Yan Chen sneered. Bonding? They’d already bonded at “negative distance”…
“I’ll report this to the tribal chief!”
“Yan Chen!” Jiang Xin tried hard to mask the panic on his face. “You have no proof, this is just slander! My father won’t believe you so easily!”
“Hmph!” Yan Chen turned and left, his expression dark as he led Tang Hongluan back to the Tiger Clan.
“Why do you look so upset?” Tang Hongluan propped her chin on her hand, seizing the chance to tease him.
Yan Chen shot her an annoyed glance. Though he didn’t care for Tang Hongluan, if he ever saw her with another beastman, he’d kill the woman first, then the beastman!
“How is your hand healed?” His gaze fell on her right hand, the once-clawlike, gnarled fingers were gone.
Now, it was a pair of slender, jade-white hands. The joints were even, the fingertips slightly upturned… Why did they actually look somewhat… pretty?
But in his memory, Tang Hongluan had never been associated with anything remotely beautiful…
“Oh, I healed it with my powers!” Tang Hongluan improvised. Everyone knew she had abilities, so this excuse should work. She certainly couldn’t say it was because some pervert kissed it better…
He glanced at her face, there was a faint glow to it now, at least enough to not make him nauseous. Without another word, he left as abruptly as usual.
Tang Hongluan didn’t mind. When she got home, however, she was stunned by what she saw.
By the stove sat two large, round stone pots, along with two palm-sized stone plates and two delicate wooden bowls stacked on the ground…
What in the…?
Tang Hongluan hurried over, picking them up to inspect them closely.
Some kind-hearted deity must have taken pity on her and sent these…
Just then, there was a loud thud behind her, a two-foot-long fish flopped onto the ground.
Yun Li stood nearby, his soft yet sharp eyes fixed on her. “Cook this fish.”
Tang Hongluan’s lips twitched. Oh, he’s got taste, even knows how to order!
Then it hit her, Yun Li was the only one who hadn’t left these past two days. Did that mean he was the one who brought all this? A flicker of joy rose in her heart. “Did you get all this?”
Yun Li didn’t answer, but he didn’t deny it either.
This damn man! Tang Hongluan smirked. “Then you kill the fish.”
No point in not putting him to work, she wasn’t here to be a maid.
“I don’t have a knife.”
“Here.” She handed him the exquisite stone blade. This knife would be incredibly useful, far better than the dull bone knife at home.
Yun Li took it, examining the finely crafted blade. How did Tang Hongluan get something like this? Such items could only be traded for in a prosperous place like the Beast King’s City.
“Where’d you get this?”
“Found it.” Tang Hongluan shrugged dismissively.
Yun Li fell silent, then took the knife and dragged the fish toward the river.
Fish alone wasn’t enough, though. Tang Hongluan inventoried what she had at home: the Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, and ginger she’d picked last time. Some greens would be nice…
So, she headed to the back mountain, digging up some bamboo shoots. To her surprise, she also found perilla leaves and plucked a few, great for seasoning!
A few wild onions caught her eye too, so she yanked them out, perfect for adding fragrance.
Too bad there’s no tofu… Tang Hongluan sighed.
“System, did you forget to give me my reward again?” she muttered as she walked.
With sharp eyes, she spotted the thriving castor plants! These were excellent, they could be woven into fabric! Clothes of various styles could be made from them, far more convenient than animal hides. Besides, hides couldn’t be turned into undergarments, which always felt uncomfortable… She casually plucked a few along the way.
[Seeds have been distributed. Little Mistress, please check!]
Tang Hongluan grinned. From now on, eating vegetables would be so much easier!
In the future, she could even raise chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep, slaughtering them fresh whenever she wanted to eat… Life was looking more promising by the day!
At the doorstep, Yun Li was already waiting under the tree, and the cleaned fish lay neatly in the stone pot.
Tang Hongluan was pleased. She scraped some fat from the fish, lit a fire, and set up another stone pot.
