CHAPTER 786: 【756】BEAST WORLD FARMING 66 (2 MORE UPDATES)_2

"But Clan Leader, the more it’s like this, the more it proves they’re safe. We’re only here to avoid the Beast Tide. Who cares what demands they have? Just get inside, isn’t ensuring our own safety the top priority? Can’t we figure out the rest later? Even if they want us to fend for ourselves, surely they’ll cover our first meal after we enter, right? Everyone’s been starving for days. Isn’t it only right to have a full meal?"

"Yeah, Clan Leader, why didn’t you discuss it with everyone before coming out? Now what, in this snowy wilderness, where will we go?"

The Clan Leader’s self-perceived pride was immediately criticized by his people the moment he turned around and hadn’t walked a hundred meters; they were full of dissatisfaction.

His face flushed red with embarrassment, all the more because he couldn’t come up with a single retort—all the criticisms were valid, after all. He started feeling some regret. They were too hungry to keep going. It really was like the old saying: "Pride comes at the expense of one’s own suffering."

Just look at the other Clan Leaders—dressed sharply and brimming with vitality, whereas his people shrank their necks, looking like drowned rats.

There’s no hurt like that from comparison.

He had impulsively turned away, too shocked to think straight. Now, reflecting on it, what was face worth anyway? Filling one’s stomach was what truly mattered!

Besides, he had already swallowed his pride by proposing to join their tribe en masse, yet they hadn’t agreed, had they? It was in a moment of great agitation he had made a foolish decision.

---

"What? Left and then came back? Haha, what kind of move is that?"

By Noon, Tiantian was preparing lunch when Lang Sen walked in and said they needed to cook for ten more people today. Those people had not only returned but had also met all their demands. However, they had been starving for too long and needed to be fed first. The food would be divided among the households, with each taking in three to five people. Lang Sen offered to take on more, considering his family was better off.

After all, there were elderly people in the village; it wouldn’t be good to trouble them to attend to others, so those individuals were allocated to his household.

Yin Ye agreed with this, so upon returning, he planned to help Tiantian cook.

Cooking for ten wasn’t difficult, but deciding what was appropriate to serve was the challenge.

In the end, she decided to use the mixed grain dough that had been left to rise since yesterday, steaming a big pot of steamed buns and stewing a pot of vegetables.

"Are these people coming to our house to eat?"

Yin Ye nodded, "They’ve got nowhere else to go right now. Our tribe’s folks and their people are negotiating to have them chop wood, start by setting them up in a somewhat large shelter that offers some protection against wind and rain. Fortunately, our tribe has a surplus of straw mats. After we erect the wooden houses, we can lay these mats on the outside, adding several layers to keep the wind out. Afterward, they’ll have to earn their living supplies through their own labor."

Tiantian nodded and looked around the courtyard before turning her attention to the cured meat hanging under her porch: "Collect all this meat. Hide anything that might show off our wealth. The corn can stay covered—they won’t recognize it. The pig and cow pens filled with firewood are okay; that doesn’t matter much. Lock up all the doors to the rooms. I’ll also need to do some makeup; after all, these are folks from the Wanshou Clan, and who knows if they might recognize that Beining fellow. I’d better stay out of sight."

It’s necessary to guard against others, especially since these people are known to be lazy and driven by appetite. Wealth in this age means food and drink.

"Don’t let them inside; have them eat outside. Don’t let them use our own tableware either. Just find a few random bowls and plates. Once they’re used, set them aside. If each household has to provide for a few people, then these utensils will be reserved for their use."

Tiantian had a thing about cleanliness, and her instructions were meticulously detailed to Lili and the Beastmen, who all silently noted them down.

Then Lang Sen went to knead the dough using the coarsest mixed grains. When stewing the vegetables, no spices were added—just salt, cabbage, lotus root, and radish. There was no meat, only oil residue from fried food, with no glass noodles or tofu added. The dish was a simple hodgepodge, meant to be clean but not necessarily tasty, exclusively for the guests.

Two large pots of steamed buns were steamed, totaling seventy to eighty, intended solely for those ten guests. Their own household would make a fresh meal later.

In addition to the stew, he prepared a plate of salty pickled vegetables from summer.

After that, a large wooden table with around ten wooden stools was set up in the courtyard, and then it was time to call the guests.

Among the ten guests were two females and six males, in addition to two children—a mix that seemed to include three generations of the same family. They entered with evident discomfort, first astonished by the grandeur and layout of the house and subsequently filled with envy at its architectural design.

The yard was arranged meticulously because the design of the house was not only beautiful but also practical. Every plant and tree showed careful attention from the owners. A stone path had been laid from the entrance to the front door, ensuring mud-free access on rainy or snowy days.

Moreover, they were all wearing shoes, with even the children’s feet wrapped in shoe covers. The females wore hats and scarves, and the males wore leather caps and coats that looked thin but somehow seemed to keep them warm.

Of course, they didn’t know what shoes, scarves, or hats were; they simply found the attire attractive. Though it looked scant, they didn’t seem cold. A shelter had been erected in the yard with a prepared table underneath. Seeing these tables and chairs, the guests swiftly exchanged glances with their kin.

Heh, it seemed the hosts didn’t plan to let them into the house at all!