After Being Stranded in the Wilderness, I Became the Bride of the Giant Tribe - 43

 

| GB | Coax | 43

The sunlight fell into the courtyard, bringing a touch of warmth.

Yu Bai slightly raised his head, his eyes half-closed, standing in the open space to feel the warmth from nature.

If there wasn't work to be done, he would have liked to move a chair and sit in the courtyard to bask in the sun.

After stretching his limbs a bit, he brought out the herbs he had collected and laid them out on a makeshift wooden rack to dry.

After drying the herbs, he tinkered with a wooden hoe, loosening the soil in the area he had planned for planting, intending to take advantage of the spring warmth to grow something.

The yak-wolf cub had grown a bit larger, and its fur had become thicker and softer compared to when it was rescued. Shaking its wolf fur, though still small, it was beginning to show the majesty of a yak-wolf.

It curiously circled around Yu Bai's feet, watching the little two-legged creature patiently turning the soil with a strange tool. It let out a howl, sniffing left and right, feeling very curious.

Yu Bai good-naturedly let it stay by his feet, even calling it to move aside when he turned around, not finding it bothersome.

Regardless of whether the little wolf understood, having a wolf cub around was quite entertaining when Huo Duo'er wasn't there.

The little wolf kicked its hind legs, digging up the soil. Seeing it scatter dirt everywhere, Yu Bai gently scolded it, telling it to go play somewhere else.

The little wolf ran around inside and outside the house a few times, bending its front legs, raising its neck, and howling excitedly.

If Huo Duo'er hadn't gone out on patrol today, the yak-wolf cub wouldn't have dared to frolic like this.

A few female orc doing odd jobs passed by, startled by the sounds coming from the courtyard.

"What kind of beast is that howling?"

"It sounds like a wolf..."

"A wolf? Aren't wolves in the mountains? How could one appear in the tribe?!"

The orcs screamed, peering into the courtyard.

Hearing the commotion, Yu Bai had no choice but to calm the little wolf down, at least to stop it from howling.

He opened the door, his soft and beautiful face making the female orcs stare.

"Is that a sub-female?"

"It must be the mate of that giant."

There was only one giant orc in the tribe's main city, and it was said that such a powerful orc had actually bonded with a weak sub-female. Seeing Yu Bai, the females were extremely curious.

Yu Bai awkwardly said, "Sorry, my little wolf scared you just now."

"A wolf?!"

"So it is a wolf, why is there a wolf here?"

Yu Bai explained, "It's a little wolf cub, I brought it back to raise."

"Raise?!"

The female orc screamed, "You're raising a wild beast?"

The females were unsettled; they had never heard of anyone raising a wild beast.

Even if they caught prey, they would keep it for a few days before eating it, mostly things like wild chickens. No one had dared to raise a wolf.

Wolf meat isn't tasty, and they usually travel in packs, with decent combat abilities, making them hard to catch.

But after all, it's a wolf. What if it bites someone?

The little wolf heard the two-legged creatures outside chattering in an incomprehensible language. It wanted to get closer to Yu Bai to play, so it let out a howl.

Yu Bai said, "Little wolf, quiet."

The courtyard indeed fell silent, and the female orcs marveled at the sight.

After enjoying the excitement of the wolf cub, the females still had work to do and couldn't stay long.

Yu Bai watched them leave and closed the door. He turned and pushed the little wolf that was charging at him to the side, shaking his head, "Stop making trouble."

The little wolf wagged its tail, letting out a friendly whimper.

Yu Bai squatted down and patted its head, seeing it so well-behaved now, he unconsciously smiled.

Not to mention the female orcs from earlier, even he couldn't believe he was actually raising a wolf.

After Huo Duo'er returned, Yu Bai discussed the matter with him.

During the day, he was worried that the little wolf might disturb the nearby orcs, Yu Bai had opened the door without much thought. But upon calming down and reflecting, he feared that his actions might have been inappropriate.

Yu Bai asked, "Would it be better not to tell others about raising the little wolf?"

Huo Duo'er glanced at the yak-wolf cub gnawing on a large bone in the corner and said, "It's fine."

They couldn't keep feeding the cub for free forever. Once it grew a bit bigger, they would take it up the mountain to hunt on its own, so that it would bring back prey.

Especially when Yu Bai went out alone, the little wolf would have to follow, serving as protection. By then, the orcs in the tribe would know they had raised a wolf.

Yu Bai murmured, "So it's impossible to keep this a secret forever."

