Chapter 84: Hard to be Impartial
Seeing them like this, Su Muyao’s expression softened.
Her tone became gentler, no longer carrying the cold distance from before.
Wen Nanxi and the others didn’t know Su Muyao’s internal state; they could only judge her mood by her expression and tone. They actually cared deeply about her feelings, terrified she might be angry.
They didn’t know when it happened, but things had become like this. They used to not feel this sense of gain and loss.
Not daring to make Su Muyao repeat herself, they finally sat down.
They had prepared a lot of food; the table was abundant, all cooked according to Su Muyao’s tastes. Previously, when Su Muyao cooked, they had helped and learned her culinary skills, intending to take over the cooking so she could rest in the future.
“Wife, try this dish!”
“Wife, this one… I made it following your previous method. Taste it!”
“Wife, I don’t know if this suits your palate!”
The three of them vied to put food in her bowl, urging her to taste their cooking. The table was the result of their joint effort.
Su Muyao looked at their expectant eyes and didn’t know what to eat first.
“You don’t need to serve me food. I’m not used to it. I can do it myself.”
“You’ve been busy all morning. Hurry up and eat too!”
Hearing Su Muyao say this, they looked disappointed but didn’t insist. However, when Su Muyao picked up her chopsticks, all three stared at her.
None of them ate; they just watched her.
It was as if they were waiting to see whose dish she would pick first.
Su Muyao’s chopsticks paused in mid-air.
Suddenly, she felt that having too many beastmen husbands meant that a bowl of water was hard to hold level—it was difficult to be impartial.
She couldn’t exactly draw lots just to take a bite of food!
Su Muyao hesitated for a moment, then stopped overthinking. She didn’t want to manage their thoughts; she would eat whatever she wanted.
She went straight for a slice of potato.
This was made by Wen Nanxi.
Wen Nanxi’s expression instantly softened. The atmosphere around Hua Linye and Xiao Jihan, however, solidified further.
Su Muyao lowered her head and continued eating, ignoring their thoughts. While eating, she simply urged, “You guys eat too!”
They needed to be full to help her work in the afternoon.
Only then did the three of them move their chopsticks. However, they were all somewhat absent-minded. To be precise, because of the morning’s events, they had no appetite. But they listened to their Wife.
Besides, food shouldn’t be wasted.
They began to eat slowly and methodically. The three ate silently, their attention remaining fixed on Su Muyao. Seeing that she was willing to eat, and eating well, Wen Nanxi let out a sigh of relief.
After the meal, Wen Nanxi and the others fought to clean up, leaving nothing for Su Muyao to do.
Su Muyao took the crystal coins she had earned that morning out of her space and poured them into a basket.
Once the dishes were mostly done, Hua Linye rushed over. “Wife, do you need us to help with anything?”
He wished he could stick to Su Muyao every moment.
Su Muyao looked at Hua Linye. She felt that perhaps due to his childhood experiences, he lacked a sense of security. His behavior often reflected this. It was the trauma inflicted by his original family. He would likely show this insecurity throughout his life unless healed by a warm home.
Su Muyao didn’t refuse. “I need to count the crystal coins. If you’re willing, come help me count.”
She had made quite a bit this morning. Although she spent some buying supplies, plenty remained. Counting earnings was a happy task, quite stress-relieving. Perhaps it would alleviate the bad mood from the assassination attempt.
Hua Linye immediately sat down. “Okay, I’ll count with Wife.”
Wen Nanxi and Xiao Jihan also sat down nearby.
Su Muyao took out some string. “String one thousand bronze crystal coins together. That way, by counting the strings, we’ll know the total.”
These crystal coins had holes in the center, much like ancient copper coins, so they could be strung directly.
“Okay!”
It seemed that whatever Su Muyao said, they obeyed.
They began counting.
Su Muyao counted one by one. “One, two, three…”
Counting and stringing simultaneously, seeing the number grow, a smile appeared on Su Muyao’s face. The feeling of earning money by oneself provided both security and joy. Indeed, she wasn’t one to rely on others; she felt grounded relying on herself.
Wen Nanxi and the others silently counted and strung the coins beside her. They had never done such a thing before. Doing it now, they found it curiously novel. It gradually calmed their hearts.
Bit by bit, watching the amount increase, their moods surprisingly improved.
It was a wondrous feeling.
The three involuntarily looked at Su Muyao. Seeing the smile on her face, their suspended hearts slowly settled back down. Seeing her smile made their heavy spirits lighter.
Su Muyao didn’t notice their expressions at all; she was immersed in the joy of making money.
“One thousand bronze crystal coins!”
She continued counting. Beside her, Wen Nanxi and the others had already finished four strings. Su Muyao didn’t rush; she took her time, enjoying the satisfaction.
When everything was counted, Su Muyao did the math. “Today, we earned a total of twelve thousand one hundred and thirty-eight bronze crystal coins.”
“That’s equivalent to twelve silver crystal coins and one hundred thirty-eight bronze ones.”
“However, customizing the stove cost three silver coins. Plus, buying soybeans, duck eggs, bird eggs, cornmeal, rice, and other things cost one thousand two hundred and twenty bronze coins.”
“So, we now have seven thousand nine hundred and eighteen bronze crystal coins.”
Su Muyao calculated it mentally and announced the result instantly.
Wen Nanxi and the others were amazed. They sighed inwardly; her arithmetic skills were truly impressive.
Su Muyao knew the bulk of the profit came from the medicine packets. They were high-margin items, especially the blood-clotting powder. But her herb supply was running low. She couldn’t make many more unless she went back to the forest to gather.
Once she finished tempering her body, she would go gathering again.
“This money wasn’t earned by me alone. It was earned through everyone’s joint effort.”
Usually, they all helped with the work.
“So, I plan to distribute the money…”
Before Su Muyao could finish, Wen Nanxi insisted, “This is earned by the Wife. I won’t take it.”
“Besides, my everything belongs to the Wife, so there is no need to divide it.”
Hua Linye also hurriedly said, “Right, Wife. I absolutely won’t take it.”
“I haven’t even done anything for the Wife yet.”
Xiao Jihan spoke warmly, “Wife, I cannot accept it either.”
“Doing things for the Wife is what we should do. If we took payment for it, we would truly have no face to see anyone.”
“It would ruin the reputation of the Xiao family.”
Xiao Jihan rarely spoke this much.
Recommended Reads
