Yu An thought she had set up her stall early enough, but when she arrived at her usual spot, a dozen or so Beastmen were already waiting there.
"Boss Yu, you're finally here!"
The female cat-Beastman, Bai Rong, was the first to run over. Staring eagerly at the steamer, she said, "I was the first one here! My Female Mother said she's never eaten anything so delicious and told me to buy some more to take back."
"You're here so early! I have something new today, leek and egg buns. Want to try one?"
Yu An chatted with Bai Rong while setting things up.
Bai Rong hesitated. "I know what eggs are, but what are leeks?"
Yu An lifted the lid of the steamer, deftly picked out a few buns, and cut them into small pieces just like yesterday. "Here, have a taste."
Her cookware came from her dimensional space and the ingredients were a gift from nature. It was a business with no costs and all profit. Yu An decided to let the Beastmen try a sample of these delicacies they had never encountered before.
Beastmen had a natural fear of plants they'd never eaten before, worried they might accidentally consume a poisonous herb. Looking at the vibrant green filling of the bun, Bai Rong was actually hesitant.
But the fresh fragrance, so different from the meat filling, and the rich aroma of egg wafted into her nostrils. Bai Rong couldn't help but pick up a piece of the bun.
She bit through the soft, chewy dough. The crisp, tender leeks burst with juice in her mouth, mixed with a faint, subtle spiciness. The scrambled egg was in small golden chunks, mellow and fragrant, a perfect contrast to the crispness of the leeks.
Every bite was perfectly savory. The warmth traveled down her throat, spreading through her entire body.
Compared to the meat filling, Bai Rong preferred the leek and egg. The fresh, savory sweetness instantly captured her taste buds.
She hurriedly said, "Boss, I'll take thirty buns! Ten of each kind!"
She had originally planned to get fifteen pork and fifteen beef, but now she'd changed her mind.
Yu An smiled. "The leek and egg buns are fifteen copper coins each. That'll be three hundred and fifty copper coins in total."
Meat was easier to obtain than leeks, so Yu An priced them a little higher.
Bai Rong understood. "They're even tastier than the meat ones, so they should be more expensive!"
The common currency on the Beast World Continent was gold, silver, and copper coins. One gold coin was equal to ten silver coins, and one silver coin was equal to one hundred copper coins.
Yu An's superpower couldn't absorb copper, so she hadn't bothered to count the coins she earned yesterday. She planned to save up a bunch and exchange them for gold and silver.
Today, Bai Rong gave her three silver coins, and Yu An's eyes lit up.
'It's not much, but it can still increase my superpower by a tiny bit. I won't turn it down.'
'Every little bit helps.'
A few other Beastmen had the same idea as Bai Rong. Their original plans were disrupted, and they added leek and egg buns to their orders.
Others couldn't get used to the taste of leeks and stuck with the old options.
Some Beastmen, eager to enjoy the delicious food, gathered in groups, sitting on the ground nearby to eat. The tempting aroma drifted for miles, and wild beasts that smelled it grew restless.
But they were wary of the large groups of Beastmen and remained hidden in the shadows, not daring to show themselves, letting their drool pool on the ground.
'So fragrant... so fragrant... I just want one bite...'
It wasn't just them. Xiong Li and her four Beast Husbands were also hiding nearby, the sounds of their swallowing saliva growing louder and louder.
Xiong Li wiped her mouth. "See that ugly female? She's the one who bullied me and made our business suffer. You all figure out a way to kill her!"
After she went back yesterday, she realized that her reckless words had offended many Beastmen. As a result, quite a few people didn't come to her home to buy goods last night.
Her four Beast Husbands rushed home only to find they had bought all their goods for nothing, losing a large sum of money.
They didn't dare speak ill of Xiong Li, but they were clearly resentful.
Recalling the humiliation she suffered yesterday, Xiong Li secretly gritted her teeth. 'Since Yu An won't sell me any food, if I can't eat, then no one else can either!'
Her main husband, Xiong Shuai, was a Bear Beastman. He stood two meters tall and looked like a black tower from a distance.
He swallowed hard. "Female Master, the ugly female is easy to deal with, but her Beast Husband's spiritual power Level is too high. The four of us combined are no match for him!"
The other three agreed.
Xiong Li flew into a rage. "I don't care! I want her dead! If you can't do it, I'll renounce all of you!"
The men's faces changed instantly. In the world of Beastmen, a male renounced by his Female Master would be scorned and isolated by all other Beastmen.
The four exchanged glances, each seeing the fear in the others' eyes. In his panic, Xiong Shuai accidentally glanced at Da Hu, who was collecting money, and an idea suddenly formed in his mind.
He suggested, "Female Master, the ugly female has her male's protection, but her cub doesn't. If we kill that little tiger cub, the ugly female will surely die of grief."
Another Beast Husband's eyes darted. "We could also frame the ugly female's Beast Husband. Then..."
Xiong Li was overjoyed. "Do it!"
But Da Hu was always right under Yu An's nose, so they could never find an opportunity to get close. After thinking for a moment, Xiong Li decided to lie in wait near Yu An's home and look for a chance.
Bear Beastmen have a keen sense of smell. Following the lingering scent in the air, Xiong Li and her group quickly found the place where Yu An lived.
Yu An had decorated the cave to be quite cozy. Xiong Li looked around and took everything that caught her eye.
'This place is so much better than where I live. It's a shame I can't just take over the cave.'
Just as the group was about to leave, a pile of leaves in the corner suddenly rustled. Xiong Shuai's sharp eyes caught the movement.
He thought it might be some kind of treasure. He ran over to look and was instantly stunned.
"Female Master, it's two unhatched cubs!"
Xiong Li froze. Thinking of Da Hu, who was clearly a newborn, she gasped.
"That ugly female actually gave birth to three cubs at once!"
'Could it be Heavenly Level Fertility... No, no, I heard that the Princess of the Beast Emperor City has Heavenly Level Fertility, and even she could only give birth to two cubs.'
Thinking of that impossible speculation, Xiong Li stared intently at the two eggs, a strange curve forming on her lips.
"HISS—"
As she was taking out the last bun, Yu An was scalded by the steam, and her fingers instantly turned bright red.
Mo Yan noticed something was wrong. "What is it?"
"It's nothing," Yu An said, using her superpower to heal the burn. She shook her head. "Let's pack up and go home. I'm a little worried about the two kids."
For some reason, she had a bad feeling. Her right eyelid kept twitching, as if something was about to happen.
Mo Yan said nothing, silently quickening his pace.
Da Hu usually liked to roughhouse with Han Li, using the excuse that Han Li had eaten his buns to force him to play.
Today, for some reason, he was clenching a take-out bag bigger than himself in his mouth, struggling to drag it into the cart.
"Female Mother, let's pack up faster. I want to go home too."
Han Li found it strange, but he felt indebted to her for the food, so he went over to help.
Yu An was anxious to get home. When a few Beastmen asked if she would be setting up her stall as usual tomorrow, she only had time to shout, "Same as always!" before twisting the handle and sending the cart racing off.
The road was very bumpy. When Mo Yan's gaze fell on Yu An's tense face, he endured the discomfort without a word.
When they reached the cave, Yu An leaped impatiently from the cart. Da Hu tried to jump too, but Mo Yan deftly grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
"Be careful you don't get hurt."
'Cubs are very fragile.'
Before he could give Da Hu a stern lecture, a scream suddenly came from inside the cave.
A moment later, she rushed out, her face pale. "Mo Yan, the eggs are gone!"
Mo Yan's expression changed drastically. "What did you say?!"