Chapter 73: No wonder it's me who doesn't know value

Those four people glanced at Mo Lie, who stood behind Lin Manzhi like a guardian divine beast, and simultaneously shook their heads with a swish; their Water Cellar had no stored water, but it could still be used for several more years.

This year we'll first use the old method, filling water barrels when it rains, and we can still survive.

One of them shook his head, deliberately raising his voice as it came over: 'Lin Cixing… we think the Water Cellar is great; we don't want to change it back.'

About half of the crowd had stored water in their Water Cellars; those who actually benefited favored Lin Manzhi's side, but they dared not speak out against her because of Xu Feifei's status as a female.

At this point, hearing Lin Manzhi's question, they began discussing the benefits of the Water Cellar.

'Of course it's useful! I can draw water at home every morning when I wake up; I no longer have to carry a water barrel far away to queue for water.'

'The Water Cellar doesn't leak at all; just thinking about having so much water at home makes me laugh in my sleep.'

'Exactly! My Water Cellar being full of water puts my mind at ease.' Among the crowd, those who had built Water Cellars early shouted loudly: 'If you're short of water this dry season, just bring Meat Jerky to exchange for water with me—I'll give you a discount.'

'Yes, yes, I'm most grateful that I had Lin Cixing build my Water Cellar early!'

Lin Manzhi listened to their conversation, her heart without great joy or sorrow; people are multifaceted—within any matter, dislike brings liking in return.

She looked toward Xu Feifei ahead; hearing the crowd praise Lin Manzhi, her lovely face flushed with anger, nostrils flaring. Her reddened eyes stared at her unwillingly.

Lin Manzhi met her gaze, not dodging or avoiding, and gave her a faint smile.

Her expression held no mockery; it seemed she was politely smiling at an ordinary acquaintance.

Seeing her act as if nothing had happened, Xu Feifei felt that she herself was the one who had been harshly slapped by everyone.

Without a word, she turned and left.

No matter what, Lin Manzhi had to spit out the Meat Jerky she had eaten; today she had won!

Thinking that, Xu Feifei felt much better; she ran to find the two male beasts, the worthless Beast Husbands of the Xi Tao Clan, Cihe and Cichuan, who were wielding sharp stones to dig the Water Cellar.

The smooth, ceramic-like wall was gouged out by the sharp stones the male beasts held in their hands, one strike after another; soon it became rough, loose sand, like a perfect ceramic slab crushed into countless fragments that could never be made whole again.

Xu Feifei stood aside watching; when the Water Cellar was completely destroyed, she immediately urged the two male beasts to go find Lin Manzhi to retrieve a hundred catties of Exotic Beast Jerky.

Lin Manzhi heard Cihe's report, didn't make things difficult for them, and readily returned the prepared Meat Jerky on the spot.

The two male beasts stepped forward to inspect the Meat Jerky; finding no problem, they packed it into the bags they had brought and then retreated behind Xu Feifei.

Xu Feifei gave Lin Manzhi a frivolous smile, then strutted off with the two male beasts and the Meat Jerky.

When Xu Feifei returned home, she ran into the clan chief Luo Ji, who had heard about this; his face anxious as he stared at his daughter: 'You know her family's situation—why did you go looking for trouble with her again?'

Xu Feifei's face darkened; she looked down on the Beast Father's fearful appearance.

Even though Lin Manzhi is a female with Pheromone, she still has to step back in front of her!

She believed that forcing Lin Manzhi to this point was entirely her own doing; otherwise, no female would truly take her own household's belongings out.

Females all follow the practice that 'once you enter a female's home, everything becomes hers.'

Xu Feifei snorted coldly: 'Beast Husband! I'm speaking up for my beast servant; just now Lin Manzhi obediently returned the Meat Jerky to me.'

Luo Ji, upon hearing that, carefully asked: 'What did Mo Lie say?'

Xu Feifei walked into the room, irritated: 'What could he say? He obeys his Wife Master so much; Beast Husband, you say he's so formidable—why did he form a Bond with Lin Manzhi?'

Luo Ji breathed a sigh of relief; since Mo Lie said nothing, it seemed he wouldn't intervene in females' affairs, and Lin Manzhi hadn't used her status to dominate, so the matter ended here.

He turned and sternly warned Xu Feifei: 'I don't know either; from now on don't go looking for them—they're outsiders, their status is not ordinary.'

Xu Feifei scoffed: 'Come on, having an extraordinary status wouldn't bring them to our poor place.'

Annoyed by the Beast Father's lecturing face, she pushed him out the door, impatiently saying: 'Enough, enough, stop talking—you're making me sick.'

Luo Ji was pushed out the door by Xu Feifei; seeing the courtyard gate close before him, he could only sigh helplessly.

No matter what, I am the clan chief of the Luosanya Tribe; I should be able to protect my daughter no matter what.

'Xu Feifei, she's bullying people with her influence!'

After Xu Feifei left, Xi Tao stood before Lin Manzhi, her face mixed with the resentment of being bullied and unwillingness: 'Look at her smug expression—it's so hateful!'

'Lin Manzhi, aren't you angry?'

Lin Manzhi looked at Xi Tao and smiled: 'It's fine, I'm not really angry.'

Xi Tao's face full of ferocity: 'I really want to kill her.'

Lin Manzhi: '……'

The beastfolk world is just this cruel.

She saw that the other still had anger, and comforted: 'The Water Cellar is genuinely useful; Xu Feifei's smashing of her own Water Cellar out of ignorance is her own loss, and when the dry season comes she'll be the one who suffers—don't be angry.'

Xi Tao listened, thought about it, and agreed: 'That's also true……'

Lin Manzhi thought of the households that had built Water Cellars but hadn't stored water yet, as if she had thought of something.

She lifted her head to glance at the blazing sun in the sky, thinking that Xi Tao was a local resident, and asked: 'Do you know when the rainy season usually arrives?'

'Oh, the rainy season—I heard the clan chief say a few days ago that it should come tomorrow.' Xi Tao's face fell: 'At that time it will rain continuously for fifty days, a month's worth, followed by five straight months of scorching dry season.'

'Every dry season the heat forces us to live only on the Underground level—hey, Lin Manzhi, you need to clear out your Underground House soon.'

Hearing Xi Tao's words, Lin Manzhi immediately scheduled the task of clearing the Underground House for this afternoon.

She nodded: 'You reminded me correctly.'

It's already extremely hot now; she dares not imagine how hot the dry season will be.

Lin Manzhi stood in the courtyard, turning her head toward the kitchen.

Mo Lie's figure occasionally appeared at the kitchen doorway; he had taken off his outer cloak, his black-clad form tall and slender, his brows handsome, as he was arranging the utensils he had bought from Kuangsha City.

Oh, there's still a lot of things waiting.

Lin Manzhi didn't have time to stand in the courtyard chatting with Xi Tao, and said: 'Come see me the day after tomorrow morning; I want to summon all the Beastfolk who had us build their Water Cellars, so I can teach everyone how to collect Rainwater—that way those four households won't have empty Water Cellars, wasting the Meat Jerky.'