Chapter 330: Grateful and Fearful

Chapter 330: Chapter 330: Grateful and Fearful

The harsh winter continued to rage, and food grew scarcer by the day.

Bai Wanwan stood by the stone house window, her brow furrowed as she gazed at the thick snow outside.

For seven straight days, Jin Yi had been leaving early and returning late.

Although Jin Yi had advanced to become an Orange Rank powerhouse, it would still be incredibly dangerous if the Bear Clan returned in full force to hunt him down.

When she went out to check for the fifth time that evening, she finally saw his figure.

His face showed a trace of exhaustion as he sat quietly on a stone bench, his fur coat still dotted with unmelted snowflakes.

It seemed he planned to deal with his kill before going inside.

Xin Feng and Yan Lie were inside, cooking and looking after the cubs. She braved the wind and snow and walked out to him.

The moment Jin Yi saw her, he immediately stood up. "Why did you come out?" he asked worriedly. "It’s windy out here. Wanwan, go back inside."

Bai Wanwan walked to his side and pulled him back down to sit. "Is food really that scarce?"

"Yes. Some Beastman families don’t have a single piece of meat left," Jin Yi admitted without hiding anything.

"Then how much have you hunted these past few days, leaving so early and coming back so late?"

"We manage to hunt a few beasts each day..."

With so many Beastmen in the tribe, hunting a few beasts a day was just a drop in the bucket.

Before the rainy season, the Bear Clan had obstructed their hunts, trying to cut off their lifeline. They had blocked every possible path.

What they hadn’t anticipated, however, was that Jin Yi had also ascended to the rank of an Orange Rank powerhouse.

She gently massaged his temples to soothe his fatigue and his mood. "Remember the potatoes I grew? If we distribute those to everyone, they can hold out for a while longer. Combined with what you all hunt, it might reduce the number of deaths from starvation."

Jin Yi turned his head and took her hand, his warm, dry palm enveloping her cool fingertips.

"We haven’t reached the most difficult point yet. The males can still hunt some food. Let’s wait a little longer."

’Those potatoes are something Wanwan grew herself. I haven’t been able to give her more, so how can I take what’s hers to solve the tribe’s problems?’

Bai Wanwan shook her head. "Those potatoes were always meant for a famine. They’ll go bad if we let them sit any longer." She paused, her voice soft yet firm. "Later, have the Beastmen bring them out and distribute them."

’The reason I planted the potatoes in the first place was because I was worried the Bear Clan would cause trouble and the Beastmen of the Golden Lion Tribe would starve.’

’It was also to repay Jin Cang Clan Leader for his care, and to repay Jin Yi for risking his life to protect me during the beast tide.’

’But now, by providing timely help, there was something else at play.’

’These potatoes aren’t just food; they’re a favor, a debt of gratitude.’

’Sooner or later, they would leave the Golden Lion Tribe. But if she could make the tribe’s Beastmen remember this favor, then when her and Jin Yi’s cub grew up to take over as Clan Leader, they would have even more support.’

Jin Yi had been about to refuse again, but Bai Wanwan explained her reasoning to him.

She sat down next to him, her hand held tightly in his. "I can’t eat all these potatoes, and I can’t take them with me. Distributing them to your clansmen now is the best option. Don’t you think?"

Jin Yi gazed at her, his golden eyes appearing especially deep in the reflection of the snow.

"Alright."

He finally nodded, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand. "I’ll go make the arrangements."

Two days later, Jin Yi chose an afternoon with no wind or snow to distribute the potatoes.

Long-awaited sunlight spilled over the open ground in the center of the tribe.

Under the Clan Leader’s personal order, basket after basket of potatoes were brought out from the cellar and piled into a small mountain.

Jin Yi stood on high ground, his voice steady and powerful. "Each family will receive forty potatoes. Roast them in the fire until they’re soft for the females and cubs to eat. Be frugal, and they will help you survive the hardest times."

Bai Wanwan, wrapped in a thick fox-fur cloak, stood beside Jin Yi, personally handing potatoes to the Beastmen in line.

The tribesmen’s faces were filled with gratitude. Some Beastmen who had been starving for days even had red-rimmed eyes as they clutched the potatoes tightly and thanked her.

As she was handing them out, Bai Wanwan noticed a few Beastmen who were avoiding eye contact, looking rather shifty.

"Wait!"

The group had just received their potatoes and were about to leave when Bai Wanwan stopped them.

"Turn around and let me see you."

But the male froze, not daring to move.

"Turn around."

She repeated herself. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an authority that commanded respect.

The surrounding Beastmen lining up for potatoes were all grateful for Bai Wanwan’s generosity. Furthermore, her family had played a crucial role in the battle between the Golden Lion and Bear Clans.

Bai Wanwan and her Beast Husbands’ prestige in the Golden Lion Tribe had reached an unprecedented high.

Everyone knew full well that while they were only going hungry now, without Bai Wanwan and her Beast Husbands, their entire tribe might have been wiped out by the Bear Clan.

The stories had been spreading like wildfire through the tribe: how Bai Wanwan’s males had been gravely injured protecting the tribe, and how Bai Wanwan, a female, had braved the bitter cold and danger to go out of the city and bring her Beast Husband back.

Moreover, the Young Clan Leader himself had become her Beast Husband.

In the hearts of the Golden Lion Tribe’s Beastmen, Bai Wanwan’s status was now comparable to that of the Clan Leader and the Young Clan Leader.

And so, the crowd started to stir.

"The female, Bai Wanwan, told you to turn around. Didn’t you hear?"

Stared at by countless pairs of eyes and urged on by the crowd, the few Beastmen couldn’t take the psychological pressure and slowly turned around, their gazes lowered.

When Bai Wanwan saw their faces, she instantly understood why they were being so shifty.

’So they have a guilty conscience!’

"You few," her gaze swept coolly over them, "put the potatoes down and go find your own food."

The expression of one of the hot-tempered Beastmen changed. "On what grounds can they get potatoes, but we can’t?"

The corners of Bai Wanwan’s lips lifted, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. "On the grounds that I’m the one who grew these potatoes, and I don’t want to share them with you."

The surroundings instantly fell silent, and everyone’s gazes focused on them.

The few Beastmen’s faces flushed red as they shouted angrily, "You’re deliberately targeting us!"

"That’s right, I am targeting you." Bai Wanwan sneered. ’If you dared to lead the troublemaking back then, you should have expected this day would come.’

These were the same Beastmen who had caused a commotion and almost dug up her potatoes before.

’They almost ruined my potatoes, and now they want a share of the benefits? There’s no such free lunch in this world!’

"As for why I’m targeting you, don’t you have any idea?" Her voice was not loud, but every word was crystal clear.

Hearing this, they became even more furious and humiliated, and began to incite the other Beastmen. "She’s an outsider female! What right does she have to decide who gets our food? Young Clan Leader, you’re a Beastman of the Golden Lion Clan! How can you indulge her in oppressing your own people?"

Bai Wanwan didn’t interrupt, merely watching their performance quietly.

Most of the Beastmen present didn’t know what had happened that day, so no one spoke up. But in their hearts, they still believed that Bai Wanwan and the Young Clan Leader would not deliberately oppress their own people.

The few Beastmen continued to curse, wanting to snatch back the potatoes that they felt belonged to them.

"Stop them!"

Jin Yi gave the order, and other Beastmen moved to block their way, not letting them take a single potato.

Whispers spread through the surrounding Beastmen. Bai Wanwan heard them, but she wasn’t the least bit anxious.

’Today, I will make them feel not only gratitude, but also fear!’