Werebeast Gongs CH 125 Peace And Happiness
It was the height of summer, the rainy season in full swing. Stepping outside for a walk, the air felt fresh and moist. The valley was a tapestry of deep and shallow emerald greens, the slopes ablaze with vibrant flowers, all nourished to a state of dripping vitality.
Lei Jin entered his fifth month of pregnancy. Whether due to Hao Chen’s nourishing soups or not, his belly grew visibly day by day. His arms and legs thickened, the hard-earned muscles disappearing. Waking each morning and seeing his changed reflection filled him with a touch of self-disgust.
Xiya stayed only a few days before receiving a letter delivered by a passing Feather tribesman. The details were unclear, simply urging them to return home. Xiya and Moya wanted to take Lei Jin back with them, but Hao Chen and the others argued that the long journey would be too taxing, especially with twins. So Moya stayed behind while Xiya returned alone to investigate. Before leaving, Xiya lingered, reluctant, sincerely promising to return immediately once the matter was settled, clinging until Lei Jin impatiently snapped at him to leave.
The one who stayed didn’t fare much better. Though Lei Jin had sworn to be on top, his bulky belly made it impractical, and Moya wasn’t particularly cooperative. The result was that Lei Jin still hadn’t succeeded. Yet, the heightened desires of a pregnant female meant he often pestered Moya at night. After some back-and-forth, once satisfied, he’d instinctively relax and allow Moya to take over. His determination to counter-attack faded slightly. But having made the declaration, failing to top at least once felt humiliating. At least, at a crucial moment, he’d forced Moya to promise that after the babies were born, he’d get his turn.
Lei Jin was relentless. They wrestled half the night until he was finally sated. Moya released his waist, touched their still-connected, slick parts, and carefully withdrew while lying on his side. Lei Jin only gave a soft “mmph” before falling into a deep sleep. Moya gently parted his legs to check. Their intimacy had increased recently, and at climax, Lei Jin’s body would tighten exquisitely, soft and warm like water, making Moya lose control. Seeing no injury, he relaxed. He cleaned them both, changed the damp bedding, settled Lei Jin next to Grapes, and covered them. Then he went to the courtyard to wash the soiled blanket. Rain was common at night, so he strung a line under the eaves to hang the clean blanket.
Back inside, seeing Lei Jin frowning in uneasy sleep, Moya adjusted his position and gently massaged his limbs until his expression smoothed and he relaxed. Moya then lay beside him, catching a little rest. Summer nights were short; dawn soon broke in the east. Hearing Hao Chen preparing breakfast, Moya rose, greeted him, picked up the shoulder pole and buckets by the kitchen door, and headed down the mountain to fetch water.
Most Tiger Tribe houses were built high up, while the only river lay at the valley bottom. Fetching water was a daily necessity for every household. Those halfway up the mountain had it easier; Hao Chen’s family lived at the summit. Without a werebeast, a female carrying water up the steep path daily was no easy task. Jing Yue had moved out after his bonding, and Kun Ge was busy. Moya fetching water solved Hao Chen’s problem. Seeing Moya’s noticeably thinner face, Hao Chen said fondly, “You don’t need to bring so much. We can be frugal. Just stay peacefully. Food is plentiful now; we’re not short a few mouths to feed!” He knew forbidding help entirely would seem distant. Moya spoke little, but his heart was good, and he acted with propriety. Hao Chen grew as fond of him as he was of Xiya, often silently praising their papa for raising such fine sons.
“I’m free in the mornings. Fetching water isn’t tiring,” Moya replied, pouring the water he’d carried into the large stone water vat in the kitchen. After four or five trips, the vat was about eighty percent full.
“Eat more at breakfast. How have you lost so much weight in just a month here? Don’t just focus on the children and Lei Jin,” Hao Chen said, adding firewood to the stove and standing to stir the white porridge in the pot to prevent burning.
Moya naturally agreed to Hao Chen’s kindness, but he still preferred to take advantage of the morning cool to secure the day’s water supply.
Lei Jin knew his recent bad mood and temper had also worn Moya down. He often couldn’t control it. Seeing Moya’s tired face now, he couldn’t help feeling a pang of guilt.
“I can’t eat all this. You have it,” Lei Jin said, picking the untouched meat from his bowl and putting it into Moya’s.
Moya looked up with a soft smile. “I have enough. You eat more. Don’t forget the two little ones.”
Lei Jin touched his own plump face. “Forget it. I’m this fat already; your sons won’t go hungry. Stop worrying needlessly. Just eat.”
The weather was starting to feel hot and dry, dampening everyone’s appetite. Lei Jin taught them a few simple cold dishes: wild vegetables blanched in hot water, mixed with shredded meat, vinegar, and salt. The cool, sour taste was appetizing, popular with both werebeasts and females.
Lei Jin himself just poured soup over his rice, picking mainly at the cold dishes. Knowing Lei Jin’s decisive nature, Moya didn’t refuse the meat.
