Transmigrating to the BeastWorld,I Picked Up an Adorable BeastHusband!-Chapter 57: Winter is drawing near

[Not useless, just... biologically unavailable. Well same thing actually.] Doudou corrected.

[He won’t be able to communicate much, and he certainly won’t be able to protect the cave if a predator decides to knock. My sensors indicate this winter is going to be a brutal one, likely lasting up to five months. To be safe, you need to stockpile enough food, water, and fuel for six months. And Ningning? You’re going to be the one doing the heavy lifting while the big guy is essentially a giant, breathing decorative rug.]

The weight of the realization hit her harder than Weijie’s "beast mode" had.

Six months of food.

For two people—one of whom was a massive, high-calorie predator who needed to maintain a certain level of body heat just to stay alive.

Six months, she repeated, her voice a mere ghost of a rasp. "Doudou, that’s thousands of pounds of meat and roots. How am I supposed to do that alone?"

[You aren’t alone.] Doudou chirped, trying to rally her. [You have me, and you have those four friends you made ’in flying colors.’ But you have to start now. The moment the first frost hits, Weijie is going to start yawning, and once he goes under, the ’Mother of the Cave’ is the only thing standing between survival and becoming a frozen relic.]

Ningning forced herself to stand, her legs shaking so violently she had to lean her entire weight against the cave wall.

The pain in her thighs was secondary now to the cold dread pooling in her stomach.

She looked at her reflection in a polished piece of obsidian near the cave.

Her face was flushed, her lips slightly swollen, and her neck bore the undeniable marks of a man who claimed her with every fiber of his being.

She looked soft. She looked like a bride.

"I can’t be soft anymore." she whispered, her new, melodic voice hardening.

"Doudou, scan the immediate perimeter. I need salt. If I’m going to preserve hundreds of pounds of meat, I can’t just smoke it all. I need to cure it."

[Scanning...] Doudou’s interface hummed in her mind. [I’m picking up high mineral concentrations about three miles East, near the dried-up creek bed. It’s a trek, especially with your ’jelly legs,’ but it’s essential.]

The curtain moved, and Weijie returned, carrying a steaming bowl of meat and a fresh gourd of water.

He saw her standing and dropped the bowl, rushing to her side to support her.

"Ningning! You should not be up!" he scolded, his voice full of that warmth she now knew would soon fade into winter’s silence.

She looked at him, her heart aching as she reached up to touch his face. He was so warm, so vibrant. The thought of him becoming a cold, unmoving shell for five months was terrifying.

Ningning didn’t say a word about the "Long Sleep" or the winter that was threatening to turn her world into an icebox.

If she told him now, he’d probably just think she was delirious from their "marathon" or, worse, he’d try to hunt himself into an early grave to please her.

So, she had to keep this between her and Doudou.

"I’m just restless, Weijie." she lied, her new, breathy voice making the words sound far more intimate than she intended.

She leaned her head against his bare, warm chest, listening to the steady thrum of his heart. It was so strong right now. It was hard to believe it would slow to a crawl in just a few weeks.

"I will hold you." Weijie murmured, his large hands steadying her waist. "You do not need to stand. The earth is still, and so should you."

Ningning shook her head gently against his skin. She couldn’t be still. "I want to see the creek to the East. The one that dried up. I saw some white stones there before the wedding... I want them for the cave. For... decoration."

Weijie chuckled, a deep vibration that she felt in her own bones. "White stones? My mate has strange tastes. But if it makes you happy, I will take you. But I carry you. I will not have you collapsing on the trail."

Ningning didn’t argue. She needed to save every ounce of her energy.

As Weijie prepared a wrap of furs to carry her, Ningning sat back down and opened a mental channel with Doudou.

"Doudou, let’s get serious. If I’m the only one awake, I need a list. I need to know exactly what ’six months of survival’ looks like for a human woman and a dormant beastman."

[Calculating...] Doudou’s voice was crisp. [Listen up, Dumpling. This isn’t a camping trip. To survive the ’Big Freeze,’ you need to secure the following before the first frost:]

[The Meat Vault: You need at least 400 pounds of lean protein and 100 pounds of pure animal fat. Fat is life in the winter. You’ll need it for cooking, for your skin, and for the lamps.]

[The Carbohydrate Cache: 300 pounds of starchy tubers (like those wild yams) and dried berries. Your brain needs glucose to function, especially when you’re stressed.]

[The Salt Priority: That creek bed is non-negotiable. Without salt, your meat will rot within a month, even in the cold. You need to cure it.]

[The Fuel Pile: You need enough seasoned wood to keep a small fire going 24/7. If the cave temperature drops below freezing for too long, Weijie’s heart might actually stop. You both need to stay warm. Just because you’re not in the cold doesn’t mean you’re safe."

[Medicines and hygiene: More silvervein herb, dried moss for... monthly needs, and pine resin for sealant.]

Ningning felt the sheer weight of the list pressing down on her. It was a staggering amount of work. She looked at her small, pale hands, then at the marks on her skin. She had gone from a 21st-century girl to a stone age bride, and now she had to become a survivalist expert in under twenty-one days.

"I can’t do the heavy lifting alone" she thought. "I’ll use Weijie as a pack mule while he’s still active. He thinks we’re just ’decorating’ and ’playing’ but he’s going to be hauling half the forest up here if I have anything to say about it."