Chapter 89: Very Easy to Coax

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Very Easy to Coax

Qiao Suluo walked quickly toward the cave on the mountain. As she approached, she saw her mother washing wild vegetables and mushrooms in front of it.

"Mother."

Hearing her daughter’s voice, Qiao Feishuang thought she was hallucinating. Over the past few days, she had constantly imagined and dreamed of her daughter, making it hard to believe her ears.

"Mother."

Hearing the voice again, Qiao Feishuang looked up and saw her daughter running toward her. Only then did she believe it. Her eyes instantly turned red. Disregarding everything else, she rushed over and pulled Qiao Suluo into a tight hug.

"Su Luo, you’re finally back! We were worried sick, terrified that something had happened to you. Are you hurt?" Saying this, Qiao Feishuang released Qiao Suluo and inspected her carefully, afraid she had been injured.

Qiao Suluo spun around to show her. "Mother, look, I’m really fine. I just went to a forest to look for medicinal herbs. I’m perfectly healthy."

Qiao Feishuang sighed and explained about the heavy rain and the flood. After talking for a while, she noticed Bai Qianluo and Chu Moyuan walking over from behind. Both of them politely addressed her as Mother. Although Chu Moyuan had been sold by Qiao Suluo before, he was still nominally her Beast Husband.

Qiao Feishuang asked them a few concerned questions, which they answered with equal politeness. Then, she quietly pulled Qiao Suluo aside. "Didn’t you take Bai Qianluo and Hong Jin with you when you left? Where is Hong Jin?"

She had seen how well Que Hongjin treated her daughter and thought he was a good son-in-law. But since he hadn’t returned with them, she was worried that something had happened to him during the flood.

A flash of worry crossed Qiao Suluo’s eyes, but she still told her mother, "Mother, he’s fine. He just went to take care of some personal business."

She had asked the system many times, and it had assured her that Que Hongjin was alive and well. She just didn’t know where he had gone for the time being. Inwardly, she was also anxious.

"As long as he’s fine. It’s obvious that Hong Jin cares about you deeply and treats you very well. You must cherish him."

Qiao Suluo’s mouth twitched slightly. She felt her mother was worried she had sold Que Hongjin. That was something her predecessor would have done, but she never would.

"Where are my father and brothers? Are they all right?"

"They formed a Hunting Team and went deep into the mountains to hunt. Eating wild vegetables and mushrooms all the time isn’t a long-term solution. They need meat to have strength."

No wonder she had only seen women and children in the tribe on her way here, with hardly any male beastmen in sight. It turned out they had gone hunting.

"Where’s Hao Hao?"

"He’s in the cave. That child is so sensible and always wants to help with the chores. I finally managed to coax him to sleep. He’s been looking for you constantly these past few days."

Qiao Suluo’s expression softened. She went into the cave to check on Hao Hao. His tiny body was curled up into a ball as he slept, a posture that showed a deep lack of security.

There was nothing warm to cover him with in the cave, so Qiao Suluo took a quilt out of her spatial dimension and draped it over him.

He woke up instantly. When he saw Qiao Suluo, a look of pleasant surprise lit up his face. "Auntie."

"Yes, it’s me."

He tried to get up, but Qiao Suluo gently pushed him back down and tucked the quilt around him. "Go to sleep."

"Auntie, I don’t want to sleep. I can do a lot of chores. I can wash clothes, cook, and do many other things."

Ever since he came back with his father, he must have been deeply insecure, afraid that everyone would consider him a burden. That was why he always insisted on working.

Hearing his words, Qiao Suluo felt a pang of heartache. She could only imagine how much labor he had been forced to do back at the Shi Family. She reached out and stroked his hair. "You’re still young, so you don’t need to do any of that. You can help out when you’re a bit older."

Qiao Suluo soothingly chatted with him for a while until she coaxed him back to sleep. Right at that moment, the system’s voice chimed in her mind.

"DING. Host mission issued. Please help the villagers find new ingredients on the mountain and make three new types of food, excluding Konjac. Completing the mission will reward you with points and a system reward."

