On their way down the mountain, Raphael casually hunted two wild pheasants and picked a hand of fresh, tender wild shepherd’s purse. After returning home, he had Ye Qisheng rest in the room while he dove into the kitchen to busy himself.
Beside the stove inside, Ye Qisheng had already set out various seasonings before leaving: oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, and more. Raphael possessed an innate gift for cooking; smelling the seasonings, he gained a general understanding of how to use them.
He slaughtered one of the wild pheasants, making white-cut chicken from the large cuts of meat, and used the available seasonings to mix a dipping sauce.
Using the chicken carcass and blood to simmer a broth, he threw in the washed wild shepherd’s purse just before taking it off the stove, creating a richly fragrant soup.
Since Liu Shiting had brought over a few sweet potatoes at noon, he took the fine rice Ye Qisheng had bought from the mall and cooked a pot of sweet potato rice.
When the mouthwatering meal was served at the table, Ye Qisheng’s mouth watered with craving, and she picked up her bowl to dig in like a famished person!
Having eaten and drunk her fill, the two sat on the sofa to rest.
The inside of the house was bright as day. While Raphael had been cooking, Ye Qisheng placed an order for several wall lamps and hung them up. The windows and door were kept wide open; thanks to the insect repellent, mosquitoes and moths only flew around in the courtyard, their survival instincts keeping them from flying inside to seek their doom, leaving the house ventilated and pleasantly cool.
After being busy all day, Ye Qisheng felt lightheaded and groggy. Food coma combined with the exhaustion spreading through her limbs made her so tired she wished to fall asleep in a second.
However, she still had to take a bath before she could lie down in bed.
Just as she was letting procrastination corrode her mind, the ears of Raphael beside her twitched. He suddenly sat up, his voice tense as he said, “Someone is coming.”
Ye Qisheng was startled. Instinctively looking toward the wide-open main door and realizing something, she scrambled to switch off all the lights, leaving only a single candle burning itself away.
There was no helping it; the outside of this house was enclosed only by a hollowed-out bamboo fence, making it very easy to see the bright lights inside. To avoid unnecessary complications, they had to turn them off.
She and Raphael walked out into the courtyard. Before long, a figure appeared at the end of the road ahead, draped in bright moonlight and walking toward them with steady steps.
Recognizing that it was Liu Shiting, Ye Qisheng could not help but feel touched.
He had already come once at noon to make sure she was settled, yet he had come back again out of concern.
Truly worthy of being the village chief; his sense of responsibility was top-tier.
Moved by gratitude, she felt an urgent desire to repay him with something.
Items from the mall were far too conspicuous and hard to explain, so she could not present them to others for the time being. However, one of the wild pheasants Raphael had caught earlier was still left, bound hand and foot in the kitchen, making a desperate last struggle; sending that over would be perfect.
Translating thought into action, Ye Qisheng lowered her voice and asked in a consultative tone, “Raphael, I’ve caused Big Brother Liu a lot of trouble these past few days, and I want to return the favor. Can I give him that pheasant?”
Raphael looked at her upon hearing this, his gaze gentle, and nodded without a moment’s hesitation. “Of course. You and I are one; my belongings are yours to dispose of as you wish.”
Ye Qisheng pursed her lips in a smile, leaned her head closer to nuzzle his arm, and acted spoiled, saying, “Thank you! You’re so good!”
Liu Shiting had good vision; seeing those two intimate figures in the courtyard from afar, his footsteps paused for a moment before returning to a normal pace.
Before he could reach the fence gate, Ye Qisheng was already standing outside the gate holding Raphael’s hand, waiting for him with a bright smile. “Big Brother Liu, coming over so late—is something the matter?”
Liu Shiting’s gaze lingered on her small face for two seconds before he quickly retracted his eyes, saying in a steady voice, “Nothing much. Just passing by, so I came over to check on you.”
Ye Qisheng’s eyes curved into crescents, and she said sincerely, “Thank you for your concern. I have a husband now, and he will take care of me.”
Hearing her say this, Liu Shiting instinctively looked at the stunningly beautiful man beside her.
Raphael was also looking at him, his expression peaceful and composed. The bright moonlight highlighted his blue eyes, making them exceptionally translucent and sparkling like gems.
He was originally a man of captivating, extraordinary beauty, but standing beside the smiling Ye Qisheng, that exotic alien quality was inexplicably softened, replaced by a touch of warm, noble elegance.
Liu Shiting quickly withdrew his gaze and looked back at Ye Qisheng, saying softly, “Since you husband and wife are doing well, I have nothing to worry about. This is the end of the village; villagers generally don’t come here without reason, so no one should disturb you in the future.”
This was precisely the result Ye Qisheng wanted. In any case, she was not familiar with the people in the village, and Raphael could not get along with them either, so it was best that no one bothered them.
Racial discrimination was unacceptable. Once she became fully familiar with this world after some time, she would take Raphael away from here to find a place where they could truly settle down and live in peace.
Having said what needed to be said, Liu Shiting bade farewell to return home. Ye Qisheng asked him to wait a moment, then had Raphael fetch the wild pheasant and handed it to him personally with both hands.
“Big Brother Liu, thank you for taking me in these past few days. This is a small token of appreciation from us as a couple; please don’t turn it down.”
Liu Shiting glanced at the pheasant in her hands. Its plumage was vivid, plump, and healthy, clearly having grown for quite a few years.
He shook his head, politely declining, “Taking you in was to repay Doctor Xu for his previous care of my family; it had nothing to do with you, and you owe me no favors. You should keep this pheasant for yourselves to eat.”
“Just take it, don’t be polite!” Ye Qisheng forcibly stuffed it into his hands, then affectionately took Raphael’s arm, her tone tinged with pride. “My husband is very capable! Catching one or two pheasants is child’s play for him! Whenever I want to eat one, he can just go into the mountains to hunt again—it’s very easy!”
Hearing this, Liu Shiting looked at Raphael once more, his eyes filled with a somewhat complex, evaluating gaze.
The first time he had seen this brown-haired, blue-eyed foreigner with such an aura of noble elegance and beauty, he knew he was by no means an ordinary person.
It was just that this person had lost his memory, knowing nothing of his own identity or background, and was driven out of the village by the villagers who viewed him as one of the Demon Tribe.
Later, he learned from Doctor Xu that the man had not left, but had found a cave in the mountains to make a home, living there for over a year. Had it not been for Ye Qisheng, he would not have seen this blue-eyed man again either.
He had not expected his skills to be so formidable—not only surviving safely in the treacherous deep mountain forests, but seemingly living quite comfortably as well.
The mountain was full of wild beasts and birds, as well as rare herbs, but the dangers were equally great—tigers, black bears, and pythons were not lacking. Unless the villagers were starving to the point of desperation, they would never risk going up the mountain.
Faced with Ye Qisheng’s insistence, Liu Shiting simply could not refuse. In the end, he accepted the gift of thanks, carried the wild pheasant, bade farewell, and returned home.
Aunt Fan was in the main room sewing shoes by the kerosene lamp. Hearing the sound coming from the courtyard, her aged face darkened, and she immediately threw down her needlework to walk out.
Facing the person in the courtyard, she asked loudly and sharply, “Shiting, did you go look for that Miss Ye again?!”