Huo Duo'er nodded.

Apart from the monthly tribute of five stones of meat, the orc warriors in the tribe could keep their own prey. The more powerful the warrior, the more private prey they could acquire. Even the chief wouldn't say anything.

After all, this was a testament to their own abilities. If the chief wasn't willing, the orcs could simply find another tribe, as other tribes would be more than happy to accept strong orcs.

Huo Duo'er told Yu Bai about the covert struggles between tribes. As he listened, Yu Bai couldn't help but chuckle, "So tribes can dig each other's members and steal away the powerful orcs."

Huo Duo'er was puzzled, "Dig?"

His eyes turned to the corner of their yard, "Where in the corner do we need to dig?"

Yu Bai gave a rough explanation, and only then did Huo Duo'er understand.

He stared intently at his mat, swallowing back other questions.

As night fell, Huo Duo'er collected the herbs drying on the wooden rack and hung them in the corner Yu Bai had designated for storing medicinal plants.

Yu Bai stirred the meat soup in the clay pot and said, "Huo Duo'er, when you have time, could you make a few sets of tables and chairs?"

After putting away the herbs, Huo Duo'er walked over to the fire and sat on a stone pillar padded with hemp cloth. His large frame made the space seem cramped and awkward.

Yu Bai continued, "You'll have to cut the wood, but at least make one set of tables and chairs. That way, you won't have to squeeze onto the stone anymore, and we'll have a place to put our pottery and furniture."

Huo Duo'er pointed to the corner, "Like that chair?"

In the past, an old orc had made a crude wooden chair to carry the frail Yu Bai out to the yard to sunbathe. The legs of the chair were bound and secured with hemp rope.

Yu Bai nodded, "We can improve it a bit."

He picked up a stick and drew simple patterns for tables and chairs in the dirt.

They would start with tables and chairs, and as they added more furniture over time, life would become more convenient.

Yu Bai could provide ideas and designs, but he lacked the technical skills.

Huo Duo'er said, "I'll figure it out."

For the next half month, as many wild beasts descended the mountain to forage, the orcs frequently went out hunting. During the day, few male orcs could be seen in the tribe.

Yu Bai's plan to make a set of tables and chairs was postponed, so he joined the female orcs in cutting hemp vines and used the hemp thread to crochet a few pairs of shoes.

Most orcs still wore straw shoes, and in colder weather, they wrapped their feet in animal hides.

Yu Bai had previously made a pair of simple fur boots, and in the past few days, he had started crocheting shoes with the twisted hemp thread.

Since childhood, the cotton and cloth shoes he wore were all crocheted by his mother. Yu Bai, who had spent years recuperating at home, had also learned the craft of crocheting shoes from her. As long as he had thread and a bone needle, crocheting wasn't difficult.

Yu Bai's hemp thread, twisted from the boiled bark of hemp vines, was finer and more durable than that made by the orcs. During the day, he basked in the sun in the courtyard, using bone needles to stitch cloth shoes. By sunset, he had finished a pair of large-sized hemp shoes.

The finished product felt quite soft, somewhat resembling the old-fashioned cloth shoes of modern times.

Huo Duo'er returned with his prey, and before he even entered the door, the little wolf, catching the scent of blood, became excited and began howling and circling the entrance.

Yu Bai hurried to open the door. Huo Duo'er had a bountiful haul today, carrying several pheasants in his right hand and a black sheep slung over his left shoulder.

The black sheep had injured its leg during the chase and couldn't walk, so Huo Duo'er didn't kill it immediately but carried it back instead.

Noticing the little wolf drooling, Huo Duo'er feared it might kill the pheasants and the black sheep. His expression turned cold, and his beastly eyes flashed with a fierce light: "Get back."

The little wolf tucked its tail between its legs and whimpered, scurrying to crouch under the eaves.

The first two times the little wolf disobeyed, it was starved for a day. Later, when it tried to sneak out to hunt, its neck was suddenly caught by vines that sprang from the ground, and it was hung under the eaves, exposed to the cold wind for most of the night.

Yu Bai was prone to being soft-hearted, but Huo Duo'er was different; he had plenty of methods to discipline the disobedient wolf cub.

After three strikes, the little wolf, having learned its lesson, dared not defy Huo Duo'er's commands. It swallowed its saliva desperately until it finally got to eat meat at night, instantly becoming docile.

Since picking up the little wolf, Yu Bai had never starved it, so logically, it shouldn't be so eager to prey on the fowl in the courtyard.

