Beast World: A Fragile Beauty Blessed with Many Children-Chapter 147 - 146: Such Dogs
Puzzled by his little female’s sudden burst of laughter, Ji Liang looked down at her. He instinctively sent Spiritual Power into her, afraid she might laugh too hard and hurt the baby in her belly.
"Little Shushu, what’s so funny?"
Si Shuo buried her head in his chest and shook it. "Nothing, I just thought what you said earlier was funny. The more I think about it, the funnier it gets, haha..."
Ji Liang actually thought she just had a low threshold for humor. Infected by her laughter, he chuckled softly, the corners of his lips curving up.
Si Shuo froze for a moment, then continued to laugh until she was trembling. ’Ah, I can’t stop, I can’t stop! I can’t even look at Ji Liang’s Stepping Point Superpower anymore...’
At this point, Zhi Qi came to a halt. They had arrived at the bustling market in the western district. Here, two long streets crossed each other, both lined entirely with stalls.
There was porcelain, cotton cloth, fruits and vegetables, furs and bones, various meats, eggs, grains, and all sorts of cooked food. Some stalls sold domesticated poultry and livestock, while others offered various handmade goods. And of course, there were Beastmen standing in designated spots, waiting for odd jobs.
The lively atmosphere was much like the markets and temple fairs of later generations.
Si Shuo loved lively places the most. She grabbed Zhi Qi’s hand and began to browse from side to side. The snacks here were much more varied than in Dongye Middle Square, and the flavors were authentic and delicious.
For example, there was a dish made from sticky rice that was crushed, mixed with a tiny amount of water, and kneaded repeatedly until the grains were distinct. It was then spread in even layers onto a bamboo steamer lined with fine cotton cloth, sprinkled with dried flowers and dried berries, and slowly steamed over a clay stove.
The steamed sticky rice formed a thick, fluffy cake, which was cut into small pieces and drizzled with honey for sale!
Ji Liang bought a whole pot of the freshly made "celebration cakes," keeping three pieces for them to eat and putting the rest into a Beast Skin Bag—though in reality, they went into his Storage Ring for his little female to have as snacks.
The steaming hot celebration cakes carried the fragrant, sweet-and-sour aroma of flowers and berries. They were chewy, dense, and firm to the bite—a rare delicacy in the Beast World that was exceptionally popular with everyone.
Si Shuo ate with gusto, her whole being radiating delight. This made her two Beast Husbands relax, their brows smoothing. They felt that only a Great Beast City could truly provide for and pamper their little female.
Seeing how much Si Shuo enjoyed it, Kouba and Hang He also bought a steamer basket for Yimei and their cubs back home, placing it in their Storage Rings. A twenty-square-meter Storage Ring was already enough for their daily needs, and the fact that each male had one was a privilege no other Beastmen enjoyed. They were exceptionally grateful to Si Shuo’s family and kept their kindness in mind.
There were also small dried fish for sale at the market. Si Shuo tried one, but the type of fish used was ordinary and had a strong fishy smell, completely incomparable to Gong You’s private stash.
After buying some coarse cloth dyed with plant-based colors, they asked for directions along the way and found the location marked on the contract.
The He Xi Tribe was primarily active in the western district, so the houses, shops, and fields they provided were also in the vicinity.
The two-story shop was at the head of the market street. It was quite old, and the stones on its facade showed severe signs of weathering. The shop was currently being rented out and had a decent amount of foot traffic.
Zhi Qi took Si Shuo to a stall diagonally opposite to eat wontons. Floating Wheat was hulled and ground into flour, then mixed with water to form a dough. Each palm-sized piece of dough was filled with lightly seasoned meat and then pinched shut.
The broth was simmered with the frames of Golden Headed Chickens! At the customer’s request, the stall owner would also crack an egg or two into the pot after the wontons were cooked, scalding them into egg ribbons.
It seemed that once people were freed from the endless cycle of hunting, with farming and animal husbandry basically allowing them to be self-sufficient, they had more spare time, and life became much more refined than in other places. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Eating the hot, savory wontons, Si Shuo couldn’t help but sigh in satisfaction. ’Now this is what I call living!’
