It was completely different from the part she had eaten earlier—this piece…was utterly unyielding!
Masa must have used very little water for this batch. Moreover, the bottom of the wooden basin wasn’t level, so she guessed most of the water had pooled in the section she had eaten.
Furthermore, she suspected this might be an ancient variety of wheat or perhaps the earliest hybrid of wheat and rice. Given how difficult modern wheat is to cook thoroughly, this could very well be the reason.
The moment this thought crossed her mind, she immediately asked, “Masa, how long did you cook these grains?”
“A very long time! It wasn’t even fully light when I got back from the shallows, and now it’s been quite a while!” Masa replied. “At the time, Jialuo also said it needed to cook longer, so I followed his advice. The time I spent could’ve been enough to make shrimp soup several times over.”
His words weren’t far off the mark. Realizing the issue, she pointed to the wooden basin and instructed Masa, “Pour all of this out. We’ll cook it again—it’ll probably take until noon. For breakfast, we’ll just have to make do with shrimp soup.”
“That long?” Masa was startled by her words but quickly regained his composure and efficiently followed her instructions.
Since he had prepared some clean water, a new pot of grain was soon ready. This time, Masa set up another fire. Sha Yi had him transfer the nearly finished shrimp soup to another wooden basin and move the grains into a stainless steel pot. The new fire would simmer the shrimp soup slowly, while the original fire would be used to boil the stainless steel pot, now filled with much more water.
From now until noon, as long as someone tended to the fire, the grains should cook thoroughly—though it seemed there might be a bit too much water this time.
But she didn’t stop Masa. After all, soaking the grains in extra water wouldn’t hurt. If luck wasn’t on their side, they could simply treat it as porridge. Besides, none of the people here had likely eaten anything like this before, so there’d be no basis for criticism.
Before long, the shrimp soup was ready, and Masa scooped some out for her.
Sha Yi didn’t refuse or stand on ceremony. They were practically family now, and like Xigu Marui, Masa didn’t fuss over trivialities. Moreover, people in this ancient era didn’t care much for superficial niceties, so there was no need for her to put on polite airs. Sincerity and directness were enough.
The shrimp soup still tasted great, and she didn’t tire of it at all. Though the broth was from the previous day, it was filled with fresh shrimp meat prepared just that morning.
Over the past few days, Masa had likely gotten a good sense of her appetite. So, this morning’s portion of shrimp soup wasn’t excessive—just a little more than what she usually ate.
From this small detail, it was clear he was a thoughtful boy.
He must have realized that leftovers wouldn’t taste as good the next day, and given her sensitive appetite, she might grow tired of preserved food at any time. His approach was wise.
His observations were meticulous, too. Though this consideration might make cooking more tedious, he had taken every aspect of her needs into account.
Masa seemed to have inherited some of Xi Yi’s traits deep down. While he didn’t get Xigu’s carefree nature, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. In this era, men like Xi Yi—rugged on the outside but gentle and considerate at heart—were exceedingly rare.
Perhaps, in just a few years, Masa would grow into a tender and shy man like Xi Yi.
The thought made Sha Yi chuckle.
Masa was puzzled at first, but when he turned and saw her smiling at him, his face instantly flushed red, and he shyly ducked his head.
Yet, after a brief pause, he couldn’t resist glancing back, his eyes full of hope as they lingered on her flat stomach. Embarrassed, he asked, “Sha Yi, will I get to see your baby by the end of summer?”
Sha Yi laughed.
She could tell how eagerly he awaited her and Xi Yi’s child. Likely, it was because he had been so lonely as a child. When she first joined Xi Yi and Xigu’s small group—even during the rainy season when they all lived together—Masa was the only child around. Now, with the addition of people from the dense forest group, they had a little girl and a baby among them. For Masa, this had indeed been a lonely existence.
But there was no helping it. Women were scarce to begin with, making it difficult not only to raise children but even to find a partner for reproduction. Moreover, Xi Yi’s group had an inexplicable one-to-one pairing rule, which made things even harder for them.
Right now, Masa’s longing was no different from Xi Yi and Xigu’s. She, too, wished for her child to be born soon. Her feelings mirrored theirs.
Meeting Masa’s eager gaze, Sha Yi smiled and nodded. “He’ll probably be born by the end of summer. Once he’s older, he’ll be able to play with you.”
