Transmigrated to Raise Panther Cubs novel Chapter 221

Chapter 221 A Day in Their Lives

Finished

Besides that, Zachary also taught the people in the tribe to clear small vegetable plots around their homes. When heading out to gather resources, they could also dig up young vegetable shoots and transplant them back.

The others had never really thought about growing crops before, but after hearing Zachary’s breakdown, it immediately made sense to them. Some even took the initiative to copy his earlier method of using plant ash as fertilizer.

Zachary’s cave was on the west side of the tribe, where there was plenty of land suitable for planting. After finishing the sowing of staple crops, he began working on his own vegetable garden.

Matthew and Jaden were especially enthusiastic.

In the evening, Zachary marked out a fairly large square area to the right of the cave, planning to start work the next day. But when he woke up in the morning, he saw that Matthew and Jaden were already squatting inside, having pulled out half the weeds.

The two of them even seemed to be competing with each other–one on the left, one on the right, with a clear dividing line deliberately left in the middle.

Zachary didn’t stop their childish behavior. He watched them for a while with a smile, then went off to prepare breakfast.

Fish in early spring was especially fresh, perfect for steaming or making chowder. They could also catch crabs and river shrimp from the stream, and with a handful of wild onion, the flavor turned out excellent.

These days, Zachary liked eating outdoors.

The lighting was good, the scenery was beautiful, and the air carried the scent of spring–faint grass mixed with floral notes. In the morning, there was a slight, refreshing chill.

At some point, Matthew had rolled over a large stone and placed it outside the cave. After smoothing it a little, it worked perfectly as a table. The family of three sat around it together, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Jaden seemed to be hitting a growth spurt lately, and his appetite increased exponentially.

Zachary filled a big bowl with fish chowder for him and boiled several eggs as well, worried that the child might not get enough nutrition to grow properly.

After eating, the father and son got busy again–pulling weeds, turning the soil, and carrying stones of suitable sizes to build a circular stone fence around the vegetable garden.

They basically did whatever Zachary pointed them to do, and by evening, the garden was slowly coming together.

With plenty of prey available now, they had plenty of meat at home. Taking advantage of the suitable temperature, Zachary started experimenting with making smoked meat and sausages.

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Chapter 221 Day in Their Lives

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The best cut was from the grunt–beast’s belly, with a good balance of fat and lean. He cut it into strips, rubbed it thoroughly with salt, and placed it into a stone jar to marinate. After two or three days, he would take it out, wash it clean, pierce holes through it, hang it up, and start smoking it with wood underneath.

Zachary didn’t have much experience with smoking meat–he had only seen the adults in his village do it when he was young. Basically, they would hang strips of meat from the rafters, pile up wood, straw, dried orange peels, and all sorts of things underneath, then burn it all at once. The whole house would fill with thick white smoke, almost like a mystical scene from a novel.

To make the flavor as authentic as possible, Zachary had Matthew carry him all over the mountains to look for pine and cypress branches. Along the way, they unexpectedly discovered a patch of tea trees. The tender leaves at the tips were growing beautifully, and when the wind blew, a refreshing fragrance filled

the air.

Excited, Zachary patted the black panther’s shoulder. “Stop right here, Matthew!”

While running, Matthew’s muscles were tense and its fur thick. The force of Zachary’s slaps sounded loudly, but to Matthew, it felt like nothing more than a light scratch.

The first time Zachary tried getting him to stop, he thought he had hurt Matthew and felt a bit uneasy. Later, he realized he had been overthinking, for this black panther could really take a hit. His own hands would go numb, while Matthew would probably think he was just getting a massage.

“Okay!” The black panther stopped and turned to look at Zachary.

Others got off horses, whereas Zachary got off a black panther.

He swung his leg over, shifted his body, and slid smoothly down along its side, landing lightly on the ground. The whole movement was fluid and natural–nothing like before, when he couldn’t even climb up properly and would end up pulling out a tuft of fur.

Zachary had experience picking tea leaves.

During the slack farming season in spring, the older women in the village would often form groups to pick leaves in tea plantations. The tea farmers didn’t pay much, but for those who stayed behind and couldn’t go out to work, it was still a way to earn a little extra for the household.

Since no one looked after the children, they would go along too. Back then, there was no such thing as pocket money, so this was one of the few chances kids had to earn some. It was tiring, but they were willing.

After earning some money, they would buy those cheap, sweet ice pops and a pack of snacks to share. That alone could make them happy for the whole day.

Seeing Zachary bent over, his fingers quickly pinching off the tender tips from the plants, Matthew also shifted back into human form. As he put on his clothes, he walked over.

“Are these edible too?” he asked.

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Chapter 221 A Day in Their Lives

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“It can be brewed as tea.” Zachary moved aside to make space for him and demonstrated how to pick the leaves. “You want the tender ones, like this–pinch and lift, and that’s it.”

“I see.” Matthew stretched out his large hand and followed Zachary’s movements, gripping the stem of a tender shoot and pulling upward. But he didn’t control his strength well and ended up crushing it into a thin strand.

Matthew glanced at the leaves in Zachary’s hand, then at his own. He felt a bit embarrassed and didn’t dare pass it over.

“Be gentler.” Zachary held back a laugh, took hold of two of his fingers, and guided him step by step. “Look, like this–that’s much better.”

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