Murong Yanran’s foot froze midair, caught between advancing and retreating.
Hua Yourong and Xia Zhiruo also forgot to hold her back. All three pairs of beautiful eyes turned in unison toward the entrance of the thatched hut.
The fragrance grew closer. Richer. Stronger.
Xu Lang walked in slowly, carrying the chipped clay pot.
Inside was snow-white, glistening rice, topped with several glossy slices of cured meat and garnished with a few bright green vegetables.
Steam rose in curls. The aroma filled the air.
In this famine year, when even tree bark had nearly been gnawed clean, white rice and meat were things that existed only in legends.
The three women stopped breathing at the same time.
“Gulp.”
No one knew who swallowed first.
Hua Yourong’s eyes turned red instantly.
She could not even remember how long it had been since she had seen rice this clean and white, let alone meat shining with oil.
War and famine had turned her from a cherished young lady of a medical family into a wandering refugee who could not fill her stomach.
Xia Zhiruo’s large eyes were full of disbelief.
She looked timidly at Xu Lang, then at the food in the clay pot, her small mind filled with questions.
Where had this man, so thin he looked ready to die, conjured such divine food?
Was he… an immortal?
Admiration and curiosity intertwined in her bright eyes.
Only Murong Yanran recovered from her shock quickly and grew vigilant.
She folded her arms and forcibly suppressed the rumbling in her stomach, then let out a cold snort.
“Hmph. Who knows where you stole or robbed this from. If we eat it, we might be dragged off and executed tomorrow.”
She said that, yet her gaze clung stubbornly to the slices of cured meat marbled with fat and lean, unable to move away.
“Grr… grr…”
An ill-timed sound came from her lower abdomen.
Murong Yanran’s cheeks flushed bright red, and she wished she could dig a hole and hide.
How disgraceful.
Xu Lang watched their completely different reactions and felt delighted inside.
Especially Murong Yanran’s proud act of refusing with her mouth while her body was honest. It was simply too amusing.
He placed the clay pot on the broken wooden plank and said with a grin, “My three wives, don’t be shy. Sit down and eat.”
He paused, then added slowly, “After all, you are now my wives. Eat your fill so you’ll have strength tonight to properly serve your husband.”
His words struck like thunder on clear ground.
Hua Yourong and Xia Zhiruo’s faces turned red instantly, so red they looked ready to drip blood. They lowered their heads in embarrassment and did not dare glance again at the fragrant food.
“Shameless!” Murong Yanran’s chest heaved with anger. She had never heard such blatant, frivolous words in her life.
“Yes, I am shameless,” Xu Lang admitted calmly.
He picked up a pair of crude wooden chopsticks, took the largest slice of cured meat, and under the three women’s gazes, placed it slowly into his mouth.
“Mmm… fragrant.”
He closed his eyes, looking intoxicated.
The salty aroma of cured meat and its rich fat exploded in his mouth. With just a simple preparation enhanced by his God-tier Culinary Skill, this ordinary piece of meat tasted at least ten times better.
That bite felt earthshaking.
Hua Yourong and Xia Zhiruo were practically drooling.
Murong Yanran bit her lip so hard it nearly broke.
This scoundrel. This villain.
He was definitely doing it on purpose.
After finishing the meat, Xu Lang scooped up a large mouthful of white rice and ate with obvious relish.
“So good. If you don’t eat now, there won’t be any left.”
He spoke vaguely while chewing.
The atmosphere inside the hut became unbearable.
The scent of food, mixed with the sound of Xu Lang chewing, felt like countless little hands scratching at the three women’s hearts and stomachs.
Finally, Hua Yourong could not endure it.
She had never felt much hostility toward Xu Lang, and now that he had brought out such precious food, her remaining restraint and unease were completely overwhelmed by hunger.
She walked slowly to the wooden plank, bowed slightly to Xu Lang, and said softly, her voice barely louder than a whisper but perfectly clear, “Husband… thank you.”
The word “Husband” sounded sincere and gentle.
[Ding! Hua Yourong Favorability +20! Current Favorability: 30 (Slight Affection).]
The system’s notification sounded in Xu Lang’s mind.
Xu Lang felt delighted inside but kept his expression steady, his smile growing brighter.
While cooking, he had discovered that the system could check favorability. For every 100 points accumulated, he would receive a reward.
If it reached 1000 points, there would be a super grand prize.