Over the meal, Jing Ping mentioned that many were already eyeing the unripe rice in the fields. Times had changed; the tribe now knew rice was valuable, not just edible but tasty. As the chief’s family, they couldn’t openly monopolize it.
“What did you grow for food in your fields before?” Lei Jin asked. He hadn’t seen any other staple grains in their house after all this time.
Jing Ping pointed to several red tassels hanging inside the open window of the west wing. “That. Our tribe’s farmland is scarce, just some flat land along the riverbanks after it leaves the valley. Though each family gets several large bundles annually, it doesn’t yield much grain. It never lasts past autumn.”
Lei Jin recognized it as sorghum. He knew sorghum grain was coarse, hard, and low-yielding, nothing compared to rice. After thinking, he suggested, “Why not declare openly that this year’s rice harvest will be shared equally among all families in the tribe? After this harvest, divide the land outright. Then each family can plant what they want. It’s better than everyone scrambling and breeding ill will.” He believed people cared more when things were truly their own; it was human nature.
Moya added an explanation beside him, detailing how the Leopard Tribe had done the same. This year, the tribespeople had prepared their own land much more diligently than before. Having personally overseen the land division, Moya understood the details better than Lei Jin. He explained clearly and logically. Hao Chen and Jing Ping listened, nodding repeatedly, deciding to discuss it with Kun Ge that evening.
Though the mountaintop wasn’t stifling this season, the daytime sun was fierce. Lei Jin rarely ventured out, playing with Grapes in the shade under a tree. A wooden bucket nearby held fresh fruit soaking in cool water, refreshing and thirst-quenching. He knew his limits and didn’t overindulge. Sometimes Berg brought Bubbles, and they’d laugh and play together. Bubbles now called “Dada” smoothly, delighting Lei Jin, who was so charmed by the well-behaved child he almost wanted to whisk him back to the Leopard Tribe.
As for his own son, Lei Jin had a headache. Grapes had been such a sweet baby, but now, a little older, he was becoming a handful. Toys Lei Jin made him were dismantled beyond recognition. Worse, he was a little schemer – sweet and innocent with adults, winning everyone’s affection, but with other children, especially Bubbles, he’d pounce and bully them until they cried. Now, emboldened, he even targeted young werebeast cubs. A few days ago, Hao Chen’s neighbor brought a two-year-old tiger cub over to borrow salt. Unnoticed for a moment, Grapes climbed onto them and pulled out all the cub’s newly grown whiskers. In just over two months, Grapes had gained quite a reputation in the Tiger Tribe. Families with children under three now gave him a wide berth. Lei Jin, by association, enjoyed the ‘privilege’ of a cleared path whenever he went out.
If forced to give an assessment, Lei Jin could only say: Well, better to be the bully than the bullied.
Moya, skinning game nearby, heard his muttering and this conclusion. Knowing it fit Lei Jin’s character perfectly, he couldn’t help a soft chuckle.
Lei Jin, feeling drowsy, drifted off mid-conversation. A gentle breeze brushed the faint smile on his lips. The summer cicadas’ drone carried far. This moment remained vividly clear in Moya’s memory for many years to come.
Grapes tugged at Lei Jin’s leg, stretched his little legs, and wobbled to his feet! But before he steadied himself, he plopped back down on his bottom. His big, round eyes darted around. He wasn’t crying yet, but the moment he met his dad’s concerned gaze, tears streamed down.
Moya quickly washed his hands, picked him up, kissed him, and soothed, “Be good, Grapes, it doesn’t hurt. Look, papa’s asleep.” He thought privately, The speed those tears fall rivals his youngest brother.
An afternoon downpour came and went quickly. Mu Yue and Jing Yue arrived with a large basket of mushrooms and wood ear fungus. “Mushrooms sprout everywhere on the mountain after rain,” they said. “These are commonly eaten, safe ones. We wouldn’t pick any we didn’t recognize.”
It had been over two months since their bonding ceremony. Mu Yue’s belly showed no signs yet, common enough in the tribe and nothing to worry about. But Mu Yue still looked at Lei Jin with envy, pulling him aside several times to seek advice. Lei Jin silently cursed his luck. If he knew the ‘secret,’ he’d wish for the children not to come so quickly! But saying that would earn disbelief. His mischievous streak resurfaced. He adopted a mysterious air, imparting a whole repertoire of elaborate mating positions. Mu Yue listened, blushing furiously, but treasured the advice, going home to diligently try it all. From then on, Mu Yue treated Lei Jin with even greater closeness, confiding everything. Even Jing Yue, though he didn’t say it, felt grateful to Lei Jin. Whenever they had rare delicacies, they always saved a portion for him. This caused a tiny sprout of guilt in Lei Jin; he felt slightly embarrassed. But then he thought: Having babies is all about doing it. Do it enough, and babies come naturally. The nascent guilt was promptly squashed.
As the sun set, cooking smoke rose from chimneys, and the tribe grew lively. Werebeasts returned from work, females busied themselves with dinner, and children played in the streets, their clear, crisp laughter scattering along the paths.
