Chapter 76: Ruan Chanchan : The Hunting Team Is Back
"Do you think the chief will listen to you?" Ruan Chanchan ignored the nagging feeling in her head and turned to look at the mer beside her. "I don’t think that she likes me much."
"Humph, I don’t like her son either, but don’t I listen to him when we are out hunting? If she cares for the tribe, she would certainly listen. If she doesn’t, then it has nothing to do with us. We did our best to save the tribe from starving. Didn’t we? At most, I will look around and see if there is any other tribe that can take us in. We cannot let the foolishness of this tribe kill us all," remarked Ruan Zeqiu with a scoff.
This tribe had never given him any warmth; if anything, it had only become a place for him to fight different kinds of battles every day, with them trying to target his sister all the time. If not for the fact that this place was where he and his sister were born, he wouldn’t have stayed here for so long.
Of course, with a reasonable chief like Chief Xie, he didn’t have much to complain about, but that still didn’t change the fact that this tribe had never been a home to him or his sister.
When Ruan Chanchan heard his words, she knew that it was his dissatisfaction speaking. She didn’t say anything and simply listened to him speak about how the tribe members had never treated them well because their mother had sacrificed her life for their father, who was an outsider. According to them, their father was not worth it, and the fact that she had given up on her life all for that mer who wasn’t even from their tribe didn’t sit well with them at all.
Of course, Ruan Chanchan agreed with what her brother said. He was right when he said that it was none of the damn concern of the tribe members. Mother Ruan loved Father Ruan, so even if she gave her life up for him, she must have been happy. Who were they to avenge her? And how were they going to avenge her by bullying her children?
If Mother Ruan were buried, Ruan Chanchan would have said that the woman would roll in her grave, but unfortunately, she was eaten, bones and flesh altogether. So there was nothing left for her to roll in her death.
"Alright, you can talk with Chief Xie about this method of curing meat tomorrow. Let’s see what she says about it. If she agrees, then it’s alright. If not, we can always look after ourselves," said Ruan Chanchan. However, she was confident that Chief Xie would agree. Since the salt-hunting team hadn’t returned, she was bound to agree.
Unfortunately, Ruan Chanchan thought way too optimistically. When Chief Xie heard Ruan Zeqiu’s suggestion, she hesitated at once. She was quite surprised and delighted upon hearing that Ruan Chanchan could make the holy flame, but she still didn’t trust her too much. Thus, she didn’t agree with the method at once and asked Ruan Zeqiu to let her think it over.
"Mother, why don’t you just agree?" Xie Daiyu asked with a frown. He just couldn’t understand why his mother wouldn’t give a chance to Ruan Chanchan. Even if the woman was a bit crooked and sharp-tongued, she was not a liar. If she said that she knew a method to cure meat such that it could be eaten for a long time, his mother should at least give Ruan Chanchan a chance.
What was more, the continuous rejection of his mother toward Ruan Chanchan made him feel like she was looking down at his destined one, and that didn’t make him feel any better!
Chief Xie turned and glared at Xie Daiyu. She snorted and said, "Just because you found out that she is your destined mate, you decided to pamper and support her all you wanted. But have you even considered what if her method doesn’t work? She just came up with the method and told us that this could preserve the meat longer. How can she be sure of that?"
"That meat hasn’t even been kept for three months yet! If this method doesn’t work and the tribe members blame me for that then what will I do?" though Chief Xie was also awed by Ruan Chanchan’s series of actions, she couldn’t just jump on conclusions.
Xie Daiyu snorted. He didn’t hold back and put the ugly words forward, "If they think that we are in the wrong then they can come and solve the problem. I am not supporting Ruan Chanchan without a reason, mother. But we truly do not have any other options left in front of us. Or do we?"
Upon hearing his remark, Chief Xie turned silent because what Xie Daiyu said was indeed correct. They truly had no other choice unless the hunting team returned—
"The Salt Team is back! They have arrived!"
Chief Xie’s eyes lit up when she heard the cheers that were coming inside the cave through the clearing of the territory. Finally, the salt hunting team came back. This way, she didn’t have to worry about taking the risks alongside Ruan Chanchan.
However, as soon as she rushed out of her cave with Xie Daiyu, she sensed that there was something amiss. The entire tribe was filled with a gloomy atmosphere, and someone seemed to be crying. Chief Xie’s heart skipped a beat when she realised that there was something amiss. She didn’t even think twice and jumped off the edge of the cliff. She landed firmly on the ground. Beside her, Xie Daiyu landed as well.
The two of them looked at Nan Wu, who was lying on the ground. There was a really ugly cut on the side of her stomach, and from the looks of it, the woman seemed to be breathing quite shallowly.
Chief Xie’s complexion turned pale, and she hurriedly questioned, "What happened?"