Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 33: Poultry Farming
The Clan Leader approved An Jin’s proposal, asking her to teach the tribe how to eat Wild Grass Birds and to plan the upcoming breeding efforts.
Enabling the Beastmen to eat Wild Grass Birds would be a godsend for any tribe.
The cubs’ starvation rate would plummet. What was there not to like about it?
That afternoon, all the tribe’s Beastmen were summoned to the village square. The Clan Leader stood on a high platform, and with a gentle wave of his hand, he silenced the clamor of the crowd below.
Ling Hong stood to the Clan Leader’s right, his expression cool. He glanced at An Jin out of the corner of his eye, a flicker of unease in their depths.
An Jin stood to the Clan Leader’s left, a position symbolizing a certain status, one usually reserved for the Witch Doctor.
In the past, this would have undoubtedly drawn criticism.
But now, most Beastmen felt nothing but admiration for An Jin. She deserved their respect for discovering a new food source in the Beast World!
Over this period of time, everyone had learned that Little Black Mud’s real name was An Jin. They’d also learned that she had lived in other, more powerful tribes as a child, where she’d acquired a great deal of advanced knowledge. To think she had kept her talents so well hidden before.
After the previous tribe of her Beast Father and Beast Mother was destroyed, they had wandered for a time before settling in the Luoten Tribe when she was very young. This explanation didn’t arouse any suspicion.
As for why she had suddenly become so beautiful?
The Beastmen didn’t seem to care. After all, who wouldn’t be happy to have another beautiful, unmated female in the tribe? Some of the unmated male Beastmen were already secretly planning their pursuit.
The Clan Leader fully endorsed An Jin’s breeding plan and gave the tribe a general overview. However, someone in the crowd below could no longer hold back.
Shana glared at An Jin on the platform, biting her lip so hard it bled. Seeing this, a few of her close female friends immediately spoke up for her.
"Hey, you! You want our tribe to raise these Wild Grass Birds? That’s completely impractical! Our tribe is already short on people. The food the males hunt every day is barely enough to feed us, and you want them to divert people to raise these birds?!"
The speaker was a chubby girl of about seventeen, with a sallow face and thick lips. She was one of Shana’s closest friends, so naturally, she was the first to speak up for her.
"That’s right, I think it’s ridiculous too! Never mind how long it’ll take to raise these birds until they’re ready to eat. Just think about assigning so many males to raise them. What if we raise them and it’s still not enough, and our hunting haul suffers because of it? What then?" another female scoffed, crossing her arms in derision.
With one petulant shout after another, the few females instantly shattered the previously joyful atmosphere.
The smiles on many of the Beastmen’s faces slowly faded, their brows furrowing with a dawning sense of distrust.
The females’ opinions carried a great deal of weight.
Seeing this, Shana and her friends were delighted. They began chattering again, about to say more, intent on completely derailing the plan.
Ling Hong’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the restless crowd. "Silence!" he snapped.
His voice wasn’t loud, but as he unleashed his powerful aura, the very ground seemed to tremble. Everyone’s expression changed in an instant, and they fell deathly silent.
His long, sturdy legs took a few easy strides, and in the blink of an eye, Ling Hong was beside An Jin. "Don’t be nervous," he murmured.
His steady breathing warmed the soft hair on her head, bringing with it a uniquely masculine heat and strength. "You’ve been preparing this for a long time. I was listening from the side. Your plan is perfect, so don’t let their doubts shake you. Just lay out your plan; that will be enough."
But when he turned to face the crowd, Ling Hong’s expression was as cold and indifferent as ever, sending a chill down everyone’s spine. "If you want to listen, then listen. If you don’t, then get out. Don’t make me force you."
As his cool, indifferent gaze swept across the crowd, it lingered for an extra moment on those few females, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"..." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
The young females’ faces instantly went white. Their lips quivered, but they didn’t dare say another word.
An Jin pushed aside the flicker of unease in her heart.
’Ling Hong is right. I don’t need to be nervous. I’m the one who proposed and is leading this project. I absolutely cannot show any sign of hesitation or weakness.’
She took a deep breath, and her voice, gentle yet firm, was carried on the wind to every Beastman’s ear.
"I can answer everyone’s concerns. First, about the Wild Grass Birds themselves—you don’t need to worry. Wild Grass Birds grow very quickly, have a long breeding season, and reproduce in large numbers. Once our breeding population reaches a certain size, they can completely fill the gaps in the tribe’s food supply."
