Before she could even take a bite of her meal, several figures darted over like lightning.
Bi Ze, holding a large bowl, scooped up half the fish from the pot in one go. Qing Yuan followed closely behind, taking another half, while Yan Chen hurriedly scraped the pot clean.
By the time Xiao Shuo, who lived the farthest away, arrived with his bowl, the pot had already been overturned and tossed onto the ground.
Tang Hongluan’s lips twitched at the sight… These weren’t beast husbands, they were outright bandits!
Seeing this, Yun Li gritted his teeth in anger, put down his own bowl, and charged at Bi Ze.
Bi Ze fled at top speed, while Qing Yuan and Yan Chen, afraid Yun Li might come after them next, grabbed their bowls and ran too.
Xiao Shuo, noticing Yun Li’s bowl still had plenty of meat, hesitated between wanting a bite and feeling too proud to ask. He could only stand there, glaring helplessly!
Tang Hongluan stood frozen in shock, sparing a brief moment of pity for Yun Li before quickly devouring the meat in her own bowl.
Yun Li chased Bi Ze all the way to his doorstep, glaring at him for a long while before finally admitting defeat. “Don’t steal next time!” he snapped before storming off in a huff.
A smirk curled Bi Ze’s lips as he took a bite of the meat in his bowl, tender and perfectly cooked, with a strange yet addictive flavor.
“What did she put in this?” He stared at the chunks of chili, scallions, and ginger, unable to resist tasting them. Instantly, his brows furrowed…
Qing Yuan, on the other hand, didn’t overthink it. He devoured everything: meat, broth, and seasonings, then smacked his lips, savoring the lingering taste. He couldn’t fathom how Tang Hongluan had suddenly learned to make something so delicious…
Yan Chen ate with pure delight, never imagining he’d get to enjoy a meal cooked by a female in his lifetime. If only he could eat like this every day… Lost in thought, he quickly finished his portion and headed back to Tang Hongluan with his empty bowl.
“My bowl goes here too!”
Tang Hongluan forced a faint smile, barely resisting the urge to kick this dog of a man out!
“What else do you need? Tables and chairs?”
Seeing she didn’t object, he left with a dark expression.
Xiao Shuo, who hadn’t gotten a single bite, flung his bowl onto the stove and stormed off, face equally grim.
Before long, Qing Yuan and Bi Ze both returned with their bowls. Bi Ze even brought two small plates…
Tang Hongluan stood petrified, hands on her hips, ready to unleash a torrent of curses, when a series of loud thuds interrupted her.
A sheep, a cow, and a wild boar came crashing down in front of her, howling in protest.
Another deafening crash!
A massive boulder landed nearby, nearly shaking her earthen hut to the ground.
“Since I didn’t get to eat earlier, stew this cow!” Xiao Shuo commanded imperiously. He never expected this woman to become so useful, she could ease pain, cook, and even keep her face from peeling now! Her hands had grown nimble too…
He stroked his chin, deep in thought.
“The pot isn’t big enough…” Tang Hongluan was on the verge of tears as the cow continued to moo pitifully.
“Xiao Shuo, at least kill the cow first!” Yan Chen walked over, fiddling with an enormous boulder he’d somehow acquired, two meters long and two meters wide. “Will this work as a table?”
Tang Hongluan stared at the meter-tall, perfectly square stone slab and nodded repeatedly. These dog men were actually somewhat useful, she’d never have been able to haul something like this herself. “A few stools to sit on would be nice too…”
She seized the opportunity to whisper her request. Given that she still had to cook for them, asking for a little more wasn’t too much, right?
“If I kill it, you don’t get any!” Xiao Shuo retorted, hoisting the cow over his shoulder and heading toward the river.
“I’ll kill it with you!” Yan Chen hurriedly chased after him.
No sooner had the two left than another loud clang echoed, a much larger stone pot was thrown over, followed by Bi Ze. “This pot!”
Tang Hongluan glanced at the stove she had built. She had miscalculated, it was too small…
A moment later, a large green snake slithered over, coiling around several stone stools it had somehow procured.
“Is this enough?” the snake spoke in human tongue.
Tang Hongluan finally understood, these bandits were going all out just for a meal!
