Chapter 26: Getting By Together

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Getting By Together

At Su Luoluo’s words, Xiao Ye shot a puzzled look at Mo Xuan.

’Doesn’t Mo Xuan usually hate Su Luoluo the most?’

’Why is he hiding in the distance, spying on her today?’

Mo Xuan rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed at being caught.

He’d overheard Su Luoluo’s conversation with Lan Ya. When he heard she was going to cook for herself, his curiosity got the better of him, and he followed her.

Yesterday’s beggar’s chicken had been absolutely divine. Just thinking about the taste made his mouth water.

He couldn’t help himself, so he hid nearby to watch, hoping he could learn how to make it too.

But who would have thought Xiao Ye would get here so early? Not only had he given Su Luoluo some eggs, but he’d also obediently helped her with her chores.

He was so surprised that he’d failed to conceal himself properly and Xiao Ye had spotted him.

Now, hearing Su Luoluo’s question, Mo Xuan felt a strong urge to deny it.

But the craving for her food was too strong for him to resist, and he fell silent.

Seeing that he wasn’t denying it, Su Luoluo knew exactly what he was thinking.

’He’s too embarrassed to admit it, but he doesn’t want to just leave either.’

’He wants to have his cake and eat it too.’

’Well, I’m not going to spoil him.’

Luckily, she had made plenty of breakfast today, so one more person wouldn’t be a problem.

She glanced at him and said coolly, "It’s not out of the question if you want to eat. I happened to make some extra corn porridge, but you’ll need to promise me one thing."

The moment he heard he had to promise her something, Mo Xuan’s guard went up. He was about to say he’d pass on the meal.

He’d been so mesmerized by her beggar’s chicken yesterday that he’d forgotten she was always fixated on *that*.

’There’s no way I’m sleeping with her just for a meal!’

When Su Luoluo saw his expression darken, she knew he had gotten the wrong idea again.

She rolled her eyes at him. "What are you thinking about? Don’t worry, it has nothing to do with your body."

Having his thoughts laid bare so bluntly by Su Luoluo left Mo Xuan slightly embarrassed, but he still asked seriously, "What is it?"

"I want to build a house. You just need to help me gather some lumber and get the structure started."

Su Luoluo had seen some of the tribespeople building semi-pit houses, so she was planning to build one for herself as well.

Once she had a den of her own, she wouldn’t have to go around begging these darn Beastmen to stand guard for her every night.

With a door and walls for shelter, she could light a fire and finally be able to protect herself.

Besides, even though she was a primitive person now, she was still a female. There were always a few uncomfortable days each month, and sleeping in the open wasn’t exactly convenient.

Mo Xuan was a bit surprised by her request. He never thought the day would come when Su Luoluo would ask to build her own house.

Lending a hand to gather some lumber was no problem for him.

’But why doesn’t Xiao Ye have to do anything?’

’He gets a delicious breakfast for just a few eggs? He’s getting off way too easy!’

Thinking this, he spoke up. "I have no problem getting the lumber. But it’s not fair that Xiao Ye gets to eat just for giving you a few eggs! If that’s all it takes, I can give you some eggs too."

Xiao Ye scoffed. "Too bad I got here before you."

After listening, Su Luoluo nodded. "You’re right, that isn’t fair. I did promise to make breakfast for Xiao Ye."

"However, I only promised to make him soft-boiled eggs. If you want to eat anything else, Xiao Ye, you’ll have to help me work, just like Mo Xuan."

Hearing this, Mo Xuan was instantly satisfied.

He shot Xiao Ye a smug look, one eyebrow raised.

Su Luoluo hadn’t given it much thought at first, but after considering Mo Xuan’s words, she realized she needed to raise the price for her breakfast.

’If I let Xiao Ye get away with it today, will these two start thinking they can get a free meal from me every day for just one egg? That’s not a good deal for me.’

Xiao Ye stiffened at her words, but then he saw her putting glistening yellow corn kernels into a fruit shell. It already looked delicious.

He relented. "Fine. But the eggs I brought are not to be shared with Mo Xuan."

Su Luoluo nodded. "Of course. They’re your eggs. We agreed they’re just for us."

At these words, the smug look on Mo Xuan’s face instantly vanished.

Seeing Mo Xuan’s crestfallen expression, Xiao Ye folded his arms across his chest. "What can I say? I’m the one who brought the eggs today."

Mo Xuan: "..."

Su Luoluo: "..."

With the terms settled, Su Luoluo went back to the task at hand.

She had shaved most of the kernels from the cobs. She added some water she’d fetched from the deep pool to a pot and placed it on the simple stone stove where she already had a fire going.

Next, she filled the fruit shell Xiao Ye had opened with water and set it over another fire to boil.

While waiting for the water to boil, she took a few branches and sharpened one end of each with her stone knife. Then, she speared the whole corn cobs onto the makeshift skewers and handed them to the two waiting men. "Roast these over the fire. Make sure to turn them every now and then, or they’ll burn and won’t taste good."

The two men took them without a word and began roasting them over the fire.

A moment ago, Mo Xuan had been wondering why Xiao Ye was being so obedient. Now that he was doing the work himself, he found it felt completely natural.

After all, Su Luoluo was clearly busy. Doing a little work to get some delicious food sooner was nothing.

And so, the two of them roasted the corn in unison.

Su Luoluo stayed busy, constantly stirring the corn kernels in the pot to keep them from clumping together.

Once the corn porridge was nearly done, she placed the eggs in the other pot of boiling water. After mentally counting to 360, she scooped them all out with a piece of fruit shell.

While the eggs soaked in cold water, she found three more medium-sized fruit shells like the ones she’d used for cooking. She scraped out the pulp to turn them into bowls.

Once the bowls were ready, she peeled the eggs. She placed them in one of the shell-bowls, broke them open, and added some salt and other seasonings she had found earlier. After giving it a stir, she handed it to Xiao Ye.

’Without soy sauce, the flavor is still a little lacking, but it’s way better than wild fruit.’

Xiao Ye’s eyes went wide when he saw the golden, runny yolks of the eggs.

He’d never imagined eggs could be prepared like this. He instinctively broke off two small twigs to use as chopsticks, picked up half an egg, and popped it into his mouth.

’It tastes amazing.’

’So smooth and tender.’

Mo Xuan, watching from the side, looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head. But Xiao Ye had no intention of sharing and proceeded to eat one of the eggs all by himself.

Su Luoluo saw Mo Xuan staring wistfully as Xiao Ye ate the soft-boiled eggs. She was about to offer him one, but then she remembered how they’d recoiled in disgust at the thought of her saliva, and she changed her mind.

Fortunately, the corn porridge was just about ready.

Su Luoluo ladled a fresh bowl for him. He took a taste.

It was sweet, fragrant, and creamy. He drank it down with satisfaction.

Xiao Ye also got a bowl and began to happily drink it as well.

’Helping Su Luoluo build a house in exchange for such a delicious breakfast is totally worth it!’