Chapter 42

Xie Juanhan blinked, his smile deepening.

The little ones were completely oblivious to the subtle tension between them, their eyes glued to Xie Juanhan and then to the flat-topped furnace.

The aroma is so strong!

The Orange Sweet Shoot looks almost done baking!

The little Companion Beast, Haxi, scratched the floor with its paws, as if it wanted to speak, "Chirp chirp chirp!"

Xie Juanhan looked down at it. "Okay, okay, let me see if it's done baking?"

Telingewei: "I'll do it, I'm not afraid of getting burned."

Xie Juanhan took a step back and gestured for Telingewei to come over.

Telingewei gently pulled open the oven door.

On the baking sheet, the cheese had melted, turning an enticing caramel brown, and was evenly spread over each piece of Orange Sweet Shoot.

Even after the baking pan was pulled out, the cheese was still bubbling slightly.

And with each bubble bursting, an even more amazing and rich aroma is released.

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

"Awoo--"

The little ones eagerly scratched at the floor, indicating they wanted to eat.

The owl that was delivering the message also quietly moved its claws along the kitchen counter, then moved its claws again, until it reached Xie Juanhan's side, stretched out its head, and rubbed against Xie Juanhan's arm. "Coo coo."

The Orange Sweet Shoot is ready; everyone who sees it gets a share.

Xie Juanhan the Orange Sweet Shoot down a bit and gave each of the little guys a piece.

Because the little owl suddenly flew in, Xie Juanhan's original plan of reserving one piece for each little guy was immediately insufficient.

Harper looked at the Orange Sweet Shoot on his plate, then at the lone Orange Sweet Shoot left on the baking tray.

After watching for several seconds, it hesitated, struggled, and reluctantly let out a soft chirp. "Chirp?"

He indicated that he could share some of his Orange Sweet Shoot with Xie Juanhan.

Xie Juanhan was amused by its little expression, but dared not laugh out loud, so he turned his head and hid behind Telingewei's shoulder. "No need, I'll just share a piece with Telingewei."

As he spoke, he nudged Telingewei's shoulder with his own. "You don't mind, do you?"

Telingewei whispered, "You eat first, the rest is for me."

==========Author's Note:=========

Happy 520!

Thanks to the following for their contributions: Ancient Spirit Little Girl (*2), Mango King, Nanzhi, Lying Flat Coconut, Falcon Master, and 29318107.

Chapter 42 [VIP]

After finishing the Orange Sweet Shoot, Xie Juanhan was about to clear the table when Telingewei came over to help.

The little ones twirled around at their feet.

It's not like Companion Beast, it's like a stumbling block.

"Hey, stop pushing, move aside, move aside." Xie Juanhan pushed the little ones away with his leg. "Go play outside."

He pushed the Companion Beast, making them spin around twice before reluctantly heading outside.

Only the little Demon Wolf remained squatting in the same spot, its bottom heavy and motionless.

"What are you waiting for, you rascal?" Xie Juanhan also gave the little Demon Wolf's butt a nudge.

The little Demon Wolf sat upright, only its eyes looking to the side, revealing a small portion of the whites of its eyes. "Woo."

Xie Juanhan followed its gaze and saw the pastries delivered by the owl on the kitchen counter.

"Why are you still thinking about this?" Xie Juanhan put down the rag in his hand, bent down and touched the little Demon Wolf's belly.

The little guy's belly was bulging like a water bag, but it was very elastic.

"You're already full," Xie Juanhan patted its neck. "Why are you still hungry?"

The little Demon Wolf licked its lips and whimpered.

The Companion Beast, who had originally planned to leave, turned back as soon as they heard there were more pastries. They squatted properly at Xie Juanhan's feet, staring intently at him.

Even the owl on the kitchen counter stared wide-eyed at him, not blinking.

Xie Juanhan: "..."

It seems we have no choice but to finish distributing the pastries today.

Xie Juanhan had no choice but to compromise. "Eat, eat."

The small bag of pastries delivered by the Water Demon looked like jelly, or rather, sweet jelly with flower petals and nectar.

Xie Juanhan looked at the crystal-clear jelly in the dish. He deliberately used a little cold air to cool the pastry before scooping it out with a spoon.

The cool and refreshing jelly has a unique plant fragrance, and when paired with the sweet honey drizzled on top, it tastes and feels completely different from roasted Orange Sweet Shoot.

Xie Juanhan's eyes curved slightly.

Telingewei glanced at him and silently handed over the plate he was holding.

It means I want it too.

Xie Juanhan's plate of pastries for Telingewei also released a bit of cold air.

Wait until it's all released.

Xie Juanhan noticed that the sounds in the room had disappeared.

He subconsciously looked down.

His Companion Beast, all carrying plates in their mouths, squatted at his feet, waiting for him.

The little Demon Wolf was a beat slow, then came closer with only a small bite of jelly in its mouth, whimpering.

