RPS – Chapter 38 Gathering, Bonfire Party?

Li Feng and the others saw the two people outside the fence from inside the house. They had already heard someone calling, and looking out the window, they saw that it was the tribal chief and Ka from the new tribe. The door was just a wooden gate without a lock, simply resting closed. From inside, Li Feng responded casually and let the chief open the door and come in by himself.

“Chief, what brings you here?” They all quickly stood up to welcome them. They had originally planned to go look for them, but they hadn’t expected them to arrive first. What could be the matter?

“Oh, it’s just to let you know that there’ll be a gathering today,” the chief said as he sat down. Then he pointed to Ka next to him and continued, “Ju and Hao — those two are Ka’s younger brothers. Yesterday, we were worried there wouldn’t be enough room here, so Ka stayed with us. He came early today to check in, worried that the two kids might not have adapted.”

That’s the real reason, huh? Li Feng grumbled internally but kept a polite smile on his face. “They’ve been very well-behaved and obedient.”

Ka stepped forward and held his younger brothers’ hands. “Thank you for taking care of them.”

“It’s nothing. Would you like to join us for some food?” Li Feng, used to polite gestures, extended the offer. The two little ones hadn’t even finished eating yet — they’d just started when the guests arrived.

“Ka, stay here with Ju and Hao. Eat with them, and then go together to the gathering,” the chief said as he got up, asking Ka to remain. Ka hadn’t slept much last night because he was worried about his younger brothers. That’s why he came running over without even eating breakfast.

Ka looked at Li Feng and the others, seeking their response.

“Sure,” Li nodded in agreement.

“Then come eat with us. We made plenty of food today anyway,” Li Feng pulled Ka over to the table and sat him down. Nuo had already brought out a clean set of bowls and chopsticks. Li Feng felt their family was getting more and more in sync.

Li Feng originally wanted to walk the chief out, but because of his visit, the baby had ended up in Mo’s arms — and just as he was feeding. Probably because it had been too long since he was last fed, the baby started wailing loudly.

“Take care, Chief!” Li Feng quickly scooped the baby into his arms, gave a brief farewell, and immediately began feeding the child.

There weren’t any baby bottles here, so they used a small spoon instead. Mo wasn’t very good at feeding, and the hungry baby, having barely gathered the strength to cry, was now bawling full force to get his father to feed him. He was starving!

“Oh… There, there, baby. Eat up!” Li Feng brought the spoon to the baby’s lips.

As soon as he smelled the familiar scent of milk, the baby eagerly opened his tiny pink mouth and drank it all in one go. The spoon had been specially made by Li under Li Feng’s guidance. It was carved from a branch of a jujube tree and had been carefully sanded smooth after a long time. The spoon was very small — just the right size for the baby’s little mouth — making feeding much easier.

“Is this your child?” Ka looked at the soft, chubby baby and reached out, wanting to touch his little cheek. But then, as if afraid his rough hand would harm him, he hesitated and withdrew.

“Yes, his name is An,” Li Feng replied as he wiped the milk from the corners of the baby’s mouth.

“Hehe… So cute,” Ka said, sitting next to Li Feng. From there, he could see the baby waving his chubby hands, trying to grab the spoon himself. His big black eyes sparkled, and his tiny mouth puffed as he sucked — it was absolutely adorable.

“Let’s eat first. The food’s going to get cold. After eating, we’ll go to the gathering,” Nuo quickly called everyone to the table. Ju and Hao visibly relaxed upon seeing their older brother arrive. And once they were seated, they couldn’t stop picking at the food — one bite after another.

Ka nodded. He hadn’t paid attention to what was on the table earlier, but once he picked up his chopsticks, he was surprised — so many colorful dishes, several of which he didn’t even recognize. For breakfast, Li Feng had made hot bean porridge, corn steamed buns, wild vegetables with salted meat, and stir-fried eggs — though no one knew what kind of eggs they were. With a bit of julienned ginger, they were stir-fried and turned out very fragrant.

The once ever-present roast meat on the table had been banned by Li Feng. Eating greasy meat early in the morning wasn’t good. At first, Li and the others weren’t used to it, but Li Feng’s breakfast now tasted way better than just grilled meat. In the morning, people usually weren’t that hungry anyway — some warm porridge and a soft steamed bun felt much more comforting.

