Chapter 14

Chapter 14: To Win His Heart, Start with His Stomach

Oro Mi Lu Te must have seen the shadow cross Su Yan’s face, because his voice turned solemn. “Yan Er, don’t worry about your future. Dad will raise you.”

He hesitated, then added with quiet firmness, “Even if you never marry—if you become an old miss—so what? It’s still fine.”

Too many had died during the move. Whole families had been wiped out on the road.

He had a son and a daughter, and both were alive. That alone felt like a miracle. He didn’t dare ask for anything else.

“I can raise Sister too,” Little Luo declared immediately.

Su Yan climbed up Oro’s arm and settled on his shoulder, light as a tuft of fur. “Don’t worry, Dad. I can hunt too, right, Brother?”

“Yes, yes,” Little Luo said quickly. “Sister is way stronger than me.”

The thought of her fire-type talent made him uneasy, as if the flame might leap from her fingers at any moment.

In beast clan, those without fire-type talent feared fire instinctively.

Su Yan’s talent wasn’t just rare—it was intimidating.

Oro didn’t believe a word of it. He patted Little Luo, who was still chewing jerky. “Alright. Close up early today. Dad will cook something good for you.”

Just then, Zulu from the Deyila family approached with a live deer slung over his shoulder. He was a rabbit beastman—tall, broad-shouldered, moving with the easy strength of someone who lived by the hunt. The scent of grass and clean wood clung to him.

He laughed when he saw Oro. “Oro, why are you closing?”

Oro hurried over and helped unload the deer. “My son and daughter are back. I’m happy. And your deer came at the perfect time—come eat at my place later. We’ll welcome my daughter home properly.”

“You have a daughter?” Zulu’s eyes lit up.

In beast clan, females were precious no matter the race. A female with strong fertility was worth even more—resources, protection, status.

That was why every family hoped for daughters, especially the struggling ones.

“My daughter isn’t marrying,” Oro said sharply, cutting off whatever Zulu was about to say.

Su Yan sat on top of Little Luo’s head, tiny enough to fit in a palm.

Zulu noticed her and, seeing how small she was, assumed she was still a child. He grinned. “Your daughter will be my daughter. Don’t worry.”

Su Yan studied him—young, handsome, confident. Not bad at all.

“Zulu,” she said crisply, “you’re about my age. Why are you calling my dad your brother? Aren’t you taking advantage of me?”

Little Luo bristled. “Exactly!”

Zulu chuckled. “Then call me Uncle. Let me hear it.”

“…Get lost,” Little Luo snapped.

Zulu laughed, unbothered. “Fine. I’ll come by your place later.”

Oro hurried to smooth things over. “The kid doesn’t know any better. Don’t mind him.”

Zulu waved a hand. “It’s fine.”

Oro weighed the deer with a practiced eye. “5000 red coins. Fair?”

“4000,” Zulu said. “The extra thousand can be a greeting gift for my niece.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Su Yan again. The little white mouse really was cute. When she grew up, she’d probably be a pretty Little Female.

Watching him walk away, Su Yan tapped Little Luo’s head lightly. “What talent does he have?”

“Water-type,” Little Luo whispered. “Yellow rank.”

He hesitated, then added, almost pleading, “Don’t even think about it. He’s the third son most favored by rabbit clan village’s clan chief, and he’s rabbit clan’s first warrior. Lots of females want to climb into his nest. Rona Lei Shi is chasing him too.”

Su Yan looked thoughtful, but her mind was already elsewhere.

[Little Mei,] she asked the System silently, [how good is yellow rank talent?]

[Not high, not low,] the System answered. [golden marrow pill can raise talent.]

[There isn’t a better target right now,] Su Yan replied. [I’ll take him down first. Points matter more.]

[host is very wise.]

Later, Su Yan changed into the pink, plum-embroidered high-waisted cotton pregnant woman skirt from the gift pack. Lace trimmed the cuffs, and the fabric was soft in a way the West District simply didn’t have—fine and dense, like it belonged to a richer world.

Even if it was technically a pregnant woman skirt, no one would know unless she said so.

The moment Oro saw her, his eyes went wide.

She did look more beautiful—almost unreal, like a blade wrapped in silk.

Then Oro’s shock sharpened into suspicion. He touched the fabric lightly, as if afraid it might dissolve. “Yan Er… where did you get this skirt?”

“Little Mei gave it to me,” Su Yan said honestly.

Hearing a female name, Oro frowned deeper. “That’s too valuable. Did you pay her red coins—no, it would have to be crystal coins.”

“I earned it,” Su Yan said calmly. “With labor.”

Childbirth counted as labor. A lot of it.

She turned once, letting the skirt drift and settle. “Does it look good?”

“It looks good,” Oro admitted, and his sternness softened. “Little Luo, come here.”

Little Luo hurried over. The instant he saw Su Yan, he froze. “Where did that come from?”

“A friend,” Su Yan said.

Little Luo stared harder. “From the East District?”

“the East District?” Oro echoed, alarm rising again.

Little Luo’s voice dropped. “Clothes this beautiful only come from the big beast clan of the East District. Even here, only the richest families can afford fabric like this—and even then, they might not be able to buy it.”

Su Yan’s eyes widened a fraction.

So even a simple cotton pregnant woman skirt could be a luxury here.

If she ever wore the glazed azure-feather robe from the shop… it would be shocking beyond belief.

“Oro—” someone called from outside.

Oro recognized the voice. He looked at Su Yan, then at her skirt again, as if weighing her future in his hands. “Yan Er, tell Dad the truth. Are you interested in Zulu?”

“Not sure,” Su Yan said.

She only wanted to have children. She didn’t want marriage, and she didn’t want to collect husbands.

It was shameless, in a way—but what choice did she have? Little Mei only cared about child.

Zulu arrived later, and he wasn’t alone.

He brought Lin Lang.

The two of them hunted together often. When they moved as a pair, prey rarely escaped.

And it had been Lin Lang’s suggestion that Zulu sell his catch to Oro.

Su Yan looked at them and remembered an old saying from another life:

To win a man’s heart, start with his stomach.

So she cooked.

She roasted a deer leg with her own hands. With no real seasonings, she sprinkled salt and splashed on fruit wine. Fat hissed as it hit the heat, sending up a smoky sweetness that clung to skin and hair. The surface browned and blistered, turning glossy and golden, oil dripping in slow, tempting threads.

Su Yan hadn’t eaten cooked food in so long that her mouth watered uncontrollably. She swallowed again and again, tasting the imagined salt on her tongue.

Little Luo slipped in, nose twitching wildly. “It smells amazing!”

“Try it,” Su Yan said, slicing off a piece that gleamed with juice. “Tell me if it’s good enough to serve.”

Little Luo bit down—and his eyes widened until they looked ready to pop. He chewed fast, then froze mid-chew. “It tastes like salt!”

“Of course.” Su Yan watched his reaction with satisfaction. “You need salt to have strength.”

Then she remembered Oro’s jerky—dry, tough, and bland. “Why doesn’t our jerky use salt?”

“Salt is too expensive,” Little Luo said quickly. “And salted jerky costs twice as much. Not many beastman can afford it.”

“Oh.” Su Yan’s mind flicked to the refined salt sitting in her System Space.

If salt was this rare… then what she had might be worth far more than she’d assumed.

Little Luo narrowed his eyes at her. “Where did you get salt? Don’t tell me you dug up Dad’s hidden stash from the bottom of the chest.”