Chapter 151: A Full Meal
Intrigued, they stared at Sunnie. It was obvious that they were already captivated by the offer and wanted to accept it.
But their leader insisted on refusing. "Don’t worry about us. We don’t need any of your help at all. We’re doing just fine," he insisted.
However, the others didn’t agree. Seeing that Sunnie wanted to help them with some food, they snapped at their leader.
"We’re hungry!"
"We need something to eat!"
"Speak for yourself!"
With that, their leader went quiet. He folded his arms with a scoff, looking away. The rest turned to Sunnie. "We accept!"
Sunnie smiled. "Okay."
---
She led the little people to her wooden home that night and prepared something for them to eat. It was a quick meal, and soon she served it to them.
Her husbands, Little Black, and Zukka sat at the side, staring in confusion. They couldn’t help but wonder what was happening. They simply watched Sunnie serve these little strangers, who happily accepted the meal.
"And who are those?" Eris inquired.
Luka shrugged. "I don’t even know... We just saw them outside a while ago," he explained.
"They don’t look like they’re from this tribe, anyway," Little Black pointed out.
Luka shook his head. "They certainly aren’t."
They sat there watching the chipmunks eat from the bowls Sunnie had served. All of them seemed to be enjoying the meal without any complaints, except their leader, who didn’t even bother eating. He stood in a corner, arms folded, looking away.
Sunnie stared at him. "Are you sure you’re not going to join in?"
"Humph," he simply said, looking away.
Sunnie smiled, watching the rest eat until they were done.
"That was delicious!" the chubby chipmunk expressed, sitting on the floor while running his hands over his stomach.
"I can’t remember the last time I tasted such a delicious meal."
"I must say, this really is good."
They couldn’t stop praising the meal after they were done. Now they felt energized again.
Sunnie smiled as she said, "Don’t mention it at all. I’m glad you had something to eat at least." She had finished feeding them; now she proceeded to make her inquiry. "But how are you guys here? Are you supposed to be here? This doesn’t look like your tribe."
Immediately, one said, "Of course we’re meant to be here. Do you think we’re trespassing or something?"
Sunnie shook her head with a smile. "Ah, no, no. Not at all. I was just curious."
Another said, "We’re the official farmers of this land. So of course we should be here."
Sunnie was intrigued. "Huh? What do you mean?"
The chubby chipmunk cleared his throat as he said, "You’re new around here, so you might not know. Let me brief you."
He explained, "All this successful farming reputation of this tribe—their successful crop harvest, their farming, and all—we’re the ones behind it," he expressed.
Sunnie stared, impressed. "Is that so?" Now this was news. "And how’s that possible? I thought the boars were the ones behind it all, since they’ve been given the glory for it."
The leader of the chipmunks, who had been quiet for a while, finally spoke up. "You think we’re not capable of doing it or what?"
"Ah, that’s not what I meant..." Sunnie tried explaining, but the leader continued nevertheless.
"In case you don’t know, we might look small and all, but you can’t look down on us. All these farms you see in this land, we’re the ones behind them. We worked on them all, did all the farming, and harvested everything. Even the crops being given today as rewards are part of our hard work. So at least show us some respect."
As their leader explained this, all of them nodded in agreement. Sunnie simply listened as she slowly nodded.
She had gotten what she wanted.
At least now it made some sense why they were lingering around the place without being killed. It meant they were important to some extent. "That’s impressive..."
They nodded. "Of course it is."
But Sunnie then asked, "But why are they treating you all like this?" She asked the sensitive question while staring at their faces.
Everyone was quiet, staring down at their bowls without responding. It was clear this was a sensitive topic for them.
Sunnie continued, "Don’t misunderstand me at all. I mean, you all work so hard for this land. You feed them and have gained them the farming fame they have at the moment. But from the looks of things, they aren’t treating any of you well. They couldn’t even feed you properly and kicked you out of the kitchen and all."
Sunnie asked, but at that moment it was clear to her that the boar tribe was using them. They had probably realized that these little beastmen were skilled in farming, and so they used them for their own gain without treating them right. Sunnie could already feel that.
But these chipmunks were quiet. It made it obvious that this was their reality.
"It’s none of your business..." their leader muttered, as if to say it didn’t matter to him. But it was clear that he was bothered.
Sunnie slowly nodded. "Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe I crossed the line by asking."
Then the chubby chipmunk said, "What you said is true."
Sunnie turned and stared at him. Their leader tried stopping him from speaking, but he continued nevertheless.
The chubby chipmunk explained how they were peasant beastmen without any homeland. Their tribe had been destroyed by predators, and everyone had died. They were the only survivors, roaming the land with nothing.
But the boars found them. Realizing their great farming skills, they decided to strike a deal: "Farm for us, and we’ll give you a home."
They had agreed, thinking it was a good deal. But in the end, they were manipulated. While they farmed their best with all their hearts, bringing farming glory to this tribe, the tribe simply treated them like slaves.