Favorite of the Beast-world: I Got Rich Through Farming-Chapter 17: Don’t Worry, I Will Take Care of Him
On her way back after washing the stone bowl, An Jin accidentally cut the sole of her foot on a sharp little rock, drawing a bit of blood.
’Looks like I need to make a pair of shoes.’
She began to plan.
The forest paths were all dirt and stone, covered with small, sharp rocks and little bugs. She wasn’t a male Beastman with thick, tough skin, so walking barefoot was indeed a bit dangerous.
Then, she was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of rotten wood nearby.
The area she was passing through was damp, with a great deal of fallen, decaying wood on the ground. Perhaps because of the heavy rain a couple of days ago, many types of fungi had sprouted on the waterlogged logs.
A few kinds looked very much like the button mushrooms and wood ear fungus she had seen before.
With the system’s help, she successfully avoided the poisonous, brightly colored mushrooms and picked out the ones that were safe to eat, placing them in her stone bowl.
Seeing the "delicacies" all around her, An Jin got to work, not stopping until the stone bowl was full. Even then, she reluctantly wished she could grab more to take back.
She went over to a tree and sorted through the mushrooms she had picked.
There was quite a variety. The plant life of the two worlds was largely the same, so she could identify shiitake, wood ear, straw mushrooms, enoki, and more.
There were also some less common ones she couldn’t name, but she had a feeling they would be great in a soup.
Looking at all the mushrooms, An Jin couldn’t stop her mouth from watering. At the same time, another bold idea took shape in her mind—
So many plants grew on this land, lush and verdant. It was clear the soil was relatively fertile and perfect for growing crops.
It was also near a water source, making it convenient to fetch and use water.
Lastly, the place wasn’t far from their tribe. It wouldn’t take long to go back and forth, which was very convenient.
’The system’s main quest is to cultivate one mu of fertile land. This place would be a great choice.’
...
Her mind filled with plans, An Jin returned to the stone house. The moment she opened the door, she saw a large, four- to five-meter-long Silver Wolf rhythmically sharpening its claws, one after another, on a big, pitch-black rock.
The claws grew sharper and sharper, like deadly weapons, and a glint of cold, sharp light reflected directly into her eyes.
An Jin jumped, nearly dropping the stone bowl.
"...Ling Hong?"
The Silver Wolf turned its head at the sound of her voice, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief. For a second, she thought a wild beast had broken into their home.
"What are you doing? Sharpening your claws?"
An Jin closed the door, and the light inside the house dimmed.
Frowning in confusion, she walked into the room, her eyes on Ling Hong. After placing the stone bowl on the table, she took a sip of water to wet her throat.
Ling Hong hummed in response without looking up, continuing to focus on sharpening his claws. "My injuries have healed. I can join the tribe’s hunt tomorrow."
Ling Hong was the tribe’s strongest warrior and the captain of the Hunting Team. In the days he’d been injured, the Hunting Team had no one to lead them, and both the quantity and quality of the prey they caught had dropped significantly.
The males could go hungry for a few days without issue, but the tribe’s twenty-something females had long been coddled. They were all at home, crying and complaining, making everyone’s lives miserable.
Ling Hong had to set out tomorrow and bring back enough prey for the tribe.
An Jin nodded. The thought that he was leaving tomorrow to spend many days surviving in the harsh wilderness prompted her to take charge of dinner tonight.
"You’re working so hard. Let me cook dinner tonight. You should get a good night’s rest."
The female’s dark eyes crinkled, revealing small teeth when she smiled. Ling Hong was momentarily dazed, an inexplicable warmth spreading in his chest.
In truth, he felt a little ashamed. An Jin’s service these past few days had made him feel quite embarrassed.
Although he had been injured because of her, females in this world were incredibly precious and delicate. For a male to be injured for them was actually an honor, a sign that the male was capable enough to rescue them...
The corner of Ling Hong’s mouth twitched as if he wanted to say something, but the memory of the delicious meal she’d made last time still seemed to linger on his tongue, and he immediately clamped his mouth shut.
After the baptism of that last meal, Ling Hong was keenly aware of how inedible his own cooking was. He desperately missed the delicious food she made.
’What should I do?’
’It seems I’m becoming a little... dependent on her.’
...
Females in this world were extremely rare and precious, so any female with a partner was spoiled absolutely rotten by them.
If there was no food at home, the male would go out to hunt.
If the female was hungry, the male would start a fire and cook.
If the female had no clothes, the male would start sewing garments with bone needles.
If the house was a little dirty, the male would take it upon himself to clean it.
While it was doting, it was also excessive indulgence. Most females in this world were coddled, lazy, and extravagant. Even if a male was injured for their sake, they considered it a matter of course.
Ling Hong had grown up suffering many injuries and had rescued several tribal females captured by Wandering Beasts, but... this was the first time in his beastman life that he’d been so intimately and gently cared for by a female for so long because he was hurt...
Ordinarily, this would be a disgrace.
But he couldn’t control the greedy thoughts that began to sprout in his heart.
One of Ling Hong’s good qualities was his absolute obedience. An Jin had previously mentioned that curing meat could prevent it from spoiling, and by the next day, there was salted meat in the house.
An Jin took out the salted meat and chopped it up. She then prepared the mushrooms she had gathered, placing them into several separate stone bowls.
Next, she cleaned the fish, removing the black membrane from its belly, cleaning the gills thoroughly, and scaling the area around them.
After bustling about for a while, the raw ingredients were more or less ready.
It was a pity there was no oil, garlic, or scallions—all excellent seasonings. But just sprinkling on some salt produced a decent result. Though in her eyes it was merely average, to Ling Hong it was a worldly delicacy.
After dinner, a satisfied Ling Hong transformed into his wolf form and flopped lazily onto the straw pile for his last night of recuperation.
Just as An Jin was also about to rest, he suddenly opened his eyes, a cold light flickering in their wolfish depths. "Manduo is also going on the hunt tomorrow."
"Manduo?"
"The male who hurt you last time."
An Jin’s body trembled. Her eyes went wide, and her fingertips grew cold without her realizing it.
Seeing the little female’s face instantly pale, a fleeting glint of sharpness and heartache passed through Ling Hong’s wolf eyes. He didn’t say much, but his meter-long tail wagged and seemed to casually flop onto her lap.
It was surprisingly soft and warm.
His deep, bewitching voice softened slightly. "Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him."
She hummed softly.
...
As a professional night owl, An Jin had originally planned to stay up all night to design her land cultivation plan and make herself a pair of animal hide shoes.
But unfortunately, the Beast World had yet to invent such an advanced gadget as a lightbulb. Faced with the pitch-black night and the can’t-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face darkness inside the house, An Jin had no choice but to hug the wolf’s tail and go to sleep for now.
’Mmm, this tail is so soft.’ While Ling Hong was asleep, she secretly hugged it and gave it a squeeze.
In the dead of night, a pair of emerald wolf eyes snapped open. The wolf’s body tensed. He lifted his dashing, silver-white head and looked in horror at the little female who had his tail clamped between her legs, hugging it tightly and refusing to let go. A choked growl rumbled in his throat.
’What kind of sleeping position is this?’
He tried to pull his tail free, but for the life of him, he couldn’t. His struggles even caused the sleeping female to subconsciously tighten her legs and rub against it.
"..." The wolf’s body tensed even further. He didn’t dare to move a muscle.
After holding out until the depths of the night, he was finally too exhausted to stay awake. With a look of utter resignation, Ling Hong lay back down on the straw pile, letting the female hug him as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