Huo Duo'er said, "It's innate wildness. If it doesn't obey, just hang it up and starve it a few more times."

Yu Bai was right; even if the wolf cub wasn't hungry, its instincts drove it to playfully bite the livestock, even if it didn't intend to eat them.

Huo Duo'er gave a stern glance to the corner where the little wolf was gnawing on meat. The wolf tucked its tail and whimpered, signaling that it hadn't done anything wrong.

Yu Bai suppressed a smile, picked up the hemp shoes he had stitched during the day from the bed, and asked Huo Duo'er to try them on.

"Bai, these are..."

Huo Duo'er stared at the hemp shoes Yu Bai was wearing, then looked at the pair in his hand, which were noticeably larger. "For me?"

Yu Bai: "Yes!"

"Straw sandals scratch your feet; cloth shoes are more comfortable. If these fit, I'll make a couple more pairs for you."

Huo Duo'er immediately changed into the cloth shoes, feeling a bit of novelty. Unlike straw sandals, they were soft, and the insoles didn't hurt his feet.

Yu Bai asked with a smile, "How are they?"

Huo Duo'er: "Bai... these are good."

Yu Bai: "I plan to make more cloth shoes when I have time and see if I can trade them for other things at the summer fair."

Besides cloth shoes, he also intended to make some hemp short-sleeved shirts and shorts.

The orcs in the tribe found the fur robes he wore unique and attractive. Even though they had the technology to make hemp cloth, they couldn't produce finished products. Scarcity made things valuable, and the orcs were fascinated by everything Yu Bai wore, from his hat and fur robe to his boots.

After explaining his ideas to Huo Duo'er, Yu Bai noticed it was getting late and urged him to rest early.

Huo Duo'er agreed and added, "I won't hunt tomorrow. I'll go into the mountains to cut some wood and make the table and chairs we talked about last time."

Yu Bai: "Take me with you."

He sat in the corner, wiping himself with hot water, then downed the prepared medicinal soup in one gulp. While Huo Duo'er went to the bathhouse to wash, Yu Bai slipped into the fur bedding, wrapping himself tightly.

He felt a bit anxious, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep.

Not long after, Huo Duo'er finished washing and entered the room, wearing only a pair of hemp shorts. His chest radiated warmth as he lay down.

The orc had one arm wrapped around Yu Bai's waist, and after a long while, he called out in a deep, low voice, "Bai."

Yu Bai didn't respond. His eyelashes were gently lowered, already fast asleep.

Huo Duo'er's palm tightened, pressing his mate against his chest. His nose brushed against the skin, sniffing, while his large hand slipped under the blanket, slowly peeling it away.

Just as he was about to push up the animal robe, he was suddenly stopped by a pair of soft, small hands.

"You... you shouldn't do this..."

Yu Bai wasn't asleep; he had been waiting for this moment.

A few days ago, he had noticed that his chest hurt when he woke up, especially...

It was actually slightly swollen and erect.

Even though he was slow to catch on, he had guessed that Huo Duo'er had been doing something to him while he slept.

Yu Bai pressed down on the animal robe that had been pushed up, trying to pull it back over himself, but he didn't have the strength.

Reluctantly, he kicked out with his leg.

Yu Bai had never experienced anything like this before. Who would ever suck on that part of him while he was asleep?

He struggled, "Don't... don't..."

Huo Duo'er had stopped doing it for a few days after he noticed the swelling last time.

Now, after half a month, his mate was squirming and twisting, his face was flushed.

Huo Duo'er let out a low growl, his Adam's apple bobbing as he opened his mouth.

His rough, warm tongue touched a patch of delicate skin, aiming for the spot he had marked last time.

It wasn't a bite, but a lick—an orc's instinctive licking.

And he didn't dare to be too rough, afraid that it would tremble again soon or become swollen.

Yu Bai wanted to cover himself up, but he also wanted to push Huo Duo'er away.

But he only had two hands, and his strength wasn't enough. He couldn't push the other away, and in his struggle, he inadvertently leaned forward.

It was like offering the tenderest fruit to a beast's mouth, unable to do anything about it.

Yu Bai flailed like a fish on a chopping board, the tenderest part of him exposed, and he let out a whimper.

Huo Duo'er licked his lips and said hoarsely, "Bai, I won't hurt you."

Yu Bai slapped the orc's wet mouth, "Stop, it's really too lewd..."

Huo Duo'er didn't understand, but he patted his mate in his arms, trying to comfort him. 

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