TPWBI Chapter 93

After discussing the housing construction with Hong Guang and the others, Yang Yi immediately returned to planning.

Building houses required manpower and the movement of various materials, which would disrupt previous arrangements. Careful planning was necessary. Only after thorough consideration and unanimous agreement could the work proceed.

Neither Yang Yi nor Hei Lie had the authority to act on a whim when it came to such a major undertaking.

This system also served to prevent a culture of impulsive decision-making. It provided effective supervision, whether as a constraint on future managers or a safeguard against their own incomplete considerations.

At present, the tribe was still continuously building houses, but there were still far too few. Most people only had a narrow space for sleeping.

Even so, compared to before, everyone was very satisfied.

The new houses could shield them from wind and rain. In winter, they had heating, a level of comfort unimaginable in the past.

Since winter began, no one had experienced sleepless nights from the cold, let alone risked freezing to death.

Yet for Yang Yi, this was still far from enough.

Now, reallocating some people to build houses at the canal would slow the pace of construction in the residential area. This was a major matter.

Although Yang Yi could have decided on this directly, implementing it required discussion and agreement from everyone.

At this point, the advantage of a large population became clear. Unlike before, when moving even a single person was extremely difficult, now there were plenty of people to draw from.

Whenever action was needed, someone was sure to come to him, complaining about a shortage of manpower.

The housing at the canal could be built to slightly lower standards, allowing more people to be mobilized.

They were now very experienced. As long as a main supervisor guided the construction, even novices could handle the work without compromising quality.

“Having lots of people is really great!”

Yang Yi put down the pen in his hand, stretched his body, and sighed in relaxation.

Although the population pressure was high, the demographic dividend it brought was very obvious.

“Next year, many new lives will be born, adding more people to our tribe.”

Hei Lie walked in from outside, holding a bowl of cleanly washed strawberries.

The strawberries were large and red, glistening with droplets of water, looking incredibly tempting.

He approached Yang Yi and, very naturally, picked the reddest, biggest one and brought it to Yang Yi’s mouth.

Yang Yi was about to open his mouth, but recalling the little ones’ words from earlier, he felt a bit awkward. He took the strawberry with his hand and bit down hard.

He even found it hard to look directly at Hei Lie, as strange images kept flashing through his mind.

“This strawberry is getting sweeter and sweeter. It’s grown outdoors, isn’t it?”

Hei Lie reached out and gently brushed the corner of Yang Yi’s mouth, which had a bit of juice on it.

Yang Yi froze, the warm touch lingering at his lips.

Hei Lie, however, didn’t see anything unusual in what he had done, remaining calm and composed.

“As long as you like it. Even without plastic greenhouses in the future, we can still ensure a steady supply. That way, you won’t have to worry about having no fresh fruit in winter.”

Speaking as if it were a casual remark, Hei Lie made Yang Yi feel like he was overreacting.

After a brief pause, Yang Yi continued the previous topic:

“I just went for a walk around. The fruit trees are all growing very well. Most of the saplings have survived.”

Talking about this made him happy again. “Qing said earlier that most of the fruit trees have the potential to bear fruit. If that’s really the case, the orchard I’ve dreamed of could very well become a reality!”

Since he was a child, Yang Yi had wished for a large orchard of his own, filled with all kinds of fruit trees—bananas, grapes, apples, lychees, cherries, and so on.

Actually, his parents had also contracted orchards in the countryside, with a fairly diverse selection of fruit varieties.

Every harvest season, even though he was extremely lazy, he would drag himself out of his cozy nook to help pick fruit, enjoying the process. But it still fell far short of what he had dreamed of.

Some fruits simply didn’t grow well in that environment. Even if they managed to bear fruit, the taste would be strange and far inferior to fruits grown in suitable climates and soils.

Now, things seemed different. In this other world, although attention to the plants’ habits was still necessary, the environment was far more accommodating.

Previously, Yang Yi had taken out seeds of various fruit varieties and experimented with planting them.

Although he couldn’t be sure at the time how well they would turn out, he had made extremely detailed plans.

The fruit tree area was farther from the living area than the vegetable and grain plots, with strictly divided zones: a peach orchard here, a mango grove there, and so on.

Now, everything had grown. Many saplings were already taller than Yang Yi.

“That’s really great news,” Hei Lie said with a smile. “Many of the fruits can even be made into wine, which will reduce the amount of grain we need for brewing.”

The tribe was still far from wealthy. The amount of wine produced remained very small. Most of it was used to trade for more food, furs, and other goods.

Even members of the tribe could drink only a little. Even Hei Lie, except for sipping a bit during certain special rituals, normally drank only what Yang Yi brought out.

Yang Yi himself didn’t have much either. He had sold quite a bit before, and now there wasn’t much left in his storage.

“You didn’t seem this eager for wine before.”

“In the past, it came at a steep cost, so I couldn’t really enjoy it. Now that we brew it ourselves, without any worries, I can truly taste its deliciousness,” Hei Lie said calmly.

“Speaking of wine, I brought back some snake meat from the canal site today. It tastes really good. Let’s have it tonight, with a bit of wine to go with it,” Yang Yi suggested.

