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He picked one up and put it in his mouth. After biting open the peel, the sweet juice burst out instantly, and the flesh was tender and delicious. It was so delicious that he felt like he was about to fly.

Whether it was because of the stench from Lou Yu last time, or because he was too nervous the first time, he thought those two tomatoes were delicious, but he swallowed them whole without tasting them much.

As a result, when he later reflected on it, he repeatedly regretted his haphazard, inefficient way of eating.

The dining environment was better this time, giving him more time to savor the berries. The delicious flavor filled his entire mouth, so fragrant that tears welled up in his eyes.

Zhao Tao had eaten half of the berries when he saw that there were still seven or eight left. He resisted the urge to stuff them all into his mouth and handed them back to Lou Yu.

"Captain Lou, here's some fruit you brought back. Please have some."

Lou Yu forbade Zhao Tao to ask about the source of the fruit, so Zhao Tao made up the story himself: both times Lou Yu had just returned to the base from outside when he delivered the fruit, and both times the fruit was of very, very good quality.

It's so good it doesn't seem like something from a human base.

It's highly likely that Lou Yu found the fruit in a very dangerous place in the wild, and it must have suffered a lot.

How could Zhao Tao possibly eat people? The fruits of his family's labor were earned with their lives!

When Lou Yu saw his teary-eyed and guilty expression, he could roughly guess what the man was imagining.

Lou Yu pushed the food box back. "I've already eaten. These are specially for you. I'm not giving you these fruits just to satisfy your cravings; I have another purpose. But I won't harm you. If you trust me, keep this a secret with me, and continue to eat the fruits I give you. Don't worry, it won't do you any harm; at least it will fill your stomach."

Zhao Tao didn't hesitate and continued eating the fruit, which also expressed his attitude.

Lou Yu nodded in satisfaction and continued, "The way to obtain the fruit isn't as dangerous as you think. After you finish eating, focus on cooperating with the doctor and the others to train your abilities. If you can grow into a true ability user in the future, that will be the best reward for the fruit you and I ate."

Zhao Tao's tears fell even harder, and he choked back sobs as he ate, "Thank you, I will definitely try my best to keep up with you."

After finishing his meal, Zhao Tao immediately went to wash up, cleaned his tear-stained face, brushed his teeth, and washed his hands with a strong-smelling soap.

"Can't you smell the fruit anymore?" Zhao Tao asked Lou Yu.

Lou Yu was very pleased to see that Zhao Tao had actually taken the initiative to cover up the secret.

"Yes, well done."

Zhao Tao was also very happy to receive praise from his idol.

Back home, his teammates had already prepared dinner, and the prey was mostly processed.

During the meal, John said, "When we brought the game back, many people saw it. We didn't even need to advertise; people came over to ask if we would sell it, and if so, at what price."

John paused for a few seconds, thought for a moment, and then said truthfully, "The army's logistics department also sent someone to inquire."

As soon as he said that, everyone at the table, except for Lou Yu, had a change in expression.

If Lou Yu and Lou Quan previously shared some personal feelings as cousins and friends, besides their business relationship, after that argument and cold war, their relationship was reduced to nothing more than a business relationship.

Everyone in the base knows they haven't made up yet.

The military logistics department contacting them this time was probably at Lou Quan's behest; it was both to ask for mutated monster meat and to test whether they wanted to make peace.

Several people looked at Lou Yu, waiting for his reply.

Lou Yu swallowed the food in his mouth and said, "Sell half to them, and we'll sell the other half ourselves. All meat will be discounted by 20%, for tomorrow only."

Actually, once the news is released, it will probably sell out in less than a day, so this sale is essentially a 20% discount.

As for why only half was sold to the military, besides Lou Yu wanting to subtly share his joy of becoming a father with more people, it was also a response to Lou Quan's probing.

If you want to make peace, you need to show some commitment. What's the point of just testing the waters?

The next day, after the army's logistics department took away the meat they had sold to, the rest of the soldiers could come and buy the other half.

I heard there was a discount, so not only did most of the regular customers come, but it also attracted a lot of new customers.

People lined up to buy, and those who hadn't gotten their turn yet gathered together to chat.

"I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel like the meat of mutated monsters tastes better than the livestock raised at the base."

"It depends on personal taste. My partner and I like it, but my parents think it has a strong fishy smell and can't even stand the smell, let alone eat it."

"That's the kind of wild game we're here to try."

"Someone?" someone whispered. "The meat of mutated monsters is really effective. Last time, after I ate that venison, it worked even better than some kind of medicine. My wife said she couldn't stand it."

Those who heard it laughed in a somewhat lewd way.

"Me too. I didn't buy much; it was just me and my partner who ate it, and we ate it from night until dawn."

"I was pretty much like you guys; I felt hot all over for a whole week."

