Chapter 04: Weaving Vine Sandals
“Vine sandals—”
There it was again, something new.
Chen Rong paused, opening his mouth, “I'll go collect the fish traps and take the new ones to set. Is there anything you need me to do?”
The sun was setting, nearing dusk.
It signaled the end of the day. He calculated the supplies at home. He wanted to go hunting, but he knew Changxia wouldn't agree, so he thought about catching more fish and shrimp.
“Dig a water pit by the lake,” Changxia didn't look up, holding a thin vine and measuring it against her foot, casually giving an instruction.
Hearing this, Chen Rong's mind stirred.
“You intend to raise the fish and shrimp you catch?”
Changxia looked up at Chen Rong, surprised, “You're clever. That's right, I plan to keep the fish and shrimp we catch and don't eat, and when there are enough, I'll invite the tribespeople over. The tribe is near the Ba River, and there's no shortage of fish and shrimp. The tribespeople can eat their fill in the warm season, but once the cold season arrives, food decreases sharply, and the beasts become extremely ferocious. At that time, the tribespeople will have to tighten their belts. Now that I've found a new food source, the tribe will surely be able to safely survive this winter.”
In the past, she had grown up relying on the tribe; now she had the opportunity to repay them.
Changxia wasn't stingy and naturally hoped to repay the tribe for raising her.
“That's only right,” Chen Rong praised Changxia's decision, asking, “Should we dig more water pits?”
“No need,” Changxia shook her head, explaining, “I'll only teach the tribespeople how to make fish balls; if they want to eat them, they can catch fish themselves. Besides, we still need to build a cave dwelling, and I want to finish it before the cold season arrives.”
Building a cave dwelling was a big deal.
It was more complicated than building a den, and they also had to go out to gather, so time was tight and not enough.
“Okay, I'll go set the traps,” Chen Rong took the fish traps woven in the afternoon and walked towards the lake. He also carried a backpack. Changxia hadn't thrown away the broken fish trap from the morning; it was still by the lake.
Perhaps there might be a catch now.
Changxia watched Chen Rong leave. Looking at the sky, she sped up her weaving of the vine sandals.
Tonight, she planned to eat the meat the chief had sent.
Recently, the temperature had gradually risen.
Meat didn't keep well; if it wasn't eaten, it would spoil easily.
While thinking about dinner, Changxia didn't stop her work. After much effort, a pair of sturdy vine sandals were finally woven. Trying them on, Changxia took off her animal hide sandals and put on the vine sandals.
She walked a few steps.
Then she took them off and reworked them twice. Finally, a pair of vine sandals with just the right softness and firmness were on Changxia's feet. Looking at the pile of thin vines, Changxia didn't rush to light a fire to prepare dinner; instead, she turned and wove another pair.
When she brought Chen Rong back to the tribe, she promised room and board.
Although this wasn't exactly a lie,
The conditions were indeed a bit rough.
She also planned to ask Chen Rong to help build a cave dwelling, so she naturally wanted to be nicer to him.
A pair of vine sandals was a friendly beginning.
After finishing, Changxia tidied up the messy entrance, ending her busy day, ready to reward herself and Chen Rong.
As it grew dark,
Chen Rong carried a backpack containing two green fish; there were more river shrimp than in the morning. A female followed him; the two didn't talk and silently walked to the entrance of the house.
“Changxia—” Nanfeng called softly, entering the den.
Hearing the sound, Changxia looked up at the entrance.
“Nanfeng, when did you come back?”
Nanfeng was Chief Gen's child, older than Changxia. Changxia was raised by Nanfeng, and the two had a good relationship.
Unlike the weak Changxia, Nanfeng was very strong, able to fight alongside the tribe's males without falling behind, a true heroine.
This time at the Normandy market, Nanfeng didn't participate because she was out hunting.
Returning to the tribe, she heard from the tribespeople that Changxia had found a sick male as a partner, and Nanfeng was furious. Immediately, she dropped her prey and ran out of the tribe, running straight to Changxia's den.
“You got married without telling me?” Nanfeng raised her hand and hit Changxia's head a few times. She hadn't expected Changxia to go to the Normandy market, because Changxia had always said she didn't want to get married and didn't want to find a male.
Who knew that only a few days after she left the tribe, Changxia had already gotten married.
“Hehe!” Changxia covered her head, giggling foolishly.
She couldn't tell her that she had gotten married because she was so annoyed by the tribespeople's nagging, and the food was too bad.
Changxia knew that if she dared to say that, Nanfeng would definitely beat her.
Since childhood, Nanfeng had been the most doting and caring towards her. Of course, when it came to beating and scolding, Nanfeng had never gone easy on her.
“Don't hit her, you'll hurt her.”
Chen Rong reached out and blocked Nanfeng's hand that was about to hit Changxia's head.
