Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off - Chapter 107

107: Chapter 107: Morning in the Snake”™s Cave 107: Chapter 107: Morning in the Snake”™s Cave Su Qinglan slowly opened her eyes.

For a moment, she just blinked, trying to understand where she was.

She was lying on a smooth stone bed, covered with a layer of soft beast hides.

The air around her was cool and quiet.

She stretched a little, her body still sore but much lighter than before.

Then she suddenly paused.

“Wait…” she whispered to herself.

“Wasn’t I sleeping on top of Xuan Long last night?” She sat up quickly and looked around the cave.

The spot beside her was empty.

The snake beastman was nowhere to be seen.

“How did I end up here then?

I didn’t roll all the way down, right?” she muttered, frowning in confusion.

Still, she felt strangely comfortable.

Her body no longer hurt, and her head was clear.

Whatever rest she got, it worked.

She yawned softly and rubbed her eyes.

Light was already spilling through the cave entrance.

It was already morning.

Su Qinglan stood up and walked toward the opening.

When she stepped outside and then blinked at the sudden brightness.

The forest here didn’t look as dense as she remembered; here the sunlight poured in freely, and the air smelled fresh.

She smiled a little.

“So this is how it looks in daylight.” She decided to freshen up.

She found a tree and snapped some of the new branches and used a clean twig as a brush.

She chewed one end until it became soft like little bristles, then dipped it in salt.

Carefully, she brushed her teeth so her teeth would not look yellow or she would have a sour breath.

After washing her face with the water left in the stone bowl, she felt completely awake.

Her stomach rumbled softly.

She laughed.

“Alright, time to eat.” She went back to the cave and picked a few fruits from the big pile Xuan Long had brought earlier.

They were all bright and juicy.

She ate slowly, tasting each one.

“They’re really good,” she said with a satisfied sigh.

“But there are too many.

If we don’t do something, half of these will get spoiled.” So she sat down cross-legged and began thinking.

“Hmm… maybe I can dry some.

Dried fruits last long.

Or… maybe I could try making fruit wine?” She smiled at the thought.

“I’ve never made wine before, but how hard can it be?” But she has a general idea of how to make it.

After a bit of thinking, she started preparing.

She washed a large stone bowl until it shone, then began sorting the fruits…

the ripe and sweet ones on one side, the overripe and soft ones on the other.

And after placing them all in the stone bowl, she started smashing them with a stick, humming softly to herself.

As she worked, she thought about what she remembered from old stories about making wine.

First, pick only the sweetest, softest fruits…the ones with a strong smell and thin skin.

Wash them well and remove all the hard seeds.

Smash them in a clean stone bowl until the juice starts to rise.

Cover the bowl with clean beast hide so dust and insects can’t get in.

Leave it near a warm stone or sunny spot for several days.

When bubbles rise and the smell becomes rich, strain it with clean leaves or cloth.

Keep the liquid in a sealed bowl; the longer it rests, the smoother it tastes.

She nodded to herself as she remembered these steps.

“Simple enough.

I just need patience.” The sound of squishing fruits filled the cave as she kept working.

Juice ran down her fingers, and the scent of sweet fruit spread in the air.

She smiled, feeling pleased with her progress.

Halfway through smashing, she heard footsteps echoing from outside.

Her hands stopped moving.

She looked up to find a shadow appeared at the cave’s entrance.

Xuan Long walked in.

Su Qinglan blinked.

He looked… different today.

His long black hair was damp, small drops of water still clinging to the ends.

His usual cold aura felt softer under the morning light.

He must have bathed somewhere.

In his hand, he carried something wrapped in a broad leaf; Su Qinglan couldn’t tell what it was.

“You’re awake,” his deep voice said, calm as always.

Su Qinglan smiled faintly.

“Yes.

You disappeared early.” “I went to wash,” he replied simply, setting the leaf bundle down near her.

“You should eat this later.” Su Qinglan tilted her head curiously at the bundle Xuan Long had placed before her.

The broad leaf wrapping looked ordinary, but the faint, unfamiliar fragrance coming from it instantly caught her attention.

“What is it?” she asked, blinking at him with curiosity.

Xuan Long glanced at her, his expression calm as usual.

“You don’t like to eat meat,” he said simply.

“So I brought you something else.

I found that the Bird Tribe also eats this…aside from fruits.” Her eyes widened a little as he slowly unfolded the leaf.

Inside, Su Qinglan saw small, oval grains…white, shiny, and neatly packed together.

For a second, her mind went completely blank.

Then her eyes went round as saucers.

“This… this is…!” she gasped, reaching out with trembling fingers.

She scooped a few grains into her palm, staring at them in disbelief.

The texture, the faint fragrance, even the soft sound they made when they brushed against each other…it was all too familiar.

“R-Rice!” she squealed, her voice echoing in the cave.

“This is rice!” Her heart jumped like a drum.

“Oh my goodness, this is rice!

Real rice!” She completely forgot about the half-smashed fruits beside her, the bowl of sticky pulp, and even the wine recipe she had just been muttering to herself.

She leapt up and hurried over to him, her excitement bubbling over.

“Xuan Long, where did you find this?!” she asked, grabbing his arm eagerly.

The usually calm snake beastman blinked at her sudden burst of energy, his tail flicking lightly on the ground as if unsure how to respond to this enthusiasm.