"Is it really that good? Tsk, I thought it was too expensive last time and didn't buy it, now I regret it."

A few people chattered away as they arrived at the meat stall. Seeing Lou Yu there, one of them greeted him with a smile.

Good afternoon, Team Leader.

"Thank you so much, Captain Lou! Such a generous discount! I can buy a few more pounds now."

"I see the building manager is giving out discounts and looks radiant; has something good happened to him?"

Lou Yu, who was picturing a warm bed with her husband and children, smiled even more broadly upon hearing this, "Indeed, there is good news."

He said to Liu Qi'an, who was chopping meat, "Qi'an, chop two more pounds of meat for this young man; consider it a gift from me."

"Understood," Liu Qi'an replied.

The unexpected windfall delighted the guest. "I won't stand on ceremony with the team leader anymore. Wishing you good health and happiness every day!"

The customers standing in front of and behind this young man were all annoyed at themselves for not being quicker to ask the question, "Two pounds of meat, and it's mutated monster meat, it's a freebie! It's just a matter of saying a few words, it's a win-win situation!"

After the meat was sold out and the customers left, Lou Yu and his teammates cleaned up the area.

Liu Qi'an asked Lou Yu, "Captain, what's the good news that makes you so happy?"

Yesterday, Lou Yu said he would be offering a discount, and the teammates didn't think much of it. After all, it wasn't the first time Lou Yu had done something so generous.

If it weren't for that guest asking today, they wouldn't have thought of this.

Lou Yu's eyebrows and eyes were full of smiles, like a sunflower.

Amidst the gossipy yet expectant gazes of his teammates, Lou Yu said in a completely serious tone, "It's a secret."

"Cut!"

Only Chen Lin gazed at Lou Yu's smiling face, his eyes thoughtful.

With the new supplies, Tao Qiu can now cook more varied dishes every day.

The kids' appetites have all increased significantly.

Today is Black Rabbit's day off, and the kids don't need to practice; they can rest for a day.

After breakfast, Tao Qiu watched a TV series with the children. It was a family drama about everyday family life, and the plot was quite interesting.

The kids understood Tao Qiu's purpose: he wanted them to get used to having two parents in the house, laying the groundwork for living with Lou Yu in the future.

The kids understood that Tao Qiu loved Tao Qiu, and since the show was indeed interesting, they happily watched a few episodes.

Halfway through the reading, the Third Cub suddenly sniffed around, looked outside, and said to Tao Qiu, "Dad, Fu Li is here."

Tao Qiu also smelled the scent that the Red Fox was deliberately emitting. He stood up and said, "You guys keep watching, Dad will go get the crops for them."

Yesterday they finished harvesting all the ripe crops, and Black Rabbit helped out. Tao Qiu gave him a basket of radishes as payment.

The kids paused the TV series and said obediently, "Let's wait for Daddy to come home so we can watch it together."

Tao Qiu was moved. "Then Dad, speed up and try to come back as soon as possible!"

After Tao Qiu left, the three kids started whispering again.

Third Cub: "From now on, if I'm living with Lou Yu, will I stay here with us, or go to the human base?"

Second Cub: "There seem to be lots of delicious food and fun things at the human base."

Eldest Cub: "We can stay in both places. We can fly, so we can stay here today and at the base tomorrow."

Second Cub: "Yeah, we can fly! Humph, we'll fly, but without Lou Yu."

Third Cub: "Daddy will carry him on his back? Fly?"

Eldest Cub Second Cub: "... A lucky fox spirit!"

Red Fox and his clan waited at the mouth of the valley, and Tao Qiu transported the crops out in several batches.

After counting and confirming that the quantity was correct, the Red Fox called out behind him, and a Gray Fox brought a round green ball and placed it in front of Tao Qiu.

Before Tao Qiu could ask, the Red Fox took the initiative to explain, "Mmm."

The little foxes in the tribe knew we were coming to collect our crops today, so they specially asked us to give this to you as a little gift.

Tao Qiu looked down at the green sphere, somewhat surprised, thinking to herself, "Isn't this a pumpkin?"

The Red Fox continued, "Mmm..."

--This is the fruit of a vine plant. The leaves and vines of this plant are very rough and dry, unsuitable for consumption. The yellow flowers are pretty, but they don't taste good either. The outer shell of this fruit is very hard; we tried to pry it open with our claws. The flesh inside has no taste and a very gritty texture, so we don't like to eat it. However, the fruit is round and plump, and many fox cubs like to roll it around in it.

--This is the roundest fruit that the fox cubs picked themselves; they hope you like it.

The fox cubs all knew that their health was improving because they ate the crops Tao Qiu gave them.

Although the crops were obtained by the old clan chief and the Red Fox Clan in exchange for something, Tao Qiu had been very gentle in their previous encounters, so the children liked him quite a bit and that's why they thought of giving him gifts.