But after all this commotion, she had nearly all the utensils she needed.
“Oh, we’re missing a wooden bucket!” Tang Hongluan clapped her hands. “Well, we have extra stone pots anyway, so it’s fine!”
The group sighed in relief and sat on the stone stools, waiting.
The three beast husbands occasionally stole glances at Tang Hongluan. Somehow, she had suddenly become diligent and capable, even managing to cook such delicious food…
And, crucially, she hadn’t been bothering them lately…
Before long, Xiao Shuo and Yan Chen returned carrying a slaughtered cow and tossed it onto the stone table. “Will this do?”
“Cut it into pieces!” Tang Hongluan wasn’t about to compromise, free labor was free labor. She placed her stone knife on the table.
Worried about potential fights, she also added the less effective bone knife.
“You cut it!” Yan Chen sat on a stone stool, eyeing Bi Ze, Qing Yuan, and Yun Li, who remained motionless, steadfastly waiting for food.
Almost simultaneously, the three shot Yan Chen a cold glare, but none of them moved.
“Who’s fetching water? Who’s tending the fire?” Tang Hongluan deliberately walked up to the stone table and muttered under her breath, her gaze deliberately lowered, not daring to look at anyone.
“Xiao Shuo and I will cut the beef…” Yan Chen reluctantly took on the task again.
Yun Li didn’t budge. “I cleaned that fish!”
Qing Yuan bolted. “I’ll fetch water.”
That left Bi Ze standing there, dumbfounded. Tend the fire? He was a bird, what if he burned himself?
Tang Hongluan chuckled. “We’ll start the fire once the water’s back.”
Soon, thick black smoke engulfed Tang Hongluan’s courtyard.
Yun Li and Qing Yuan were immediately driven out by the choking fumes.
Tang Hongluan’s face darkened. The pot had been sitting there forever, and the fire still hadn’t caught…
Xiao Shuo stood nearby, glaring. “Bi Ze, do you even know how?”
“No! Want to try?” Bi Ze, his face smeared with soot, silently turned to Xiao Shuo.
“I don’t know how!” Xiao Shuo didn’t hesitate, only a fool would admit to knowing.
“Then go home and learn how to start a fire first!” Tang Hongluan wasn’t about to indulge them, looking earnestly at the remaining three beast husbands. She certainly wasn’t stepping in.
Xiao Shuo’s silver eyes turned icy as he glared at Tang Hongluan.
Used to his glares by now, she ignored him.
“Move aside, I’ll do it!” Yan Chen sighed and began tending the fire.
Tang Hongluan raised an eyebrow. As expected, Yan Chen was actually good at this! Before long, the fire was blazing.
Tang Hongluan blanched the beef in cold water, then replaced it with fresh water and added all the chopped beef, filling the massive pot to the brim. Next, she tossed in chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, wild onions, wild ginger, and salt…
“Just let it simmer on low heat!” She glanced at Yan Chen, who was still stoking the fire vigorously, and quickly stopped him. “Low heat!”
“Low heat takes too long!”
To hell with “takes too long”…
“Low heat tastes better!” Tang Hongluan forced herself to stay patient. Who even ate beef boiled on high heat? She certainly hadn’t!
“Listen to her!” Bi Ze narrowed his eyes, a cold glint fixed on Yan Chen.
They waited until the sun had set, and during that time, no one knew how many times Xiao Shuo had asked, “Can we eat now?”
Tang Hongluan paid him no mind at all. Beef had to be stewed slowly over a low flame, if anyone was impatient, they could just skip the meal!
Finally, the aroma of the beef had practically filled the entire small courtyard, and the beastmen were all staring fixedly at the pot of meat. It wasn’t that they had never eaten boiled meat before, but it had never smelled this good!
The fragrance alone was enough to make their mouths water uncontrollably, even before taking a single bite…
“Dinner’s ready!” Tang Hongluan confirmed that the beef was tender and perfectly cooked, then smiled at the beastmen waiting eagerly to eat.
These dog-like men acted just like children when it came to mealtime…
“Remember to wash the dishes after you eat!” she warned, watching them devour the food with gusto.
[Master, the wildness levels of the beastmen are dropping rapidly!]
the system chimed in happily.