Just as she said that, palm-sized crabs started crawling out of the nearby, unpaved puddles. An Jin exclaid cheerfully, "Let’s catch these and take them back too!"
It was the height of crab season. They were full of rich, savory roe, and their at was plump and sweet. What better ti to eat crab than now!
Stead crab, drunken crab, spicy stir-fried crab, crab roe soup dumplings...
She had already planned out her nu for the next week.
’Finally, I have sothing to do during this boring rainy season. What could be better than exploring the various delicacies of my beloved Huaxia!’
"Okay, wait a minute. I’ll go catch them for you." Ling Hong found a Beast Skin Bag, and after a quick walk around the area, he ca back with it half-full of plump, large crabs for her.
Seeing dark clouds gathering overhead once more, with the faint threat of more rain, the three of them headed ho with their spoils.
Smoke from the chimney soon rose, carrying with it the fragrant aroma of a al.
...
The first wave of rain ended, and the continent welcod the second. Now that she had things to occupy her ti, the rainy season was no longer boring.
When An Jin had free ti at ho, she would either research new recipes or tally her ledgers at her desk. Whenever she got thirsty, she’d take a few sips of steaming wild chrysanthemum tea.
HISS~ The black-and-red python instinctively coiled its body around her.
It rested its head flat on her soft lap, nuzzling her affectionately from ti to ti. The python’s blood-red pupils, usually narrowed, were now wide and round, its lazy posture one of pure contentnt.
As An Jin reviewed her ledgers, she ran her hand down his back twice, following the direction of his scales. ’The texture of these smooth scales is really nice,’ she thought.
The door opened and closed. A handso, slender Silver Wolf also settled obediently by her side, tucking its paws neatly beneath its body.
His fluffy wolf head rested against her calf, the tip of one claw gently hooking the hem of her dress. His entire being radiated a silent plea for pets.
An Jin: "..." ’Well, so much for getting any work done on these ledgers.’
After quelling the Crocodile Beast uprising at the Great Soup River, Xi finally returned. Overco with longing, he rushed in the mont he arrived, eager for a hug from An Jin. But because he was soaking wet, Mi Yin sent him flying back out with a single whip of his tail.
"Dry yourself off before you co in. Don’t get the rug wet," he said coldly.
Ling Hong chid in, "The air outside is too cold and damp. Jin might catch a cold. Let’s not let him in for now."
Xi, locked outside, could only grind his teeth in frustration. ’It’s true what they say—the weak get bullied. If I don’t get my revenge in secret, I’ll be a disgrace to the rfolk!’
An Jin couldn’t help but laugh at their back-and-forth, though her heart went out to the poor Little rfolk.
’I should have waited until Xi was stronger before we mated,’ she thought. ’Then he wouldn’t have to endure being bullied by these two every day.’
"Don’t listen to them. Hurry and co in. Dinner’s ready; we were just waiting for you," An Jin said, pressing one hand on a wolf paw and the other on a snake tail.
In any family, the female’s word was law. Her commands held absolute authority. As much as Mi Yin and Ling Hong couldn’t stand Xi, they had no choice but to obey An Jin.
...
Mi Yin and the others were happy to set aside their own tasks to paint with her, practice calligraphy, and cook delicious als... With the three of them by her side, An Jin found that her simple, sparse life had beco quite interesting.
Before she knew it, the long rainy season had slipped away.
After about half a month of clear skies, the cold season descended. The entire continent was blanketed in vast white snow, transforming into a world of ice.
An Jin carved a "5" on the wall.
’It’s already been five years. Ti flies,’ she mused. ’This is my fifth winter here.’
She had mated with Mi Yin first, four years ago. Her family was large now, but she always felt like sothing was missing.
It wasn’t until she saw Chun Ni with several half-grown tiger cubs trailing behind her that she belatedly realized what that sothing was.
’But Mi Yin doesn’t like children, and Ling Hong has never brought up the topic. As for Xi, that’s even less likely. I’ve always felt he’s just a big kid himself; there’s no way he would like little kids.’
In the Beast World, where procreation was a primary purpose for survival, these three were a breath of fresh air. And frankly, it was convenient for her.
...
During the cold season, the rivers outside froze solid, leaving Xi with nowhere to go play.
Xi, having forced himself to stay on land for his beloved female, found himself in a very awkward predicant.
He longed to be in the river, but he’d freeze into a fish-cicle. At the sa ti, the fireplace and underfloor heating inside made the air so dry that his delicate skin was on the verge of cracking.
He was forced to resort to filling several buckets with water and soaking in them a few tis a day to replenish the moisture his body was losing.
Sotis he’d doze off while soaking. By the ti he woke up, the water in the bucket was so warm you could have sprinkled in so pine-pepper salt and called it a delicious pot of fish soup.
"I’ll go turn down the underfloor heating," An Jin offered. The control room was on the first floor, and she turned to head downstairs.
"No! You’ll get cold!" Xi grabbed her, his anxious voice filled with concern.
He could tough it out; he’d gotten through the past few years the sa way. He couldn’t bear the thought of her being cold. "Ah Jin, could you help get so ice? Just putting it in the bucket will be enough..."
"Will that be enough?" An Jin’s gaze fell on his flushed, steam-kissed face. ’Is it just my imagination?’ she wondered, ’or do I sll a mouth-watering aroma of fish?’
"Mmm," he mumbled, leaning weakly against the wall as his legs gave out a little. He gave a feeble nod.
An Jin imdiately went to the ice cellar to get him so ice.
She hadn’t exercised in a while, and just a few steps up the stairs left her panting heavily.
She returned with the ice and tossed it into the bucket. Xi imdiately threw himself in with a sigh of relief. The flush on his face finally began to fade.
"Ah Jin, you sll so good..." He peeked his head out from the bucket. As his mind cleared, his sense of sll returned.
She let out a small "Ah?" her eyes widening slightly. ’Good? What kind of good sll?’
’Actually, I think he slls pretty good too,’ she thought.
He shook his head, looking a little lost. "I don’t know. It’s an indescribable scent. I’ve never slled anything like it before, but I really like it..."
She lowered her head and sniffed herself. She couldn’t sll anything. ’How could I possibly sll good?’ A Beastman’s sense of sll was truly impossible to understand.
At first, she thought Xi was just hallucinating from the heat. But then she realized that lately, Ling Hong and Mi Yin had also been saying things like "You sll so good." They were always trying to get closer to her, holding her tightly when they slept.
Even Mi Yin, who usually hibernated through the cold season, had been unusually restless lately. That kind of behavior normally only happened when she was on her period. When she asked him about it, he couldn’t give her a specific reason either.
She didn’t know if it was because of the cold, but lately, she seed to have caught Mi Yin’s laziness. She started sleeping in, sotis not waking up until two or three in the afternoon.
It was, admittedly, a little embarrassing.
And every ti, it was hunger that finally woke her.
It used to be her job to wake Mi Yin up; now, their roles were completely reversed.
Mi Yin chuckled. "Jin’er, you’re like a Humming Beast. Only a Humming Beast wakes up, eats its fill, and goes right back to sleep."
The corner of An Jin’s mouth twitched. "...You’re the pig."
"A pig? You an the Humming Beast? No, wild boars are much more aggressive..." He pinched her increasingly plump cheeks. "But I like you a little chubbier."
They’re better to pinch, and you’re more comfortable to hold. The softer, warr feel was sothing a Snake Beast instinctively craved.
"...Chubby?"
This ti, she finally registered the changes her body had been going through.
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