Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Well-Fed and Warm, Time to Indulge

Early the next morning, Yu An cooked congee in a large pot provided by her space, then poured it all into insulated containers.

Lan Yin used the excuse of cleaning the house to stay behind. Xiao Yu thought for a moment and decided to stay home too.

"Xiao Yu, are you really not going? I was planning on taking you to pick fruit."

Before, Xiao Yu hadn’t transformed, so he could only watch his brother and the other kids climb trees. Now that he had finally transformed, Da Hu had long since made plans for where to take Xiao Yu to play.

"I’m not going," Xiao Yu said, pulling him into a corner and whispering, "Brother, let me tell you, I have a mission at home..."

The two little ones whispered to each other. After a brief discussion, Da Hu waved goodbye to him.

Lan Yin thought Xiao Yu wanted to keep him company. He was gratified that the zaizai still seemed closer to him, his Beast Father, so he didn’t deliberately hide what he was doing.

Thus, some of the things he set up were seen by Xiao Yu. No sooner had he set them up than Xiao Yu destroyed them.

As for the things he couldn’t destroy, he committed them to memory to tell Yu An when she returned.

"Little brother," Xiao Yu said calmly, hugging San Dan. ’He wants to hurt our Female Mother. Your big brother won’t let him get away with it.’

San Dan moved. The movement was more forceful than before. Xiao Yu thought it was about to hatch, but after a long wait, not a single crack appeared on the eggshell.

"Alright," Xiao Yu said helplessly. "Lazy little brother, just leave the mission of protecting our Female Mother to me and big brother."

Remembering how she had switched from buns to fried chicken last time, the Beastmen, though regretful, quickly began to look forward to the new delicacy.

They were seasoned foodies by now. Seeing the cart approach from afar, they automatically formed a line.

Zhu Qingqing was standing at the very front. As soon as Yu An parked the cart, she immediately stepped up to help.

"Thanks, Qingqing," Yu An said, ladling a bowl of congee for her first. "You eat first. You need a full stomach to have the strength to work."

Zhu Qingqing had wanted to refuse, but after hearing that, she quickly took the bowl, aiming to finish it quickly so she could start working sooner.

Yu An cleared her throat and announced loudly, "This time, I’m selling congee. There’s plain congee, vegetable and lean meat congee, and fresh shrimp congee."

"Plain congee is four copper coins. The vegetable and lean meat congee comes with either pork or beef, and both are five copper coins. The fresh shrimp congee is ten copper coins."

She had set the prices according to the complexity of the dish. Compared to the fried chicken from before, the congee was obviously cheaper by a wide margin.

The congee bowls were ceramic bowls provided by her space. The first person in line, the old Clan Leader of the Qingyan Tribe, found them quite novel.

"Boss Yu, this bowl isn’t like the bags from before. It looks pretty sturdy. Can I take it home?"

"Of course. But while it’s sturdy, it’s also fragile. It won’t survive a fall like a stone bowl would."

"That’s fine," the old Clan Leader said cheerfully. "I’ll take good care of it."

When the Beastmen further back in the line heard they could take the bowls home to use, their desire to buy skyrocketed.

The old Clan Leader bought two servings of each type of congee. He had a large family, so he carried them all away in one go.

The family didn’t even go back to their cave. They sat right down on the ground and began to enjoy the delicious food.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, the shrimp in this fresh shrimp congee is so big! And it tastes sweet!"

"The minced meat congee is also delicious! Are these little white grains the ’rice’ Boss Yu mentioned? I’ve never eaten anything so tasty!"

The old Clan Leader, however, favored the plain congee. "It may look simple, but upon tasting it, you find it’s thick, smooth, soft, and fragrant with a hint of sweetness. It warms your stomach and has a special charm all its own."

’It’s so delicious, I wouldn’t trade it for meat!’

With the endorsement from the old Clan Leader’s family, the Beastmen’s gazes turned as fierce as wolves and tigers, wishing it was their turn next.

