Ugly, Fat, and Vicious? My Five Beast Husbands Are Obsessed Anyway

Chapter 39: Chapter 39: Turning the Tables: The Beastmen Compete to Be Chosen

After avoiding Nantu, Su Luoluo hung her freshly washed Beast Skin Skirt on a tree trunk next to her outdoor kitchen to dry.

While bathing, she noticed her neck had become much slenderer and her hands were less fleshy. Though her belly was still round, it was much better than before, when it had been as big as a ball.

She had been so busy moving, cooking, and tidying up the house these past few days that she hadn’t had any time to properly do a beauty mask.

She got up, looked around, and found some Black Phoenix Fruit Leaves, which she proceeded to crush and apply to her face.

While the beauty mask set, she began to clean up her kitchen.

When they finished making the table and chairs that morning, Su Luoluo had already been thinking about organizing her things.

Before, she had just put things wherever because there was no proper place for them.

Now that they had built a cabinet, she could finally arrange her pots, bowls, and ladles properly.

But as soon as she picked up a pot, Su Luoluo couldn’t help but sigh.

These fruit-husk pots just weren’t durable. The bottom of this one was scorched black and so thin that light shone through—it was burned through. She needed to replace it immediately.

And then there were the fruit-husk basins and bowls. They were convenient, but the husks were thin and would lose their shape after just a few uses.

They were all wrinkly and warped. Anyone who knew what they were would think they were bowls, but anyone who didn’t might mistake them for some kind of dog dish.

Making ceramic basins, bowls, and pots was more urgent than ever.

Red Soil was better for making pottery. The soil here was too loose; she needed to find time to go look for some Red Soil.

Su Luoluo replaced the old bowls and basins with newly picked fruit husks and arranged them neatly.

Then, she lowered her head and started processing the pork that Mo Xuan and Xiao Ye had brought back from a hunt a few days ago.

The temperature wasn’t high right now and the climate was relatively dry, so the meat, which she had wrapped in leaves and buried in the earth, hadn’t spoiled.

But this was not a long-term solution.

There was a lot of meat, too much to eat in a short time. If she wanted to store it, she would have to air-dry, cure, or smoke it.

All three methods required salt.

After several days of cooking, she had very little salt left.

Forget about using it to rub the meat; she barely had enough for cooking. At most, she had enough for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.

Ceramic pots and bowls were urgent, but getting more salt was even more pressing.

Su Luoluo resolved that she had to find a way to get salt tomorrow.

As she was frowning in deep thought, Fu Feng descended from the sky, his long tail trailing behind him.

After eating the popcorn and dumplings, he thought Su Luoluo’s cooking was absolutely delicious.

He had eaten relatively little at lunch. He kept thinking about it. ’If I want to avoid sharing, can’t I just come a little earlier?’

He could get his share before the others arrived. That way, he wouldn’t have to eat their "saliva" and could get a large enough portion of the delicious food.

Who would have thought that as soon as he landed, he would see Su Luoluo standing there, covered in black.

’It hasn’t been that long, how has she turned into a piece of charcoal again?’

Looking closer, he saw she had smeared something on herself. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Did Nantu’s return upset you? Why did you make yourself all black and grimy?"

Su Luoluo snapped back to her senses and shot Fu Feng a look. "What do you know?"

’Right, I don’t get it, but you do. You’ve smeared yourself up like a big black ball.’

Fu Feng couldn’t help but mock her in his head.

While the two were bickering, Mo Xuan and Xiao Ye also arrived, one after the other.

Seeing Su Luoluo covered in black, Mo Xuan was also taken aback. "Are you dyeing yourself black?"

In the past, he would have mercilessly mocked her with a question like, "Are you trying to dress up as a Black Bear?"

But the thought of her delicious food made him offer a more tactful reminder instead. "Dyeing yourself black looks nice, but it’s actually more suited for robust Beastmen. It makes them look more imposing."

