Chapter 52: The Cistern

Chapter 52: The Cistern

Wen Ran also taught them how to make fried fish chunks. However, the stone pot heated slowly, and fried fish didn't preserve as long as air-dried fish. So, despite everyone loving the fresh flavor of fried fish, most females and sub-females still chose to prepare the fish as air-dried provisions for the dry season.

Besides fishing nets, Wen Ran also demonstrated how to make fishhooks, fish traps, and fishing tools. The fishhooks, in particular, were crafted from the ground bones of fish.

Upon seeing the fishbone fishhooks, Hu Xiu, the shaman, ingeniously applied the concept and even fashioned bone needles from fishbones. Ever since she witnessed Wen Ran suture Cat Tooth's wound with a silver needle and fine thread, she had become utterly captivated by the idea.

She would frequently seek out Wen Ran to discuss medical matters, such as whether hair strands could substitute for fine thread, or if twisted hemp rope and animal fur could be used for suturing, or even if the vines of the man-eating plant, shredded to the thickness of fine thread, would suffice.

For questions Wen Ran knew the answers to, he would generously share his knowledge. But if she happened to ask something even he didn't know, she would have to conduct repeated experiments on small rabbit-beasts herself.

Wen Ran regarded Hu Xiu with profound admiration, seeing her as a medical prodigy—truly impressive and worthy of immense respect!

From a simple suturing technique, she could extrapolate and innovate so much. If Hu Xiu had lived on Earth, her medical achievements would likely have been extraordinary, perhaps even earning her a share of a Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Fish traps and fishing tools could also be used by the older cubs. Round Cat, Black Cat, Silver Cat, and the leader of the cub den, Cat King, all used them proficiently. With these tools, they caught a considerable number of fish. As for the fish caught by the cubs, they weren't required to hand them over to the tribe; they could keep them for themselves.

Because of this rule, all twenty-two cubs in the cub den, led by Cat King, ventured out to fish. Their catches were surprisingly abundant, allowing their cub den to briefly achieve self-sufficiency.

Wen Ran truly believed Cat King was remarkable—so young yet so brave and resourceful. If he had been protected by beast parents from birth, who knows what he might have accomplished by now.

Even Wolf Blaze and Stone Cat praised Cat King endlessly.

Watching Cat King command such immediate obedience—with just a slight wave of his hand, all the cubs in the den would listen and follow his directions—was like a young emperor leading his army. This made Silver Cat jealous several times, much to Wen Ran's amusement.

Because of this, Silver Cat would sneak out under the moonlight several times to the riverbank where Cat King was, secretly observing how Cat King fished and directed the other cubs. Under the night sky, Silver Cat's silver-gradient fur blended silently into the moonlight, making him almost impossible to spot.

But Cat King still noticed someone watching him almost immediately. He glanced discreetly and realized it was that sub-female cub from Wen Ran's den—the one with the beautiful, warm smile, whose fish-beast soup and minced meat steamed egg were so delicious.

Cat King narrowed his eyes. But this silver-furred cub had a terrible temper, a stark contrast to that gentle and warm sub-female, and their personalities were completely different. Last time, he had even deliberately bumped into Cat King, nearly knocking him over and making him look foolish in front of that sub-female.

He held a grudge!

Seeing that Cat King had already spotted him, Silver Cat didn't bother hiding anymore. He leaped out with a swoosh, landing with a thud on the ground, splashing yellow sand all over Cat King's face.

Silver Cat didn't know why, but from the moment he first laid eyes on Cat King, he had instantly disliked him and always wanted to bully him.

Perhaps this cub felt the same way about him. In any case, they disliked each other so much that few words were exchanged, and before they could even chat for long, they started fighting!

As they fought, they noticed Wen Ran had spotted their unusual behavior, his gaze turning toward them. Instinctively, they both retracted their claws, stood up on their hind legs, and placed their front paws on each other’s shoulders, pretending to be good friends—though the look in their eyes as they glared at each other was full of mutual disgust.

Wen Ran smiled softly and muttered, "These two little guys get along quite well," before returning to his work.

As soon as Wen Ran looked away, the paws that had been resting on each other’s shoulders were immediately withdrawn, and they simultaneously began swatting at each other with their front paws. The four paws moved so fast they almost blurred, every claw putting its full force.

Seeing that Cat King’s speed was gradually surpassing his own, Silver Cat’s eyes lit up cunningly. He retracted his claws, pointed behind Cat King, and exclaimed, "Hey, a cub from the den has been dragged into the river by a big fish-beast!"

Hearing this, Cat King immediately turned around. Seizing the opportunity, Silver Cat butted him with his rear, sending Cat King stumbling to the ground.

Cat King was stunned and shocked, his expression toward Silver Cat incredibly complex—he had been knocked down by Silver Cat again!

If Cat King knew the term "green tea," he would definitely have used it to describe Silver Cat and fiercely called him a "Green Tea Cat."

But that wasn’t all. Silver Cat deliberately humiliated Cat King, using his fluffy, silver-white tail to swish it back and forth across Cat King’s face, taunting him while doing it.

He swished it until Cat King’s eyes squinted, his feline face showing a mix of anger and astonishment.

What was this sub-female doing? Didn’t he know Cat King was a male beastman?

Even if he was still a cub, he was still male!

