Chapter 157: The Cave Is Leaking

She had to admit, his heartbeat made her feel very safe. Only in this moment did she realize that although this man was not good with words, he was genuinely good to her. So what if he was a wild man, so what if it was ancient times—no distance, however far, could keep two hearts from drawing closer together.

Ying said nothing in response, only held her tighter, gazing at her with burning eyes. That's right—he actually remembered every word she said, it's just that the things Qinghuan spoke of, he had never heard of before, and doing them would not be easy.

But whatever she wanted to do, he was willing.

"I asked Youchao Xuan. He said we can build a house now, but we need to finish it before the Rainy Season arrives."

These words made Nan Qinghuan somewhat anxious. "Rainy Season—when will the Rainy Season arrive?"

She knew it was summer now, and she knew there would be a Rainy Season here, and a very long one at that, but she had absolutely no concept of when the Rainy Season in ancient times would arrive. She remembered that when she left here for the Misty Forest, she heard others say the Rainy Season was coming, but she was unclear on exactly when.

Ying narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly thinking about how to tell her. He continued gently stroking her little head, his gaze turning to the torrential rain outside. The heavy rain brought in some dampness, making the Cave even more humid inside.

"It's already been raining heavily these past few days. There should be less than three months left."

"What—less than three months?"

This conflicted with what she had imagined. She had originally thought that now they had corn Seeds, potatoes, and sweet potatoes, they could build a house as soon as they got back, but she hadn't expected the time to be this tight.

Building a house here in less than three months would not be easy.

"So I've been preparing. I'll let Shiva keep her wretched life for now, and deal with her after our house is built."

"Mm."

The couple were of one mind. Nan Qinghuan looked at the pouring rain outside with some worry, and hurriedly climbed off him to sit cross-legged. "Then we need to prepare, otherwise if it rains every day we won't be able to dig the foundation or cut timber. What do you think?"

Ying saw how anxious she looked and knew she didn't want to live in the Cave, but his focus right now wasn't on the house. What he was thinking about was… a flash of desire crossed his eyes, and his large hand gently rested on her flat little belly, as if his Bone Blood was already slowly taking root and sprouting there.

His gaze carried a tenderness and hope that had never been there before—a hope for a cub. He had always wanted to have a cub.

"Qinghuan, once the house is built, are you willing to willingly bear cubs for me?"

Willingly—he asked this question with extraordinary care.

Nan Qinghuan was somewhat startled, looking down at him gently stroking her belly.

She blinked, somewhat speechless. This man was thinking about having cubs at every possible moment.

She was just about to answer him when Ying, feeling uncertain, suddenly sat up, reached out to cup her little face, and asked worriedly, "Qinghuan, you still don't want to?"

His voice was somewhat hoarse, even carrying a trace of despair.

He didn't understand why she just wouldn't agree—why? He wanted no one but her, so why was she unwilling to bear cubs? The cubs of his peers were already old enough to climb trees and pick fruit, while he… still didn't have a single cub to this day.

He thought of what A Mu had said. A Mu said Qinghuan was now the leader of two Tribes—could it be she had other intentions, and that was why she wouldn't bear cubs? He had desperately explained to A Mu that it wasn't like that, but… her silence right now made his heart suddenly sink. He believed she had no second thoughts about him, but he needed to know the reason why she wouldn't bear cubs.

Nan Qinghuan was just about to nod and promise him that if she got pregnant she would have the child, when suddenly her hand touched something ice-cold. She looked down and nearly jumped up.

Good heavens… the Cave was actually leaking water!

Drip, drip, drip… water droplets kept seeping through from overhead, completely soaking the Stone Bed they slept on. This Stone Bed was no longer habitable.

"Get down quickly."

Ying saw the water rising again and, somewhat embarrassed, hurriedly carried her down and set her by the fire. He no longer had time to press the cub issue. "Sit here for now. Wait until I clean things up before you come over."

A leaking Cave was a first for Nan Qinghuan, but for Ying it was already a common occurrence. Nan Qinghuan didn't know how he was going to deal with it, so she could only sit by the Bonfire and watch him.

She saw him go fetch a few clay jars and then place them where the water was dripping.

She had to admit, the Ancient People were still quite clever—they already knew they could use clay jars to catch the falling rainwater. But… once the clay jars were placed on the Stone Bed, another spot started leaking, and there were no extra clay jars to catch the water. Ying saw there was no way to plug it, so he stopped trying and let the Cave stay soaking wet.

He seemed somewhat helpless. That large man just stared blankly at the pooled water.

Seeing this, Nan Qinghuan felt awful. She had been at the Tribe for several months now, but a leaking Cave was truly a first.

She felt like she was living in a broken house.

In that instant, she felt stifled. She suddenly stood up and walked to the Cave entrance. Outside, rain was pouring down in buckets, crashing loudly. Heavy rain outside, light rain inside the Cave—her nose was filled with the damp air.

This feeling was absolutely wretched.

This wouldn't do. She'd have to wait until tomorrow when the weather cleared to start planning the house construction.

Just then, a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind her. "Qinghuan, don't worry. I will definitely build the house sooner so you can move in. I'm sorry for making you suffer along with me."

Ying reached out from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head lightly on her shoulder, coaxing her softly. He knew Nan Qinghuan had never lived this kind of life before, and he was doing his best to let her live well.

If she didn't want to live in the Cave, he would build her a house. Whatever she wanted to do, he was happy to help her accomplish. There was only one thing he couldn't tolerate—she couldn't leave him.

And she absolutely couldn't refuse to bear his cubs.

This was his bottom line, not to be crossed.

Ying's carefulness made her feel even more tender toward him. She looked up at this man who was a full head taller than her. Yes—every word he said was sincere. She had never thought there would come a day when he would say sorry to her.

Nan Qinghuan looked up at him, and when she saw the guilt in Ying's eyes, her nose stung. She reached out and gently stroked his handsome face. "Ying, you haven't wronged me. We can create a good life together, work hard together, and let all our people live good days. Okay?"

This was her promise to him, and she was about to put it into action.

Firelight danced in Ying's eyes, and his heart surged with emotion. "Qinghuan, thank you."

"Ying, can you promise me one thing?"

Ying didn't know what she wanted to ask, and quickly nodded. "Tell me—whatever you want to do, I'll agree to."

Nan Qinghuan thought of the conflict they'd had last time. He hadn't believed her words—he hadn't believed that siblings could marry.

"From now on, no matter what I say, you have to believe me. Okay?"

Ying's heart jolted, and he understood what she was referring to. He sighed softly and reached out to gently stroke her little face. "Qinghuan, I've actually always believed you. I believe whatever you say. It's just that last time you made me so angry I lost my head. You secretly ate Herbal Medicine, and I thought you…"