Chapter 6: The Hatred in Their Hearts
Wen Nanxi asked in his gentle voice, “Do you need more?” If she did, he would continue catching fish.
Su Muyao shook her head. “No, this is more than enough.”
Still, she had discovered many good things by the river. When they needed food again, this would be a good place to look.
Su Muyao placed all the food into her pocket dimension, and Wen Nanxi carried her home.
The sun had not yet set when they returned to their stone house. Su Muyao guessed by its position in the sky that it was around four in the afternoon.
Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye had not yet returned.
Wen Nanxi took the initiative to explain, “Xiao Jihan and Hua Linye went hunting deep in the forest. They probably traveled far. They should be back by nightfall.”
“It’s fine,” Su Muyao said coolly. “They can come back whenever they want.”
In fact, she wanted to add that it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t come back at all. If those two disappeared like the other two beastmen husbands, it would be for the best. The food she and Wen Nanxi had gathered today was plenty for the two of them.
Wen Nanxi studied her expression carefully and saw that she truly didn’t care. The old Su Muyao would have been cursing up a storm by now.
“My lady, you must be tired after a long day. You should rest. I’ll prepare dinner,” he said softly.
Su Muyao replied, “You don’t know how to cook these things. I’ll do it.”
She had originally planned to steam the fish, but now she had a better idea. The fish were large, some weighing five or six pounds, others over ten—perfect for making fish noodles. They didn’t have any flour, but she could make pure fish noodles using only the meat of the fish itself. Several of the fish they had caught were ideal for it.
Wen Nanxi was curious to see what she would do. Back in Beast Emperor City, he had tasted all kinds of delicacies, but he had never heard of sweet potatoes, sweet potato leaves, ginger, or scallions.
After washing his hands, he stepped forward to help. “What can I do?”
“You can wash the mushrooms, wood ears, sweet potatoes, and sweet potato leaves,” Su Muyao said.
“Alright.”
Wen Nanxi took a wooden basin to the courtyard to wash the ingredients. Su Muyao filled another basin with water from the large cistern and began to clean and process the fish. She used a bone knife to fillet them down the middle, making it easier to remove the head and bones in one piece. The heads and bones could be used to make a rich broth, while the meat would become the pure fish noodles.
The most important step was to carefully scrape the flesh with the knife, turning it into a fine fish paste. Su Muyao’s knife skills were swift and precise.
“I get to watch the Host cook again!” the System chirped in her mind. “Host’s cooking smells so, so good! It’s a shame a system can’t eat.”
“You’re just a system. Can you really smell things?”
“Because I’m always with you, Host, I’ve developed feelings! You’re the best, and I like you the most!”
Hearing the System’s earnest declaration, Su Muyao’s heart softened.
“I wish you could taste my cooking, too.” Unfortunately, the System had no physical form.
“But just smelling it feels wonderful,” the System replied.
Just then, a sound came from outside the door.
Hua Linye was back, a dead wild boar slung over his shoulder.
When he saw the items in the courtyard, his beautiful eyes instantly darkened. He directed his glare at Wen Nanxi. “Did you bring this stuff back?” His voice was sharp. “Your injuries are that severe, and she still won’t let you rest? She made you go out for food?”
“That’s not it,” Wen Nanxi said calmly. “Our lady gathered these ingredients herself.”
A cold smirk touched Hua Linye’s lips, and his fox-like eyes turned icy. “Wen Nanxi, don’t you hate her too? Don’t tell me you’re defending her just because she healed you once with her ability.”
“No female is willing to step foot in a kitchen, let alone our lady!” Hua Linye’s tone grew heavy with sarcasm as he spoke. “And don’t you forget what she did to you before. Who knows what kind of trick she’s playing this time.”
Hua Linye refused to believe Su Muyao could suddenly change for the better. In the past, she had used every trick in the book to get them, even faking amnesia and pretending to be a better person to lower their guard. The result was always that she became even more cruel than before.
Wen Nanxi’s hands, which were washing the sweet potatoes, stilled. He said firmly, “Hua Linye, our lady is in the cookhouse. If you don’t believe me, you can go and see for yourself.”
Hearing this, Hua Linye finally glanced toward the cookhouse. He saw Su Muyao inside, busy at work. For a moment, he thought he was hallucinating.
In their home, Su Muyao was the type to be waited on hand and foot. She expected them to do everything. Of course, it was a beastman’s duty to care for his matriarch, but she had never treated them as husbands. She treated them as slaves, torturing them physically and mentally, bringing them to the brink of death on several occasions.
How could they ever see such a person as their matriarch? All they felt was disgust and a desperate desire to escape.
Hua Linye’s vision was excellent. He could see her knife moving with incredible speed as she filleted a fish.
“What is she doing?”
“Cooking.”
“Fish? Doesn’t she hate the smell? And doesn’t she complain about the bones?” Su Muyao was notoriously picky about her food. Even after being exiled here, she would scorn the game they worked so hard to hunt down. A verbal lashing or a whipping was a light punishment; when she was truly enraged, she would come at them with a knife. She refused to eat most game because of the smell, with wild boar being one of the few exceptions.
Wen Nanxi knew the depth of Hua Linye’s hatred. He said quietly, “You two weren’t here this morning. She made breakfast as well. She managed to turn those sour red fruits into a delicious soup.”
Hua Linye was clearly unconvinced. He silently walked to the side, picked up a bone knife, and began skinning and butchering the wild boar.
Hearing the commotion, Su Muyao glanced into the courtyard and saw Hua Linye working in silence. She recalled a memory: once, in a fit of rage, she had attacked Hua Linye while he was gravely injured and in his true fox form, intending to skin him for his pelt. His fiery red fur was undeniably noble and magnificent.
The memory gave Su Muyao a headache. There was no doubt in her mind that if she were to give them divorce papers now, they would kill her the second the bond was broken.
Her eyes fell on the wild boar, and they immediately lit up. The skin could be used to make pork skin jelly, and the hard fat could be rendered into lard. The lacy caul fat could also be rendered, and while it didn’t yield as much oil, it produced wonderfully crispy cracklings—a perfect snack.
She knew that in this world, beastmen had enormous appetites, especially powerful ones like Wen Nanxi. Yet, they were often starving.
After Hua Linye had finished butchering the boar and placing the cuts into wooden basins, he noticed the water cistern was low. He picked up two buckets to fetch more water. At home, they were never allowed to be idle. As he walked, his eyes grew numb, and his chest felt so tight he could barely breathe.
Xiao Jihan returned just in time to see Hua Linye carrying the water buckets. Noticing his dark expression, he asked, “What’s wrong? What did she do to you now?”
Hua Linye’s face was grim. “Nothing. She’s in the cookhouse, making dinner.”
“She’s cooking? She’s never set foot in a cookhouse in her life. She doesn’t even know how.”
“Exactly. She’s suddenly decided to cook,” Hua Linye said, his voice low and dangerous. “Tell me, do you think she’s trying to poison us this time?”
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