Jiang Xi’s gaze shifted between the two of them, then landed on the mud-covered exterior walls of the house.
“I think my house should be pretty warm now.”
Lu Liufeng and Mu Ling both looked toward the mud house, silent.
For a moment, Lu Liufeng even felt a bit of regret—regret for having finished the exterior walls so quickly.
Seeing that the two of them were no longer saying anything overly suggestive, Jiang Xi turned her attention to Mu Ling.
“Mu Ling, we’re making potato flour. Want to join?”
“Potato flour?”
When Mu Ling pushed open the door, he saw the strange activity the female master and Lu Liufeng were engaged in.
He didn’t understand it, but instinctively felt that whatever the female master said was correct.
Seeing him about to reach out, Jiang Xi hurriedly blocked his way.
“Wash your hands first! Really clean!”
Mu Ling glanced at his hands, and a few traces of embarrassment flickered across his cold, stern face.
He turned to wash his hands.
Jiang Xi stretched lazily.
There weren’t many kitchen tools, so the process was really exhausting.
Just mashing the potatoes into flour alone took a long time.
Here, there was no sieve, so she had to improvise one with woven grass. Even so, it was tricky; if she wasn’t careful, some of the potato mash would spill out.
If she had known it would be this troublesome, she wouldn’t have bothered making potato flour.
After Mu Ling washed his hands and returned, Jiang Xi handed her spot over to him, letting him and Lu Liufeng work together on pressing the flour.
After all, this was a slow, simple task that didn’t require much skill.
Seeing him arrive, the female master gave only a few instructions before leaving, leaving Mu Ling with an indescribable sense of loss.
Did the female master… dislike him?
Of course not. Jiang Xi simply had other things to do.
For example, making soap!
She had separated the lye water earlier that morning.
After the first separation, she added carbonized shell powder, filtered it, and let it settle a second time.
Now, the second-settled clear lye water could finally be used for the last step: making soap!
But another problem arose…
Jiang Xi’s eyes scanned the fire room, eventually resting on the bamboo outside the door.
The stone knife was big and heavy; she couldn’t lift it with her strength alone, so she had to ask Lu Liufeng for help.
“Lu Liufeng, can you help me chop a few bamboo tubes?”
Lu Liufeng naturally agreed.
Mu Ling was about to offer his help as well, but Lu Liufeng, using his wind blade, made several neat cuts in the bamboo in just a few swipes.
Mu Ling swallowed the words at the tip of his tongue.
He then realized that his wolf claws could probably chop them too.
But by then, it was already done.
Jiang Xi carried several bamboo tubes into the fire room, her black eyes sparkling, her joy practically radiating outwards.
Mu Ling paused for a moment.
He finally understood why Lu Liufeng had said that life like this was good.
He vaguely felt the same way.
The female master before him exuded an aura that was pleasant and relaxing.
Unlike the previous female master, who was gloomy every day and made one want to keep their distance, this one made him want to approach, obey her, and give her everything she wanted.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xi lightly heated the lard she had set aside last night.
Since the lard had solidified, it wasn’t convenient to mix with the lye water, so a slight warming was enough to melt it.
The lard transformed from white solid to golden liquid.
She poured the second-settled lye water into the lard, adding a little powdered salt, and stirred until the mixture became a white, sticky paste. Then it could be poured into the bamboo tubes to harden and set.
Lu Liufeng and Mu Ling pressed the potato flour while watching the female master curiously.
Soap? Something like a pod? That could clean?
It was unheard of, seemingly magical, as if it didn’t belong in this world.
Even Lu Liufeng and Mu Ling, not the sharpest of men, noticed something, though no one dared speak out.
Jiang Xi filled three bamboo tubes.
Just as she finished, the noisy voices from outside reached them.
The voices of beasts floated in from afar, full of praise and envy.
Mu Ling’s nose twitched, and he exchanged a glance with Lu Liufeng.
His eyes widened in surprise.
Looking outside, Yi Yuexi carried a sheep into the courtyard.
Outside the courtyard were several envious beasts, both young and old.
Jiang Xi’s beast husbands had hunted successfully two days in a row, and everyone else was extremely envious.
After returning yesterday, they had told the female master about the situation in the Hot River Valley.
Today, the chief female had mobilized the females of the tribe to go to the Hot River Valley to gather food.
But few females went. Most didn’t believe that Jiang Xi could find anything edible.
They just thought Jiang Xi was playing a trick on everyone.
The Hot River Valley could only be for females to gather. If the female master didn’t go, the beast husbands couldn’t do anything.
It was winter, the snow was thick, and the prey hid away. After several days of hunting, they hadn’t caught anything substantial.
If this continued, they would risk going hungry.
Jiang Xi stepped forward in surprise.
Yi Yuexi looked as rugged as ever; his beautiful long hair had twigs stuck in it, his beast-skin clothing was scratched, even torn in places.
It was obvious he had undergone a difficult chase.
Mu Ling’s tone was complicated.
“You went to the cliff?”
The cliff was extremely steep, with a bottom so deep no one could survive a fall.
Lu Liufeng pressed his lips, his expression serious.
“Yi Yuexi, that was too dangerous.”
Jiang Xi didn’t know the situation at the cliff, but from Lu Liufeng and Mu Ling’s expressions, she vaguely guessed the danger.
Seeing Yi Yuexi’s striking face darken with anger, Jiang Xi worried about conflict and quickly spoke.
“You’re amazing!”
Yi Yuexi froze; the anger just rising lightly fell away.
He snorted.
“I said I wouldn’t eat for nothing.”
Then he raised his chin proudly and went to the ice river behind the courtyard.
He had chased this sheep for two days, almost falling off the cliff several times before finally catching it.
Although Yi Yuexi hadn’t helped at all yesterday, he had been listening carefully and paying attention to everyone’s words.
As soon as he left the backyard, he called loudly back:
“Mu Ling! Make some wood ash for me!”
It turned out that intestines and stomach were delicious too!
The taste from last night in the fire room still lingered in his mouth.
How could food in this world be so delicious!!
Mu Ling in the fire room: “……”
And now he was being ordered around?
Lu Liufeng said, “Go help him, I’ll finish the potato flour. It’s almost done anyway.”
He knew Yi Yuexi’s temperament: proud and self-important, but not bad at heart.
Since they all served the female master, there was no need to make the relationship tense.
Moreover…
Lu Liufeng’s amber eyes flicked toward the female master.
Previously, she had liked Yi Yuexi the most.
He wondered if that was still the case now.
Jiang Xi, on the other hand, had only food on her mind.
She cheered:
“Today, we’re having lamb offal soup!”
