The Bubble Fruit

Early the next morning, Yang set off with the hunting team. Before leaving, he didn't forget to leave some red fruits for Lin Ye's breakfast.

Last night, Yang had helped her bring back two lunchboxes filled with clean water. She used this water to wash her face. Just as she finished cleaning up, a female beastman arrived.

Although Lin Ye hadn't toured the Miao tribe yet, she had met quite a few beastmen. Most males were extremely robust, usually over two meters tall. The female beastmen were slightly shorter, but still a full head taller than Lin Ye.

Thus, even though Lin Ye was one hundred and seventy-five centimeters tall, she was considered petite here.

The female beastman standing at the cave entrance wore animal skins wrapped around her upper and lower body, her glossy black hair reaching her ankles. Her skin was a healthy wheat color, and her exposed limbs showed defined muscles, radiating a wild beauty.

Lin Ye went over to greet her, "Hello, I am Lin Ye. Lin as in forest, Ye as in leaf."

The beautiful female beastman smiled at her and said, "My name is Xing, the future mate of Shi."

Lin Ye had heard Yang mention that the Miao tribe had a rule: in spring, the tribe would hold a joint mating ritual for young beastmen. In this ritual, they could only pair up if the female accepted the male's confession.

Xing had only reached adulthood this summer, so she and Shi had to wait until next year's ritual to officially become mates.

Xing said to Lin Ye, "Yang asked me to show you around to get familiar with the tribe."

"Then I'll trouble you."

Lin Ye felt very lucky. Despite transmigrating to another world, she had met a group of kind and simple beastmen, especially Yang. Although he was a bit gruff at first, he had helped her a lot.

Lin Ye asked Xing to take her to the riverbank first. Her dirty clothes had been left overnight; if she didn't wash them soon, they would start to smell.

The river was not far from the tribe, about a five to six-minute walk. Along the way, Xing chatted non-stop. The news that Yang had brought back a female of the "Human race" had long spread throughout the tribe. Everyone was dying of curiosity, but Yang had forbidden them from disturbing her.

Yang was the son of the highly respected tribal chief and the number one warrior of the tribe, so his words carried weight. Therefore, they could only try their best to restrain their curiosity.

Now that she finally had a chance to interact with a human female, Xing naturally wanted to satisfy her curiosity.

Xing asked, "What are you wearing?" As she spoke, she couldn't help but reach out to touch it.

This petite female dressed completely differently from them. It didn't look like animal skin, and it felt soft, much thinner than animal skin.

Lin Ye thought for a moment about how to explain, "What I'm wearing is clothing made of fabric, which is woven from the fibers of the cotton plant."

"Cotton plant?"

Xing tilted her head, thinking, "What kind of flower is the cotton plant? Is it beautiful?"

Lin Ye: "..."

Chatting as they walked, the two quickly reached the riverbank.

The water level in this part of the river wasn't deep, reaching only about Lin Ye's knees. The riverbank was covered in pebbles, and the clear water reflected the nearby mountains, with schools of small fish swimming leisurely. A gentle breeze blew, carrying the characteristic chill of autumn.

Seeing the beautiful scenery, Lin Ye's mood improved significantly.

She found a suitable large stone, soaked her clothes in the water for a moment, and then placed them on the stone to wash. She had found a small bottle of laundry detergent in her backpack, which was perfect for use now. But this small amount of detergent would run out soon, so she needed to find a replacement.

As she washed, she got lost in thought, soon working up a thick lather.

"Oh!" Xing asked in surprise, "Lin Ye, what are you using to wash your clothes? Why are there so many bubbles?"

She saw Lin Ye pour just a bit of water-like liquid onto the clothes, and countless bubbles appeared. It was magical!

"We use bubble fruits to wash clothes, and they also make a lot of bubbles."

"Bubble fruit?" Lin Ye became interested, "What is a bubble fruit?"

"It's a fruit that creates a lot of bubbles when washing things. There are many bubble fruit trees in our tribe," Xing replied.

"Can you take me to see the bubble fruit trees later?" Lin Ye asked.

She guessed that this "bubble fruit tree" was probably either a honeylocust or a soapberry tree.

"Sure!" Xing replied without hesitation.