CHAPTER 271: 262 CHAPTER WHAT IS SITTING THE MONTH?_1

The audience also began discussing, "Does boar beast meat taste good when cooked like that?"

"I see the Sages from the various factions are eating a bit slowly, completely different from how Sage Si Yan gorged herself earlier."

"But Jin Yang seems to be enjoying it; he looks like it’s quite tasty."

"Jin Yang is about to finish that big chunk of meat."

"Do you think he’ll have another piece?"

Indeed, Jin Yang finally swallowed that piece of meat. He patted his chest, suppressing the uncomfortable, greasy feeling.

Just then, Jin Yao brought out another piece of meat and said with a smile, "Fourth Brother, if you like it, eat more."

Jin Yang: "..."

Jin Yang looked at the meat, his stomach cramping slightly, but he still took it and said to Jin Yao, "Okay."

After all, we’re Beastmen who eat anything, meat or vegetables. It’s just some undercooked meat; I can stomach it!

"He ate it! He ate it! It looks like it really is delicious!"

"Why do I get the feeling it isn’t that tasty?"

"I have no appetite looking at that meat; it seems even worse than raw."

Seeing Jin Yang swallow the second piece, Jin Yao then looked at the dish she had made for the first time.

She herself didn’t know if it was good, so she’d let others try it first. But it seemed to be okay.

With that thought, Jin Yao took a bite.

Then, her face instantly turned a shade of green.

What in the world is this taste?

She was about to spit it out, but then she remembered: this was the Wan Cheng Gathering, and many people were watching her.

Can’t spit it out. I absolutely can’t spit it out.

So, she swallowed that bite. But as for that big chunk of meat, she couldn’t eat any more of it.

"Is Sage Jin Yao not going to eat anymore?"

"Could it be that it isn’t tasty?"

"Possibly."

Jin Yao paused. She composed herself slightly, then said timidly, "I’ve been trying to lose weight recently, so I can’t eat so much meat."

The surrounding Beastmen said, "What do we do then? Such a large piece of food can’t go to waste!"

"After all, she’s already taken a bite. She isn’t eating it now, so what should be done? Throw it away?"

"Should we let everyone else have a taste?"

"I don’t want any. I’m still a bit particular. My Mistress would absolutely never let me eat meat another female has bitten."

"Oho, you’re quite pampered at home."

The chatter continued outside, but Jin Yao’s expression was very unpleasant.

She glanced at Jin Yang, who was still struggling to swallow the second piece of meat she had just given him. Then, she simply handed her uneaten portion to Jin Yang as well. "Fourth Brother, I’m trying to lose weight recently. Can you help me eat this?"

Jin Yang: "..."

"Fourth Brother?"

Jin Yang looked at the meat he had yet to swallow, then at the new piece Jin Yao had just handed him.

He felt like his stomach was about to give out from the grease.

Finally, under Jin Yao’s steady gaze, Jin Yang raised his head, forced a smile, and said, "Okay, if Yao Yao made it herself, Fourth Brother will eat it."

Jin Yang struggled to eat. He ate slower and slower, his gaze drifting towards Si Yan and her group.

When Si Yan’s group ate their meat, they hadn’t seemed to find it unappetizing at all. It smelled so fragrant; it must have been delicious! Meanwhile, in his hands, were three chunks of greasy, undercooked meat. Eating them made his stomach churn.

On her side, Si Yan had already resumed making charcoal. Since there were many items to smelt, she planned to make more charcoal this time.

As the sun was about to set, Si Yan and the others had stacked up five or six charcoal kilns, ready to harvest plenty of charcoal tomorrow.

After finishing all this, Si Yan prepared to leave the venue.

As soon as she walked out, the Snake Beastman followed her.

"Tired?" The Snake Beastman picked her up.

She was already heavily pregnant, and he was loath to let her do so much work, even though Jin Tong and Tai Seng did most of it.

"Hungry? Is there anything you’d like to eat?"

Si Yan nodded. "I’d like to eat some sweet fruit."

The Snake Beastman paused, then immediately changed direction. "I’ll take you to pick some right now."

The four cubs, seeing their father about to whisk their mother away, immediately exclaimed, "That scoundrel Father is trying to spirit Mom away again!"

"This way, this way! Hurry, hurry, keep up with Father!"

...

After the Day of Blazing Flames had passed, the early rainy season’s showers nourished the earth.

The plants of the Beast World grew rampantly under the rain’s nourishment.

In the forest, the wild fruits grew plump and looked luscious.

The four little cubs picked fruits in the forest, saving the large, tasty ones for their mother and eating the smaller ones themselves on the spot.

She Wang washed a fruit, sniffed it to ensure it was fine, and then passed it to Si Yan.

Si Yan took the sweet fruit of the Beast World. It looked somewhat like an orange, but oranges ripened in winter, whereas this fruit grew during the early rainy season.

Si Yan enjoyed the sweet fruit, feeling content and cheerful. Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. She casually asked, "She Wang, when the Dragon Clan has cubs, are they also hatched from eggs?"

The Snake Beastman sat in front of her, holding up a large leaf to shield her from the rain filtering through the forest canopy. "Yes, eggs."

Si Yan touched her belly and asked, "Then, for a female giving birth, are there any precautions or preparations needed?"

She Wang’s expression tensed. The prospect of her giving birth made him even more nervous than she was.

"I’ve asked Yin Xiu, and she said she will be there to assist."

The Snake Beastman said, "I will also be by your side."

Si Yan wasn’t very nervous. She recalled when her neighbor’s older sister gave birth in her previous life and said with a laugh, "I just suddenly remembered, in my hometown—the village I mean—childbirth is a really significant event."

"In my village—that is, Earth Village, which I’ve mentioned to you before—when a woman gives birth, her entire family is present. Not just her partner, but her parents and siblings, and even the male partner’s parents are there too."

"There are specialists to assist with the delivery, and if there are complications, surgery might even be necessary."

Si Yan suddenly grew quiet for a moment.

Parents... and siblings... Long-lost memories surfaced before her. The image of her brother from her past life, smiling gently at her, was so vivid it was almost painful.

She lowered her head, her thoughts drifted, and she continued, almost absently, "However, in Earth Village, women observe a period of ’confinement’ after childbirth."

"Confinement? What is that?"

Si Yan was startled. Then she realized what she had said and carefully recalled, "It’s basically a period after childbirth when the woman’s body is very weak. She needs to stay indoors for about a month, avoiding exposure to drafts or catching a cold."

Hearing this, the Snake Beastman found this quite reasonable and sensible. He said, "We should do the same."

Si Yan suddenly came to her senses, turning to look at She Wang.

Si Yan: "..."

Was I just making small talk and, in a moment of distraction, dug a pit for myself?!

Si Yan immediately said, "I’m healthy; I don’t need confinement."

The Snake Beastman, however, became serious. "I think we should follow your village’s custom of confinement."

Si Yan: "..."

Si Yan put down the sweet fruit.

He was very worried about her. "Yan Yan, childbirth is no small matter. It’s always better to be cautious."

Si Yan helplessly replied, "I know. Before giving birth, I also need to get more exercise. You can’t carry me all the time. I need to walk and exercise too. Walk home with me."