Chapter 98

Ming Lexin: "Then let's wait a little longer."

Beef stew with bamboo shoots for adults needs to be stewed for a longer time, while the stew for children can be served earlier.

The little ones have good teeth, so stewing them until they're too soft isn't suitable for them; just cook them until they're thoroughly done.

Qing Mengzhu handed over the task of feeding the little ones to Ming Chunxi, letting him go and feed them first.

Zhao Hexi protested at the door, "Why won't you let me feed them?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I'm afraid you'll sneak some food."

A smile appeared in Ming Chunxi's eyes as she took the portion of food she had set aside and went to feed the little ones.

Everyone waited and waited, and finally the dishes were served.

When Qing Mengzhu finished stewing the beef with bamboo shoots, she specially put it in a large pot to reduce the sauce.

The broth in this dish is now very rich, completely coating the bamboo shoots and beef, making it look incredibly tempting.

Everyone immediately started eating it, chopsticks swishing across the table, no one bothering to talk, like silkworms starting to feed in spring, eating from one side to the other.

The dish was almost finished in just a few minutes.

Ming Lexin picked up the last piece of beef. "The quality of this beef is so good. It has a concentrated aroma of beef fat and milk. It's tender and juicy, yet still retains its texture when you savor it. You can also taste the freshness of tomatoes and bamboo shoots. It's a wonderful combination of meat and vegetables."

Zhao Hexi nodded repeatedly, her mouth too busy to offer any praise.

Ming Lexin: "Whose beef is this? Can I buy some more?"

Qing Mengzhu said regretfully, "It seems we won't be able to buy them anytime soon."

Ming Lexin was equally disappointed. "What a pity."

Everyone slowly ate the other dishes, thoroughly enjoying their meal.

After finishing her meal, Ming Lexin leaned back in her chair, no longer wanting to move.

Seeing her like this, Qing Mengzhu invited her to stay at his home. He said there was a guest room and all she needed was a change of bedding.

Seeing this Zhao Hexi raised her hand to indicate that she wanted to stay there too.

Qing Mengzhu had no choice but to prepare another guest room for Zhao Hexi to stay in as well.

It just so happens that Zhao Hexi is staying in the room he used to stay in, while Ming Lexin is staying in the room Ming Chunxi used to stay in.

Ming Chunxi and Qing Mengzhu now sleep together, and there are two guest rooms in the house to accommodate guests.

Putting aside everything else, the environment in the countryside is truly wonderful, which is very conducive to sleep.

Everyone fell asleep quickly and had a good sleep.

The process of waking them up wasn't pleasant—they were woken up by noise.

Hearing the noise, Qing Mengzhu snuggled into Ming Chunxi's arms with a headache, completely unwilling to get out of bed.

Ming Chunxi opened her eyes and saw that it was just getting light outside. She reached out and wrapped the quilt around Qing Mengzhu, then said, "I'm going out to take a look."

Qing Mengzhu sighed, "It's probably the Dharma Protector causing trouble again. I'm going too."

Judging from the barking and howling, they might be fighting. I have to watch.

Qing Mengzhu was a little puzzled as she put on her coat. Her pets always got along very well, so why were they arguing today?

As the two were leaving, Ming Lexin asked through the door, and Ming Chunxi said that the animals were fighting, but there was no need to worry; they would go and check on them now.

Ming Lexin anything.

The two opened the courtyard gate and walked directly into the backyard.

Sure enough, it was two dogs arguing with an otter and a red fox.

However, unlike what Qing Mengzhu had expected, the two dogs and the otter were all looking shy and timid, while only the red fox was barking "woof woof woof" on the side, even making dog sounds, and seemed very excited.

Upon seeing Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi, the red fox became even more excited, jumping up and slamming its front paws against the ground while barking loudly at the two of them.

It really looks like a human "head-first" scene.

Qing Mengzhu comforted the red fox, "Don't get excited, let me see?"

Ming Chunxi looked at the soil at the feet of the red fox. "It looks like the soil has been dug up."

Qing Mengzhu: "Hey, let me see. There seem to be some bamboo shoot remnants in the soil. Could it be that Little Fox hid bamboo shoot stew with beef here, and then his house was raided?"