Jing Ping went to the riverside to tan hides. Lei Jin tagged along. Though he disliked his current appearance, he saw no need to hide. In three or four months, he’d be handsome again.
The mountain path was slippery, but he felt steady enough not to need support, carefully holding onto trees by the path. He didn’t dare carry Grapes, leaving him with Moya.
Tanning hides looked simple – just repeated rubbing and beating – but it was laborious. Many females were already working by the river, many tanned hides hanging to dry in ventilated, shady spots.
Other females washed baskets of brown alpaca wool. Spun into yarn, it made warm, lightweight clothes for spring and autumn. Lei Jin owned one, so he knew. He easily struck up conversations. Just as he pondered how to ask for some material in exchange, a loud commotion erupted from the mountain path. A female carrying water had fallen from halfway up the slope. Word spread he was badly injured, already carried to the healer.
Later, Mu Yue told Lei Jin the female had hit his head and couldn’t be saved. Knowing Moya fetched water every morning for Hao Chen’s family, though he understood it was a necessary task, the day’s events filled him with worry. Ai, backward places have so many problems.
Lei Jin walked back, head down, deep in thought. Digging a well seemed a good idea, but he knew nothing about surveying terrain. He couldn’t just dig a hole anywhere! Absorbed in his thoughts, he looked up and found himself at the northern cliff edge. This was the easternmost point of the Tiger Tribe. From here, the cliff dropped smoothly, not particularly high. Below, the river entered the valley. Perhaps due to lack of disturbance, the vegetation was exceptionally lush. White calla lilies bloomed quietly along both banks. Frustrated, he kicked several small stones off the edge. Plop, plop – they fell into the river. He then waddled his cumbersome body home with renewed energy. The water problem could be solved. Well, a smart person’s brain just worked a little faster, that’s all.
“Lei Jin, you’re amazing! Now all the females in the tribe can fetch water easily!” Jing Ping exclaimed as soon as he entered, carrying a bucket of water. “And the water from that part of the river is very clean!”
The principle was simple. They cut trees to make several large pulleys, and secured them with stones. One person filled the bucket below; another turned the rope above. Alternatively, tie the bucket to one end of a rope and a heavy stone to the other. When the stone went down, the bucket came up. Either method was far easier and safer than carrying water up the mountain.
Lei Jin was now six months along. The babies moved frequently, treating their father’s belly like a battlefield, staging daily martial arts performances. Xiya hadn’t returned. Moya mentioned it might concern the matter of the chieftain succession. “Before I left, Uncle An Bu… hinted that once Mura has his bonding ceremony, Uncle Zhu Xi would probably move in with Mura. He likely doesn’t want to be chief anymore either.”
"What is he going to do?" Lei Jin asked. He didn't know what happened in the past, and it was not easy to speak for anyone, but An Bu seemed to be a really good person. "I don't know about this either." In any case, he stood on the side of his papa.
This matter was not something they could solve, so they stopped talking about it.
Lei Jin's belly suddenly moved.
Moya reached in and touched Lei Jin's belly with a worshipful look, feeling the movement underneath, and smiled childishly. "Lei Jin, they are moving, moving." Now they could really feel that their babies lived in Lei Jin's belly.
Lei Jin rolled his eyes at him and said lazily, "They're alive, of course they move." Only at this moment did he feel that no matter how mature Moya looked, his young age was indeed a fact and could not be erased. He sighed belatedly, thinking that he was also an old cow eating tender grass, wasn't he?
Moya kissed the swollen belly through the thin clothes and said, "This time it should be two little werebeasts, so energetic."
Lei Jin glanced at his belly with a little fear. There wouldn't really be two little leopards coming out of him, would there? The shock would be too great. If they were werebeasts, they would be out in about two months, or maybe even shorter.
When he was pregnant with Grapes, Moya was not able to accompany him at that time. This time, seeing the babies in his belly grow day by day with his own eyes, the experience felt novel and exciting. Lei Jin was restless, and he understood, and did not take his own exhaustion to heart.
Lei Jin's body was sensitive, and his chest was sore and swollen. After being kissed and rubbed by him for so long, his waist had already softened. He pressed Moya's head to his crotch and whispered, "Help me come."
"We are outside now, aren't you afraid of being seen?" Although Moya said so, a smile appeared on his face. Because Lei Jin always said that staying at home every day was boring, today, when he came out hunting he took him along as well. After lunch, the two found a cool and dry place to lay down in the forest.
"Just be quiet." It seemed inappropriate to perform in front of people. It should be very inappropriate actually!
Moya only pushed down his pants, but the hem of his shirt was lifted up to his chest. Lei Jin's originally slender legs were slightly swollen, but he felt that they were still very tempting. He started to caress and kiss them inch by inch from the ankles.
That place was clearly visible in the sunlight. Moya spread it apart and inserted a finger, whispering teasingly, "When I first saw you, I wanted to tear off your clothes and put it in here."
Lei Jin panted and raised his eyebrows provocatively, "Then come on.”