Chapter 83

Zhang Fan and Fei Er moved quickly, and before long they had finished breaking off this small patch of corn. But when they stopped, Zhang Fan and Fei Er started to worry. There's too much corn for the two of us to carry—what should we do?!

"What should we do? Fan Fan, there's so much corn—how are we supposed to bring it back? Sigh, if I'd known, I'd have brought a few sacks to put it in." At this moment, Fei Er frowned so hard his brows knotted.

"It's okay, Fei Er—we could maybe weave something from the surrounding grass to carry the corn back. Or we could go back once to get a bag. Besides, we two can't carry it all, but don't we still have the males of our household?" Zhang Fan looked at Fei Er's knotted brows, then realized a problem—it seems the place where we keep things isn't far from here! So he spoke up to comfort Fei Er.

Fei Er heard Zhang Fan's words and also understood. He clapped his hands and said:

"Exactly! Why didn't I think of that? This place isn't far from where we store things—even if we run back to get a bag, we'd make it in time! Hehe! Then let's hurry!" After saying that, Fei Er grabbed Zhang Fan and they ran hard toward the wagon.

But before the two could reach the wagon, they ran into Ba Ke Er and Mo De, who were driving the wagon over to look for them. Seeing them arrive, Fei Er and Zhang Fan quickly stopped.

"Mo De, how come you're here? When did you get back? We were just about to go back to find something to hold the corn in! Hehe, Fan Fan just promised to make me corn pancakes to eat! Now we have something delicious again—I'm so happy!" When Fei Er saw Mo De coming, he lunged into Mo De's arms and started chattering nonstop.

And when Zhang Fan saw Ba Ke Er coming, he walked over and said: "Ba Ke Er, you're here! Perfect—I and Fei Er just broke off some corn, and we're worried we can't carry it back; we wanted to go get a sack to put it in."

Ba Ke Er and Mo De, upon hearing Zhang Fan and Fei Er say they'd found corn, knew they'd definitely get another treat today. The two males thought: since we started the journey, the females have rarely cooked—on the road we either eat dried rations or roasted meat. The females only cook occasionally. Now with this new ingredient, the females will surely cook themselves, and thinking about it, Ba Ke Er and Mo De couldn't help swallowing a few mouthfuls of saliva.

They thought their little gestures were flawless and no one would notice. Little did they know, their own females had already seen their expressions crystal clear. But the meaning behind those gestures was misinterpreted by their females.

Zhang Fan and Fei Er thought: "Hmph! Little things! Just don't want to cook, huh? Don't think we don't know. Hmph! The less you want to cook, the more we'll train you!"

At this moment, Ba Ke Er and Mo De still didn't realize they'd been misunderstood; if they knew, who knows how they'd express their loyalty!

"All right, let's go—it's right up ahead! We've already piled the broken corn together. Hurry up and move it, or else some other animal will eat it and that would be awful!"

Zhang Fan finished speaking, then hopped onto the wagon, snatched the reins Ba Ke Er had gathered, and started driving the wagon toward the cornfield. Beside him, Fei Er saw Zhang Fan and the others leaving, and hurriedly urged Mo De to follow.

Not long after, they reached the edge of the cornfield. Upon arriving, Zhang Fan quickly jumped down to check whether the corn had suffered any loss. Having just been dragged away by Fei Er, he hadn't thought to stand guard over the corn. What a pity it would be if small animals ruined it!

After inspecting the corn, Zhang Fan let out a long breath: "Phew! Luckily there are few animals nearby, so there's no loss. It would be terrible if the corn we'd worked so hard to break off were ruined by small animals!"

Fei Er heard Zhang Fan say that, then realized he'd gotten overly excited. He couldn't help sticking out his tongue and said to Zhang Fan:

"Fan Fan, uh… I just got overexcited and forgot to leave someone to guard the corn. I just dragged you away—can you forgive me, seeing as nothing's missing?"

Zhang Fan heard this and felt utterly helpless, rolling his eyes at Fei Er and saying: "You say all that—if I didn't forgive you, wouldn't that make me seem petty?"

"Hehe, I knew Fan Fan was the best! Let's hurry and load the corn onto the wagon. It's not early anymore—soon we'll need to find a spot to set up camp and cook." After saying that, Fei Er began to lug the corn earnestly. Zhang Fan and the others glanced at the sky, then also started hauling the corn with effort.

After all the corn was loaded onto the wagon, they finally began driving the wagon away from the cornfield. Not far along, Ba Ke Er discovered a cave suitable for habitation, so the four of them headed toward it. Upon reaching the vicinity of the cave, the two males, after confirming the surroundings were safe, hurried inside to begin cleaning. Meanwhile, Zhang Fan and Fei Er stayed outside the cave to organize the ingredients—cutting meat, chopping vegetables, and grinding corn flour.

