably spend all the remaining 6 Bei.
They were utterly broke and desperately needed to save money.
They had a small savings for emergencies or essentials, so the money had to be spent carefully!
There were countless things missing at home.
Ayue frantically reminded herself in her mind, finally convincing herself, I’m only buying this once.
Next time, I won’t waste money on unnecessary things.
Three pounds of fresh meat yielded only one pound of dried meat.
Enough to feed her for one meal.
Feeling guilty about spending money like this, Ayue returned home.
Ashi noticed her odd mood and asked with concern, “Ayue, what’s wrong? Did something happen on the way?”
“No, it’s nothing.” Ayue looked around nervously, stammering. Then, after gathering courage, she pulled out four small packages and handed one to Ashi in a low voice. “I bought some gifts for you and the cubs.”
Ashi’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Gifts?!”
He unwrapped the package and saw a small rod with several beautiful balls hanging from it.
When they collided, they emitted a crisp, pleasant chime.
The string connecting the balls was wrapped in a slightly rigid tube to prevent them from tangling.
Ashi looked at it, eyes full of joy. “It’s so beautiful. I really like it. Thank you, Ayue.”
He happily played with the little wind chime, unable to hide his delight. “Ayue, can we keep it here for now? We’ll hang it up when it’s time to rest.”
When he was young, he’d seen other children with such toys and envied them, but others would exclude him and forbid him from even getting close.
He could only watch from afar as they played with their wind chimes.
Ayue exhaled deeply and went ahead to unwrap the remaining three packages. Embarrassed, she said, “These three are for our cubs, but they’re still small now, so they belong to you for the time being.”
Ashi glanced at Ayue but saw no other packages on her.
He frowned and said, dissatisfied, “What about yours?”
Ayue scooted closer and sat beside Ashi, speaking confidently, “You’re holding mine. We’ll both play with this one, isn’t that okay?”
Ashi burst into laughter, his frown easing.
“Alright, I get it. This one belongs to both of us, but next time you buy one, get something you like for yourself.”
The cubs’ little toys were repacked and placed beside their nest.
Ayue sat nearby to rest, as the breeze blowing through the back of the cave caused the little wind chime to tinkle pleasantly.
The house now had a new kind of melodious sound.
The cubs slept soundly.
The gentle chimes of the wind chime only made their sleep even deeper.
Ayue stayed in the cave to rest while Ashi admired the wind chime for a while before reluctantly saying, “You stay with the cubs at home. I’ll go out and bring back some food.”
The home felt empty; the spot where the dried meat had hung was now bare. Ayue had taken the dried meat to trade at the market today, exchanging it for a small knife, a pound of coarse salt, a clay pot, and a firestarter.
The firestarter wasn’t needed immediately, but it would be invaluable in winter.
The small knife was used for butchering prey and cutting vines to make ropes at home.
The sharp blade was useful in many ways.
The clay pot was also important; it could hold water or blood. In winter, it could be used to boil hot water, which would warm them up thoroughly.
With plenty of prey recently, they prepared various items.
Ayue watched Ashi’s retreating figure and sighed inwardly.
They really couldn’t stay still.
She comforted herself, It’s okay. If we work hard now, things will get much easier later.
She dazed off for a moment, then turned to find the cubs awake.
They stared at the nearby wind chime, swaying slightly in the breeze and producing a pleasant sound.
They kept tilting their heads to get a better look.
Ayue smiled. “You’re awake. Come, eat first.”
She cut several pieces of meat with the small knife and fed them to the cubs.
They instinctively opened their mouths, still watching the wind chime that made the sound.
As she fed them, she said, “It’s pretty, isn’t it? It’s a little wind chime I bought for your father.
The moment I saw it, I knew he’d love it.
Hehe… You were asleep earlier and missed your father… blah blah blah…”
Ye Rongrong, full and satisfied, listened to her mother’s constant boasting and sighed inwardly.
Since their parents came to this new place, they hadn’t made many friends.
In this situation, they could only talk to the three cubs.
Hearing the small pride in her mother’s voice, she lazily stretched her little wings.
Da Mao and Er Mao came over, mistakenly thinking Ye Rongrong wanted to play with them, and began to jostle and frolic.
Ayue only focused on feeding them.
She never involved herself in the cubs’ play.
The cubs growing up together liked to roughhouse. It made them stronger.
She sat watching them for a while.
Seeing them get along well, she nodded in satisfaction, then picked up the knife to process the vines Ashi had brought back.
After two or three days in the cave, they had become semi-dry.
She carefully peeled off the outer skin, leaving the tougher white core inside.
After rubbing them together, she set them aside.
Ye Rongrong marveled at how close her parents’ relationship was, then played happily with her two brothers.
Their father and mother’s names sounded so nice, too.
Ye Rongrong noticed something inside her little wings but felt drowsy.
Just as she was about to look more closely at the red dot hidden under her feathers, she fell asleep.
The three cubs nestled close, feeling the warmth of each other and surrounded by familiar scents.
They slept soundly; the occasional noises nearby didn’t disturb them.
When Ye Rongrong woke up, she and her two brothers eagerly opened their mouths wide and ate the meat pieces Ashi handed over.
The food was all meat, without any bones.
The cubs were eating well and growing fast.
They fought over food with great energy.
Ashi wiped sweat from his forehead and ate some fruit to quench his thirst. Nearby lay a plump wild chicken.
He’d been lucky today, stumbling upon the fat bird.
It wasn’t fast, so Ashi caught it quickly.
He had waited quietly in the trees for nearly half an hour and finally returned home with something.
Ayue continued peeling the vines, leaving the fine, resilient white cores.
She glanced at them occasionally, leaning against the wall while her hands worked nonstop.
She enjoyed the cool breeze blowing through the cave.
“Ashi, the cubs really like your little wind chime. You feed them over there. They want to look at it.”
Ashi switched spots to feed them and noticed the cubs’ reactions, chuckling softly.
He sat next to Ayue and picked up the white cores she’d rubbed together.
Holding three strands, Ashi began braiding a sturdy rope.
A single vine could easily break, but the core fibers woven together made a strong rope.
Working together, the two passed the time until midday, the hottest part of the day.
Then Old Woman Ashan passed by, calling out, “Ashi, we’re heading out to gather fruit.”
Ayue replied quickly, “Old Woman Ashan, Ashi’s not going. Wish you a bountiful harvest.”
Ashi wanted to say something, but Ayue shot him a sharp look and said disapprovingly, “We’re not short on food. What if you get heatstroke out there?”
Ye Rongrong lay nearby, eyes fixed on the pretty little wind chime, ears perked up as she listened to her parents’ usual bickering.
She was in a particularly good mood and suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.
She glanced at the small red dot hidden in her wing and felt a stirring inside.