Chapter 97 Seeds of Hope for a Bountiful Harvest in the Fields
Senbo's beast form is a black eagle, while his human form has black hair and black eyes, with distinct facial features.
He was skilled in ironwork, and in addition to tools, he also crafted many metal jewelry pieces, each of which was highly sought after.
He now wears an iron necklace around his neck, made up of irregular small iron rings. Combined with his handsome face and excellent physique, he exudes a cool and aloof vibe.
However, even the most "cold" person will put away their sharp edges in front of Yu Yan.
Senbo walked over, scratched his head, and said somewhat guiltily, "It's about... the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed).
Yu Yan understood: "You didn't build a kang (heated brick bed) when you built the house, and now you want to build one?"
Senbo admired him for guessing right away: "Right. Back then, I thought I could transform into a beast, wouldn't be afraid of the cold, and wouldn't need a heated kang (a traditional heated platform bed), so I didn't bother with it to save trouble. Now I see other people's houses have heated kangs, and they're so warm. I'm wondering if it's still possible to build one now that the houses are already built?"
Cangfeng added, "Yu Yan, we didn't see how the kang (heated brick bed) was set up back then. The kang is so useful, isn't it quite troublesome to set it up?"
Senbo looked at Yu Yan expectantly and said, "I know you're busy, so I didn't come to you at first. If it's too much trouble, then forget it."
Yu Yan understood why they were in a dilemma. Many of the houses built in the tribe this year didn't have a kang (heated brick bed).
He can understand whether or not to pursue it.
Seeing Senbai's cautiousness, Yu Yan smiled and said, "It's nothing serious, no trouble at all, I'll just re-plate it for you."
Senbo was overjoyed, "We don't need to tear down the house?"
Yu Yan: "Of course. The kang (heated brick bed) will break down after a long time and get clogged with ash. You can't just tear down the house every time you need to repair the kang, haha."
Senbo blushed with embarrassment.
"It would be great if you could play with it, Yu Yan. Thank you so much, thank you for your help."
Yu Yan waved his hand: "Let's not talk about that." He looked at Cang Feng, "Are there any other people in the tribe who want to build a kang (heated brick bed)?"
Cangfeng: "I haven't asked yet, but I estimate there are quite a few like Senbai."
"Okay, then you can help me find someone to ask around. If you want to buy it, I'll take some time in the next few days and buy it all at once."
"Alright! I'll send Shuoxing."
As for him and Xin Yu, of course they would go to the fields with Yu Yan to harvest sweet potatoes, beets, and the like.
The news that Yu Yan was going to take over the land quickly spread throughout the entire tribe.
Many people put aside their less urgent work and came to the fields to help out and watch the excitement.
The late summer heat was intense, and the sun was so hot it felt like it was burning your skin.
Yu Yan, dressed in neat linen clothes and wearing a straw hat, told everyone to spread out and start by harvesting sweet potatoes.
Everyone wielded their hoes and shovels, carefully digging the sweet potatoes out of the ground.
The fruits in the Beast World are all large, and this newly cultivated land this year is extremely fertile.
The sweet potatoes inside are plump and have a pleasing brownish-red color.
Feng Gui dug out a large sweet potato that was longer than his forearm, held it up, patted off the mud, and happily showed it to Yu Yan.
"Look how big it is! We can't finish one in one meal!"
Yu Yan smiled and replied, "Yes, this year's sweet potato harvest is bountiful! Enough to last us until next year."
Cangfeng and the others exclaimed sincerely, "Sweet potatoes can produce so much from just one vine, and they taste so good. They're truly a treasure!"
The peninsula tribes also experienced bad harvests. At that time, they did not know that there was so much food in the sea, and the whole tribe lived in poverty.
Now that they have sweet potatoes, they can plant more and store more. Even if there is a shortage of food in the wild in a certain year, they can still fill their stomachs with sweet potatoes!
Many people have lived for so many years and have never felt so safe.
This sense of security made even the apprentices in the weaving workshop seriously consider where to cultivate land and what to grow next year.
It's likely that in just a few years, every household will be able to eat the grains and vegetables they grow themselves.
It took Yu Yan and her team two whole days to harvest sweet potatoes. Basket after basket of sweet potatoes filled the cave where they were stored.
After that, Yu Yan also harvested some beets, and there were quite a few of them.
He picked out a basket of the best ones and returned them to Moye and Xuefei.
The couple exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this too much?"
Sitting on their wooden sofa, Yu Yan smiled and said, "Not much. When you gave me the only three beets you had, I was actually worried they wouldn't survive. Luckily, we've had a good harvest now."
