"Huh? Why?" Heige couldn't quite wrap his head around it.
With advancements in technology and the constant threat of interstellar war, speed had become a priority for everyone. Rather than waste time cooking, most people opted to drink Nutrient Liquid.
'Besides, how bad could something like Nutrient Liquid really taste?'
"This stuff doesn't satisfy your taste buds at all." As a foodie, Shi Li couldn't accept a daily diet of liquid that didn't even make her feel full.
"But it does have a flavor. This one is strawberry," Heige said hesitantly, reaching out from behind Shi Li. He pulled a bottle of pink liquid from the refrigerator and placed it in her hand. "I've seen you drinking this one the most these last few days. Don't you like it?"
Shi Li immediately shook her head and stuffed the bottle back into the refrigerator.
She then remembered that two more people would be arriving home soon.
'They might be coming from prison, but they're still coming home. Don't they deserve a proper welcome-home feast?'
"We're not drinking this. Let's make something different today. Is there a place that sells vegetables, meat, and seasonings?" Shi Li's eyes lit up as she turned to Heige.
Her small, fair hand was tightly gripping the fabric of his shirt.
"There is, but it's pretty expensive." Heige awkwardly averted his gaze, the tips of his ears turning a suspicious shade of red.
'Heige felt as if Shi Li had suddenly become a different person. The old Shi Li would never have gotten this close to him.'
'She certainly wouldn't have been so easy to get along with.'
'She only ever forced him into one difficult situation after another.'
'Heige had never dared to imagine they could talk so casually, just like this.'
"Expensive... Well, can you lend me some money for now? I'll pay you back once I get a job." Shi Li had expected things to be expensive, but she still wanted to try.
'I hope it's not some astronomical price, or my poor heart won't be able to take it.'
"Tch! Isn't all the money in your terminal? Did you get scared stupid today?" Heige couldn't help but laugh. He was seriously starting to wonder if Shi Li had been swapped with someone else.
After marriage, males no longer had the right to control their own assets. Otherwise, females, who were unable to work, would be left to starve.
To prevent this, a male's financial accounts were automatically linked to his Female Master's terminal after marriage.
It was only then that Shi Li realized. She opened her terminal, and her jaw nearly dropped when she saw the number, which had more digits than she could count.
She had guessed that the dowries from her five Beast Husbands, plus their salaries, would be a considerable sum, but this amount was genuinely startling.
'Shi Li felt like she could probably buy the entire supermarket right now.'
"So, what exactly are you planning?" Heige perceptively bent down to help Shi Li open the delivery interface on her terminal. His broad chest completely overshadowed her small frame.
'The little female always smelled so sweet. It wasn't the scent of ordinary shampoo; it was a unique, special fragrance.'
"A welcome-home feast for Jensen and Bai Qingye, of course!" The little female stared excitedly at the screen, tapping on the item descriptions and carefully adding what she needed to her cart, one by one.
Every now and then, she would purse her pink lips, which looked like delicate flower buds, in concentration.
'To Heige, the person in his arms was as adorable as a little hamster—so small and soft.'
'He wanted to... devour her in a single bite.'
"If those two had a choice, I think they'd prefer a welcome-home feast with you on the table," he said. Seeing the flustered expression he'd hoped for on Shi Li's face, Heige broke into a teasing smile.
He had witnessed Jensen and Shi Li's interactions for a few days, and they were truly awful.
'It felt like if the protection association hadn't been watching, Shi Li would have been torn to pieces long ago.'
He wasn't sure what the history was between Bai Qingye and Shi Li, but he knew Bai Qingye was her first Beast Husband. For things to have gotten this bad between them, he doubted their grudge was any smaller than the one between her and Jensen.
"Can you please not make such dark jokes?" Shi Li was mortified. She had no desire to end up as a dish on the dinner table.
'Male Beastmen, just as I thought. Ferocious and murderous by nature.'
At that thought, Shi Li suddenly realized the two of them were standing a little too close.
She subconsciously took a few steps forward and confirmed the order on her terminal.
Heige's eyes followed her as she moved away, the earlier gentleness in his gaze vanishing. 'The little female doesn't seem to like physical contact with me.'
'Weren't females all rumored to be as voracious as wolves and tigers?'
'His Female Master seems a bit too cold, doesn't she?'
"You know how to cook? You're not planning on just poisoning those two, are you?"
"Then again, it's a quick death. Better than dying in prison." When Shi Li really did dash excitedly toward the kitchen, Heige still felt uneasy and hurried after her.
The kitchen was practically a display piece, as clean as if it had just been renovated.
Shi Li looked at the white, Instagram-worthy kitchen design and matching dinnerware and couldn't help but snark internally.
'The original owner really never touched a single piece of cookware. Anyone who's ever actually cooked knows this kind of kitchen is only good for simple meals.'
'The moment you try to do any serious cooking, the aftermath would be a complete disaster.'
'Looks like I'll have to renovate this kitchen when I get the chance!'
'Otherwise, I'd have to tiptoe around while cooking, terrified of getting grease and smoke all over such a beautiful kitchen.'
"What kind of thing is that to say!"
"My cooking is excellent!" As she spoke, Shi Li stood on her tiptoes and snatched the bottle of Nutrient Liquid from Heige's hand.
"You can't drink Nutrient Liquid either. You're waiting to eat with everyone later."
"Help me out in a bit, and I can give you the first taste." The little female pouted, her small frame trying its best to sound fierce with her soft voice.
Heige couldn't help but chuckle, finding her incredibly cute.
But when he remembered he might be the first guinea pig for whatever culinary disaster Shi Li was about to create, the smile vanished from his face.
"I can help, but I'll pass on the taste test. Let's just wait for the others to get here before we eat." Heige suddenly found he wasn't the least bit hungry anymore.
'It's just dinner. Skipping one meal won't kill me. Better to save such a treat for my two seniors.'
Seeing Heige's refusal, Shi Li didn't get angry. 'As if my amazing cooking skills can't win over one little wolf cub?'
'Hilarious!'
The ingredients arrived surprisingly quickly. Shi Li hadn't even had a chance to figure out what cookware she had before a small robot dropped everything off at the front door.
Naturally, the manual labor of bringing in the groceries fell to Heige.
Watching as he placed the large, heavy bags on the table, Shi Li couldn't help but get excited.
'In her original world, she had grown up in an orphanage. Money had always been tight, and there were so many things she'd wanted to eat but never could. But now was different. The cooking skills she'd picked up working part-time in a restaurant could finally be put to use!'
"Go wash this, this, and this. Wash them well and put them on these plates." Wasting no time, Shi Li rolled up her sleeves and handed Heige a huge pile of leafy greens, instructing him to wash them.
Just imagine: a wolf holding a pile of leafy greens, his face turning even greener than the vegetables themselves!