Chapter Bonanza (10/10)

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

“That’s it, that’s it! Those aren’t spices—they’re all medicinal herbs! What am I supposed to do to treat people if you go and use them all up?!” The priest glared at the beast, who had come into the cave demanding herbs, his brows furrowed and his beard bristling with anger.

To see someone go to such lengths just for a meal—it made him, as a priest, feel compelled to refuse. Lin Qiu asked, “Is it really all gone? You drank the fish soup this morning—did you like it?” The priest replied, “It’s good enough just to have something to eat; who cares if it tastes good or not.”

“Back when we had no food and were starving, you dared to be picky!”

Lin Qiu: “Oh!”

Priest: “Oh my! Hurry up and learn! Have you figured out how to make the insect-repelling herbal powder yet? Even Lang Bing has already learned the ritual dance.” 

Lin Qiu: “I’ll learn.”

But he was absolutely determined not to learn the ritual dance.

After spending half the day in the priest’s cave, it was time to cook lunch again. The priest clearly had plenty of supplies; Lin Qiu’s gaze drifted toward the wooden shelf, prompting the priest to scold him, “Don’t just take everything from here!”

Lin Qiu: “You’ve got plenty of ready-made supplies here.”

“The wolves are already growing herbs for you—don’t you know to have them grow them instead!” 

Lin Qiu paused. “That makes sense.”

“Then do you have any seeds here?”

The priest grumbled under his breath. No beast in the entire tribe dared to come to him and demand things like this—it really got on his nerves! Sure enough, even with amnesia, his temperament hadn’t changed a bit; he was always going against him!

Lin Qiu walked out contentedly, carrying a leather pouch full of seeds. He opened it to find ginger, wild garlic, Sichuan pepper… every spice he had ever used was represented.

The priest didn’t just collect herbs—he collected seeds as well.

The wolves weren’t around today, so Lin Qiu planned to sit down with Lang An and the others later to map out the land and find a spot to plant them. Yesterday, the wolves had caught some snout beasts and sheared some of their fur; Lin Qiu needed to take advantage of this free time to make some toothbrushes.

Lang An helped him down and walked over with a smile to take it.

“That’s a lot—enough to last us a while.”

Lin Qiu: “We won’t eat them—they’re all for planting.”

Lang An gestured toward the plot where they were growing tail grass. “Planting?” 

Lin Qiu: “We can’t keep relying on finding things outside forever.”

Lang An had actually asked the gathering team to keep an eye out; they’d know by the time they returned today.

“Well, then, let’s plant them.”

Lunch was still terrible. The beasts silently spat out fish bones and couldn’t help but say, “An’s cooking is really bad today.” 

“An said we ran out of seasoning.”

“We’re even out of oil.”

“How long are we going to have to eat this?” 

“I don’t know…”

Why must the good life be so fleeting!

That afternoon, Lang An rounded up some of the tribe’s able-bodied men and ordered Lang Mu and the others to till the ground next to the patch of tail grass. As always, they had to till it into neat, square plots, picking out every root and pebble.

The plot of land with the tail grass is planted every year—all it takes is a quick round of picking out stones and weeding, and it’s ready to go. But breaking new ground is a whole different story. The roots are tangled, trees are everywhere, and as you dig, you’ll find huge rocks weighing dozens of jin hidden beneath the surface.

It’s a major undertaking that takes several days to complete. Farming can’t be rushed, and Lang An was keeping an eye on things.

Lin Qiu gathered all the materials and tools he needed to make a toothbrush, sat cross-legged on the low wall under the shed, and began crafting it.

The snout beast’s hair is coarse and stiff, though not quite as sharp as steel needles like elephant hair.

He boiled the bristles in water mixed with wood ash to remove the grease, then whittled a thin piece of wood into a flat tip. He aligned the bristles and drilled a hole through them, threaded a piece of fine string through the hole with a tuft of bristles attached to one end, repeated the process, and then trimmed the bristles even—and that was it.

While Lin Qiu was working, Lang Guo, Lang An, and a few others came over to join in the fun.

Although none of them knew what these were for, they pitched in anyway—some whittling wood, others twisting the bristles. Lin Qiu also made a few with bone handles; the handles were polished until smooth, and the results were quite good.