Zhu Qingqing quickly came over to help. With one person in charge of each type of congee, things sped up considerably.

When the last bit of congee was poured out of the insulated containers, Yu An announced that today’s food was sold out.

Amidst the familiar wails of disappointment, Yu An calmly packed up, preparing to go home.

"Stop asking, stop asking! The answer is there’s nothing left! Same as usual, just come earlier tomorrow, alright?"

The Beastmen who didn’t get to buy any could only leave in regret, their eyes filled with envy and jealousy as they watched those who had secured the delicious food.

’Why, oh why didn’t we wake up? If only we’d known, we would have gotten out of bed a little earlier!’

Others had thought it wasn’t worth it and hesitated. By the time they made up their minds to get in line, the queue already stretched to the entrance of the Giant Stone Tribe.

After this lesson, they made a resolution—

’When it comes to food sold by Boss Yu, don’t overthink it—just get in line and buy it! After all, you won’t regret it, and you’ll never get ripped off!’

Once the crowd had mostly dispersed, Yu An took out a scale. Before she could say anything, Zhu Qingqing voluntarily stepped onto it.

’Hm, her weight has dropped again.’

Yu An did a quick calculation. "At this rate, you should be back to a normal weight in about a month."

"In the meantime, don’t binge-eat, but don’t skip meals either. Just eat normally."

"I understand, Boss Yu. Thank you. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I would have done. I really don’t know how to thank you..."

Zhu Qingqing’s voice was choked with emotion. She truly didn’t know how to repay Yu An. To her, Yu An was practically her savior!

"Then just let me pet you a few more times," Yu An said, patting her shoulder. "Your beast form is so cute, I love it!"

"Mhm," Zhu Qingqing nodded shyly. "Whenever you want, Boss Yu, I’m always willing..."

"An’an," Mo Yan said, smoothly inserting himself between them. "We should be heading back. Xiao Yu probably misses you."

"We’ll be heading out then," Yu An said, her expression unchanged. "See you tomorrow, Qingqing."

Feng Xuan told her he was taking Da Hu nearby to practice hunting. Yu An saw that Da Hu seemed to really like the idea and nodded in agreement.

Finally having some time alone with Yu An, Mo Yan drove the cart at an extremely slow pace, wanting to spend a little more time alone with her.

"Didn’t you say Xiao Yu missed me? Why are you driving so slowly?"

Yu An, sitting beside him, said deliberately, "It’s fine if you speed up. I don’t mind a bumpy ride."

Mo Yan, however, slowed down even more and said with a straight face, "Safety is most important. Xiao Yu missing you can wait a little longer."

"Is it just Xiao Yu who misses me? Doesn’t a certain someone else miss me?"

Yu An let out a light laugh, deliberately leaned over, and gave him a smooch on the cheek. "Don’t use our zaizai as an excuse. If you miss me, just say so."

The sweet-smelling kiss came out of nowhere, and Mo Yan nearly lost control. He quickly stopped the cart, his tone plaintive. "An’an, don’t do that while I’m driving. I’ll... I’ll..."

He didn’t need to say it. Yu An glanced down and already saw the change in a certain snake.

’It was just a kiss. His reaction is a bit much.’

’They say a full stomach leads to... other desires. When it’s time to enjoy oneself, one should enjoy oneself. Otherwise, what was the point of having several top-tier Beast Husbands? Just for decoration? Might as well make use of them.’

"Should we go home, or do it here?"

This place was quiet and deserted. If she took out a tent, it would be just as comfortable as being in the cave.

Yu An’s directness actually made Mo Yan shy. He thought for a moment and chose here.

’With just the two of us, I can pretend my Female Master only has one Beast Husband: me. Even if it’s just for a moment, even if it’s just a fantasy.’

A warm, soft body met a cold, hard snake body, and a shiver went through them both.

The snake tail slowly crept up from her ankle, coiling around her slender waist.

A flurry of soft kisses fell. Mo Yan was devout and gentle, but when he reached her lower abdomen, he suddenly stopped everything.