This way, by the time Xi Yi returned, she would only need to wash herself, change clothes, and then clean the dirty garments. Of course, she’d have to dry them by the fire—otherwise, she’d have nothing to wear. This was an essential trick for any auntie!
Outside, heavy rain poured down, making it easy to fetch water. With Xi Yi’s quick hands and feet, she barely had time to sit on the large leaf by the tub before he handed her the water.
Gathering plant ash didn’t take long either. Sha Yi only wrapped one bundle, while Xi Yi, curious about the rest, took it to try wrapping himself.
She didn’t stop him. Instead, while he was outside handling the ash, she quickly cleaned the bloodstains from her body and changed into fresh clothes. However, with no other options for washing, she had to slip on a pair of shorts over her clean clothes, figuring she’d switch back once they dried.
Beyond the partition of animal hide, Xi Yi’s ash-wrapping skills were far from impressive. After a while of fumbling, more ash ended up spilled than wrapped. Sha Yi watched for a moment before shaking her head and taking over the task herself.
It was still early, and with the rain, most people were asleep. Sha Yi thought it best to wash the dirty clothes as soon as possible—partly to have them ready to wear sooner, and partly because delaying might make them harder to clean. Besides, with few people awake at this hour, she could avoid some awkwardness.
Yet, there were still issues. She was already feeling a bit uncomfortable, and without rain gear, going outside wasn’t ideal. Washing at the cave entrance wasn’t an option either, given the bloodstains. Doing it inside would mean endless trips fetching and dumping water, which would be exhausting.
But it turned out she was overthinking it. Before she could even touch her dirty clothes, Xi Yi had already taken them away.
Dumbfounded, Sha Yi watched as Xi Yi busied himself placing the clothes into a large wooden container. It took her a moment to snap out of it, and then, flustered and embarrassed, she hurried over to snatch them back.
Unexpectedly, Xi Yi swiftly dropped the clothes, firmly blocking her move before scooping her up in his arms. While she was still stunned, he gently placed her into the fur-lined tub. Then, as if remembering something, he turned and pushed aside the hide partition, striding out of the small private space.
Sha Yi was confused, but the dull ache in her lower abdomen made her decide to stay lazily in the tub, wondering what Xi Yi was up to.
She didn’t have to wait long before he returned.
This time, he held a thin piece of white fur. As he approached, she realized it was likely the same fur he’d brought back during a hunt on a sunny day, stuffed into a vine basket. Now, it looked neatly prepared, unlike its earlier disheveled state.
She’d only glimpsed it once before and hadn’t seen it since. Now, she had no idea what he intended to do with it. Unable to guess his thoughts, she waited for him to explain—unless he planned to use it as some sort of makeshift diaper.
Her mind was still wandering when Xi Yi sat beside her. Snapping back to reality, she saw him solemnly drape the white fur over her. After a long pause, he spoke haltingly, “Sha Yi, ever since I lost the first piece of fur in the forest that day, I’ve wanted to give you another. But because of the weather, I couldn’t finish preparing this one properly…”
His words weren’t entirely clear to her. Instinctively, she thought he was simply gifting her fur, but his solemn demeanor, mixed with a hint of awkwardness, reminded her of the time during their migration when he’d mistaken her actions for an attempt to escape. Suddenly, she understood—mostly—and couldn’t resist teasing him.
Eyeing the muscular man who struggled with words, Sha Yi blinked and prodded, “So? Are you giving me this fur? Why?”
As expected, her teasing made him press his lips together in silence.
After waiting a while with no response, Sha Yi regretted her impulsiveness and was about to explain when Xi Yi suddenly spoke again, “When a man gives a woman hide or fur, it means he likes her. If she accepts it, she accepts him. You said you wouldn’t leave me. The first time, you already accepted me. This is just a replacement. You can’t refuse.”
This time, his words were markedly different—not only smoother but carrying a hint of domineering possessiveness.
Sha Yi was stunned. Had she accidentally unleashed his innate, shameless dominance?
After a moment’s thought, she decided it was highly likely. Suppressing a laugh, she smirked and asked, “With so few women here, what do you think about a woman having multiple partners?”
Instantly, Xi Yi’s expression darkened. His deep, beautiful brown eyes locked onto her, as if struggling to respond.
Seems like… the joke went too far.
Feeling guilty under his gaze, Sha Yi nervously pointed in a random direction and mumbled, “I-I’ve seen other tribes where that happens… I was just talking… not about me. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I don’t want you to have other men.”
His unexpected response held jealousy but not anger, sadness but not fury.
Caught off guard, Sha Yi looked up to see Xi Yi staring at her with pain in his eyes.
“In our tribe, partners are one-to-one. Maybe other tribes share women for the sake of offspring. But if it came to that… I’d rather have no children than share you with another man.”
Stunned by his words, it took her a long moment to regain her composure.
He was just like her—only accepting unwavering loyalty. That moved her deeply, especially in this ancient world where offspring and reproduction were revered. A woman with multiple men might have been the most practical way to survive and thrive.
But Xi Yi, like her, couldn’t tolerate it. In that case, he—and perhaps their entire small group—might be considered emotional outliers in this era.
What shocked her even more was his stance on offspring. Even in modern times, after thousands of years of cultural evolution, many still couldn’t accept such a notion. Yet here he was, saying it outright.
Now, what weighed on her most was that she’d made such a joke, causing him pain and filling her with guilt. Without another word, she wrapped her arms around his waist and whispered, “I’m sorry, Xi Yi. I wasn’t serious. I just wanted to tease you. Like you, I only believe in love between two people.”
Before she could finish, he pulled her into a tight embrace, his grip growing stronger, as if no amount of holding could make him feel secure. Sha Yi stayed silent, letting him hold her.
After a long while, she heard his low murmur by her ear: “Sha Yi, the first time I saw you in the marsh, I knew I wanted to be with you forever.”
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