Chapter 70

Seeing Ye Baizhi so lively and full of enthusiasm, Ye Wulan couldn’t help but chuckle softly. He looked at her, eyes brimming with a gentle, water-like fondness, and shook his head helplessly. “Slow down!”

Ye Baizhi turned to look at him. “What are you laughing at?”

Ye Wulan’s dazzling eyes shimmered with amusement, capable of bewitching hearts with ease.

Ye Baizhi was momentarily captivated by his smile. She had to admit—his beauty was extraordinary. Those exquisitely crafted, radiant eyes overflowed with tenderness, tinged with an alluring charm. She couldn’t help but get lost in his gaze.

When someone like him looked at her with such soft affection, she honestly found it hard to resist.

“I just think my wife is adorable.” It made him want to spoil and protect her like this—forever.

Ye Baizhi couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to touch his brows and eyes. She remembered back in the Rabbit Tribe, he never smiled—his expression had always been dark and enigmatic.

But now, he smiled more often.

She really loved his smile—it lifted her mood and made her feel his warmth. She wanted to protect this version of him.

“You know,” she teased, “if you smiled like that at the market, wouldn’t people be completely spellbound?”

Hearing her words, a smile tugged at Ye Wulan’s lips, and a soft, delighted laugh seemed to echo from deep within his chest. At that moment, he could clearly feel how much she cared for him. He took her fingers gently in his hand and brought them to his lips, pressing a soft kiss. “I don’t smile at others—only for you.”

His heart belonged to her alone.

Ye Baizhi couldn’t help but smile in return. “Saying that makes me sound a little possessive.”

Ye Wulan wrapped her gently in his arms. “I’m happy… because I can feel how much I matter to you.”

If it weren’t the middle of the day, he would have had a hard time holding himself back from pulling her even closer.

The two melted into each other for a while, completely caught in their tender moment.

Da Bao, long accustomed to such displays, had already turned his back discreetly and started playing with the blue spirit stones on the table.

Later, Ye Baizhi was left breathless and weak in the knees, barely able to stand.

Ye Wulan stroked her back softly. “If we didn’t have to head to the market soon, Baizhi, I would…”

At this moment, he truly didn’t want to let her go.

Ye Baizhi came back to her senses and gently nudged him. “It’s getting late—let’s go buy what we need and get back for lunch.”

Thanks to Ye Baizhi’s influence, their little family had grown used to eating three meals a day—even though most people in the Beast Continent only ate twice.

Still, Ye Baizhi knew that most people here were used to eating only two meals a day.

Hearing they were heading to the market, Da Bao turned around eagerly. “Mother, I want to go too!”

Ye Baizhi nodded. “Alright, let’s all go together.”

She wouldn’t feel at ease leaving Da Bao home alone. And if she went alone, Ye Wulan wouldn’t feel at ease either.

Ye Baizhi moved to lift Da Bao, but Ye Wulan stepped forward. “Let me.”

Although Da Bao was still young, he was sturdy—and walking around the market too long would tire Ye Baizhi out.

Ye Wulan couldn’t bear to let her wear herself down.

They arrived at the market around noon, the busiest time of day. Some stalls had already begun to pack up. They specifically searched for stalls selling miscellaneous goods. By chance, they spotted green peppers at a fruit vendor’s stand.

The peppers were tucked away in an unremarkable spot, but Ye Baizhi saw them at once—and couldn’t contain her excitement.

“Vendor, how much are these?”

The stall owner glanced at the green peppers and was momentarily stunned. “Young lady, you… you mean these green fruits?”

“Yes, how much for them?”

The vendor became a little excited. “One blue spirit stone for four.”

Seeing the female beast show no reaction, he hesitated, then said, “Five. Five for one blue spirit stone is fine too.”

This stuff rarely sold—it looked like fruit but bland and not tasty. Still, when food was scarce, it could at least fill the stomach.

Originally, some people were intrigued by the bright green color of the fruit and thought it was rare. But after trying it on the spot, they said it tasted terrible and even asked why something so bad was being sold. After that, no one bought any.

Still, since he had already picked them, he couldn’t just let them spoil—so he stuck them in a corner, hoping maybe someone would buy them. Who would’ve thought someone actually asked about them?

The moment Ye Baizhi saw the vendor’s expression, she could tell—he was thrilled and couldn’t wait to sell those green peppers.

“Vendor, do you have other fruits like this?”

The vendor nodded. “Yes, I also have these purple ones. Same price.”

Seeing the so-called purple fruits in front of her, Ye Baizhi’s eyes lit up. Weren’t those eggplants?

Of course, they’d taste awful if treated as fruit—this was a vegetable meant to be cooked.

“How many do you have?”

“Quite a lot. Young lady, are you buying them?”

Ye Baizhi nodded. “Mm, let me have a look first.”

To her, five for a blue spirit stone was a real bargain.

The vendor eagerly pulled out two beast-hide bags from behind the stall—one filled with green peppers, the other with eggplants.

Ye Baizhi’s eyes lit up, and she smiled. “Let’s count how many there are—I’ll buy them all.”

The vendor was so excited his hands were trembling. He felt like he might finally sell them. Still, he hesitated for a moment and said quietly, “Would you like to taste one first?”

What if they were unappetizing and ruined his stall’s reputation?

The young woman was accompanied by a male beast holding a child—his aura was noble and imposing. Not someone to offend.

Ye Baizhi smiled. “Don’t worry. Even if they don’t taste good, I have use for them.”

Only then did the vendor relax.

They counted the eggplants and green peppers—ninety-three in total.

The vendor rounded down and only charged eighteen blue spirit stones.

Ye Baizhi stored them in her space and continued browsing the market. She whispered excitedly, “We can make stir-fried pork with green peppers for lunch.”

“Yes!”

As they continued walking, Ye Baizhi came across another street lined with food stalls. Some sold meat soup, others grilled meat, and one was steaming corn.

Ye Baizhi stared in surprise. “They have corn here?”

The corn vendor was surrounded by a crowd of customers.

“One yellow fruit for me!”

“I’ll take one too!”

“I want two!”

Some who bought corn also grabbed a bowl of meat soup to go with it.

“As expected, food businesses really do best.”

Ye Wulan observed thoughtfully. “The cooked food here is reasonably priced. A lot of beastmen travel from far away, and having missed breakfast, they’ll often stop for a hot meal before heading home at midday.”

Ye Baizhi nodded and joined the line.

Each ear of corn cost one blue spirit stone—she bought three. Then she went to other stalls and picked up some bird eggs, as well as beast milk.

Da Bao was at a growing age, so it was important for him to drink more beast milk for nutrition. It had a bit of a gamey taste, but a little ginger would help mask the smell.

After observing the stalls for a while, Ye Baizhi began mentally drafting a new business plan.

“I’ve been thinking… we should go back to selling food. It’s clearly more popular—more customers, too.”

Ye Wulan had always supported whatever she chose to do. “Selling food might be more tiring, though.”

Ye Baizhi shook her head. “If it’s just in the mornings, it won’t be too exhausting.”

“Alright. Do you know what kind of food you want to make?”

Ye Wulan thought to himself—whatever it was, he’d take on more of the work so she wouldn’t have to tire herself out.

Ye Baizhi nodded. “I’ve noticed that people love meat soups—look at the beef soup, lamb soup, and wild game stalls. They’re always crowded.”

“And even though the shops are close together, their business doesn’t seem to hurt one another.”

“Especially in this cold weather—a hot bowl of soup really warms the body.”

Ye Wulan replied, “So… you’re thinking of starting a meat soup business?”