Chapter 86: Welcome Banquet

After finishing their meal, they cleared the plates; seeing it was just five in the afternoon, they decided to lie down on the bed to rest a while, and in a daze fell asleep.

Li Feifei went to Li Qingxuan's side, her body slipping into his embrace, and softly said: "The fortress upgrade still needs over eight thousand stone; we'll gather it soon, but the energy stone shortage is bigger—still lacking over five thousand. The iron ore needn't worry for now; the mining machine detected an iron vein on the north slope of Low Hill, with large reserves, and mining has begun."

Her brows furrowed slightly with a hint of worry, she said, "Let me check your waist; the wound looks terrifying after the injury." She lifted Li Qingxuan's clothing, her gaze falling again on his gruesome scabbed wound at the waist and abdomen. Seeing it was not serious, just frightening to look at, she thoughtfully straightened his clothes.

Li Qingxuan followed her gaze and lowered his head to glance at his own waist and abdomen; the dark scab stood out starkly under the fort's soft lighting.

He gently moved his shoulders, a familiar stabbing pain came from the wound, but his expression remained unchanged; only his footsteps paused imperceptibly.

"Let the energy stones come slowly." He lifted his eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce the thick stone wall and head straight toward the distant Low Hill, "But finding the vein is indeed good news."

He paused, Li Qingxuan turned to Li Feifei and began recounting their journey; upon hearing about encountering the wolf pack, her heart jolted in shock, the lingering fear in her eyes growing stronger. After Li Qingxuan finished, she hurriedly asked, "How did the Wolf King become so vicious?"

"Well, the wolf pack is indeed harder to deal with than ordinary creatures, and this Wolf King is very cunning." Li Qingxuan's voice remained steady, showing no emotion, but Li Feifei keenly caught a flicker of fatigue deep in his eyes, took over his work, and urged him to go rest quickly.

He stepped toward the depths of the Main Keep, his pace still steady as usual, but his silhouette in the light and shadow interplay of the vast hall seemed to carry a touch more loneliness than usual.

The Black Goat's massive head twitched slightly, a faint, low growl issuing from its throat; only the heavy breathing spread slowly through the warm air.

When it reached seven in the evening, Li Feifei set down the transaction she was handling, went to the bedroom to wake Li Qingxuan, knocked on Zhao Ling'er's door, and told her it was time for dinner.

After a while, Li Qingxuan and Li Feifei sat at the dining table; Zhao Ling'er and her sister also came downstairs, Zhao Ling'er taking her sister's hand and happily running to the table.

Zhao Shuang'er was drawn by the rising steam from the dishes on the table; her steps unconsciously quickened to follow her sister. Seeing the table laden with food, many of which were her favorites, she seemed to have saliva dripping from her mouth, her dark, shiny eyes curiously scanning Li Qingxuan and Li Feifei beside the table, finally settling on the steaming dishes.

Li Feifei keenly caught the sister's small gesture, the smile at her lips deepening as she called out, "Shuang'er, are you hungry? Come sit quickly; dinner is ready."

She deliberately softened her voice and raised her hand to point to the seats specially prepared for the two sisters.

Zhao Ling'er inhaled deeply, "It smells wonderful, Sister Feifei, your cooking is superb." She stepped forward with her sister, making a slight bow: "Thank you, Sister Feifei, thank you, Mr. Li."

She pulled her sister to sit in the reserved spots, her face showing a delighted smile, her movements a bit restrained.

The table held simple dishes: braised pork, stewed potatoes with meat, shredded fried potatoes; the broth surface glistened with oil droplets, the aroma tempting. Beside them were lettuce, a large pot of boiled noodles, and stir-fried cabbage, steam rising, portions generous; within this fortress, it conveyed a reassuring sense of substance.

"Don't be polite, eat while it's hot; if it's not enough, I'll cook more." Li Feifei picked up her chopsticks, first serving Zhao Shuang'er a full bowl of noodles, then ladled a spoonful of braised meat over it, and placed a piece of meat on the wooden plate before her, saying, "Shuang'er sister, don't be polite, eat more; if it's not enough I'll serve you again."

Zhao Shuang'er looked at the steaming food in her bowl, then lifted her head to see Li Feifei's gentle smile; her little face broke into a bright grin as she happily said, "Thank you, Sister Feifei," then picked up her chopsticks, carefully lifted some noodles, puffed her cheeks and blew on them, and put them in her mouth.

The warm broth coated the tender meat chunks as they slid down her throat; she squinted her eyes in satisfaction, like a small beast that had finally found a warm corner.

Zhao Ling'er watched her sister's expression, her own face also breaking into a smile; she picked up her chopsticks, lifted some noodles into her mouth, the salty-aromatic flavor very delicious. As the food entered her stomach, warmth instantly spread through her limbs; she ate in small bites, her movements still slightly restrained, yet her gaze unconsciously drifted to the opposite side of the table.

Li Qingxuan ate quickly, but his movements were not crude, merely carrying the habitual efficiency of someone accustomed to it; he seemed to have little appetite, or his mind elsewhere, his gaze calmly fixed on some point ahead, only occasionally picking up a piece of meat, dipping it in broth, and putting it in his mouth.

He kept his back straight, but Zhao Ling'er noticed that when he reached for a slightly distant dish, his motion exhibited an extremely subtle hesitation, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly before quickly returning to normal.

Li Feifei also noticed Li Qingxuan's movement; she said nothing, merely silently pushing that dish closer to his hand.

Her own eating was much more refined, taking small bites, her gentle gaze watching over everyone at the table, especially the newly arrived sisters.

"Ling'er, Shuang'er, does it suit your appetite?" Li Feifei asked softly, breaking the silence at the table aside from the chewing sounds.

Zhao Ling'er hurriedly swallowed the food in her mouth, nodded, and said, "It's delicious, Sister Feifei, thank you for your hard work."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over this stone chamber used as a dining room; seeing the kitchen not far away, she formed a plan: "Here… everything is fine, we are very happy, thank you Sister Feifei and Mr. Li."

Zhao Shuang'er's mouth full of food, she mumbled indistinctly, "Delicious, very delicious, so many dishes I love, thank you Sister Feifei."

"As long as you're happy." Li Feifei smiled, "From now on we're a family; if you need anything, just tell me." Her tone was natural, carrying a reassuring strength.

"Sister," Zhao Shuang'er licked the broth from the corner of her mouth, unable to keep from asking softly, "That… that big black sheep—has it eaten?" She seemed especially curious about that huge creature.

"The Black Goat," Li Feifei explained with a smile, gesturing toward the great shadow deep in the fortress hall, "It's resting over there; it eats a lot, and at night it will go out to find food on its own, so no need to worry about it."

Zhao Ling'er listened to her sister's question, yet her gaze involuntarily turned toward the Black Goat's position; recalling when she first saw the Black Goat, its wound not yet fully healed, she lowered her head and silently ate a mouthful of noodles that had grown somewhat cool; the salty flavor on her tongue seemed to mingle with an indescribable bitterness.

Under the fortress's sturdy protection, the pressure of survival had never truly dissipated; it had merely been shifted onto others' shoulders.

(PS: Please donate some free power to keep the author motivated; please.)