Hu Cong’s arrival and departure had created an indescribably subtle shift in the atmosphere between Lin Xi and Wu Chen.
But Lin Xi was carefree by nature, and she quickly put these thoughts aside to focus on the more pressing matter of food.
Because she was starting to get hungry.
The aroma of roasted meat drifted down from some Beastmen’s cave above – though Lin Xi found the actual taste of local roasted meat rather ordinary, the smell during cooking was still wonderfully pungent!
About an hour later, Lin Xi and Wu Chen’s food was finally ready.
Lin Xi ate the Black Bug Fruit she had gathered today, along with stir-fried Fleece Beast leg meat with Rolling Fruit Grass.
Wu Chen still ate the bear meat from that bear.
However, Lin Xi had made some improvements to his bear meat.
While Wu Chen was roasting – or rather pan-frying – the meat on a stone slab, she added many unripe Little Sweet Fruits and Sweetleaf Grass to the slab.
Though she considered the spiciness of Rolling Fruit Grass barely noticeable, she still didn’t add it to the roasted bear meat, fearing Wu Chen might not be accustomed to it.
What made Lin Xi happiest and most relieved was that the cooked Black Bug Fruit tasted almost identical to sweet potatoes! The flesh was just black, slightly less sweet than sweet potatoes, and the fruits were smaller.
But they could fill her stomach!
She immediately decided to start collecting these Black Bug Fruits from tomorrow.
After all, Wu Chen had said it was already autumn, so she needed to start preparing for her first winter here right away!
Though Wu Chen promised to provide her with food, who would complain about having too much to eat?
Besides, she couldn’t endure eating only meat throughout winter like Wu Chen.
She’d probably become constipated soon after winter began!
She might even become the first person to die from constipation caused by eating only meat without any vegetables!
Lin Xi tasted one cooked Black Bug Fruit, then picked up another, peeled it, and offered it to Wu Chen.
“Wu Chen, try this.”
Wu Chen looked down at the food offered to his mouth, then shifted his gaze to Lin Xi’s face, seeing only the expectant look in the little Female Beast’s eyes. He slightly lowered his head and took a bite of the Black Bug Fruit!
Then his face showed surprise!
The Black Bug Fruit could be eaten like this?
He only knew that some herbivorous Beastmen collected these fruits for winter because they could be stored for a long time.
But they only ate them during winter, rarely touching Black Bug Fruits when other food was available.
Because Black Bug Fruits had a somewhat astringent taste when eaten raw and weren’t particularly pleasant.
But who would have thought boiled Black Bug Fruits would have such a texture?
If even he liked them, then those herbivorous Beastmen would probably love them even more!
Lin Xi had been closely watching Wu Chen’s expression.
The little cat at her grandmother’s house used to love eating boiled sweet potatoes and potatoes. Since leopards and cats both belonged to the feline family, their tastes should be similar, right?
Sure enough, after Wu Chen finished one Black Bug Fruit, she saw his eyes light up!
“How is it?”
Lin Xi asked eagerly.
“Hmm, does Xi Xi like it?”
“Of course.” Lin Xi nodded, picking up another fruit.
“Then I’ll find more for you tomorrow.”
Wu Chen looked at Lin Xi, his gray-green eyes filled with tenderness.
“Alright!”
Lin Xi didn’t refuse and nodded repeatedly!
After all, she had already decided to stick with this black panther. Since he wanted to get intimate with her, he would have to take full responsibility for her food, clothing, shelter, and daily needs!
Thinking this, she extended the newly made chopsticks toward the oversized portion of stir-fried leg meat.
After taking a bite, a satisfied smile appeared on her face.
Absolutely delicious!
This leg meat was incredibly tender!
Completely different from the greasiness of bear meat, the texture was fresh, tender, and juicy without any gamey smell. Lin Xi felt that this Fleece Beast seemed to exist just for her!
“Wu Chen, this is delicious too!”