Ka stared at the table full of food, momentarily unsure of where to start. In the end, his two younger brothers helped him — and they had learned from Nuo and the others. Nuo watched Ka go from stunned, to amazed, to delighted, and chuckled secretly. As expected — only they knew how to make food like this!

After the meal, everyone rested briefly before preparing to head to the open space at the center of the tribe for a gathering. During the meal earlier, Ka had already found it hard to believe that besides fruit and meat, there were such delicious foods in the world. He thought that maybe migrating their tribe here really had been a great decision.

By the time Li Feng and the others arrived at the gathering, many people had already assembled. There were quite a few unfamiliar faces, and Li Feng figured those were probably from Ka’s tribe. Some women and children stood together, with a dozen or so men standing protectively nearby. They were all very strong, though their bodies bore many scars. If there were only these few men, it would clearly be difficult to support all the women and children, considering there were two to three times more women and children than men.

“Those are all my tribesmen,” Ka explained when he noticed Li Feng and the others watching.

Li’s arm was still draped around Li Feng’s shoulder as he gently brushed back some strands of Li Feng’s long hair that had been ruffled by the wind. “It’s getting windy…”

Li Feng adjusted the fur blanket around the baby in his arms, especially covering the little belly tightly. “It might rain in a couple of days?” It was already autumn, and after the rain, the temperature would likely drop quickly. Winter really wasn’t far off.

With the new tribe joining them, they’d need more food. Although hunting had become easier with traps, prey was getting scarcer as the weather cooled. Li Feng worried—would they be able to store enough food to survive the winter?

Just as Li Feng was lost in thought, everyone had more or less arrived, and the tribal chief began speaking. “As you all know, the people of the new tribe have arrived. These beside me are them. I’ve gathered everyone today to discuss their arrangements. We don’t have time to build new houses now, winter is approaching fast, so we need to focus on storing food.” He paused, seeing that everyone was listening intently. “From now on, they are our people. So, if anyone has space at home, please temporarily take them in. Once the weather warms up next year, we can build new homes.”

Everyone immediately understood the hidden meaning behind the chief’s words. He was basically saying that if there were any men who wanted wives, now was the time to bring one home—this whole winter would be enough for them to get to know each other. The people from Ka’s tribe naturally understood this implication as well, but they couldn’t refute it. After all, it wasn’t stated outright. Moreover, they had already mentally prepared for this before migrating. In such an environment, women did need to rely on men to survive.

Ka’s tribe wasn’t large—only about forty to fifty people. Of them, there were just over a dozen men; the rest were women and children. Those without spouses or children in the original tribe took the women and children home, leaving the dozen or so young men standing alone awkwardly.

These young men had all once been warriors of their tribe, but now, none of them were chosen or wanted. They had only just come of age and hadn’t yet taken wives. The older warriors had all died protecting the tribe, leaving survival opportunities to the younger generation.

These young men, caught in the awkward stage between boyhood and manhood, were now left behind. With many men in the tribe, women didn’t worry about not finding someone reliable to rely on, leaving these younger ones out in the cold.

The tribal chief, Zheng, noticed their awkward expressions and quickly stepped in to arrange housing—placing each man with a family that had fewer laborers. No one objected. The chief still held authority, and his arrangements were thoughtful. Families with less manpower were glad to receive the help.

In the end, Ka and Ju, and Hao were both assigned to live with Li Feng’s family. The chief explained it was because they were “familiar” with each other. Li Feng was speechless—familiar? They’d only met the kids yesterday, and Ka had only eaten breakfast with them that morning! If familiarity was the standard, wasn’t the chief even more familiar with Ka? After all, Ka had stayed at the chief’s house while recovering from his injuries.

The chief claimed that he didn’t want to separate the three brothers, so even though he himself was closer to Ka, he felt it best to keep the brothers together. As for Ju and Hao, the other child’s placement, the chief said it’d be better for them to have Mo to play with. All in all, the core reason remained: they’re more familiar.

Li’s expression darkened. Their home wasn’t that big to begin with, and now there’d be no privacy at all. Even before, when he wanted to be intimate with Li Feng, they’d have to send Mo and the baby to the other room. Now that more people were living with them, doing anything would be near impossible—especially since Li Feng was quite shy.