"Furthermore, their eggs are also edible. They’re highly nutritious and perfect for helping females and cubs build up their strength. There are many delicious ways to prepare them, and I can teach you all!"
An Jin relaxed, quickly finding her footing. She looked out at the Beastmen below with a confident smile and laid out her plan and vision.
"And finally, regarding the issue of manpower, which I know is everyone’s biggest concern. You don’t need to worry. This project will be in an experimental phase at first, so it won’t require much in the way of people or resources. We won’t need to take anyone from the Hunting Team..."
Finally, a voice rose from the crowd. It wasn’t a complaint or an attempt to cause trouble, but a genuine question from one of the Beastmen. "Then who will do the breeding?"
"The cubs and females who are unable to hunt. Cubs and females are usually idle in the village, representing an untapped labor force for our tribe."
"Once tamed, Wild Grass Birds have a docile nature, so raising them isn’t difficult. A single female or cub is perfectly capable of raising two or three of them."
"Moreover, during her eight-month-long breeding season, a single female Wild Grass Bird can lay one to two eggs per day. The eggs are large, filling, delicious, and nutritious—more than enough to feed her Breeder for a day."
An Jin glanced at the crowd. Most of them were females and cubs, which was something she had specifically requested of the Clan Leader when he summoned the tribe.
There were no objections from the crowd. Most of the females nodded in agreement.
They were usually idle at home, doted on and protected by the males, with no opportunity to join the hunts. They would occasionally pick some fruits and wild vegetables, but their lives were unavoidably empty and boring.
This breeding project would take time and energy, but it would also make their days more fulfilling. And the thought of being able to contribute to the tribe and their mates! It was as if their lives suddenly had a purpose beyond just bearing cubs.
As for the young cubs, whom the adult males often scorned for being unable to hunt, their eyes lit up with brilliant light.
"AWOO~" ’I can finally work like the Beast Fathers! I won’t have to go hungry anymore!!!’
The cheers from the crowd made Shana’s expression darken. Her plan had failed yet again.
But she was unwilling to give up. With pleading, tear-filled eyes, she looked to her friends. The other females exchanged troubled glances before finally deciding to side with her. "Fine, we won’t join in. We’re not raising any Wild Grass Birds. How can they make us females do such hard and tiring work!"
"Exactly! This is work for the males! We should just be waiting at home for them to bring us food. Why should we have to suffer and toil out here under the hot sun!?"
"It’s okay, Shana! We’re not joining. I refuse to believe they can succeed! The birds will probably all be dead in a couple of days. Then we can just sit back and watch the show!"
The group of females burst out laughing. They shot the crowd a disdainful look, then sauntered away.
They were in their prime years for finding mates; they weren’t about to waste their time on such drudgery. They would rather use that time to find a few powerful males to hunt tasty wild boars for them!
’Let’s just see what kind of spectacle these deluded fools can cook up!’
With the exception of Shana and her group, all the other females and cubs joined the breeding project.
Following An Jin’s instructions, the males all thoughtfully prepared tools and sun protection for their mates.
「Half a month later.」
In front of nearly every cave, one could see a few contented Wild Grass Birds pecking away on patches of green grass. Their wings were bound with vines, preventing them from flying.
At first, the wild and untamable birds tried to escape, refused to eat, and even pecked at the cubs. But gradually, the Wild Grass Birds grew accustomed to the comfortable, captive life.
CHIRP~ ’Sunbathing every day, getting fed fruit and grass, not having to worry about being snatched by a predator... this life really isn’t half bad~’
"CLUCK CLUCK—" The sound of cackling and flapping wings rose and fell. People’s faces lit up with joy as they rushed over and parted the calf-high grass. There, scattered on the ground, were several large, fist-sized eggs, gleaming silver-white in the sunlight.
An Jin taught the females and cubs two of the simplest ways to prepare the eggs: either boiling them in water or making a steamed egg custard.
In just half a month, An Jin’s status in the tribe had undergone a monumental change. Everyone respected her and treated her with the same reverence they showed the Witch Doctor.
No one remembered the Little Black Mud from half a month ago, the girl who was as silent as a block of wood with a presence as thin as air.
Her personal prestige value in the system had also successfully reached 30.
One afternoon, the elderly Witch Doctor of the tribe suddenly appeared at her stone house. "Little one, come here," she said, finding An Jin. "This old woman has something to say to you..."
