Chapter 204: Digging a Pond to Raise Fish

"Qinghuan, we know these mushrooms; we used to pick them for food before, but some are poisonous, and I'm worried…"

"Don't be afraid, Mother, I know which mushrooms are non‑poisonous; I'll teach you to identify them tomorrow."

Hearing Nan Qinghuan say that, Mother felt relieved; she gently set down the Copper Pin in her hand, "Alright, tomorrow you'll take us to try."

"Oumu, the pond has been dug, what do we do now?"

The sound of Dashan came from outside, and then he actually walked in; but there were so many people that a group of women squeezed him in the middle, which annoyed him. When he saw Nan Qinghuan preparing food, his mouth watered.

So fragrant.

"Dashan, you're back, I've learned to roast fish—shall I make some for you later?"

Axi and Dashan have been apart only a short while, yet it feels like a fresh marriage; when Dashan leaves for a while, she misses him terribly, wishing they could stick together every day.

Dashan, a bit simple‑minded, asked, "Axi, have you learned how?"

Axi was about to say she had learned to roast fish when Nan Qinghuan hurried up, "Now that the digging is done, rest. You all go back; I'm going to raise fish."

Axi had originally helped her, but Nan Qinghuan thought the couple should spend more time together; Ying hasn't returned yet, and she feels bored cooped up at home.

"Qinghuan, I'll go with you."

Mother prepared to go release the fish with her; this time she didn't refuse, and together they raised all the leftover fish in a water pit they had dug.

This water pit could be considered an ancient pond; the water is shallow, about a meter deep, but that's enough. With daily rain it overflows, and these fish can survive; during the Rainy Season the Ape Tribe relies on these fish for meat.

The plump fish, once released, jumped lively and cheerfully. After the fish were set down, she scooped up water plants and lake scoops from the river, also some small snails and plankton, and put all those into the pond. Mother, seeing this, was puzzled, "Qinghuan, what's this?"

"Mother, these are fish food; the fish will eat them. I calculated that the Rainy Season still has some time left, so the tribe can eat these fish for now. Tomorrow I'll take everyone to gather mushrooms and wild vegetables; once the Rainy Season passes, we won't manage the tribe's food anymore—we'll have to rely on them to find their own sustenance."

"Rely on themselves?"

Mother was somewhat worried—can the tribe manage by relying on themselves? In the past, women gathered fruit and men hunted; now it's separated, and she worries some families will have nothing to eat.

"Yes, Mother, only this way will everyone work harder. In the past everyone ate and dressed together, but many were lazy. Look at Adong's family: Adong is lazy, and his female is too; every time they gather fruit they slack off and go to sleep, yet the tribe still has to allocate food to them—it's unfair."

She found most tribe members diligent, but a few lazy ones remain. Now she feels like a big communal pot feeding lazy men; Adong and his wife don't fish or work, yet they still must be given food.

So she proposed splitting the household, so that each family works for its own food and drink, allowing the Tribe to develop healthily.

Grow stronger.

Hearing this, Mother also knew Adong's family was indeed a trouble, but… "Qinghuan, if we do this I fear the others will resist, will they…?"

"Mother, the ones who oppose are those who want to be lazy and have the tribe feed them; how can that be…"

Mother, though she thought Nan Qinghuan was right, said, "Qinghuan, I know you act for the tribe's good. Now we have houses and everyone thanks you, but…"

"Mother, don't worry; I believe things will improve gradually. By the way, Mother, I want to make a pair of Shoes for Ying—could you help me?"

"Shoes? What are Shoes?"

The dusk hung low; the brand‑new house was empty, yet it felt like home.

Ying had gone out with Dashan and the others and hadn't returned; night was falling, and the candlelight in the Tulou illuminated many households.

Nan Qinghuan squatted beside the Bonfire watching Mother make Shoes, Gungun squatted beside her sleeping, and the wild wolf Mos stood guard at the door—a harmonious scene.

Outside, a light rain drummed, its patter echoing into the house.

A breeze blew in, bringing a damp forest scent.

The stone pot over the Bonfire bubbled, emitting the mouth‑watering aroma of fish broth.

Everyone went to rest; the Tulou was quiet.

