Call upon us, and the storm will be sung by the bards…
"We'll help you with anything that's bothering you, Lan!"
Listening to their sincere words, Jiang Yunlan blinked and looked at each of her familiar clansmen.
There were the orcs she initially brought from the cave halfway up the mountain, the orcs she encountered in the forest, and the orcs she met on the grasslands. Unbeknownst to her, she already had so many people around her.
She suddenly remembered what Cotton had said the day it wanted to give her a whole package of plant cuttings.
Because Arashi is Arashi, I must protect Arashi and help Arashi.
The words she had heard before echoed in her ears, and she knew how to answer. "I don't need protection, but I want to protect, and I'll need help too," she thought.
Just like when she hoped Hati would stay, she said to him, "I need your help." She will also need 022, maple syrup, and Grey Honey.
Her people need her.
Whether it's clan matters or her own, there will be times when she needs help.
I am no longer alone.
Jiang Yunlan told her inner self: Yes, you need help, don't refuse everyone's help.
So she smiled, trying to be a little more accepting of the beastmen, "I heard you. I will call upon you when I need you."
Upon hearing her answer, 022 and the group of orcs responded happily and pulled her up from the recliner with cheerful laughter.
The beastmen took her to see the most beautifully decorated spots, and then divided her into many small teams to decide who would accompany her on the tour first by playing rock-paper-scissors.
Victorious Maple Syrup clenched her fist in triumph and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Looks like I'm in luck today."
The orcs, including Heitu, who were assigned to the back, stared at her and the orcs who were now accompanying Lan for a stroll for several seconds before turning around and moving Lan's recliner to Lan's residence.
It's alright, their turn will be soon.
The food stalls in the clan square started to open sporadically. Grayfeather and the other orcs in charge of food handed over the prepared staple food to other clansmen to distribute to the orcs queuing for dinner, and then went with their assistants to the back of the stalls to display today's signature dishes.
Jiang Yunlan ate the stone tree beast meat dish that the beastmen had specially saved for her, and was just about 70% full.
Although each orc can only receive one main course, the amount can be chosen freely. She didn't order a large portion, leaving some room in her stomach to eat the snacks sold from the food stall.
She got up, put down the bowls and chopsticks, and returned to Maple Syrup and the other orcs. Gray Honey had placed a cup of white juice in her hand. This cup of white juice had been given to her by Gray Feather, the orc cub in charge of selling the juice.
As Huiyu left, she said that the first drink she would give to Lan was the one she was supposed to drink at the stall, since she had already paid her work points.
“When the tribespeople finish using their work points, they’ll come to the spot where Mo Rong and I usually sit to exchange for new ones. Mo Rong is currently in charge of exchanging work points, but I’ll be in charge of that later, and Mo Rong will play with you,” Gray Honey said, looking at Lan who was holding the cup in both hands.
After giving a brief notification, she and several orcs, accompanied by Lan, began browsing the snack stalls from the very first one.
Too many orcs around Lan should be avoided, as they could easily block the road. Therefore, the number of orcs surrounding Lan was always kept to a minimum of eleven.
Jiang Yunlan followed along with the occasional clansmen who appeared from time to time, walking slowly forward. She looked curiously at the surrounding stalls. The stalls looked much more interesting than she had expected.
The stalls brought here from the trading area no longer retained their original simple appearance. The beastmen spontaneously decorated the stalls with small items made from discarded straw, dry leaves, clay, and other materials obtained from harvesting crops.
Many orcs would also make a board out of clay, and then use spider slime to attach cut leaves to the rectangular board. Jiang Yunlan looked closely at the board; it was covered with large Chinese characters, the contents of which were roughly the names of the food being sold that day, as well as their prices.
Of course, a small number of orcs also used clay tablets to write interesting gossip, riddles, and so on to arouse the curiosity of other orcs and attract them to come over.
The beastmen's wildly imaginative ideas were quite interesting, and Jiang Yunlan couldn't help but walk over to see what kind of food was being sold at the stall.
The first stall she approached was Grayfeather's. They sold fruit wrapped in crepe-like batter. However, the clan didn't have whipped cream, so there was no cream oozing out.
The half-rolled pancakes are filled with sweet fruit. They are served in wide-mouthed cups, with a spoon gently placed on top. The stall also sells limited-edition drinks, including white juice.
Gray Feather looked up when she heard the voice. Seeing that it was Lan coming over, she said specially, "Lan, would you like to try some? This is a new product I made, it's sweet."
She was a snow season older than Lan, and slightly taller, with their eyes almost level. She specifically mentioned that today's new product was sweet because when she gave Lan the newly made plant strips, Lan didn't refuse and even accepted the packet of plant strips she offered. She assumed that Lan had a sweet tooth.
"Okay," Jiang Yunlan replied with a smile. She didn't see the jam under the fruit, and didn't pay much attention when she heard it was a dessert.
"Two work points for a cup of food." Gray Feather handed out a crepe without cream with one hand, then took the two round cloth coins from Lan with the other and put them into the work point box. Once the work point box was more than half full, the assistant would need to take it to Mo Rong for storage.
Holding a cup of crepes, Jiang Yunlan ate as she walked, feeling relaxed and not thinking about too many things at the moment, such as the beast tide or other clan affairs.
022 was curious about the orcs' first time setting up a stall. He would go up to each stall to take a look and record what food they made, what items they used to attract the people, and whether they were popular.
The orcs walking beside Lan would buy any food that caught their eye and then return later to chat with Lan.
"I'm planning to buy a big cabinet to store my clothes and accessories, and also some of my favorite items. Originally, those were meant to be displayed, but the dorm room isn't big enough, so there's not enough space for many things," said Hui Xiaoxi, her cheerful face turning somber with a hint of worry.
