Ophelia’s blunt words struck Loki across the face like a slap. He glared at her, fuming, "It’s just a piece of cowhide, why are you being so stingy?"
"Michelle is frail and gets sick easily during the rainy season. Having this hide could prevent her from falling ill. Can't you be a little less selfish? Besides, Amy often goes to play with Michelle. Won't you feel bad if she catches something from her?" Loki lowered his voice, his tone veering toward a threat.
Michelle urged, "Loki, please don't argue with Ophelia on my account. I’d rather be sick than see you two at odds. I'll just keep Amy from coming over once the rainy season starts. I can bear it."
Ophelia crossed her arms, watching the performance in silence.
Seeing her mother refuse to even spare her a glance, Amy’s eyes welled with tears as she bit her lip. "I don’t want Auntie Michelle to be sick! Ophelia, if you don’t give the cowhide to Auntie Michelle, I won’t acknowledge you as my mother anymore!"
The words that had always worked like a charm before were met only with silence this time. Enraged, Amy swung her tiny fists at Ophelia. Taylor’s brown eyes rippled with dark, turbulent emotions.
"Even if you are the daughter of the chieftain, I will not allow you to hurt her."
"You stinking male!" Amy pounded her small fists against Taylor’s leg, even resorting to biting him in her frustration.
"Amy, let go! Did I ever teach you to bully people like this?" Seeing Taylor’s wrist bleeding from the bite, Ophelia scolded her sharply.
Amy, who had never been reprimanded in such a tone by her mother, recoiled in shock, turned, and dove into Loki’s arms. "Waaaah! Father, I don't want her as my mother! Drive her away, end your partnership with her, and kick her out of the Snow Wolf Tribe!" Crystal-clear tears streamed down her palm-sized face.
The corners of Michelle’s mouth curled slightly as she reached out to pat Amy’s head with feigned concern. "Amy, Ophelia is only angry because you hurt Taylor. Deep down, she still loves you."
"I don't want her love! I don't want her as my mother, I want Auntie Michelle to be my mother!"
Seeing his daughter sobbing so heart-wrenchingly, Loki cooed softly to comfort her. "Hush now, Amy. It’s your mother who is bad. Father will teach her a lesson for you later, alright?"
Amy stopped crying and hiccuped, "Then you have to make her apologize to Auntie Michelle and give the cowhide to her!"
"Alright, alright, alright."
Ophelia raised an eyebrow. This was her wonderful daughter—even while crying, she was still plotting to secure benefits for her Auntie Michelle.
"Did you hear that? Once we return to the tribe, you had better give that cowhide to Michelle immediately. I’m sure you don’t want Amy to keep crying like this, do you?"
"That’s right, Ophelia. Whether it’s a cowhide or not isn't the point; my heart just aches seeing Amy’s eyes all swollen like this." Michelle shot a triumphant look at Ophelia.
Ophelia let out a cold, mocking laugh. "Amy, have I ever taught you that you shouldn't take things that don't belong to you? Otherwise, your hands will rot."
Amy was young, and at these words, she instinctively hid her hands behind her back. Clearly, she knew her demand was wrong.
"Don’t let me see this happen a second time."
Amy twisted her body, burying her face in her father's chest to avoid her mother’s gaze.
"Amy, what should you do now?" Ophelia’s voice sharpened, carrying the weight of a command.
The little female cub hesitated. In the past, when she had snatched fruit from another cub in the tribe, her mother hadn't just swatted her palms; she had forced her to apologize to the other cub, causing her to lose face completely. But looking at her mother’s stern expression, she reluctantly turned her head, her face flushing as she whispered, "Uncle Taylor, I’m sorry."
As soon as she finished, she buried her face back in Loki’s chest and sobbed quietly.
"It was just a child playing around, did you really have to be so harsh? You even made it sound like this guardian of yours, Taylor, is more important to you than your own daughter." As expected, he was constantly trying to undermine her. "Humiliating your own daughter like this—you aren't fit to be Amy’s mother at all."
Loki gritted his teeth and glared. "Ophelia, don't even think about seeing Amy again after this!"
"Who cares?"
Ophelia took Taylor’s hand and walked toward the bison carcass. "Let’s go."
Michelle stared venomously at their retreating figures. Damn it! She couldn't believe such a fine piece of cowhide had gone to that little brat.
Once they returned to the stone hut, Ophelia had Taylor skin the bison and the deer for her. Looking at the "large tree branches"—the deer antlers—lying on the ground, she thought for a moment and then tucked them away into her Farm Space. Deer antlers had medicinal value, and she wondered if these wild ones could be exchanged for points.
While Taylor went to the lake to process the game, Ophelia locked the door and entered the Farm Space. Twenty hours had passed since she planted her first batch of crops, and twelve hours had passed for the second. The tiny seeds had already grown to knee-height, lush and vibrant.
The deer and bison skins brought in 200 points. Ophelia bought 10 bags of wheat seeds, enough to plant 100 square meters of land. She then checked the antlers; the Farm Space did indeed accept them, weighing them by the pound. The acquisition price wasn't as high as the modern market—50 points per pound. The "large tree branches" weighed 10 pounds, earning her 500 points.
With 500 points in hand and 100 square meters of land left, Ophelia decided to go big—she was going to plant fruit!
Fruit saplings were 10 points more expensive than crop seeds, and they took 88 hours—about 3 to 4 days—to mature. Each sapling took up 10 square meters, and one pack yielded 100 pieces of fruit. Ten saplings cost 300 points and covered 100 square meters.
Fruit was incredibly rare in the Beast World; one bag (one pound) of fruit could be exchanged for three large game skins. She chose a variety of fruit trees: apple, peach, mandarin orange, dragon fruit, Shine Muscat grapes, watermelon, and banana. Because she especially loved lychees, she planted three lychee trees.
She didn't let the remaining 200 points go to waste, spending them on five packs each of rice and wheat seeds. This way, once the second batch of rice matured, the farm could automatically replant.
"With grain in the belly, there is no fear in the heart." Ophelia slept soundly that night.
Since they had brought back two kills yesterday, Taylor didn't go out to hunt that day. By the time they finished lunch, the farm alarm reminded her that the second batch of rice had matured. After harvesting, 200 pounds of white rice were stored in the warehouse, and the new rice and wheat crops were already planted.
There were now 300 pounds of rice in the warehouse. She had promised at the Trading Market that she would bring 100 pounds next time; it was her first step in opening up the market, and a promise made must be a promise kept.
She led Taylor out of the Snow Wolf Tribe, had him wait under a tree, and then took two vine baskets behind a small hill. About five minutes later, she called out, "Taylor, come here."
Taylor, confused, walked behind the hill. When he saw the glistening white rice again, his shock remained as intense as ever.
"Shh, it’s a secret," Ophelia said with a playful wink before he could even ask.