Chapter 88: Chapter Eighty-Nine: Cellar

In the blink of an eye, the corn had grown to half a person's height, and the wheat was also beginning to take shape. The whole tribe looked at the vast fields of crops and couldn't help imagining the scene of a bountiful harvest; for a moment the entire tribe was filled with cheerful voices and laughter. At the same time, everyone sincerely thanked Zhang Fan, each expressing it in their own way, so I won't list them all here.

After inspecting his fields and home storage room, Zhang Fan made a rough estimate and discovered that the space in his home's food storage rooms was completely insufficient. After thinking it over, he decided to dig a cellar at home. However, he had never dug a cellar before; he had only seen finished ones on TV, so he would have to figure out the specifics himself.

After deciding to dig a cellar, Zhang Fan told Ba Ke Er about it.

"Ba Ke Er, don't you feel our storage room isn't enough? Look, we're about to harvest the rice, and there are so many sweet potatoes and cabbages, etc. Once everything is gathered, there'll be nowhere to put it."

"That's right, I've been careless and never noticed these things, but Fan Fan, you're detail‑oriented. Why don't we just build a few more storage rooms? That should hold everything, right? I just don't know if we can keep things well preserved until the cold season."

"Actually I've thought of a method, though I've never tried it myself and don't know if it will work. But I think we shouldn't build more storage rooms; the two we already have at home are enough."

Ba Ke Er hearing this became puzzled, his face full of doubt, and he asked Zhang Fan: "Fan Fan, what method are you talking about? You don't even need to build storage rooms? Hurry up and tell us!"

"This method—I'm not sure if it will work—is simply to dig a big hole underground to store food. That way it doesn't take up space and keeps the food well preserved, preventing vegetables from freezing and spoiling."

"Hey! Fan Fan, your method is great! This way, even when the cold season comes, everyone will have vegetables to eat. But if we hollow out the ground, can people still live on the surface? Won't we fall in?"

Zhang Fan hearing Ba Ke Er's words, gave a black‑line look: "Who said we don't cover the surface? We can leave just an opening on the ground for us to enter and exit. To keep the cellar from collapsing, we can support it with timber above, just like building a house—only the cellar is like a house built underground. It's actually much simpler than building a house; I don't know if you understand what I mean."

"Ah! Like that! I get it—it's just like small animals digging burrows, except the cellar's hole needs to be bigger and deeper. Hehe, Fan Fan, am I right?"

"Yeah, pretty much like that! But I don't know how to dig it; we'll have to figure it out ourselves slowly. We just need to try to finish it before the harvest, otherwise there'll be nowhere to store all that food."

"Mm‑hmm! Fan Fan, don't worry—for you, no matter how hard it is, I will definitely get the cellar dug as quickly as possible!"

"Ba Ke Er, I believe you can definitely do it! But I think you should go consult Mo De or your other brothers about how to dig—more people means more strength, so you can exchange ideas. Of course, you could also look at the burrow structures of subterranean animals."

"Okay, Fan Fan, I'll go right away to discuss with everyone how to dig." Having said that, Ba Ke Er eagerly shifted into beast form and flew off.

Zhang Fan watched Ba Ke Er's enthusiasm for the task and felt happy, though Ba Ke Er seemed overly eager—he ran off before hearing the whole explanation. Helpless, Zhang Fan had no choice but to lock his door and head to Lei Ya and Dier's place.

When Zhang Fan arrived at Lei Ya's home, the two elders happened to be there, so he quickly asked whether digging a pit in his own courtyard required the chieftain's consent. Lei Ya and Dier, upon hearing Zhang Fan say he wanted to dig a pit in his own courtyard, found it strange.

"Fan Fan, why would you think of digging a hole in your own courtyard? Does it serve some special purpose?"

"Haha, of course it has a special purpose! Isn't the harvest coming up soon? I see that the places in our home for storing food are almost gone, but the cold season lasts several months! We'll need a lot of food then, so we have to preserve it in advance. That's why I thought maybe we could dig a pit in the cool, dry part of our own courtyard to store the food needed for the cold season."

