Chapter 34: The Primeval Botanical Garden

"Please, stop being angry; it's not good for you or the baby. Once you've given birth and we have news of Qiyue, we can go look for her, can't we? Besides, you shouldn't be traveling while pregnant; it's better not to burden Qiyue and the others," Huyue said, soothing her while rubbing her back.

"You promised! Don't you dare go back on your word! I know I shouldn't burden Qiyue and the others, but I just feel so stifled. To be pregnant and still have to put up with this!" Bao Xue'er complained.

"Alright, calm down! Is there anything you'd like to eat?" Huyue knew that anger wouldn't solve their problems.

"Go and bring my father and mother over to stay at our place for a while." The more Bao Xue'er thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She wasn't an orphan like Qiyue, forced to swallow her pride. If others wanted to cause trouble, then no one should expect peace. She didn't usually have a temper, but that was reserved for her family. Didn't they know that a female is most protective of her young?

"My dear, how are we supposed to fit them in our home?" Huyue looked at her with amusement.

"Why wouldn't we fit? Grandfather Xiong Jia's house is still empty. Let my parents stay there. Qiyue isn't coming back anyway, so it's just sitting idle," Bao Xue'er said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Fine. Having them here to support you might be good, so those gossiping females stop giving you a hard time," Huyue agreed, now seeing the logic in it.

To her surprise, her mother-in-law was truly formidable. Within days of arriving, she had gotten into a dozen arguments with others, large and small. It was incredibly satisfying for Bao Xue'er to watch. Her mother had been a tough woman in her day; how could she possibly let her daughter suffer while pregnant? This was the cub her daughter had longed for over ten years.

Watching these dozen or so quarrels unfold, Huyue felt a sense of melancholy. Why hadn't anyone bothered his family before? Was it just because he had traded for a few extra grass seeds? Who had ever cared about such things in the past? This was the child he had waited so many years for, and now that it was finally coming, why couldn't people be more understanding? When had the tribe become so selfish? After all, those grass seeds had been obtained through fair exchange.

Or perhaps those females had become so lawless from being spoiled that they had abandoned all principles, and their males and fathers simply indulged their whims, turning the tribe into a foul-smelling mess.

The morning after their departure, Qiyue rose early to roast meat. Since she was well-rested, she decided to roast extra so she could simply heat it up at noon, saving time.

Once the meat was ready, she woke Feng Yu. After breakfast, they went their separate ways. Feng Yu instructed Qiyue not to wander too far. Thanks to his protective aura, most wild beasts would stay away, but she still needed to be careful and avoid accidents. He told her to keep in constant contact with him through Chi'er.

With Feng Chi perched on her head and a wicker basket on her back containing a stone hoe—which she had found in the pack Huyue and his wife had returned to her—Qiyue set off, carrying a sturdy branch to beat the grass as she walked.

She used to forage only in the areas near the tribe, which had been cleared by beastmen of large predators and venomous insects, leaving only harmless herbivores.

Though she was further away now, Feng Yu’s protective aura provided a buffer against most small pests and minor predators. If a large beast appeared, she would have to rely on Feng Yu being summoned back in time. Chi'er could now function entirely as a remote communicator, so as long as she didn't stray too far or make too much noise, she had some measure of safety.

With her sensory ability, she soon found many useful things. Beyond the seasonings she was looking for, she discovered green peppers, vegetables, Chinese toon, chives, bamboo shoots, luffa, cucumbers, water spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant, and more, though she found no sign of chili peppers. Qiyue felt incredibly fortunate. Although these plants and their fruits differed significantly from their modern counterparts and the edible portions were much larger, her intuition confirmed they were "non-toxic and edible." This was a true primeval botanical garden. It was a pity the beastmen didn't eat greens, but never mind; she would harvest them and keep them for herself.

She picked about half a basket of each. It wasn't the season for seeds, so she couldn't collect any, but she would look for them again in the autumn. Qiyue also found a leaf that added flavor, which she dubbed "Flavor Leaf" to use as MSG. Another leaf was very soft, palm-sized, and thicker than a normal leaf; she wanted to use it as toilet paper. It was far better than other leaves and lacked the tiny prickles, so she named it "Soft Leaf." She dug up ten of each, wrapped the roots in soil and large leaves, tied them with vines, and had Chi'er store them in his space, before clearing out the remaining leaves nearby.

While Qiyue was foraging, Chi'er flew into the nearby trees to play, darting through the canopy. He would peck at any fruit he found; if it was delicious, he would store it in his space, but if it was sour, he would ignore it. There was one type of brown fruit, however, that left a strange taste in his mouth. Angry, he knocked all the fruit on the tree to the ground, stomping on the stems with his little claws.

Qiyue heard the thumping sound as fruit after fruit tumbled to the ground from a tree ten meters away. What was Chi'er doing? Didn't he worry about bruising the fruit?

"Chi'er, what are you doing?" Qiyue called out to the tree.

Hearing his mother's voice, Chi'er blushed, though his red feathers made it impossible to tell. "[Nothing, Mother. It's just that this fruit tastes strange, and it makes my mouth feel uncomfortable.]"

"Oh?" Qiyue walked over and picked one up; it was the size of a softball. She sensed it and knew it was non-toxic, but it had no other special traits. Its skin was hard, like a mangosteen, so it hadn't bruised despite falling from such a height.

"Chi'er, come here and help me peck a hole in it. I want to see what's inside," Qiyue called out.

"[It's strange and doesn't taste good,]" Feng Chi said, flying into his mother's hand and pecking the top of the fruit.

A familiar scent wafted out. "This is... wonderful! This is natural soy sauce!" Qiyue grabbed Feng Chi and kissed his little wing, naming it the "Soy Sauce Fruit."

"[Mother, what is this good for?]" Feng Chi didn't understand why his mother was so happy about something that tasted so strange.

"Chi'er, this is an excellent seasoning that can make many delicious things. Collect all the fruit of this kind you can find nearby and put it in the space." After saying this, she looked down, found two or three seedlings with similar leaves around the tree, dug them up, wrapped the roots, and had Feng Chi store those as well.