After the beast meat was all cut, Chu Xuan picked up the pieces one by one and skewered them onto wooden sticks. After skewering one, she said to Jian Ze and Mo Jingxing:
“Like this, skewer all this meat.”
Chu Xuan had never been one to suffer unnecessarily. Having endured enough hardship as an overworked laborer in the modern world, she now believed in enjoying life when possible.
Since they had abilities and could work faster, she only needed to teach them what to do.
Mo Jingxing and Jian Ze began preparing the meat skewers. Taking advantage of this time, Chu Xuan went to the courtyard and exchanged for some barbecue seasoning from the System Shop.
Tonight, she planned to make some grilled skewers for them as a late-night snack.
With Mo Jingxing and Jian Ze working together, they quickly finished skewering all the meat according to Chu Xuan’s instructions.
Following Chu Xuan’s directions, they carried the skewers to the courtyard and, under her guidance, set up a barbecue grill.
They didn’t question these strange, unfamiliar things Chu Xuan asked them to make, simply doing whatever she instructed.
When everything was ready, Chu Xuan started grilling the meat.
Jian Ze and Mo Jingxing assisted her, and soon the aroma of barbecue filled the entire courtyard.
“It smells amazing!” Mo Jingxing swallowed hard, watching the skewers sizzling in Chu Xuan’s hands. “Female Master, what is this you’re making?!”
“These are grilled skewers,” Chu Xuan replied with a smile, handing the cooked skewers to Mo Jingxing and Jian Ze. “Try them.”
Mo Jingxing took one and eagerly bit into it, only to have his mouth burned. “Hot, hot!”
Chu Xuan laughed. “Eat slowly. There’s plenty more here.”
Considering her Beast Husbands had large appetites, Chu Xuan had used the remaining half of the wild beast meat for barbecue.
This was already accounting for the fact they’d eaten dinner earlier. Had they not had dinner, she feared even half a beast wouldn’t be enough for them.
“Really delicious! Female Master’s cooking skills are excellent,” Mo Jingxing praised sincerely.
“Female Master, you should rest. I’ll handle the remaining grilling!” Jian Ze offered after watching for a while, having basically learned the technique.
Chu Xuan knew Jian Ze had talent for cooking. Although he’d previously made unpalatable meals, that was only because he hadn’t mastered proper techniques.
After learning from Chu Xuan a few times, his cooking had improved significantly, and he could usually replicate dishes after just one demonstration.
Having worked all day, Chu Xuan was indeed tired. She moved aside to sit down, letting Jian Ze take over.
Jian Ze used his ability to manipulate the skewers, handling multiple strands at once—far more convenient than using both hands like Chu Xuan.
Chu Xuan had no doubt that if the grill were large enough, Jian Ze could cook all the skewers simultaneously.
Well, well. So this was another way abilities could be used. She’d gained new insight once again.
After Jian Ze finished grilling a batch, Chu Xuan took some to bring to Xie Xingwen and Yu Jinglan, while contemplating how to quickly raise Xie Xingwen’s favorability to the point where he’d willingly spend a night with her.
She couldn’t wait to gain abilities.
When Chu Xuan arrived with the skewers, Xie Xingwen and Yu Jinglan were quenching her treasured sword, both sweating profusely from the heat.
“Xingwen, Jinglan, you’ve been working so long—you must be hungry. We made some late-night snacks; have some later when you can.”
Yu Jinglan took a moment to glance at the grilled meat Chu Xuan brought over. The aroma alone made him swallow involuntarily.
But Xie Xingwen had emphasized that the sword quenching process couldn’t be interrupted, so he had to persist until this round was complete.
Chu Xuan set the skewers aside and pulled out a handkerchief, stepping closer to Xie Xingwen to wipe the sweat from his forehead:
“Look at all this sweat—it must be exhausting!”
Her movements were gentle, the cloth lightly brushing Xie Xingwen’s face, causing a faint tickle.
Xie Xingwen couldn’t help but turn to look at her. Chu Xuan met his gaze, her eyes shimmering, red lips slightly parted. The tender affection in her gaze was utterly captivating, especially when paired with the delicate feminine fragrance she exuded.
Xie Xingwen felt slightly dizzy. After a moment’s thought, he managed with difficulty: “Maybe… you should step out for a bit? Your presence here might interfere with our sword forging.”
Chu Xuan: “…”
The radiant charm on Chu Xuan’s face visibly faded, though Xie Xingwen remained completely unaware.
Meanwhile, Yu Jinglan chuckled nearby: “Female Master, we’re both your Beast Husbands—you can’t play favorites. Come wipe my sweat too.”
Since they were both her Beast Husbands and targets to be won over, Chu Xuan naturally wouldn’t show bias.
She turned to Yu Jinglan, carefully wiping the sweat from his enchanting fox-like face, then turned away expressionlessly.
“I’ll leave the food here. Eat when you’re hungry—just don’t work yourselves to death.”
This Xie Xingwen was not only stingy with contributing favorability points but also a hopelessly dense straight man. How was she supposed to win him over?!
Chu Xuan felt like crying. She’d even used Bewitchment earlier, yet Xie Xingwen’s gaze remained completely unmoved—not only unaffected but even finding her presence bothersome.
Damn straight man, destined to die alone!
“Will I ever gain an ability in this lifetime?” Chu Xuan lamented with a pained expression.
[Host, gaining an ability is trivial. Don’t forget there are penalties for failing missions.] System 38 suddenly reminded her.
Hearing this, Chu Xuan wanted to cry even more.
When she returned to the courtyard, Shen Lingjun immediately noticed something was off and asked: “What’s wrong, Female Master? You don’t look well.”
Shen Lingjun had been drawn out by the aroma in the courtyard and was currently enjoying grilled skewers with Jian Ze and the others.
Jian Ze and Mo Jingxing also looked up at Chu Xuan upon hearing this.
Under the gaze of three pairs of eyes, Chu Xuan forced a slight smile: “It’s nothing, probably just tired from today.”
She offered a casual excuse and sat down nearby. Mo Jingxing handed her a skewer: “Have some food, Female Master. It might improve your mood.”
Chu Xuan accepted the skewer, taking small bites while inwardly sighing. If only they had beer—beer with grilled skewers would be perfect!
[Host, the System Shop’s purchasing permissions have expanded further. There are more crop seeds available now—would you like to take a look?] System 38 suddenly announced.
Hearing this, Chu Xuan’s spirits lifted immediately: “Open the System Shop.”
After opening the System Shop, Chu Xuan discovered that it had indeed added many crop seeds—barley, wheat, sorghum, corn, rice, and various vegetable seeds…
Looking at these seeds, Chu Xuan’s eyes lit up. With these seeds, once she grew them, she could have anything she wanted to eat in the future.
[Host, the growth cycle of crop seeds from the system is extremely fast. When paired with fertilizers from the System Shop, they will mature even faster.]
Chu Xuan glanced at the Points required to exchange for seeds and fertilizers—neither was very expensive, and she could afford them. Besides, she had earned a considerable amount of Points from the barbecue she prepared for them today.
Chu Xuan decided that she would take her Beast Husbands to cultivate the land and plant vegetables another day.