Chapter 17: Beasts Have a Long Lifespan

It had been a while since Clara visited Grandma. She cooked meat soup, roasted some meat, packed them in bamboo tubes, and with a basket in hand, she went to find Grandma. On the way, she coincidentally met Gloria, who was coming to the forest with her.

Gloria didn't look well, ears drooping. "Clara! I used the method you taught to roast the meat, but it all got burnt. Rowan said it doesn't taste good."

So that was the issue. "No problem! Rowan and Mateo went hunting. I'm alone at home and scared. Come keep me company tonight! I'll teach you how to roast meat and cook meat soup!"

Meat soup! What's that? It sounded delicious, and Gloria happily nodded.

Arriving at Grandma's house, Clara gave the cooked meat soup and roasted meat to Grandma. Since the last time she had Clara's roasted meat, Grandma had been longing for it. Today, Clara personally delivered it, and the two-hundred-something-year-old Grandma, for the first time, felt moved.

It was truly delicious. To be able to enjoy such a delicacy near the end of one's life was more than enough.

Cough, cough... Grandma coughed a few times, looking at the children in front of her with a content smile. "Clara! Mateo is a good child. Whatever happens in the future, don't leave him, okay!"

"Grandma! Why would you say that?" Clara felt a pang of sadness. Grandma reminded her of her own grandmother, who passed away while she was too busy with graduation. She didn't have the chance to say goodbye, and that had become a lasting pain in her heart. "Grandma! Clara will always respect you in the future."

"Getting old! Over two hundred years old. To have such a good child like you by my side in my old age is truly fortunate." Grandma felt a bit tired. Clara helped her to bed and tucked her in.

"Grandma! Do you know how the ancestors used to open this mirror?" Clara squatted by the bedside, taking out the mirror and asking Grandma.

Grandma's eyes were a bit blurry. After looking for a while, she said, "I don't remember. The elders said not to expose it to the sun. Just keep it hidden in the house."

Grandma lightly snored; she had fallen asleep.

Leaving the cave, Clara looked at the various-sized cave entrances scattered across the mountains, all belonging to elderly beasts.

"Gloria! How old are you?" Clara remembered Grandma saying she was over two hundred years old. In her world, centenarians were rare. What did over two hundred years mean?

"Gloria, twenty years old this year. How old is Clara?"

Not bad! Clara sighed in relief, realizing she was about the same age as Gloria. "Me too! Same age as Gloria." Maybe people here lived longer. But could she live that long? Clara couldn't help but be taken aback. Life was finite, and her life, compared to the beasts here, seemed incredibly insignificant.

No use thinking about it. Better to tackle the current issues, live comfortably in the prime of her life, and enjoy happiness.

Upon returning, Clara picked a patch of soft soil near her house. She moistened the soil with water from the nearby stream, lacking a shovel, so she used an animal shoulder blade to loosen the soil bit by bit. Whatever Clara did, Gloria wanted to learn.

Clara took the opportunity to teach her about planting. This way, they wouldn't need to search for food in the forest every day, saving more time and discovering more things. The two of them worked tirelessly all afternoon, clearing a substantial piece of land, dividing it into sections, and planting seeds and seedlings.

Tomorrow, they'd go and gather some bamboo to make a fence, preventing wild beasts from eating their vegetables in the future.

In the evening, Clara cooked a delicious meal for Gloria. The meat was from the boar Mateo brought back yesterday, looking and tasting like wild boar. In the meat soup, Clara added yams and bok choy, and roasted some sweet potatoes. The whole house was filled with the aroma of a satisfying feast.

Both couldn't wait and started eating eagerly. Gloria praised, "Clara! You're so capable. Mateo is so fortunate to have you as a spouse."

Speaking of Mateo, Clara missed him. She wondered if he had eaten his dinner.

Deep in the forest, Mateo sneezed. Everyone lit torches, sat around, and began eating. Mateo also took out the jerky from his backpack.

Seeing others still eating roasted meat, Mateo felt so content. Clara's jerky was even more delicious. Rowan, closest to Mateo, sniffed the air, detecting a tantalizing scent. Discovering that Mateo seemed to be eating something delicious, he shamelessly grabbed a piece and exclaimed how tasty it was.

Other beasts also gathered around, eager to snatch. The large bag of jerky was ruthlessly divided, and after trying it, these beasts no longer had the desire for roasted meat. The jerky was an unparalleled delicacy compared to the roasted meat.

In the tribe, good things were meant to be shared, and everyone wanted a piece.

Mateo was furious. Suddenly standing up, he shouted, "Go home and let your spouse's make it for you!"

It was Mateo's spouse who made the jerky, that petite female. A group of males were astonished, and their curiosity about Clara kept escalating. Some jealous males, without a spouse of their own, began envying Mateo, casting envious and resentful glances at the jerky in Mateo's hands!

Mateo felt a strong sense of crisis! The jerky was his, Clara was his, and no one could snatch them away. He really wanted to go home right now and hold Clara in his arms.

After Gloria and Clara finished dinner, Clara heated some water using a stone pot. Finally, with Mateo not at home, she could clean up properly.

Unfortunately, there was no bucket. If only there were a bathing tub. Clara boiled some water, carried it behind a screen, and started undressing to wash. The fabric was made from the scraps of a T-shirt, which she had repurposed into two small undergarments. Originally, she planned to make one for Mateo too, but she was afraid he wouldn't be comfortable, so she gave up on the idea. She vowed to make one for him in the future; that animal-skin skirt of his was prone to wardrobe malfunctions.

Clara poured the water directly over herself, making a splashing sound. Gloria was curious and, despite Clara's warning not to approach, couldn't resist sneaking over. She saw Clara bathing and wondered why she didn't wash at the waterfall; it would be much more refreshing.