He looked at the handsome Xue Fei and said, "Mo Ye brought back these beets from all the way for you. You've never had any before, so now you can try them."
Xue Fei glanced at Mo Ye with delight and asked Yu Yan, "How should we eat it?" He had indeed been curious about the taste of beets for a long time.
"It can be served cold, stir-fried, or used in soup, all are fine."
Xuefei immediately stood up: "I'll go cut some right now, let's have a taste!"
Qiu Ze skipped and hopped after him, shouting, "Father, I want some too!"
"You little glutton."
"My father is a big glutton."
"...I'll pull your ear once you and the others have left."
The conversation between the father and son made Yu Yan and Mo Ye laugh.
A moment later, Xuefei came over carrying a plate of sliced beets.
The beets were peeled, and the red flesh inside looked a bit like a radish at first glance; it was very juicy.
Xuefei warmly invited, "Come on, have a taste."
Everyone picked up a piece of beet and put it in their mouth.
Yu Yan and Mo Ye chewed for a moment, their expressions both somewhat subtle.
Unpickled beets have a slightly earthy taste.
Because it still has a sweet taste, they wouldn't say they dislike it, but they don't particularly like it either.
Xue Fei and Qiu Ze, however, were different. They were rabbit-type sub-beastmen who loved vegetarian food. At this moment, their eyes shone as they ate, praising it highly: "It's so delicious! Crispy and sweet! Mo Ye, you're right, I really love it!!"
Qiu Ze also crunched away, his cheeks bulging as he chewed.
Mo Ye laughed and said, "If you like it, that's fine. Besides, I feel like... the earthy taste of the beets is much milder than before."
Yu Yan: "It might be because I've been selective. We can keep the good seeds, plant and select them year after year, and slowly we might get better-tasting and higher-yielding fruits."
Mo Ye and Xue Fei nodded, "That makes sense."
"I've learned something new from you again."
Qiu Ze swallowed the food in his mouth and said in a clear voice, "Brother Yu Yan is amazing!"
Yu Yan smiled and ruffled his hair.
In addition to sweet potatoes and beets, Yu Yan also grows cucumbers, mustard greens, radishes, green beans, and other crops, many of which have already passed their harvest season.
The grass in the fields is now withered and yellow, and they look somewhat desolate.
After that, he tidied up the land, planting winter wheat on one part and leaving the other part for planting next spring.
Sweet potatoes have been on the family's dining table every day for the past few days, with Yu Yan preparing them in various ways.
He swung the spatula so hard it flew across the face as he made steamed sweet potatoes, sweet potato cakes, sweet potato rice cakes, sweet potato pancakes, sweet potato balls, candied sweet potatoes...
My family initially loved sweet potato dishes and would praise them to everyone they met as incredibly delicious.
Later, they tentatively said to Yu Yan, "Hmm... how about we steam some rice today? Or steam some buns, or make some plain flatbread?"
Yu Yan chuckled and deliberately said, "But I made so many sweet potatoes, I can't finish them all by myself."
Lan Xiu said seriously, "I can finish it when I transform into beast form."
Feng Gui and Ruihua: "..."
Why isn't the Full Moon Festival here yet? Those two should hurry up and get married and start their own lives!
Yu Yan was joking; that day, he cooked rice by mixing rice with sorghum.
Seeing that his family wasn't very enthusiastic about beets, he stored them away, planning to start making sugar after he finished this busy period.
With the work in the fields almost done, Yu Yan began to lead the people to build a kang (heated brick bed) for Senbai and the others.
He didn't keep anything to himself, and many people in the tribe came to learn from him. But just like when they were building houses, some people did a good job, and some did only so-so.
In order to have a comfortable heated kang bed to sleep on in winter, people are willing to spend their resources to have someone build a better one.
The news reached several surrounding tribes, and the three tribal chiefs, Jiang Kuo, Fan Su, and Shu Yu, came looking for them.
They happily told Yu Yan, "Many people in our tribe have also moved into new houses. We've heard that heated kang beds are especially good, and we'd like to invite you to test one."
Yu Yan: "Going is fine, but Chief Jiang Kuo and Chief Fan Su, your tribes aren't that cold in winter, are they?"
The two said, "It's cold, not only cold, but also damp. Winter is very hard to endure. In previous years, we had to light a fire pit or stay in animal form for a long time to get through it."
