Chapter 82

As Ye Baizhi spoke with such enthusiasm, Ye Wulan could almost feel her good mood radiating through her words. A gentle smile formed on his face. “Alright.”

It was as if anything she said—he would agree to it without hesitation.

Ye Baizhi looked up at him and asked, “Don’t you have any suggestions?”

Ye Wulan smiled softly at her. “Your ideas are already quite good.”

Ye Baizhi knew—whatever she said or did, Ye Wulan never interfered. His temperament was calm and steady. Even when things got hectic, he never complained or said a word too many. But truthfully, that morning had been hard on him as well. While she chatted with customers and handled payments, he was constantly handing out pancakes, ladling soup, and checking on little Da Bao in between. He had been moving nonstop—and hadn’t even had a sip of water the entire morning.

Ye Baizhi couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

“Do you feel tired at all?” she asked gently.

“We could’ve made less and closed up earlier.”

When Ye Wulan met her gaze, he immediately understood what she was thinking. With a gentle sigh, he said, “How could I possibly feel tired?”

After a brief pause, he added, “Not only am I not tired—I’ve actually really enjoyed this process.”

Having her by his side made these days the happiest of his life.

“Besides, with Transcendent Realm strength backing me, no matter how much we do, I don’t get worn out.”

“Whatever you want to do, whatever you want to plan—just go ahead. You don’t need to worry about me.”

That put Ye Baizhi at ease. “What would you like for lunch?”

She loved cooking for her family. Deep down, she had a genuine passion for food—and truly enjoyed the process of making it.

“Anything’s fine,” he replied warmly. Because everything she made tasted amazing.

Ye Baizhi turned to Da Bao. “What about you, sweetheart? What do you want to eat?”

Without hesitation, Da Vao said, “Noodles!”

Lately, Da Bao had really taken a liking to noodles. Even though he still wasn’t quite skilled with chopsticks, he loved them all the same.

“Alright then, noodles it is!”

They had dried noodles stored at home from a previous batch—she just had to boil them, and lunch would be ready in no time. It was all quite simple and convenient.

After lunch, Ye Wulan tucked Da Bao in for his nap. Once the child was asleep, he quietly got to work washing the dishes.

Meanwhile, out in the courtyard, Ye Baizhi was gently pulling the sprouted malt from the drying racks and rinsing it clean. She’d been misting it daily, and after a few days of steady growth, the sprouts were finally ready for use.

Normally, malt was made using glutinous rice—but since that was nowhere to be found here, Baizhi had decided to use sweet potatoes instead. Just as she was washing the sprouts, Cang Fei arrived, carrying a load of wild pig offal balanced on a shoulder pole.

“Madam Ye!”

At the sound of his voice, Ye Baizhi knew right away who it was.

“Brother Cang, you’re here! Come on in and have a seat!”

But Cang Fei waved her off. “No need—I won’t trouble you.”

He’d just finished butchering, still carrying the strong scent of beast blood on him. Walking in without washing up felt disrespectful—especially toward the always-clean Brother Ye and Madam Ye.

“I slaughtered a wild boar today,” he said, “and brought over the offal right away.”

When Ye Baizhi first asked for offal, Cang Fei was surprised—most people threw that away. It was considered waste. But if Madam Ye wanted it, of course, he’d give it. Still, she insisted on paying for it.

Honestly, Madam Ye and Brother Ye had taught him so much. How could he ever be ungrateful—how could he accept payment?

But Madam Ye was firm, so they settled on five blue spirit stones per bucket of pig offal. That made ten stones for the two large buckets—a small fortune considering it was waste others would’ve thrown away. Even if her offal soup business was thriving, that was purely thanks to Madam Ye’s own skill.

No matter how he tried, Cang Fei couldn’t replicate it. He wasn’t someone to forget kindness. Every day after finishing his own stall, he personally delivered the offal.

Madam Ye handed him the ten blue stones.

Cang Fei said, “I’ll take these straight to Brother Jian’s house.”

That was their usual arrangement.

Ye Baizhi paid him upon delivery, and he’d bring the goods directly to Jian Ping’s home.

In the afternoon, Zhu Ling would wash and clean it all thoroughly.

As Cang Fei was getting ready to head back, Ye Baizhi handed him two sweet red bean buns. She had prepared the dough the night before, let it rise overnight, and steamed the buns early that morning—making extras just to gift a few.

Cang Fei’s eyes turned red. “Madam Ye, I can’t accept these… You’ve already helped us so much.”

Thanks to her, carrying loads with the shoulder pole was now easier, and he’d learned about new foods as well. She often gave his family small treats—and he already felt incredibly grateful.

But Ye Baizhi smiled and said, “Take them. They’re for your wife and child.”

Cang Fei carefully accepted the buns in his hands. “Thank you… truly, thank you.” He had no idea how to express the depth of his gratitude.

Madam Ye and Brother Ye had been nothing but kind. The food they shared with his family—things they’d never seen before—was so delicious, it tasted like something out of a dream.

Though his household was slightly better off than others, both his wife and son still endured the hardships of hunting. Injuries weren’t uncommon.

Not long ago, Madam Ye had given them a bottle of medicine. After applying it to his wife’s and son’s wounds, they’d healed significantly.

The whole family felt indebted to her.

Tears welled in Cang Fei’s eyes.

“Madam Ye, if you or Brother Ye ever need anything—just say the word.”

“If it’s within my ability, I won’t ever refuse.”

Ye Baizhi knew that Cang Fei’s family was straightforward and loyal, which was why she was always willing to lend a hand. She looked at the weariness in his expression and paused before gently saying, “Cang Fei, I’ve noticed… selling wild game at the stall doesn’t always guarantee fresh meat every day.”

“Sometimes you have to buy it from other hunters, and those prices aren’t cheap. You work so hard, but at the end of the day, you’re just earning the bare minimum.”

Cang Fei had been candid with Ye Wulan and her about his stall’s struggles. So Ye Baizhi understood—despite how hard he worked each month, once the stall fees and rent were paid, there was barely anything left. The whole family was just barely scraping by.

Though their situation was slightly better than most, relying solely on hunting wasn’t enough to cover rent. So they had to take on extra work like this.

Cang Fei sighed. “That’s true, but there’s no helping it. Honestly, we’re already doing better than many.”

“Our family can’t guarantee a catch every day.”

“Sometimes, just to keep the stall open, I have to buy wild game from other hunters.”

“But we’re content—as long as there’s work, we can earn a little and not go hungry. That’s better than sitting idle.”

Cang Fei’s whole family was hardworking and unafraid of tough labor. While most female beastmen avoided physically demanding jobs, his wife didn’t mind—she went out hunting every day. His son, though still a youth, was already at second-tier strength and capable of hunting as well.

Cang Fei manned the stall in the morning and hunted in the afternoons. It kept him very busy.

Ye Baizhi said, “Actually… I have an idea.”

At those words, Cang Fei’s eyes lit up. Whenever Madam Ye said something like that, it usually meant she was about to offer a brilliant solution. If she was willing to share it, it must be something that would truly help.

With excitement and respect, he replied, “Please, Madam Ye—do tell!”

She continued, “The key to your stall is fresh wild meat.”

“Often, you have to buy from others, but if you could lower your sourcing costs, you’d be able to earn more.”

“The more meat you have, the more you can sell.”

“You and your family could consider raising wild beast cubs yourselves.”

“Take today’s wild boar, for example—raising a boar from a piglet to full size takes only about five months.”