"If I complete the mission and you increase your System Power, will you be able to detect Que Hongjin’s exact situation?" Qiao Suluo was still worried about him.

"Yes. If the host completes this mission, the system reward can be exchanged for that."

"All right, then exchange the reward for that," Qiao Suluo agreed. No reward was more important than Que Hongjin’s safety.

After informing her mother, Qiao Suluo prepared to head up the mountain to look for new ingredients.

Seeing that Qiao Suluo was about to busy herself with more hard work, Bai Qianluo couldn’t help but sigh. "If there’s anything you need done, wife, just leave it to us. We’ll go hunt some wild beasts. You should stay in the cave and rest for now."

They hadn’t rested at all during their journey.

Qiao Suluo shook her head. "I’m fine. I’m not tired. I need to find some ingredients first."

She wanted Bai Qianluo and Chu Moyuan to rest in the cave, but neither of them felt tired and insisted on accompanying her. Qiao Suluo had seen pigeon leaves on the mountain before, so she led Bai Qianluo and Chu Moyuan straight to the area with the pigeon trees.

Seeing the abundant trees, Qiao Suluo knew they would provide enough food for the villagers. She gathered some nearby vines, wove three baskets on the spot, and began filling them with pigeon leaves.

Just as they filled the baskets and were about to head back, they bumped into the Hunting Team returning from the deep mountains. When Qiu Bin saw Qiao Suluo, his eyes turned red with excitement. "Daughter?"

"Father, brothers."

Seeing that Qiao Suluo was safe and sound, the three brothers all revealed expressions of thrilling surprise.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Qiao Sanlin said awkwardly, "We hunted some wild game, so we’ll have meat to eat tonight. Why are you picking these tree leaves? No matter what, we wouldn’t let you go hungry."

Qiao Sanlin’s expression was a bit strained. He didn’t know what she had been through out there to make her resort to picking leaves for food upon her return. At worst, he would just eat less and give his share to her and her Beast Husbands.

The members of the Hunting Team, carrying two wild beasts weighing over three hundred pounds each, also sighed in lament when they saw the leaves in Qiao Suluo’s baskets.

Fortunately, they had caught some prey and would allocate a larger portion to the chieftain’s family. If it weren’t for the chieftain’s daughter, they might have had to eat leaves too. Over the past few days, their hunting efforts had yielded nothing. Luckily, they had been able to forage for mushrooms to fill their stomachs.

Looking at the crowd, Qiao Suluo explained loudly, "Father, these aren’t just any tree leaves. They’re called Pigeon Leaf, and they can be used to make Immortal Tofu. Once we get back and I make it, you’ll all see what kind of food it is."

When Qiao Suluo mentioned Immortal Tofu, no one had any idea what it was. They couldn’t even begin to imagine it. Making food out of tree leaves? They had never heard of such a thing.

However, considering the capabilities of the chieftain’s daughter, no one dared to voice any doubts. Perhaps she really could pull it off. In the past, they had thought all mushrooms were poisonous, but she had known how to identify them. The few types of mushrooms she had taught them to recognize were completely non-toxic and tasted delicious.

Right at that moment, a clever-looking young boy spoke up. "Ms. Qiao, when you make the Immortal Tofu, can I watch and learn? I won’t learn for free—I’ll give you my share of today’s meat."

Lin Yang was now thirteen years old. He was the grandson of Grandma Lin, the woman who had previously begged Qiao Suluo to teach her first-aid methods.

Qiao Suluo’s expression softened. "You don’t need to give me your meat. Just come help me with the chores, and I’ll teach you."

Lin Yang cheered excitedly, "Okay! Don’t worry, Ms. Qiao, I’ll definitely work hard."

Looking at his vibrant, youthful energy, Qiao Suluo couldn’t help but smile.

Seeing the bright and radiant smile on Qiao Suluo’s face, Chu Moyuan’s eyes darkened as he stared at Lin Yang. This young boy certainly had a sweet mouth and knew how to please Qiao Suluo.

She really was quite easy to coax.