| GB | Huo Duo'er's Worry | 96
The day brought a significant drop in temperature, and Yu Bai returned early from the mountains.
He was bundled up thickly, carrying a medicine basket. As he entered the house, he got stuck in the doorway, clearly taken aback.
Huo Duo'er was cooking in the kitchen, and upon seeing this, a faint smile appeared on his usually calm and heavy face. He walked to the door and took the medicine basket off Yu Bai's back.
Yu Bai smiled back, his reaction a bit slow.
"You're back so early today?" As he spoke, a puff of white mist escaped his lips—it was really cold.
He rubbed his hands, his knuckles red from the cold.
Huo Duo'er was still wearing only a fur robe, but his palms were warm.
He took Yu Bai's wrist with his broad hand, carrying the medicine basket with the other, and led him inside.
"There's hot water in the pot. Use some to wash your hands."
Yu Bai hummed in response, picked up a gourd ladle, scooped some hot water, added half a ladle of cold water, and washed his face and hands with the warm water.
Huo Duo'er brought the cooked meal into the room, letting Yu Bai eat first while he stayed in the yard to sort the herbs in the basket.
In the corner stood three wooden racks for drying herbs.
Next to them, a plot of land had been cleared for planting. Now, a few wild melons had been added. Since most leafy vegetables had withered in this season, no other leafy greens were planted.
Yu Bai sipped some hot soup, peeled a boiled wild yam, ate half of it, and continued to sip the soup.
He held the bowl, staring at the floating steam, lost in thought.
After a while, Yu Bai walked to the door, "Stop working, come and eat. It won't taste good if it gets cold."
Huo Duo'er stored the herbs in a compartment, washed his hands with cold water, and stood in front of the stove to warm himself by the fire, dispelling the chill from his body before finally entering the house.
Yu Bai pointed to the bowl and chopsticks: "It's all for you, hurry up and finish it."
Five palm-sized wild potatoes had been cooked, and four and a half remained.
Huo Duo'er frowned, his heart sinking.
The rice they had brought with them during their southward migration was almost completely gone. Yu Bai was accustomed to millet as his staple food, and it would be difficult for him to adjust to eating something else again.
Huo Duo'er peeled the wild potatoes and ate them clean, then drank the remaining soup in large gulps.
After a while, he went outside to wash some fruits, cut them up, and placed them in a ceramic bowl, which he then brought to Yu Bai.
"Bai, would you like some fruits?"
Yu Bai picked up a piece, biting into the sweet and juicy flesh.
This was one of the advantages of the south—winters without snow, and occasionally, they could even find fresh fruits in the mountains.
Back in the northern continent, the fruits they had gathered in the autumn were either dried or made into jam to preserve them as long as possible.
While Yu Bai was eating the fruits, Huo Duo'er stepped out of the house.
The cold air was everywhere, and the sky was overcast.
He found the patrolling eagle and said, "Send two or three male orcs out to see if they can find any traces of the feather tribe."
He wasn't sure if the feather tribe had moved south, but if they could encounter them, they might be able to trade for millet.
Jiu Fe nodded, fully understanding why Huo Duo'er had made such a request.
A few days ago, Huo Duo'er had traded meat with the orcs for coarse rice, but they hadn't been able to get much.
They had left the Yuan tribe over four months ago, and the rice they had brought with them was long gone.
After the eagle walked away, Huo Duo'er found Man and instructed him to keep an eye on the movements of the Huangyuan tribe, adding, "Find out what the Huangyuan orcs usually eat as their staple food."
Man: "Huh?"
Huo Duo'er: "We're out of rice. Bai isn't used to eating other things."
Man immediately understood and patted his chest: "Leave it to me."
—
Meanwhile, while Huo Duo'er was away, Yu Bai quietly slipped out of the yard.
Before he could get far, he noticed the little wolf following at his heels. He gently pushed it and whispered, "Go back inside. I'll be back soon."
