| GB | Winter | 61
The days in this otherworldly place began to grow shorter and the nights longer. Outside the wooden walls, the wind howled like a mournful cry. Yu Bai, clutching a animal-fur blanket, listened for a while. The sky was still pitch black.
His internal clock told him that it was already past his usual waking time.
The air was cold and dark, and the orcs, following the rhythm of the changing seasons, were mostly still asleep.
The door creaked open, and Huo Duo'er entered with a basin of warm water. Seeing Yu Bai sitting dazedly on the edge of the bed, he placed the water on the wooden square table beside him.
Yu Bai had just shifted his body but immediately stopped.
His face, flushed with a rosy hue, stiffened slightly. He raised his damp eyes and glared at Huo Duo'er.
To Huo Duo'er, this look held no threat; he only wanted to kiss his orc partner's tear-filled eyes.
Yu Bai cleared his throat and turned his face away. "Hurry up and take it out for me."
Huo Duo'er's gaze darkened. "Mm," he responded.
Once the stone was removed, Yu Bai quickly fastened his belt and kicked Huo Duo'er's shoulder, stammering, "We should just throw this thing away..."
Huo Duo'er touched his belly, having just checked it. There were no signs of injury or swelling.
"Bai, this way you won't get hurt," Huo Duo'er said.
Yu Bai hesitated, "But..."
Although he also wanted to become Huo Duo'er's mate sooner, this method was just too embarrassing.
Seeing his evasive eyes and his ears turning bright red, Huo Duo'er cupped his small face and gazed at him intently.
"Bai is good."
Yu Bai swallowed the rest of his words.
Everything Huo Duo'er did for him, including when they communicated, was done with utmost seriousness, without a hint of mockery.
Seeing this, Yu Bai's awkward and bashful feelings gradually subsided. He wrapped his arms around Huo Duo'er's neck and remained silent.
It wasn't until the water was almost cold that they finally used it to wash up.
Perhaps the stone really had some miraculous effect, as Yu Bai didn't feel any discomfort in his body.
Two months passed, and Yu Bai continued to sleep with the stone every few days.
—
The cold wind howled, and winter had arrived. The orcs rarely ventured outside, and the tribe was eerily quiet.
Every five days, Yu Bai would go to the place where lessons were taught to instruct the orcs. After dozens of days of screening, the number of orcs attending the classes was no longer as overwhelming as it had been at the beginning.
Most orcs lacked the talent for learning, so Yu Bai selected a few who showed promise and had them teach the remaining orcs who were still interested.
This greatly reduced his workload, as he no longer had to come and teach every day.
For example, Mian, a black sheep female orc, was quite skilled in nursing and caring for the injured.
Yu Bai taught her to recognize medicinal herbs and handle common emergencies or external injuries. Mian studied diligently. To gain more experience, she handed her orc cubs over to her partner during the day and often carried herbs and linen to help injured orcs both inside and outside the tribe.
As for A’Xin, a hunting horse orc, he was very adept at raising livestock.
A’Xin had tamed several more horses this year.
His leg had been injured, leaving him with a limp, making it difficult for him to carry heavy loads or hunt.
He had once thought he would become useless, but Yu Bai's words had awakened him, leading him to figure out a way to domesticate and raise horses.
Now, A’Xin could use the well-trained horses to transport heavy loads, helping other orcs move things. In exchange, he received food or other necessities, which in a way compensated for his injured leg.
A’Xin not only raised horses but also followed Yu Bai's example in raising wild fowl. With some experience under his belt, it wasn't as difficult as before.
Thus, Yu Bai tasked him with teaching the tribe's orcs how to raise livestock.
A’Li family had impressive pottery skills, especially his mother, A’m.
Through continuous learning and improvement, A’m pottery was not only complete but also aesthetically pleasing, even more refined than what Yu Bai produced.
Therefore, Yu Bai asked A’Li’s family to teach the orcs in the tribe how to make pottery whenever they had the time.
Huo Duo’er was now the leader of the orc warriors, while the former leader A’Sen mate, Jiao, had a great talent for weaving and clothing.
Jiao could not only weave fine linen but also create more exquisite garments.
Yu Bai had once sketched several clothing designs for her, such as long-sleeved shirts, long pants, leather boots, and hats.
If he were to sew these garments himself, he would need to ponder carefully, spending considerable effort and time, but Jiao was more diligent and clever than he was, already able to figure out the basics.
Since winter began, the fluffy scarf around Yu Bai's neck was a gift from Jiao after she finished making it.
Jiao not only produced simple garments but also, on sunny days, went out with the orcs in the tribe who were interested in fabric-making to search for more plants that could be turned into textiles.
This responsibility was entrusted to Jiao.
In addition, there were older orcs like Mu in the tribe who had considerable talent in craftsmanship. After being inspired by Yu Bai, they attempted to make furniture, gradually replacing stone tools with wooden ones.
Although Yu Bai was still young and did not possess all-encompassing skills, he often could only guide the orcs, telling them the general structure and style, leaving the rest for the orcs to figure out, learn, and improve on their own.
Besides the daily necessities, the Heiyao orcs belonging to the Yuan tribe possessed a unique skill.
They were adept at discovering and mining stones. According to Ze, aside from the jade-like stone given to Huo Duo'er, they had also unearthed several types of stones that the major tribes had never seen before.
Yu Bai thought they resembled ores, but he was unclear about how to use them specifically.
He asked Ze if they had ever mined ores similar to iron or copper.
Ze looked at the petite sub-female orc with a puzzled expression.
"Iron, copper? What are those?"
Yu Bai fell silent, trying to describe the characteristics of iron and copper ores as best as he could.
Ze shook his head, "I've never seen them."