Heating the oil, she fried scallions, chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant, then removed them. Next, she fried the fish, added water, and tossed in every available seasoning. Her movements were fluid and effortless, executed with practiced ease.
In an instant, the aroma wafted for miles!
Yun Li instinctively inhaled deeply, he had never smelled anything so enticing before.
The other beastmen, who had been gnawing on meat at home, almost simultaneously dropped what they were eating and followed the scent to its source.
The group exchanged glances. It was rare for all five beastmen to gather here so uniformly.
“Yun Li!” Xiao Shuo glared at the pot in Tang Hongluan’s hands, clearly, the aroma was coming from there. But why had Yun Li been here so early? “What’s going on?”
“Waiting to eat!” Yun Li couldn’t be bothered with them, though a hint of wariness flickered in his eyes. He had no intention of sharing this meal with anyone else.
Tang Hongluan busied herself, occasionally adding firewood and carefully controlling the heat.
Yun Li watched intently, his gaze fixed on Tang Hongluan’s right hand. When had it healed? And her cooking was so skilled now… She had changed!
The remaining four beastmen exchanged puzzled looks. They weren’t sure what was happening, but if Yun Li could eat, couldn’t they too?
After all, it smelled far better than the meat they usually roasted themselves.
“Then I’ll wait too!” Xiao Shuo found a tree branch and perched on it.
Bi Ze said nothing but walked over to the stove, examining the cooking setup Tang Hongluan had built, though his eyes eventually settled on the pot.
Fish!
It did look good.
Before he could say anything, Yun Li flashed over.
Bi Ze nimbly sidestepped, avoiding him.
Yun Li positioned himself beside Tang Hongluan, shielding the simmering fish pot behind him. His cold, sharp eyes locked onto the four beastmen who had come to freeload. “What’s in the pot is mine!”
The group froze, then almost shouted in unison, “Says who?!”
“Yun Li, don’t push your luck unless you want a beating!” Qing Yuan’s stomach growled, how could anything smell this good? It was far more tempting than the usual bugs they ate!
“Exactly, Yun Li!” Yan Chen also thought Yun Li was being unreasonable. “This female doesn’t belong to you alone. Why should the food she makes be yours alone?”
Oh-ho! Tang Hongluan raised an eyebrow and turned to glance incredulously at the four freeloading beastmen. Yan Chen, at least, made sense, he acknowledged she was their female! But where did he get the nerve to say that?
Weren’t they the ones who had scorned her earlier that morning? Now they remembered she was their female?
“The pot was given by Yun Li, the fish was caught by Yun Li, and it was cleaned by Yun Li!” Tang Hongluan suppressed a smirk and leisurely swept her gaze over the four before turning back to add more firewood. “You want to eat?”
“Besides, there aren’t any bowls for you!” She weighed the wooden bowl and stone plate Yun Li had brought over in her hands and smiled.
The group of men simultaneously darkened their expressions, yet not a single one made any move to leave…
“Yun Li, time to eat!” Tang Hongluan extinguished the fire in the stove. The fish in the pot was now tender and flavorful, the broth perfectly seasoned. Carefully, she ladled a bowl of fish for Yun Li and handed him a plate, adding thoughtfully, “Put the fish bones on the plate! Eat the meat first, then drink the soup!”
Yun Li’s eyes lit up as he happily took the bowl and went off to eat by himself.
Tang Hongluan then served herself a bowl, only to realize there wasn’t even a table or chair in sight, how utterly ridiculous!
“Ah! What a shame there’s no table or chairs!” she deliberately complained, wondering if any of her beastly husbands would take the hint and fetch her a set.
Just look at Yun Li, she had mentioned once that she lacked a pot, and within two days, he had brought one over, even adding extra plates and bowls. Now that was someone with good sense.
In the blink of an eye, the four men vanished without a trace, as if evaporated into thin air…
Tang Hongluan paused for a moment, slightly stunned. Could it be they’d all rushed off to prepare some grand gesture?