Cat King felt embarrassed. His thick claws, which had been tightly gripping Silver Cat’s head, now hung loosely, unsure where to place them. It felt like anywhere he touched would burn his paws.

"Hmph, defeated! A loser beneath my claws!" Seeing Cat King seemed ready to admit defeat, Silver Cat jumped off his face with a swoosh, sat on the ground, and proudly licked his paws, giving a disdainful look at Cat King.

Cat King glanced at him, his gaze so intense it seemed liquid. This look made Silver Cat pause his paw-licking and instinctively take a step back. "Wh-what? What’s with that look?"

Cat King didn’t respond. He shook the yellow sand off his body and walked away with heavy steps.

Wen Ran thought the two little ones were just playing around and didn’t pay it any mind.

Back on Earth, the little cats he had raised would also play on each other when they gathered, so he didn’t think much of it and failed to notice the underlying tension between Silver Cat and Cat King.

***

To gather more food, everyone had been sleeping only three or four hours a day these past few days. After storing air-dried fish-beasts in seven or eight storage caves, the beastmen in the tribe split into two groups: one larger group stayed in the tribe to dig cisterns, while the other continued fishing and preparing air-dried fish-beasts.

There wasn’t enough time to dig a cistern for every den now.

Wen Ran decided that for every three dens, the beastmen would dig one large cistern, and the beastmen from those three dens would share the water from that cistern. Even so, they would still need to dig eighteen large cisterns.

After hearing Wen Ran’s idea, Stone Cat suggested, "The tribe should also dig two even larger cisterns as backup. If any den runs out of water, they can draw from the tribe’s backup cisterns."

Wen Ran gave Stone Cat a thumbs-up and praised, "The acting chief is indeed thoughtful."

This compliment actually made Stone Cat blush. His usually stern and unsmiling face quietly flushed red, leaving Flying Cat stunned for a moment before he started laughing heartily, soon followed by the entire tribe.

Flustered, Stone Cat said, "What are you laughing at? Is the work done? Hurry up and get back to work!"

Then he picked up a wooden bucket and headed toward the river, apparently to carry water.

Flying Cat walked up to Wen Ran, smiling, and said, "Stone Cat isn’t angry with you—he’s just embarrassed. Since he became acting chief, it’s been a long time since he’s been so childlike. He’s terrified of failing as acting chief, worried that by the time Chief Fierce Cat and the others return after the dry season, the tribe’s members might have gone to meet the Beast God. It’s almost become his nightmare! Thank you, Wen Ran. With you here, the burden on his shoulders has lightened. And as his mate, I haven’t been able to help him much."

Wen Ran shook his head. "Just by staying with him, firmly believing he will always be your Alpha Male, and taking good care of the cub in your womb—that is the greatest recognition for Captain Stone Cat."

The locations for building the cisterns were all within the dens of the Sand Cat Tribe. According to the tribe’s elders, the site of the Sand Cat Tribe had been chosen under the guidance of the Beast God. The soil was firm, and there had never been incidents of sand collapse, sand swallowing people, or den collapses.

After hearing this, Wen Ran felt it was safe to build the cisterns within the tribe’s dens.

He selected twenty dens with relatively higher terrain to build the cisterns. Considering the convenience for the beastmen’s water usage, he decided that every three dens would share one cistern. The cistern would be dug in the central den among the three, and the male beastmen were to dig the pit as deep as possible.

The male beastmen’s sharp claws made digging efficient, and soon, one square deep pit after another was dug, each about ten meters deep. Although the walls were relatively smooth, sand kept trickling down continuously.

It seemed that just digging a deep pit wasn’t enough for a cistern—waterproofing and reinforcement were also needed.

Wen Ran bought some cement bricks and waterproof mortar from his space. He mixed the bricks with frames to reinforce the cistern walls and also applied waterproof mortar to prevent water leakage and waste. He laid some crushed stones at the bottom of the cistern to enhance load-bearing capacity and drainage.

After finishing the interior, he set up a collection channel outside the cistern so that rainwater would automatically flow into the cistern during rains. He also installed a filter screen to prevent debris from being washed into the cistern with the rainwater.

Finally, he added a wooden lid to the cistern to keep out debris and prevent people or animals from falling in. The lid also helped reduce water evaporation.

After completing one cistern, Wen Ran conducted a water storage test. Fortunately, the waterproof mortar he chose worked well, and the cistern showed no signs of leakage.

Once the cistern was filled with water, regular cleaning of debris and sediment would be needed to keep the water clean. After the rainwater settled, the clear water from the top could be drawn, boiled, filtered, and then used normally.

This completed cistern served as a template. Stone Cat divided the male beastmen into groups of five and assigned them to build cisterns in several locations.

Wolf Blaze, however, chose to return to his den to build a cistern. Their den was on relatively high ground, at the edge of the tribe, and quite far from the other dens. Even the den of Stone Cat and Flying Cat, which was relatively closer, was still not convenient for daily water fetching.

Especially since Wolf Blaze didn’t want Wen Ran to work so hard, he felt it was best to build their own cistern. Wen Ran had actually considered this earlier, but since he had already proposed one cistern for every three dens, building a separate one felt awkward.

Wolf Blaze understood his hesitation. He didn’t care what others thought of him, as long as he could ensure Wen Ran and the three little ones had water to drink during the dry season. What the other beastmen said didn’t matter to him.