He used up a whole pile of materials and ended up making more than ten of them.

Lang Guo picked one up and asked, “Qiu, is this for washing?” 

Lin Qiu: “Brushing your teeth.”

“Brushing teeth?” 

Lin Qiu nodded and handed him one.

“When you eat, food particles get stuck between your teeth. Over time, your teeth will turn black, decay, and hurt.”

Lang Guo had originally said he didn’t need one, but upon hearing this, he immediately put it away.

Lang An said, “No wonder so many beasts in the tribe are always complaining of toothaches. They go to the shaman to eat some leaves to stop the pain, but it comes back before long.” They’d thought thorns had gotten stuck in their teeth.

Lin Qiu: “Let me show you how to brush. Try it out first to see if it works.”

With that, the group of beasts headed toward the stream.

The pups scrambled to keep up. Lang Guo turned back and asked, “Qiu, do the pups need to brush their teeth?”

Lin Qiu: “Just wipe them with a piece of animal hide dipped in water. The main thing is to get them into the habit of cleaning their teeth morning and night.” The toothbrush worked quite well—it was much more convenient than Lin Qiu biting on tree branches.

Since there was no toothpaste, they used charcoal to clean their teeth.

After brushing his teeth, Lang Guo pressed the tip of his tongue against his teeth and felt a clean, slightly astringent freshness—a sensation he found a bit unfamiliar at first.

“That’s so weird…” Lang Guo couldn’t help but lick his teeth again.

Lang An looked at the toothbrush in his hand. “Qiu, should we make more of these?”

Beastmen didn’t have the habit of brushing their teeth—not because they were unclean, but because they simply hadn’t developed that awareness.

When it came to cleanliness, they were already far better than those scruffy tribes—some of whose beasts were utterly careless, even relieving themselves right near their own caves.

When the rainy season brought stifling heat, the stench was everywhere, enough to make the beasts pass out. Just thinking about it made Lang An’s face turn a bit green.

Recalling how some beasts in the tribe reeked, he immediately decided to take charge and enforce mandatory morning and evening cleaning. 

Lin Qiu: “Sure, make plenty of it—we’ll need to change this often.”

Long-term use of charcoal to clean teeth wasn’t sustainable either, so Lin Qiu planned to make some tooth powder.

The ingredients for tooth powder varied widely—cloves, mint, angelica root, poria, borneol… Each had its own specific benefits, so the choice of ingredients depended on the intended use. For something as simple as freshening breath and cleaning teeth, basic ingredients like cloves and mint would suffice.

These plants might not be found on the eastern continent, but he could identify seven or eight others with the same medicinal properties. This demonstrated the value of what he had learned about herbal medicine from the priest.

The priest had a wide variety of herbs, though few were rarely used. Lin Qiu first asked for some to prepare a small batch.

After spending the entire afternoon experimenting, Lin Qiu made toothpowder while the others made toothbrushes. He produced seven or eight varieties with different scents and effects, then called the beastmen over to choose. Lang An said, “The ones with too strong a smell aren’t suitable for us. Achoo! Just like this one—achoo! I start sneezing the moment I smell it.”

He pinched his nose, his eyes watering from the fumes.

Lin Qiu picked up the tooth powder he’d just tested—it contained Sichuan pepper and other herbs with anti-inflammatory properties.

“This one needs a little more refinement.”

This was specifically requested by the priest; the two anti-inflammatory herbs in the mixture were both chosen by him. Upon hearing that he was making tooth powder, he was asked to create a special one for them.

Lang Yu and the others covered their noses and nodded rapidly. Lin Qiu: “Anything else?”

A total of eight types of tooth powder were made, including ones for calming and pain relief, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, and breath freshening. Aside from the one Lin Qiu had been told to put away at the beginning, the beastmen picked and chose, looking troubled. By the time the sun was sinking toward the west, the beastmen still hadn’t made a choice.

“Qiu, we want them all…” the beastmen said sheepishly. He knew it.

Lin Qiu: “Making tooth powder is simple. Pick two varieties that work for most of you, and we’ll make them in bulk. How about I teach you how to make the rest?” 

“Okay!”

Since the toothbrushes and toothpaste were meant for the priest and Lang Yan, Lin Qiu put them away on a shelf to wait until Lang Yan returned.

