Chapter 42: The Feeling of Home

Listening to Mya, Mu Qing’s expression improved considerably, though her lingering anger had not entirely dissipated.

With a cold face, she remarked, "If only she were as sensible as you, she wouldn't always make me so angry. She doesn't have half your goodness—just looking at her makes my blood boil."

Mya felt a surge of smug triumph inside. *Of course,* she thought to herself, *how could that ugly monster ever compare to me? If she weren't the leader's daughter, nobody would spare her a second glance.*

Despite her deep disdain, she kept her expression neutral and instead consoled, "Amu, please don't be angry; it's bad for your health to get so worked up. Little sister has become much more diligent lately. Not only has she awakened her ability, but she can also cook delicious food. I heard the braised pig intestines she made today smelled so incredible that the entire tribe could catch the scent. Who knows, she might even send some over for you later. When she does, make sure you don't put on a sour face, lest you upset her all over again."

She said this deliberately to test whether Su Xiyue would actually send food to Mu Qing.

Mu Qing’s expression turned even more unsightly. She had just been caught sneaking food and had a bitter argument with her; how could that unfilial daughter possibly send her anything?

Yet, unwilling to lose face in front of Mya, she merely replied vaguely, "Hmph, I know."

Mya’s eyes flickered, and she seized the opportunity to ask, "Then, Amu, if little sister sends delicious food over later, could you share a little with me? I'd love to have a taste."

She swallowed hard, wearing a covetous expression.

She truly was tempted—the aroma had been drifting through the air all afternoon, making her mouth water uncontrollably.

Seeing Mya's look, Mu Qing hadn't the heart to refuse, and so she braced herself and agreed, "Alright, when she sends it over, Amu will give you half."

In her heart, however, she couldn't help muttering doubts: *Would Su Xiyue really send food to her? Why did it all feel so impossible?*

After chatting a little longer, the two parted ways, completely unaware that a white wolf was lurking in the shadows, eavesdropping on their conversation.

It was none other than Wolf One, sent by Su Lie to investigate.

Wolf One’s gaze flickered as if pondering something, and he quickly vanished into the distance.

***

Meanwhile, back in her cave, Su Xiyue unpacked the animal skins from her bamboo basket and began organizing them.

These furs were of top-tier quality—soft, comfortable, and warm, making them perfect for clothing or blankets.

Moreover, they had already been processed and preserved properly, ready for immediate use.

Delighted, she decided to select a few suitable pieces of fur and piece them together using fish-gut thread to make a blanket, ensuring she wouldn't be cold at night.

She also planned to make herself a couple of proper fur outfits.

After her weight loss, her waist felt loose, and her old fur skirt no longer fit well, so making new ones was a necessity.

While the fur skirt could wait a bit, the blanket had to be finished as soon as possible so she could use it that very night.

Su Xiyue was a woman of action; once she had an idea, she set to work immediately.

Since the cave lacked bone needles and fish-gut thread, she went to borrow some from Yunxiang.

Fortunately, Yunxiang didn't refuse, readily handing over a bone needle and fish-gut thread, and eagerly asked her about the method for cleaning and preparing the pig intestines.

Not holding back, Su Xiyue explained the preparation method and cooking steps to Yunxiang, telling her to try it out herself and come back with any questions if she got stuck.

With the bone needle and thread in hand, she returned to her cave and immediately set to work on the blanket.

She selected a few soft, comfortable furs with closely matching colors and similar thicknesses.

Then, using the bone needle and fish-gut thread, she began joining them together.

Once pieced together, she applied the finest, tightest stitches to sew the two layers of animal skin firmly.

She intended to make a double-sided blanket, fluffy on both sides and exceptionally comfortable to the touch.

The furs were already quite thick by nature, and layering them made them even thicker, requiring considerable strength to force the bone needle and fish-gut thread through.

Luckily, Su Xiyue wasn't in a rush, so she patiently stitched it together, one careful needle-length at a time.

The blanket didn't need to be massive—one and a half by two meters was plenty.

