Chapter 20: A Softening Heart
Su Muyao’s gaze was clear, clean, and sincere. She was telling the truth; she genuinely wanted to cure Hua Linye’s fire poison.
Hua Linye was already shaken to his core. This time, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and pulling Su Muyao into another embrace. He held her tightly, as if trying to melt her into his very being.
“Wife Master, thank you, thank you…”
Besides “thank you,” Hua Linye didn’t know what else to say. A torrent of emotions surged within him. Overwhelmed, his foxy eyes took on a thin, bewitching crimson hue, and the slightest upturn at the corners seemed capable of stealing one’s soul.
His voice was low and raspy. “In the past, whenever the fire poison acted up, it was never suppressed this easily. Let alone having some of it cured… this is already wonderful.”
It gave him hope. He had thought that one day, he would die from this poison. It wasn’t that he feared death, but he couldn’t die until he had avenged his father. And he still had to find his maternal grandparents.
Hearing the tremor in Hua Linye’s voice, Su Muyao sighed. The original owner had truly done many cruel things and had treated her beastmen husbands terribly. The three who remained by her side each had their own difficult and unavoidable reasons for doing so. She would heal them, and then she would set them free.
“One day, the fire poison will be completely cured.” As long as her wood-elemental ability leveled up, completely curing the fire poison would be an easy task for her.
Su Muyao could feel Hua Linye holding her without any intention of letting go, but they couldn’t stay like this forever. Besides, an intimate hug might trigger a one-time upgrade for the dimension, but holding on like this afterward would have no further effect.
She spoke softly, “Um, it’s getting late. Let’s eat something first, then we can pick some herbs this afternoon and head home early.”
She was eager to get back and mill the wheat into flour. The tribe had a stone mill house with large and small mills built by the tribespeople, mainly used for grinding corn and beans. It would be perfect for her wheat. Normally, the wheat kernels would need to be dried, cleaned, and tempered before milling, but with her ability, she could speed up the process.
Hearing this, Hua Linye reluctantly released her. “Alright, let’s eat first.” He was worried she would go hungry. She had been busy all morning and must be starving.
“Wait a moment, my lady. I hunted two wild pheasants.” When he had sensed she was in danger earlier, he had dropped the pheasants and rushed back.
At the mention of wild pheasants, Su Muyao’s eyes lit up. “Then we’ll have pheasant for lunch.”
Seeing the light in her eyes, the corners of Hua Linye’s own eyes curved, and a stunning, captivating smile spread across his face. He parted his lips. “Okay. I’ll take you there with me.”
Hua Linye didn’t feel safe leaving Su Muyao here alone now. So, he held her and quickly went to retrieve the two pheasants he had just hunted.
“Here they are.”
“Wow, these pheasants are quite big.” They were one and a half times the size of the chickens raised on the bases in the apocalypse. And wild pheasant meat was firmer and more flavorful. She had never known what wild pheasant tasted like, as eating wild animals was forbidden in the apocalypse.
Hua Linye was a little taken aback. Wild pheasants had always been this size. “My lady used to complain that wild pheasants were too small and didn’t taste good.”
Su Muyao’s eyelashes fluttered, and she said sheepishly, “That was in the past. I think chicken is delicious now.”
A gentle look appeared in Hua Linye’s foxy eyes. “If my lady likes it, I will hunt pheasants for you often from now on.”
Su Muyao said, “We’ll all eat together. From now on, I’ll turn whatever game you bring back into delicious meals for all of you.” Having a wealth of ingredients was a wonderful thing.
Looking at the pheasants, Su Muyao felt her own stomach rumble. She looked around. “Did you catch them around here?”
“Yes.”
“Then there might be eggs nearby.” If the wild pheasant eggs were viable, they could be hatched. Then she could build a coop in the yard and raise some chickens. That way, they could have chicken and eggs whenever they wanted.
Seeing Su Muyao’s interest in eggs, Hua Linye said, “I’ll look for them!”
“Let’s look together,” Su Muyao suggested. If she walked around a bit, the System should be able to help her find them.
Sure enough, after a short search, the System’s excited voice rang out. “Host, a hundred meters straight ahead, there are wild pheasant eggs in the grass under that tree.”
Su Muyao hurried in that direction and, just as predicted, found the eggs in the tall grass.
Hua Linye’s expression shifted. “There really are pheasant eggs.”
Su Muyao’s eyes curved into a smile. “There are fifteen of them!”
“Does my lady wish to eat them? I can roast them for you in a moment.” Without a pot in the wild, the only way to eat them was to roast them.
Su Muyao carefully inspected the eggs and found that they could all be hatched. “Let’s take these back first. We can hatch them at home.”
Hua Linye knew that some merchants raised chickens and sold the eggs at the market, but those were always hatched by hens.
As if sensing his confusion, Su Muyao explained, “As long as the temperature is right, you can hatch chicks from eggs.” With that, she carefully placed the eggs into her dimension.
Next, Su Muyao and Hua Linye found a spot by a stream, where she prepared to process the pheasants herself.
Hua Linye took them from her. “Let me!”
“My lady can wait on the side. It will only take a moment.” Hua Linye was remarkably deft at this.
After cleaning them, he was about to roast them over a fire, but Su Muyao stopped him. “Let’s make Beggar’s Chicken.”
Su Muyao took out the mushrooms, green onions, and ginger she had gathered the day before and stuffed them into the chickens’ cavities. Then she took out seasonings from her dimension and rubbed them on, wrapped the birds in clean lotus leaves, and coated them with a layer of mud.
It was the first time Hua Linye had ever seen such a preparation.
Su Muyao said, “Once they’re like this, we just need to dig a pit, build a fire, and roast them until they’re cooked.”
Hua Linye found it strange, but seeing Su Muyao’s enthusiasm, he did as she said. Once everything was ready, he used his fire ability to cook the food. As it roasted, a rich, fragrant aroma began to waft through the air.
Hua Linye hadn’t felt hungry, as he was used to skipping lunch. But now, smelling the aroma, his appetite was completely stirred.
Once they were cooked, Hua Linye followed Su Muyao’s instructions and broke away the mud casing. The chicken inside was still piping hot.
Smelling the fragrance, Su Muyao felt her stomach growl. She stared at the Beggar’s Chicken with wide, expectant eyes.
Looking at her, Hua Linye thought his Wife Master was incredibly cute at this moment. It made his heart soften instantly. His eyes grew tender, and he softened his voice. “It will be ready in just a moment.”
Ignoring the heat, Hua Linye used a clean knife to carve the meat into pieces, placing them on a fresh lotus leaf. He then used his ability to control the temperature, wrapping it up and handing it to Su Muyao. “The temperature is just right. You can eat now.”
He possessed a fire ability, which could generate heat. But to make the food the perfect temperature, he used his ability in reverse to cool it down. This way, the chicken wouldn’t be too hot, and his Wife Master could eat it right away.
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