I've been transported to the orc continent.

Chapter 292: Digging a Ditch

Zhan gathered all the beastmen who remained in the tribe together and announced that they would dig a ditch. At first, the beastmen were quite puzzled, but after Zhan said that it was Bai Ling's idea, the beastmen stopped discussing and all looked at Bai Ling.

Zhan called Bai Ling up and said, "Ling, tell everyone why we need to dig ditches."

Despite being watched by so many eyes, Bai Ling felt no nervousness. He coughed lightly and said, "One side of the ditch connects to the river not far from the fields, and the other side connects to the low-lying area to the east of the fields. When there is little rain, we can move the stones by the river to divert water to irrigate the fields. If there is a flood, we can move the stones in the low-lying area so that the water can flow into the low-lying area."

Bai Ling's words were simple, and the beastmen probably understood what he meant. The beastmen discussed in hushed tones, and Zhan added, "This is not mandatory labor. Beastmen who don't have much work at home can dig ditches. The beastmen who dig ditches will be provided with lunch and dinner."

As soon as Zhan finished speaking, an orc declared, "Chieftain, I'm willing to go. I understand what Ling meant; it's about diverting water from the river."

"This doesn't sound complicated. It's just digging a hole, right? We've done that before."

"Yeah, anyway, I'm just sitting at home with nothing to do. Before we started farming, we had to worry about food for the winter in the fall. Now that we don't have to gather food, we have more free time, so I might as well go dig a hole."

“I have a hoe and a shovel at home, but I only live alone. Anyone who doesn’t have tools can come and borrow them from me.”

"Then may I borrow your hoe? My hoe is not very good; it was made in the ironworks and won't be available until winter."

The beastmen all chimed in, expressing their strong support for Bai Ling's idea.

That was how the matter was settled. Bai Ling had walked around the river and the depression countless times before, and he had already determined the route of the ditch in his mind. As long as he drew a white line with lime, he could start digging.

*

Bai Ling is leading his tribesmen to dig ditches. He only has time to check on the silkworm rearing room in the mornings. The rest of the time, feeding the silkworms is left to the other tribesmen. The silkworms have grown much bigger, and the mulberry leaves in the tribe are no longer enough to satisfy their appetites. Now, the mulberry leaves and oak leaves used to feed the silkworms are collected by the tribesmen from the Greenwood Tribe and then transported back by the Sky Beastmen.

The orcs from the hunting party went out, but there were still a dozen or so strong orcs helping the hunting party with odd jobs. The carpentry group also needed people for the ironworks. Some orcs had to build outbuildings and livestock sheds before winter arrived, and some orcs had to reclaim wasteland. All things considered, the tribe didn't have many orcs who could help dig ditches.

Fortunately, orcs from other tribes came to help. They also helped the High Tree tribe dig ditches. They used to eat on the low hills, but now that they were working for the High Tree tribe, they naturally ate with them.

Digging ditches wasn't difficult. Every so often, several orcs would dig with hoes, filling baskets with the excavated soil. These baskets would then be placed on wheelbarrows and pushed to the uneven areas.

The orcs were working hard, and apart from the children and cubs, every orc was working for a better future.

*

The silkworms are about to be raised on the mountain. All the beastmen who are learning how to raise silkworms gather together. Bai Ling first teaches everyone how to build the silkworm mountain.

Bai Ling led the beastmen to tie reeds, oak branches, and wheat straw into bundles, then strung ropes around the room and hung the bundled silkworm mountains upside down on the ropes.

After the silkworm mountain was built, the silkworms began to raise their heads a few days later. Bai Ling and the beastmen moved the silkworm trays to the silkworm room specially prepared for the silkworms to go up the mountain.

The beastmen worked together to place the silkworms that had begun to raise their heads onto the silkworm mountain.

When the silkworms began to spin their cocoons, Bai Ling lit a charcoal fire in the room. There wasn't much charcoal in the fire, and the smoke was minimal; people walking around the room wouldn't even feel choked by it.

Bai Ling said, "Lighting a little charcoal when the silkworms are spinning their cocoons will make the silk more resilient and strong. However, you must remember that the charcoal fire should not be too big, otherwise the smoke will affect the silkworms' spinning of silk and cocoon formation. When lighting the charcoal fire at night, leave a small gap in the window so that the indoor air can circulate and the moisture can be carried out."

The silkworms spun their cocoons, and the beastmen who followed Bai Ling to learn how to raise silkworms all stayed outside the silkworm room all day long, never leaving for even a moment.

For the orcs, silk was such a beautiful and precious thing that they really wanted to know how these disgusting insects could be transformed into such beautiful silk.

Bai Ling tried to persuade them several times, but the beastmen refused to leave. They insisted on guarding the silkworm room and watching the cocoons before they felt at ease.

There was nothing they could do if they didn't leave Bai Ling. He would come to see him once in the morning, then go and dig ditches with the beastmen. He would come to see him again before lunch, and he would come to see him again when he came back in the evening.

When Bai Ling returned from digging ditches in the evening, she would also cut some grass. There were too many livestock at home, and they needed to store enough grass for the winter. Now that her father and younger brother were not at home, her father had to cut grass by himself. Although Bai Ling didn't cut much grass, it was better than not cutting any at all.

Bai Ling first went to check on the silkworm cocoons. All the cocoons had been formed, and they could be harvested and reeled tomorrow. Upon hearing this news, the orcs guarding the silkworm room all jumped up excitedly.

They surrounded Bai Ling in the center, singing and dancing. Several older orcs came over and gently hugged Bai Ling.

Bai Ling felt a little embarrassed, but the beastmen were very excited, and some even ran out to share the good news with their people.

Zhan knew that it was time to harvest silkworm cocoons and came over himself. He walked into the silkworm room with light steps, his face showing excitement and joy. His eyes were full of eagerness, but he didn't dare to reach out and actually touch the silkworm cocoons.

After looking around, Zhan patted Bai Ling on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Ling, tomorrow you should lead your people to extract the silk. I'll come and watch too."

*

After having dinner in the tribe's council room, before it got dark, Bai Ling pushed her cart home, while Feng Hechen was also eating.

Chen came back this afternoon. He was chatting away with his father, and when he got excited, he even gestured with his hands.

Chen is not young anymore, and Cang has decided to take him hunting next year. Although the family has already domesticated livestock and there will be more and more livestock in the future, the skill of hunting cannot be lost. Since the eldest son cannot participate in hunting due to health reasons, the youngest son must inherit the skill of hunting.

Upon seeing Bai Ling return, Feng asked, "Ling, have you eaten?"

Bai Ling nodded: "Father, I've eaten. Chen, are you going to deliver something to Father and Yue's hunting team tomorrow?"