When Jiang Fei came back carrying five fish, Xue Xi was still knocking on the door.
He kept knocking and shouting, his voice almost gone.
Jiang Fei cleaned the fish, removed the scales, tied them with string, and hung them on a rack. Then he walked to the door and said, “Time to eat!”
Mo Fuqing couldn’t stand the noise anymore. He walked over and opened the door. The three of them stood facing each other, and their gazes went past each other into the room.
“Are you done yet?” Mo Fuqing said.
Then he turned to Jiang Fei. “You guys cook and bring—”
Before he could finish, Xue Xi pushed him aside roughly and rushed to Xi Qingqing. His hands shook as he tried to untie the ropes.
“Mo Fuqing, are you crazy?! How dare you do this?!”
When he saw the red marks on her wrists, his eyes turned red too.
Mo Fuqing moved quickly, grabbed Xue Xi’s hand, and threw it away coldly. “Get lost.”
Xue Xi grabbed Mo Fuqing’s shoulder. They used to get along, but now the tension between them was about to explode.
Xi Qingqing finally spoke. “Enough.”
“Untie me. I need to cook.”
She looked calmly at Mo Fuqing. “You can watch me the whole time. Tie me up again when I leave. You know what I can do.”
Mo Fuqing thought for a moment, then agreed.
Xue Xi quickly untied her. He didn’t understand why she wasn’t resisting now, even though she had shown such strong power before.
He also remembered how she helped Mo Fuqing during his heat, and his thoughts became more and more complicated.
When Xi Qingqing stood up and rubbed her wrists, she saw his conflicted expression.
She didn’t know what he was thinking, but he looked like he was about to cry. It made him look very lovable.
She wondered—had her recent efforts started to work? Probably not.
If it were another beast, maybe. But Xue Xi was a fox. Foxes were known for being hard to win over.
She walked outside, and the three beast-men silently followed her.
Xi Qingqing didn’t mind. She took a fish from the rack. It was already cleaned on the outside, but something felt off. She opened the belly and saw the organs were still inside.
She removed the organs, placed them on leaves, and put the fish into the pot.
She didn’t notice Mo Fuqing watching her with curiosity.
Nor did she notice Jiang Fei’s confused look when she removed the organs.
Xi Qingqing washed the knife, made a few cuts on the fish, placed wooden boards over the pot, and steamed the fish.
Soon, she took the fish out.
“Go pick that grass I used before,” she said to Xue Xi. “The long thin one, green and white.”
Xue Xi nodded and left. While waiting, she sat on a broken chair.
“You learned this in prison?” Mo Fuqing asked, looking down at her. “I thought you’d just come back and do nothing.”
She didn’t look up. “If I wanted to do nothing, why would I drug you?”
Mo Fuqing’s face darkened. “How can you even mention that?”
She looked up and smiled. “I wasn’t the one who got beaten. Why shouldn’t I mention it?”
Mo Fuqing gritted his teeth.
She snorted. He started it anyway.
Xue Xi came back with the green onions and gave them to her.
The wild onions smelled especially good. She cut them into pieces, placed them under the fish, added salt, and poured some fish broth on top.
Too bad she couldn’t use soy sauce in front of them, or it would taste even better.
Xi Qingqing brought the dish to the table.
Mo Fuqing took a bite. He was about to mock her—but suddenly stopped.
He took another bite slowly, looking shocked.
“Did you put something special in this?”
Xi Qingqing asked, “Is it good?”
He nodded.
In this world, people had “dishes,” but most beasts ate raw meat. Only Xue Xi sometimes cooked food.
Mo Fuqing usually swallowed fish whole and digested it slowly.
He had never imagined that steamed fish could be so soft and smooth—like clouds melting in his mouth.
At the same time, he noticed Jiang Fei was eating faster and faster, almost like a storm.
Mo Fuqing quickly sped up too.
After the meal, Xue Xi went to wash the dishes. Before leaving, he whispered something to Jiang Fei.
Xi Qingqing picked up the rope from the ground and asked Mo Fuqing to tie her again.
Mo Fuqing moved his fingers slightly but said, “Since you behaved, I won’t tie you during the day.”
Xi Qingqing asked, “At night?”
He nodded.
Her eyes changed slightly. “Tied next to your bed?”
“Of course.”
She smiled softly and let the rope fall from her hand.
“Alright.”
Mo Fuqing froze for a moment, then realized how suggestive that sounded. He had just taken suppressants earlier.
Snake heat periods were intense, and suppressants could cause problems.
He pressed his lips together. “Don’t cross the line.”
“What are you talking about?” she said innocently, standing a few steps away.
“I won’t do anything to you.”
“I know,” she replied.
“So don’t get any ideas,” he said, frustrated.
She nodded. “What ideas?”
The more he spoke, the worse it got. Mo Fuqing gave up and walked back into the house.
A few seconds later, he came back out and stood behind her stiffly.
“Don’t just stand there,” Xi Qingqing said. “Go bury the fish organs. They’ll smell later.”
Mo Fuqing asked, “You’re not eating them?”
Fish organs were usually fed to chickens or used as fertilizer. She wasn’t a chicken, and she didn’t plan to stay here long.
When she refused, Mo Fuqing reluctantly went to do it.
But Jiang Fei suddenly walked over and asked, “Why don’t you eat the organs?”
The sun was setting. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, and his muscles were slightly red in the light.
Xi Qingqing’s face turned a little red. “Fish organs aren’t good to eat.”
Jiang Fei narrowed his eyes. “Last time, you didn’t eat the pig or rabbit organs either.”
She thought she heard a bit of regret in his voice.
“You like eating organs?” she asked. “I can cook them for you next time.”
Jiang Fei shook his head. “They’re nutritious. Don’t throw them away next time. If you don’t want them, give them to me.”
He could eat them.
After saying that, Jiang Fei went to the yard to train.
There were two heavy stones there. He lifted them repeatedly, his muscles clearly defined.
Xi Qingqing stared at him.
She thought to herself—men who are hardworking, practical, and keep themselves in good shape are very rare.
She definitely couldn’t let him go.