Chapter 30

Emily's face instantly flushed, and she sprang up from their crouched position as if propelled by a spring.

Male let out a hearty laugh, but worried she might accidentally fall into the river, he pulled her into his arms.

His broad chest radiated warmth, with his heart beating powerfully inside. The unique minty scent of the man wafted over, making Emily's face burn even hotter.

This primitive man!

When Moon teased him, he took it with grace, but when it came to her, why did he say such suggestive things?

Remember, you're supposed to be a primitive man! Is it really appropriate to flirt so casually?

Feeling both shy and annoyed, Emily pushed Male away.

"Feeling shy? We're partners. You'll have to get used to it eventually."

"Then let it be later!" Emily scooped up water from the river and splashed it onto Male, then quickly ran off, her face red. As Male was left drenched, Emily's bright, happy laughter rang out.

Male, not minding the water dripping from him, turned to remind her tenderly, "Be careful not to fall."

"I know! I'm going to look for something to eat and try to add to our dinner tonight, hehe."

With only one wooden basin, Male continued washing the wool, so Emily decided to take off her shoes and wade by the river, flipping stones to look for crabs.

The cool river water felt incredibly refreshing. Although the crabs were small and it wasn't really crab season, Emily caught them and then released them back into the water, still feeling very cheerful.

The tribe was currently working on clearing over ten acres of communal land, and every day the people of the Nuwa tribe were diligently expanding the cleared area.

Farm manure had already been prepared; it just needed time to ferment.

Although the seeds they had collected were not many in number, they had several varieties. Oh, and there were the shepherd's purse seeds they had gathered on their first trip up the mountain. If she remembered correctly, this wild vegetable was very hardy. They could scatter the seeds over the soil in the next few days, and in about a month, they would have fresh shepherd's purse to pick and eat!

Then there were the wild chickens, rabbits, and sheep. Although they had only been raising them for a few days, they seemed to have adapted to their new environment.

The most surprising news was that the sheep was pregnant! If they could help it deliver safely, they would have a steady supply of milk from the ewe for the next seven to ten months. Goat's milk was such a valuable resource!

Emily imagined Bananas' frail figure and thought, yes, they could give her some goat's milk to help strengthen her.

Although the food still didn't taste great, the variety was slowly increasing, and their stockpile was becoming more stable. When the harsh winter, which the Nuwa tribe dreaded, arrived, they would have much better provisions.

With the wool they now had, they could start making sweaters.

She had also received 100 cotton seeds as a daily task reward. Although it wasn't much, it was a good start. In the future, the Nuwa tribe's clothing wouldn't be limited to just animal hides!

And Moon had mentioned that deep in the mountains, there was a plant covered in fine hairs that caused redness, numbness, and itching upon contact. It sounded a lot like the "red hemp" that an elderly neighbor used to make handmade shoes with thick soles!

If that was the case, Emily was confident she could find other types of hemp in the surrounding area, with fibers fine enough to be spun into cloth.

This meant that the problem of clothing would slowly be resolved too.

Although these small improvements were still far behind and difficult compared to her life in China, everything in the Nuwa tribe was progressing in a positive direction.

This filled Emily with joy. From time to time, she would sneak up behind Male, pour water over him when he wasn't paying attention, and then run away laughing.

Male didn't even try to dodge her playful splashes. He continued to carefully wash the wool in the wooden basin, occasionally letting out hearty laughs. It was the first time he had seen his little companion so happy, like a mischievous child.

If they ever had a child, it would certainly be just as troublesome and playful.

But he liked the idea!

What Male didn't know was the real reason behind Emily's happiness. If he did, he probably wouldn't be so cheerful.

Emily, who had mysteriously ended up here with no way back, had been passively completing tasks and actively developing the Nuwa tribe under the system's guidance.

She subconsciously felt that the system's rewards were all tied to the development of the Nuwa tribe. So, if the tribe reached a certain stage of development, would that mean she had "cleared the level" and the system would send her back to China?

Her beloved parents and many friends were all in China! She missed them so much!

Everything happening in the Nuwa tribe felt like a dream to her.

But if she went back to China and couldn't return to the Nuwa tribe, and couldn't see Male, Moon, Banana, and the others again, then…

Emily shook her head, trying to ignore the pang of reluctance that arose in her heart. The idea of returning to China was just a guess—no one knew if it was true.