Naturally, Hei Lie didn’t object. “I’ll go get the wine ready.”

“No need. Just use what I brought. There isn’t much left anyway,” Yang Yi said with a sigh. “After we finish this last bottle, apart from keeping a sample for memory, there won’t be any left.”

Hei Lie paused briefly and assured him, “We’ll refill it all again in the future.”

“Good, I look forward to that day,” Yang Yi said with a smile. If he wanted to return, this was something he truly had to accomplish.

Although golden nanmu was already extremely valuable, relying on a single item alone still didn’t mean the mission was complete.

He had once thought a population of a million was impossible to achieve, but now, it didn’t seem quite so far-fetched.

In less than a year, he had already completed just over two percent. Maybe it was possible, maybe not.

“I can’t bring out anything else now. From here on, we have to rely on ourselves,” Yang Yi said with a hint of disappointment.

Watching his storage gradually empty, he still felt very uneasy.

But seeing that the items he had brought now made up a smaller and smaller portion of the tribe’s supplies, he felt considerably reassured.

For now, everyone respected him deeply. He wondered if that respect would change once he had nothing left to contribute.

“You’ve already given more than enough,” Hei Lie said, gripping Yang Yi’s hand. His gaze was intense, sensing Yang Yi’s unease.

“You never need to worry about your position.”

The warm touch eased much of Yang Yi’s insecurity. He was also aware of his own contributions.

It was clear that everyone respected him. He was the soul of the entire tribe and could still play a vital role. Yet his heart couldn’t fully control the worry that lingered.

“I tend to overthink things,” Yang Yi said with a smile.

“You’re just cautious. Wanting to survive here, this is a necessary trait,” Hei Lie replied.

“Those who survive long are often not the strongest warriors. Their strength makes them careless. Arrogance leads to their downfall.”

Yang Yi nodded in agreement. In the tribe, the elders were rarely those who had once been powerful warriors.

“Thank you for comforting me. Clearly, you’re very suited to this kind of role,” Yang Yi said gratefully.

He seldom overthought things in daily life. Only occasionally would he indulge in deeper reflections on life, or silently groan in frustration. A little guidance from someone else was enough to dissipate his low mood quickly.

Hei Lie’s smile was dazzling and radiant. “It’s my honor.”

“But…” Yang Yi paused, his smile turning a little stiff. “When are you going to let go of my hand?”

Not only did Hei Lie hold his hand tightly, but he also occasionally caressed it. When Yang Yi tried to pull away, he remained perfectly still, which was unbearable.

“I want to hold it for a lifetime.”

Not only did Hei Lie not loosen his grip, but he held even tighter and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

Yang Yi felt a rush of blood to his forehead, his head buzzing.

“We’re going to have a collective wedding soon. Why don’t we get married that day, too?”

The sudden confession left Yang Yi completely stunned.

What was going on?!

How did it suddenly jump to this step, with no warning at all?

No, in fact, there really had been a warning.

Which man would willingly take time to cook for someone else while already extremely busy?

Especially in a place where a glance could lead to an embrace, with very few restrictions and complete honesty toward one’s desires, this young and strong man hadn’t shown any interest in anyone else.

Even the little details over time revealed Hei Lie’s differences.

Yang Yi had noticed them before, but given his own special status and the unique relationship with Hei Lie, he had rationalized them away.

Now, the other person had directly proposed without a hint of ambiguity or room for another explanation. Yang Yi had no choice but to face it.

“I’m a man,” Yang Yi couldn’t help but make one last struggle.

“I know,” Hei Lie grinned. “So what?”

Alright, that wasn’t a problem at all.

Yang Yi felt completely chaotic, like a tangled ball of yarn. He couldn’t make sense of anything.

“I’ll make you feel really good,” Hei Lie said confidently. “I’m better than anyone else, in every way. How about we try first?”

Yang Yi shivered, startled by the sudden boldness. He quickly pushed Hei Lie back, not daring to let him get close.

The other’s heated breath washed over him, making his whole body flush.

“Wait—” Yang Yi instinctively raised his voice, “this isn’t right.”

“Not right?”

“Let go of me first, my head’s a bit… mixed up.”

Hei Lie didn’t understand Yang Yi’s hesitation, but obediently released his hand.

“Sorry, I can’t agree,” Yang Yi finally managed to squeeze out after wrestling with himself for a long while.

“Why? I’m the strongest.”

Yang Yi laughed and cried at the same time. “This has nothing to do with strength. Does being weaker mean someone doesn’t have the right to propose?”

Hei Lie nodded firmly.

Yang Yi sighed in resignation. Alright, fine. This really was the way things worked here.

If you wanted to propose, you had to be strong enough.

This was even more obvious among the beastfolk, who often fought fiercely over mating rights.

“I’m not like you guys,” Yang Yi rubbed his forehead, trying to think of how to explain.

“The premise of being together is that we like each other. Everything else comes second.”

Hei Lie’s eyes shone brightly, radiating light, his tone firm and certain. “We like each other. I like you very much, and you like me too.”

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