Chapter 79: A Helper

When Ye Xin Ran woke up, it was already past noon. Xiao Huai’an had been awake the entire time, just watching her.

After a long sleep, she felt much less fatigued, especially since there had been a warm cushion beside her, making her feel secure and cozy.

“Are you hungry?” Ye Xin Ran stretched and yawned.

“No,” Xiao Huai’an answered softly.

If he could keep watching her, he could go without food.

“Never mind, you’ve just had surgery. I can’t neglect you. I’ll make some bone broth for you later,” she said, then turned and got out of bed. She spent a while arranging things on the ground, and soon there was a bowl of meat with bones, half a bag of rice, and some unknown vegetables.

Xiao Huai’an watched in awe.

Ye Xin Ran took a bone and went outside to find the tiger, but to her surprise, the tiger was gone.

She couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

“I thought it would stay here. If it had stayed, I wouldn’t have minded taking care of it,” she murmured, turning to return to the house.

She lit a fire and began to cook the soup.

“Do you have a magic pouch or something?” Xiao Huai’an couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

“Kind of! But I need to put things in it before hand. It doesn’t work like some magical wish pouch where you just get whatever you want!” Ye Xin Ran replied.

“I see now!” Xiao Huai’an seemed to understand a little more.

“How long will it take for my leg to heal?” He asked, a bit worried.

They say it takes 100 days to heal a broken bone. Did that mean he would have to stay in bed for 100 days before he could return? What would happen to the three children at home?

“Don’t worry, I already spoke with Old Li and the others this morning. After they go back, they’ll bring two more people up to help carry you home,” Ye Xin Ran reassured him.

Xiao Huai’an finally relaxed.

The bone broth, with lotus root slices, was sweet and soothing. Xiao Huai’an couldn’t help but drink two more bowls.

Ye Xin Ran only ate some of the lotus root slices.

Looking at the large pot of bones left over, she felt a bit troubled.

The tiger had come and gone without a word!

But before going to bed, Ye Xin Ran was pleasantly surprised to find that the tiger had returned.

It was proudly carrying two wild chickens it had killed in its mouth. It walked right up to the front of the house, dropped the chickens, and then sat down, unmoving.

Seeing the tiger like this, Ye Xin Ran suddenly remembered what she had said earlier about charging a fee for its treatment.

Could it be that the tiger really understood her, and now it was coming to pay her back?

She accepted the wild chickens.

From the kitchen, she took out four or five pieces of cooked bones, placed them in a wooden basin, and set them in front of the tiger.

The tiger, seeing the food, immediately salivated and started chomping down on the bones.

Watching it devour the food, Ye Xin Ran began to wonder:

“Could it be that you’re not paying back a debt, but rather that you’ve taken a liking to my cooking? You’ve brought the game to me to make me your free chef?”

After eating the bones, the tiger contentedly licked its paws and lay down outside the cabin.

With the tiger guarding the entrance, Ye Xin Ran felt more at ease and even slept more soundly that night.

The next day, the weather was beautiful.

Since Xiao Huai’an couldn’t go outside, Ye Xin Ran decided to have the tiger accompany her as she took a walk around the cabin.

After the trauma from the wolf pack attack, Ye Xin Ran now felt a deep fear of the large mountain.

Thankfully, heaven seemed to be looking out for her, she managed to dig up more than thirty Ice Spirit Flowers and over ten Luo Sha herbs by the end of the morning.

However, she didn’t dare stay outside for too long. After collecting the herbs, she hurried back to make sure Xiao Huai’an was safe.

Three days quickly passed.

During these three days, Xiao Huai’an had enjoyed soft bread, drank some black, stimulating “happy drink,” and ate delicious roast chicken and duck that Ye Xin Ran had conjured up from her space.

Ye Xin Ran no longer hid the items from her space.

Since it had already been revealed, she decided to stop pretending and just let things be.

On the fourth morning, as they were drinking milk, they suddenly heard voices outside the house.

“I say, Old Li, we’re finally here, right? You’ve been saying ‘almost there’ for a while now!”

“This time, it’s really almost there! Look, isn’t that the cabin? The employer is inside!”

“Ah! A tiger!”

The person suddenly screamed.

Terrified, he knelt down and pointed at the tiger.

“Li… Li, what are you thinking? Are you bringing us here to feed the tiger?!”

“Everyone, don’t be afraid! Tiger doesn’t eat people!” Ye Xin Ran walked out of the house.

Old Li and Xiao Chai had done a great job and had brought four more people with them.

These four men were tall and strong, with broad shoulders, and they looked like they could handle heavy tasks.

More importantly, they had also brought a reclining chair, making it easier to carry Xiao Huai’an down the mountain.

“Sister-in-law, did we come quickly?” Xiao Chai asked Ye Xin Ran, eager to take credit.

Ye Xin Ran smiled and nodded.

“Thank you all for your hard work. Please come inside and rest for a bit, drink some water, have a meal. Once you’re rested, we’ll head down the mountain.”

When the group saw Ye Xin Ran standing next to the tiger, they finally believed that the tiger didn’t eat people. Cautiously, they approached.

Old Li and Xiao Chai were still a bit nervous when they saw the tiger again, but to maintain face in front of the villagers, they bravely led the way, passing by the tiger carefully, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Once everyone was inside the cabin, Ye Xin Ran realized the room was too small and crowded, and there wasn’t enough space for her to enter.

“Uh, sorry, it seems there’s no space inside. How about everyone comes outside and enjoys the sunshine for a bit?”

“No, it’s too open outside. It’s better inside,” one of them said.

The others immediately nodded in agreement: “Yes, yes! It’s better inside.”

Of course, with such a big tiger outside, who would dare go out? If the tiger was displeased, their lives could be at risk.

Seeing that no one was willing to move, Ye Xin Ran had no choice but to stay outside.

For a while, the small cabin was filled with the smell of sweat and feet from the men.

Xiao Huai’an, lying on the bed, felt quite aggrieved: “What are you all doing in here? Give me back my fragrant wife!”

Thankfully, Ye Xin Ran was quick with the food preparation.

The freezer had frozen buns.

She took out more than thirty frozen buns, started a fire outside, and placed the buns on the fire to roast.

Once the buns’ skin had slightly browned, they were ready.

The roasted buns gave off a unique, appetizing fragrance, and everyone inside the cabin couldn’t stay still anymore. Some even dared to sneak outside, eager to taste them.

“There are meat-filled buns and wild vegetable-filled buns. Please help yourselves.”

“Once you’ve had the buns, we’ll head down the mountain.”

Ye Xin Ran grabbed six buns, handed them out, and led the tiger inside the house.

The remaining buns were stacked together. With six people, each could have five.

At this point, everyone was too hungry to be polite, grabbing five buns each to eat.

Before they ate, they all hoped to get the meat-filled ones, but once they tasted them, they realized that the wild vegetable-filled ones were just as delicious.

Five buns didn’t seem like much to them, but being able to eat such tasty buns, they all unanimously agreed: this work was totally worth it!