CHAPTER 726: 【720】BEAST WORLD FARMING 30 (2 MORE)

She wanted to teach them not only how to make proper use of fire but also to encourage them to eat cooked food.

Porridge was just the first step; once this Cold Season was over, she planned to gradually introduce them to the appeal of other delicacies.

If you think that the Cold Season passed in peace, with eating and drinking, then you would be very much mistaken, because the Cold Season in the Beast World is far more terrifying than you can imagine.

Ever since the start of the Cold Season, it snowed almost every day. Even if it didn’t snow during the day, it would surely fall at night. Therefore, everywhere you looked was blanketed in white, and under such dreary weather conditions, she, no matter how much she craved for something, did not want to go out.

But if the Beastmen didn’t go out, what about the wild animals? Let’s not talk about those hibernating. Carnivorous beasts like hyenas, when starved, could do anything.

They hadn’t yet entered the era of agriculture. Beastmen didn’t farm or raise livestock. They hunted animals to sustain themselves. But wild animals also have food chains. How many animals were there in the forest to provide for them after endless cycles? And sometimes, to find softer food for the females and cubs, they had to slaughter the younglings. If the young were gone, how could there be more animals to feed them?

Thus, the food chain where big fish eat little fish, and little fish eat shrimps, naturally formed.

Beastmen might be holed up in winter, but carnivorous beasts, in order to survive, had to venture out in search of food. So the outside world was now much more dangerous than the tribe.

If food was ample, it was for the best. If not, each Beastman tribe would end up being the last resort for these ferocious beasts.

This was what was known as the Beast Tide attack.

No matter how cold it was, Jin Han, as a member of the Eagle Clan, needed to go out and patrol daily to guard against these terrifying Beast Tides.

Tangtang couldn’t do anything but stay at home, innovating ways to make delicious food for them.

As Beastmen households started cooking with fire, she refused the requests of those wanting to seek warmth, for a simple reason: she liked the quiet and didn’t want her family to be left out in the cold. She spoke bluntly, thinking that if you were too polite, they wouldn’t understand.

In her eyes, Jin Han, Yin Ye, or the hibernating Pan Lin, were not men but family, treated as brothers.

She thought this arrangement was quite good. As long as they were willing, she didn’t mind continuing the relationship like this. Giving birth to cubs or getting involved in relationships, those kinds of things easily led to disputes, so it was better to avoid them!

If they could accept it, they would stay together; if not, they would part ways. Of course, this was her current mindset. As for the future, she would see!

That evening, she turned the steamed rice into a sticky rice cake, poured it into stone mortar, and then cut it into small pieces using a mold. After shaping it, she fried it in oil until golden brown. Then, paired with dried shellfish and snails, she added chili and stir-fried it all in a stone pot. The result was uniquely attractive and delicious.

Jin Han returned home through the snow, bringing with him the cold air. Yin Ye prepared a hot bath for him, urging him to wash up quickly before bringing over a steaming hot meal.

"What’s wrong? You look so pale."

Jin Han sighed deeply, "In the Xinba Tribe today, a female had a difficult birth. The cub was born, but his Mom passed away. She lost a lot of blood. Without the female, that Tiger Beastman doesn’t know how to raise the cub. In such cold weather, everyone is looking out for themselves, and no one is willing to help,"

"Talking this far," he cautiously lifted his head to glance at Sugar, "or else...?"

Without even looking up, Sugar answered, "Then just bring him over. On such a cold day, I fear only our conditions here could keep him alive. But what’s in it for me?"

Raising someone else’s child without any benefit meant the Tiger Beastman would take it for granted in the future. That’s why it was important to lay out the expectations right from the start.

"The one who raises his cub will work like a beast of burden for that house. Given that the female is dead, he won’t be able to find another partner in this lifetime anyway."

Once Beastmen were mated with a female, whether or not she bore him children, or could stay by his side, he was committed for life. Hence, even if the female fell ill or died accidentally, he would remain alone for the remainder of his days. Of course, in the Beast World, two Beastmen could also band together to get by.

Generally speaking, such Beastmen were either unwilling to share a female with others, or were too poor, too weak, too ugly, or simply unwanted by females. Regardless of the reason, females in this era tended to have the upper hand.

As for the Tiger Beastman’s little cub, to say nothing of the fact that he had just been born and needed to be breastfed, which the father couldn’t provide, when the cub grew up, the father would still have to go out hunting and couldn’t always stay by the little one’s side. If someone else were to help raise the cub, it would only be fair for him to work hard in return.

After considering for a moment, Sugar nodded. She could treat him as a long-term worker, and as for the little cub, although she had never raised one before, they had plenty of food and a warm home, so getting him through this Cold Season shouldn’t be a problem. As for what would happen after the Cold Season, well, that could be figured out later.

"Okay, then bring the little cub over in a while."

Jin Han was a kind person, especially knowing they had rice porridge at home, he thought they might as well help.

After eating, Jin Han immediately went out, and when he returned, he was holding a Tiger Cub wrapped in beast skins.

The newborn Tiger Cub was sleepy and confused, with short fur that was not yet full, and quite small, about the same size as a newborn puppy.

The Tiger Beastman had to deal with the female’s funeral, so he didn’t come over, but it was understandable; at the moment, he was likely engulfed in grief and couldn’t spare any thought for the little one.

"Lang Sen said that, once he’s settled the matters over there, he’ll come and dig a hole next to ours to work hard for our household."

Sugar nodded in agreement without saying anything more. She took the little Tiger Cub, who was still somewhat damp and barely opening its eyes, not looking too pretty - just like a human newborn doll, not attractive at first but would become cuddly as it grew, hehe.

After Jin Han left, she prepared a pot of seafood porridge in the stone pot. The Tiger Cub’s digestion was much better than that of a human infant, so a gluey rice porridge with some minced meat added to it would certainly be to his liking.

The little Tiger Cub was a male. She cradled him in her arms, scooped a small spoonful of porridge, gently blew on it, and brought it to the edge of the Tiger Cub’s mouth.

Perhaps enticed by the scent of food, the Tiger Cub yawned, licking up the porridge into his belly, just like how a human infant instinctively sucks.

Although going without breast milk might result in him not growing as strong, they had plenty of rice porridge, which should serve as a good substitute.

Under her careful feeding, the Tiger Cub managed to drink two large bowls of rice porridge before stopping his lapping movements and dozing off in a daze.