Nan Qinghuan rested her chin on her hands, watching Mother make Shoes; she described the shape and roughly how to craft them, and Mother, clever as she was, actually understood.

So the material for the Shoes was fetched by Mother—a sturdy piece of Sheep skin that Nan Qinghuan had already treated, giving it great flexibility.

This pleased Nan Qinghuan; the soles were woven from grass. One must admit, although Mother had never seen Shoes before, she was very clever.

She showed Mother her Shoes, and Mother was able to produce a decent pair of ancient sheep‑skin grass Shoes.

"Qinghuan, does it look like this?"

The Shoes made Nan Qinghuan's eyes light up; she immediately reached out and cradled the unfinished pair, "Mother, you're amazing—yes, that's exactly it."

The Shoes she wore were mountain shoes; fortunately they were of good quality and could endure wear, otherwise she would have had no shoes.

"Mother, thank you for your effort."

"Qinghuan, how do you have so many things? Are the Ape Tribe females all this capable?"

"..."

She felt a bit embarrassed—she wasn't an Ape Tribe at all—"Mother, the fish broth is ready; may I ladle a bowl for you to taste?"

Mother, however, was worried about her son, her gaze turning to the pitch‑black night outside, "Why hasn't Ying returned yet? We'll wait for him to eat together."

Mother truly felt heartache for Ying, and Nan Qinghuan grew anxious as well—why hasn't he come back?

"I'll go take a look."

She just stepped out, and unexpectedly saw… what was that? An unfamiliar animal was lifting the tiles on the roof.

"Stop it, you—stop!"

Her shout sent the tribe members rushing out; the animal, seeing people, fled wildly and vanished quickly.

With only women left at home while the men were at work, everyone dared not go out at night. Nan Qinghuan, bold, and with the women's help, carefully climbed to the roof; she needed to replace the tiles the animal had lifted, lest the houses below leak rain.

It was her first time climbing so high; her legs trembled.

By the faint candlelight, she could overlook everything in the Tulou.

But her squatting at such height terrified Axi and the others.

"Qinghuan, come down quickly, I'm scared."

"Yes, Qinghuan, come down quickly."

"It's fine; I'll patch the tiles here, otherwise it'll leak."

Fortunately, having seen how they built the house, she followed the pattern of the tiles, laying them piece by piece, and finally the damaged roof was repaired.

As she prepared to descend, her legs went weak.

"Qinghuan."

Clatter... the sound of tiles falling.

In an instant, everyone's hearts rose to their throats.

Nan Qinghuan crouched, grasped the beam firmly, and said, "I'm fine, don't shout, I'll come down myself."

She remained calm; in this situation one must not panic, otherwise they'd tumble down.

"Qinghuan, what are you doing?"

Ying, who had rushed back, saw her tiny figure perched on the eaves; he inhaled a cold breath and turned ashen.

"Ying is back."

"Don't move, I'll catch you, don't move."

Ying scrambled up the roof like a madman, step by step pulling her back; when she returned to his arms, Ying held her tightly, a feeling of having regained something lost.

"Qinghuan, you scared me to death."

His voice trembled with a hoarse quiver; everyone gasped, wondering if Ying could also feel fear. He spoke tremblingly because Nan Qinghuan, the petite female, had affected him.

Ying had been delighted to hear about the fish‑raising matter, intending to work and then cherish her, but unexpectedly... he almost scared her to death.

A Mu, seeing the scene, felt a bit embarrassed and said, "Everyone go home, it's fine now, go back."

Inside the house, the bonfire blazed.

When Nan Qinghuan told Ying what had happened, Ying immediately stopped sipping the fish soup; his complexion was off. "A strange creature?"

"Exactly. I saw it outside the Cave too; Gungun and Mos were both terrified, but I don't know what it was, I've never seen it before."

Ying gulped a mouthful of fish soup; I must say the soup tasted quite good. After finishing, he set down the Earthen Bowl, frowned at her, and asked, "No other females have seen it?"

Nan Qinghuan had seen many women appear then, but indeed no one recognized them; everyone was just shouting in fear.

She shook her head, about to speak, when a woman's voice suddenly came from outside.

"I know what that is?"