Chapter 74
“I’ll help out.” Shen Li also walked over to assist Lu Xiao with handling the prey.
After entering the house, Jia Lan saw the large rotating round table placed in the center of the dining room, which could comfortably seat ten people. Her mouth twitched.
Where did this fat female get such a huge table?
The table was set with exquisite dinnerware and ostentatious red candles… Was she really planning a candlelight dinner p>
Jia Lan, who had been pampered all her life, had seen many grand scenes, but it was her first time witnessing such a tacky candlelight dinner. She didn’t even know where to start her criticism.
Seeing his disdainful look, Shen Tang pouted. Wasn’t this cozy and full of love?
There weren’t even two living people in the house to eat with; this tableware was borrowed from Song Fang’s home, including the dining table. The neighbors looked at her speechlessly.
This damn mermaid just didn’t understand her good intentions!
Shen Tang ran to the bathroom, washed off the face mask, then took a shower and gave herself a good scrub.
By the time she finished bathing, Lu Xiao and Shen Li had almost finished dealing with the prey.
With their previous experiences, without Shen Tang specifically instructing, they placed the prepared ingredients on plates, cut the beast meat into neat chunks, and cleaned the organs like liver and intestines. There were some vegetables like green onions and ginger that could be bought at the shelter in the refrigerator… Despite limited resources, making a few decent dishes was not a problem.
The beastmen had enormous appetites, and the stronger the beastman, the more energy they needed, hence they ate more.
Lu Xiao helped Shen Tang move the heavy ingredients into the kitchen, assisting her.
The kitchen was filled with smoke, and Shen Tang was coughing non-stop while stir-frying the meat.
Lu Xiao handed her a clean wet towel.
“Thanks!” Shen Tang took the towel reflexively. Their palms touched for a moment, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
After retracting his hand, Lu Xiao’s fingertips, resting at his side, slightly twitched, as he quietly looked at the female battling with the spatula and wok.
Her face was flushed from the smoke, sweat was pouring down her head, her expression was focused and serious, with an indescribable stubbornness. She stared at the stir-fried meat in the wok as if confronting an enemy.
Lu Xiao’s lips curved slightly.
On his stern, serious face, the change was almost imperceptible.
He looked down at his palm again.
There remained the touch sensation from that moment—soft and smooth, like a gentle sponge, or a fluffy cloud.
A strange feeling slipped through his heart.
Even he couldn’t quite describe it.
Cooking was essentially physical work, and simply flipping the spatula made Shen Tang’s wrist sore, almost unable to hold the wok!
Lu Xiao stepped forward and took the frying pan from her hand, “You take a break, I’ve got this p>
He explained before she could speak, “I’ve been watching for a while, I should have learned it. Let me give it a try p>
Shen Tang was surprised at heart; he had been standing by for so long, turned out he was learning from her!
Shen Tang agreed readily, “Then give it a try, feel free to ask me if you don’t know something p>
“Okay p>
She rubbed her sore shoulders, just in time for a break.
When Shen Tang handed the spatula to Lu Xiao, their palms touched, and from a certain angle, it looked like Lu Xiao was holding her half-hand.
The man’s palm was warm and broad, giving off a strong sense of security, but Shen Tang pulled her hand back as if electrocuted, shocked!
She remembered well how much these beast husbands detested her touch.
Lu Xiao wouldn’t think she was taking advantage, would he!
She really didn’t mean it!
For the sake of staying alive, Shen Tang had long since put away her ambitions, absolutely no thoughts of that kind!
Seeing Shen Tang swiftly and awkwardly withdraw her hand, Lu Xiao gave her a complex look.
The old Shen Tang would spare no effort, using despicable means to find opportunities to cling onto them. Now, she seemed afraid to even make contact… She really had changed.
When they touched just now, a peculiar ripple surfaced again in Lu Xiao’s heart but disappeared quickly. He lowered his head, focusing on flipping the spatula and stir-frying.
At first, Lu Xiao was a bit unskilled, but he quickly grasped the essence, performing rather proficiently, no less than she did.
Shen Tang was full of surprise; Lu Xiao really had a talent for cooking!
She glanced at the three dog-men waiting at the dining table, showing no intention of helping!
Comparisons can hurt; thanks to these three slackers, they inadvertently made Lu Xiao, a cold-faced tough guy, appear extremely diligent and capable.
After gaining control in the kitchen, Lu Xiao let Shen Tang assist him.
After nearly an hour of tinkering together, they served several dishes full of color, fragrance, and flavor.
Braised spare ribs, stir-fried pork belly, crispy salt and pepper pork, fresh meat soup.
The aroma wafted through the air, whetting the appetite.
Xiao Jin couldn’t wait to stab a piece of the rib with his chopsticks, gnawing on it with a greasy face. His ruggedly handsome face made even his casual eating demeanor pleasing to the eye.
Shen Li elegantly picked a piece of crispy pork, put it in his mouth to taste, his eyes lit up, and he praised, “I’ve never tried this method before, it’s like there’s a crunchy shell on the outside, full of savory flavor p>
“Yeah, it’s fried. Hurry up and eat, it’s not as good cold p>
Shen Li pick up some meat for her, supporting his chin with his hand, and smirked, “Xiao Tang’er, you should eat more too, you’ve lost quite a bit of weight recently. It makes me feel sorry for you p>
Shen Tang’s mouth twitched, suspecting this sly fox was intentionally mocking her!
She was covered in fat, yet he dared to say she was thin?
Shen Li truly wasn’t mocking her; as beast husbands, they naturally wished for Shen Tang to become beautiful and slender, easier on the eyes.
However, she had lost weight too fast over the past month, and Shen Li suspected Shen Tang was triggered and possibly used some medical means. There was really no need to sacrifice her health for rapid weight loss; as long as she didn’t revert to her previous arrogant and ugly demeanor, if she wanted to lose weight, he could accompany her to do it slowly.
The aroma inside drifted outside to the yard, where the White Snake coiled on a tree, burying its head into its tail, pretending not to smell.
Yet, the enticing aroma was pervasive.
Xue Yinzhou couldn’t ignore it even if he tried.
He lifted his head, flicked his tongue, and glanced towards the house.
Through the bright floor-to-ceiling window, he saw Shen Tang and Shen Li dining face-to-face, a scene just like any ordinary couple in the world, yet exuding a certain indescribable warmth.
He never imagined seeing the word warmth associated with Shen Tang in his lifetime.
The silver-purple snake eyes darkened.
Xue Yinzhou admitted he had always harbored malice and prejudice against Shen Tang; in his view, her changes lately were nothing more than a camouflage to lull them, a chance to drug them.
Yet he couldn’t help thinking of her resolute and gentle gaze from that day.
Xue Yinzhou forced himself to close his eyes, avoiding the sight of the house.
But Shen Tang’s figure and every word she had spoken that day remained vividly in his mind.
Xue Yinzhou agitatedly flicked his tail, causing the tree bark to crackle. Seeing that the people in the house didn’t notice him, he pretended not to care, but with slightly dimmed eyes, he slipped into the forest and disappeared from sight.