On the third day after Sane left with the hunting team, Kaelen's house welcomed a new guest.
It was Uri, Roley's Papa.
When Uri arrived, Kaelen was checking the wound on the rabbit's leg. In just three days, the fracture had reconnected, and the cells had also begun to recombine. He guessed that in only about three to five more days, this rabbit would be completely healed.
"Kaelen! Are you home?"
Kaelen's hands, which were stroking the rabbit's ears, suddenly paused. He quickly walked to the door, looking at the visitor with doubt. Uri let out a somewhat stiff smile, his hands wringing his animal skin skirt, and said shyly:
"Well... I am Roley's Papa. Are you free? I, I want to discuss a few things with you..."
Kaelen nodded, reaching out his hand to invite Uri into the house. He poured warm water into a cup, added a spoonful of berry syrup, stirred it well, and handed it to Uri. Uri held the cup of water in his hands. Seeing the eye-catching bright red color inside and smelling the fragrance lingering around his nose, he couldn't help but bring it to his lips to take a sip.
Instantly, his eyes lit up. The water in the cup was both sweet and fragrant, completely different from the juice squeezed from berries.
Kaelen also made a cup for himself. After the awkward atmosphere was soothed by the berry water, he got straight to the point:
[Did you come looking for me because Roley has been getting too close to me?]
"No, no!" Uri hastily shook his head, then added: "I don't have any prejudice against you, nor do I have any reason to forbid Roley from being friends with you."
Uri set the cup of water down, nervously wringing the hem of his shirt tightly again, and mumbled:
"I... actually I... Well... Can you teach me how to make the barbecue seasoning? I can pay you for your work, from now on, half of my family's prey will be shared with you!"
Kaelen was slightly stunned, then the corners of his lips slowly curved up, blooming into a very bright smile. He had been feeling distressed about holding a pile of knowledge in his head without knowing who to pass it on to, but now it was great, wasn't there someone delivering themselves right to his door?
[Of course! There's no need for the prey, I also want to teach it to everyone anyway!]
"Ah!" Uri's mouth opened wide, his eyes so surprised they almost popped out. He truly didn't expect that Kaelen wouldn't want to keep such a precious thing entirely for himself!
Not letting Uri wait too long, Kaelen immediately set to work acting as a master. First were the Sima seeds. This season wasn't the fruiting season of the Sima tree, but everyone in the tribe knew its appearance. Kaelen only instructed Uri on when to harvest them, and what needed to be done after harvesting.
After finishing the explanation, Kaelen gave a handful of dried Sima seeds to Uri, instructing him to roast the seeds until they turned slightly pale yellow, and when the rich fragrance wafted out, to spread them out to cool down a bit, and only then crush them into pieces.
[If making soup, there's no need to crush them, just throwing them in like that is also very fragrant, and they can even be eaten directly. In winter, if your hands and feet get cold, roast these seeds hot, then wrap them in thin animal skin, and place them on the soles of your feet or hold them in your hands.]
Uri listened, his mind opened up, and he couldn't help but sigh in admiration:
"I didn't expect such a fragrant thing to be made from that inedible Sima fruit. There aren't many of these around our tribe, but there are plenty in the demonic beast forest. Next time, I must tell my family's silly bear to take the opportunity to pick a little more."
This was also the first time Kaelen had heard this. That made sense, previously no one had told him at all, not even his few close friends; as soon as they heard he wanted to teach them how to make the seasoning, they immediately dodged the topic, not wanting to steal his knowledge.
Kaelen suddenly thought, if the Sima tree could grow at the edge of the tribe, that meant the soil and climate here were also compatible with it. Why couldn't they take cuttings to plant it?
As soon as this thought flashed by, in order not to let it slip away, Kaelen immediately took out his pencil and Birch paper to record it down. Uri admired him even more endlessly.
Except for the Priest and a few high-ranking people in the tribe, only Kaelen knew how to read and write. That was the writing of the Beast God, even if the tribesmen wanted to learn it, they couldn't.
Next was Thick Mushroom Sauce.
Making this was extremely meticulous, requiring the maker to be extremely patient. Fortunately, Uri was a hardworking and enduring person; he tried to memorize every one of Kaelen's actions.
Before learning it, he already found it precious; after learning it, he found it even more precious. He didn't expect the processing work to be so meticulous. Yet Kaelen didn't hesitate to teach him. The scale in Uri's heart had completely tilted towards Kaelen.
It was already late afternoon by the time Uri finally finished learning the barbecue seasoning recipe. He left a little of everything for Kaelen, and brought the rest back. Before he left, Kaelen held him back and gestured:
[This thing, if others like it, you can teach it to them. However, don't say that I taught you, just say that you came up with it yourself.]
Uri's eye sockets stung slightly, and a wave of bitterness swelled in his heart. What kind of incredibly good person was this, how could everyone treat him like that? He gently shook his head, holding Kaelen's hand, and said:
"When I came here, I already broadcasted it for everyone to know. I'm not afraid of those ignorant fools. Kaelen, after I return, only those who don't shun me will be worthy of having these things. You can rest assured."
After saying that, Uri hesitated for a moment, then added: "Actually, not everyone has a prejudice against you, some people are just following the crowd. Kaelen, if later they are also like me and want to be friends with you, will you forgive them?"
Kaelen was slightly dazed. Except for the people who had cared for and looked after him since childhood, along with the group of young beasts he had just won over, everyone else shunned him. He had thought the whole tribe hated him.
[If they aren't afraid of me, then it's fine.]
Uri smiled very brightly, holding Kaelen's hand and shaking it: "They definitely won't, I guarantee it. Tomorrow we are going foraging in the small forest, will you go with us?"
Kaelen hesitated for a moment, and Uri pleaded again: "Please go, they really aren't bad!"
In the end, Kaelen still shook his head. He really wanted to have many friends in the tribe, but if those people went with him, they would definitely be shunned and ostracized just like him. For example, Elian and Cael; they were also subconsciously shunned by everyone. The two of them were already nineteen years old just like him, yet no beastman had asked to marry them, wasn't it because they were his friends?
Kaelen's refusal made Uri slightly disappointed, but in his heart, he quickly perked up, thinking to himself: *If he won't go with them, then they can also come looking for him. Kaelen is so kind-hearted, he definitely won't be annoyed when they come to visit him.*
Thinking of this, Uri immediately cheered up, said goodbye to Kaelen, and took the barbecue seasoning to go home. Along the way, everyone he met on the road looked at him with scrutinizing eyes mixed with wariness. Even when he greeted them, they ran far away. Uri rolled his eyes in contempt.
Hmph! Tonight, I'll use the new seasoning to roast meat and make you all die of craving!