Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 61: Soup for the Soul
"The Well Team! They dug down and found water! It’s bubbling up!"
"That’s—that’s AMAZING!" She took off running toward the well site, Qing Lin following close behind.
Sure enough, there was a hole about six feet deep, and water was pooling at the bottom.
Clear, clean water.
"We need to line it with stones," Xin Yi said immediately. "So the walls don’t collapse. And we need to build a pulley system to draw water up. And—"
"One thing at a time, little female." Qing Lin’s hand settled on her shoulder. "We have three days. We don’t need to finish everything today."
Right. Pace herself. She could do that.
"Okay. Well Team! Start collecting flat stones! We’re going to line the well!"
~
When the sun began to set, they had successfully done the following:
- Foundation trenches for 5 buildings (2 more than planned!)
- Three drainage channels (still needed more)
- One functional well (lined with stones, still needed pulley)
- A pile of materials (clay, sand, more stones)
- Everyone was EXHAUSTED
Xin Yi collapsed on the ground in the middle of the cleared area, staring up at the darkening sky.
"I can’t feel my legs."
"That’s because you have been running around for the whole day straight," Qing Lin said, settling beside her. "You need to rest."
"But I can’t rest. Too much to do."
"Xin Yi—"
"Tomorrow we have to finish the drainage! And start mixing clay for bricks! And figure out the road layout! And—"
He put his hand over her mouth. "Rest. Now."
She glared at him.
He stared back, unmoved.
"Mmph!"
"I will carry you back to my dwelling and sit on you if I have to."
Her eyes widened.
"Don’t test me, little female."
She stopped struggling.
He removed his hand.
"...Fine. Rest. But only for a few hours!"
"We will see about that." He scooped her up before she could protest. "Xiao Long! Come! We’re going taking a break!"
"But I am not tired!" The little boy was still poking at trenches with his stick.
"XIAO LONG!"
"Okay okay!" He scurried after them. "But can I sleep with you and Pink Skin again?!"
Qing Lin’s eye twitched. "...Fine."
[DING! (◕‿◕)]
[Instant Family: ACTIVATED]
[Qing Lin is now Dad]
[Xin Yi is now Mom]
[Xiao Long is Son]
[This is ADORABLE!]
~
DAY THREE: DRAINAGE AND CHAOS
"PINK SKIN! PINK SKIN! WAKE UP!"
Not again.
Xin Yi groaned. "Xiao Long, what time is it?"
"Dawn! It is time to build!"
She was starting to hate that word.
Qing Lin pulled her closer, his arms tightening around her waist. "Give us so more time."
"But—!"
"GIVE. US. SOME. MORE. TIME."
Even Xiao Long knew better than to argue with that tone.
~
Today’s goal: Finish the drainage system and start making bricks.
"The drainage has to slope!" Xin Yi was demonstrating with sticks and dirt. "See? Water flows DOWNHILL! So we need to make sure the channels angle away from the buildings!"
"How do we make them angle?" someone asked.
"We... uh..." She looked at her mental knowledge. "We use a level! Which is basically a stick with water in it! If the water is even, the ground is level! If it’s not, we need to dig more on one side!"
"Pink Skin is SO smart!" Xiao Long announced to anyone who would listen. "She knows about WATER IN STICKS!"
[DING! (≧▽≦)]
[Xiao Long is Host’s #1 fan!]
They spent the morning finishing the drainage channels.
Six channels total, all sloping away from the building sites, all leading to a collection area at the edge of the territory where the water could drain into the swamp safely.
"It’s WORKING!" Kuan Tie poured water into one of the channels and watched it flow down. "Look! It’s flowing!"
Everyone cheered.
Afternoon was BRICK TIME.
"Okay!" Xin Yi stood in front of a massive pile of clay. "Bricks are simple! We mix clay with sand and water! Then we shape them into rectangles! Then we let them dry in the sun for TWO DAYS!"
"Two days?!"
"YES! They have to DRY! If we try to use wet bricks, they’ll just......squish!"
She demonstrated by making a brick shape with the clay mixture. "See? Like this! Then we lay them out to dry!"
"I can do that!" Xiao Long immediately started making tiny brick shapes.
They were.....not great.
Too small. Too lumpy.
But he was trying SO HARD.
"These are perfect, baby," Xin Yi lied, smiling at him.
"Really?!"
"Really! Keep going!"
Qing Lin leaned over and whispered, "Those are terrible."
"I KNOW! But look at his little face! I can’t tell him that!"
"You’re soft."
"YOU’RE soft!"
"Only for you." He kissed her cheek and walked away, leaving her sputtering.
[DING! (¬‿¬)]
[Smooth Criminal: Snake Edition!]
~
By evening of Day Three, they had:
- Complete drainage system (6 channels!)
- Foundation trenches for 8 buildings now
- Approximately 500 bricks drying in the sun (including Xiao Long’s terrible lumpy ones)
- Materials pile DOUBLED in size
- One very exhausted architect
Xin Yi was sitting on the ground, her legs stretched out, staring at the progress they had made. Her whole body ached. Her hands were covered in clay. Her hair was a disaster.
But she was smiling.
"Pink Skin!" Xiao Long plopped down in her lap, somehow still full of energy. "Are you okay? You look like a swamp monster!"
"I FEEL like a swamp monster."
The other workers were gathering now, sitting in tired clumps, nursing sore muscles and blistered hands.
One of the younger warriors, a snake called Hua Jin, spoke up suddenly. "Pink Skin?"
"Yes?"
"Can we....can we have that soup again?"
Xin Yi blinked. "Soup?"
"The GOLDEN SOUP!" Another warrior sat up excitedly. "The one you made before! With the vegetables and the seasoning! It was like.....like the gods made it!"
"The goddess soup!" someone else called out.
"YES! THE GODDESS SOUP!"
Suddenly everyone was talking at once.
"I haven’t stopped thinking about it!"
"My mouth waters just REMEMBERING it!"
"Please, Pink Skin! We worked so hard!"
"We NEED the golden soup!"
"It will heal our tired bodies!"
[DING! (≧▽≦)]
[They’re BEGGING for your cooking!]
[Tribe Morale: Would increase MASSIVELY with soup!]
[Also they’re adorable when they beg!]
Xin Yi felt her face break into a huge grin.
"You want the golden soup?" she asked, her voice going all sing-song and cute.
"YES!"
"PLEASE!"
"WE’LL DO ANYTHING!"
She stood up, ignoring her protesting legs, and put her hands on her hips. Her eyes were sparkling. Her smile was BRIGHT.
"LEAVE IT TO ME!!!"
[DING! (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ:・゚✧]* 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
[Kawaii Mode: ACTIVATED!]
[Workers’ Morale: SKYROCKETING!]
[Qing Lin’s Heart: DOING WEIRD THINGS!]
The warriors CHEERED.
"PINK SKIN IS THE BEST!"
"GODDESS SOUP! GODDESS SOUP!"
Xiao Long jumped up and down in excitement. "Can I help?! Can I?!"
"Of COURSE you can help!" Xin Yi scooped him up and spun him around. "You’re my official assistant!"
"Yayyyyy."
"Alright!" She set Xiao Long down and clapped her hands. "I need the cooking team! We’re making enough soup for EVERYONE! Let’s GO!"
