Such a strong sense of responsibility…
Wang Jin silently praised Xi ger in his heart before speaking up. "Xi ger, it might be too early to say this, but if you ever face any difficulties, you can always come to us."
Xi ger gave a faint smile at that, then limped away, dragging his heavy bundle through the back door, where two beastmen stood guard for him.
After watching him leave, Wang Jin noticed Mu ger still looked unwell and helped him lie down on the bed. He sat by the edge, covering Mu ger’s thinly clad body.
Mu ger lay there, but his eyes remained wide open, fixed on Wang Jin.
Wang Jin’s hair nearly stood on end under that stare. He turned to meet Mu ger’s gaze and pouted. "A-Mu, if you have something to say, just say it. We’re close enough for that."
Mu ger bit his lip, his brows furrowing as if struggling with whether to speak.
Finally, after a long pause, he spoke slowly.
"A-Jin, what’s your relationship with that Celestial Fox tribesman, Cheng Bai?"
Wang Jin froze. He hadn’t expected Mu ger to still be hung up on this.
Strictly speaking, Cheng Bai was connected to the original owner of this body—not him. The only tie between them was the debt of gratitude for saving his life.
After thinking carefully, Wang Jin answered honestly, "There really isn’t much of a relationship. He saved me, so I owe him a big favor."
"…" The answer was the same as before, but Mu ger couldn’t shake the feeling there was more to it. The way Cheng Bai looked at A-Jin wasn’t right…
But then again…
Mu ger recalled the way Wang Jin and Yuan Heng had been so in sync earlier, so openly affectionate in front of everyone. There didn’t seem to be any issues between them.
As long as their feelings were solid, there was nothing to worry about.
With that thought, Mu ger slowly closed his eyes.
Exhausted, he soon fell asleep.
After their conversation, Wang Jin remembered what Xi ger had said earlier, and curiosity gnawed at him.
What exactly had Brother Heng and Cheng Bai talked about?
Had Cheng Bai told Brother Heng about the original owner’s past engagement? And what about Brother Heng—had he mentioned that he and Wang Jin were married?
Neither of them had come to ask him about it. Did that mean they were both in the dark?
"A-Mu…" Wang Jin nudged Mu ger lightly, wanting to discuss it and hear his thoughts. But when he turned, he found Mu ger already fast asleep.
Wang Jin quickly shut his mouth, softened his breathing, and quietly slipped off the bed to give Mu ger more space to sleep comfortably.
Mu ger slept until evening. When he woke up, he saw Wang Jin sitting at the table.
He hurriedly got up and approached, spotting a bowl of tender meat and two bowls of honey paste on the table.
Noticing Mu ger, Wang Jin pushed one bowl toward him. "Brother Heng had someone bring this for us."
Mu ger was indeed hungry, so he sat down to eat with Wang Jin. After a few bites, he glanced around and asked curiously, "A-Jin, why is it just the two of us?"
At that question, Wang Jin’s expression turned pitiful.
"Brother Heng said he had to discuss things with people. He hasn’t come back yet."
His voice was full of dejection. His movements slowed as he listlessly stirred the paste in his bowl, his appetite seemingly gone. He looked as desolate as if he’d been abandoned.
"…" Seeing this, Mu ger swallowed the question about where everyone else was.
This person only ever had eyes for Brother Heng. Asking him about others would be pointless.
If Brother Heng was busy, the other beastmen were probably helping out too.
But if the beastmen were occupied, where were the other ger?
"Someone came by earlier and said this is the biggest house in the tribe, with the most rooms. Brother Heng arranged for you, me, and Xiao Ruo’s families to stay here until the beast tide is over and new houses can be built."
Just as Mu ger was pondering this, Wang Jin spoke up. Noticing Mu ger had nearly finished his food, he handed over a dark, bitter-looking medicine.
"This is your prenatal medicine. Uncle Yong, Xiao Ruo’s a-die, just brewed it."
"…" Mu ger took it with a grimace, then asked, "Where is Uncle Yong now?"
Hadn’t Wang Jin just said Xiao Ruo’s family was also staying here?
"They went to gather their things. Their house was given to Brother Hua’s family. Brother Hua’s home was on the outskirts—too dangerous during the beast tide. Brother Heng had them move in first."
"Not just Brother Hua. Lots of beastmen and ger had their living arrangements adjusted. Now everyone’s living closer together, so it’s easier to handle emergencies."
As he spoke, Wang Jin’s tone grew proud, his eyes sparkling as if boasting about how well Brother Heng had managed everything.
And Yuan Heng’s arrangements were indeed well thought out.
The beast tide wasn’t something that would pass in a few days—it lasted dozens of days. Having the entire tribe’s beastmen and ger crammed together wasn’t practical. Rearranging living spaces so everyone was closer ensured both privacy and the ability to respond quickly to any situation.
The Danmu tribe had never done this before. But then again, past beast tides had been calm, with everyone preparing food in advance…
No comments:
Post a Comment