He had to stop the chief’s arrangement. “Chief, our house isn’t big enough, as you know. Nuo and Bu aren’t even living together yet.”

They had four rooms, one living room, a dining room, and the rest were occupied—two rooms for Bu and Nuo, and the remaining one for their family of four. There was no extra room left.

Li figured the chief didn’t know that Bu and Nuo had already started living together. The supposedly empty room was now reserved for Mo and the baby, so he and Li Feng could have some private time. As for Ju and Hao and the two kids, they’d fallen asleep last night before Bu and Nuo had, and woke up after Bu had already risen, so they wouldn’t have known Bu and Nuo shared a room. Perfect excuse.

The chief glanced at Ka, who was chatting with Li Feng not far away, rubbed his chin, then turned back to Li, who looked completely earnest. Hmm, he hadn’t considered that—he had assumed Bu and Nuo were already together. Turns out Bu still hadn’t won over that innocent (or slightly clueless) Nuo? In the chief’s eyes, Nuo was that type, and now Bu was grouped with him. He used to think Bu was clever, playing the long game, but now it seemed he still hadn’t succeeded. What a disappointment. Maybe he should teach him a thing or two about winning someone over.

“Alright then, Ka and the kids can stay at my place. We’ve already got a lot of people there anyway,” the chief finally relented. It seemed Li still didn’t like others interfering in his life, just like before. If it weren’t for how close Li Feng and Nuo were, he probably wouldn’t have agreed to live together either. He was still that aloof guy who disliked unnecessary chatter. If he didn’t mind, he wouldn’t have approached the chief about this at all. Li had always been straightforward and brief—barely spoke unless he had to. But his hunting skills were top-notch. As for the formerly introverted Li Feng, he had changed a lot lately—now chatting and laughing with Ka and the others, his smile looking brighter and more cheerful than ever.

“Mn.” Li nodded and went off to find Li Feng so they could head home. Finally, a day off from hunting—he just wanted to relax with Li Feng. Being together felt warm and comfortable.

Once everyone was assigned, the chief made a final announcement: “To welcome Ka and the others to our tribe and to celebrate us living together from now on, we’ll have a gathering here tonight with roasted meat and time to get to know one another.”

Li Feng’s first reaction was—“Bonfire party?” Could this be the most primitive form of a bonfire gathering? He was really curious what it would be like!

As they walked back, Li Feng was daydreaming about what kind of scene the bonfire party would be. He didn’t even notice that Li had been holding his hand the entire way, while he carried the baby in the other arm. Nor did he notice that people along the path were all smiling as they looked at them. The usually shy Li Feng had become increasingly outgoing. The same person who had once loudly declared “Not doing it tonight!” was now walking hand-in-hand with someone—openly.

Li held Li Feng’s hand. Compared to Li, Li Feng was a head shorter and noticeably more slender. Li had that kind of understated, well-proportioned muscular build—subtle yet beautiful. Their shadows stretched out long on the ground, merging into one. It was an image of harmony and happiness.

Nuo and Bu, who saw them, felt too embarrassed to step forward and interrupt. Nuo held Mo’s hand, trailing slowly behind them. He glanced sideways at Bu walking beside him. This blockhead didn’t even realize he was holding his hand. Watching Li and Li Feng so blissfully happy, he couldn’t help but think—how nice it would be if he could stay like this too.

“Oh no!” Li Feng suddenly exclaimed once they got home.

“What’s wrong?” Li was startled, thinking something serious had happened. He rushed over, checking him anxiously.

Seeing Li’s worried frown, Li Feng suddenly laughed. “It’s nothing major—I just forgot to tell the clan leader about the wheat.”

“Ah, that’s fine. We’ll tell him tonight.” After all, there would be a bonfire gathering tonight, and everyone would be there.

That sudden shout of “Oh no” had really given Li a scare. “You startled me—you owe me,” he said, stepping forward and pulling Li Feng into his arms, kissing him directly.

The baby had already been put on the bed, and they were now in their own room, so there was no need to worry about Bu or the others barging in. The fence gate was shut, and they weren’t the type to ruin the mood.