She planned to make two: one to sleep on as a mattress, and one to cover herself with.

The sleeping pad wouldn't need to be double-sided, though; a single layer would suffice.

Even so, it still required a large quantity of animal skins.

Fortunately, she had brought back quite a haul from Su Lie earlier that day, otherwise, she might have run short.

Sitting on her stone bed, she worked patiently on the blanket, occasionally walking over to the cave entrance to toss another piece of wood into the stove so the fire wouldn't die out unattended, before returning to her sewing.

Since the blanket didn't require ultra-fine stitching, the work progressed quickly.

By the time she finished, dusk had already fallen outside.

Su Xiyue set the completed blanket aside, intending to spread it over the stone bed later, and walked over to the cave entrance to check on the bone and mushroom soup simmering in the stone pot.

Finding the heat just right, the bone soup had turned a milky white and emitted a rich, savory aroma, blending perfectly with the earthy fragrance of the mushrooms. It smelled heavenly and deeply appetizing.

She dipped a wooden spoon in to taste it; the broth was delicious, with a moderate and well-balanced saltiness.

Satisfied, she lowered the heat to let the soup simmer slowly.

Not long after, Mo Lin and the others returned.

They brought back four sturdy wooden pillars of roughly equal height and thickness, with flat, smoothly polished surfaces.

The natural grain of the wood was preserved, giving them a rugged yet organic look.

They also carried a massive stone slab.

It too had been polished smooth and square, with shallow rectangular grooves carved into the four corners of the underside.

At a glance, Su Xiyue knew it was a tabletop, and the four matching wooden pillars were undoubtedly the legs.

Once assembled, it would be ready for use.

Though it might not be entirely rock-solid, as long as it wasn't shoved too violently, it would easily hold a few simple items.

In addition, they brought four wooden stools carved directly out of blocks, with hollowed-out bottoms forming four legs and a low backrest carved into the seat.

Though simple in design, they were polished impeccably smooth and looked surprisingly proper.

In a beast world devoid of modern tools, relying entirely on claws, crafting such items was a remarkable feat.

The three males had also brought back a piece of prey—a reindeer bearing no external wounds, save for a faint rope mark around its neck.

A single glance told her it was Mo Lin’s handiwork.

Setting his burdens down, Mo Lin dragged the reindeer toward the river to process it.

Xuanming and Qinzhu were not idle either.

They fitted the four wooden pillars into the corner grooves of the stone slab and set it level in the center of the cave, instantly forming a makeshift table.

They placed the four stools in their respective positions around it.

In an instant, the cave gained a touch of domestic warmth, shedding much of its primitive bleakness.

Joy welled up inside Su Xiyue. This was the first time since coming to this world that she truly felt a sense of "home."

Glancing at Qinzhu and Xuanming, she smiled and said, "Not bad craftsmanship at all. I honestly thought you two would drag back some monstrous four-legged abomination."

Qinzhu let out a light hoot, his brows curling with faint disdain. "A monstrous abomination? Did you think we were as clumsy as you? Such simple things—if we couldn't even make them right, we'd be a laughingstock."

Xuanming walked off to the side in silence, acting as though he hadn't heard Su Xiyue’s praise at all.

To him, such empty compliments were utterly worthless.

He preferred proving his capability through concrete action rather than basking in verbal accolades.

Seeing Qinzhu's disdainful expression, Su Xiyue curled her lip. This sharp-tongued man truly never missed an opportunity to trade jabs with her.

Unfazed, she smiled and teased, "Well, Qinzhu, since you're so terribly capable, next time I'll have you build something much more complex and see if you can handle it."

Qinzhu snorted coldly and turned his head away, offering no further response.

Did she really think he didn't know what plot was brewing in that fat woman's head?

Making these few pieces of furniture today had worn his claws down considerably, and his heart ached just thinking about it.

He only hoped it wouldn't affect his hunting tomorrow.

If it weren't for the delicious food Su Xiyue cooked, he wouldn't have bothered with such nonsense in a million years.