CH 14

Chapter 14 

Qin Jiulin rubbed his eyes in confusion, sat up, and set the blanket that had been covering him aside. However, soon he felt that something was amiss. After carefully thinking about it, he realized that the blanket covering him seemed to be the one he used when sleeping in the basement.

Had Liu Zhongyuan explored the entire villa while he was asleep? Had he found the entrance to the basement and even ventured inside to inspect the situation? And to top it off, had he shamelessly taken the blanket from the basement and covered him with it? Wasn’t this a clear message?

Liu Zhongyuan walked to the kitchen door, stood there, and smiled at Qin Jiulin. “Are you awake? It’s time to eat. Don’t worry, wait a little longer. It will be ready soon. Go freshen up first.”

Qin Jiulin pondered for a moment and decided not to confront him right away. Instead, he nodded and got up, walking to another bathroom to clean himself. When he arrived at the dining room, Liu Zhongyuan had already set the dishes on the table.

Wait, there was no rice, only vegetables. And only meat. But it didn’t matter. For a beastman, meat was the best. He sat on the chair, picked up the chopsticks, and took a bite. It tasted good.

Or rather, it tasted familiar. After all, he had eaten it a few times in his past life. The taste was indeed good, and Liu Zhongyuan was quite skilled in cooking.

But in his previous life, he couldn’t eat it frequently. Getting too close would make their relationship seem abnormal, and he didn’t want Xia Liansheng to misunderstand at the time.

But now, he had no such concerns. After swallowing the meat in his mouth, he took another bite.

Liu Zhongyuan sat beside him. “How is it? Is the taste acceptable? I may not excel in other areas, but I’m quite skilled in cooking meat.”

Qin Jiulin nodded. “It’s delicious. You should eat too.”

Liu Zhongyuan smiled shyly. “As long as you like it. I was worried that I wouldn’t meet your taste. So, eat more. I basically cooked all the meat I could find, and there’s more after we finish this batch.”

Qin Jiulin nodded. “Let’s eat.”

Only then did he pick up his chopsticks and eat together, albeit slowly. It seemed as if he deliberately let Qin Jiulin eat more, but Qin Jiulin certainly wouldn’t be polite to him.

When they were almost finished with this batch, Liu Zhongyuan went to the kitchen to replenish the dishes. And so, the two of them finished off a few hundred kilograms of wild boar and a completely atavistic rabbit.

Qin Jiulin rubbed his full stomach and intended to go to sleep when he remembered the matter of the blanket. “Did you go to the basement?”

Liu Zhongyuan felt a bit embarrassed. “I’m sorry… I saw that you were asleep, and I wanted to find a blanket. But I couldn’t find one anywhere in the room, and then I discovered the basement…”

Qin Jiulin considered it and said, “Then find a room for yourself to sleep in. I’ll go to the basement to sleep. Don’t bother me unless it’s necessary. I’ll come out on my own when I wake up.”

Liu Zhongyuan replied, “Alright, you rest. I’ll go out later to hunt for some prey.”

Qin Jiulin paused for a moment and said, “Rest for now. People like us can eat at intervals after having a satisfying meal.”

Liu Zhongyuan said, “Ah! Okay, I understand. Then I… I’ll also take a rest.”

Qin Jiulin gave him a deep look before returning to the basement and closing the door downstairs.

Liu Zhongyuan made sure that Qin Jiulin had gone to the basement before slowly tidying up the kitchen. He sat on the sofa, stretching his limbs in a carefree manner, occupying the entire couch with an arrogant and domineering posture.

However, his face carried a slight smile, looking somewhat dull. “Not bad…”

Liu Zhongyuan blinked, then glanced at the entrance to the basement. “If it’s possible…”

He contemplated many things but ultimately decided to rest first. He slowly got up, picked up the blanket that he had personally covered Qin Jiulin with while he was sleeping on the sofa, and walked towards the guest room on the first floor. He wore a simple and honest smile, making some eccentric movements.

He held the blanket in his hand and gently sniffed it, as if he smelled something, the smile on his face deepened.

If Qin Jiulin were to see this, he might be startled, but he couldn’t see it now.

***

Since the day Qi Yue had returned empty-handed, Duan Qiufeng had been unable to let go of the frustration in his heart. Although he didn’t show much on the surface, the anger in his heart couldn’t be dissipated.

Qi Yue asked, “Brother Duan, what’s wrong with you?”

Duan Qiufeng turned around to look at Qi Yue and casually waved his hand. “I’m fine. You go rest. By the way, where is your sister?”

Qi Yue replied, “My sister is in the kitchen with Zhou Yiyi and Fu Jingjing, preparing the food.”

Duan Qiufeng asked, “Has Wang Ge and Lin Ge returned?”

Qi Yue nodded. “Yes, they’ve brought back some food. It seems like we’re running out of water in the kitchen. Should we send someone to fetch water from the river?”

Duan Qiufeng pondered for a moment and asked, “Is there anyone accompanying them?”

Qi Yue replied, “Yes, Lin Ge will stay at the villa. Wang Ge will go with us, and Zhang Liao and Zhang Wei will also join. Duan Ge, are you coming?”

Duan Qiufeng stood up and said, “Let’s go. We’ll go fetch the water now.”

****

Translator’s note: I’ll strive to have a more regular update again if I’m not that busy anymore. Thank you so much for the patience and the support. As for the other two novels I’m working on, I’m not sure when I can update. Once again, thank you, Mostnem!