It was time to cook. Lang An and the others went to help, while Lin Qiu taught Lang Guo how to steam eggs for the cubs.

Meanwhile, Lang Mu had been digging so hard that his legs cramped up; he stumbled and fell to the ground. Seeing this, several beasts standing side by side all toppled over onto him. His paws twitching, the filthy gray wolf said, “Mu, I can’t go on.”

Lang Mu shook out his paws; mud had caked into his paw pads.

He was pinned beneath the beasts, with the freshly tilled soil—loose and soft—stretching out before him, and knee-high tail grass growing alongside him.

Thanks to the beasts’ careful tending, the grass grew in dense clumps, its stalks seeming just a touch sturdier than in previous years.  

Lang Mu: “Get off me—I can’t breathe.”

The wolf on his back rolled to the side and lay down in the dirt.

Lang Mu sat up and walked over to the nearby tail grass patch. Carefully hooking his claws, he dug out the few blades of grass poking up at the edge.

The wolf beside him shifted, tugging at the grass blades to play, only to be swatted away by Lang Mu’s paw.

“Mu, is it time to spread wood ash again?”

Lang Mu: “I don’t know. Go ask Qiu.”

He slowly got to his feet and walked toward the shed.

The tail grass is growing well this year, so they’ll go hungry a little less this winter.

The hunting and gathering teams had returned, and the beasts were preparing dinner. Lang Mo, with Lang Xi perched on his back, was also returning from the west. Lang Xi poked Lang Mo’s ear. “Did you ask Qiu yet?”

Lang Mo yawned. “I’m going to ask him right now.” 

As soon as the hunting and gathering team returned, the beastmen sprawled all over the floor beneath the shelter, while the cubs bounced around, treating them like mountains to climb. Lang Yan sat on the low wall, leaning against a wooden pillar, his eyes downcast as he listened to Lin Qiu explain toothbrushes and toothpaste.

“Lang An said each beastman gets two.”

Lang Yan: “I’m afraid that won’t work.”

Wolf fangs are sharp—they’re a bit itchy, and they tear things apart as soon as they sink in. We’ll need to stock up on them.

“Tell An… tell the little wolves to take care of it. Just do as much as you can.”

Lin Qiu: “Do the little wolves have time?”

Lang Yan: “They’ll have time if he cuts back on playing a bit.”

Lang Yan summoned Lang Rong and gave him the assignment.

Lin Qiu felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Lang Mo and Lang Mu exchanging sharp glances, locked in a tense standoff. Lang Xi whispered, “Qiu, let’s step aside to talk.”

Lin Qiu, confused, followed Lang Xi to the side.

“What’s going on?”

“Qiu, do you know how to get to those grassy islands in the middle of the Great Marsh?”

Lin Qiu shook his head; he really had no idea.

“Do you guys want to eat eggs?”

Lang Xi looked dejected, his head covered in muddy dust. “We haven’t had enough.”

Lin Qiu could build a boat, but the area was full of swamps, and the thought of the pythons writhing in the lake sent a shiver down his spine. He said, “Let’s figure something out.”

“Woof!” Lang Xi perked up.

As long as they could eat, no matter how long it took, the wolves could wait.

“Qiu!” Lang Mu finally broke through Lang Mo’s blockade. But once he reached Lin Qiu’s side, he felt a pang of guilt. Lang Mo snorted.

Lin Qiu treated them all the same, simply asking, “What’s the matter?”

Lang Mu replied, “Just checking—do we need to sprinkle a little more wood ash on the tail grass? …It just occurred to me that this batch of tail grass is a bit better than usual.” Lang Mo stopped snorting and gazed out toward the fields to the east.

Lang Mu didn’t say he hadn’t really noticed, but in previous years, the tail grass they’d planted had grown quite thick—though it was scattered here and there among the other grasses. This year, however, as far as the eye could see, the entire field was covered in tail grass—all with identical leaves, roughly the same height, and thriving.

Lang Mo: “Does it grow better if you spread more wood ash?”

Lin Qiu: “You have to use it in moderation—it’s like stuffing food into your stomach when you’re already full.” 

Lang Mo: “Well, I could still fit more in.”

Lin Qiu：“……”

“Actually, manure is best.”

Lang Mu nodded.