Chapter 96

Ba Ke Er and Mo De quickly finished the work in the kitchen. When they came out of the kitchen, they just happened to see Zhang Fan and Fei Er chatting in the courtyard.

Zhang Fan and Fei Er heard the movement and knew it was the two beastmen coming out, but they didn't turn around to look; instead, they continued chatting.

The two beastmen saw that their own females ignored them, but they weren't unhappy; they simply moved a stool and sat beside their females, listening to their conversation.

"Fei Er, let me tell you! I made some good stuff with Ba Ke Er at home a few days ago! But the timing isn't ripe yet, so I can't bring it out for now."

Fei Er's eyes lit up at the words! She immediately put down the sugar jar in her hand, hastily wiped her hands, and excitedly grabbed Zhang Fan's hand, coaxing: "Fan Fan~ tell me quick! I really want to know! Just be generous and secretly tell me if it's something delicious again, okay?"

Hearing Fei Er's coquettish tone, which could rival those of the coquettish little girls on Earth, Zhang Fan instantly felt uneasy! His whole body felt uncomfortable, and goosebumps rose on his exposed arms.

Zhang Fan suppressed the urge to strangle Fei Er! He shook off the goosebumps, pushed her hand away, and said: "Oh my god! Fei Er, how can you be so cloyingly coquettish? It's disgusting! I can't stand it! Besides, the thing we made isn't ready yet; even if I told you now, you wouldn't understand! It'd be better to wait until it's done and then let you taste it."

Fei Er's face fell instantly upon hearing that; she pouted and let go of the hand that had just been pulling Zhang Fan's clothes.

"Damn it! Fan Fan, you won't even tell me what it is! Humph! But considering the two jars of sugar you gave me, and the other treats you'll give me in the future, I'll be magnanimous and not hold it against you! Still, you have to take me to see what it is that's delicious! Otherwise…"

Seeing Fei Er's ill-intentioned smile, Zhang Fan knew it couldn't be anything good, and he immediately surrendered: "Alright, alright! Fei Er, I'll just tell you—I actually brewed a few jars of grape wine at home a few days ago! It's just not fermented yet, so it's not drinkable; it needs another ten days or so."

Fei Er's face fell with disappointment upon hearing Zhang Fan say it would still take about ten days before it could be drunk.

"Why does it have to take so long? Can't we move the time up a bit? Let me taste it sooner."

Zhang Fan knew that if he didn't make it clear today, Fei Er would probably keep obsessing over the wine.

"Actually, it's like this: grape wine needs to be left for at least about fifteen days before it can be opened and drunk, and the longer it sits, the better it tastes. Fei Er, if you want to drink something good, you'd better wait until the cold season. Besides, wine can warm the body! But if you just want to try a sip, it'll be ready in about ten days."

"Ah~! I see! Then I'll just wait a bit more! When your grape wine is finally opened, you'd better not forget to call me!"

"Hahaha… Of course! But Fei Er, you seem to have all the free time in the world, so let's just go pick wild fruits on the mountain today! We can also make it an outing! Hahaha… Killing several birds with one stone—we can relieve boredom, eat something delicious, and go out to play!"

Fei Er immediately raised both hands in approval upon hearing that!

"Great! Fantastic! You have no idea how busy you've been these two days making all those tasty things at home, and you didn't even call me over to help. I've just been stuck at home eating, sleeping, eating again. I don't even know how much weight I've gained! Perfect—let's go out and play today; maybe we'll lose some weight!"

Zhang Fan listened to Fei Er's complaint, helplessly rubbed his nose, and remained noncommittal.

Ba Ke Er and Mo De beside them saw that their females had agreed to go on an outing to the mountain, and they immediately spoke up: "Let us go too! It's too dangerous for just the two females to go play alone! Moreover, these mountain paths are tough to walk; if we go together, we can carry you when you can't walk."

Zhang Fan and Fei Er, upon hearing Ba Ke Er and Mo De's suggestion, nodded and agreed.

Since they were just going on an outing, the group didn't prepare much; they simply took some seasonings and a few small bamboo baskets for holding fruit from Fei Er's house, then headed toward the nearby mountains.

……

They hadn't walked long before Zhang Fan's group reached the foot of the mountain. They had no intention of stopping, but continued onward up the mountain. Since it was already afternoon, they chose a mountain that wasn't the tallest one near the tribe.

Rather, it was a small hill covered in fruit trees that lay closest to the tribe, so the group didn't take long to climb it. Along the way, most of the fruit trees they encountered had been picked clean; only occasionally did one or two trees remain untouched because their fruit hung too high to be reached.