Masa was thrilled by her words and immediately raised his hand excitedly. “I can teach him lots of things when he grows up! And I’ll pick all kinds of delicious wild fruits for him…”
His rambling made Sha Yi laugh again.
This was a child’s vow—utterly endearing, yet she found it completely reliable. Unlike the playful promises of modern children, Masa, in this ancient era, had already shouldered many responsibilities. In fact, he was even more capable than her in practical matters, so his words carried weight.
However, listening to him, she suddenly grew curious about his actual age and couldn’t resist asking, “Masa, how old are you?”
“How old?” Caught off guard by the question—one he didn’t quite understand—Masa blinked in confusion. “Huh?”
“Ah… I mean…” Realizing he might not grasp the concept of age directly, Sha Yi rephrased. “How many rainy seasons have passed since you were born?”
Once he understood, Masa answered promptly, “Twelve! Mother just mentioned it a few days ago. She said when I was born, Xi Yi had also lived through twelve rainy seasons, so I remember it clearly!”
Twelve cycles—that meant he was twelve years old. She had always assumed Masa was around eight or nine, never realizing he was already twelve.
And, unexpectedly, she had also learned Xi Yi’s age.
When they first met, Xi Yi had a fair bit of stubble, but since it was summer and he only wore an animal-hide skirt, his physique and taut skin made him seem far from old. Later, as they grew closer and she fell for him, she didn’t dwell on it—especially since modern pairings often involved older men and younger women.
Even after shaving his beard and seeing his true face, she hadn’t felt any disconnect between her guess and his actual appearance. She had always assumed Xi Yi was around thirty, never imagining he was so young.
Now, according to Masa, Xi Yi was only twenty-four—just three years older than her. It was a pleasant surprise, though Sha Yi was still a bit stunned.
But it didn’t really matter. As long as he wasn’t younger than her, it was fine. Otherwise, the thought of being cared for by someone younger—while she occasionally acted prideful—would’ve left her mortified upon learning the truth.
The realization lifted Sha Yi’s mood, making the shrimp soup taste even better.
But Masa wasn’t done probing about the baby. As he tended to the simmering grains, he leaned in and whispered, “Sha Yi, can you have a girl?”
Setting down her bowl, Sha Yi was intrigued. “Why do you want a sister?”
“Because…” Masa stumbled over his words, his gaze flickering away nervously.
Sha Yi waited patiently, but Masa never finished his sentence. He kept repeating a few words but couldn’t bring himself to say it outright.
Now thoroughly puzzled, she took his hand, urging him to continue.
Masa grew even more flustered, his face burning crimson. Finally, mustering all his courage, he blurted out, “Because Mother said grown men have a hard time finding partners, so they have to work hard to win one. Otherwise, they end up like Ximang and Xi Yi, waiting for years and barely finding anyone unless they’re lucky. So… I was hoping you’d have a girl…”
Sha Yi nearly choked on her shrimp soup. This time, it was her turn to be dumbfounded.
Masa’s reasoning… was downright shocking!
The boy seemed so sweet and considerate, yet here he was, already scheming at such a young age. Never mind the issue of close kinship—even if she did have a daughter, how old would he be by then?
By the end of next summer, he’d be a full thirteen years older than her child. This was some next-level “old cow eating tender grass” strategy, complete with a preemptive reservation. Unbelievable!
Even if older men paired with younger women was a thing, did the age gap really have to be this extreme?
Yet Masa remained oblivious to her stunned expression. When she didn’t respond, he grew anxious, tugging at her arm. “Sha Yi… please?”
Gaping at the boy whose face now rivaled a monkey’s backside in redness, Sha Yi finally managed, “No!”
“Why… why not?” Masa protested, distressed. “Mother said it’s fine!”
Sha Yi was floored. Xigu had gotten involved too? Clearly, she was backing her son’s play for a future partner!
But… this was a serious problem!
Yet, if she tried explaining why it wouldn’t work to Xigu and Masa now, would they even understand?
Frowning, Sha Yi wrestled with the dilemma. After some thought, she decided to table the issue for now, suppressing her concerns about close-kin relationships. Instead, she said, “That’s because I don’t know if the baby will be a boy or a girl yet. It’s too early to promise anything. What if it’s a boy? Would you still want to be partners with him?”
(What she really wanted to say was: *If it’s a boy, are you planning to go the other way?*)
But given their limited grasp of language, she opted for a gentler approach.
Masa, however, widened his eyes in horror!
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