Chapter 74: No Appetite

Xi Tao saw Lin Manzhi's house piled with luggage, then remembered Lin had just arrived home; although she was curious how Lin would collect enough rainwater for the Water Cellar, she did not disturb her and quickly left to go back to her own house.

Lin Manzhi opened the courtyard gate and walked toward the kitchen.

It was already noon; the bright sunlight on her skin felt like a summer overhead heater, scorching her hair with a hot, tingling sensation.

After entering the kitchen, Lin Manzhi immediately removed the heavy hooded robe from her head, feeling a full-body relief and letting out a long sigh.

She applied camouflage to her face and body; the hooded robe she had worn in Kuangsha City and on the road for days was never dared to be taken off, and she felt she hadn't been this relaxed in a long time.

The shade of the suddenly entered cool room felt very comfortable on her head and body; Lin Manzhi raised both hands, stretched lazily, and tucked a stray lock of hair from behind her ear.

"Zhi Zhi, go rest for a while; I'll call you when the meal is ready."

Lin Manzhi turned her head and looked toward the direction of the voice.

She saw Mo Lie standing by the Mud Stove, his blue eyes lowered at her; his black shirt outlined his broad shoulders and chest muscles with a fierce curve, and he held a plate of Cooing Bird Jerky that seemed ready to be boiled until soft.

Lin Manzhi glanced.

The jerky was being cooked for her; a beast husband doesn't need to reprocess jerky, as their sharp teeth can crush even bone.

Lin Manzhi walked over with a clacking step, shook her head and declined lunch, "I'm not hungry; I'll have some Lettuce today."

Mo Lie's eyes darkened slightly, "Zhi Zhi, are you angry at those people from earlier?"

"No," Lin Manzhi said, walking to the Mud Stove edge and looking at the newly bought set of tableware: four plates, two bowls, plus a large bowl, all neatly placed aside.

After counting them, she naturally chatted with Mo Lie, "How about we dismantle that chassis we brought back and turn it into a cabinet? We could use it to store tableware and salt, etc."

"Later, tell me what the cabinet should look like, and I'll make it," Mo Lie said, calmly withdrawing his gaze.

Lin Manzhi inexplicably felt something was off, sensing that Mo Lie would do something for her.

Beastfolk's solutions are simple and brutal; taking action comes first.

It's hard not to think that, given Mo Lie's cold and ruthless nature, he would silently kill the three Beastfolk who offended her today.

As a human, Lin Manzhi still isn't accustomed to this life‑or‑death environment; she comforts Xi Tao, whose reassurance is only words without force, and this time the beast husband truly has the ability to comfort.

She blinked and said, "Don't lay a hand on them; I never cared about their affairs. All I think about is how to make our life better."

Speaking, Lin Manzhi picked up an empty cup beside her, looked at Mo Lie and said, "What I'm thinking is that we just got home and have no drinking water; we need to boil water and let it cool, the bedroom needs cleaning, and the Underground where we grow Lettuce, I think we need to clear a room to serve as a bedroom for the dry season."

The murderous intent rising in Mo Lie faded unconsciously amid Lin Manzhi's talk about daily chores.

The delicately beautiful female lifted her head slightly, speaking to him with a smiling tone.

She turned back, her pale, slender fingers picking up the Water Bag on the Mud Stove, poured a cup of water from the bag she had drunk from into the empty cup, then lifted the cup and gulped it down.

"We have no time to worry about others."

Her lips, wet and reddish from the water, reminded her that a lip print still lingered on the Water Bag.

Mo Lie's eyes grew dim, his throat rolled subconsciously, and his mind was filled with the Little Female before him, leaving no room to think of anyone else.

"Alright," Lin Manzhi set down the cup, gently lifted her lips, her expression brighter than the sun outside, "I'm going to clean the Underground room; later, move the jerky from the hall into the empty room opposite the bedroom."

Mo Lie gave a low "mm," poured the plate of jerky from his hand into a boiling iron pot, and after it softened, set it aside to cool.

He said softly, "You know I only care about you, so I'll listen to you. I'll finish cooking the meat now and then go move things; you can eat whenever you get hungry later."

"Mm…" Lin Manzhi turned and left the kitchen.

Her understanding of Mo Lie's personality made her think he was nothing like the 'brutal tyrant of the City of No Master' described in the books; he was born a heavenly prodigy, then fell from the clouds, and like many people, his mind became twisted, his moods unpredictable, and he turned violent and murderous.

Look at now—she's been with Mo Lie for so long; although sometimes she still finds him a bit elusive, he truly doesn't enjoy randomly killing innocent Beastfolk.

On the contrary, he almost always fulfills Lin Manzhi's requests, a stark contrast to the original book's depiction by tens of thousands of miles.

Defending Mo Lie's villainous reputation in her heart, Lin Manzhi kept moving straight to the bedroom; just as she turned from the living room into the unwindowed bedroom, the light dimmed, and she let her consciousness sink into the space.

The Lettuce grown together with Concentrated Spirit Dew formed a verdant patch, awaiting harvest.

Lin Manzhi took the basic sickle, went over, bent down and harvested the Lettuce one by one; after gathering 150 Lettuce, she straightened up and marked the harvest on another mature Lettuce patch.

Swish, swish, swish—the green Lettuce in the field vanished, its number added to the warehouse, then with a single click she planted new Lettuce seeds.

During these six or seven days, the harvest from her three plots was all sold to the Mall in the space; every product she cultivated was Lettuce.

In total, 3,750 heads were sold, all of them.

Lin Manzhi thought the warehouse still held over a hundred Lettuce left from last time, and without blinking she sold this time's 450 Lettuce as well, bringing the balance to 5,230 gift coins.

She was still far from the two‑hundred harvest upgrades, and having just returned from Kuangsha City, she wouldn't rush to sell Lettuce again, after all scarcity raises value.

She wanted to control Lettuce production so as not to make it too easy for Su Li to obtain, as she held a handful of Lettuce that would spark Su Li's greed.

Lin Manzhi looked at that half‑plot that yields a hundred days' harvest in one day, thinking that now she's home and doesn't want to keep eating jerky; with the heat she just wants some vegetables and fruit.

She plans to plant a batch of other vegetables and fruits, then continue with Lettuce next time, using the spare half‑day to grow produce for herself.

Thinking and doing, Lin Manzhi selected seeds in the Mall, buying Cucumber, Cherry Tomato, Potato, Carrot, and Strawberry—five seeds with a growth cycle of about 70–90 days to maturity.

She opened the seeds and planted them one by one in the farm soil.

The cultivable area in the soil is divided according to each crop's nutritional and size needs; she planted only five each of Cucumber, Cherry Tomato, Carrot, and Strawberry, and finally used the remaining land to plant only eighty Potato, which can serve as a staple.

After finishing in the space, Lin Manzhi's consciousness returned to reality.