She listed all the things she couldn't show off, and continued with a heavy heart, "Lan, when can we buy houses in the clan? I want to buy a house."
Although she could sense that buying a house would require a lot of work points, she would work hard to save them and would never take out work points to buy things as soon as she got them.
Jiang Yunlan was taken aback by her leap of thought, blinked and replied, "If you want to buy a house, then other clansmen should also have the idea of buying a house. I'll remember this. When it's time to buy a house, I'll let you know in advance."
Even though she didn't know when she could buy a house, Lan's words were enough to make Hui Xiaoxi happy. She decided to start saving work points from today.
Everything is for buying a house!
The orcs who overheard the conversation understood and turned to tell their tribesmen who were worried about not having big enough dormitories to remember to save work points.
"But the food at the stalls looks so delicious tonight, maybe I should start stocking up tomorrow," an orc said, happily buying another snack.
Jiang Yunlan suppressed a laugh, but couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth as she happily scooped up some jam from the bottom of the crepe. The sweet jam was comparable to the sweetness of the vegetable strips, and she frowned deeply, her furry ears drooping. With a helpless sigh, she prepared to eat the food that was a little too sweet for her.
Before she could scoop out another spoonful of jam, a wheat-colored hand suddenly appeared and took her food away.
She looked at him questioningly. Feng Hong shook the crepe cup with one hand and looked at her with a bright smile. "Lan doesn't like this, is it because of the jam inside? Her reaction is very obvious. How about I have it? I don't dislike sweet food."
"Need not……"
I will call upon you when I need you.
The words she had just spoken suddenly struck Jiang Yunlan. She immediately swallowed back the refusal that was on the tip of her tongue, and nodded, saying, "If you want to eat, you can."
She thought to herself, "If I refuse such a small favor, it's like I promised nothing at all." She hesitated for a few seconds, feeling melancholic. This time, she had been too relaxed and hadn't been able to control her emotions; otherwise, she wouldn't have been noticed.
When 022 flew back from outside and saw her expression, she knew that she was reflecting on herself again.
“Lan, it’s not a bad thing to show some negative emotions occasionally. Look, Feng Hong found out you don’t like sweets, so she’s helping you eat the food you don’t want to eat but are reluctant to throw away.” 022 stretched out her round hand and gently patted Lan’s forehead, comforting her as usual.
Within the clan, more and more orcs are realizing that Lan herself also needs help; it's time to slowly help Lan resolve her inner conflicts.
Jiang Yunlan looked away from 022, and after a few seconds, agreed. 022 was very perceptive and could always detect her emotions; she was used to not deliberately hiding her negative emotions in front of 022. However, when facing the beastmen, she needed to overcome that hurdle to be more honest.
Because she had promised them she would seek help. She wouldn't avoid it, even if it was difficult, even if the change was slow...
She will also be honest, not hide anything from them, and face them sincerely.
"I don't like overly sweet food," Jiang Yunlan said, staring at her feet.
Feng Hong swallowed the jam in her mouth and smiled brightly: "It's okay, I like sweets. If Lan buys sweets and finds she can't eat them, just give them to me."
The beastmen, who also didn't mind eating sweets, unanimously agreed, "Leave it all to us!"
"If there's any other food you don't like, you can bring it to us. We can finish it. Lan, don't worry about wasting it, go ahead and buy whatever you like," the beastmen said.
They don't have the habit of not eating food that other orcs have eaten. Rather, orcs born in this world are almost impossible to be picky about food; they'd eat food even if it's fallen on the ground.
After strolling around and browsing all the stalls, the beastmen, each holding a snack in one hand, led Lan to watch the performance under the stage.
The stage play was already more than halfway through and nearing its end. Jiang Yunlan walked over and immediately spotted Qiu Guo, Tara, and the elderly wolf-beastman Ze Fu beside Tara.
She remembered Zefu. This old werewolf was the orc who had been grinding herbs beside Tara when she was stitching up Tara's arm.
By the end of this snow season, Zefu will be in her third year of old age. She will soon pass away, and her physical functions are deteriorating. Fortunately, she can still walk and was able to come here with Tara's help.
Jiang Yunlan quietly walked over and sat down next to the three of them, then looked up to watch the stage play.
When the three orcs saw her coming, they raised their hands to greet her, whispered her name, and then turned back to watch the performance.
As the stage play ended, the beastmen, with smiles on their faces, tidied up the items set up on the stage. Jiang Yunlan took advantage of this break to inquire about Ze Fu's recent situation.
Zefu was once the architect of the Hatti clan, and she designed the houses where the wolf-beastmen lived. Tara, who loved building houses, initially learned how to build from her. Now, the beastman who takes care of her is none other than Tara.
Upon hearing Lan's question, Tara briefly recounted Ze Fu's recent situation, adding, "Her hands are always busy; she's currently learning some simple tasks from Qiu Guo that don't require much physical strength..."
Because they spent more time together, Qiuguo, who couldn't walk, and Zefu, who needed to stay in the same place for a long time, became friends.
The two orcs would sit together and chat every day, their hands never stopping their work. Hearing that there was a stage play today, they decided to come together. Tara was one of the orcs who accompanied them.
Jiang Yunlan smiled when she heard Tara mention how the two of them had become friends.
On stage, the orc, having finished his performance, walked off with his belongings. A ram-orc came up with a harp and began to hum a new song.
The lively, light singing voice was like fairies dancing in the night sky, radiating a shimmering light. It was beautiful, with an indescribable charm.
Tonight was a beautiful night, just like a song. The orcs spent the night happily and peacefully. Although some orcs had a few quarrels, nothing bad happened, and there was no beast tide attack.
Everything is wonderful.
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