Han Li struggled, but to his current body, Yu An was a behemoth he couldn't escape.
Just as he was about to die from shame and humiliation, Yu An stopped. "Don't want me to touch you? Let's see... So it's a male doggy. You're shy, huh?"
Ahem. While petting the dog just now, she had happened to touch a certain... indescribable spot. She even... gave it a little squeeze.
It felt nice.
Da Hu, who was perched on Mo Yan's shoulder, immediately piped up, "Female Mother, touch me! I'm fluffy too!"
He had been wanting his Female Mother to pet him for a while, but she had snatched the doggy away first.
Han Li paused, then grabbed Yu An's clothes with his two front paws.
'No, I have to protect the cub. Let her do whatever she wants to me!'
Yu An found that she could somehow understand the doggy's meaning. She gave a wicked smile and once again extended her demonic hands.
Before Han Li could be tormented again, Lu Lu informed her that it had found chives up ahead. Yu An's eyes lit up, and she put everything else out of her mind.
"Mo Yan, where did you find those eggs last time? Are there any more?"
After a moment of thought, Yu An had already decided what she wanted for dinner tonight.
"Yes, there are. That area is a gathering place for mountain pheasants. It's easy to find a lot of them."
Yu An said with a smile, "Then go get some more eggs after we get home. I'll make you all a delicacy, and we can add a new type of bun to sell tomorrow."
The patch of chives was just a few steps from the cave where they lived. Yu An had Mo Yan take the stall cart to collect eggs, while she took Da Hu and Han Li to cut the chives.
Yu An had many things stored in her space. She rummaged through it and pulled out a sickle.
Da Hu and Han Li, meanwhile, used their sharp claws to harvest the chive blossoms, which were a rare delicacy.
Yu An didn't stop until the sky grew dark, storing the cut chives in her space.
"Female Mother, these are all the chive blossoms Big Axe cut! A whole pile!"
Da Hu stood proudly on a rock, holding out his short little claws for Yu An to see the chive-blossom empire he had conquered.
Han Li, who was dog-tired from cutting the blossoms: "..."
Yu An said, exasperated, "This pile was cut by the doggy. Don't think your Female Mother didn't see."
Da Hu was still a small cub with tender claws. Yu An didn't expect a cub that was only a day old to help her with work.
Han Li, on the other hand, was quite efficient for his small size.
Yu An squatted down and held out her hand with a grin. "Good doggy, you're so capable. Come, shake."
'I'm a wolf, not a dog!'
Han Li resisted the urge to roll his eyes and placed his front paw on her hand with a silly smile.
"So smart!"
Yu An praised him, then scooped him up and ruffled his fur until it was a complete mess.
Han Li muttered about how unrelated men and women shouldn't be so close, but he couldn't bring himself to resist the young female's soft, warm embrace.
Dinner was plain steamed buns with scrambled eggs and chives. The golden eggs and verdant chives blended together, needing only a pinch of salt to become a delicious side dish.
The tender eggs and crisp chives were stuffed into hearty, fragrant, old-fermented-dough buns. It was so good, not a peep was heard as they ate.
Yu An gave Mo Yan several chopsticks' worth of plain chives, picking out the eggs to feed the doggy.
She said teasingly, "Males should eat more chives."
Mo Yan was confused. "Why?"
Yu An coughed. "Don't ask. Just eat more. It's good for you."
Han Li glanced between the two of them and lowered his head to eat.
After dinner, Yu An and Mo Yan prepared the fillings for the next day. Da Hu dragged Han Li, who was sneakily eating raw chives, over to keep his unhatched little brothers and sisters warm.
Under the bright Fluorite, Mo Yan would occasionally look up and see Yu An's focused profile.
Before that night, he had never interacted with Yu An. He only knew of her from what others said—that she was ugly, vicious, arrogant, and domineering, killing anyone who displeased her.
But throughout their exile and their time together now, Mo Yan felt those were all just rumors.
The ugly part was true, but none of the rest was believable.
"Phew, finally done!"
They needed to prepare three hundred buns for tomorrow. Getting the prep work done now would make things much easier in the morning.