When Ba Ke Er and Mo De had finished cleaning the cave and come out, Zhang Fan and Fei Er had already prepared the ingredients for that night's meal. Seeing that Zhang Fan and Fei Er had broken off so much corn and were now cooking, Ba Ke Er and Mo De knew the two must be exhausted. So they didn't even bother washing their hands, but went straight to gathering firewood and lighting a fire around the cave to help their females.

Seeing how eager the two were, Zhang Fan and Fei Er were delighted!

"Fei Er, I'm about to start making corn pancakes—do you want to learn?"

"Yes yes yes! Fan Fan, hurry up and start—I've been dying to try!"

"All right!" Having said that, Zhang Fan began mixing corn flour with water—this time the batter wasn't dough-like but more like a thin slurry. While mixing, he simply added some salt and no other seasonings. Once the batter was ready, Zhang Fan had Ba Ke Er place the stone slab used for grilling pancakes onto the makeshift stove they'd just set up.

After the stone slab preheated, Zhang Fan scooped a spoonful of oil onto it. Once the oil started to melt, he spooned a scoop of batter onto the slab, then used the wooden spatula for pancakes to spread the batter outward. After one side was cooked, he used bamboo tongs to flip the corn pancake and cook the other side. Within a few minutes, a corn pancake exuding a rich corn aroma was done.

The batter later, Zhang Fan also did the same, making several pancakes in a row. Seeing Fei Er eager to try, he put down his utensil and handed the batter to Fei Er, saying:

"Fei Er, I can tell you're itching to give it a go! I'll just take a break and let you try."

Fei Er was overjoyed! "Really? That's great! Hahaha! Fan Fan, hurry up and rest a bit—you look exhausted!" After saying that, he cheerfully took the spoon from Zhang Fan's hand and began to copy his motions. The first few pancakes were truly terrible. Fortunately Zhang Fan quickly came over to give Fei Er some pointers. Once Fei Er had got the hang of it, he left to cook the mixed vegetable and lean meat soup on the other side.

While Zhang Fan and Fei Er were busy cooking, the two male Beastmen Ba Ke Er and Mo De were not idle either; they unhitched the two horses from the cart, led them to nearby grass to graze, and also took two baskets to cut grass for the horses' feed for the next morning.

When Ba Ke Er and Mo De returned leading the two horses carrying two baskets full of grass, the corn pancakes and mixed vegetable lean meat soup were already ready. After they had set down the grass and secured the horses, Zhang Fan announced that the meal could begin.

After the corn pancakes, a spoonful of the mixed vegetable lean meat soup was pure bliss for the few who had been gnawing on roasted meat for days.

"Fan Fan! This corn pancake is delicious! I think it's much better than the wheat‑flour one! But the corn we found this time seems a bit scarce—I'm worried there won't be enough to eat!"

"That's fine; for now we can eat sparingly, and we can also pick the plump kernels to keep as seeds. When we get back we'll plant them, and once next season's crop ripens we'll be able to eat our fill."

Although Fei Er was initially unhappy hearing Zhang Fan say they should eat sparingly, he immediately cheered up when he learned they could grow their own and eat to their heart's content.

Ba Ke Er, hearing Zhang Fan say that, silently resolved: "Well, looks like we'll be busy again when we return to the Tribe! To let Fan Fan eat what he likes, we'll have to clear as much land as possible." No need to say, a Beastman will go through fire and water to win over his mate—let alone farming, he'd even hunt a dragon beast if asked! At this point Ba Ke Er didn't know that one day he would alone rush to hunt a dragon beast for Zhang Fan's safety. Of course, that's a story for later. Right now they're still eating dinner.

After dinner, Ba Ke Er and Mo De silently went to the cave, lit a bonfire, then let their mates rest inside. Once the females were settled, the two went outside to clear the dishes. After washing all the bowls, chopsticks and pots clean, they didn't rest but instead used a clean pot to boil a large pot of hot water for Zhang Fan and Fei Er to bathe.

After Zhang Fan and Fei Er had taken turns bathing, Ba Ke Er and Mo De then took turns going to the nearby stream to wash up, also taking their mates' off‑clothes to wash before returning.

When Ba Ke Er and Mo De had finished all their chores and came back to rest, they discovered that their mates were still gritting their teeth against a wave of sleepiness. Seeing their mates return, Zhang Fan and Fei Er stopped pushing themselves, said good night, and then collapsed into their mates' arms and fell asleep.

Ba Ke Er and Mo De looked at their mates and couldn't help smiling indulgently— their mates were just too adorable!

After Ba Ke Er and Mo De agreed that Mo De would take the first half of the night watch and Ba Ke Er the second, Ba Ke Er leaned in to kiss Zhang Fan, then held him as he drifted off to sleep. Mo De, watching his mate Fei Er asleep in his arms, felt a surge of tenderness, kissed his lips, and then began to keep watch in earnest.