The thought instantly buoyed the spirits of the tribe. Their eyes sparkled as they gazed at the taro still in the ground.
The way they looked at the slaves changed in an instant, and smiles began to grace their faces.
These huge taro had all been tended to by the slaves. If the tribe mbers wanted to grow their own, they would surely need to ask the slaves for advice on planting.
With this in mind, their gazes toward the slaves grew increasingly kind; gone was their usual air of superiority.
Seeing this sudden shift in attitude, the slaves felt sothing begin to sprout within their hearts—an emotion they had lost long ago was slowly taking root.
Because the crop wasn’t very large, it only took a few short days to harvest all the taro.
The bulk of the taro was turned over to the tribe, and just as she had promised, Wu Yue gave half of the remainder to the slaves.
"Taro takes about a month and a half to mature from planting. By my calculations, we can still plant another crop this sumr."
Having gone through one planting cycle, the slaves had committed the entire process—from sprouting the shoots to planting them—to mory. Wu Yue didn’t need to worry about it at all.
At the tribe mbers’ request, the Clan Leader distributed the taro Wu Yue had turned in among them.
What seed like a large amount of taro only ca out to a few tubers for each person, so everyone started clearing a plot in their own yards for planting.
Since they had never grown taro and didn’t know how to sprout the shoots or tend to the plants, so of the cleverer tribe mbers offered the slaves food in exchange for their guidance.
Now that the taro was harvested, Wu Yue’s thoughts turned to the matter of cellars. With everyone having their own yards, the communal cellar on the back mountain had beco less useful.
With the new brick kiln, when Wu Yue built her cellar, she lined the inside with bricks.
She used thick logs for the ceiling beams, laid down sturdy, durable, fired-clay tiles for the roof, and then covered it all with a layer of earth. The result was a beautiful and practical cellar.
Qingcao and Aya were utterly smitten with Wu Yue’s cellar and imdiately dragged their families over to learn how to build one.
The next day, Wu Yue’s cellar was t with wave after wave of visitors, leaving her unsure whether to laugh or cry.
"Yue, you ready?" Yuan Lang’s voice called out from the courtyard. Wu Yue finished packing a few flatbreads, then slung a basket over her back and headed out.
"I packed so food. Hopefully we can gather everything we need."
Yuan Lang nodded and patted the enormous basket strapped to his chest. "I brought a big one, too. Don’t worry, we won’t run out of room."
With that, Yuan Lang transford into a majestic, powerfully built, giant Snow Tiger and lay down in Wu Yue’s courtyard. "Let’s go."
Wu Yue didn’t hesitate, vaulting onto his back. The pair sped through the tribe and into the forest.
After the ravages of the great flood, they had expected many of the smaller plants to be gone. To their surprise, however, the ones sheltered by the undergrowth had all survived.
The pair gathered plants for chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, qingye leaves, and a few other seasonings, placing them in their baskets. Wu Yue planned to plant them all in her yard.
"I... What the—! Yuan Lang, get over here, quick!"
Wu Yue’s startled cry rang out nearby.
Yuan Lang’s mouth twitched. ’You little...! When you call my na, can you please not preface it with... that!’
Wu Yue turned to see the Beastman looking at her with an expression of disdain. "What are you gawking at? Get over here! I found sothing amazing!"
It was rare to see her so worked up. Yuan Lang suppressed his minor complaint and hurried over to her side.
He was just about to ask what had made her lose her composure like that, but in the next instant, his own expression changed dramatically.
He stared in disbelief at the object on the ground, his Adam’s apple bobbing unconsciously. "Is... Is this for real?"
Wu Yue’s face was bright red as she nodded emphatically. "Yes, yes! This is it!"
As a Great General, Yuan Lang had naturally seen ginseng before. But this was the first ti he had ever laid eyes on one as thick as a Beastman’s arm.
He even recalled that the National Treasure he’d taken from an enemy’s Imperial Palace was only as thick as an infant’s arm.
"There’s no way I can dig up a ginseng this huge. I’m leaving it to you."
Wu Yue looked at the Beastman Warrior beside her with a grave expression. She had so strength, but damn, this thing was enormous. She was truly willing, but lacked the power.
Yuan Lang nodded. "Leave it to ."
Wu Yue didn’t waste any ti. While Yuan Lang excavated the ginseng, she began searching the surrounding area for wild vegetables and herbs to put in her small basket, intending to take them back to the tribe for planting.
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