Red foxes have a long-standing habit of hiding food. When they obtain extra food, they will choose a secluded place to quietly bury it and carry grass to disguise themselves, trying their best to erase any traces.

Qing Mengzhu had seen it hiding dried meat, but she didn't disturb it at the time.

Qing Mengzhu looked at the red fox, who looked very aggrieved and was almost crying.

He glanced at the two dogs and the otter; the three of them looked guilty, so it seemed they really were the ones who had stolen the red fox's food.

They probably discovered the red fox's habit of hiding food a long time ago, but they held back until last night when they finally couldn't resist anymore.

Author's Note:

Note: Red foxes really do hide food in real life!

Chapter 98

The red fox's eyes were moist as it squatted beside Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi, looking aggrieved and heartbroken.

Qing Mengzhu squatted down and tried to rub the red fox's head. The red fox didn't dodge; instead, it rubbed against Qing Mengzhu's palm and whimpered.

It seems as if they hope Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi will make the decision for it.

Receiving the expectant look from the Red Fox, Qing Mengzhu turned to Ming Chunxi: "What do we do now?"

Ming Chunxi: "There's nothing I can do. The Interstellar Mall doesn't sell Spirit Beef, and I can't exchange it even after I've used up all my points."

Qing Mengzhu thought about it and also found it difficult, "Should we compensate it with dried meat?"

The jerky we bought from the Interstellar Mall is also delicious and very popular with the kids.

Ming Chunxi: "Let's leave it at that for now. If we get more spirit beef later, we'll save some for it."

The two agreed that Qing Mengzhu would give all the dried meat she had given to the little ones that day to Red Fox as compensation.

The two dogs and the otter, who originally also had a share of jerky, can only watch longingly now.

Not only did Qing Mengzhu punish them with dried meat, she also pulled them aside and criticized them until they were completely dejected.

Even after being criticized, the matter didn't end there. The red fox was still angry and wouldn't look at them at all, especially ignoring its good friend, the otter, and only sticking to Qing Mengzhu.

The two dogs and the otter were even more frustrated.

Qing Mengzhu hadn't expected this outcome, and was left feeling both amused and exasperated.

However, having a little tail behind him isn't necessarily a bad thing. The red fox is very wary and, even if it follows him, it won't appear in front of most people.

Zhao Hexi noticed something. "How come Red Fox suddenly became so close to you?"

Qing Mengzhu: "I don't know. Maybe it feels betrayed and is deliberately sticking to me to annoy the Little Otter."

Zhao Hexi: "Does it have such complex psychological processes?"

Before Qing Mengzhu could answer, Zhao Hexi continued, "It's hard to say about other animals, but red foxes should exist. That creature is so clever and so petty; it's probably capable of doing something like that."

While the two were chatting, Tan Wenlei walked over and asked, "What are you talking about, red foxes and otter cats?"

Qing Mengzhu: "The red fox near my house has gotten into a bad mood lately because of something that happened to it."

Tan Wenlei agreed, saying, "You're very popular with animals. I've known you for so long, and I've never seen an animal dislike you."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's not that exaggerated, the bugs just don't like me."

Tan Wenlei waved his hand. "Those don't count. I mean, all intelligent animals really like you."

Qing Mengzhu: "Maybe it's because there's a lot of good food here?"

Tan Wenlei: "Possibly. Putting everything else aside, your vegetables are getting better and better. Now they've clearly surpassed the vegetables from other people's gardens."

Qing Mengzhu a little surprised. "Really?"

Tan Wenlei raised his chin. "Of course! Take your chili peppers for example. It's late autumn now, and everyone else's autumn chili peppers look like eels, thin and small. Your chili peppers are still the same as before. Isn't that a case of growing them better and better?"

Qing Mengzhu hadn't really been paying attention to other people's chili peppers lately, so upon hearing this, she asked, "Is everyone's chili pepper yield not good lately?"

This time, Feng Ningxiang answered, "It's been a long time since then. As soon as it gets cold, the chili peppers stop flowering, and the peppers that do grow don't grow big; they fall off before they even turn red."