Burying One's Head in the Sand

That night, the little orc was already asleep on his mattress.

After tucking him in, Jian Mo went to her own mattress and lay down wearily.

Wu Jiong said to him, "You've worked hard."

Jian Mo: "It's alright, you've worked hard too. We'll probably need to observe for another two days before we can send the little one back."

He didn't know if Wu Jiong, a beastman who didn't like to talk much, would find the talkative child annoying, and he felt a little apologetic.

Wu Jiong: "It's alright, the important thing is for the little one to get better."

Jian Mo was exhausted and didn't fully recover the next day.

The little guy is different. After a day of rest, he's full of energy and can run out to play with the other kids in the tribe.

The tribe's children were very friendly and didn't mind taking this unfamiliar child along.

Jian Mo watched them playing together and told the little ones to be careful of their wounds and not to run, jump, or do anything too strenuous. She also asked the older children to keep an eye on them.

The little ones all agreed.

When the little guy's two fathers came over during the day and saw that the little beastman had regained his energy, they were relieved.

Jian Mo noticed that they had to walk a long way to come every day, so she told them that the little guy's condition had stabilized a bit, and they could come every other day.

There are basically no problems now, but changing the dressing is a bit troublesome, so we'll have to stay here for a couple more days.

The two fathers gratefully agreed.

Given Jian Mo and Wu Jiong's situation, taking care of another little one at home wouldn't be a difficult task.

But that day, the kitten Banjiu ran over, its eyes wide, and complained, "Jian Mo, brother, they're fighting, meow!"

Jian Mo was startled. "Who's fighting with whom?"

The kitten is just learning to talk and doesn't speak very well yet. When it gets anxious, it starts meowing. "Meow, Tai Yan and the others, and Jiujiu, meow."

Jian Mo realized. "Flying-Winged Beast?"

The kitten nodded its head rapidly.

Jian Mo was really worried. The Flying-Winged Beast were so big; if they fought the little guys, the little guys would most likely get hurt.

He bent down and picked up the kitten. "Let's go see!"

Kitten: "Okay, meow."

Jian Mo went out to check behind the house and, thankfully, the little ones hadn't actually fought with the Flying-Winged Beast.

Ban Ming was standing there, so a fight didn't break out.

Jian Mo felt a sense of relief. "What happened?"

Ban Ming said in a loud voice, "The little ones were playing nearby, Jiujiu got disturbed, so she scolded them. When the little ones got scolded, they scolded back, and then they started arguing."

Jian Mo looked at the Flying-Winged Beast.

The Flying-Winged Beast probably realized it had caused trouble. It squatted on the ground, its head drooping, covering its head with its paws, looking down with the whites of its eyes showing. It didn't dare to meet Jian Mo's gaze.

Jian Mo looked at the little ones again, and they all turned their eyes away, not daring to look at him.

Jian Mo annoyed and amused. What kind of situation was this?

Jiang Xing whispered a complaint, "Jiujiu is so fierce! It was fierce to us first, and we couldn't help but argue."

He Feng: "Exactly! Jiujiu even scared Banjiu and Tai Yan so much they were all pricked up."

The kitten, being held in Jian Mo's arms, meowed.

Ban Ming laughed, "Jiujiu chirps are quite territorial; if a sparrow lands nearby, it'll try to chase it away. It's no wonder the little guys are so noisy."

Jiang Xing, unconvinced, wrinkled her nose and shouted, "Brother Ban Ming, whose side are you on?!"

Ban Ming: "I'll stand on whichever side is right."

The little ones all glared angrily at Ban Ming, even the kitten Banjiu in Jian Mo's arms stared at him. "Meow!"

Jiang Xing: "It's inconvenient to go anywhere else in Tai Yan, so we played nearby. It's just that Jiujiu is too bossy. Jiujiu is only well-behaved when she's with Jian Mo, but she's very fierce towards us!"

The Flying-Winged Beast, its head drooping, whimpered.

The little creatures and the Flying-Winged Beast looked at Jian Mo, waiting for him to uphold justice.

Looking into those large, clear black and white eyes, Jian Mo felt a headache for the first time.

The Flying-Winged Beast had done a great job, and the little guys had helped out a lot; they were all quite well-behaved around him.

Jian Mo looked this way and then that, realizing that getting water might be a bit difficult this time. After a pause, Jian Mo, "I was just milking the cows and I'm making popsicles. Would you like some?"

The little creatures and the Flying-Winged Beast all widened their eyes, their attention instantly diverted.

Ban Ming, completely oblivious to his adult status, eagerly asked first, "Eat! What's an ice pop?"

Chapter 24 Covering one's ears while stealing a bell

Hearing Ban Ming's words, Jian Mo sighed helplessly, "You don't even know what an ice pop is, yet you talk about eating it?"

Ban Ming said matter-of-factly, "I don't know, but nothing you make is bad. Tell me, what's a popsicle? A frozen stick?"

"No." Jian Mo thought for a moment, but couldn't think of a way to explain, so she simply said, "You'll know once I make it, but it's not ready to eat now; it won't be until evening."

Ban Ming didn't mind at all. "As long as the food is good, we can wait."

A group of kids and fluffy balls chimed in at his feet, "We can wait!"

When they offered to help, Jian Mo didn't stand on ceremony and directly instructed them to break off some non-poisonous wooden sticks, peel off the bark, and wash them clean.

He went back to his house, boiled the milk from the Pack-Pack Beast that he had stored for the past two days, then boiled the Wood-Stabilizing Root. After boiling the Wood-Stabilizing Root thoroughly, he cut it into small pieces, added the Pack-Pack Beast milk and jam, and mashed it into a paste.

There was a wooden water bottle at home, Jian Mo found it, washed it clean, coated the inside with animal fat, filled it with fruit puree, and then inserted a wooden stick.

Jian Mo looked at the wooden tube beside her. "We're out of tubes. Does anyone have any extras? Can we borrow some?"

He Feng immediately raised her hand. "Jian Mo, I have so many at home, I'll go get them right now."

A group of children followed him, running off to get the wooden tube.

Jian Mo counted the number of children and made a few extra tubes.