But upon encountering Ba Ke Er and Mo De, the two flying male beastmen, even the highest fruit could be plucked by them. Thus, by the time they reached the summit, Zhang Fan and Fei Er could be said to have reaped a bountiful harvest. It wasn't that they picked the fruit themselves, but that didn't matter—after all, the pickers were theirs, so the fruit they gathered was still theirs.

Upon reaching the summit, Zhang Fan's party found a shady spot where the sun couldn't reach and sat down.

"Fan Fan, we've already come up here, but I don't see anything fun to do! Besides the four of us, there's not a single person on this mountain! It's so boring; we might as well have stayed home."

"Hey! Don't rush—having no one on the mountain is actually perfect! This mountain is our little kingdom! We can do whatever we want! Hahaha… But if you're feeling bored…" As he spoke, a wild pheasant suddenly flew out from the grass. Zhang Fan instantly had an idea: "Look! There's a wild pheasant! Why don't we go catch it later? It would perfectly solve our afternoon tea!"

Fei Er immediately waved her hand in praise: "Hahaha… You're still amazing, Fan Fan! But what you said is indeed worth a try!"

Ba Ke Er and Mo De standing nearby heard the two's conversation and were instantly dumbfounded! How could they suddenly say they wanted to catch a wild pheasant?! What should we do?! Our Fan Fan/Fei Er has never hunted before! If something dangerous happened, what would we do?! The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became that danger might befall them. They almost spoke at the same time!

"No way! Fan Fan/Fei Er, you can't go! You've never hunted before, and you have no idea how dangerous hunting is for females like you! If you encounter any danger, what would we do?!"

Obviously, Ba Ke Er and Mo De were overthinking things! This area belongs to the Heaven Lion Tribe's territory; although only the four of them are on this mountain right now, it's close to the tribe, so patrol squads of beastmen often come through. Thus, aside from some small herbivores, there are really no other animals on this mountain.

Moreover, Zhang Fan and Fei Er only said they wanted to catch a pheasant; for Zhang Fan, who has studied on Earth for over ten years, there's no need to risk his life over a few pheasants—his plan is to outsmart them. So there is essentially no danger involved.

All of this stems merely from Ba Ke Er and Mo De's notion that males should protect females from any harm, and also because Zhang Fan and Fei Er are the people closest to them, making their concern turn into anxiety.

"It's fine, Ba Ke Er; we're not going anywhere—we'll just set a trap on the side and wait for rabbits or pheasants to wander in on their own! There's really no danger! Besides, aren't you here protecting me? With you by my side, I fear nothing."

Fei Er, upon hearing Zhang Fan's words, also hurriedly expressed her determination to Mo De! She would definitely not put herself in danger!

After Zhang Fan and Fei Er gave their assurances, Ba Ke Er and Mo De began to reflect on their overreaction. They silently glanced at each other and saw the same expression in each other's eyes.

Seeing that Ba Ke Er and Mo De didn't object either, Zhang Fan and Fei Er quickly grabbed their tools and started digging traps. By the time Ba Ke Er and Mo De realized what was happening, Zhang Fan and Fei Er had already dug several traps.

When Ba Ke Er and Mo De arrived, the last trap that Zhang Fan and Fei Er had dug together was also finished. Seeing them approach, Zhang Fan and Fei Er hurriedly stood up, ran over, and pulled Ba Ke Er and Mo De back to the location of the first trap.

Upon seeing that they had actually caught a wild pheasant, Fei Er was practically beside herself with joy!

"Ah! Fan Fan, you're amazing! I didn't expect this trap to actually work! We caught a wild pheasant so quickly! Hahaha… We've set quite a few of these traps today! If every trap could be this lucky and catch small animals, that would be great!"

To be honest, Zhang Fan himself hadn't expected the trap to work so well! Hearing Fei Er's praise, he felt a bit embarrassed and scratched his head, saying:

"Hahaha… Actually, I didn't think this trap would be useful either! I was just doing it for fun! But it looks like our afternoon tea is saved! Hahaha…"

At this moment, the ones feeling the most conflicted inside were Ba Ke Er and Mo De, both seasoned hunters—of course, the novice Fei Er couldn't compare. Just this scene made them think of many things; they held back, but Ba Ke Er couldn't hold back and asked.

"Fan Fan, is this method also something you brought from Earth? This method is really too handy! You can get food without lifting a finger! It could save a lot of time! You know, in the wild, every extra moment you linger increases the danger a bit! If this method were promoted, it would undoubtedly cause a huge sensation!"

"Exactly! Ba Ke Er is absolutely right! For now, we shouldn't let others know about this! We should go back and discuss it with the chieftain and the Elders before making a decision!"

Seeing the atmosphere suddenly turn so serious, Zhang Fan and Fei Er stopped joking and quickly nodded to show they understood!

Afterward, the group went to check the other traps, and without exception, each one had caught game. This made Ba Ke Er and Mo De understand even more clearly the importance of traps!