Shuyu sincerely invited, "Yuyan, you've been so busy with the Autumn Harvest Festival, building houses, taking assessments, and stockpiling food that you haven't had a chance to come out and play in a long time. Come visit our tribe; everyone really wants you to come."
Unable to refuse such a kind offer, Yu Yan agreed.
The next day, after he had settled things at home, Lanxiu carried him on his back, and he set off.
Their first stop was the Qingqing Tribe.
Yu Yan brought paper and pen, and while enjoying the scenery along the way, she sketched the terrain of the Qingqing tribe.
He planned to draw a small map once he had traveled to all the surrounding tribes and had some free time in the winter.
The climate in the Qingqing tribe is drier and colder than that of the peninsula tribes, and large areas of forests and grass have turned golden yellow.
Within the golden yellow are inlaid maple leaf red, fallen leaf orange and pine needle green.
Like a painter's palette being overturned, the forests are ablaze with color, a breathtaking sight.
The members of the Qingqing tribe had been waiting for them at the edge of their territory for a long time, and escorted them all the way back to their home.
Tall, fluffy rabbits, Totoro, and koalas hopped and skipped around them, giving Yu Yan the feeling of having stumbled into a fairy tale world.
Upon arriving at their tribe, a beautiful little white wolf excitedly rushed up to them.
Yu Yan exclaimed in delight, "Luanxia!"
He opened his arms and hugged the little white wolf tightly.
"Aww! Brother Yu Yan, you're finally here! I've missed you so much!"
Yu Yan stroked his furry ears and soft belly, and said, "I missed you all too. How have you been? You haven't been eating anything reckless lately, have you? Last time you swallowed an iron nail, it really scared your father and uncle."
Luanxia nuzzled him with her head and said obediently, "I didn't eat anything indiscriminately, I was very good."
Junxi and Beihe exchanged a glance, pursed their lips, and didn't expose him.
Yu Yan and Lan Xiu stayed in Qingqing Tribe for two days. The first day was mainly spent setting up kang beds for them, and the second day they explored the territory on their own.
Yu Yan thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of Lan Xiu transforming into a large tiger, carrying her on his back, and running freely across the wilderness.
Or perhaps he himself conjured wings and soared through the sky, chasing after Lanxiu.
The sky was clear and vast, and the mountains were magnificent.
They shouted and laughed loudly, as if they were the only two people in the world.
Tired from playing, they stopped in a forest of fiery red maple leaves.
Yu Yan casually chose a maple tree and sat down against the trunk.
Lanxiu opened the water bag, bent down, and handed it to him.
"Have some water, are you thirsty?"
Yu Yan took the water pouch and patted the person next to her: "Come on, sit down too."
Lan Xiu sat down and imitated him, propping up one long leg and placing his hand on his knee.
Yu Yan gulped down the water and returned the water pouch. Lan Xiu then took a couple of sips from the pouch as well.
"It's so beautiful." Yu Yan looked up, and the crimson maple leaves reflected in his pupils.
Lan Xiu, who was beside him, hummed in agreement.
Yu Yan turned her head and realized that he was looking at her, his icy blue eyes seeming to flicker with flames.
It's unclear who approached whom first, but their lips slowly met, and they closed their eyes.
As they kissed, they both became somewhat unable to control their emotions.
Yu Yan was pinned against the tree trunk, with Lan Xiu in front of him, his arms completely encircling him.
After giving him a deep kiss on the lips, he restrained himself and pulled his head away slightly, his breathing heavy, but his eyes remained fixed on Yu Yan.
Yu Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a burning sensation in her lower abdomen.
He took a deep breath, grabbed Lanxiu's shoulders, and kissed him again.
...
The mountain stream flows gently.
Yu Yan squatted on one side washing her hands, while Lan Xiu rinsed his mouth on the other side, making a clear sound as he stirred the water.
After washing her hands, Yu Yan looked up at Lan Xiu's serious expression, and the scene from just now flashed before her eyes, causing her handsome face to blush slightly.
He splashed water on Lan Xiu, who didn't dodge. He met his gaze, smiled, and his whole face was warm.
“Yu Yan, I used to dislike winter. It’s cold, hunting is difficult, and there’s not much food.”
"Um."
“But this year, I especially want winter to come sooner,” he said with a smile. “When it snows, we’ll be partners.”
Yu Yan felt sweeter than if she had been coated with sugar. He smiled, his eyes crinkling, "It'll be soon."
The two of them spent several days having a great time in the surrounding tribes.
When he got home, Feng Gui saw him and smiled, saying that he had gotten a bit tanned.
Yu Yan smiled and said, "This is a healthy color for me."