Lin Xi looked at Wu Chen with starry eyes, her anticipation unmistakable!
“Then I’ll catch two more for you tomorrow!”
Wu Chen ate his bear meat while smiling at Lin Xi. He thought not only was the stir-fry delicious, but the roasted bear meat he had today was particularly tasty as well.
It was still bear meat, but compared to what he used to make himself, the bear meat Xi Xi prepared today had a slightly sweet and sour flavor. When eaten, it didn’t feel as greasy!
For the evening meal, Lin Xi ate much more than she had for breakfast.
But compared to Wu Chen, it was still very little.
Wu Chen could eat one-third of a bear in a single meal.
Naturally, most of the remaining food ended up in Wu Chen’s stomach, except for half of the stir-fried leg meat that was left.
The spicy flavor was still too intense for Wu Chen, who wasn’t used to eating spicy food. In the end, Lin Xi noticed that Wu Chen was clearly uncomfortable but still wanted to finish it all, so she quickly stopped him!
“The weather is cool now. It won’t spoil if left overnight. If you don’t like it, don’t force yourself to eat it!”
Lin Xi frowned as she spoke to Wu Chen.
Wu Chen silently watched as Lin Xi stored the leftover stir-fried leg meat in a soft fruit shell and placed it near the cave entrance.
There were now four or five more soft fruit shells of varying sizes over there, all of which Xi Xi had picked up while they were out today.
One of them contained boiled water that Lin Xi had specifically prepared for drinking.
Looking at those fruit shells, Wu Chen hadn’t expected they would all come in handy. He had a vague feeling that Xi Xi’s appearance would likely bring significant changes to his life!
After the evening meal, Lin Xi stood at the cave entrance and looked outside.
The sky had darkened, and almost no Beastmen could be seen outside.
In the distance, where the shacks were densely clustered, some shacks had bonfires burning outside, but no Beastmen were visible.
Further away was the forest, already engulfed in darkness and faintly visible in the shadows.
Lin Xi could still recall how, just two nights ago, she had been alone in the forest, trembling with fear and unable to sleep.
If that situation had continued for a few more days, she probably would have broken down!
Fortunately, she was relatively lucky!
Before going to bed at night, Lin Xi had Wu Chen take her to the river for a quick wash.
The weather was a bit cold, so she didn’t bathe. If she accidentally caught a cold in this world, it would be no joking matter!
After washing up, Lin Xi also took care of her physiological needs outside.
At that moment, it suddenly occurred to her that the most urgent matter now was probably to quickly build a toilet!
No matter what, she still couldn’t quite accept having to go into the bushes to relieve herself every day, where Beastmen might appear at any time.
After washing up and returning to the cave, Lin Xi lay down on the grass bed first.
After yesterday’s frantic escape, burning with fever all night, and today’s prolonged mental tension, now that everything had settled, she felt nothing but soreness in every muscle.
But there was still one final matter.
Lying on the grass bed, she felt the beastman’s robust body slowly settle beside her. Soon, a thick arm wrapped around her waist.
Lin Xi’s emotions were complicated, but she remained completely still.
After a long while with no movement from the beastman beside her, she turned her head and saw Wu Chen’s gray-green eyes – particularly striking in daylight – now glowing with a gem-like fluorescence as they watched her.
“Wu Chen?”
Lin Xi hesitated, unsure what words to use to express her confusion.
She had mentally prepared herself for what Wu Chen might want to do, yet he didn’t seem in any hurry, making her feel like she might have been overthinking things.
“Xi Xi is very tired today. Also, the… clothes? on Xi Xi’s body are fragile. I would damage them.”
This statement from Wu Chen was something Lin Xi truly hadn’t anticipated.
She felt her emotions grow even more complicated.
She had only intended to treat the beastman as a fair-trade survival resource, but this particular resource seemed to consider her feelings far too much!
Especially since it was that kind of instinctive, beastly concern expressed with such directness!