Yu An rubbed her wrists. Thanks to her Wood Element Ability, her sore back and aching muscles quickly recovered.
"Mo Yan, let's go to sleep."
The Beastmen used a type of Fluorite for light, which had to be covered when not in use.
Mo Yan nodded silently, and the cave quickly grew dark.
Da Hu and Han Li were already asleep. Yu An wanted to cover them with a blanket, but Mo Yan stopped her.
"It's not cold right now, and they have thick fur. They'll get too hot."
"But I feel a little cold."
Just as Mo Yan finished speaking, the young female crashed into his arms. The soft contact made his body stiffen.
Yu An clung to Mo Yan like an octopus and said softly, "Mo Yan, can you help keep me warm?"
Mo Yan didn't dare to move. "Y-You have a blanket, don't you? Get off. Unrelated men and women shouldn't be so close!"
'Why is this ugly female acting like this? She was clearly keeping her distance from me before.'
Yu An said innocently, "A blanket isn't as warm as your embrace. You're still my Beast Husband right now. Never mind just sleeping in your arms, even if we... it would be perfectly natural and right."
"Besides, if I get sick from the cold, there'll be no one to make you those delicious chive and egg buns tomorrow. They have a different flavor from scrambled eggs with chives. Don't you want to try them?"
While tempting him with food, Yu An hugged him even tighter.
The young female's body was soft and fragrant. Mo Yan's body tensed with nervousness.
Yu An nuzzled against his hard chest, looking up curiously. "Mo Yan, are males this hard all over?"
Mo Yan had excellent vision. By the dim moonlight, he could see that Yu An's collar was slightly open, revealing a flash of pale white skin.
Hearing her bold words on top of that, he hastily looked up, but his throat bobbed. A strange heat rose in his usually cool body.
He couldn't tell if it was because of the food, or the beautiful scenery.
The muscles her cheek was pressed against were as hard as iron, yet they had a slight give. Yu An even reached out a hand to touch them, feeling the man's heart thumping wildly.
She said seductively, "It's so cold at night. Let's keep each other warm, okay?"
Mo Yan's breath hitched. He stammered, "J-Just for one night."
'It is... a little cold today. I'll just endure it for one night.'
Where he couldn't see, Yu An's lips curved into a smile. "Okay."
'If there's a first night, there will be a second. I won't let these nights go to waste until I get that Origin Core.'
With the sweet-smelling young female in his arms, Mo Yan thought he wouldn't be able to sleep. But after hearing Yu An's steady breathing, he unknowingly drifted into a deep slumber.
Most Beastman families living outside the city or villages would have a male stand guard at night. But Yu An only had Mo Yan as her Beast Husband, so he consciously took on this responsibility.
He rarely slept. This was an exception. He didn't startle awake until a fresh aroma, different from that of meat buns, wafted over.
"You're awake? Go wash your face. The buns will be ready soon."
Yu An's crisp voice rang out. Mo Yan saw her fingers moving nonstop, and one by one, buns with thin skins, generous fillings, and identical shapes and sizes appeared before him.
"Why didn't you call me?" Mo Yan said as he walked. "I'll help you."
"You've been working hard lately. I wanted you to sleep in a little."
Their conversation didn't sound like that of a resentful couple about to end their contract, but more like a husband and wife who had been together for many years.
Realizing this, Mo Yan's movements faltered as he washed his face.
'I must be really tired lately to have such a thought.'
No one would ever fall in love with the vicious female who had ruined his future, and he was no exception.
Mo Yan thought silently.
Cubs slept a lot, but Han Li was no cub. He had woken up early.
After eating the new type of bun Yu An fed him, he and the soundly sleeping Da Hu were placed on the stall cart.
The two unhatched eggs were not brought along. Before leaving, Yu An looked back several times.
"What if they run into danger? Maybe we should bring them along, like yesterday."
Mo Yan shook his head. "It's best for cubs to hatch in one place. Moving them around often can lead to congenital deficiencies."
"Don't worry, I left my scent behind. Wild beasts won't dare to approach."