When he first transmigrated, he was thin and weak, and his strength was not as good as that of other sub-beastmen.
More than half a year has passed, and his physical strength has improved, his body has become stronger, and he even seems to have grown a little taller.
This trip was for fun, and they also took the opportunity to collect supplies by building a kang (heated brick bed). Neither Yu Yan nor Lan Xiu were tired.
So the two of them didn't rest, and the next day, Yu Yan led her people to the fields.
They have to loosen the soil and fertilize it.
Yu Yan had already commissioned the creation of many farming tools, and the beastmen could even transform into beast forms, making tilling the soil much easier.
After loosening the soil, Yu Yan went to the tribe's septic tank.
Well-rotted manure doesn't smell bad; it has a slight fermented odor.
However, considering where this thing came from, Yu Yan still put on a mask and gloves.
Fearing that too much fertilizer would burn the seedlings, he and everyone else mixed a lot of water into the manure and poured it into the field.
Then the soil was deeply tilled to mix the fertilizer and soil evenly, and then the ridges were repaired.
After waiting for five days, Yu Yan got up early to soak the wheat seeds.
As winter approaches, the days are getting shorter.
When the sun rose, he poured out the water and let it drain.
When Xin Yu and the others came to find him, Yu Yan gestured for the beastmen to carry the seeds and tools on their backs, and then led the way to fly into the fields.
He had already explained how to plant wheat to everyone, but they still planted it very carefully.
He had already planted one row, while they had only planted half of it.
The little ones also joined in the fun, carrying newly made scarecrows and running around between the ridges of the field.
"Brother Yu Yan, is it okay to put this scarecrow here?"
"Alright! You can put them out however you like!"
Qiu Ze squatted by the edge of the ridge, cupping his cute little face, and said expectantly, "When can we eat the wheat?"
Xuefei planted the seeds in the ground and laughed, "It's still early. They've just been planted and haven't even sprouted yet."
"But I really want to eat lots and lots of big steamed buns."
The people around laughed. Xuefei said, "My Qiuze prefers flour-based foods to rice, but we didn't grind enough flour this year."
Yu Yan: "We don't have much. My family is also saving food. Things will be better next year."
Xuefei: "Yes, we've planted so many seeds, it can't be less than what we collected in the wild, right?"
Akizawa sighed like an adult, "Sigh, they grow up so slowly."
Seeing how anxious he was, Yu Yan told him a story about "pulling up seedlings to help them grow".
Not only the children, but the adults also listened with great interest.
Yin Qing, who was not far away, said, "This person is really stupid. He pulled up the seedling, so of course it died."
Qiu Ze: "So you can die? I didn't know. Looks like I'll have to protect the little seedlings from now on."
Yu Yan: "Okay, you're Captain Miao Miao now. I'm counting on you."
Akizawa: "Mm!"
Many adults belatedly realized that although Yu Yan's stories were simple, the lessons they contained were profound, and they admired him even more.
The children didn't think that much about it; they just found Yu Yan's stories very interesting and begged him to tell more.
Yu Yan, the former pediatrician, smiled confidently: "Alright, then let me tell you another story about waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump."
Akizawa Ichiro: "My story?"
After finishing the story of "Waiting for a Rabbit to Fall into a Trap," the little bird-beast-human said he wanted to hear a story about birds.
Yu Yan said gently, "Okay, let me think... I'll tell you a story about a slow bird that flies first."
His voice was calm and measured, and the stories he told were vivid and interesting.
Gradually, the adults stopped chatting and started listening attentively to his stories.
Under the azure sky, Yu Yan planted wheat seeds in the fields of hope and sowed the seeds of knowledge in everyone's hearts.
...
After the wheat was planted, Yu Yan rushed to stock up on food before the end of autumn.
The work was tiring, but looking at the full warehouse, he felt only satisfaction and happiness.
Lying comfortably in his warm bed that night, thinking that he could finally sleep in a little later the next day, he drifted off to sleep.
"Ring ring!!"
The urgent alarm clock woke Yu Yan up.
He rubbed his eyes, glanced at his phone, and muttered wearily, "I only slept for three hours."
Dragging his weak body, he got up, washed, changed his clothes, went downstairs and grabbed a quick breakfast before numbly merging into the subway crowd.
The subway was packed with people, and everyone's face was ashen, their eyes lifeless.
Yu Yan thought about assessments, performance evaluations, ratings, and complicated interpersonal relationships, and then she thought of the "travel guide" he kept on his phone, which was now covered in dust. She sighed inwardly.
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