Tanya threw the bamboo into her space and didn't bother with it for now. After bringing it home, she chose some thick pieces from the bottom and cut them to make containers for storing water. She showed Star and Moon how to pick the right ones, and then cut a slanted edge at the mouth so it would be easier to pour and drink from.
Maybe it was because the land here was natural and untouched, but the bamboo grew really thick. Just by looking, the diameter of the bamboo at the base was more than 25 centimeters.
She found an especially thick piece and kept the joints at both ends. Then she cut away one-third of the side, leaving two-thirds behind—this would be used for boiling water or cooking meat.
Star learned fast and quickly made several bamboo pots. These bamboo pots could burn easily, so it was a good idea to make more. Once the house was finished, she would need to fire some clay pots too.
"You two go to the river and bring back some water. Use these bamboo tubes."
She refused to drink raw water because of the risk of parasites. For now, since there were no pots or bowls, she could only boil the water in her space and take it out after.
"Okay!" The siblings each carried a bamboo tube and went to the river. They trusted Tanya completely and would do whatever she said.
Tanya continued working on the bamboo, cutting each piece to the same length and stacking them in a pile.
"What are you doing?"
A man's voice came from behind. Tanya turned and saw Miles already standing behind her.
"You're awake?"
She stood up and reached out to touch his forehead. "No more fever. How are you feeling?"
The girl's fresh scent suddenly reached him, and it made him pause. It felt unfamiliar and made him uncomfortable.
"I feel fine," he said.
And it was true. Just one nap and his wound hurt less. His body no longer felt like it was burning, and he didn't feel dizzy anymore.
Before meeting her, he thought he would surely die.
She had saved him.
Tanya didn't notice his awkwardness. In the past, she was the leader of the biggest base in the apocalypse. She led her people into countless battles. No matter who got injured, man or woman, they always helped each other treat wounds.
She walked behind him and checked his injury.
"Your body is really strong!" she praised.
"We'll put on some medicine again tonight, and it should be fine soon. But your injury is serious. Be careful. If it tears open again, it'll be troublesome."
Even though she had stitched it up, she still reminded him to take care. No matter how strong someone was, healing needed proper rest.
"Okay." Miles nodded at her.
"What are you doing?" he asked again, stepping forward.
"Building a house using bamboo." Tanya remembered that summers and winters were long in this place, and spring and fall didn't last long. For now, a bamboo house would do. Later, she might build a stone house somewhere better, otherwise they wouldn't survive the winter.
In this wild world, humans didn't live long. The average lifespan was under thirty-five. Many people died from sickness, hunting, or cold. But beastfolk lived much longer on average. Over time, beastfolk grew stronger while humans declined.
Now with Miles helping, he twisted vines to tie four bamboo sticks together to make support poles for the house. Then he tied bamboo together in rows to make the walls.
As long as she explained once, he understood. People from this world learned fast.
Star and Moon came back with the water. Tanya used one of the new bamboo pots to boil the water and cook the meat.
Sure enough, meat without seasoning tasted terrible. It smelled strong and had no flavor.
Right now, Tanya missed ginger, green onions, chili peppers, salt—anything to make it taste better.
But life in the apocalypse had taught her that even the worst-tasting food had to be eaten. Otherwise, you'd go hungry.
She forced herself to eat and kept working under the moonlight, tying more bamboo.
Everyone helped, and by the end of the day, they used up all the bamboo they had cut. The bamboo house now had three sides. Only the front wall and the roof were left.
"We'll cut more bamboo tomorrow," Tanya said.
"Okay!" Star answered sweetly.
Miles nodded. "Alright."
He stayed quiet and watched them. Everyone knew what Tanya used to be like, and now she could kill two giant pythons alone. Star was completely convinced she was sent by the gods.
After a while, he sighed to himself. At least after spending the day with them, he could see that she meant no harm to Star and Moon.
Fine, this was good enough.
Tanya had been too busy to notice, but now she realized Miles was still standing there. She casually told him, "Don't just stand around. Go do something."
Miles turned and started helping carry stones. Star looked at him, then at her sister, and gave a sly little smile.
When the new bamboo house was done, Tanya and Star slept on a rough bamboo mat on the inner side. Miles and Moon slept on dry grass on the outer side. A walkway separated the sleeping areas.
Before sleeping, she checked her stash of meat. The snake meat and cave lion meat were still mostly untouched. Looking at the piles of meat, she finally felt a bit of relief, like a rich farmer with enough food saved up.
Suddenly, she noticed her illustrated guide was glowing again. When she opened it, a new entry had been unlocked.
[Ci bamboo – a type of bamboo in the grass family. The flowers, bamboo core, leaves, young shoots, and roots can be used as medicine. Rarity: two stars. Reward: one packet of crop seeds.]
Tanya opened the reward and was thrilled—it was sweet potato seeds!
These could grow in dry, poor soil. As long as there was land, they would grow. Now she didn't have to worry about starving.
The next day, everyone went out to cut more bamboo. Tanya also checked out the area around the bamboo house.
They were at the edge of the tribe's land, far from the village. The land on both sides and in front of the house was flat—perfect for farming.
She made a rough plan. "You build your house here. I'll build a stone or brick house in the middle."
"Surround the whole area. I'm going to farm this land." She marked out the space with her hands.
Miles didn't get it. "Farm?"
"It means growing food. So even if we don't go out to gather, we can still eat." Tanya explained briefly. She didn't expect him to fully understand or agree, but the land had to be farmed.
But Miles quickly accepted the idea and even picked out a piece of land to build his house next to hers.
Everyone worked together and cut a lot of bamboo. By the end of the day, they had finished building two bamboo houses.
While clearing the ground, Tanya suddenly smelled a fresh, herbal scent—it smelled like traditional medicine.
She followed the smell and really found a small patch of patchouli!
This was a great find. It could be eaten, used as medicine, and most importantly, used to get rid of the strong smell of meat.
Without ginger or garlic, patchouli would be perfect for removing that fishy smell.
She quickly told Star and Moon, "Hurry, dig all of these up!"
"Stop! Who said you could harvest here?" a sharp voice came from behind.
"You're even gathering magic herbs? You really are one of the beastfolk!"