After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back-Chapter 18: Big catch!

Later, Nina led Mino to find some garlic.

Mino’s admiration for her grew with every glance. He was amazed at how knowledgeable she was about food.

Food was scarce in the beast world. Not every beastman could catch enough prey, and every year, many starved—especially during the harsh winters. Being able to identify and prepare other edible plants earned a beastman a great deal of respect.

Eventually, Nina grew a bit tired and hungry, so Mino quickly carried her back home in his beast form. Nina, of course, gleefully enjoyed her time riding on him again.

By evening, Aji had returned from hunting and came over to help Nina.

At that moment, Mino was chopping the radishes for the soup.

He held up a piece he had cut and asked, "Nina, is this how it should be cut?"

"Yes, into small cubes. That way, it’s better for the soup. Be careful not to cut yourself."

Nina sat nearby, resting her chin in her hands, smiling warmly at Mino. Watching him now, she couldn’t help but feel a motherly fondness. Who could resist such a cute kitty in beast form?

"Mm," Mino nodded shyly.

Aji felt a bit disheartened. In just one day, Mino and Nina’s bond had grown noticeably closer. The thought of moving nearby grew stronger in his mind, but their dinner was still a warm, pleasant affair.

That night, Aji went to request his mother’s permission to move, but she strongly opposed it.

In the beast world, male beastmen usually request independence when they reach adulthood. Some, before marriage, remain at their original homes to care for their parents. Because household decisions are usually led by the females, males must often obtain their mother’s consent to move.

"No way! Don’t even think about moving in with that ugly female. And look at you—no standing, no name, how does that even look?"

Aji’s mother, Meilan, opposed it fiercely. "Dora is beautiful and fertile—you should be paying attention to her, not running off to that ugly female all the time!"

Meilan knew that Dora liked Aji and had long been trying to set them up.

"It’s not about living together—just neighbors," Aji knelt before his mother, pleading, "Mother, I don’t like Dora. I don’t want to pursue her. Please allow me to move out."

He wanted to tell his mother that Nina wasn’t ugly at all—she was actually very pretty—but if Meilan knew, the other beastmen in the tribe would find out too. He already had a strong rival in Mino and didn’t want to make things worse.

"No. Forget it. You’re not allowed to go after that ugly female either. I’ll ask the clan leader to assign someone else to deliver the food."

After Meilan finished speaking, she ignored Aji and went back inside.

Aji not only failed to move out, but he also lost the chance to deliver food. On top of that, Meilan assigned him extra tasks, leaving him no time to see Nina.

Mino noticed that Aji hadn’t come around in the past few days and secretly felt relieved—he enjoyed having Nina all to himself. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Nina, assuming Aji had other things to do, didn’t pay much attention.

"Nina, how about I stew some gugu beasts for lunch? Want to eat?" Mino asked.

After a few days of spending time together, their bond had grown closer.

"Yes, and stir-fry some wild vegetables too," Nina replied.

By now, the little nest for the baby had already been completed. Nina was now trying to weave a small backpack basket, which could hold items—or eventually, the baby.

"Be careful, don’t hurt your hands. If you can’t twist something, let me handle it," Mino reminded her.

Then, with practiced skill, he plucked the gugu beast, gutted it, cleaned the innards, cut it into small pieces, and stir-fried it using the seasoning methods Nina had taught him. He added water to simmer it gently.

After that, he washed the wild vegetables and fruits. Knowing Nina liked these, he always collected some when he went hunting.

Mino’s cooking skills had improved considerably, and Nina ate every bite with satisfaction.

Seeing her enjoying the food he had prepared filled Mino with a quiet, gentle happiness.

Is this what it feels like to care for a female?

For the first time, he could understand the joy of the home-cooking family men he had once dismissed.

After lunch, Nina finally finished weaving her first little backpack basket. She picked it up, examined it inside and out, and though some parts were slightly uneven—it was her first attempt—she felt it would still work.

She wanted to test whether the basket was sturdy enough, and then, thinking about wanting some fish, an idea suddenly came to her.

"Mino, let’s go catch some fish this afternoon," Nina said, holding up the backpack and shaking it slightly. "We can use this to carry them."

"You want to eat fish? Then I’ll go catch some soon," Mino said, preparing to gather his things.

"I want to go too. Being cooped up inside all day is boring—I want to get out for a walk," Nina added, her tone soft and slightly playful, her big eyes looking pitiful.

A few days ago, after going outside, her belly had hurt briefly, and ever since, Mino treated her like fragile glass. Nina, worried he might not let her come along, used her cutest, most coaxing tone.

Mino couldn’t resist. Her soft, tender voice and imploring eyes melted him completely—he couldn’t refuse.

"Alright, but you can only watch me catch the fish—you’re not allowed to handle them yourself," he said.

Nina quietly gave a little "yes!" in her mind.

Mino led her to a stretch of river where the fish were plentiful. Along the way, birds sang and flowers bloomed, the grassy banks lush and fragrant—it was a beautiful scene.

Since Mino had come, Nina hadn’t really gone out much. Food, water, firewood—she no longer had to worry about any of it, which made life much easier.

Still, staying cooped up inside every day could get boring. Being at the river now, seeing the open meadow and breathing in the fresh scent of grass, her mood lifted instantly. It seemed she could come out more often in the future.

The river water was crystal clear, and countless fish of all sizes swam merrily beneath the surface.

Nina’s eyes sparkled with excitement. She found a good spot and directed Mino to set the backpack basket in the water. Then she circled behind it, herding the fish toward the basket so they could be scooped up.

Back and forth they worked, and soon the basket was filled with fish.

"Wow, a big catch!" Nina clapped her hands with delight, watching the fish jump and wriggle.

Seeing her so happy, Mino’s lips curved into a joyful smile, and his sapphire eyes gleamed with amusement. He carried the basket to a large rock in front of Nina.

"This basket is full! Nina, you’re amazing!" he said.

The little backpack basket really made catching fish convenient. It wasn’t as fast as using his powers, but it worked well enough.

Nina bent over the basket. The fish wriggled and bounced over one another, as if trying to leap back into the river. Splashing water hit her face with each flip of their tails.

Some fish nearly jumped out, but Mino’s reflexes were sharp. He swatted them back into the basket, like playing a game of whack-a-mole.

Nina found it hilarious and joined in, slapping the fish herself. Sometimes she missed, and a fish fell out—but Mino would catch it and toss it back in. Over and over, they played, laughing together.

After they’d had enough fun, Nina instructed Mino to finish off the fish and store them in his spatial space, then they went back to catch another basket.

After a few baskets, Nina grew tired, and they began preparing to head home.

For the last basket, Nina wanted to keep a few fish alive for a couple of days, so she covered it with a lid to bring them back.

Mino placed the lid securely on the basket, lifted it, and they started walking back.

As Nina turned, however, her foot caught on a stone. She slipped, and suddenly, she was pitching forward.