Chapter 59: Return Journey

After Ba Ke Er and Mo De flew back to the cave, Zhang Fan and Fei Er eagerly went down and began moving cabbage into the cave. Seeing the two females work so enthusiastically, Ba Ke Er and Mo De didn't want to dampen their enthusiasm, so they let them do it—especially since the cabbage wasn't much and wasn't heavy; otherwise they wouldn't have agreed to let Zhang Fan and Fei Er carry it.

After all the cabbage had been moved into the cave, Zhang Fan and Fei Er finally sat down to rest. Ba Ke Er and Mo De saw that the two had finally stopped, so they walked over to wipe their sweat and give them water. Zhang Fan had originally felt a bit embarrassed that Ba Ke Er was feeding him water and wiping his sweat in front of Fei Er and Mo De, but seeing that Fei Er and Mo De were doing the same, he wondered whether all beastmen partners behaved like this.

If everyone does that, then I don't need to refuse Ba Ke Er's kindness. So I accepted it with a clear conscience.

After drinking water, Zhang Fan began to ask Ba Ke Er about the tribe gathering. After all, Fei Er hadn't been very detailed earlier. Asking Ba Ke Er now wouldn't hurt.

"Ba Ke Er, Fei Er mentioned the tribe gathering—do you know when it starts? Also, how far is the Tiger Tribe from our tribe?"

"Fan Fan, the tribe gathering usually begins in the second month of the harvest season. Although the Tiger Tribe is far from our tribe—fastest flight takes 20 days—it's only the first month now, so we have plenty of time to prepare. No need to rush."

"But Ba Ke Er, we still need to hurry back to make preparations! And these cabbages—if we don't quickly turn them into sauerkraut or spicy cabbage, they'll easily go bad!"

Upon hearing Zhang Fan say that the cabbage they had painstakingly picked would rot if not processed in time, Fei Er felt terrible inside.

"Ah? Fan Fan, it can still rot? No way, we have to hurry back! If the cabbage all rots, what a waste! We went through so much trouble to bring it back!"

"Yes, Fei Er, it looks like we need to head back early. Right! On the way back we must bring extra salt from the salt lake—making sauerkraut and spicy cabbage requires a lot of salt."

"Mm-hmm! But I don't know how to make those; when we get back, Fan Fan, you definitely have to teach me!"

"Of course!" After answering Fei Er, Zhang Fan turned to Ba Ke Er and asked, "But when are we heading back?"

"Let's go back after we finish lunch."

Fei Er saw that Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er had already settled on a return time, while Mo De remained still. Feeling a bit anxious:

"Mo De, you see Ba Ke Er and the others have already decided to head back—shouldn't we be going back too?"

Mo De heard Fei Er's words and replied helplessly, "Of course you can—you just said you wanted to go learn cooking from Zhang Fan, so of course you're coming back with them!"

"Really? That's great!" After saying that, Fei Er lunged forward and planted a kiss on Mo De's face.

Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er, who had been watching the whole scene, indicated they were utterly exasperated.

After confirming the return time, Ba Ke Er and Mo De began preparing lunch. Zhang Fan and Fei Er saw Ba Ke Er and Mo De grilling meat and cooking porridge again, exchanged a silent glance, saw the same helplessness on each other's faces, and smiled at each other.

After finishing lunch and packing their luggage, Ba Ke Er and Mo De carried their mates and luggage and flew toward the Heaven Lion Tribe.