Besides, if she could go back to China, maybe the system could send her back to the Nuwa tribe again.

This primitive man, Male, though she hadn't known him long, had made quite an impression on her with his everyday actions. His looks, his responsibility, the way he occasionally hit her sweet spots, and even his moments of "pettiness" had all endeared him to her. He was a great husband candidate!

A wave of sweetness washed over her as she watched Male carefully pick the leaves out of the wool. Emily glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, then suddenly dashed over barefoot and hugged him from behind.

Male turned his head, surprised. His little companion was in a really good mood today, even hugging him voluntarily. It seemed this wool was truly something special.

When Emily saw Male turn to look at her, she instinctively leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Then, she froze for a second, realizing what she had just done. Seeing Male's smiling eyes, her face, which had just returned to normal, flushed bright red again.

She bit her lip, smiled, and ran off again. Male, feeling a bit disappointed, touched his lips and immediately decided that tonight, he was going to have a full discussion with his alluring little companion about having children.

While Emily and Male were playing around, Huang Ye, who had been watching from behind some bushes with a basket and a wooden basin in hand, finally managed to calm the jealousy and resentment in her heart. As Emily continued searching for crabs, Huang Ye slowly stepped out.

"Male, Madam, you're washing things here too?" Huang Ye smiled gracefully.

Male glanced at her indifferently and responded with a soft "mm."

Emily, however, was more enthusiastic. "Huang Ye, are you here to wash the herbs Granny Feng needs?"

Emily knew that Granny Feng had asked Huang Ye to dig up some herbs she had planted, which needed to be washed, cut, and dried.

"Yes."

"I'll help you wash them!"

Washing herbs was different from washing wool. Two people couldn't really work together on the wool, but herbs just needed to be cleaned leaf by leaf.

"No need, Madam. I can do it myself. You go ahead and play." Huang Ye's gaze softly swept over Male before landing on Emily.

"I'm not playing." Emily was about to explain that she was catching crabs but then realized that they were too small, so it really did look like she was just playing. Plus, it seemed like Huang Ye was trying to get on her nerves in front of Male today.

Emily burst out laughing. "Alright, you caught me. I was playing around, and you saw right through it."

Emily admitted she was just playing, and Huang Ye didn't say anything more. She moved to a nearby rock, squatted down, and began to take out the herbs from her basket. She cleaned the basket, then filled a large basin with water and washed each herb in it. After washing in the basin, she rinsed them again in the river before putting them back in the basket.

Emily and Huang Ye had little to say to each other. Huang Ye had nearly harmed her before, so Emily certainly wasn't going to approach her voluntarily; maintaining a superficial peace was good enough.

However, since Granny Feng had asked Huang Ye to wash the herbs, Emily was curious about the process. Though she knew the medicinal properties of the herbs, she hadn't handled them herself, and learning from books alone wasn't enough.

Huang Ye's casual mention of "playing" had stopped Emily in her tracks. That single word revealed that Huang Ye still saw her as an adversary.

With a smile, Emily continued her search, flipping over a large rock and discovering a tiny crab the size of a thumbnail. She was thrilled, carefully cradling the tiny crab as if it were a treasure, and ran to show it to Male.

"Male, look! It's such a tiny crab!" She had never seen such a small crab before; if it weren't in the water, she might have mistaken it for a light-colored spider.

"Hmm." Male glanced at the tiny crab in her palm, smiling. "If you like it, you can keep it."

Emily shook her head, ran back to where she found the crab, and placed it back in its habitat. "Such a small crab, I won't be able to keep it alive. Better to let it go."

"Hmm." Male smiled again. His little companion had such a kind heart.

"Yellow Leaf, what are you washing?" Ann called out from the riverbank as she walked over.

She seemed to completely ignore Male and Emily.

Oh, had Miss Ann finally given up on Male? She didn't even greet him now? Emily couldn't help but feel more pleased!

Ann helped Huang Ye wash the herbs, and they occasionally whispered to each other. Huang Ye's demeanor was calm and gentle, but Ann occasionally shot angry glances at Emily. Emily caught her eye a couple of times and was left speechless. Were they really discussing her right in front of her?

Forget it, ignore them!

Soon, voices could be heard not far from the riverbank; it seemed someone was clearing land nearby.

