Chapter 77: Cattail Fiber Garment

"Again it's just this little food, not even a piece of beast hide. Can't you be of any use?"

The partner's endless chatter rang in his ears, and the male, cold and numb, kept his head down stitching a beast‑skin coat.

Seeing that the male, whose once delicate features had faded with time, no longer listened to her, the female standing at the doorway grew even more furious.

"Ge Li! Are you even speaking to me?"

Her voice suddenly rose sharply, sounding sharp and grating to the ears of those nearby.

When Yun Li and Leng Xiao came with food to look for Uncle Ge Li, they saw a woman whose eyebrows formed a vertical "river" character, whose cheekbones were sunken, giving her a somewhat sharp and scornful appearance, standing before the weary‑looking man and shouting nonstop.

"Am I talking to a deaf person? All you do is keep your head down stitching! Stitch! Stitch!"

"Do you even remember I'm your female! What's the point of stitching these things every day?"

"The Beastmen from the Silver Eagle Tribe won't come to you for stitching, so what's the use of only the old Tribe's Beastmen coming to you?"

"The little stuff they bring isn't enough for anyone to eat!"

"Speak up! Can't you even say a word?"

Seeing the female get more agitated, she reached out and began pounding Ge Li.

Leng Xiao furrowed his brows and called out, "Miyi, Uncle Ge Li."

When the female turned around, Yun Li pretended she hadn't seen anything, stepped forward and smiled, "Miyi, we want to ask Uncle Ge Li to make a garment."

Thanks to Mu Qing and the other two working day and night, after the cattail strips were sun‑dried, they followed Yun Li's instructions and, in less than two days, actually produced cattail fiber.

But once the fiber was wound into skeins, Yun Li had neither weaving tools nor experience, so she couldn't turn the skeins into cloth.

Mu Qing and the others were even less skilled; they were half‑learned at best in stitching beast‑skin coats. Even Yun Li, relying on her childhood experience making doll clothes, sewed better than they did.

So once the skein was ready, Yun Li impatiently had Leng Xiao take her to ask Uncle Ge Li, a spider beast of the Yuanbuluo, to make the garment.

And to gather enough fiber for a single garment, Mu Qing went out to cut a huge batch of big cattail, rushing back and forth, and only delivered the material today.

When she arrived, she saw a family drama unfold, and Yun Li couldn't help but glance at Ge Li again.

Seeing him receive something from his own female and then turn away without a glance, showing no emotional reaction, a hint of confusion flashed in her mind.

If his female treats him like that, does he not get angry?

Regarding Yun Li's attention, Ge Li's partner wasn't around, so he naturally wouldn't have much interaction with her.

Thus Leng Xiao stepped forward and said, "Uncle Ge Li, take a look—how long will it take you to make a garment from these cattail fibers?"

Ge Li stared at the never‑before‑seen cattail fibers, and the still‑water look in his eyes rippled slightly, "Where did you get these cattail fibers?"

Although spider silk can be made into clothing, compared to superior beast‑skin, spider‑silk garments are still too luxurious; not everyone would, like Mu Qing, dig out a ghost‑spider's nest just to make a light garment for Yun Li.

After all, ghost spiders are poisonous and live in colonies; killing one will cause the others nearby to swarm you.

Besides their silk, they have nothing else that tempts Beastmen, so no one would bother provoking a bunch of poisonous, hard‑to‑deal creatures.

Isn't that just courting trouble?

"Of course we made them ourselves."

Leng Xiao said proudly, "It was A Li's idea; we used the big cattail near the Silver Eagle Tribe to make them."

"Uncle Ge Li, you don't know that we stayed up for several nights for this."

Even though pulling all‑nighters is routine for Beastmen who hunt freely, Leng Xiao and his group still had to repeat daytime mechanical work late at night, which was truly hard.

Fortunately, they finally produced the cattail fibers Yun Li wanted; if these fibers can indeed become a garment for her to wear in Red Grass Valley, it will surely attract a lot of Beastmen's attention.

Ge Li's face was full of confusion, "Big cattail?"

"It's a plant that grows very tall, with leaves the size of a palm."

Leng Xiao gave a brief explanation, then urged, "Uncle Ge Li, first see if you can make it."

"If you can't make it, all the effort we've put in these days will have been wasted."

Ge Li lowered his eyes, looked at the piece thrust into his hand, and pulled a strand of cattail fiber to test its toughness.

Compared with spider silk, it's not as smooth or springy, but its toughness is sufficient and won't break easily while weaving.

He nodded, "It can be made. Female, do you still want the same style of robe as before?"

The term "robe" was something he had learned from Mu Qing; despite making many garments, it was the first time a Beastman asked him to make sleeves that large and a hem that was loose rather than fitted.

Such a garment would probably get dirty within a day of wearing it.

But that was Mu Qing's request at the time, so he had no choice but to comply.

Leng Xiao looked at Yun Li, and Yun Li nodded at Ge Li, "Yes, make the same open‑front robe as before, but this time the opening should be slanted, and the sleeves and hem don't need to be as loose as before."

Yun Li sketched a rough design on the ground for him; because this robe's requirements differed from the last, it also included a waist tie.

Ge Li had to ask a few more detail questions.

Afterward, Ge Li roughly calculated the time needed and told Yun Li they could pick it up in five days.

Five days later, the Silver Eagle Tribe had already set out in groups toward Red Grass Valley, though the valley was some distance from the tribe, especially with many young females and cubs traveling together.

So catching up a few days later wouldn't be a problem.

…

Five days later, Yun Li received the new garment made from cattail fiber.

She washed it that morning and wore it in the afternoon, turning several times in front of the three Beast Husbands at home.

"Does it look good?"

Compared with a spider‑silk garment, this cattail‑fiber robe was obviously not as light and flowing, but the material was unique, the style one‑of‑a‑kind, and Yun Li's beautiful appearance added to its appeal.

Mu Qing and the other two naturally praised it repeatedly, even entertaining the thought of not letting her wear it to Red Grass Valley.

"A Li"

Leng Xiao wrapped his arms around the female's waist and whispered, "Shall we not wear this and go?"

Yun Li gave him a brief glare, "What about those females who are to be transferred to the Youbuluo?"

Tailoring skills are indeed extremely precious in this world, but knowing you can stop the practice of trading females and prevent the custom of objectifying them from the source.

How could she possibly not go?

She herself is a female, and she also has a female cub.

Therefore she must wear these clothes to go.

"Does it look bad for me to wear this? Or are you afraid that if I go out for a while, I'll bring back a new Beast Husband?"

Yun Li narrowed her eyes at them, and Mu Qing, as the family's First Beast Husband, said, "A Li, we're not afraid that you will bring back a new Beast Husband, but that you might bring several home."

"Right."

Leng Xiao lowered his head and rubbed his head against her neck, "We can tolerate bringing one or two Beast Husbands home, but if several arrive at once, A Li, you'd probably not even remember us."

Yun Li:!!! Does she really have such an unbearable hunger and thirst?