Chapter 35: On Guard
At the mention of this, Hua Linye’s expression instantly shifted. The lazy, soul-hooking smile on his face vanished, replaced by a cold, heavy gaze. He silently resumed his work, speaking no further. The death of his father was a taboo subject in his heart, an untouchable existence.
Xiao Jihan sighed softly and continued working without another word.
Wen Nanxi remained by Su Muyao’s side, helping her with her tasks. After tidying up the cookhouse, Wen Nanxi helped Su Muyao cure the bacon. Looking at Wen Nanxi, Su Muyao felt that his temperament was truly wonderful—so gentle and mild. It seemed impossible to argue with someone like him. He gave off a comfortable and warm feeling. Even though he didn’t know what she was planning to do, he silently did whatever she asked.
Su Muyao explained, “After curing the bacon, we smoke it with firewood smoke. We can leave it above the stove, so it gets smoked every day while we cook. This allows it to be stored for a long time. During the snow season, if we want to eat meat, we can just slice some bacon and eat it directly”.
Wen Nanxi paused in his motion of salting the pork. “Smoked meat?”.
Wen Nanxi knew about roasting meat, rendering oil, boiling meat, and even curing meat, but he had never heard of using smoke. Her methods of processing food were unique.
Su Muyao nodded. “That’s right. Meat smoked this way has lean parts that are soft but not dry, while the fatty parts are fragrant and tender”. “It can be used to make fried rice, braised rice, and even smoked meat pancakes”.
There were too many recipes in her mind; she could make different delicious meals every day. She always felt that dumplings cooked over a wood fire were exceptionally fragrant. It was better than the high-tech gas stoves of the apocalypse.
As she spoke, Su Muyao’s eyes sparkled with brilliance, filled with anticipation and burning brightly. Wen Nanxi watched her with a gentle gaze, listening patiently and quietly.
While chatting, Su Muyao kept an eye on the medicine boiling in the clay pot. Once it was done, she used a cloth to help pour the liquid out and let it sit for a while. When the temperature was just right, Su Muyao called out to Hua Linye, who was busy in another corner. “Hua Linye, it’s time for your medicine!”.
Originally, Su Muyao wanted to bring it over to him. But seeing Mei Qingchen beside him, she instinctively wanted to keep her distance. So, she decided to call Hua Linye over to drink it instead.
Hua Linye was working in silence, immersed in memories of his father, when he suddenly heard a voice. He turned instinctively toward the sound and saw Su Muyao bathed in moonlight. Her eyes seemed filled with moonlight, and her voice was soft and sweet. Hua Linye’s heart trembled instinctively, and an inexplicable emotion surged within him.
He put down the stones in his hand and walked over quickly.
“Were you brewing medicine for me just now, Wife Master?”.
Su Muyao nodded. “That’s right. It’s medicine for the fire poison. You need to drink it twice a day, morning and night, so you can recover quickly”. “The temperature is just right, drink it quickly!”.
Hua Linye looked at her clear, bright eyes; his fingers twitched unconsciously as he took the bowl. He couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Did you burn your hand just now?”.
“No, just drink it!”.
Hua Linye gulped it down very quickly. After finishing, he looked at her with an expectant gaze.
Su Muyao was stunned by his expression. “What’s wrong?”.
Hua Linye raised his foxy eyes, pursed his lips, and said, “Wife Master hasn’t given me candy yet”.
Su Muyao froze. She had almost forgotten.
Hua Linye put on a sorrowful, aggrieved look and said in a lazy, husky voice, “Sigh, growing up, only Wife Master would give me candy to eat”.
Seeing Hua Linye acting so pitiful, and recalling the image of him as a child in his sea of consciousness, Su Muyao’s heart felt a rare softness. She took a piece of candy from her space and handed it to him.
Only then did a smile appear on Hua Linye’s face. “I know Wife Master still cares about me”.
Su Muyao’s mouth twitched; she wanted to say that wasn’t the case at all. “Ahem, go rest now that you’ve taken your medicine!”.
Watching Su Muyao’s expression, the corners of Hua Linye’s mouth curled into a playful arc. The current Wife Master was actually interesting and cute.
“Wife Master’s medicine is really effective. After drinking it this morning, my body felt very comfortable”.
This wasn’t a lie; he genuinely felt his body become lighter, no longer weighed down by the fire poison. The painful, burning sensation of the poison’s torture was gone. He didn’t know if it was because she had soothed his spiritual sea yesterday or because of the medicine he drank this morning. Regardless, the current Wife Master was certainly no good-for-nothing. She seemed shrouded in a mysterious veil, carrying secrets that no one could fathom.
“I’m glad it works,” Su Muyao said, beginning to prepare a new batch of medicine. She needed to brew some for herself to drink. She needed to detoxify her own body as well.
“If Wife Master needs anything done, let me help,” Hua Linye said, acting as if he wanted to stick to Su Muyao.
In the past, she would have certainly pressed herself against him and hugged him by now. But at this moment, as Hua Linye approached, Su Muyao calmly put distance between them, afraid of making physical contact.
Hearing his offer, Su Muyao thought for a moment and said, “Can you help me make some tools for pounding medicine?”. “Like stone mortars and rollers. I want to make some insect repellent and hemostatic sachets to sell at the trade market so I can earn some crystal coins”.
Hua Linye looked puzzled and asked, “What does Wife Master need crystal coins for?”. Didn’t they have food and supplies?. What else did she need?.
Su Muyao replied, “With crystal coins, we can buy some daily necessities”. There was nothing she couldn’t say about this. Besides, when she went to the city’s trade market in a few days to sell things, she would need Hua Linye and the others to protect her. The road from the tribe to the nearest city wasn’t peaceful; danger could strike at any time. Furthermore, she couldn’t rely on them forever. Aside from wanting to upgrade her ability, she needed to earn enough crystal coins.
Hua Linye was silent for a moment, suddenly remembering that they each actually had a dowry. But everyone had kept their dowries separate and hidden, with no intention of giving them to Su Muyao. This was simply because she had been truly terrible to them before.
Mei Qingchen, while stacking stones, heard this conversation and witnessed the scene. His brow furrowed for a moment, followed by a look of disbelief.
Fire poison?. The fire poison in Hua Linye’s body was incurable, yet Su Muyao actually had a way?. During the day, she said she could cure the poison in her own body, but he hadn’t believed her. Could it be true?.
No, how could that be possible?. But considering she could even repair a natal sword, was it possible she possessed the abilities of a shaman?.
Mei Qingchen looked at Su Muyao under the moonlight, his gaze darkening. However, seeming to think of something, his magnificent phoenix eyes sank three degrees darker, and his long eyelashes fluttered slightly, concealing the chill in his eyes.
No matter what, he would remain strictly on guard against her. Wen Nanxi and the others actually dared to eat the food she made. When they let down their guard, who knew when she would drug them again?.
The corner of his mouth hooked into a cold, dark smile as he said to Xiao Jihan, “Su Muyao has thought of a new trick to ask everyone for their dowries and crystal coins”.
Su Muyao had tried to make them hand over their dowry money before. The money and treasures they had initially brought out were all squandered by her to curry favor with others.
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