By the time Male had finished washing the wool, Emily had managed to catch five or six decent-sized river crabs, tying each one with reed grass from the riverbank and setting them aside.

Male looked at Emily's string of crabs, all bound and immobile, and laughed. "These are all hard-shelled creatures. Can they be eaten?"

Hey! These are a delicacy!

Emily mysteriously nodded. "You'll find out when you taste them! Unfortunately, I didn't catch many. Let's head back."

It was time to soak the wool!

Male's eyes sparkled with interest as he glanced over at Ann and Huang Ye. "No hurry. I'll catch a few more crabs."

Emily felt a pang of discomfort and responded sullenly. Male was strong and agile, but catching crabs wasn't about brute strength or agility; it was about finding their hiding places.

Male started flipping stones to find crabs near where Ann and Huang Ye were. Emily sulkily sat by the riverbank, drying her feet and putting on her shoes and socks. Seeing Male occasionally glance over at Ann and Huang Ye, she felt a sour pang in her heart, thinking of a phrase often used by netizens: "Men are all big pig's hooves!"

Well, Male, you big pig's hoof. So Ann had been chasing you every day, and you acted aloof and ignored her. Now that she's not paying attention to you, it's like you've been scratched by a cat, isn't it?

Emily was curious to see how he'd try to flirt with someone else right in front of her, his "companion."

Soon, Ann and Huang Ye finished washing the herbs. Each carried a basket and a basin of herbs back.

Male, unable to wait, left the water and walked towards the two, mumbling, "Why aren't there any big crabs?"

Tsk—big pig's hoof!

Emily rolled her eyes in disdain, feeling a chill in her heart.

The narrow path saw Male and Huang Ye passing by each other. Ann walked with her head held high, not glancing sideways, while Huang Ye lowered her head and stepped aside.

Just as Emily was wondering why Male hadn't tried to flirt with Ann, something unexpected happened!

As Male passed Huang Ye, he seemingly accidentally bumped into her, causing her to fall into the water with a splash and a cry of "Ah!"

"Yellow Leaf!" Ann stared in shock, momentarily stunned.

Nearby, a few people working on clearing the land burst into laughter. "Male didn't control his strength again! Luckily it's in the water; last time he knocked me into a tree, and it still hurts thinking about it!"

"Ha, this morning he tried to catch a rabbit but ended up squashing it!"

"Sometimes I think that activating the bloodline power is beneficial, but seeing Male like this, I'm not sure it's worth it."

Since Huang Ye quickly got up and stood in the shallow water, apparently unhurt, the people on the shore just joked about Male and didn't worry about Huang Ye's safety.

A thought flashed quickly through Emily's mind, too fast for her to catch.

Male, looking a bit embarrassed, scratched his head and said, "Yellow Leaf, are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't control my strength well."

Huang Ye felt like her whole body was falling apart. It wasn't even the worst part; she had twisted her foot and could barely stand.

Tears of pain streamed down her face, but she gently shook her head, enduring the pain as she said, "It's nothing serious, just twisted my foot."

"I'll carry you!" Male hurriedly jumped into the water, causing Huang Ye's teary eyes to lower to hide her emotions. Male was going to carry her!

Male came closer and closer! Her heart started racing!

Male's broad hand moved through her long hair and wrapped around her shoulder from behind!

His other hand moved under her knee and bent leg!

Male picked her up horizontally! Male!

"Ouch!" Huang Ye couldn't help but cry out in pain as if her bones were breaking.

The culprit, Male, was so frightened that he dropped her, saying, "Sorry, I hurt you again!"

Huang Ye couldn't utter a word.

Male's throw made her crash down hard onto a jagged stone, leaving her pale-faced and gasping in pain, unable to say a single word.

Ann immediately jumped into the water, carefully picking up Huang Ye and glaring angrily at Male. "You did it on purpose!"

Male looked innocent and whispered just loud enough for Ann and Huang Ye to hear, "Yes, I did it on purpose."

Ann's anger flared even more. Even if she was usually single-minded, she understood now. Male's grudge against Huang Ye was because Huang Ye had helped her get rid of that woman and thrown her into the forbidden area.

"Male, I've thought about it these days. I won't cling to you anymore. I, Ann, am not without other options. Huang Ye does everything for me. If you have any anger towards that woman, direct it at me, and don't hurt Huang Ye!"