He pushed the clay pot slightly toward Hua Yourong. “Wife, eat quickly. Eat more.”
“Mm.”
Hua Yourong nodded gently, picked up another pair of chopsticks, and carefully took a small bite of rice, bringing it to her lips.
The sweetness of the rice made tears well in her eyes.
It tasted like being alive.
Seeing Hua Yourong begin eating, Xia Zhiruo could not hold back any longer.
She swallowed, ran to Xu Lang’s side, and timidly said, imitating Hua Yourong, “Sister Hua called you Husband… I… I will call you Husband too.”
Her voice carried a childlike imitation and pure longing.
[Ding! Xia Zhiruo Favorability +30! Current Favorability: 40 (Full of Trust).]
Oh, this little girl’s favorability rises quite fast.
A bit easy to coax, hehe.
Xu Lang felt even happier and pushed the clay pot toward Xia Zhiruo as well. “Eat, little glutton.”
“Thank you, Husband!”
Xia Zhiruo cheered softly and immediately joined the eating.
On the small broken plank, Hua Yourong ate gracefully while Xia Zhiruo ate sweetly.
Only Murong Yanran stood alone.
She watched the two of them eating eagerly and listened to their satisfied chewing. Her stomach felt emptier, and her heart felt more tormented.
The fragrance of meat seemed to grow hooks, tugging at her soul again and again.
Eat, or not?
If she ate, she would be bowing her head to this rogue.
If she did not, she felt she might truly starve to death tonight.
Dignity and survival clashed wildly in her mind.
Xu Lang glanced at her and deliberately picked up another slice of cured meat, waving it lightly in the air.
“Ah, this meat is so fatty and fragrant. First wife and second wife get to eat, but… some people won’t have any.”
Murong Yanran’s body stiffened.
This man was utterly rotten.
“You…” she choked.
Xu Lang smiled. “What? Want to eat? If you want it, come here and call me Husband.”
“In your dreams!” Murong Yanran ground her teeth.
“Fine. Then you two eat faster. Once it’s gone, there won’t be any for her,” Xu Lang said to Hua Yourong and Xia Zhiruo.
The two paused, looking awkwardly at Murong Yanran.
Xia Zhiruo even persuaded softly, “Sister Yanran, come eat. The rice is really delicious…”
That persuasion became the final straw.
Murong Yanran felt humiliation surge through her. As the daughter of a military champion, she had fallen so low as to be forced to eat by two “traitors” and a rogue.
But her stomach growled honestly.
She closed her eyes. When she opened them again, all struggle had turned into resignation.
Step by step, she walked to the plank and forced two words through her teeth.
“Husband.”
Her voice was almost inaudible, filled with endless humiliation and anger.
[Ding! Murong Yanran Favorability +10! Current Favorability: -20 (Extreme Disgust).]
Xu Lang nearly burst out laughing.
The favorability had risen. It was still negative, but it had gone up from -30. That meant progress.
He suppressed his laughter and deliberately put on a stern face. “Hm? Louder. I didn’t hear you.”
“You!” Murong Yanran’s phoenix eyes flared as if shooting flames.
“If you won’t say it, then this last piece of meat…”
“Husband!”
This time Murong Yanran almost shouted.
“There we go. That’s better.” Xu Lang nodded in satisfaction and handed her the chopsticks, but his mouth did not relent. “Since you called so late, you can only be third wife. Rongrong and Zhiruo are your older sisters now.”
“I’ll kill you!”
Murong Yanran grabbed the chopsticks. Her first instinct was not to eat but to stab this hateful man.
Yet the slice of cured meat glistening in the clay pot extinguished her killing intent.
She scooped up a large mouthful of rice and fiercely picked up the meat, as if she were chewing Xu Lang’s bones instead.
So fragrant.
Xu Lang watched his three flower-like wives devour the food without regard for appearance, and an unprecedented sense of satisfaction rose in his heart.
Looking at their heavenly beauty and their figures, impossible to hide even beneath loose clothing, he licked his lips, a heated smile forming.
“Eat slowly. Don’t choke.”
His voice suddenly became gentle.
The three women paused and looked up at him.
Xu Lang wore a smile they could not understand and said slowly, “You’ve eaten my food. From today onward, you belong to me, Xu Lang.”
“Tonight, the three of you will serve me together and bear me children.”