Chapter 71: Harvest

Zhang Fan and the four of them, after returning to the camp, began to act according to the plan they had discussed on the way back: Zhang Fan and Fei Er would go into the tent to gather seasonings and ingredients, as well as some prepared snacks. Ba Ke Er and Mo De were responsible for gathering utensils and cookware, as well as the beast‑skin bags to be used later for holding wheat. After packing everything up, Ba Ke Er and Mo De then transformed into beast form, taking Zhang Fan, Fei Er, and the luggage with them as they flew toward the direction Mi Ya Luo had indicated.

Soon they reached the destination. Zhang Fan looked out over a vast expanse of golden wheat fields, and his mood grew more relaxed. Ba Ke Er and Mo De flew around the wheat field once, then finally chose to land beside a large tree at the edge of the field.

Zhang Fan and Fei Er got off the ground and began unloading the items from Ba Ke Er and Mo De's bodies. After Ba Ke Er and Mo De had taken off their gear, they did not rush to revert to human form; instead, they entered the wheat field in beast form and only then shifted to human form to begin harvesting the wheat ears.

The male beastmen began working in the fields, while Zhang Fan and Fei Er started preparing lunch. Fortunately, the food they had brought was enough for all four of them to eat their fill, so there was no need to look for anything else.

As the saying goes, practice makes perfect; Zhang Fan and Fei Er, having cooked together many times, grew ever more in sync, and soon the rice was done. With the rice ready, Zhang Fan kept watch over the food while Fei Er went to call the two male beastmen back to eat. Fortunately, the beastmen, needing to protect the females, had not strayed far and were merely active nearby Zhang Fan and Fei Er; otherwise, Fei Er might have run his legs off and still not found the two male beastmen.

After eating and packing up, Zhang Fan and Fei Er also joined the wheat‑harvesting team. As soon as they entered the field, each grabbed a wheat stalk with one hand and wielded a sharp stone sickle in the other, cutting the stalks swiftly as they rose and fell. The harvested stalks they placed into the beast‑skin bags at their waists.

All four worked so quickly that in less than an afternoon they had cut one‑third of the mature wheat in the field. Seeing that the beast‑skin bags they had brought were already bulging, Zhang Fan called a halt, since cutting more would be pointless if they couldn't carry it away. Thus, the four began to pack up.

After Ba Ke Er and Mo De had finished packing everything, they shifted into beast form. Zhang Fan and Fei Er then busied themselves loading the gear onto the two sturdy beastmen, and only after the loading was complete did each mount his own male partner's back. Once Zhang Fan and Fei Er were seated securely, Ba Ke Er and Mo De spread their wings and flew off toward the Tiger Tribe camp they had come from.

After arriving at the Tiger Tribe's camp and setting down their belongings, the two male beastmen flew out again to hunt. Meanwhile, Zhang Fan and Fei Er took out a stone mortar and pestle, removed some of the wheat ears they had brought back, tossed them into the mortar to thresh and hull the grain. Once the grains were hulled, Zhang Fan produced a miniature stone mill, cleaned it, then scooped the hulled wheat into it spoonful by spoonful with a wooden spoon to begin grinding it into flour.

By the time Ba Ke Er and Mo De returned with their game, Zhang Fan and Fei Er had already ground the hulled wheat into flour. Seeing the two male beastmen back, Zhang Fan began making a fire together with Fei Er to cook.

After examining today's haul, they found the beast meat was well suited for roasting. Zhang Fan thought it over, consulted Fei Er, and decided they would have roasted meat and lump soup for dinner.