“Hey, what kind of nonsense are you on now?” Li Feng managed to push Li’s face away, panting as he scolded him. In broad daylight, no less! Didn’t they take care of this with a hand last night?

“I told you, it’s compensation for scaring me.” Li had grown increasingly cheeky in front of Li Feng. He never used to be like this—barely said a word back then. But ever since they’d done that, he’d been more affectionate and more prone to taking liberties.

Before Li Feng could even respond, his mouth was sealed again. That fierce kiss made Li Feng wonder—was Li trying to devour him or smother him to death?

Just as Li Feng was beginning to think, well, since I can’t resist and it actually feels pretty good, maybe I should just let him have his way…—a loud “Waaah waaaah…” pierced the room.

Ah, the baby!

Li Feng quickly pushed Li away, wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth. His lips were swollen, his tongue numb, and his chest… was sore and puffy. How was he supposed to face anyone like this? It was still broad daylight! With the way he looked now, anyone could guess exactly what they’d been up to. Thank goodness for the baby—for saving him from the fire and water, so to speak.

“The baby’s crying.” The perfect excuse to escape. His chrysanthemum couldn’t take another round. After what happened last time, it had taken two whole days before he dared to use any force down there. And he couldn’t eat meat either—it had been pure torment. Though it had felt good in the moment, the aftermath had been pure suffering. Especially since Li had finished inside him—it took a lot of effort to clean up, and Li had even helped him wash. But the moment he was clean, Li had gone and eaten him again—so it was all for nothing.

“Oh dear, wet the bed, huh? Well, since your Dad is home today, he can handle it.” Li Feng had always insisted the baby call him “Papa.” As for what to call Li, he hadn’t even asked Li’s opinion—he’d just decided the baby should call him “Dad” instead. Simple enough.

Li looked at Li Feng—who had deliberately left him the chore of cleaning the baby’s wet animal hide bedding—with helpless indulgence. “Alright, I’ll wash it. But wait for me. When I get back, we’ll continue. We still have the whole day to ourselves.”

“I’m ignoring you.” Li Feng cleaned the baby’s bottom, then wrapped a piece of animal hide around the baby’s waist. In this weather, there was no need for diapers—animal hide diapers were too stuffy. It was more comfortable to just let him be bare, like wearing an open-crotch style. Actually, the animal-hide skirt was even better—he touched the baby’s smooth, chubby little butt. So nice. If they used diapers, the baby’s bottom might get a rash.

Li Feng gathered his hair to the front, trying to hide the redness and swelling on his chest. What he didn’t realize was that the faint red marks showing through the black strands actually drew even more attention. But he didn’t have many options—there were no clothes here, and he couldn’t just wrap himself in a piece of hide. That would be even more suspicious. Besides, only women wrapped themselves like that.

“Nuo, are these gatherings at night fun and lively?” Li Feng asked once he returned to the hall, where Nuo, Bu, and Mo were chatting.

“Yes, very lively. There’ve been a few since before you came. The last one was when the chief first took his position. It was really exciting. A lot of us grilled meat, ate, danced, and sang together. It’s been a long time since we had anything that festive—I really miss it. And now, with the new tribe joining us, it’s a big occasion. It’s sure to be even livelier, with more people too.” As Nuo talked about the last bonfire gathering, her face was full of nostalgia and excitement. Clearly, it had been a great time.

Ah, Li Feng was already thinking about roast lamb, roast suckling pig… Weren’t those standard at bonfire parties?

At last, evening came. Li Feng, excited, headed out with Nuo and the others, bringing along the ginger sauce he’d made and a variety of spice powders he’d gathered from the mountains last time. He was ready to feast—he hadn’t even eaten dinner.

Li stuck close to him the entire day, practically glued to his side. With this rare day off, he wanted to take advantage of every chance to enjoy himself. That was also one of the reasons Li Feng was so eager to get to the bonfire party—there’d be so many people there, surely Li wouldn’t try anything in public!

Around the outskirts of the tribe, when the houses were built, thorny vines and brambles had been planted all around. That helped ward off wild animals, since even they feared sharp thorns. So during nighttime gatherings, there wasn’t much worry about beasts. Plus, with all the firelight and the crowds, no animal would dare approach.

Li Feng, however, didn’t realize that sometimes even the most carefully laid plans couldn’t keep up with sudden changes…