Ayue and Ashi, familiar with the route, carried the dried meat to one of the stalls and exchanged all of it for shells.
With a whole bag of shells in hand, they moved confidently and then slowly strolled down the market.
“This is hemp cloth, used for making clothes; this is seasoning—when you cook dried meat in winter, add it to the soup for a delicious taste…” As they walked forward, they introduced the cubs to the various goods.
Most of the beastmen running the stalls were from nearby tribes, and they were mostly familiar faces. The prices of goods were generally similar, only occasionally fluctuating slightly with market trends.
They held a bag of money, and one shell could buy quite a few toys. However, the toys they had previously received were cherished and carefully displayed inside the cave.
The cubs were now staring wide-eyed at the new and fascinating sights outside, their eyes seeming almost not enough to take it all in. Everything around them was so novel.
With their parents explaining everything in their ears, they listened happily.
“Wow!”
“So interesting!”
“That cub is so cute!”
Da Mao, Er Mao, and Rong Rong kept marveling at everything around them, sometimes letting out exclamations of surprise. They practically wanted to flap their little wings and rush forward to get a closer look.
A Yue and A Shi, accustomed to everything around them, found nothing particularly new. But hearing the cubs’ happy voices, their moods brightened considerably.
Along the way, they spotted some toys suitable for the cubs and some items good for the little ones to eat.
They exchanged a glance, seeing the same eager glint in each other’s eyes. In such moments, they immediately calmed down and said in unison, “You can’t buy so many things for the cubs…”
After saying this, they burst into laughter.
Rong Rong secretly glanced at the adults, confirming that they were also in a good mood, then happily played together with Da Mao and Er Mao.
A Shi thought for a moment, took out three shells, and handed them to A Yue, saying, “This money belongs to the cubs. They can choose items priced no higher than one shell each.”
A Yue put away the three shells, leaned close to the back basket, and whispered, “Did you hear that? You can only buy things priced under one shell.”
The cubs didn’t know what kind of items cost less than one shell, but they understood one thing: each of them could buy something they liked.
Da Mao immediately pointed at a large Wild Ox nearby, excitedly exclaiming, “Mother, mother, I want to buy that!” He watched as the ox continuously drooled.
“Da Mao, that’s beef. Don’t you want to buy toys to take back?” A Yue said helplessly. “If you buy meat, after you eat it, you can’t steal your siblings’ toys.”
The three of them usually played with different toys and almost fought over them. Not to mention if he didn’t buy a toy, it would be hard to comfort him when he cried.
A Shi stood by, pulling out one shell and smiling, “Alright, let’s buy a pound of beef to take back. Everyone can try it.”
The beef tasted delicious, indeed, but wild oxen use their horns to gore, making them very difficult to catch. They were basically not prey for families hunting alone.
Such large prey usually required beastmen to hunt in teams, and even then, it was quite dangerous.
One pound of beef cost one shell.
It was expensive, but buying a little now and then to improve their diet was well worth it.
Generally, they only bought daily necessities that lasted a long time. Expensive foods like beef were not within their usual considerations since the game they hunted was enough to fill their bellies, and they usually did not fuss over food.
After buying a pound of beef, they bought another pound of coarse salt. Then they looked around a bit more and bought several pieces of cheap rough cloth and a small axe, the most expensive item among their purchases.
They spent all the money they had saved for one and a half months.
Only three shells remained, set aside to buy toys for the cubs. They took the cubs around to look at the toys, then finally bought a stuffed toy modeled after themselves.
The beastman at the stall had made three cub figures out of sheep wool, which the cubs loved. On the way home, despite being very tired, they still held their little toys tightly.
A Yue and A Shi returned with a sense of accomplishment. Before the temperature rose, they took the cubs home.
Back at home, A Yue and A Shi woke the cubs for a meal and shared the beef they had bought. The chicken meat originally reserved for the cubs was eaten by the two adults.
For two adults and three little ones to share a pound of beef—it was no larger than the size of an adult’s palm. Everyone had only a few bites before it was gone.
The cubs’ appetites weren’t big, but it was enough to fill them up with a good meal of beef.
“Delicious.”
The cubs happily leaned against their fluffy little toys and cheerfully chatted with their parents. After a day out and being woken up early, they played for a while before snuggling together and falling asleep again.
A Yue went out to hunt for the evening meal, while A Shi used their newly bought tools to make some wooden planks and remodel the cave a bit.
··
Early the next morning, A Shi returned with a rabbit he had caught, and he shared it with A Yue.
After resting a while, A Yue went out to hunt again, and he stayed with the cubs, letting them sleep a bit more. When the cubs woke him, A Shi fed them some meat.