Jinjin, aloof, leaped onto the wall. Yu Bai waved at it: "Both of you, go inside."
The little wolf wagged its fluffy tail but continued to follow.
He smiled helplessly: "Fine, come along then, but don't make any noise, or Huo Duo'er will hear."
With both the little wolf and Jinjin following, Yu Bai, dressed in thick fur clothing, hurried to the shed and squeezed in through the door.
The Da He and Xiao He sisters were warming themselves by the fire, they were startled and quickly stood up when they saw him.
"Priest Bai, do you have any instructions for us?"
The two female orcs who had taken a few steps froze in place, fearfully eyeing the large yak wolf crouching at Yu Bai's feet, not daring to approach.
Both Da He and Xiao He thought to themselves: Priest Bai is truly amazing, even such a large and majestic yak wolf obeys him!
Yu Bai: "There's something I want to ask you."
He continued: "When you were working in the Huangyuan tribe, what kind of staple food did the orcs eat? Was there any white, grain-shaped rice? Besides that, did they eat salt? Or salted beans, anything with a salty taste."
The tribe was out of rice, and Huo Duo'er had been working hard every day. He couldn't go without salt.
Moreover, Yu Bai had a typical southern palate, and his preference for rice was ingrained in him.
The past few months had been tough, and it would be even better if Huo Duo'er could have a few hot meals every day.
After much deliberation, Yu Bai considered that the Huangyuan Tribe had been entrenched in the nearby area and had plundered many resources, so they might have consumed these things.
Da He and Xiao He had escaped from Huangyuan and might have seen them.
The two sisters indeed nodded, but their expressions showed a hint of hesitation.
"Priest Bai, I've seen the leader of Huangyuan eat the granular things you mentioned, as well as the salty stones, but we don't know where they got them from..."
Da He and Xiao He had been enslaved in the Huangyuan Tribe for a long time. Occasionally, they were let out to gather resources, but there were always orcs accompanying them, not allowing them to stray even half a step.
If it weren't for the fact that they had fallen into the water and drifted here this time, they would have had no chance to escape that prison.
Having gathered this information, Yu Bai fell into deep thought.
It seemed that they still had to deal with the Huangyuan Tribe, whether it be through friendly exchanges or...
Before he could sort out his thoughts, the square became noisy, and from afar, he could hear the sound of curses.
Yu Bai walked out of the shed and saw a group of orcs tied up and thrown in the middle of the square. Some looked timid and emaciated, while others were full of defiance.
The defiant male orc was about to curse when his face was twisted, and he was suppressed by Man, who ground the male orc's face into the ground.
"Go ahead, dare to curse at our priest, disturb them, and I'll cripple one of your arms."
The giant's foot repeatedly stomped on the orc's face, causing him to wail.
Yu Bai was surprised: "Who are these people?"
Huo Duo'er, who had received the news, came over from nearby. Seeing the group of tied-up orcs and the male orc whose face was being deformed by Man, he frowned and stood in front of Yu Bai.
With a cold glance, he signaled Man not to create such a cruel and bloody scene in front of Yu Bai.
Man slightly restrained himself: "Big Huo, Bai, these are the orcs who ambushed us in the hunting grounds today, from Huangyuan."
Da He and Xiao He followed to the square and, seeing over a dozen tied-up male orcs, covered their mouths in shock.
"A’Lie, Da’mu!"
The called orcs looked up and, catching sight of Da He and Xiao He not far away, their numb expressions changed slightly.
"Da He, Xiao He... you're not dead?"
Yu Bai forcefully pushed Huo Duo'er aside, his eyes wide: "I'm not afraid."
He added: "Those male orcs over there are probably slaves from Huangyuan tribe, Our tribe is short on manpower. See if I can persuade them to join us through Da He and Xiao He. More manpower will lighten the work."
Huo Duo'er: "I'll listen to Bai."
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