The implication was clear: she should stop with the black dye, otherwise she’d end up looking like one of the male Beastmen.

Xiao Ye, on the other hand, didn’t say a word. He glanced at Su Luoluo and got straight to the point. "What’s for dinner?"

Explaining something like skin whitening to these Beastmen was pointless, so Su Luoluo couldn’t be bothered to try.

She ignored them and answered Xiao Ye, "Pan-fried dumplings."

There were plenty of dumplings left over from lunch, perfect for pan-frying.

A little oil, a little water, and a short time simmering on low heat with the lid on.

And just like that, the fragrant, pan-fried dumplings were ready.

Fu Feng saw that it was more or less the same thing they had for lunch and felt a little disappointed; he had been hoping for something new.

But when the dumplings were served in his bowl, his eyes instantly lit up. They were so crispy and crunchy! Absolutely delicious.

Having witnessed Su Luoluo’s various ways of cooking eggs, Xiao Ye and Fu Feng had no doubts. They dug in with a single word in mind: eat!

But Su Luoluo, the chef herself, stopped after just a few bites.

Mo Xuan saw that she still had a lot left in her bowl and asked, puzzled, "This is so good. Why did you stop after only a few?"

Su Luoluo shook her head. "I need to lose weight."

Hearing this, Mo Xuan’s words of encouragement died on his lips. He nodded. "That’s a good idea."

Su Luoluo: "..."

Seeing his expectant, puppy-dog eyes, Su Luoluo ignored him completely and gave the rest of her portion to Xiao Ye.

Mo Xuan: ’I knew I shouldn’t have said that.’

Meanwhile, Fu Feng, watching the delicious food slip away right before his eyes, wondered for the first time in his life if perhaps he was being too picky.

After she finished portioning out the dumplings, Su Luoluo announced a momentous decision. "You all need to get up early tomorrow and gather here. We’re going on a trip."

Hearing this, the three of them looked at her in unison. "Why are we going on a trip?"

Su Luoluo said, worried, "I’m out of salt. We need to go find some tomorrow."

"It doesn’t have to be that much trouble. I’ll just hunt some extra game tomorrow and trade with the people from the city-states," Mo Xuan said lightly.

"The amount of salt you can get from trading isn’t much. It’s not enough for me to cure the meat."

It wasn’t that Su Luoluo hadn’t considered this option, but the people in the city-states controlled the salt supply. Everyone received a limited amount—basically the same quantity Luan Ting had given her, which was nowhere near enough for curing the meat.

Besides, that salt was too coarse and impure. It had a slightly bitter, astringent taste, and Su Luoluo wanted to refine her own.

Fu Feng listened from the side, his gaze dropping. ’If I were still in the city-state, getting this stuff would be easy. Too bad...’

After listening, Xiao Ye looked at her. "Are you thinking of looking for those sheep we saw the other day?"

"Sheep? What sheep?" Mo Xuan listened with a look of disbelief. "Wait, Su Luoluo, you actually want to find another Beastman?"

Fu Feng’s ears perked up at this, eager for some gossip.

Su Luoluo shot the two of them a look and nodded at Xiao Ye. "Yes, those sheep can lead us to salt. If we find them, we can follow them to a salt source."

The guys had become immune to Su Luoluo’s strange yet logical ideas.

After hearing her explanation, they didn’t say anything more.

Only Fu Feng asked, with great concern, "Then what are we going to eat tomorrow?"

Su Luoluo glanced at the pots and bowls on the cabinet. "Bring these. I’ll find a place to cook for you all tomorrow."

"However..." Su Luoluo finished, then looked at the three of them with a smile. "I won’t be able to walk all that way tomorrow. Which of you is going to carry me?"

Xiao Ye didn’t hesitate. "I will!"

Mo Xuan wouldn’t back down. "Pick me!"

Fu Feng glanced at the other two. "I can do it too!"