“Father, did mother go to the market?” Da Mao asked while eating, his mouth so full of meat he could barely close it, yet he still reached for the next piece from A Shi.
A Shi gently pushed Da Mao’s hand aside and fed Er Mao instead. Da Mao didn’t notice A Shi’s slight annoyance and thought the finger was playing with him. He leaned in and rubbed his head against A Shi’s finger, grinning foolishly.
“Da Mao, if you keep snatching meat from your siblings, next time you’ll be fed separately,” A Shi said, trying to sound stern but failing to hide his smile.
Da Mao was an incredibly oblivious cub. Surprised, he said, “Father, isn’t it better to be fed the tasty stuff alone?” Completely ignoring the first half of the sentence, he had a skill where he only heard what he wanted and transformed any unfriendly part into something he liked.
A Shi gave a speechless chuckle and pulled Da Mao aside. He quickly fed Er Mao and Rong Rong each a bite. Da Mao rushed over, unhappy, “Father, father, it’s my turn, my turn!”
Er Mao and Rong Rong moved aside lazily. They were too indifferent to deal with their big brother who only grew physically but not mentally.
They made way so he could get his share. Meat at home was never lacking, and the only difference was whether they got to eat it sooner or later.
Da Mao ate greedily, his mouth wide open waiting for A Shi to put the meat down. Suddenly, Er Mao jumped, snatching the meat into his mouth and swallowing it in a few bites.
Seeing this, A Shi quickly brought another piece of meat, instantly clearing up Da Mao’s confusion.
Da Mao happily ate the meat, “Delicious~”
Er Mao shrugged with some resignation, “I just took back the meat you stole from me earlier!”
“Ah?” Da Mao looked at Er Mao blankly, “When did you steal my meat?”
Er Mao: “…” Lost his urge to boast.
“Second brother, say something,” Da Mao pressed.
Er Mao adjusted a feather on his wing, exhaled, and said, “Nothing. You just eat.”
Da Mao glared, then looked at Rong Rong, complaining, “Rong Rong, look at Er Mao. He stops talking halfway and leaves you hanging.”
Rong Rong wanted to say something but hesitated.
Instead, Rong Rong awkwardly changed the subject, “Big brother, are you still hungry?”
Da Mao’s attention returned to the food, no longer dwelling on the previous issue. He cheerfully called to A Shi, “Father, meat!”
A Shi sat silently beside them, holding back laughter as he listened to the cubs’ conversation.
He fed them more food and patted their heads one by one. Then he took out the small dangling toy he had bought earlier to tease them.
Watching them jump and scramble to catch the pretty feathers dangling from the end of the little rod, the cubs’ play was lively and fun.
After tiring themselves out, the cubs leaned together and fell asleep.
A Shi put things away, placing them where they belonged, then tidied the cave a bit more. The cave became clean and neat, giving a pleasant impression at first glance.
He picked out some wild fruits he had gathered today. Compared to other beastmen, he was a bit weaker. When he couldn’t catch enough prey, he chose to gather fruits.
Other beastmen households had fewer hunters and more eaters, so when prey was scarce, they needed to supplement their food with wild fruits and vegetables to barely fill their stomachs.
He collected wild fruits partly for his own taste and partly to make dried fruits to brew into tea during winter and spring.
The fire in the home never went out during winter.
It was midsummer now, and the trees outside were still not dried out. Only a few people gathered firewood now, most waiting for autumn to come before preparing winter wood.
Humming an unknown tune, A Shi stayed inside the cave, selecting the best fruits, scooping out the pits, and placing them in the sun to dry.
He also took out the medicine pouch he had made earlier, poured out the powder, and sprinkled it in every corner of the cave.
Then he spread a layer of fine sand around. If any insects passed through, they would leave crawling traces, so the next time they checked the sand, they could immediately tell if something was amiss.
While A Shi busied himself at home, A Yue hid in the tall grass, patiently watching the nearby Sheep herd, waiting for a lone sheep to stray.
Her eyes fixed intently on the front.
One sheep lowered its head to graze, slowly drifting away from the flock without noticing.
A Yue silently crept closer to the lone sheep.
When she reached a certain distance, she crouched perfectly still. Once the lone sheep was far enough from the herd,
A Yue flapped her wings and surged forward. Her sharp claws pierced deeply into the sheep’s woolly skin. She grabbed the lone sheep and swiftly flew upward.
The herd charged toward her with heads and horns, but A Yue was high above and untouchable.
She released her grip just enough to let the sheep fall to its death without shattering its body.
Parched, Ayue drank a good amount of the sheep’s blood to replenish her fluids, then happily brought the prey home.