Xie Juanhan had no choice but to release a little bit of the cold air into all the little guys' jelly, not even missing the owl's portion.

After finishing this otherworldly jelly, the little ones finally calmed down.

Xie Juanhan and the others were also able to finish washing the dishes and write letters.

The Water Demon ordered crops from him and even sent him pastries as gifts.

Regardless of whether he is willing to cooperate, a reply should be sent out of courtesy.

After thinking it over, Xie Juanhan decided to sell some of the vegetables and fruits to the Water Demon.

This batch of vegetables and fruits grew exceptionally well, and having been blessed by the Pixie, the yield was higher than he had imagined.

They couldn't possibly finish that much food.

However, I'd rather exchange it for gold coins and Demonic Core.

This seasonal vegetable isn't worth much money.

Xie Juanhan spread out a letter and wrote to the Water Demon, proposing to exchange ingredients from the water.

He found several kinds of vegetables, fish, meat, and sauces to be quite delicious at the lakeside restaurant.

We can exchange some and freeze them to eat slowly.

Xie Juanhan was focused on writing the letter, with Telingewei beside him.

Occasionally, Xie Juanhan would ask a few questions, such as words he couldn't write or ingredients he had eaten at the Water Demon's place but couldn't remember the names of.

The little ones, having eaten their fill, were lying and urinating anywhere in the hallway.

The owl stood on the perch, eyes closed, fast asleep.

It was quiet both inside and outside the house, except for the sound of their hushed conversation.

Staying by Xie Juanhan's side, Telingewei felt a sense of peace.

Telingewei looked at Xie Juanhan's face, but his gaze was involuntarily drawn to Xie's hands.

His wrist, peeking out from his cuff, was fair and delicate, with beautiful and clean lines that exuded a sense of strength.

It was unlike any creature Telingewei had ever seen.

His pen-holding posture was also rather peculiar, pinching it between his index finger and thumb, with his middle finger assisting.

With a slight exertion of force, the raised lines of the wrist appear even more graceful.

"Hey." Xie Juanhan suddenly looked up, a sly look on his face, "Is it good?"

Telingewei nodded. "Very beautiful."

Xie Juanhan admired his own handwriting with satisfaction. "Right? Back then, I was pressured by the elders in my clan to practice calligraphy for a long time."

Only then did Telingewei notice the words he had written.

The words he writes are indeed very beautiful.

The internal structure of words and the relationships between words possess a unique aesthetic.

It's hard to imagine that he had only been learning the language for a few months.

Telingewei nodded again. "Very beautiful."

"Then could you take a close look for me? Are there any word or grammatical errors? Is there anything inappropriate in the wording?"

Xie Juanhan pushed the letter in front of him, put down his pen, and said, "If there are no problems, I'll have the little messenger bird mail it out later."

After a careful inspection, Telingewei confirmed, "No problem."

Xie Juanhan checked it himself and confirmed that there was no problem.

He went into the yard and gently poked the owl's head.

The owl suddenly opened its eyes. "Coo?"

Xie Juanhan fed it a piece of jerky and held the letter to its beak. "Could you help me deliver this letter back?"

The owl nuzzled Xie Juanhan's wrist, obediently carrying the letter in its beak, flapping its wings, and flew into the Magic Forest.

The Water Demon really liked the vegetables Xie Juanhan grew, and the trade was progressing very smoothly.

The next day, both sides agreed on the ingredients to be exchanged.

It just Xie Juanhan planted in the fields are about to go out of season.

He can harvest all these vegetables at once and then plant autumn and winter vegetables.

Xie Juanhan was harvesting vegetables, and all his Companion Beast came to help.

The little Demon Wolf was running around in the field, howling, "Awoo--Awoo--"

Xie Juanhan watched helplessly as it trampled down several vegetables, then rubbed his forehead.

Never mind.

Since we're going to change the vegetable seeds anyway, and the little Demon Wolf is so eager to help, let's not dampen his enthusiasm.

The Companion Beast, however, looked at the vegetables trampled by the little Demon Wolf and cried out in distress, "Chirp!"

The little Demon Wolf looked at its big paws, then turned to look at its rear end, and slowly backed away to the edge of the field. "Awooo."

Xie Juanhan saw that they had decent self-management skills, so he left them alone.

He and Telingewei hurried to harvest the vegetables.

Vegetables grown in the field always have some old or yellow leaves, which need to be trimmed slightly before harvesting the tenderer parts.

Xie Juanhan dragged the basket, deftly removing some of the poor-quality vegetables and putting the freshest and tenderest parts into the basket.

When he encounters leafy vegetables, he will tie them with dry grass, making them into a neat bunch.

They harvested the vegetables and soon had several large baskets full.

Yellow, orange, red, green... vegetables of all colors were neatly piled up on the ridge of the field, like a vegetable stall.

Several Pixie quietly emerged and observed.

Xie Juanhan noticed them, and when he looked back, they quickly disappeared into the void.