Lei Ya and Dier were both astonished!

"Who would have thought there was such a way to store food! In the past, during harvest season we could always find plenty of food, but because much of it isn't stored properly, it spoils easily, which is why every year the cold season brings food shortages and many tribespeople can only go hungry. The males, for the sake of their families, bravely venture out into the harsh cold to hunt. Yet very few return safely—just like Mo De's father, who went out and never came back. When Mo De's Am learned of this, she suddenly fell ill and, before enduring the cold season, returned to the Beast God's embrace."

When Di Er said this, Zhang Fan clearly sensed that Di Er and Lei Ya's mood had sunk. It was the first time, since Zhang Fan had come to the Heaven Lion Tribe, that he had heard about Mo De's parents. He hadn't expected Mo De to have such a tragic background.

Next, Zhang Fan learned from Lei Ya and Di Er how to handle his own courtyard, and that the chieftain would not interfere. After bidding farewell to the two elders, he headed home.

Before Zhang Fan even reached home, he saw white smoke beginning to drift from above his house; at first he thought his home was on fire! After all, there should be no one at home at this time. So he quickened his pace and ran toward his house.

Only after Zhang Fan entered the door did he realize it wasn't a fire at all—Ba Ke Er had already returned home early and was now cooking lunch in the kitchen. Only then did Zhang Fan realize it was already noon! He thought, 'Just now I ran to the two elders to ask those questions—didn't I disturb their lunchtime?' Thinking about it, he felt truly guilty.

When Ba Ke Er heard the courtyard door open, he knew Zhang Fan had returned. He hurried out of the kitchen, smiling, and said to Zhang Fan: "Fan Fan, you're back! Hehe, lunch is almost ready—hurry inside and rest a bit! We'll be eating soon."

Having said that, Ba Ke Er went back into the kitchen and got busy. Not long after, he brought in a bowl of rice and dishes into the main hall.

After Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er finished their meal, Mo De, Wil, and Ji Lie came to Ba Ke Er's home as they had agreed. Of course, the females from their households also came along to play with Zhang Fan.

A few Beastmen gathered and immediately began discussing the cellar digging, while Fei Er and his group came straight to Zhang Fan to learn cooking. Upon learning their purpose, Zhang Fan gave a black‑line look. "Damn! After all this time, I turn out to be just a cook! That's not my style at all! No way! It seems I still need to popularize the purpose of the cellar for everyone."

So Zhang Fan began pulling several females aside and told them many benefits of the cellar—such as being able to store food and keep it preserved longer. Indeed, after learning the cellar's advantages, those females no longer said they wanted to learn cooking; instead, they proactively went to their Beastmen partners and started offering their own opinions and suggestions.

After a good while of discussion, the Beastmen began, according to Zhang Fan's requirements, to look for a suitable spot in the courtyard. After walking around the entire yard several times, they finally decided to dig the cellar beside the vegetable garden in the back yard.

Once the site was chosen, everyone began digging Zhang Fan's cellar according to the previously agreed plan. Four Beastmen directly shifted into beast form and started digging in the yard. The scene was unexpectedly amusing, making Zhang Fan and the others watching unable to hold back laughter. When the Beastmen heard their females laughing so happily, they were completely baffled. Unable to figure out the reason, they stopped trying and simply dug harder.

Many hands make light work—an timeless truth. The four Beastmen worked together and actually finished digging the cellar in just one afternoon. However, the finishing touches remained undone; these minor tasks Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er could handle themselves as a couple, so there was no need to bother Mo De and the others any further.

That afternoon, while the Beastmen were digging the cellar, Zhang Fan and several females were not idle either; under Zhang Fan's leadership they went into the kitchen and began learning several completely new dishes from him. When the Beastmen finished work, Zhang Fan didn't let anyone go home hungry. Since they had already prepared many dishes together with the females that afternoon, he simply steamed several big pots of rice and left it for everyone to eat dinner together.

After everyone had finished dinner and left, Zhang Fan and Ba Ke Er hastily cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, washed them, and then went to the vegetable garden behind the house to resume the cellar's finishing work.