Ji Liang returned after looking around for a bit. He ate his wontons while speaking quietly to Si Shuo and Zhi Qi:
"The shop is being rented by a Gray Parrot Beastman who sells all kinds of ready-made clothing. Business is pretty good. About one in ten Beastmen who pass by will go in to take a look."
"I heard this shop has been open for twenty or thirty years, and it has a lot of regular customers who come to buy clothes."
Si Shuo nodded. "In other words, since our situation is uncertain and we haven’t established a foothold in Guangshou City yet, we can’t take the shop back. For now, we can only continue to rent it out?"
Ji Liang grunted in agreement. "On these few streets, whether it’s stalls or shops, there isn’t much turnover. Unless something happens to the owner’s family, they rarely change hands."
"And usually, before any outsiders even get wind of it, the shop has already been transferred."
"A lot of Beastmen come to settle in Guangshou City every day, and the local Beastmen are rather xenophobic and tend to bully newcomers."
"Even if a newcomer spends a fortune to find a shop or a stall, they’re forced to pay a hefty protection fee. On top of that, as long as they’re making money, all sorts of trouble will come knocking, regardless of whether their business conflicts with other stalls..."
Zhi Qi raised an eyebrow. "So you run into trouble if you make money, but you can’t afford the protection fee if you don’t?"
"Right, that’s basically the situation. In Guangshou City, everything depends on your family background first, then your strength and connections." Ever since they were in Dongye Middle Square, Ji Liang had been trying to understand the lives of the Central Continent Beastmen. Only with enough understanding could they find a breakthrough and a way to survive in this impenetrable Beast City, where everything was dominated by clans and tribes. "Otherwise, for properties like shops, houses, and fields, even if we have the contracts, we can’t just easily evict the tenants."
As he said this, he gave a meaningful look to his little female, who was happily slurping down her wontons.
Si Shuo met his gaze, turned her head, and coughed twice.
Zhi Qi quickly patted her on the back to help her catch her breath while sending Spiritual Power into her with his other hand.
Ji Liang chuckled helplessly. "Little Shushu, focus on your food. If you have something to say, wait until you’ve swallowed what’s in your mouth."
Si Shuo, whose eyes had reddened slightly from choking, shot him a glare. ’And whose fault is that?!’
’Don’t think I don’t know what he means. I’ve just arrived in Guangshou City, and I’m already saddled with the difficult task of finding a powerful backer...’
Since Ji Liang put it that way, it meant that the five small courtyards and twenty-five acres of land they had won through the arena fights, as well as the shop and one hundred acres of land they had extorted from Wang Cha, were all currently rented out. It would be very difficult for them to reclaim them anytime soon.
"It’s fine, we’ll take it slow. In any case, Zhi Le and the others can earn Crystal Stones as Beast Soldiers. And besides, whether it’s the shop, houses, or land, they all generate rent..."
At the mention of this, Ji Liang’s lips twitched. "Didn’t the He Xi Tribe come back early? They rushed to collect the rent, and they collected five years’ worth at once. And that’s not even counting the two-year security deposit!"
Si Shuo was speechless. ’The people of the He Xi Tribe are such dogs!’
So with these contracts in hand, they wouldn’t see a single Crystal Stone for seven years?
Worse, if a tenant didn’t complete their lease term, or if their lease happened to expire and they chose not to renew, they would have to fork over their own Crystal Stones to cover the difference!
Seven years was such a long time. They had arrived full of excitement, only to feel as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them. The only saving grace was that their five Beast Husbands at home had successfully enlisted as Beast Soldiers at Dongye Middle Square.
Otherwise, they would have to spend a lot of Crystal Stones to live in a guest cave, constantly facing the risk of being kicked out.
The Beast Husbands couldn’t just watch her condense Spirit Plants and sit around at home doing nothing.
The only thing they could do would be to take on menial odd jobs, selling their labor for dirty and exhausting work like those Beastmen on the outskirts of the city. In that case, they would have been better off and freer back in the Southern Continent.
It was true no matter where you went—the first step was always the hardest.