He enjoyed collecting beautiful stones, but since Yu Bai had mentioned it, Ze made a mental note and relayed the information to the orcs from the original Heiyao tribe, instructing them to bring back any similar stones they found.
The inheritance of the Orc God was no longer a secret in the Yuan tribe.
Although the orcs did not venture outside this winter, they were not as lazy as in previous years; instead, they studied indoors.
The chief was initially a bit apprehensive, but after following Yu Bai's advice and seeing the tribe improve, he abandoned the idea of prohibiting learning the inheritance and instead began to consider ways to strengthen the tribe.
Merely researching and making daily tools was not enough; for a tribe to continue developing, it needed not only civilization but also the ability to defend itself.
This year, the Yuan tribe fortified their stone walls, and the chief instructed the orcs skilled in thatching and archery to craft more weapons.
As soon as this order was given, Huo Duo'er approached the chief.
"Not only should every warrior be equipped with thatch and bows, but the female and sub-female orcs also need them."
The chief was puzzled, "What would they need them for?"
Female and sub-female orcs were not as capable in combat as the male orcs.
Huo Duo'er replied, "The sub-female and female orcs do not train regularly, and most of them stay in the tribe to do chores, so they lack combat experience."
The chief nodded. If that was the case, wouldn't giving them weapons be a waste?
After all, forging weapons was no simple task. It was already impressive that they could equip every warrior with one.
Huo Duo'er said, "If we let them join the training and teach them combat skills, over time, they might not match the physical strength of the male orcs, but how would they compare to other orc tribes?"
The chief's spirits lifted.
If the female and sub-female orcs in the tribe possessed combat skills, wouldn't that give the tribe an additional edge over others?
Huo Duo'er added, "And that's not all."
These orcs, having gained combat experience, would also be capable of defending the tribe when they stayed behind. This way, the tribe could allocate more orcs to various tasks like hunting, construction, and crafting.
Huo Duo'er had come to this realization through his interactions with Yu Bai.
Initially, he had seen Yu Bai as a weak sub-female orc in need of protection. In his original mindset, female and sub-females orcs were incapable, like delicate flowers that couldn't withstand the storm and needed the protection of male orcs.
But over the past year, everything Yu Bai had done for the tribe made him realize he was wrong.
Even a seemingly weak sub-female orc possessed abilities that many orcs, including himself, couldn't match.
Each orc excelled in different areas. They shouldn't be dismissed or labeled as weak just because they weren't skilled in combat.
Most importantly, by allowing each orc to leverage their strengths and work together towards a common goal, the tribe could become stronger and ensure the legacy of the orc race.
The chief remained silent, not because he wanted to argue, but because he agreed with Huo Duo'er's words.
Huo Duo'er now gazed out the window.
Light, pure snowflakes began to fall. It was snowing.
—
After concluding his discussion with the chief, Huo Duo'er walked to the central hut in the tribe to pick up Yu Bai after his class.
Having finished his lesson, Yu Bai, bundled up in layers, clumsily shuffled his feet. As he opened the door, he saw the orc waiting for him.
A fluffy scarf covered most of his face, but his delicate eyebrows curved slightly, carrying a hint of reproach. "It's snowing? Why didn't you come inside to wait for me?"
The hut had a fire pit, making it much warmer than outside.
Huo Duo'er bent down and spread his arms, scooping up his mate under the gaze of a dozen pairs of eyes filled with both reverence and envy.
Yu Bai, tired from teaching most of the day, leaned against the orc's broad chest and closed his eyes to rest.
As they neared their small courtyard, the snow began to fall more heavily. Yu Bai looked at the snowflakes swirling in the air and reached out, brushing the snow off Huo Duo'er's nose.
Huo Duo'er silently watched him, then gently rubbed his slightly stubbled chin against Yu Bai's forehead.
Yu Bai chuckled softly and mischievously used his slightly cold fingertips to tickle Huo Duo'er's neck.
Huo Duo'er simply tucked his hand inside his own clothes, pressing it against his firm chest.
Yu Bai blushed and immediately behaved.
Though Huo Duo'er didn't speak much, his skin was much thicker than his own.
—
Back inside, Huo Duo'er went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Yu Bai headed to the cellar.
A little wolf pup rolled on the ground, batting at the falling snowflakes with its paws, howling excitedly.
In the cellar, Yu Bai held a jar and sniffed it lightly, his face lighting up with joy.
Late this autumn, he had discovered a type of fruit. The fruit was about the size of a thumb, with a sweet and sour taste. Its skin was thin and easy to peel, somewhat resembling grapes.
With a tentative thought, he washed and processed these fruits, then placed them in jars to ferment. The aroma from the fermentation now smelled quite pleasant.
Unfortunately, the orcs of the feather tribe hadn't cultivated much rice yet. The orcs in the tribe could barely manage one meal a day. Once the millet yield increased in the future, they could try brewing rice wine.
During dinner, Yu Bai mentioned his plan to brew wine to Huo Duo'er. He felt awkward throughout the meal and drank a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold after eating.
Outside the beast-skin curtain, snowflakes continued to fall. Yu Bai's cheeks, which had been warm, gradually cooled as the cold wind seeped through the gaps.
It wasn't until Huo Duo'er finished bathing and entered the room that the heat Yu Bai had finally managed to suppress rose again to his cheeks.
Today marked the fourth day.
Every four days, he would use the stone once.
Yu Bai didn't reject it, but his soft nature made him easily shy.
If he wanted to become a true mate’s with Huo Duo'er, he would have to adapt to this step eventually.
He reached into the wooden box and pulled out the warm stone, placing it into the large hand resting at his waist.
Yu Bai actively spread his legs and straddled Huo Duo’er, burying his flushed face against the orc's chest.
He slowly exhaled, then opened his mouth and bit into the firm, elastic muscle.
"Put it in..."
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