330: Chapter 330 Gratitude and Fear

Chapter 33: Gratitude and Fear

The cold winter continued to rage, and food was becoming increasingly scarce.

Bai Wanwan stood by the window of the Stone House, looking at the thick snow outside, her brows tightly furrowed.

Jin Yi had been leaving early and returning late for seven consecutive days.

Although Jin Yi had advanced to become an Orange Tier powerhouse, it would still be very dangerous if the Bear Clan made a comeback and used their entire clan's strength to surround and suppress him.

When she went out for the fifth time that evening to check, she finally saw his figure.

His face looked somewhat tired, and he sat quietly on a Stone Stool, his beast skin coat still covered with unmelted snow particles.

He seemed to be planning to process the prey first before entering the house.

Xin Feng and Yan Lie were in the house cooking and looking after the Cubs; she walked out into the wind and snow to meet him.

Seeing her, Jin Yi immediately stood up and said worriedly, "Why did you come out? The wind is strong outside. Wan Wan, you go inside first."

Bai Wanwan walked to his side and pulled him down to sit. "Is food very scarce now?"

"Yes, some beastmen don't even have a single piece of meat left in their homes," Jin Yi did not hide it from her.

"Then how much have you hunted these past few days, leaving early and returning late?"

"We can hunt a few head each day..."

With so many beastmen in the Tribe, hunting a few head a day was just a drop in the bucket.

The Bear Clan had hindered their hunting before the Rainy Season arrived, wanting to cut off their means of survival, blocking all their paths completely.

But what they didn't expect was that Jin Yi had also upgraded to become an Orange Tier powerhouse.

Her fingers gently massaged Jin Yi's forehead to soothe his fatigue and mood. "Didn't I plant potatoes before? If we distribute those to everyone, we can hold on for a while longer. Combined with what you usually hunt, perhaps we can reduce the deaths caused by hunger."

Jin Yi turned his head and held her hand, his warm, dry palm enveloping her cool fingertips.

"It hasn't reached the most difficult time yet. The Males can still hunt some food. Let's wait a bit longer."

This food was grown by Wan Wan herself. He hadn't given Wan Wan more things yet, so how could he take her things to solve the Tribe's difficulties?

Bai Wanwan shook her head. "Those potatoes were originally prepared for a famine. They'll go bad if kept any longer." She paused, her voice soft yet firm. "In a while, have the beastmen bring them out and distribute them."

She had planted the potatoes back then because she was worried the Bear Clan would cause trouble and the beastmen of the Golden Lion Tribe would go hungry.

It was also to repay Clan Leader Jin Cang's care for her and Jin Yi's kindness in risking his life to protect her during the beast tide.

But now, providing help in their time of need added something more to it.

These potatoes were not just food, but a debt of gratitude.

They would leave the Golden Lion Tribe sooner or later, but if she could make the Golden Lion Tribe's beastmen remember this kindness, her and Jin Yi's Cubs would receive more support when they grew up to take over the position of Clan Leader.

Jin Yi originally wanted to refuse, but Bai Wanwan told him her thoughts.

Sitting next to him, her hand held tightly in his, she said, "I can't finish these potatoes and I can't take them with me. Distributing them to your Clan Members now is for the best, don't you think?"

Jin Yi gazed at her, his golden eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the reflection of the snow.

"Alright."

He finally nodded, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand. "I'll go arrange it."

Two days later, Jin Yi chose an afternoon without wind or snow to distribute the potatoes.

Long-absent sunlight spilled onto the open ground in the center of the Tribe.

By the Clan Leader's personal order, baskets of potatoes were carried out from the cellar and piled up like a small mountain.

Jin Yi stood on high ground, his voice steady and powerful. "Each family will receive forty potatoes. Roast them in the fire until soft for the Females and Cubs to eat. Use them sparingly, and they can help you get through the hardest times."

Wrapped in a thick fox fur, Bai Wanwan stood beside Jin Yi, personally handing out potatoes to the beastmen in line with him.

Gratitude appeared on the faces of the Clan Members. Some beastmen who had been hungry for several days even had reddened eyes as they tightly held the potatoes and thanked her.

As they continued, Bai Wanwan saw a few beastmen turning their heads away, looking somewhat suspicious.

"Wait!"

As the other party was about to leave after receiving the potatoes, Bai Wanwan called out to them.

"Turn around and let me see."

But that Male's body went stiff, not daring to move.

"Turn around."

She repeated, her voice not loud, yet carrying an innate authority.

The beastmen queuing for potatoes were all grateful for Bai Wanwan's generosity, and her family had played a crucial role in the battle between the Golden Lion and the Bear Clan.

The prestige of Bai Wanwan and her Beast Husbands in the Golden Lion Tribe had reached an unprecedented high.

Everyone knew very well that they were only hungry now, but without Bai Wanwan and her Beast Husbands, their entire Tribe might have already been slaughtered by the Bear Clan.

In recent days, the story of how Bai Wanwan's several Males were seriously injured while protecting their Tribe, and how Bai Wanwan, as a Female, braved the cold and danger to personally go out of the city to find her Beast Husband, had spread throughout the Tribe.

Moreover, the Young Clan Leader had also become her Beast Husband.

In the hearts of the Golden Lion Tribe's beastmen, Bai Wanwan was already on par with the Clan Leader and the Young Clan Leader.

Thus, the surroundings grew rowdy.

"Female Bai Wanwan told you to turn around, didn't you hear?"

Stared at and urged by countless pairs of eyes, those few beastmen couldn't withstand the psychological pressure and could only slowly turn around with downcast eyes.

When Bai Wanwan saw their faces, she quickly understood why they were being suspicious.

It turned out they had a guilty conscience!

"You few," her gaze swept over them indifferently, "put down the potatoes and go find food yourselves."

One of the hot-tempered beastmen's expression changed. "Why can they receive them, but we can't?"

The corners of Bai Wanwan's lips curled up slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "Because I grew the potatoes, and I don't want to give any to you."

The surroundings instantly fell silent as everyone's eyes gathered on them.

Those few beastmen's faces flushed red as they shouted angrily, "You're intentionally targeting us!"

"That's right, I am targeting you." Bai Wanwan sneered. Since they dared to take the lead in causing trouble back then, they should have expected this day.

These were the same beastmen who had almost dug up her potatoes while causing trouble.

They almost ruined her potatoes, and now they wanted a share of the benefits? There's no such thing as a free lunch!

"As for why I'm targeting you, don't you know in your hearts?" Her voice wasn't high, but every word was clear.

Hearing this, they became even more embarrassed and angry, and began to incite the other beastmen. "She's an outsider Female, what right does she have to decide our food? Young Clan Leader, as a beastman of the Golden Lion Clan, how can you allow her to oppress your Clan Members like this?"

Bai Wanwan did not interrupt, simply watching their performance quietly.

Most of the beastmen present didn't know what had happened that day, so they remained silent, but mentally they still believed that Bai Wanwan and the Young Clan Leader wouldn't intentionally oppress their Clan Members.

The few beastmen kept swearing, trying to snatch the potatoes they felt belonged to them.

"Stop them!"

Jin Yi gave the order for the beastmen to stop them and not let them take a single potato.

Whispers from the beastmen came from around them. Bai Wanwan heard them but wasn't worried at all.

Today, she wanted them to feel both gratitude and fear!