Hayoon froze for a moment before hurriedly stopping him. "That's enough. The ground is wet. Everything will get dirty."
Only then did Leeho stop.
He quickly added, "Or if there's anything else you want, just tell me! I'll gather it for you!"
The other beastmen immediately refused to fall behind.
"We have supplies too! Especially beast meat. However much you want, we'll hunt it for you! As long as you help us weave cloth!"
"Don't sub-beastmen all like pearls and gemstones? I'll trade those with you!"
"Shut up. Let me speak first."
"I need it more than all of you, so stop fighting me for it!"
The beastmen all had booming voices, and Hayoon felt like her ears were starting to hurt from the noise.
The moment she frowned slightly, Minho shot them all a cold glance.
"Only Leeho talks. Everyone else stays quiet."
Despite being younger than many of them, Minho was a respected warrior of the tribe, and the other beastmen trusted him greatly.
They immediately fell silent.
After sorting through everyone's requests in her mind, Hayoon looked at Leeho and asked, "So you all want clothes like the ones Minho is wearing too?"
She had already noticed earlier that Minho had gone hunting today wearing the hemp robe she made instead of his beast-skin skirt.
Under the daylight, he practically looked like a walking clothes rack.
The hemp fabric shimmered faintly with a silver glow, and probably no beastman could look at it without feeling tempted.
Leeho nodded honestly. "That's right. I touched the sleeves earlier. The cloth is soft, smooth, breathable, and lightweight. It's much better than beast-hide skirts. But Minho said you've already used up most of the cloth you wove. If possible, I'd like to exchange for some and bring it home so Immo and Sulyeon can make clothes themselves."
Hayoon understood immediately.
A style this simple would definitely not be difficult for the skillful sub-beastmen to recreate.
And when faced with something good, the first people Leeho thought about were his wife and child.
Hayoon silently praised him in her heart.
What a good beastman.
Leeho continued, "They always have to go out gathering. If they have clothes to wear, they won't need to worry about branches and grass scratching them anymore, and it'll help prevent insect bites too. Oh, and they would definitely love the color of these clothes."
Probably imagining the happy reactions of his wife and child, a simple and longing smile appeared on Leeho's face.
Hayoon looked at everyone and said, "I understand what everyone wants. It's just that weaving cloth takes a great deal of time, and even the cloth we've woven so far isn't enough for our own use. I'm afraid I can't trade cloth to everyone. I'm really sorry."
The beastmen immediately looked disappointed, but none of them wanted to give up, so they lowered their attitudes and tried to negotiate with her.
"Hayoon, you don't need to apologize. Something this good is obviously hard to come by. We all understand."
"We don't need to trade for it right away. Waiting one or two months, even three or four months, is fine. As long as you're willing to weave for us."
"Resources really aren't a problem. Just tell us what you need."
"Please, Hayoon. Think about it again."
Just as Hayoon was about to say something else, another hurried set of footsteps sounded from behind.
"Sis! I'm back!" Leading the way, Haeun came charging over in his giant panda form. "These people came looking for you too!"
The sub-beastmen had also run all the way here and arrived not long after Haeun.
In an instant, dozens of people crowded together in the open space outside Minho's cave, making the area feel cramped.
The two groups recognized one another immediately.
Some were family members, while others were close friends.
For example, Immo had come together with Sulyeon and was now standing beside Leeho.
After briefly talking, everyone quickly understood the situation.
"You're here to trade for cloth too? So are we!"
"The clothes Minho is wearing are so light and good looking!"
"Haeun's too! Some of the cubs even fought over trying them on, and they all said they were incredibly comfortable!"
"Exactly! At first I thought clothing this thin wouldn't be durable, but ordinary grass leaves and branches can't tear it at all!"
"I've woven grass skirts out of hemp grass before. They took forever to make and felt rough to wear. But the clothes Hayoon made aren't like that at all!"
"The color is beautiful too! And they carry a faint grassy scent. I love it!"
Everyone spoke over one another until finally they all turned toward Hayoon together and pleaded, "Can't you really help weave some cloth for us too?"
"We can spin the thread ourselves. You only need to weave the cloth."
"We can provide all the supplies you and your brother need."
Hayoon apologized again. "It's really not that I don't want to help. I just truly don't have enough time."
The atmosphere instantly quieted, and the light in everyone's eyes dimmed.
Several of the sub-beastmen kept glancing toward Minho, their eyes filled with envy.
He could wear clothes made by Hayoon only because he had taken her and Haeun in.
Ah... if only they were as capable as him.
Just as everyone sank into disappointment, Hayoon suddenly changed the direction of the conversation.
"But don't worry yet. Although I can't weave cloth for everyone, I can trade the weaving method itself to you."
Whether beastmen or sub-beastmen, even Minho himself, everyone abruptly looked toward Hayoon in shock.
"What?!"
"You're willing to trade the method to us?"
"Beast God above... how many supplies would that cost?"
Everyone understood just how valuable the weaving method was, and some of the poorer beastmen had already begun giving up internally.
Hayoon smiled and reassured them, "There are only two people in my family. Even if I asked for a huge amount of supplies, we wouldn't be able to use them all. As for exactly how we'll trade, let's wait until I know how many people actually want to learn weaving."