Nanfeng was slightly stunned, her face showing no expression. She felt a bit more approval for Chen Rong. Changxia was too weak; she didn't even dare to take her out of the tribe for gathering, for fear that she would get hurt.
Beastmen were strong and sturdy, not afraid of pain or injury.
But Changxia had been in poor health since childhood, so it wasn't the same thing.
“Chen Rong, I'm fine,” Changxia came back to her senses and introduced them, “Chen Rong, this is Nanfeng, my bestfriend.”
Changxia held Nanfeng's hand, very happy.
She kept asking about her hunting trip.
Changxia had never left the tribe, nor had she participated in the tribe's hunting team. She longed for the outside world. When she agreed to go to the Normandy market, besides wanting to find a pleasing male to marry, she also wanted to broaden her horizons.
Unfortunately, she had only focused on getting there.
Slap!
Nanfeng slapped her forehead, annoyed, “Wait, I'll go back to the tribe. I'll bring you a piece of meat…”
Earlier, Nanfeng had been worried about Changxia.
She had left her prey on the open ground in the tribe, and hadn't even gone home. Only after Changxia asked her about her hunting did Nanfeng remember this.
Before she finished speaking, she turned and ran out of the den towards the tribe.
In the den,
Changxia and Chen Rong looked at each other.
Clearly, they were both shocked by Nanfeng's impulsive behavior.
In Changxia's impression, Nanfeng was steady and calm, full of an older sister vibe. The reason she was like this today should have something to do with her.
“Chen Rong, process the green fish. Tonight, I'll teach Nanfeng to make fish balls, and then have her teach the tribespeople how to make them,” Changxia thought for a moment and decided to leave the matter of the fish balls to Nanfeng, freeing her hands to build a cave dwelling with Chen Rong.
“Are you sure?” Chen Rong asked.
Changxia said, “Sure. We need to build a cave dwelling and don't have time to teach the tribespeople how to make fish balls.”
“Okay, I'll listen to you,” Chen Rong nodded, following Changxia's decision. He took the two green fish and quickly processed them outside the den.
Changxia didn't want to eat roast meat and planned to stew the meat.
Without seasonings, she would use cold water to simmer it slowly, removing the scum, which would remove some of the meaty smell. Of course, she hadn't forgotten to put some scallions in to remove the smell.
While adding cold water to the pottery pot, she skimmed off the scum. Chen Rong came into the den with the cleaned green fish. Without Changxia saying anything, he began to skin, debone, and chop the green fish.
Seeing this, Changxia was very satisfied.
Suddenly remembering the vine sandals she had woven, she said, “Chen Rong, I wove a pair of vine sandals for you. Try them on later to see if they fit. If they don't fit, I'll alter them…”
As she spoke, she began planning to weave a pair for Nanfeng.
Since Nanfeng had a pair, the chief, the witch, and Bai Qing couldn't be left out.
The witch had sent Changxia to the He Luo tribe and would visit every now and then. It had been more than a month since the witch's last visit to the tribe. Judging by the time, the witch might come in three or five days. Bai Qing was the witch's disciple and would inherit the position of the witch in the future, protecting the Dusk Forest. He wasn't yet an adult, a small little guy, but he always had a serious expression on his face, pretending to be an adult. Changxia loved pinching his face and then watching his expression change.
“Okay.” Chen Rong smiled slightly.
Actually, he had seen the vine sandals on Changxia's feet when he came back.
They were very similar to the birdmen's feather sandals, but not as delicate. Birdmen loved beauty and vanity; beastmen were not used to feather sandals. The vine sandals were very suitable for the beastmen's rough aesthetics—durable and simple.
In the den, the man and woman didn't speak again but had a tacit understanding.
The firelight added warmth to the scene.
“Changxia, you gave me vine sandals, and I'll give you something too,” Chen Rong smiled, again taking off the Miracle necklace around his neck and handing it to Changxia. This time, he deliberately raised his voice, softly saying, “This is called Miracle; it's said to be a relic left to me by my mother. I've been wearing it, and now I want to give it to you…”
“Are you sure—” Changxia hesitantly took the Miracle necklace. The snowflake-like Miracle necklace was jade-colored, cool to the touch, faintly carrying Chen Rong's body temperature. Changxia felt it was a little prickly.
Especially—
Chen Rong said it was a relic from his deceased mother, which was significant.
“You're my partner, and in the future, we'll spend our lives together. I have nothing, except this, nothing else to give you,” Chen Rong said softly. Chen Rong remembered his father telling him that if it was a partner he had decided on, he must be quick, decisive, and accurate.
Chen Rong felt comfortable and relaxed living with Changxia.
He longed to spend the rest of his life with this female.
However, thinking of his own body, Chen Rong's eyes instantly darkened.
(End of chapter)
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