Chapter 162: Chapter 162: Flatbreads!

“Changxia, we’re here!”

Drawn by the smell, Yadong, Kongshan, and the others hurried over. At the same time, Shankun arrived carrying a vine basket with the twin cubs inside. Maybe the chili was too pungent—the twins kept sneezing and squirming, almost rolling out of the basket several times.

In the end, Shankun had to pick up the twins and hold them in his arms, tossing the vine basket to Yadong.

“Yadong—” Xifeng turned and stared at Yadong, raising his voice, “Yadong, when are you going to the Earth Tribe to marry Daya?”

Daya was Xifeng’s cub. Earlier, Daya had said she liked a male from another tribe.

Both Xifeng and the beastfolk of the Earth Tribe had been furious.

Later, when they found out the outsider was a male from the Heluo tribe, Xifeng and the bearfolk of the Earth Tribe stopped objecting and even helped Daya chase after Yadong.

When Yadong heard Daya’s name, he froze on the spot.

His face went pale, then flushed.

Kongshan pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh.

He slapped Yadong on the back a few times, snatched the vine basket from his hands, and left with Shankun. They weren’t blind—they could tell something had definitely happened between Yadong and Daya.

Yadong: “…”

Xifeng was so loud that everyone in the courtyard heard him clearly.

Even Changxia in the kitchen could hear everything.

Changxia poked her head out, curiously looking at Yadong.

Was this… a live-action marriage proposal?

She remembered that the beastfolk didn’t have any New Year traditions, but if you had to count, it would be about the right time of year. Changxia felt incredibly relieved that she’d acted quickly and decisively at the Normandy market—otherwise, she might have been the one in this awkward situation.

Thinking about it, Changxia couldn’t help but shiver.

It was terrifying—just hearing about it would give her nightmares.

“Xifeng, Yadong’s cave dwelling is finished. Why don’t you just bring Daya over?” Gen chimed in smoothly. If Yadong didn’t cooperate, a beating would fix that.

Muqin smiled and said, “Tianluo has been wanting Yadong to go to the Earth Tribe to fetch Daya, but there’s just been too much going on in the tribe lately. Chief Xifeng, please don’t take it the wrong way!”

Tianluo was Yadong’s mother.

Unlike Muqin, Tianluo was hot-tempered.

She was a lively, straightforward, and bold female—the one who called the shots in Yadong’s family.

Yadong’s reluctance toward Daya wasn’t just because of that awkward incident before. Mainly, he didn’t want to end up with a female whose personality was just like his mother’s. Ever since he was a kid, he’d watched his mother beat up his father.

Those scenes had left Yadong traumatized.

Compared to bold, straightforward females, he preferred gentle, timid ones.

Unfortunately, Daya’s pursuit of Yadong was so direct that she’d cut off all his other options. Every time this came up, Yadong was full of frustration.

“Really—?” Xifeng was excited.

Daya was his favorite child, and lately, she’d been so obsessed with chasing Yadong that she was almost depressed. If Daya hadn’t been sick this time, Xifeng would have brought her to the Heluo tribe himself.

Beastfolk marriages weren’t complicated.

If it worked out, they’d just live together.

If it didn’t, there wouldn’t be much fuss.

The reason Daya’s pursuit of Yadong was so famous in the Twilight Forest was because it had gone on for so long.

“Of course it’s true,” Gen said firmly.

Beside them, Muqin chimed in.

As elders, they could naturally tell that Yadong didn’t truly dislike Daya. His rejection of her seemed more like the two of them were having a spat.

“Daya’s been sick lately, so I didn’t let her come this time,” Xifeng explained.

Hearing that Daya was ill, a flash of worry and nervousness crossed Yadong’s conflicted face, despite himself.

This scene didn’t escape Gen and the others’ notice, and they found it amusing. It only confirmed their suspicions that something was going on between Yadong and Daya.

At the same time, they couldn’t help but sigh at how wild young beastfolk could be. Why couldn’t they just be straightforward about courting and marriage? Why did they have to play these games of chase and drama?

Muqin glanced at the awkward Yadong and asked, “Chief Xifeng, is Daya alright? Is her illness serious?”

Not far away, Yadong perked up his ears to eavesdrop.

Stubbornly, he tried to convince himself he wasn’t worried about that bear of a female, Daya. He just hadn’t managed to defeat and pin her down himself—how could she be bested by an illness?

Yes, that was it. Exactly.

Noticing Yadong’s obvious “covering his ears while stealing a bell” act, it wasn’t just Gen and Muqin who saw through him now—even Chenrong, Kongshan, and the others nearby were catching on.

Everyone was left speechless, staring at Yadong. Such a bashful male was truly rare!

Normally, Yadong was pretty straightforward—why was he so awkward when it came to Daya? As they pondered this, the group gave Yadong some rather odd looks.

“It’s nothing serious. She got caught in the rain at the start of spring and has a bit of a fever,” Xifeng explained.

He was a bit worried, but as a male, he wasn’t that attentive. He only knew Daya had a fever from the rain and hadn’t thought much more about it.

“A fever? That’s not too bad, then,” Muqin said.

Beastfolk were hardy—an ordinary fever could be cured with some soup and a day or two of rest. Some males didn’t even need medicine; a good night’s sleep and they’d be fine.

As they chatted, Changxia finished stir-frying the cold rabbit dish. Only the pickled fish and spicy boiled fish were left, which she saved for last since they took more time and fish could get a bit fishy if left to cool.

“Chenrong, set the long table and get the bowls and chopsticks ready,” Changxia called.

The spicy aroma wafted through the air as Fengye and Nan Feng returned to the kitchen. Changxia had them take the baked stuffed buns out of the oven. It was called an oven, but really, it was just a tall stove built to look like one—perfect for baking.

It could also be used for roasting meat.

Gurgle!

Hearing Changxia’s call, Gen rubbed his rumbling stomach and invited Xifeng to take a seat by the riverbank.

Nearby, Chenrong went into the kitchen to fetch bowls and chopsticks.

Milu followed Changxia closely. If she’d had pen and paper, she’d have written down every step Changxia took. Her eyes were full of admiration.

Changxia was amazing!

The beastfolk of Twilight Forest had misunderstood her far too deeply. With such a capable female, were all the males blind?

“It smells so good!”

“Yeah! The food today smells different from usual.”

“Of course it does—today’s dishes all have chili peppers.”

Soon, Chenrong carried dish after dish to the table. The aroma and vibrant colors made everyone’s mouths water, even before they picked up their chopsticks.

Everyone wore the same expression: eager to eat.

“Wu, you all go ahead and eat. I’ll finish up the last two dishes, and then I’ll join you,” Changxia reminded them.

Meanwhile, Fengye and Nan Feng brought over two trays of stuffed buns, placing them on the table in small wicker baskets for easy sharing. Since there were so many dishes today, wooden bowls wouldn’t fit, so the baskets were a great choice.

Suye said, “We’re not in a hurry. We’ll wait for you.”

At the table, everyone was practically drooling.

The moment Changxia spoke, someone almost couldn’t resist picking up their chopsticks. The tantalizing aroma was almost unbearable, but Suye’s words made them hold back.

“Nan Feng, what’s this?” Gen asked curiously, eyeing the buns in the small wicker baskets. They were different from fruit cakes, but just as fragrant.

Nan Feng replied, “Stuffed buns—some with meat, some vegetarian.”